youth led service v2 (720p): The city of Los Angeles, California was growing rapidly. The city needed more water, so the St. Francis Dam was created to store more water for the city. When construction was completed in 1926, the dam stood over 200 feet tall and held billions of gallons of water. It was an impressive structure, but there was a problem. The ground and rocks surrounding the dam were not as stable as they needed to be. There were also problems with the dam's construction. Even though the structure looked strong, It had weaknesses. And you couldn't that you couldn't see. On March twelfth, nineteen twenty eight, just before midnight, the dam collapsed. Billions of gallons of water rushed down the canyon and through the communities below. More than four hundred and fifty people lost their lives. Homes and roads were destroyed, and families were were left devastated. It became one of the worst dam disasters in California's history. Think about that for a moment. This was a massive structure that had been built to hold back an enormous amount of water. But when the pressure came, it couldn't stand. The problem wasn't how the dam looked from the outside. What mattered was what it was built on and whether it was strong enough to withstand the force of the water. That brings us to the words of Jesus. If you'll turn with me to Matthew seven, twenty four through twenty five, it's Matthew seven, twenty four through twenty five. Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. I want to pause there and really look at this first verse. Everyone then who hears these words of mine, who's talking? Jesus. And does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And what's the house? Our lives. And what's the rock? His word. So everyone then who hears these words of Jesus and does them will be like a wise man who built his life on the word. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. He says, Whoever hears them and does them is the wise. The distinction makes all the difference. Think about how many opportunities we have to hear God's word. We hear it preached every Sunday morning. We read it in our Bibles, we have it taught to us in Bible class. We hear it from our parents, teachers, and other Christians. We have so many opportunities around us to hear what God expects of us, but the question is, what are we doing with what we hear? We can sit through a sermon on forgiveness and still hold a grudge. We can hear a lesson on love and still treat people poorly. We can hear a lesson on controlling our words and still use our words to hurt others. We can hear a lesson on putting God first and still let everything else in our lives come before Him. I think we get the point. The problem isn't we haven't heard what God wants us to do. Sometimes it's just we know what he wants us to do, but we don't do it anyway. Think about a person who wants to be a better athlete. He can watch hours of training videos, listen to coaches explain proper techniques, and learn everything there is to know about the sport. But if he never actually practices, has he really improved? He might know exactly what to do, but knowing and doing are two different things. The same is true spiritually. We can know hundreds of Bible verses, we can know the parables by heart, we can just know what Jesus taught. But if those teachings never change, our actions or how we live, we're missing the point. James 122 says, But be doers of the word and not hearers, only deceiving yourselves. I think the last part of that verse is especially important. Deceiving yourselves. Why would James say that? Because it's possible to convince ourselves that we're doing well spiritually simply because we're hearing God's word. We can mistake knowing the truth for actually living it. But Jesus makes it clear that wisdom requires action. Then if you look with me at Luke 6, 46, it goes, Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do what and do what and not do what I tell you? Think about what Jesus is asking. How can someone call him Lord, acknowledge his authority, and claim to follow him while refusing to do what he commands? It's a question worth looking inward on. Are we simply calling Jesus Lord, or are we actually allowing him to be the Lord of our lives? So we understand that building our lives on Jesus is more than simply hearing what he says. It means taking action and putting his words in to get in action. But that brings up another question. Why would anyone build a house on sand when rock provides a stronger foundation? The answer is simple. Building on sand is easier. Digging into rock takes more time and effort. Building on sand might be quicker and from the outside the two houses might look identical. But the difference becomes clear when the storm arrives. The same is true of our spiritual lives. It can be so easy to follow in the ways of the world. Fitting in feels natural. It offers immediate approval. That's why get rich schemes and fab diets are so popular. The promise of immediate results with minimal effort. But building your life on the rock or the word. means sticking out and denying temptations that can be all too easy to accept. Building a strong spiritual foundation requires daily effort. It means studying the Bible when we would rather do something else. It means making decisions that honor God. We have to be willing to dig deep into his word and build our lives around what he teaches. And the reason putting in that effort matters so much is because of what Jesus says next. He doesn't say the wise man's house might face a storm. He says the storm came. No matter how carefully we build, and no matter how strong our foundation is, we're still going to face difficult times. Jesus makes it clear that storms come to everyone. In Matthew 7, 25 through 27, both houses face the same conditions. The rains fall, the floods come, and the winds blow. But the wise man's house stands, and the foolish man's house falls. But the wise men still face the storm. Following Jesus does not mean we will never experience failure, disappointment, sickness, sadness, or difficult circumstances. Sometimes we may think that if we are faithful enough, life should always go smoothly. But Jesus reminds us storms are a part of life. The difference is not whether the storm comes, the difference is what our lives are built on when it arrives. Think about how people prepare for a severe storm. They make preparations before the storms get there. They don't wait until the wind is blowing to start thinking about their foundation. Our spiritual preparation works the same way. We cannot wait until a crisis comes to decide whether we trust God. Do not wait for the storm to start building your foundation. Start today. So if storms are going to can to come into everyone's life, the question becomes, what will we be standing on when they come? We need a foundation stronger than ourselves. We need a foundation that will hold when everything starts to shake. And that brings us to my final point. Our hope is not in our own strength, wisdom, or ability. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. Throughout Scripture we see Christ described as our rock and our source of strength. In first Corinthians ten four it goes, And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Think about what that means. A rock represents something solid, especially in this verse, where the rock is the only dependable thing in the wilderness. That's what Jesus provides for us. When life becomes difficult, we can turn to him. When we face temptation, we can look to his word for guidance. When we feel unsure for the future, we can trust in his promises. But we must remember what Jesus tells us teaches us in Matthew 7. He doesn't describe the wise man as someone who simply admires the rock. He describes them as someone who builds on it by hearing and obeying his words. We cannot build our spiritual foundation on our own opinions, feelings, or what the world tells us is right. We must build it on the word. The world around us will change, our situations will change, but Jesus will remain the foundation we can depend on. And that brings up the most important question we can ask ourselves. When the storms of life come or a foundation be firm, are we truly building our lives on Jesus, or have we chosen something else? When we look back at Jesus' illustration, we see two men, two houses, and two different foundations. Both men heard the words, faced the storm, but only one stood. The difference was the foundation. The same is true for us. We have to hear the word and obey it. We have to put in effort to build our faith. We have to recognize storms will come, and through it all, we must have Jesus we must make Jesus the foundation of our lives. Every day at Fairview High School, everyone meets in a class with about 15 other people, all in the same grade at the beginning of school. Meet with the same group every year, every day throughout high school. This is known as Jackaton. The purpose of Jackatime with these people is to build strong friendships with them over time. This year we had a new student to our school get put into our Jacketon. And I've yet to go meet him. And it's not just me, he sits alone most days, because no one else has made a friendship with him either. This reminds me of the story of the Good Samaritan. The parable of the Good Samaritan involved a man beaten by robbers, stripped of everything he had, and left half dead on the side of the road. Turn with me to Luc to Luke ten, verse thirty one. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was, and when he saw him, took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine, and he took the man on his own donkey and took him to the inn and took care of him. Now, at the time most Jews lived north or south of Samaria, and the Jews hated the Samaritans, because they were not as pure as they were. Samaritans did not follow the law as closely and interbred with other surrounding nations, rather the Jews only married other Jews and followed the law more closely. So for a priest and Levite to ignore the man and a guy from a widely hated ethnic group to stay and help only strengthen Jesus' message. It is important to understand why Jesus told this parable. Take a look at Luke ten, verse twenty-five. On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, What must I do to inherit eternal life? What is written in the law? he replied. How do you read it? He answered, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. You have answered correctly, Jesus replied. One of the main takeaways of this parable in the Good Samaritan is the Golden Rule. Jesus describes the Golden Rule in his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter seven. Turn to Matthew chapter seven starting in verse nine. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake. If you, then, though you are evil and know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him? So in everything you do for others what you would have them do to you for this sums up the law and the prophets. When it comes to the Golden Rule, it is important to understand that we need to do our best to remove personal selfish ambitions. By moving our focus and energy away from ourselves, we find joy and contentment through pursuing our faith upon others. This virtue is expressed in the song Not of self and all of thee. The following is a verse from the song. Higher than the highest heaven, deeper than the deepest sea, Lord, thy loveeth last I conquered. Grant me now my supplication, not of self and all of thee. God's love for us is endless, and he gave us eternal life through Jesus' sacrifice. We should devote ourselves to loving others with all of our energy because that's how we want to be treated after all. Jesus expresses the message of seeing everyone as our neighbor in the parable. Instead of the Samaritan keeping to himself and going his own ways, he passed through, like Samaritans would usually do as they passed through. He instead helped the beaten man. When someone differs in us, in some way, whether that be age, gender, or culture, We should see them through we should see through the differences and look through Christ's life lenses and simply see another neighbor in need. The type of love we should have for everyone we come in contact with is similar to that of a child's. Children see everyone as a friend, no hesitation. Children are able to quickly make friends and work together, always with joy. This is how we should love. The Samaritan demonstrates the virtue of helping others without expecting anything in return. The Samaritan bandaged the beaten man's wounds, brought the man to an inn, and paid the innkeeper to take care of him. The Samaritan probably knew more than likely that the two would go their separate ways after the incident, and he would not be repaid. This is what selflessness is doing good without expecting anything in return. The reward we receive for doing good for others should be joy. The actions the Samaritan demonstrated are an excellent example of how we should respond during these opportunities, and we should always be on the lookout for these opportunities to show our Christian kindness and selflessness. When I first moved to Tennessee four years ago, I knew almost nobody. Now I have many friends and connections. I've come to realize over time that many of the people saw me as the new kid and made the decision to show kindness. Their acts of simple kindness created meaning sh meaningful friend friendships. These people could have simply kept to themselves and moved past me. But they chose to put effort into building relationships. These people have been the good Samaritans of my life. And as I mentioned in the beginning, I have an opportunity to show my Christian light daily and get to know the new student at school. I found myself being the priest or Levite. This week I'm going to go and try to live out the parable and build a friendship with the new student. Searching for these opportunities and demonstrating joy as we help our neighbors in need is what Jesus has called us to do in this parable. A teacher asked her students to bring a plastic bag and a sack of potatoes to school. For every person they refused to forgive, they had to write that person's name on a potato and put it in the bag. Some bags grew very heavy, and the teacher gave the rule that they had to carry this bag with them everywhere for one more week to the bathroom around school. Then the students began to complain. The potatoes were heavy, but worse, they started to rot and smell. The students realized that carrying around old grudges were only punishing themselves. I want to talk about three things tonight. What's the importance of forgiveness? Why should we forgive? And how you can forgive the right way. There are four types of forgiveness that we need to follow. There's forgiveness from the Father, forgiveness from other people, forgiveness for other people, and forgiveness for yourself. Before we jump into the three points, I want to make sure that we all understand what forgiveness is not. Forgiveness is not agreeing that it was no big deal or that it wasn't really that important. According to Merriam Webster, it says that forgiveness is to cease feeling resentment against an offender and give up revenge. But that's so hard. Because revenge sounds so good in the moment, it feels like the only relief you can get. But I promise you the only true relief is forgiveness. Revenge will make you hunger for more. Forgiveness is satisfactory, it satisfies. So with all that to help with better understanding forgiveness, let's jump into our first point. What is the importance of forgiveness? Well the importance of forgiveness is that God clearly says that we have to forgive others. So first off it's a command from God, and we are supposed to obey every command. Ephesians chapter four, verse thirty two says, Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has forgiven you. According to Harvard Health, forgiving someone increases your mental and emotional well-being, your physical and cardiovascular health. It helps you with immune function and strength and it creates a stable emotional balance. Forgiveness can be healing. You have to heal from the inside before you can heal from the outside. My second point is, why should we forgive? Well, first off, holding a grudge and not forgiving someone is just an unnecessary burden, like the story I told you about in the beginning. Don't make it harder for yourself. And it's not that we need, we must move on and grow. If we do not truly forgive someone in our heart, then we are still stuck in the past in the same place. Nothing has changed. God also said that forgiveness must come from your heart. Let's read Matthew chapter eighteen, verses twenty two, verse thirty five. For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him, but since he did not have the means to repay his lord, his lord commanded him to be sold among with his wife and children, and all that he had, and repayment to be made. So the slave fell on the ground and prostrated him before him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything. And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him, and forgave him that debt. But the slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves, who owed him a hundred and neri, and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, Pay back what you owe. So his fellow slave fell on the ground and begged and pleaded with him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will repay you. But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison, until he should pay back what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved, and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have the mercy on your fellow slave in the same way that I had mercy on you? And his Lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart. Now you have a whole nother aspect. Not only is it a sin not to forgive your brother, any punishment for yourself, it also carries a weight of torture. Most would rather pick revenge and linger in that torture than forgiveness. Prove yourself, prove yourself through forgiveness, and prove yourself to God and not men. God gave everything for you, is it too much to ask, to let go some some of your revenge for a wrong. It has no comparison on dying on the cross and being tortured. God forgives us because he loves us, another command. God gave us God says love your neighbor as yourself, and if you do this, you'll forgive someone you love. We are supposed to be like Jesus, so we are supposed to forgive. What do you think Jesus would feel like or act like if he came back on earth and saw all of us with grudges, nobody forgiving each other? I know what he did in the past. He handed him to the torturers. Would he do the same now? I personally would not want to risk that. Forgiveness is Forgive your neighbor as God forgave you. And that brings me to my third and final point. How to forgive the right way. You can say that forgiveness is easy, and I can walk up to someone and say, I forgive you. But that does nothing. Faith is nothing without works, then forgiveness is nothing without action. You have to put aside the resentment, put aside the hate, and move on. I can relate. I saw a hard time trying to forgive others. But we need to realize that forgiveness is not for others, it's for yourself. If you love yourself, you'll forgive yourself. The Father will forgive you. Other people will forgive you. The hardest one is getting that true forgiveness from yourself. Sometimes you have to forgive yourself before you can forgive the other person. To perform forgiveness right, you need time. You need to have the understanding that God's going to take care of everything. In the end, He is the judge, jury, and executioner, not you. And until you can admit that, your life will be so much easy and easier and less burdensome. Let. Leave the past behind, empty your hands, trust God's verdict. Give up, get out, give in. If you can try this three step process, it has worked for me and I hope it can work for you. Give up your grudges. Give up your hate. Get out your head and let God come in. And finally, let God control what happens, no matter what. He's got you. And if you forget everything I say tonight, the only thing I want you to remember is that forgiveness is for yourself. Do it for others and do it for God. Two men were held in a brutal prison camp, and they met each other years after their release. They began to catch up on their lives, and the first man asked the second man. Have you forgiven your guards for what they did to you? And the second man frowned and snapped and said, No, I will never forgive them for what they've done to me. And the first man looked at him with compassion and said, If that is true, then you are still in that prison. Are you still locked up in prison? Are you still in the past? Are you still suffering the same memory and reliving it? Let the burden go today. Because Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the King of Kings, is calling you. He is waiting for you. He's waiting for you to join him. If you need anything tonight, prayers to be baptized, or you want to study, please come forward as we stand and sing. Yeah.