Culture tells us that life is about climbing. If we don’t think we’re good enough in an area, we tell ourselves we have to work and strive to gain a higher position and improve our status. But kingdom culture teaches the opposite. In part 16 of Cuffing Season, Pastor Charles teaches us how we can recognize climbing in our lives. We learn that we can stop trying to reach the top & receive righteousness where we are. Make sure you share this message with a friend!

hi my name is Amberly and I have the

privilege of serving as one of our

executive pastors here at Transformation

Church we just want to say thank you so

much for tuning in from wherever you are

watching from and if you haven’t already

be sure to like And subscribe we believe

that God has a word for you so let’s

jump into this amazing message

I’m going to jump into the word today

are you ready for the word

all right we’re in week 16 somebody say

16. week 16 of a series called cuffing

season the things you love that don’t

love you back and I’m going to read a

portion of the Bible here Luke 19 is

what we’re going to read if you got your

Bibles in the room congratulations you

are a special Christian because you have

a Bible that you don’t need to charge

and uh if your Bible needs a charge I

hope it don’t die on you in your darkest

moment anyways

that happened to me one time I was

literally I was like doing a wedding and

the iPad died in the middle of the

wedding and I was like

so

here today in the sight of God anyways I

made it all up Luke 19 they’re still

married today great meeting God’s

blessing was on their marriage so Luke

19

starting in verse one

Jesus entered Jericho

and made his way through the town

there was a man there named Zacchaeus

he was a chief tax collector

in the region and he had become very

rich

he tried to get a look at Jesus but he

was too short to see over the crowd

so he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore

fig tree beside the road for Jesus was

going to pass that way

when Jesus came by he looked up at

Zacchaeus and called him by name

Zacchaeus

quick come down

I must be a guest in your home today

Zacchaeus with a short self quickly

calmed down

took Jesus to his house with great

excitement and joy but the people were

displeased

he’s gone to be a guest of an artorious

sinner

the people grumbled meanwhile Zacchaeus

stood before the Lord and said I’ll give

half my wealth to the poor Lord if I

have cheated people in their taxes I’ll

give them back four times as much

Jesus responded salvation has come to

this home today for this man himself

uh this man himself to be a true son of

Abraham for the son of man came to seek

and save those who are lost

I’m going to pray just one more time as

we get into the word of God Holy Spirit

lead and guide us through this moment

we need to encounter you your presence

your goodness your grace and your mercy

and so I pray that every distraction

would be eliminated that everything that

would have us blocked from your spirit

would be removed and we would hear from

you in the name of Jesus we pray and

everybody said

amen

um Luke I love the Book of Luke it is a

um specific gospel there’s four gospels

and um they are the same story four

times over if you read your Bible for

your first time and you’re like what in

the world does Jesus raised from the

dead four times no uh it’s the same

story repeated over and over again and

Luke a little context for him he’s a

doctor so Dr Luke includes stuff that

maybe other people wouldn’t have

included and at this point in the story

he has been portraying the life of Jesus

and how Jesus has been establishing his

kingdom on earth that is all that Jesus

preached is the Kingdom of Heaven is at

hand so every story he tells he’s

illustrating how the kingdom of God

works the intricacies the simplicities

he’s telling the people hey this is how

I’ve worked that you’ve heard a lot

about me there’s been a lot of

prophecies there’s been a lot of people

telling you about me but let me show you

for myself what I’m about and what I do

in this story in Luke 19 it opens up and

um if you read it at face value you miss

a lot of context in a lot of detail

it opens up and it says Jesus is walking

through Jericho

um and there’s a man this man is

Zacchaeus everybody says Zacchaeus

now if you’re anything like me when you

say Zacchaeus a little song pops in your

head anybody got the song in the

Zacchaeus Was a wee little man and a wee

little man was he you know say thank you

with the clap that’s what I’m talking

about all you other people didn’t go up

saved it’s okay

I grew up saved you hear what I’m saying

that’s so bad they just got that song

stuck in my head Zacchaeus um the story

opens up and Jesus has a crowd packed

around him this is what happened when

Jesus came on the scene this is what

happened when he went places it’s so

funny to me that people say I don’t like

big churches I don’t like when there’s a

lot of people I just need a little

amount of people that’s awesome but if

you was around Jesus back then wherever

his presence was there was a lot of

people

wherever Jesus showed up they didn’t

have Twitter there wasn’t somebody

promoting and handing out invite cards

when God showed up people surrounded him

when God’s presence shows up don’t be

surprised if people start coming from

the north to south the East and the West

that’s how he works

so there’s a crowd Around Jesus

it says Zacchaeus um he’s a the first

introduction we get to Zacchaeus

is uh he is a chief tax collector

now I’m going to slowly walk you through

this so you can understand uh the

implications of what Jesus does in the

middle of this story it says he’s a

chief tax collector what we get first

about Zacchaeus is that he is extremely

successful he’s not just a tax collector

he’s a chief tax collector now a little

context around tax collector this is not

just a random word that they would throw

out

you see at this time the Roman

government was oppressing people and

they needed to get their taxes so what

would they do they would find somebody

like Zacchaeus who was a Jew but found a

way to work for the Roman government

so what is his job the Romans come to

him and let’s say this they say hey we

need a hundred dollars from this person

in taxes whatever you get more than that

you can keep

Zacchaeus said Ben

so zacchaeus’s job was to go up to

people

and lie about how much money they had to

pay the government

and take it from them

walk up to the door he’d knock on the

door

yeah I’m here to get the money uh for

the government how much you need let me

see here hold on

I got to get them 50. uh I need 180

dollars

180 last year it was only 10. yeah sorry

homie prices just went up

I’m gonna need that money I’m gonna need

that quick boy you better give me your

money

his job was to walk around and lie and

steal from his own people

that’s who he was

at this time even the word tax collector

it carried implications that would have

put him amongst Liars thieves and

murderers

when Jesus says tax collector it’s not

just like oh yeah Uncle Sam what’s your

money no no no no think of the person

you despise the most in your life

get that person in your mind this is

Zacchaeus

he’s a tax collector he’s super

successful

the only problem is he’s super short

which is probably why I was so

successful he’s trying to make up for

something you know what I’m saying but

he’s he’s super successful but he’s sure

he says there’s a crowd and he can’t see

Jesus so he gets an idea you know what

I’m gonna run ahead of the crowd and I’m

gonna climb a tree

ah

Zacchaeus

it’s up in his tree

come by any second now

and when he comes by

I’m gonna pounce on him no I’m just

kidding he just joking like straight

Spiderman do the land and everything

he climbs up in a tree

and he’s sitting in the tree waiting for

his moment and all the scripture says it

didn’t say he was trying to talk to

Jesus all the scripture gives us is he

wanted to see Jesus

he didn’t have no plans of talking to

him he didn’t have no plans of hanging

out with him the only thing in his mind

was I just want to see him I just want

I’ve heard about him I’ve I heard a lot

of people around me talk about but I

want to see him for myself

well the problem is

people got in the way of him seeing

Jesus

and that still happens today

there’s people who want to see Jesus

they may not be living right they might

not be doing all the right things but

there’s something on the inside that’s

just curious but it says the crowd the

people who got close to Jesus he

couldn’t get around him he couldn’t see

around him so he decided I’ll run ahead

and the scripture says this he climbed a

tree for Jesus was going to pass that

way

Jesus

comes walking with the crowd

as Zacchaeus is like oh okay

a little shorter than I thought you’d be

but you know

oh wow you ain’t white liking all the

pictures that’s crazy

sorry I can’t say that some of y’all got

a white Jesus that’s not what he looked

like anyways

oh you didn’t know he didn’t have blue

eyes that’s wild

anyways

non-white Jesus walks by and

he stops

as Ikea says like

I timed this perfectly

what are the chances he stops right

under my tree

I’m the goat I got all this money I’m a

chief tax collector and I timed and

picked the perfect tree Jesus was going

to stop by I knew it haha he stopped

right in front of my tree he’s standing

there and then Jesus looks up

and I always Picture This Moment In the

Bible like what is a really short guy

doing up in a tree how do you respond

like

oh hey what’s how you doing yeah

what’s up hey what’s up G hey shoot man

what am I doing in this tree

Jesus you know

you know I be chilling you know I’m

saying I’ll just be chilling up in trees

sometimes it’s no big deal

yeah that’s crazy now there’s a lot of

people around you that’s why because my

kids was super cool in my mind like

Zacchaeus Was wearing Timberlands just

like me he was like just chilling and

he’s sitting there and he’s like yo it’s

like yes I want to go to your house

my house

you sure you Ben

hold on and it says Zacchaeus comes down

real quick down the tree come down

says he’s super joyful

now as I kiss and super gassed

that Jesus is coming to his house

but all

the church people

do not feel the same way

wait you going to his house

Jesus do you know who that is

do you know what they said

do you know what they did do you know

who they slept with

do you know the diseases they got do you

know that they married to you

you know they this is actually the third

marriage and I don’t know how do I know

that is not important how I know that

but

Jesus you go to

you you go to bad people’s houses

and at this point in the sermon I want

to

combust up

some of your perceptions

on whose house Jesus would or would not

be in in our present day

because some of y’all think

your good deeds

warrants

Jesus coming to your house and not those

bad people’s houses

Jesus you why would you go to their

house you see all the good stuff I’m

doing over here you surely would not go

to this notorious Sinner’s house

and Jesus in the middle of that crowd

comes to bust up all the religion

and what he is saying by saying I want

to come to your house this is not just

simply I’m inviting myself over for game

night

eating dinner at someone’s house

represented in the context of that time

one of the most intimate things of

acceptance you could do

and Jesus comes into the Earth to say

this I go to bad people’s houses

he said how quiet that is

because your rules and your list of good

deeds can’t make sense of the fact that

Jesus goes to bad people’s houses

reading the scripture who he is yeah on

your list Jesus wouldn’t go to his house

Jesus wouldn’t spend time with him Jesus

wouldn’t be seen with him but Jesus

comes to bust up all of the rules to say

hey I don’t care about your list of good

deeds I don’t care about the law that

you’re keeping I am Grace In the Flesh

and I will choose whose house I want to

go to

I appreciate your golf claps

but this would actually

be good news to you if you realized you

as a bad person

[Music]

the problem is you think you’re on the

good list

I’m gonna stand back here because some

of y’all trying to punch me from your

seat the problem is

you think oh I’ve done a lot of good

things so I’m a good person

so Jesus goes to good people’s houses

but he don’t go to bad people’s houses

no no no baby the good news is the all

of us are bad people and God chooses to

show his grace his Mercy on his love

[Applause]

see some of y’all when I started reading

Zacchaeus y’all thought I already heard

this story and I know I’m not Zacchaeus

oh

oh you don’t know Romans 3 23.

for all

have fallen

use Zacchaeus

you thought you was in the crowd

oh no no no we all

love

to climb trees

to make sure

Jesus can see us

today the title of my sermon if you’re

taking notes is cuffed

to climbing

you see all of us in some area

fall short

all of us in some area are trying to

compensate for that thing that we don’t

have all of us in some area have some

things in our life that didn’t go how we

thought they were going to go and so we

start performing we start climbing

ladders to show Jesus hey look over here

maybe you ain’t performing for Jesus but

you’re performing so you can get married

look over here

look look at me

maybe you’re not performing for that

maybe

there’s some area

where if you were honest

you find yourself

in a tree

and you think

when Jesus stops under your tree

that it’s because you timed it and

picked it perfectly

you see I haven’t missed a church

service in 42 years so that’s why Jesus

always shows up

you see I haven’t missed the YouVersion

scripture and my streak is 962.

so Jesus always

stops under my tree

I lifted My Hands In Worship

so much better than that other person

next to me they were balled up on the

floor

probably because they’ve got a lot of

sin in their life but Jesus always stops

under my tree

oh you think

because it’s easy to see a short man in

a tree

see what you don’t realize

is a short man

climbing up in a tree full of leaves

would be harder to see

it was convenient for him to see Jesus

but all of your climbing

Muddy’s up where you actually are

oh okay let me oh

some of y’all so nervous it’s okay

it’s just a ladder

for all

have fallen

short

climbing because I see some of y’all

looking at me like I still don’t see the

connection what is climbing climbing is

using effort and activity to achieve a

higher position or status

cuffed to climbing

cuffed to using energy

and activity

to achieve a higher position or status

and I’ve learned the only way you keep

climbing is to stay reaching

and if we were to look at your life

it’s a lot of reaching

it’s a lot of us

it’s a lot of performing for certain

people it’s a lot of imaginary lists in

your head of who’s right and wrong it’s

a lot of climbing maybe not the tree but

maybe you’re climbing the corporate

ladder

well I didn’t get recognized as a child

because I didn’t have enough and I

didn’t like how it felt when everybody

else got new school clothes and I didn’t

get school clothes so I’m going to make

sure

that I go to this college

that I make a certain amount of money so

I don’t ever have to depend on anybody

yeah I know people like that as an

entrepreneur

foreign

it’s just another tree

you’re really you’re really Performance

Based in the way and it comes out as

super successful it comes out as super

funny some of y’all you wasn’t funny

growing up but you found out

that funny gets attention

so you have climbed the tree

of sarcasm and humor and stand up

as a means to be higher

then where you actually are

as a mean to disguise what’s really

going on as a means to to hide the fact

that if you were to come down off of

your tree

it would get real embarrassing real

quick

and I like how it feels down there

I don’t like the way people look at me

when I’m down there

go into zacchaeus’s life

you want to know why he’s so successful

let me give you a little context that

just astounded me I did some research on

what would have been the average height

of a man during this time

based on the size of door frames that

would have been built because they would

have framed of like okay if you build a

house this big this gives us a ratio of

where people are the average door

entrance was like five foot ten five

foot eleven

so if he’s a short man back then

he’s short short

but being up in this tree

is where I feel

safe

and the most beautiful thing about this

whole story

um it gets to a point in the story where

there’s just radical generosity

and we’re going to talk about that in a

second

but today

um I want to talk about

the invitation of Jesus

if you find yourself in a tree

I don’t know what your tree is

I don’t know why you’re climbing I don’t

know why people’s opinion has so much

weight in your life I don’t know why you

present a certain way at church and then

you go in your car and act totally

different around your family I don’t

know

what your tree is

I don’t know why you’re climbing

but the invitation of Jesus

is he stops

under your performance

and he says Zacchaeus

come down

those two words

are the message God told me to tell you

come

down

I don’t know who told you you had to do

all that to get my attention

come down I don’t know where it was said

to you that Jesus only sees people if

they’re up in a tree if they’re making

up for their bad issues I don’t know

where you heard that but Jesus comes to

you today and he says come down

some of you your tree makes you feel

better than other people and some of you

if you’re honest you’re not worried

about being higher in your tree you’re

hiding up in your tree

you ran you saw the anointing that was

on your life and you said I am not

coming down

come down and love those people uh

come down and write that book come down

it no no no no I’m not going to come

down and step into Ministry no way Jose

come down out of your alcoholism no wait

no no no no I feel safe up here I feel

comfortable up here and I am good I’m

honestly good where I’m at thank you

Jesus though

just calm down no I it’s all right I’ve

been up here for so long

that I’m not sure if I got down I would

even know how to operate

I’ve been a people pleaser so long that

I’m not sure if I came down I would know

how to operate I’ve been a womanizer so

long that I’m not sure if I gave myself

to one woman that I would know what

intimacy feels like I’ve been ruled by

culture so long that I’m not sure I

would know what to do if God put me in a

position to stand up against culture and

love people so I’ll just stay safe in my

Sheree

and here’s the thing about coming out of

your tree

there is a time period

between being at the top of your tree

and being out of your tree where it

looks a little awkward

and this is the season some of y’all are

in

you’re actually going to counseling and

dealing with your childhood trauma that

puts you up in the tree

and now it’s like

let me just

what you doing oh just transforming in

Christ

just ah

yeah yeah nope just dealing with some

wounds from childhood and why we all act

like we love each other and won’t

address real issues don’t worry about me

okay

you know what never mind I’m good I’m

good

I went to a few counseling sessions

that’s not for me

it’s too much

I went to that church they tried to get

off in my business they asked me to give

I’ll give when I want to give tell God

that okay I’m gonna stay up in my tree

I’ve been up in the street so long

thank you

some of y’all live in a tree house

you got a kitchen up there you got a

bedroom up there you got a

you don’t build space for your children

to stay up in your tree

oh sorry generational curses that’s what

I meant to say you

your whole family live up here we don’t

we don’t talk to people like that we

don’t deal with people like that we

don’t ever serve because we did that

season we don’t ever ask for help

because we got to a point where we don’t

need nobody else we just stay don’t do

that why would you not go to college why

would you go to college why would you do

why would you

thank you

we’re safe up here

and some of y’all

God is saying hey um

I know you’re comfortable up there

but if you if you want

I’d love to get this

I’d love to just come to your house

you thought

that you had to do all that up here

to be seen by me

I I just want to come to your house

you see when you’re

climbing

you have to stay reaching

and what I’ve realized is um

a lot of us

have failed to realize that

religion

keeps you reaching

that’s what the law is

is a reach

Ten Commandments don’t do this don’t do

that don’t do that okay I gotta make

sure I don’t do this I gotta make sure I

follow this rule gotta make sure I don’t

do that gotta make sure I do that

righteousness according to the New

Testament

is not about reaching

it’s about

receiving

and here’s where the story gets crazy

you want to know what Zacchaeus names

mean

Zacchaeus means righteous

that’s why you got to read your Bible

so when Jesus

before he says come down

the scripture says he called him by name

before Jesus makes you do anything

he gives you a new identity

this is so good theology before Jesus

makes you do anything he says I know

when I say Zacchaeus they gonna think a

lot of stuff they’re gonna think Liars

they’re going to think manipulator

they’re gonna think oh he’s short

they’re going to think they’re defined

by that past season they’re going to

think that one who is in that addiction

I know that that’s what’s going to think

but only Jesus and Zacchaeus knew

who he really was

and Jesus says I know you’re comfortable

in your tree

but righteousness

come down

who you really are in me not all this

activity not chief tax collector not CEO

not Mom not dad not business owner not

College athlete forget all that I don’t

care about that Zacchaeus come down

come down come down come down you don’t

have to do all that I don’t know who

told you you had to do all that to get

his attention but the text is very clear

Jesus was going to pass that way

he didn’t stop under your tree because

you timed it perfectly he stopped under

your tree because before the foundations

of the earth were formed he knew you he

saw you he had a plan and purpose for

your life

and somehow you preach these scriptures

you’re like yeah yeah yeah you know

Jesus it’s just no no no Jesus was

coming to bust up all their ideas even

Zacchaeus

he says I want to I want to go to your

house

and it’s crazy to me

as some of us

have been cuffed

to the idea

that your works

is what moves God or not

this is messing with you and that’s my

primary role in the earth and I’m very

sure of it is to mess with stuff

that Jesus did not say

he did say without faith without works

faith is dead

but it doesn’t say without works faith

is dead

there’s a priority

there’s an order without faith first

then comes the works

you think I work really hard then I get

something from God

that’s how your parents taught you

that’s how your teacher taught you

that’s not what Jesus said

he says I will come find you up in your

tree up in your performance up in your

ideas up and I will invite you come down

why

because I want to go to your house

I want to get into intimate space with

you

I want to talk about why are you up in

that tree

I want to talk about why you haven’t let

anybody get close to you in five years

I’m not worried about what the crowd is

saying I want to come to your house I’m

not worried about why you’re doing all

of that I just want to come to your

house we serve a God who is not

concerned with how high you are up in

your tree he says come down for today I

have to go to your house

I gotta I gotta go to zacchaeus’s house

I gotta go for his sake and I gotta go

for everybody else’s sake to know the

god I am I am the god that is not

concerned with your performance I am the

god who is not concerned with all the

good or bad things you have done I will

choose to show Grace on who I show Grace

to

and I want to come to your house

now I want to stay there but there’s an

insane response when Jesus comes to your

house

and this will explain a lot of the crazy

Christian people around you this will

explain my life this will explain to you

why people I’m about to help you so much

why you feel that need to give money

away

why you’re so generous is when you

realize that you are a short person up

in a tree and Jesus the savior of the

world stopped everything and said I want

to go to your house

picture this Zacchaeus is sitting at his

long gangster table with all his homies

and they’re just chilling the first part

of the dinner in my head is uh Zacchaeus

trying to impress Jesus he’s like yeah

yeah bring out the charcuterie bring out

the sparkling water you know what I’m

saying Jesus get you some of this Ciroc

I mean just getting Jesus you don’t you

drink wine I know you did that trick at

the party I don’t know if you okay

you drink you did you do red one no no

okay okay we’ll just okay um and he’s

chilling with his homies he’s in the

house

and then the scripture says all of a

sudden we don’t get no details of the

story

which I love because some of us would

try to turn it into Like A discipleship

program that like you try to do these

three things and then Jesus will deliver

you no no no we don’t get the details of

it because when Jesus starts

transforming you it’s just between him

and you

you ain’t got to explain it to a bunch

of people and ain’t got to make sense

how he did it for them it ain’t got to

be in a certain timeline that they put

on you when Jesus shows up to your house

stuff starts changing

and all of a sudden

the story says Zacchaeus just stands up

he’s like

um

I have an announcement

and his homies like what is he did he

drink that whole bottle of what is

you know Zach B Wildland he’s like ah I

haven’t I have an announcement

I’m gonna give

all my stuff away

they’re like what what are you

gonna give why are you getting your

stuff and

if I’ve ever stolen from anybody

which pause

Zach the only reason you got money

is the kind of the situation of your

whole job the only way you got money

was from from stealing that’s not

important man Jesus is here I’m gonna

give it all away

and everything

I found value in

it don’t matter no more

because I was up in a tree

yeah how long had it been since somebody

said his name

think of his interactions

oh you again

here you go just take it

hey I’m here to get yeah I know

here you go just take it

hey I’m here to get the yeah I know

but Jesus said

Zacchaeus

hey man I know

I know people like me aren’t supposed to

hang out with people like you

it’s like he is

experiencing the only reasonable

response

to extravagant Grace

and it is extravagant generosity

it only makes sense

Jesus came to my house

some of you forgot

who you were before Jesus just used to

be pulling up to your house

some of y’all had Jesus in your house

for so long you forgot the tree he found

you in

something let me be clear he you forgot

the bed he found you in you forgot the

addiction he found you in you forgot in

the manipulation he found you in if it

had not been for Jesus you would still

be out on the street if it had not been

for Jesus you would still be doing

anything for a dollar if it had not been

for Jesus you would still be judging

people if it had not been for Jesus

don’t be sitting up in your house acting

like yeah it’s always been like this

I’ve always been holy I’ve always been

saved I’ve always had a lot of money

yeah our marriage has always begin

forget that Jesus saw you in your tree

and he said come down

and the response to extravagant Grace is

always extravagant generosity

I’m not just talking about with money

this is not a message to try to get

nobody’s money don’t nobody want your

money God wants your heart

he don’t want just a part of you he

wants all of you and some of you hear

something else say that don’t make no

sense when it comes to offering time

some of you give money as a means to

keep God away from from the real stuff

he wants

some of y’all put a thousand dollars ten

thousand dollars in the offering bucket

and God and produce no fruit of the

spirit in your life in 20 years stop

giving the money and give all of

yourself to him and let him transform

the way you talk to your wife

talking about I gave a thousand dollars

forget your money you acting the same

you rude you ain’t kind ain’t nobody

seen no fruit in your life keep your

stinky dollar and transform your life

and follow Jesus

you think this is about money

this ain’t about money

get out of here why are they doing that

offering it seemed like they really want

don’t nobody want your money God wants

your life

bro get out of here

I feel like Russell Westbrook what are

you talking about like

what do you do you think I was money the

streets are gold in heaven get the heck

out of here he don’t need your money

we make church about some dumb stuff

just up here like the church just wants

your money and they’re just trying to

make you be get out of here when Jesus

shows up to your house money ain’t

nothing

I almost said a cuss word I’m not going

to

you really out here acting like Jesus

saying pull up to your house when you

was real real real real short acting

crazy talking to people sideways and he

said come out of your tree I want to

spend time at your house

he ain’t concerned with your tree

be concerned with your activity he’s not

concerned with how good of a person you

are all have fallen short

oh

everybody no matter how long you’ve been

following Jesus no matter how new you

are to following Jesus we are all on the

same playing field

Jesus calls all men out of their tree

you ain’t got to climb that trees I kiss

you ain’t got to climb that tree

daughter

you ain’t got to climb that tree son

I don’t know who told you that but

you ain’t got to do that you want to

know why

you know why Jesus told Zacchaeus to

come down

Zacchaeus you weren’t made to be up in a

tree

you come down

because there’s only one person this

tree is made for

two thousand years ago Jesus climbed the

last tree that would ever need to be

climbed and he stretched out his arms

and he said it is finished they ain’t

gotta climb no more trees they don’t

have to perform for my love they don’t

have to be a certain type of person for

me to love them Jesus climbed the tree

so you would never have to

you are made for that tree you aren’t

made for that performance you are made

for that activity you weren’t made for

that that’s why it’s questioning you he

climbed the tree so you wouldn’t have to

you always feel uncomfortable in that

tree because you are made for a tree

you were not made to be up in that tree

you are made to perform you are made to

do all this good stuff for God you were

simply made and created to be with God

in Jesus

calls you out

of the position where you think your

savior

up in your tree like I’m a good person

I’m up here saving oh no no no no no no

no no no no

there’s only one person

that climbs trees

in my life

and he already did it

cuffed

to climbing

I’m not sure

why you’re in your tree

I’m not sure what circumstances led to

you being here

I’m not sure what pain

what addictions

what insecurities you’ve been trying to

compensate for

so you’ve produced a lot of activity and

a lot of Goodwill and a lot of

Deeds

but I want you to know

the invitation of Jesus is

come down

I want to invite the band and the

worship team to come back up

um

that was a bigger step than I thought it

was

a lot but I almost lost my life you

almost saw it

did you see that I literally was like

come

down

I’m simply asking you to uncuff from

your Clive climbing

and just

surrender to the call

just receive

receive the call

that’s the only that’s that’s the big

decision before you

you don’t have to climb anymore

you don’t have to

be up in your tree

make sure I go to this college and I

make sure I get the scholarship and I

got to make sure I do this I’m going to

make sure I do and I gotta make sure

are you tired

are you worn out are you burned out on

religion

this ain’t me talking this is Matthew

28.

Come Away With Me

work with me watch me walk with me this

is the invitation of Jesus Matthew 28 he

says are you tired are you worn out are

you burned out on religion get away with

me and I will give you rest for your

soul

that tree can save your soul

that performance Ain’t Gonna Save Your

Soul

the invitation of Jesus is if you’re

tired of climbing trees

if you’re tired of performing for people

performing for your family performing

forever if you’re tired of that

and you simply want to

spend time

In the Arms of Jesus

come down

there are two

responses in this room

there are some of you

that it’s time to get out of your tree

and when I say tree only you know what

that is

I could go through a long list of stuff

that could be a possible thing you’re

climbing

but only you know what you’re doing to

try to get attention from people

to try to get attention from God

to try to cover up the insecurities and

the vulnerability only you know that

and it’s time

to get out of the tree

it’s time to come down

and the word over your life

is God says hey

righteousness

let me give you scriptural backup for

that for he who knew no sin became sin

so that we could become the

righteousness of Christ

he calls you down out of your tree

some of you need to get out of your tree

and some of you

God came to your house

and you feel and this is there is zero

hear me say this clearly there is zero

pressure

some of you

this next moment I’m just going to ask

the worship team to sing

and some of you as you sit

and think about

the tree he called you out of

only response that’s gonna rise up out

of you

is this extravagant

sacrificial gift that is just like I

don’t I don’t want it anymore I don’t I

don’t know why I don’t know why I don’t

need it and some of you it may not be

money some of you very practically the

worship teams will come up they’re gonna

sing and as we sing We have spots all

the way around this room for you to give

some of you this is the moment you came

for to give in the crazy Faith offering

then you’ve planned it and you’re ready

for it some of you you’re you weren’t

even thinking about that you just came

with a friend and he was like I’m gonna

go check this church out and you’re

sitting in here and you realize like oh

my gosh he’s been at my house oh my gosh

he he transformed my life oh my gosh I

used to be addicted to medication and

I’m not anymore oh my gosh I used to be

concerned with people’s opinion and I

live free and confident and the only

response is going to be I just I don’t

need it

I don’t I don’t need it anymore

there’s a lot of things happen in my

life

but in 2020

I found myself curled up under my desk

ready to take my own life

in the invitation of Jesus

was come down

so now

no matter what I have

I just I don’t need it

it’s just like yeah if you want my money

if you want my car if you want my job if

you want my relationship like

in light

of how exhausted I was up in my tree

money things clothes perk

you can have it all

I’m gonna ask everybody in this room to

stand

two groups of people I want to pray for

there’s a group of you that need to come

off of your tree come down from your

tree

and this is really just going to be a

surrender to God it’s going to be a

moment where you just simply

surrender you’re going to say I’m done

climbing I’m done performing I’m done

trying to earn God’s love I’m done

trying to earn people’s love I’m done

trying to do I’m I’m done I’m coming out

of my tree

and as this worship

begins to be

lifted up to our God

some of you are going to become more

free than ever before

[Music]

we’re just about done in our service I’m

going to ask if it’s not an emergency

that you don’t leave because this is an

important moment we understand if you

have to go there are some of you that

this is what you came for

this is what all you needed

was the invitation that you ain’t got to

do all that

you don’t have to perform you don’t have

to act you can come out of your tree in

just a moment we begin to sing I’m just

going to ask you to lift your hands and

just let God talk to you I’m not going

to say nothing the worship team is going

to sing over your life but we’re not

going to perform we’re just going to

Simply receive we’re not reaching

anymore we are receiving the

righteousness of Christ some of you is

coming out of your tree others do you’re

going to have an opportunity to give

the ushers are at your row if you need a

crazy Faith offering if you need

anything they can get that to you but

when the worship team begins to sing

some of you you already decided in your

heart you showed up today knowing I

didn’t get to do it last week but I’m

doing this week and the ushers will

guide you on where to go to give but in

this moment both people are getting

freedom

some of you are getting freedom because

you realize that you ain’t got to be up

in your tree and some of you are getting

freedom because you’re remembering how

good God has been to you

God right now

we are surrendering to you

we’re surrendering Lord God we’re

surrendering our will we’re surrendering

our way we’re surrendering our Deeds

we’re surrendering our actions and we

are God there are two people in here God

there are people who need to come out of

their tree come out of their performance

come out of their Good Deeds come out of

the stuff that they’ve been doing Lord

God to get your attention to get

people’s attention Lord God I thank you

that the power of your grace would

invite them out of their tree and they

would simply surrender to you Lord I

pray right now Lord God even as your

presence is filling this room yet again

I thank you Lord God that chains are

falling off that mindsets are falling

off things that have kept people bound

are breaking in the name of Jesus we are

uncuffing from climbing and we are

answering the call of God on our life I

thank you that there’s callings being

spoken out right now some of you God is

affirming things in your life right now

I thank you

that this moment

solidifies

families and generations coming out of

their tree and Lord I pray right now

Lord God as we begin to worship there

are people who are going to give in

faith even online some of you maybe you

weren’t prepared already but in this

moment you can go online and you can

give there is zero pressure this is

between you and God it is a response

when you realize how good he has been to

you to give it all away Lord God we love

you look God we trust you and we

continue to lift up the gracious and

good name of Jesus

all around this room you can begin to

give if you want to give if you just

need to sit and surrender I’m gonna ask

our team to lead us in this song and we

are going to receive the righteousness

of Christ come on all around this room

let’s worship God

[Music]

so I will trust you come on

[Music]

[Music]

always come true

[Music]

I will

try

I will never

trust you

could swap I will try

there

you gonna trust God today with all of

your heart and all of your soul decree

say your promises always come true

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

you know

every day

[Music]

for some of you

I hear the holy spirit so clearly saying

this next season

is going to feel like a trust fall

I don’t know if you remember in in PE at

my school they would do this thing Osby

can you come here

You Gonna Catch Me by the way I’m gonna

catch me I will do this thing called a

trust fund and where trust fall works

you gotta look

this way

you can’t worry

about what’s behind you

you can’t work you can’t have a bunch of

plan B’s and always some of you your

relationship with God has been you

looking over your shoulder just make

make sure you got me make sure I’m good

don’t like I want to make sure that I

this next season of coming out of your

tree

[Music]

it’s gonna be able to say God

you are the only person I Look to

no matter what comes no matter what goes

no matter how much money I have in the

bank no matter how my relationships look

no matter how I feel God I trust

[Music]

I I trust you

now there’s a moment in the trust fall

where even though I called Osby up here

to do it I thought brother you better

please don’t

[Music]

and some of you that’s where you find

yourself

God I gave this money and I I just if

you

God says you can trust me

I’ve never let anybody down if you look

back over your life he has never let you

down

God I thank you that you are a God we

can trust you are a god worthy of

putting our hope in you you’re a God

worthy of putting our faith in you

you’re a God worthy of putting our

strength in you God we trust you

there’s some people in this room we’re

about to close service watching online

that you need to put your life in Jesus

you need surrender and give your life to

Jesus and accept the finished work of

salvation

the gospel is very clear that Jesus came

to this earth he lived a sinless and

perfect life he died on a cross for you

and for me to save us from our sin what

is sin sin is an archery term it means

to miss the mark I said it earlier all

have fallen short but when you accept

Jesus it accepts the finished work of

you having right standing or

righteousness with Christ all you got to

do is surrender I’m gonna count to three

in this room and online if you want to

accept Jesus as your lord and savior I’m

gonna ask you to lift your hand on the

count of three some of you this is the

first time and some of you are

rededicating your life to him one he

loves you two he is so proud of you

three lift your hand right now if you

want to accept Jesus

thank you Jesus thank you Jesus as a

community around the world would you

repeat this prayer after me say dear God

thank you for loving me

dear Jesus I admit I’ve made mistakes

save me

change me transform me in Jesus name I

pray

and everybody said

can we make some noise for people who

just gave their life to Jesus

[Applause]

[Music]

Hey listen if you made that choice it’s

the best decision you could ever make we

would love to know about it online in

the room if you text the word saved to

the number 828282 we just want to send

you some resources we want to know about

it I want to encourage you share it with

somebody man it is the best decision and

as a church we’re so proud of you Hey

listen I’m so grateful to be a part of a

church

um that is fixed on one thing and that

is Jesus and I want to encourage you man

continue to share what God is doing not

just here but in your own life as you

share your testimony if you share what

God’s doing it’ll make a massive

difference in the earth we’re so

grateful for you I want to encourage you

to join us back next week

um and as we finish out our series and

then we go into Christmas time we have a

service on the 22nd we’d love you to be

a part of but until then we say it all

the time say it with me go out and live

a transformed life we’ll see you

thank you so much for watching this

message we pray that it encouraged you

our vision is to represent God to the

lost and found for transformation in

Christ and if you would like to partner

with us in giving you can text give to

a28282 or visit us on our website also

be sure to like subscribe and check out

our other sermons as well our service

begins every Sunday at 10 45 a.m Central

Standard Time now go out and live a

transformed life

thank you