David said that better is one day in the house of God than a thousand elsewhere can we give the King of Kings and the
Lord of lords a shout of Praise this morning and thank him for his
goodness D I’m sure it’s true at all the other locations we are rocking it here in
Tacoma I don’t know if it was the Thanksgiving holiday or what but you all came ready to worship God this morning
and boy did he show up in a big way it’s so good to be here with you why don’t you turn to three people tell them it’s good to see your face in church you can
grab your
seat oh it’s so good to be here I tell you I am super thankful uh for the opportunity to bring
the word to you today Happy Thanksgiving Merry Christmas Champion Center we don’t mess around
Thanksgiving is over y’all Christmas is here today at all of our locations we’re decorated we’re ready to go we’re
already singing Christmas Carol so all you scrooges that haven’t got your Christmas music out yet we got you
covered here at church this weekend in fact uh Christmas Eve is such a great time to invite your family and friends
uh to be a part of the of the Christmas holiday you know people are open this time of year they’re ready to receive an
invitation and so we actually have some information on our screens at all of our locations on how you can do a digital invite uh we’ve got some touch cards I
think that are coming next week which are always really helpful but in today’s Digital World sometimes all you need to do is grab a screenshot and send it to
somebody and say hey come join me for church so there’s some information on how you can get that downloaded to your phone and uh let’s be Bringers over
Christmas holiday uh let’s invite people to hear about the hope of the world and how he came down from heaven and uh what
an incredible time of year for that to happen you know for many people Christmas is a fun holiday it’s a wonderful time with family but that’s
not true for everyone Christmas can be a really painful time especially if you don’t have a great family that you’ve been a part of and so we’re thankful uh
that we have a church family we have a place to come on Christmas uh to experience God’s goodness to
worship him together uh we’re changing it up I know some of you already saw that there’s only a morning service and you’re freaking out right now because
we’re messing up your Traditions you like that Christmas Eve candlelight service I got great news for you we’re still going to light candles on
Christmas Eve services so there you go invite your friends turn to somebody and say be a bringer this
Christmas hey I get to to kick off a sermon series uh that we’re going to carry on throughout Christmas and I’m excited to share the title with you the
title is your story his glory so if you have something to take not with notes with you’re going to want to get that out H let’s just pray and
ask God to be with us this morning Father we thank you for your goodness where would we be without
you God to be able to sing with our arms raised High to have the freedom to come to this house to love you to honor you
to worship you God to remember that when we have sought you you have answered us and so today Father we we ask that you
would speak to us like only you can do you know the burdens and the weight that we carried into this moment you know the
future God you know when you’re going to show up big in our life and you God you also know times when you’re going to
just carry us through and so we ask today that you would be with with us that you would open up our ears open up
our mind and our heart to receive the word and may it go deep into the soil of our heart and produce an incredible
harvest in Jesus mighty name and everybody shouted a great big amen amen all right let’s get going so in
1998 I graduated from the best school on the planet Washington State
University I’m getting a very for those of you in other I’m getting a very mixed response you know and I I think it had something to do with a game yesterday
and I just want to say I just want to say we fought a good fight and sometimes you fight the good fight and you come up
short but I love that we made the Huskies nervous yesterday anyways we’re not here to talk about the game I went to WSU got my bachelor in education and
I’m a certified to teach kindergarten through the eighth grade and so for me it was all about the eighth grade eighth graders are crazy fun hormonal you the
same kid different personality every day it made my job really fun and interesting so I taught us history and language arts and uh while I loved both
of them my favorite was teaching the writing process and some of you are already like oh Lord here we go right
because it’s been a while but for me I loved books I loved language I love the way others use language to paint a
picture of the story that they had inside of them like like like most things in life stories have structure Ure and again it’s probably been a while
since you thought about the structure of a story and maybe you didn’t even love the writing process and you couldn’t wait for language arts to be over so I
got good news for you there’s no writing homework for you today but I just thought I would go back and remind you that every story has a
plot you’ll see behind you that in the beginning of a story there’s a beginning a middle and end the the the language arts teacher and me is so excited to
share this with you today so bear with me even if you don’t like it just love it with me okay there’s the exposition
right behind me you can see it introduces the characters the setting then there’s the rising action where there’s one or more characters in
crisis then there’s the climax of the story which is the the point of highest emotion and tension it’s the the turning
point and then of course after the turning point of the story there’s the falling action there’s a resolution of the crises that the characters have been
in and then finally the resolution itself well all the loose ends are tied up and and in and in some stories it may
go like this they lived happily ever after there you go that’s the resolution but I want to tell you today God’s telling the world a
story and we see examples of stories all throughout the Bible in the very first book in the very first chapter of the
Bible Genesis 1: we see in the beginning God right we we look through the other
books of the Bible excuse me in the beginning of job we see there once was a man in the land of us whose name was job
the same is found in the New Testament in the Book of John there came a man sent from God whose name was John the
stories in the Bible reveal the plot of God’s story for Humanity it’s important that you know
this because some of you now in the world we live in they want to know why do you believe what you believe do you know where came from do you know the
whole purpose of the Bible people are going to tell you the Bible is not real you need to know a little bit about the big picture of the story that’s
represented in scripture so the story God is writing for Humanity looks like this okay you have the exposition the characters the setting who are the
beginning God people and creation God’s Story begins with the creation of the earth and humans and after two chapters
people just two chapters we see Humanity in crisis it didn’t take us
long rising action is next those characters in crises what are we talking about people in sin and the need for a
savior Adam and Eve are influenced by Satan they question God’s word to them they choose to trust self over God and
then sin enters the world don’t be so pointing your finger at Adam and Eve because we do the same thing we see this on repeat for
character in the Old Testament and God speaks his word to them and then again they question it they do things their own way and then they stay stuck in a
pattern of sin is there anyone who can relate in this room about that whole pattern
thing then we experience the climax the climax in God’s story that highest tension the turning point is Jesus
taking on all sin and offering salvation thousands of years have passed and no matter how hard God’s people
tried they could not redeem themselves so the turning point in the story God is writing today happened 2,000 years ago when God entered into his creation
through Jesus that means he sent him to cover our sin for once and all and restore the broken relationship that
began in the beginning now the falling action here we are this is the part of the story we live in right now there’s a
resolution of this characters crisis we are the characters people can now choose salvation and live in Freedom and we’re
living that right now we can be set free from being stuck in a pattern of sin and can live an overcoming life of Freedom
somebody should get really excited right now that God has done that for us and then finally there’s the
resolution where all the Loose Ends tie up and when that day comes all of creation will be restored we know it’s
still coming here’s the cool thing God already told us how the story is going to end it ends with Jesus riding in on a white horse
coming back to save us I think God’s just a little bit of a romantic I mean at the end of the story
he comes riding in like a hero and here’s the thing the resolution of this story could could reach its
resolution today or it might even be another thousand years from now we don’t know but here’s what we do know God is writing a story and he’s invited you and
me to be a part of his story and that means we have what it takes to make a difference on the planet right now what
an honor turn to your neighbor and tell them he picked you he picked
you see God didn’t have to use story to tell us who he is God could have just shortened the
entire Bible by simply listing for us all of the things that he is and then just moved on but God doesn’t just tell us who he
is he shows us think of the story of Moses parting the Red Sea with his walking
stick Moses experienced God as a provider and a protector because God didn’t just tell him that he would
provide and protect what did God do he showed him and it’s through the story of our life that God reveals himself to you
too he did this for me in 2007 my husband and I walked through a season of
financial ruin literally starting starting over it’s 12 years of marriage three kids and we lost our business lost
our home almost lost our marriage and it’s one of my favorite stories to tell because it was such a pivotal moment in my understanding of
how Mighty and powerful and great and all loving God is as a provider
here’s the thing I could not see that I had grown completely dependent on my husband as my provider and what a God do
he walked me through a season when my husband could no longer be that for me he walked me through it he heard my
cries for help he heard my longing for provision for my kids and over a 4year period that’s right God doesn’t always
answer his prayer quickly 4year period he provided job he provided Mana meaning that when
you’re out in the wilderness and you can’t take care of yourself God sends people to you to help
you we had people who came up to us at the church and gave us checks and said listen I don’t know what’s going on in your world but I just feel like God told
me I need to give this to you that’s a blessing of God there were moments when I I didn’t know how we were
going to pay for football cleats and and the Under Armour gear gear and all the stuff that kids need and and there were moments when I felt the prompting of the
Holy Spirit to go to Ross Dress for Less and I got there and I got those
expensive $100 C cleats for $25
y’all James says faith without works is dead that’s why I told my husband honey I got to do the work of going into the
store to exercise my faith Faith becomes real to us when we live it when we take action and experience God
at work in our life he becomes embedded in our story it’s not just that he can take
care of me it’s that he is my provider he’s no longer a God that I just read about words on a page he is a God that
has walked with me and talked with me and he’s now a part of my life on such a deep level and I am forever changed by
the experience that God and I have walked through together God has become a part of my
story here’s the thing I no longer just know Philippians 4:19 Philippians 4:19 says and my God will supply all your
needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus this is my story this is my song
Philippians 4 it is my revelation so to speak of who God is because I lived that with him there’s four things that you
need to know about the story of your life you ready to take notes Here We Go the first one is that your story is authored by God tell your neighbor God’s
writing your story you were created and put on the planet to be a character in The Greatest
Story Ever Told Psalm 139 says this your eyes saw my unformed substance in your
book B were written every one of them the days that were formed for me when as
yet there was none of them God has written your story and he
has a preferred story for your future his preferred story of your future is the possibilities of what
could be and we call that his will for your life he has a picture of a future for
you that is filled with goodness and blessing but I got news for you although he is authoring your story you can mess
it up you can turn and go your own way here’s number two your story is designed to mature
you tell your neighbors time to grow up time to grow up some of you enjoyed
that a little too much when my kids were younger they
absolutely hated making the bed well I think they just hated chores in general anybody got a witness you got kids in here and you just know that that is not their thing
chores hated it and I think part of the reason why they hated it so much is because they knew I could do it so
well I would say you need to go in there and you need to make your bed and my kids would stand there and they’d stomp
their feet they’d give it like a halfway effort pull the blanket up
and I’m like no I think you can do a little better than that I’ll never forget one day when they crossed their armed and looked at me and one of them
said you’re a mean mom and I’m sure from their perspective
I was a mean mom because they were struggling to do something that they knew I could rescue them from in an
instant they knew I could make all of their pain go away but I knew they needed to learn how to make their best because someday they
needed to be an owner and a steward of what God had given them and they needed to know how to do
that here’s the thing struggle is coming for every single one of us you and I sometimes are a lot like those
kids we can’t figure out why God wouldn’t just come in and rescue us but
here’s the thing God uses those Rising tensions of our story to grow grow us into grownup Christians Ephesians 4 says
this so that we here’s what it says so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried
about by every wind of Doctrine that’s Culture by human
cunning Culture by craftiness and deceitful schemes God does not want us to be so immature in his our
understanding of who he is that the the world just tosses us back and forth and back and forth and we have no idea what’s going on instead it says in verse
15 rather speaking the truth in love we are to grow up somebody shout grow up in
every way into him who is the head into Christ so God allows suffering that he
knows will lead to maturity so can I just take a moment parents and say to you be careful of
interrupting the suffering that God is allowing in your kids’ life be
careful suffering reveals to us our need for a savior and you are never intended
to be your children’s savior they will need Jesus Romans 5 says this and not only
this but with joy let us exalt in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships that is one of my le least favorite
scriptures in the Bible hardship distress pressure trouble why because it produces patient
endurance and endurance proven character or spiritual
maturity and proven character hope and confident Assurance of Eternal salvation
so when suffering comes how you respond will mature you or keep you stuck at that level
LEL here’s the thing some of you have been in church a long time and nobody would know it by the way you live your
life you haven’t grown up in Christ still gossiping still blaming your parents
still blaming the government still blaming God God that mean
God blaming him for all the suffering here’s the thing when the crushing blows of Life come you took control of your story and
chose to rewrite God’s story to fit your preferred ending and in your attempt to avoid suffering you skipped out on the
maturing that he wanted for you because here’s the thing every Twist of the plot that he writes into your story is right
every new character or unex expected event in your life is a tool of his grace to transform you to being more
like him that’s the
point somebody say my story his glory each chapter in your life advances
his purpose when you’re tempted to take control of your story remember the words of Philippians 1:6 being confident of
this very thing that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it isn’t that a great word for us
today number three your story prepares you for your mission tell your neighbor
he’s getting you ready just like the people in the Bible you’re on the planet because you have a mission by God to
fulfill and there’s nobody who can do for God what he created you to do that
means he has Divine appointments he’s got special assignments in store just for you so last month my husband and I
decided we would go back to the WSU homecoming game they were still good back then they were winning let’s just put it
that way we went and uh we had some friends with us and they invited us to go to a tailgating party now before you
all judge me just want to remind you that Jesus was a friend of sinners and he often went to places where the Sinners hung out so he could minister to
them I didn’t say what I did at the tailgate party anyways but I’m about to tell you so you go to a tailgate party
lots of people moving around there’s food happening lots of adult beverages passed around in this place people were feeling pretty good about themselves in
that moment so I met a lady and she began sharing with me that her 19-year-old daughter who had
uh left from left and went away to school had basically Cut Her Off from her life and how she had met a young man
and this young man had convinced her that her parents were the enemy so she didn’t spend a lot of time with her mom and dad in fact she every time they would reach out she kept saying I just
need space I just need space and as she’s telling me this story in the midst of this tailgate party I felt the nudge
from the holy spirit that I was supposed to minister to her so I began sharing with her that I could relate to what she went through
that I too had a child who was in a toxic relationship and how that relationship pulled them away from our family and that how that that that that
moment was so painful for us but that I told her too that I was on the other side of it and I said Jina do you believe in prayer do you pray for your
daughter she says I do believe in prayer and I have been praying for her and I said that’s incredible keep praying keep believing in fact keep reaching out to
her because at the end of the day God wants to reach your daughter he wants to reach you but he wants to restore this relationship and I can tell you that I
walked through that in fact it was just a couple months ago that my son was able to share his story to our church family and not only did he tell his story but
he’d been through but he encouraged us parents that every time you send a text and you don’t get a response keep sending those messages keep letting your
kids know that you love them keep letting them know that you’re for them
after the evening was over I shared with her some of course because if you know me I shared with some books with her that she should resource herself with
send a text message read these books they’ll help you and uh the evening was over I got a text message back from her telling me it was meant to be for her to
meet me that’s life on mission life on Mission your story
prepares you for your mission 1 Peter 3:15 says but have reverence for Christ in your hearts and honor him as
Lord and this is what the writer Peter tells us to do to have that reverence and show that honor he says be ready at
all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in
you we often don’t engage with God’s mission for our life because we’re too focused on our own mission we so often
sacrifice our god-given mission on the altar of convenience it’s convenient to skip the
grocery store and have it delivered it’s convenient to take classes online instead of showing up and having a
conversation with your classmate it’s convenient to keep your head down at work instead of being available for a
conversation and I’m here to challenge you today some of you are completely unengaged in the story that God has written for your life
it’s like you have tunnel vision like a horse and a race with blinders on so you cannot see who is running this race with
you and it’s time for us to wake up there is a world all around us that is hurting and searching for the hope that
we have so my question to you is which coworker is your assignment which coworker is hanging by
a thread and just needs you to speak life into them to tell them that you found an amazing church family and that
you come here on Sundays and that it’s actually changing your life to be here to get boosted up to have God’s spirit
poured into you on a Sunday who needs to hear the story of how God took the broken pieces of your
marriage and helped you rebuild it and which young family needs to hear how you fought through hard Financial
Times by honoring God in your giving even even when it didn’t make sense telling your story isn’t always your
life story in one setting by the way some of you may be sitting here and being like man I don’t even I haven’t really gone through a whole lot I don’t
have some crazy past testimony of being in and out of jail or something extreme here’s the thing telling your story is
sometimes just a sound bite it’s just a hey have you thought about how God might be wanting to speak to you hey have you
uh have you considered that maybe he just wants you to be around different people and you know I made a decision a long time ago to surround myself with
positive people that were going in the same direction as me that shared my values and ever since I’ve done that my life has been changed that’s your
story it’s a seed your story is a seed that’s dropping to the ground and it can just be encouragement about how you made it
through but I know this God wants to use your story but he can’t do do that unless you give him
access you got to give him access to your life sometimes when I’m sitting here at church I think God who else belongs in
this house who else belongs here you’ve brought us all here together and it’s incredible to experience the family of
God coming together but who’s missing maybe someone in your world belongs here
maybe they’re just needing to hear the story of God’s goodness what if we every single one of us went on a personal mission to use our story
to bring someone to church what if between now and Christmas we said father my gift to you this year
is to use my story to encourage someone else and to be bold and courageous enough on the other side of that story
to invite them to come and sit by me in church this Christmas season because I know there’s people all across this room
I’ve heard your story you got here because someone invited you and then the Lord did the rest he took care of everything else encouraged you
loved you you gave your life here some of you have raised your family here God wants to do the same for the people around us so let me remind you in First
Peter 3:15 be ready at all times someone shout all times to offer the hope you have because
God wants to do Miracles through your story your story is his glory Glory my
last Point number four God releases his power through your story turn to somebody and say your story has
power here’s the thing some of you are embarrassed about your story you are you’re walking through
guilt and shame and you’re believing the lies of the enemy that tell you if anyone ever knew what you have really
done if anyone knew where you came from because the enemy is doing everything he can to silence your
story he doesn’t want you to know that when you overcome the things that have tried to destroy you you are given
Authority by God in those areas that’s powerful remember the beginning of the
story he no longer is just describing himself words on a page he’s very much a part of who you are see the enemy wants
me to be ashamed of my financial past I didn’t have to tell you all that we walked through in fact you could
argue that for some of you it might even tarnish your image of me who is she to get up there and tell us about doing this and that when they lost everything
and they made bad decisions and blah blah blah whatever else but if I did that I also wouldn’t
be able to tell you about the mighty works of God and how he helped us overcome so tell your
story we need the presence of the Holy Spirit to help us share our story to know when to share it to know how to
share it and you you’ll know that when you spend time in God’s presence that could be as simple as first thing in
your day reading God’s word or maybe for you some of you that’s comes in the evening put worship music
on that song we sang today trust in God here’s the thing the mission each day becomes clear when you spend time in his
presence because God wants to help you and he wants to use your life to help others so tell your story at the coffee
shop all the errands and the life things that you’re doing are not just errands anymore you’re living a life on Mission
with your story at the Little League game it’s miserable at some of those games and if we’re going to be honest your kids’s not that good
anyways so you might as well tell a story don’t write me nasty
emails cheer your kid on but let’s be realistic at the grocery store tell your
story I’ll never forget walking through the grocery store every week when I was a stay-at-home mom I shopped at the same grocery store about the same time with
my kids and a course when you start to do that what do you you start to meet the people at your grocery store it’s a young gal in the produce department and
I just started out by saying Hi how are you sure I wanted to pick the best tomatoes and the ripe avocados and all that and I could have just been going
going going with my tasks and my list but instead I stopped lifted up my head looked around who needs encouragement from me today
God and I said hello to her and before that the hell turned into a conversation where are you from did you grow up
around here cuz she has a story to tell tell me your story she began opening up and sharing about her story and over
time I talk to her about how I go to church at this place called Champion Center and then we began talking and before I knew it she was no longer just
working in the protesty she started following me around the store true story I’ll never forget one
day we walked down the water bottle aisle and she said to me Nicole I don’t know what it is about you but every day I see you there’s something in you that
I don’t have and I said I can tell you what’s in me that you don’t have and his name is Jesus Christ and if you want to know him you can know him right now in
this moment and we sat we stood in that water
bottle aisle and I said all you got to do is pray a prayer after me and in that moment I was so thankful I’ve been to Champion Center and I could remember the
prayer of pastor Kevin and salvation sounded a lot like pastor Kevin in that grocery store aisle
here’s the thing God wants to do a miracle through your life it’s time to tell your story
remember that that that graphic earlier every story has a beginning middle and end and God starts the Bible with a
story it’s the story of God’s love for his creation his love for you and his love for me and when you mess up your story
because you will he promises to be with you you and to help you and I want to speak right now to some of you who are in the middle of a messy chapter in your
story and I want to say to you trust the writer of Your Story 1 Corinthians
1:9 listen to his words to you God who has called you into fellowship with his
son is faithful God is faithful to you and your story
as a child I often sang the old hymn Blessed Assurance I think that’s why I love the song trusting God its chorus may sound
familiar to you the verse says Blessed assurance Jesus is mine do I have any old church kids in
this room that know exactly the song I’m talking about the chorus goes on to say this is my story and this is my song
praising My Savior all the day long I don’t know what’s happened in your story but I know this you have a story to tell
about the great I am about the one who is The Shield about you and the lifter of your head what has God brought you
through what has God brought you through addiction the loss of a child maybe like me Financial Devastation I don’t know
what it is but I know this you have overcome betrayal and gossip so tell others what he did for you Psalm 3 4
says I will exalt the Lord at all times and his praise will always be on my lips would you stand to your feet so we can
exalt the Lord this morning let’s sing this song with the worship team let’s lift up our
hands let’s thank him for being a part of our story thank you God thank you God I TR
in God My Savior the one who will
never fa he will never
fail I trust in God God my savior the
world who will never f
he will never fail I trust in God my
savior the one who will never
fail he will never fail I saw the Lord and he heard and he
he answered I saw the Lord and he heard and he answered I saw the Lord and he
heard and he answered that’s why I trust him that’s why I trust him I saw the Lord and he
heard and he answered I saw the Lord and he heard and he answered I saw the Lord
and he heard and he answered that’s why I trust him that’s why I
trust in God I believe God’s done some really powerful things
today he’s writing a story of his goodness all across your life and all he asks in return is that
you tell people what he’s done for you because your story is powerful so tell your story and sing
your song of praise to the one who promises to never leave you or forsake you he is worthy of that this
morning your story is his glory and this morning I want to just pray for two different
prayers if you want God to use your story to bring him glory and have an impact on the world around you if you want to live your life on Mission the
word today might just be piercing you you might feel like man I come to church on Sundays and I hear great messages but
today this this word was for me I would like the opportunity to pray with you this morning because I believe that God
wants some of you to wake up to the story he has to share through your life and if that’s you if you just boldly lift up your hand let’s pray and ask God
to use our life in a mighty way if you want more intention in your life God help us father we thank you for every
hand that is raised across all of our locations it is your desire God that you would use our life to show others how
good and how powerful and how Mighty you are father I pray for every hand that’s raised that you would give them boldness
that they would have courage God that they would have a sensitivity to feel the nudge that you might give them on telling their story and that they would
have the courage to step into that moment and to speak words of encouragement out of their mouth thank you
God that you’ve set our feet on assignment in specific places God in our work
environment it’s not an accident that we’re there you chose us to be there so we’re asking God use our life fill our
mouth lead us and guide us I pray father that this house would be filled with people that have been encouraged by the
stories that are represented here at Champion Center I pray that there wouldn’t be enough seats in all of our auditoriums God I pray that the Harvest
is great all around us and that if we would just lift up our eyes that you could use us mightily to bring people who are lost and hurting into this House
of Hope We declare it by faith and we thank you Father for the mighty Works you’re going to do even this Christmas
season we thank you for it father in jesus’ name with every head bowed and eyes closed I want to give another
opportunity for prayer this morning maybe your story is that you’ve walked away from
God maybe your story is that you once served him but if you’re really honest with yourself right now you aren’t
living for him you want a fresh start or maybe you’re a person who came because someone invited
you and you say I don’t know about all this church stuff but if this is is what it looks like to belong to the family of
God Count Me In I want to belong I want God to come into my life I want a fresh start and a new beginning
if that’s you I’d love for you boldly across all of our locations to lift up your hand right where you are boldly lift up your hand cuz I want to pray a
prayer of new beginnings with you this morning and I see Hands being raised all across Tacoma I know there’s hands in Dupont and Belleview and Yakama as well
as online let’s pray together and I’m going to pray a prayer and ask you to repeat after me just say this boldly with
courage Lord Jesus welcome to my world today I invite you to be the
leader and the Lord of my life I ask you to forgive me of all of my sin and make me
new and I boldly declare from this day forward I will never be the same again
in jesus’ name and everybody shout a mighty amen let’s celebrate those who just made
that decision welcome to the family of God