As time has passed, stories are now communicated through movies, TV, and stage productions. Why do you think Hollywood makes money? Why do people flood to the box office on a weekend to see the latest movie? What makes video games so compelling? Because people love a good story.

The thing is, Hollywood and Netflix aren’t the only sources of stories. In our student ministry, we are going to be talking about what it means to live EPIC lives. The definition of epic is: heroic, majestic, impressively great.

Each of our lives tell a story. The way we go through life communicates a story to the world. Our hobbies, our interests, our passions, our friends, our work… they all tell a story.

You see, the point is: “living a story is unavoidable, living a story that matters is intentional.”

Just because we know what a good story looks like doesn’t mean that we are living a good story.

As I said before, we all love good stories. But… we’ve all been to a movie, watched a TV show, or played a video game with a bad story. Maybe it was wasted story… maybe it wasn’t compelling… maybe it was boring. No one wants to sit through a story like that.

When we think about our lives as a story, we all want to tell a story like William Wallace, Maximus, or Elizabeth Bennett. We want a story that is compelling… One that is bigger than ourselves. A story that takes incredible risks. Think about it… The Hobbit wouldn’t have been as a good of a story if Bilbo Baggins just decided to stay home. When people think of our lives, we want them to think that it’s an epic story like The Dark Knight Trilogy… not the Scary Movie series.

As followers of Christ, how does this apply to us? How do we make our story count?

When Jesus was on earth, He taught many things that can be found in the Gospels. The thing about Jesus that attracted people to Him was the way He communicated. He didn’t talk like their typical teachers. He talked about real life stuff and used stories as a way to communicate His point. Jesus taught radical things. The way He said people should live was much different than the cultural norms of the time (as well as present day).

The longest teaching of Jesus found in the Bible is called the Sermon on the Mount. It’s called that simply because He was on a mountain when He taught it. In that passage, Jesus presented many radical and different things to the people listening. He told them how to live a life that honored God and communicated a compelling story to the world. Here’s an example:

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:14-16 NLT)

Jesus said our lives communicate something to the world. When we live differently… when we live epic stories, the world will notice and God will get the glory for that. Jesus goes on to give examples of how to live compelling lives:

You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. (Matthew 5:43-47 NLT)

What a different concept, right? What about this?

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. (Matthew 7:1, 2 NLT)

And this?

Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12 NLT)

Jesus summed it all up by saying:

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (Matthew 6:33 NLT)

All of this points to the fact that a compelling life story is one that is centered on Jesus. When He is our example and our focus, then the development of our story comes into focus.

Jesus told a story found in Luke 10:25-37 that is an example of how we can live an extraordinary life story. Most of us know it by the name of the Good Samaritan.

I love the words that Jesus uses at the end of the discussion… “Go and do the same.”

If we want to live epic lives, we need to do the same. We need to be the people that respond to needs. We need to be the people that help others even if it might not be the “cool” thing to do. We need to be a light to those in darkness.

If someone were to rate your story, what would it be? 5 stars? 2 stars? How would you rate your story?

What would your life look like if you went and did the same as what the Samaritan did? What message would you communicate to your world if you suddenly started taking the risk of living life differently?

What kind of story is your life communicating? Is it one that is compelling? Are you a part of something bigger than yourself? Are you taking the steps of faith needed to make an impact on the world? Jesus tells us to “go and do the same.” As His followers, our lives should be telling epic stories that point people to Him.

Challenge: reach outside yourself this week, and find someone who needs a friend. Do to them what you would want someone to do to you. Reach out and change their life for the better.

This post was inspired by the EPIC series produced by Life Church.

Here’s a shot of some preliminary plans for Brookhaven Church.

I’m so excited about this process of designing our church’s new building. God has brought us so far.

Thankfully, the Bible gives us a clear definition of FAITH.

Hebrews 11:1

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

So for starters… we can’t see God. He’s not here visible, where we can see Him or touch Him. So that would mean FAITH in God means that we are assured that He’s there even though we can’t see Him.

1 Peter 1:8-9

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

Hebrews 11:6

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Having faith in God means trusting that He is there.

So how can we know God is there?

• We have His word that tells us about Him.

• We can see His handiwork in creation. (Psalm 8)

• He works in our lives individually as well as collectively.

• He is faithful to fulfill His promises.

This point comes back to the first part of Hebrews 11:1… "Confidence that what we hope for will actually happen."

So what are the things that we hope for?

• We hope and trust God for our salvation through faith in Christ.

• We hope for the day when all will be made right. (Romans 8)

• Individual promises that The Lord gives to us.

This one may seem strange to you. Maybe you don’t know of any promises from God to you personally…

Well, Scripture shows us over and over that God desires to work in each of our lives. The stories of the Bible are filled with God making promises to people. The stories show how the people waited for God to fulfill His promise.

One example is David. Early in his life, God made it clear to David that he would one day be the king of Israel. But just because God made the promise to David didn’t mean that it would happen right away.

It took years for the promise of God to be fulfilled. David went through many struggles before he saw the promise answered. But his constant hope that what was promised would actually happen is an example of FAITH in God.

Another amazing example of faith is Abraham. God promised him that he would have a son and become the ancestor of a whole nation! The problem was that Abraham was REALLY old… so was his wife Sarah. What are chances that the promise of God would ACTUALLY come true?

Romans 4:18-25

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, "That’s how many descendants you will have!" And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

God’s promise to Abraham came true. Isaac was born to them… the rest is history.

In our lives, God does the same things. He gives us promises. Some we can find right in Scripture. Some are ones specific to our lives. He uses scripture, life circumstances, and the people in our lives to guide us to.

When you begin to seek God, He reveals His plan for your life. He shows you what He wants to do in and through your life.

So how does this work in your life?

(Example Promises)

• Forgiveness of Sins -
  1 John 1:9

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Faith would be trusting that God forgives our sins no matter how we feel. It’s trusting that God will do what He said He would.

• Guidance -
  Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Isaiah 42:16

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

Psalm 37:23-24

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

• Desires and hopes fulfilled -
  Psalm 37:4-5

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.

• Protection -
  Psalm 91:14-16

The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation."

There are hundreds of promises for your life in the Bible.

The tough part is actually trusting that God will fulfill what He promised. That’s where the battle is.

That’s where FAITH comes in. We have to trust that what we hope for and what God has promised will ACTUALLY happen. Just like Abraham.

So what about you? Where do you need faith? Where do you need to trust The Lord?

This is the video we used in our final service at the Farmers Branch location for Brookhaven Church. We’re now located in McKinney!

Song: Crown Him (Majesty) [featuring Kari Jobe]
Artist: Chris Tomlin
Album: Burning Lights

Thankfully, there is a mountain of evidence outside of the Bible that can help us argue for the validity of Scripture. Men much smarter than me like Dr. Daniel Wallace and Dr. Ed Gravely have done a lifetime of work on this subject. I encourage you to look at their findings and response to the critics of the Bible. Also, Focus on the Family has a great resource that walks you through how you can know the Bible is true. That site can be found here: http://d.pr/eLzH

I’m so thankful that we can know for sure that the Bible is true. God was faithful in preserving Scripture over the centuries for us to know Him personally.

Sunday night, we will be talking about how we can know for sure that the Bible is true.