2819 Church - Westside Finale | Psalm 107:1-9 | Philip Anthony Mitchell

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

In this week’s special message, Pastor Philip honors our time at Westside Atlanta Charter School with Acts 2:42–47 expressions of spontaneous generosity and Psalm 107:1–9 cries of gratitude, drawing a powerful parallel between Israel’s redemption and God’s faithfulness to 2819.

You could be suited. I One of the most valuable things you have in this life after time and health are your relationships. Some of the greatest things God would do in your life he will do through relationships and some of the greatest blessings that will enter into your life they will come into your life on two legs and if we treat our relationships like one night stands and we don't honor them we will never have stories of longevity. I got a story of longevity sitting in the room. One of my closest friends of 30 years. How long?

30? Yeah. The most influential mortgage banker in the country. We came out them streets together. I want to honor one of my closest friends of 30 years. Y'all know him as MG the Morgz Guy. My man Matthew Garland. Y'all help me honor him.

Stand up, bro. 30 years. 30 years. Yeah, 30 years. 30 years. 30 years. 30 years. 30 years.

30 years. 30 years. 30 years. 30 years. 30 years. 30 years. 30 years. 30 years. 30 years. 30 years. 30 years. Yeah, 30 years. If you are guests to 2819, we welcome you to our gathering, to all of the guests that are sitting in that overflow room. We welcome you to our

gathering. To all of our digital disciples watching me live right now across the nation and around the world, we welcome you to 2819. And if you are unbelieving in the room, we welcome you to 2819. We're glad that you're here. We are walking through the book of Matthew together. It's been an incredible series, and we are at the end of that book. But this morning, as I was on my face, just kinda praying, kinda wrestling with the Lord,

I felt a letter to the Lord to do something different this morning. I felt like the Lord led me to go in a different direction because this is the last time that we will gather in this room together. this morning I feel like the Lord led me to go in a different direction because this is the last time that we will gather in this room together. This is the last praise you're gonna give them in the room. I said he can't hear you. And so this is the last time we're going to be in this room together. I just want to obey what I felt like the Holy Spirit put on my heart as we press pause on our series through Matthew and I'll obey what the Lord gave me for today and I want y'all

to help me honor these men that are behind me Spirit of the Living God, we thank you for how far you have brought us in such a short period of time. You are the God of the impossible. You've moved mountains, performed miracles. For that we are eternally grateful. Now in this moment, Lord, I just pray you would pour out a spirit of thanksgiving, a spirit of joy, a spirit of gratitude and appreciation on the hearts of your sons and daughters. Help me in my weakness to share with your sons and daughters for these next few moments which you have put on my heart

in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Stay there Sam, come down. Family, this is our last day as a church family in this facility. And as I was praying about this morning, I was reminded about the importance of transitions, how transitions are inevitable in life. Everyone in life will experience transitions. You all have experienced transitions. It started for you as early as grade school from one to the next and some of you from one city to another city, one job to another job, even in pain from one marriage to another marriage. We all know what it is to go through transitions in

life and they are unavoidable. Life is not static. Life is more fluid and we go through transitions. In life, some transitions, we plan them and we are excited and we look forward to them. And then there are transitions that life engineers for us where we get caught off guard by something happens and we did not see a loved one dies. We get a doctor's report, whatever the case may be. Hear me. And then there are some transitions that God engineers, and even when they don't feel good, sometimes God... Oh, you felt that. Sometimes God will engineer transitions in your life, albeit painful, sometimes to push you down roads you otherwise would not have chosen for yourself.

Because he is the author and finisher of your story, sometimes he knows you will not move and so you need a push. Sometimes he might close a door to give you that push Sometimes you might go through rejection to get that push Sometimes sometimes a crumble around your life to get that push sometimes. He'll take something out of your life to give you that push Sometimes the Lord is watching you knowing that you need to take this next step of faith and you won't jump so he engineers a circumstance to push you to that next level. And it's in hindsight, we go back and we look back.

We say, thank you, Lord, for what you did. You closed that door, that person rejected me. I lost that so you can push me down this road. I otherwise would not have chosen for myself. Lost a job, lost a house, lost a business, but this is what the Lord walked you into as a result of that. Today our church has been pushed down a path, a transition that we did not plan for ourselves, but now we're seeing it is marvelous in his eyes.

It is glorious. How did we get here? Coming out of COVID, my wife and I had a church named Victory that we led for 10 years. And going through COVID, preaching to an empty camera, an empty room with a camera, for two years we lost everything. We lost our church family. We lost a facility, hundreds of thousands of dollars staff. we lost everything. We lost our church family. We lost a facility, hundreds of thousands of dollars staff. We lost everything. And we came out of COVID almost just barely.

I remember when I lost hope during that season. I remember when I was in the gym looking out the window and saying to myself, there is no way we can recover from catastrophic loss like this. And going home and talking to my wife about to put in the resignation for my own church. I Laid my head on her lap You gotta be careful where you lay your head Then she spoke life to me and this is what she said she said honey You got to run on to see what the Lord would do if you don't quit right now in this season. And I remember we came out of COVID with a hundred and few disciples

and we was meeting in the South, but I'm an urban dude, so I know I wanted to be in the city. And I remember we found this facility And I remember the first time Brandon and I came to this facility Dr. Tanner was not yet here and watch this I walked into the room when we're standing right there And when I walked into the room, I saw all these chairs in the room and the first thought I had in my mind Watch because this what you do to yourself. You talk yourself out your own blessing. I Walked in the room and I saw all the chairs in the room and I said to myself, watch, the room is too big. Watch. I said, the room is too big. It's only a hundred of us. There's no way the Lord will fill this room. Watch. And I talk myself out my own blessing, because sometimes we have limited thinking and limited

beliefs. The Lord could be trying to talk you into something that your fear, your doubts, your anxiety, and your worries will talk you right out of what the Lord is trying to talk you into. This is why Rhonda has taught us that if you don't have a prayer life, your thoughts will be your God. And I didn't pray about it. Fear let me walk right out that door. Went back to the south, but in my heart feeling like, no, we're supposed to be in the city.

So we come back a year later Walk through that door again And we walked in this room And I remember this one was a concrete box white and there was a yellow curtain hanging right here on the stage and it Had no lights and it had no sound it had no electricity and no none of this stuff was here And it wasn't black and it was no screen and no project. There was nothing in here just a concrete box with a yellow curtain hanging And what we saw was ugly in the moment watch but you have to have vision to see beauty and

Something that God can do even when you that's what he sees in you when you are ugly and when you was lost in sin He saw something beautiful in you. He came after you, and he rescued you, and pulled you out of the darkness of your own sin, because even in your own mess, he saw something beautiful in you. He sees in you what you don't even see in yourself. I need to say that one more time. For the person battling great insecurities, the Lord sees in you, sometimes what you don't even see in yourself. He saw this in me when I was in Queens running the street.

And we saw something in this room in that moment, coming back a year later, had just enough faith to say, oh, we'll do this. And I remember, man, 2018 men 28 19 our first gathering January 23 scattered in the room a hundred and something of us and I remember I'm preaching to an empty room and we started in Matthew right Matthew chapter one y'all wasn't here y'all was not here it was just me and the elders.

It was sprinkles and pockets. It was a small little family. Matthew chapter 1. I remember the first series in Matthew. The King is here. Preaching about the arrival of Christ. Four of y'all remember that. It was only five of us here. But as Christ was

being exalted, he started adding to his family. Another family came, and a brother came, and then a sister came, and a child came, and a bus came, and a whole cohort came. One by one, God started adding to his family, and then a black sister came, and a white sister came, and a Hispanic brother came, and one by one God is… And with no gimmicks, no stunts, no Western American foolishness, no promotion, No promotion, no ads on social media, no nonsense, no foolishness, no gimmicks. Just the Holy Spirit on a Bible. Christ being exalted, and he kept adding to his family until it grew from tens to hundreds to thousands to over 5,000 to one gathering to two gatherings to three gatherings to one overflow to two overflows to three overflows to digital disciples all across the nation, to digital disciples all across the

world. Any digital disciples in the room? You? Where did you come from? You came here from Dallas, Texas. You flew in here from Dallas, Texas. I'm going to shake your hand when this is over. Any other digital…

Where did you come from? Where? Orlando, Florida. Where? You came here from Ohio. Where'd you come from? You came from the Caribbean? Where in the Caribbean you came from? From St. Martin. I gotta shake your hand, man of God. You flew here from st. Martin to be here y'all got a love on that brother right there come on I gotta shake your hand when this is over from st. Martin from St. Martin. My man came from Paradise to the belly of the beast in Atlanta. My man came to the hood from Paradise. We in the hood. My man came from St. Martin. You came from Toronto, Canada?

I'm going to shake your hand when this is over. I mean, where? You came from West Coast, Canada? You drove from Canada? Oh my God. What? How many? With a baby? Oh my God.

He drove from West Coast, Canada with a baby? My man, come here. Yo, come here. How long does that drive? How? Forty what? Forty, forty-four hours? Three days? Yo, my man, come on here, yo. Seven days?

You drove seven days to get here? What? You moved here? To come to church? You moved here to join this church? You sold everything? You sold everything to come here? You moved from Canada to come here? With two girls and two dogs. You sold everything.

Yes, sir. What's your name? Holden. Holden. Holden. Shelby. Shelby and Holden. Alright, no, hold on.

No, where's Don? Write his name down. Holden and Shelby. Holden. Holden and Shelby. People do that. Okay. I want you to stay when this is over we're gonna give out two checks today fifty thousand dollars for you

yes yes yes yes yes yes no no no no no no no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, you can't block my blessing though You want the spiritual money we're gonna give you both we're gonna find a job for you right here 28 19 Listen to me. Where's Don? I want you to get his information. Don't move, Holden. Don't move. We're going to do both. We're going to do both. Somebody hold that baby.

We're going to do both. Stay right here with me, bro. Stay right here. We're going to do both. You, you, a check for $50,000 and a job. No, and a job. We're gonna do both. We're gonna do both.

Y'all stretch your hands towards this family. Drove seven days to be here. And sold everything to join this church. Eternal God and ever wise Father, we thank you for the power of the Holy Spirit and the proclamation of the gospel in these last days we thank you for how you reached this family 44 hours away in Canada how you moved on their heart to sell everything sacrifice to take this massive step of faith to come here just like Lena and I did with nothing. We pray you will knit

their hearts to this family that you would reward them for their faithfulness. We pray great provision for this family, for these children, for Holden and Shelby. They are our brother and sister, our family. We thank you that you ordered their footsteps by your divine providence, you brought them here, and we pray you would walk them into everything you have planned for them. We as a family pray favor over them right now. We as a family pray favor over them right now. We pray favor over them right now that they will prosper and thrive in the Spirit, in their marriage, in their parenting, in their finances, starting with 50,000. We bless them right now in the mighty and the majestic and the matchless name of

our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Somebody shout! My brother, we got you. Praise him right now! We got you, brother. We got you! We got you, brother. We got you. We got you. We got you.

We got you. We got you. I'm serious. We giving out two checks today, and we got a job for you. We're going to figure it out. We got you. We got you. He's got a Preach the Word shirt on. We got you, Holden. Somebody celebrate this family. I Come on! Come on!

Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Yeah, we're gonna talk after I got you we're gonna talk right after this yeah Oh I'll never forget you You are my everything

I'll never forget you And I'll give it all You'll say you're one You'll never see your own I'll grab it all Your treasure of this life Could ever satisfy you You are my everything Amen. So what I want to do with the few minutes we have left.

What you said? What? Keep going. Take my time. No. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Now, we don't have time because there's another 1800 people coming behind you It's another like like another 1800 people coming right behind you Greenbriar we got seats for you where we going Everybody in that overflow room we got seats for you where we're going. So what I want to do with these last, what I want to do with these few minutes we have

left, I want to break the spirit of entitlement because I feel like when God has been kind to you what we owe him is gratitude and I want to read to you just one Psalm. It's a Psalm of gratitude. It's what God put on my heart. And I don't want to preach, but would you allow me to just read this over you? The book of Psalms is the biggest book in the Bible. The Bible is a collection of 66 ancient documents, and sitting in the center of the Bible, in the center of the Scriptures, is the largest book in here, the book of Psalms.

In the book of Psalms was written there by men who express the full range of all human emotions from anger to sorrow to joy. And when my heart is heavy, I carry it to the Psalms. When I feel broken, I carry my heart to the Psalms. When I feel like I'm being threatened, I carry my heart to the Psalms. When I feel broken, I carry my heart to the Psalms. When I feel like I'm being threatened, I carry my heart to the Psalms. When I'm dealing with enemies and I've got a lot of them, I carry my heart to the Psalms. And when you're going through trials and tribulations, you can carry your heart here and find comfort and find the prayers

of real human beings who had the full range of human emotions, even people who were angry at God. Where are you right now in this circumstance? It's all in there. And in the book of Psalms, there is a Psalm 107, which is a Psalm of gratitude. It's four major sections. I won't read all four. And the writer of Psalms, these writers write about the goodness of God who brought them out of exile, brought them out of times of darkness and pain and suffering. We all have experienced times like that. And in the first nine verses of Psalm 107, just nine, I'm gonna read them to you, I'm gonna pray for you, we're gonna be done a couple minutes. I see nuances of what these Israelites wrote To what we have been experiencing at 28 19

I'm gonna read the psalm to you, and I just want you to peep the nuances in the text So I'm reading about Israel, but I want you to see 28 19 in the text I'm reading about Israel, but I want you to see 28 19 in the text I'm reading about Israel, but I want you to see 28 19 in the text Yes Psalm 107 verse 1. This is what you do when the Lord has been good to you. Oh Give thanks to the Lord for watch for he is good when things are good. He is good When things are difficult, he is good. When things are difficult, he is good. When you're in valleys, he is good. When he's answering your prayers, he is good. When he seems silent, he is good.

When he says, wait, he is good. When he says no, he is still being good. When he removes something from your life, he is being good. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. Why is he good? There it is, the back half of the first verse, for his steadfast love. It endures for how long? Forever. That is, it will never leave you nor forsake you. He loves you when you're being lovable, and he loves you when you're being unlovable. When you're falling in sin, he loves you. When you're making mistakes, he loves you. When you're beating yourself up, he loves you. Watch this. When you feel unworthy, he loves you. I battle with that a lot.

Feelings of unworthiness. I don't deserve all that you're doing. I don't even deserve to be on this platform. Anybody ever felt unworthy? You get tired of yourself. You say, Lord, look at me, but yet you still do. Loves you anyway. Not a transactional love like we do down here.

Love you if you're certain size. Love you if you don't put on weight. Love you if you, no, no, not that kind of human transactional love. I love you because what I've done for you on the cross, his son died for that love. That's what it says in Romans, that while we was yet sinners, Christ died.

The Lord demonstrated his love. so his love is steadfast And because of that here is our response let the redeemed of the Lord say so Who are his watch redeemed from trouble that is all of you he bought back from darkness Came and got you out of sin from darkness came and got you out of sin, rescued you from headed to hell, rescued you from headed to damnation. All of you who did not have enough sense in your mind to say yes to God, but he hunted you down anyway. Do I got anybody knows what it feels like when he hunted you down anyway?

When you was in rebellion and sin, but he hunted you down anyway. When we was driving home drunk from the club and rolling up blunts with one knee and out of our mind getting in car crashes and still alive, his grace keeping you just long enough so he can pull you into the kingdom. I'm talking to some of you even been in church your whole life and far away from God until one day he snatched you and pulled you into the kingdom of God. Watch. Redeem. You know what that word redeem means? It means to buy back, like a pawn shop. He saw you through the window in the pawn shop, lost and at him. But the Lord walked in there with the cross on his back and put the payment of blood on

the table, said, that one, I want that one. I'm going to take this one right here. Give me Philip. I'm going to take him. I'm this one right here. Give me Philip. I'm gonna take him I'm gonna take Matthew. Give me Ivy McGregor. I'm gonna take Brandon McClendon. Anybody know what it feels like to be bought back Chasing you anyway And what did he redeem us from from trouble? watch P 28 19 in the text. And he gathered…

I like that word. His people from the lands. Where did they come from? From the east and from the west and from the north and from the south and from the Caribbean and from the South, and from the Caribbean, and from Canada. It started gathering people from all walks of life, black and white, young and old, rich and poor, hoodlums and people from the boardroom, former street dudes and people from corporate America Started gathering us together from all around the country all around the city of Atlanta He brought us in from the north south east and west. I'm from New York anybody from the north

Anybody from the west? All right Anybody from the south Anybody from the South? Just start gathering us together. From the north, south, east, and west. Some of you, before he brought you, wandered in desert places. You were in dry places, dry seasons, dead churches, listening to dead sermons, and reading dead books, and going to dead conferences, having

a dead life until he brought you into this family and you drank living water for the first time and you felt alive in your heart and you heard a song that transformed your life and you heard a tears fell from your eyes. How many times have you left this room driving home with tears in your eyes? How many times have you left this room convicted by a message that said, I've got a change in that area of my life? How many times have you left this room and you felt like the Spirit of God talked to you when you were sitting right there in

Your seat how many times have you left this room and you felt more alive than ever before How many times have you come in dead and left with fire in your heart? How many times have you been sitting right there in the chair and the Holy Spirit nudged you right there in the chair there in the chair. You was in a desert place, finding no way to a city to dwell in, no place to land. And while you was out there, how was you? You was hungry, and you was thirsty, and your soul fainted within you. And some of you, before you got here, you cried out to the Lord. Lord, intervene in my circumstance. I'm so thankful that he hears us when we pray." And it says that they cried out to the Lord in their trouble. Watch. And he ignored them. Turned the deaf ear to them. Ignored you. No. Does anybody know what it feels like to cry out to the

Lord and he respond? Watch. Because the Lord is attracted to brokenness and to humility and, watch his word, honesty. This is why I keep encouraging you. Stop sanitizing your prayers. Stop going into his presence with his laundry list of lies. He already know that you're mad. He already know that you're angry. He know that you don't like your spouse. He already know what you're battling with. Just go in there and be, watch this word, honest. And they cried out to the Lord in trouble and he delivered them from

their distress. Watch and this is what he did for a lot of you. Last three verses. He led you like he led my man hold them back there and Shelby. You know what he did he ordered Their steps You know how frustrating it would be for you to try to get from your house here in a new city with no GPS You'd be frustrated and a lot of people live life that way. Driving with no GPS. Doing life with no guidance. The greatest GPS you will ever know is not on your iPhone. If you got an Android, we pray for you.

iPhone. If you got an Android, we pray for you. We're mad at you that you turned the chat green. Blue is the color of glory. It's in the flag of Israel. We pray iPhones for everybody in the… I'm sorry, Elton, I'm sorry. It's frustrating moving through life with no direction. The greatest GPS you have is not on your iPhone. It's the Spirit of God ordering, holding steps, ordering your steps, guiding you. Don't marry. Marry. Take the job.

Don't take the job. Walk away from that career. Kn Nick your heart to that church. You have no idea what the Lord does on the other side of your instructions as you're following that GPS. He'll just lead you into everything that he has for you. When I was in Queens, he knew where I would be right now. When I was gangbanging in the street, he knew where I'd be right now. When he rescued me in a bathroom over a toilet seat, he knew where I'd be right now. When he rescued me in a bathroom over a toilet seat, he knew where I'd be right now. The greatest GPS you have is just the voice of the Holy Spirit.

You know the joy of hearing, go four miles and make a left? Don't marry that person. Don't marry that person. Don't sign that contract. Move to that city. Come from Canada to 2018-2019. You have no idea what's going to happen when you get there the first Sunday. Leave from Canada seven hours, seven days, go to 28-19 June. You have no idea what's going to happen when you get there the first Sunday.

You had no idea what you was about to walk into. Why? Watch this. Because you have no idea what's on the other side of obedience. And he led them by straight way until they reached a city to dwell in. This is the new city we dwell in, the spiritual family. It's what God did. He led us all together here as a spiritual family and because of that let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love for his wondrous works what he's doing in our lives what he's

doing in our church what he's doing in our midst to the children of men for he satisfies the longing soul and the hungry soul he fills with good things. This all-good and perfect gift comes down from God above, because the universe has given you nothing. It's a created thing. And they thank God for bringing them together as a family. So this the very last time. And then in three weeks we will walk into what we believe in God will be our last temporary location. Now, that building we're going to, that building was ugly. It's a big old building.

It's hideous. Big old building. Looked like a warehouse on the inside. It's been sitting there abandoned for years. It was yellow and burgundy and there's colors everywhere. We had to go in there and do our best to fix it up, to make it habitable for our family. Some million dollar project we spent over there. So for all of you who are faithful givers in 2019, we thank you for your faithfulness.

Because of your generosity, we're able to do that. And the same way we had to come in here and put all this, we had to go over there and we had to paint and put up speakers and lights and sound and rip out all the old carpet and fix the bathrooms and it was a fix-upper. And when we get there, it may not be all the way right. And y'all cool with that? And we can, we're not to be bougie, right? We're going to tweak it and I'm going to release you.

And then next week, we will not gather anywhere. We'll have a Sabbath to give rest to all of our servant leaders. The week after that, on April 6th, we will meet online digitally. And then April 13th. I said on April 13th, it will be 2819 at Greenbrier on April 13th. It's when we're gonna be there together as a family. April 13th. April 13th. April 13th. April 13th.

April 13th. April 13th. No, we'll give you the address in two weeks, because we don't want you to pull up too early. We don't want you sneaking around trying to get a peek while we're working on this. On April 13th, we'll give you the address a couple days out. We got seats for everybody. And we'll cross over this Jordan into where the Lord has taken us as a family. Anything you want to say to the people? Guys, so this is the last Sunday in this facility and as I was just standing here I was thinking

about all that's happened in this room. Souls have came to the Lord. We've worshiped, we've prayed, we've cried. My son Malachi has spent many, many many many hours in this room. He put enough lights Yeah, he's with a lot of yes We've had so many servant leaders put their hands to the plow in this room and in this building from the musicians to the people working with the kids to parking lot attendants.

I mean, everybody just had their hands to the plow. And I'm just amazed, amen. Yes. I'm just amazed and in awe of all that God has done, all that He is doing and all that He is going to do. So three weeks, guys. Yes, we are crossing over into our last temporary facility. And then after that, we're going home.

We're going home. We're going home. Can I trust y'all to stand without trying to beat each other to the parking lot? Everybody lift your hands. Lift them high. High. The Lord bless you. The Lord keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and give you peace. I pray a favor and a blessing over your minds, your heart, your homes, your children, your businesses, your entrepreneurial ventures, your spiritual life. May you prosper and

thrive in the kingdom. May Lord keep us together as we walk into our next facility. I bless you now in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy