Dharius Daniels - Unattached, Unbothered, and Untangled

I want to tag a title for this text we’re going to discuss: «Unattached, Unbothered, and Untangled.» Clap your hands if you’re ready for God’s word, everybody! So, family, today we are concluding a series of sermons that we’ve affectionately entitled «For the Streets.» Somebody say it with conviction: «For the Streets!» In this series, we have articulated that your presence on this planet is not an accident; it is not a result of some cosmic coincidence. No, a big firecracker did not explode in the atmosphere to orchestrate your existence here on this earth. We believe you have been intentionally, strategically, and sovereignly placed on this planet for such a time as this. You were built for purpose, you are called to a purpose, and you are empowered to carry out that purpose. If you believe that already, say yes!

However, we have also articulated this truth: your purpose has a place. Even though we’re called to do some things, we’re not called to do all things everywhere. So, my purpose has a place, my calling has a context, my avenue has a direction, and my assignment has a pathway. What we have articulated is this: I hope you are ready for this— and that is, the place of your purpose is not just the church. God used this church to make us into who He has called and created us to be, but we are not made for the church. You are made for the streets; you’re not the salt of the church; you’re the salt of the earth. You’re not the light of the church; come on, you’re the light of the world! Am I making sense here, guys?

It is essential that you and I understand that our assignment, our appointment, and our anointing are not necessarily for the church; they are for the streets. When we say «streets, ” we mean societies, and when I say „societies, ” I mean society has seven streets. There’s the religious street, the family street, the education street, the wellness street, the arts and media street, the government street, and the business street. Jesus, our King, has sprinkled us and sown us like seeds into different streets in society because He knows that when salt gets on something, it doesn’t have to be the majority to make a major impact. Did you hear what I just said? God wants to sprinkle some salt on these streets, and we’ve been called to occupy and influence these streets for the glory of God.

However, our text teaches us something: it teaches us that faithfulness to this assignment of influencing the streets— not just being a critic of culture, but a contributor to it— requires that in your own way, you emulate the miracles that Jesus performed by adding value to other people and helping them improve their conditions. In helping others improve their conditions, it becomes a door for evangelism. Are you okay? Because He healed some people before He saved them; y’all aren’t talking to me!

So here’s what the text teaches us: faithfulness to this assignment to influence the streets requires freedom. Faithfulness requires freedom. This particular passage we just read can offer us some insight into this area. This passage exposes us to an experience that Jesus had, which created one of the most significant days on the Christian calendar called Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter and begins the last week of Jesus’s life, a week known in Christian contexts as Holy Week.

So on this day, over 2023 years ago, Jesus entered Jerusalem to participate in the festival, knowing He wouldn’t come back out. He would be falsely accused, wrongly convicted, and sentenced to death by Roman capital punishment, which was crucifixion. This agonizing experience that Jesus had shows us something: purpose requires that you ride into some situations knowing something’s going to die. I’ll say that one more time: purpose requires you to ride into certain situations knowing that something is going to die. It rests on the revelation that some advancements require elimination. Henry Cloud calls it necessary endings, and if you are not willing to have a necessary ending, you will not be able to have a new beginning.

I don’t know who this is for, and I’m not trying to be overly emotional right now, but I just sense intuitively that somebody has something new waiting for them. I sense somebody saying, „I’m getting ready to step into something new! I’m getting ready to walk into something new! I’m getting ready to see something new! I’m getting ready to experience what my eyes haven’t seen and my ears haven’t heard. Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing!“ Somebody shout, „New!“

Some advancements require elimination; purpose requires putting some things in the grave. I came to tell you that if you’re going to step into a new season, you need to know that some friendships will be buried, some ambitions will be buried, some desires will be buried, some expectations will not survive, and some preferences will go into the grave. Our challenge in these seasons is trusting that what you gain in resurrection is more than what you lose in crucifixion. When you get this revelation, you will stop trying to perform CPR on things that purpose has put in the ground. Go ahead and experience the crucifixion so that God can give you a resurrection. You’ve got to let some stuff die; it was good for a season, but you’ve got to let it die. It served its purpose, but you’ve got to let it die. God used it in a mighty way, but you’ve got to let it die. You cannot be…