1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:05,800 Thank you for listening to the river. 2 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:08,700 Bend Church podcast Reverb in church exists. 3 00:00:08,700 --> 00:00:12,000 Delete all people to know love and live New Life in Jesus 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,300 Christ. We hope that you enjoy this 5 00:00:14,300 --> 00:00:20,200 message. Happy Father's Day to you all 6 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:22,200 and Father's, Day to all the dads. 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,400 Get out there. So glad to be able to celebrate 8 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,400 with you this morning, if we haven't had the chance to meet 9 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:31,100 my name is Ben. I get to serve as one of the 10 00:00:31,100 --> 00:00:33,100 pastor's here at Riverbend Church. 11 00:00:33,100 --> 00:00:36,700 Whether you're live with us here in Gainesville and Oakwood on 12 00:00:36,700 --> 00:00:39,900 our Oakwood campus was already able to spend some time with 13 00:00:40,100 --> 00:00:42,600 with the, with the volunteers down at Oakwood. 14 00:00:43,100 --> 00:00:46,400 No better group of volunteers than we have down at our Oakwood 15 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,400 campus, incredible men and women just pouring their lives out, 16 00:00:50,500 --> 00:00:53,700 just showing the love of Jesus being the hands and feet of 17 00:00:53,700 --> 00:00:54,300 Jesus. Jesus. 18 00:00:54,700 --> 00:00:58,000 If you're joining us online, welcome, we love being able to 19 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,800 gather together, spend time with one another and today we get to 20 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,800 celebrate Father's dad's father figures. 21 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:09,000 And I think that there are three essential things to Father's Day 22 00:01:09,500 --> 00:01:15,700 and no particular order dad jokes Meat and naps. 23 00:01:16,500 --> 00:01:19,600 All right, so we're gonna knock out two of the three. 24 00:01:20,100 --> 00:01:22,900 Hopefully, not the third. Hopefully, not the nap will say 25 00:01:22,900 --> 00:01:26,200 that to this afternoon. So to help kick us off a little 26 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,800 light-hearted. I've asked two of our dads to 27 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,600 come up and they're going to give us, they're going to 28 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,200 alternate back and forth. They're going to give us their 29 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:38,900 best dad joke and then we're going to choose who the winner 30 00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:42,500 of the best dad jokes. So what are two volunteers? 31 00:01:42,500 --> 00:01:46,700 This earn income. Which give them a warm welcome. 32 00:01:59,100 --> 00:02:09,600 so, if y'all don't know, That's gonna be tough to beat if y'all 33 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:13,500 don't know, is Jeff, White is Rob Andrews. 34 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,200 Their kids are thrilled that they're up here. 35 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:18,900 So here's what we're going to start with. 36 00:02:19,700 --> 00:02:23,800 Listen we've got to pay bills so keep that in mind with your dad 37 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:24,500 jokes. Okay. 38 00:02:24,900 --> 00:02:28,100 All right. Don't make me lose my job. 39 00:02:28,500 --> 00:02:30,900 That's what I'm getting at. So here's what we're going to do 40 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,500 is Jeff, you're going to go one and then Rob, you're going to go 41 00:02:35,900 --> 00:02:36,300 then. Jeff. 42 00:02:36,300 --> 00:02:37,900 You got another one, rob? You got another one in there. 43 00:02:37,900 --> 00:02:39,300 Will declare a winner? Good. 44 00:02:39,900 --> 00:02:46,900 All right, start us off, Jeff. Okay, I'll have to It's one of 45 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:49,500 those things that when somebody asks you to do something you say 46 00:02:49,500 --> 00:02:52,200 yeah I'll do that. And immediately like right now 47 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,100 I'm thinking well I wish he'd ask somebody else. 48 00:02:56,900 --> 00:03:02,100 Okay, anybody have pets, raise your hand, a recent study, came 49 00:03:02,100 --> 00:03:07,000 out that 30% of pet owners. Let their pets sleep with them. 50 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:13,500 I tried it and my goldfish died. It's a solid start. 51 00:03:16,700 --> 00:03:18,500 Well Jeff, I was at the gym the other day. 52 00:03:18,900 --> 00:03:20,400 That's the joke. That's a joke. 53 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:25,800 And there was, there was a chicken there. 54 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:34,500 He was working on his pets. That's good. 55 00:03:35,700 --> 00:03:37,900 All right. The other night at least and I 56 00:03:37,900 --> 00:03:41,100 were out to dinner and the waitress was flirting with me. 57 00:03:41,900 --> 00:03:45,300 She turns and walks away. Eliza said, bless her heart. 58 00:03:45,300 --> 00:03:50,800 She's obviously had covid. I said, how do you know that she 59 00:03:50,800 --> 00:04:09,100 said because she has no taste What do you get when you put a 60 00:04:09,108 --> 00:04:12,000 mad cow and angry goat in the same room? 61 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:19,600 A bad move. Alright we've been here so I 62 00:04:19,608 --> 00:04:21,899 need your help with we need to clear winner. 63 00:04:22,500 --> 00:04:26,600 So by round of applause, if you think the winner is Jeff the 64 00:04:26,608 --> 00:04:33,600 chains together, If you think the winner is Rob, put your 65 00:04:33,608 --> 00:04:40,100 hands together. That's a tough one. 66 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:46,400 No sir. That's at uh, Well, you both you 67 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:55,900 both you both get beef jerky. so, And then you get the, you 68 00:04:55,900 --> 00:04:59,600 get the dad Cub that I think it says, where do I keep, I don't 69 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:01,200 know what it says. This is Dad joke on there. 70 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,000 All right, we love just being able to celebrate Dad's and just 71 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,500 being able to honor Dad's because I don't think it's a 72 00:05:15,500 --> 00:05:18,300 secret at all that especially in our day and age in our 73 00:05:18,300 --> 00:05:22,600 culture's, you know, Dad's and father figures are kind of, 74 00:05:22,700 --> 00:05:25,600 they're very much relegated, their their ridiculed, their 75 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,300 downplayed. But here's what we know, we know 76 00:05:28,300 --> 00:05:33,700 that who we are in large part is due to the contributions of the 77 00:05:33,700 --> 00:05:37,100 men, the fathers and the father figures of our lives and your 78 00:05:37,100 --> 00:05:41,200 influence can never be. Dated and what I want to do this 79 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:45,200 morning in the time that we have is I want to go into a book or 80 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:47,500 go into a passage in The Book of Mark. 81 00:05:47,500 --> 00:05:50,900 Mark chapter 1 if you have a Bible with you whether it's a 82 00:05:50,907 --> 00:05:55,300 physical copy or digital copy Mark chapter 1 and we're going 83 00:05:55,308 --> 00:05:58,600 to be picking it up in verse 16 but let me get it. 84 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:02,100 Give you kind of a little bit of a historical context because 85 00:06:02,100 --> 00:06:06,700 what we're going to be looking at this morning is is a father 86 00:06:06,700 --> 00:06:09,200 that he's mentioned. This guy, he's mentioned in all 87 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:11,500 four Gospels. Counts, Matthew, Mark, Luke and 88 00:06:11,500 --> 00:06:14,600 John, his name appears in all four but there's not a whole lot 89 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:17,300 of print given to them. There's not a whole lot of ink 90 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:21,400 given to this God, that God by the name of Zebedee, is a dad 91 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:26,800 that we know as Zebedee. Now, we also know this is Dad's 92 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:30,400 and men and father figures we come in all different types of 93 00:06:30,407 --> 00:06:33,000 personalities, right? So you may be the type of 94 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,400 Personality that you're kind of an out front, like life of the 95 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:39,100 party type of guy. You may be more the behind the 96 00:06:39,100 --> 00:06:41,800 scenes. Type of type of quiet leader, 97 00:06:41,900 --> 00:06:45,700 but your influence is immense. Enormous, nonetheless, no matter 98 00:06:45,700 --> 00:06:48,500 what your personality type is, and no matter what your 99 00:06:48,500 --> 00:06:52,700 personality wiring is, I happen to believe that Zebedee is 100 00:06:52,700 --> 00:06:56,700 probably one one of these behind-the-scenes types of goz 101 00:06:56,900 --> 00:07:01,800 even though his overall context. And and what we do know about 102 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:09,100 him is is going to be really big for us to kind of unpack when we 103 00:07:09,100 --> 00:07:12,800 start looking at the challenge that God has for us as dads, and 104 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:16,600 fathers and father figures. But when we get to Mark chapter 105 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:20,800 1, Jesus is about 30 years old, at this point in time, he's on 106 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,100 the very, very front edge of his ministry before. 107 00:07:24,100 --> 00:07:25,900 Jesus starts his Earthly Ministry. 108 00:07:25,900 --> 00:07:29,900 His cousin, a God, that we know is John the Baptist is baptizing 109 00:07:29,900 --> 00:07:32,700 people by the Jordan River. In the Jordan River, he's 110 00:07:32,700 --> 00:07:34,800 teaching about baptism and repentance. 111 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,500 And he's preparing the the hearts and the minds of the 112 00:07:37,508 --> 00:07:40,200 people that are coming out of Jerusalem and the surrounding 113 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:43,500 area to come hear him speak he's preparing them for the coming 114 00:07:43,500 --> 00:07:44,900 Messiah. Jesus. 115 00:07:45,300 --> 00:07:48,300 Jesus comes onto the scene comes to the banks of the Jordan River 116 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:51,900 and comes down into the water and tells John that he needs 117 00:07:51,900 --> 00:07:54,900 John to baptize him John baptizes. 118 00:07:54,900 --> 00:07:58,100 Jesus goes under the water comes back up. 119 00:07:58,100 --> 00:08:01,100 We read in the early chapters of the Book of Matthew to where the 120 00:08:01,100 --> 00:08:04,700 Holy Spirit, descended on Jesus like a dove and a voice. 121 00:08:04,900 --> 00:08:06,700 Of the father to send it from Heaven. 122 00:08:06,700 --> 00:08:11,400 Say, this is my son in whom I'm well, pleased from that point on 123 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,000 the holy spirit of God leaves, G leads, Jesus out into the 124 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,000 Wilderness out into the desert, for about 40 days of prayer and 125 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,900 fasting and just spending time with the father. 126 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:25,700 And in those 40 days, we have the three Temptations of Jesus 127 00:08:25,900 --> 00:08:28,900 listed for us. After those 40 days. 128 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,000 Jesus comes out of the Wilderness and he starts to 129 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:36,200 select his first followers. He starts to Select his first 130 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:40,100 four Apostles and this is where we pick it up in verse 16 of 131 00:08:40,100 --> 00:08:43,400 Mark chapter 1, of where Jesus is on the scene. 132 00:08:43,799 --> 00:08:48,400 Calling his first four Apostles, read with me, verse 16 says, one 133 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:51,700 day, as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. 134 00:08:51,900 --> 00:08:54,700 He saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the 135 00:08:54,700 --> 00:08:57,600 water for they fish for a living, Jesus called out to 136 00:08:57,600 --> 00:08:59,100 them. Come follow me and I will show 137 00:08:59,100 --> 00:09:01,700 you how to fish for people. Some of your translations may 138 00:09:01,700 --> 00:09:04,000 say come follow me and I'll teach you how to be a fisher of 139 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,800 men. And they left their Nets at 140 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,200 once. And I followed him verse 19, a 141 00:09:09,208 --> 00:09:13,000 little further up or farther up. The shore, Jesus saw zebedee's 142 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:17,100 Sons James and John in a boat repairing their Nets, he called 143 00:09:17,100 --> 00:09:19,900 them at once and they also followed him leaving their 144 00:09:19,900 --> 00:09:24,900 follow father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men. 145 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:31,400 Now, this means that Jesus. When we start to look at Jesus 146 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:35,000 calling his disciples, I think that we probably need a little A 147 00:09:35,008 --> 00:09:38,700 little bit of first century, Jewish context to understand 148 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:41,300 what these guys were doing. They weren't just fishermen. 149 00:09:41,500 --> 00:09:45,200 We need to see that they were kind of seen as a certain class 150 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:48,300 of people if you will. So first century, Jewish 151 00:09:48,300 --> 00:09:52,600 context, is this is if you were a male boy at the age of 6, you 152 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:55,500 would go to your local synagogue and you would go to your local 153 00:09:55,500 --> 00:09:58,900 synagogue, probably every day and you would memorize the 154 00:09:58,900 --> 00:10:03,300 entire Torah as a six-year-old 6 through 10 years old memorize 155 00:10:03,300 --> 00:10:04,900 the entire tour. Now for us. 156 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:06,700 Us. We know the tour is the first 157 00:10:06,700 --> 00:10:08,700 five books of the Bible. The first five books of the Old 158 00:10:08,700 --> 00:10:12,200 Testament, Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers and 159 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,600 Deuteronomy. So at the age of six, all Jewish 160 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,800 boys would memorize word for word. 161 00:10:18,900 --> 00:10:22,400 All five of those books from 6 to 10. 162 00:10:23,700 --> 00:10:25,600 And you thought multiplication tables were tough. 163 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,600 But the rabbi's would look at the vast majority of that group 164 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:34,500 of boys, and thank them for their time, probably give them a 165 00:10:34,500 --> 00:10:37,000 participation certificate or scroll, they would have a 166 00:10:37,008 --> 00:10:39,000 graduation ceremony to wear their parents. 167 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,200 Their moms are posting on Facebook and Instagram. 168 00:10:41,300 --> 00:10:44,600 You know this happy graduation from Little synagogue school but 169 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:46,900 they would look at the vast majority of these little boys 170 00:10:46,900 --> 00:10:51,500 and they would go go. Follow your father's trade, go, 171 00:10:51,500 --> 00:10:54,400 learn your father's trade. In other words, go follow in 172 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:57,600 your Father's Footsteps. If your dad was a farmer, You 173 00:10:57,600 --> 00:11:00,400 would learn how to be a farmer. If your dad was a fisherman, you 174 00:11:00,408 --> 00:11:02,700 would learn how to be a fisherman, but they would say 175 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:06,400 they would hold back and they retained the best of the best of 176 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:09,600 the best and of the best of the best of the best. 177 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:13,400 Those boys starting at the age of 10 would go on to memorize 178 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:16,600 the entire what. We now know as the Old Testament 179 00:11:16,900 --> 00:11:22,900 word for word Genesis through Malachi they would memorize this 180 00:11:23,300 --> 00:11:27,000 word forward into the vast majority of those kids. 181 00:11:27,500 --> 00:11:30,500 Would give them a graduation certificate or scroll. 182 00:11:30,500 --> 00:11:34,400 Get do a ceremony whole nine yards and they would say go 183 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:37,400 learn a trade and other words, we believe that you have what it 184 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,100 takes to go, Blaze your own path in a career. 185 00:11:40,100 --> 00:11:43,000 If you want to follow your dad's footsteps and being a carpenter 186 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,800 or a farmer or fisherman, go have at it. 187 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:48,700 But we believe that you have what it takes to go Blaze your 188 00:11:48,700 --> 00:11:52,800 own path, but to The Very Best of the Best of the Best of the 189 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:56,500 Best, they would retain those boys after memorizing the entire 190 00:11:56,500 --> 00:11:57,600 Old Testament. Aunt. 191 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:01,500 And they would assign that boy to sit under a specific Rabbi or 192 00:12:01,500 --> 00:12:06,500 teacher and that teacher would then teach that little boy or 193 00:12:06,500 --> 00:12:11,700 that young man, his take on certain passages and Prophecies 194 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:15,800 of the Old Testament that take and those teachings of the rabbi 195 00:12:15,900 --> 00:12:18,700 would be known as that rabbis yoke. 196 00:12:19,500 --> 00:12:24,400 Which gives a completely deeper understanding to what Jesus 197 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:27,200 says, in the popular passage in Matthew 11. 198 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:30,600 Remember, when Jesus said, come to me all you who are weary and 199 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,000 carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. 200 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:37,700 Take my, what take my yoke upon you take my teachings upon you 201 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,000 and let me teach you because I'm humble and gentle at heart and 202 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:42,200 you will find rest for your souls. 203 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:46,300 For my what my yoke, my teaching is easy to bear and the burden. 204 00:12:46,300 --> 00:12:50,600 I give you is light. What is the Look of Jesus, the 205 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,000 Yoke of Jesus is basically twofold. 206 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:55,500 Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind, and 207 00:12:55,500 --> 00:12:57,100 strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. 208 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,300 Love God, love people. That's my yolk. 209 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:02,300 That's the yolk of Jesus, that's the teaching. 210 00:13:02,300 --> 00:13:06,100 That's the Core Essence. The core teachings of Jesus, 211 00:13:06,900 --> 00:13:08,900 USA, you may say, okay that's great. 212 00:13:08,900 --> 00:13:12,300 Good to know from six to ten. Memorize the first five books, 213 00:13:12,300 --> 00:13:15,000 man, that's crazy. After 10 years old, vast 214 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:17,200 majority, they were dismissed but then some of them went to 215 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:19,000 memorize Genesis through Malachi. 216 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:21,700 Cool. And then after that, select few 217 00:13:21,700 --> 00:13:23,800 would send her to write. Send us it under rabbi's, 218 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:27,400 teaching, what in the world does this have to do with me in 2023? 219 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:30,600 Well, the context of this since Jesus was walking by the Sea of 220 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:35,700 Galilee is these four men, Peter and Andrew James and John were 221 00:13:35,700 --> 00:13:39,000 considered the not good enough of the religious. 222 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:42,700 They were considered the not good enough. 223 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,500 By the people that were picking teams. 224 00:13:48,900 --> 00:13:50,900 I don't know your story, I don't know your background. 225 00:13:50,900 --> 00:13:53,400 Don't know your context or you're setting a what you came 226 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:57,200 in here with this morning, or, or what you have in Oakwood, or 227 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:00,900 watching online where you may be physically or mentally or 228 00:14:00,900 --> 00:14:06,900 emotionally or spiritually, But if some of us feel a little 229 00:14:06,900 --> 00:14:12,700 discouraged, may be discouraged. Maybe maybe we're still broken 230 00:14:12,700 --> 00:14:16,800 over some past mistakes. Maybe you feel like a not good 231 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:19,000 enough. Can I give you a word of 232 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,200 encouragement Gainesville Oakwood online? 233 00:14:22,500 --> 00:14:26,300 It's not good enough, that Jesus specializes in, it was not good 234 00:14:26,300 --> 00:14:29,900 enough that Jesus called to follow him and to flip the world 235 00:14:29,900 --> 00:14:33,400 up on its head and giving the hope of the Gospel to everyone 236 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:35,800 that they came across. And by the way, his pattern has 237 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,500 it changed. He still calls the not good 238 00:14:38,500 --> 00:14:42,200 enough, but here's the difference between Peter and 239 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:47,200 Andrew and James and John, Peter and Andrew, they were fishermen 240 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:50,900 James and John, they were also fishermen, but their daddy on 241 00:14:50,900 --> 00:14:55,700 the fishing business, So, Peter and Andrew even though they were 242 00:14:55,700 --> 00:14:58,100 fishermen, they went to learn their father's trade. 243 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:04,200 James and John had a safety net. And following Jesus. 244 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,900 So when Jesus comes and says hey James and John, the sons of 245 00:15:08,900 --> 00:15:14,100 Zebedee you come follow me for them to step away and follow 246 00:15:14,100 --> 00:15:16,600 Jesus. They weren't stepping away from 247 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:21,600 nothing, they were stepping away from a tangible future. 248 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:26,100 A seemingly secure future in order to embrace an unknown, a 249 00:15:26,100 --> 00:15:30,100 life of unknown faith. And following Jesus, you know, 250 00:15:30,100 --> 00:15:32,100 who had the primary role in all of this. 251 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:37,700 Zebedee. Zebedee had the primary role in 252 00:15:37,700 --> 00:15:41,600 James and John following Jesus. Here's why. 253 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:47,300 Because as the dad Zebedee, served as a gate of sorts now, 254 00:15:47,300 --> 00:15:49,100 we all know this. If you have a if you have a 255 00:15:49,100 --> 00:15:52,200 fence in your yard, you have a gate, a gate is going to serve 256 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,700 as two primary functions, right? It's either going to serve is 257 00:15:55,700 --> 00:15:58,900 going to stay close to keep things either out or to keep 258 00:15:58,900 --> 00:16:05,600 things in or a gate serves to swing open to allow Things out 259 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:09,200 or to allow things in. That's those true. 260 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:12,700 For the dad's, the fathers and the father figures in here is 261 00:16:12,700 --> 00:16:15,600 every single one of us in our spheres, in our Circles of 262 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:20,600 influence, whether your dad, whether you're a mom Whether you 263 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:24,000 are a veteran and following Jesus, you follow Jesus, if for 264 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,500 decades or whether you're brand new to following Jesus, mine in 265 00:16:27,500 --> 00:16:31,200 your life, we serve as gates to the circles and spheres of 266 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:33,300 influence that God has already placed us around. 267 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:38,800 Zebedee could have kept the gate closed and basically looked at 268 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:42,600 his sons and go James and John. Listen, I know that you want to 269 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:45,100 follow Jesus. I know that you want to go after 270 00:16:45,100 --> 00:16:46,900 this guy. I know that you want to chase 271 00:16:46,900 --> 00:16:49,600 after this, but God has listened Sons. 272 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:51,300 This is what we've been planning for. 273 00:16:51,700 --> 00:16:56,000 This is the family business, he could have kept the gate closed. 274 00:16:56,100 --> 00:16:59,700 But what does ebony do? He opened the gate. 275 00:17:00,700 --> 00:17:03,800 He opened the gate and he actually encouraged his boys to 276 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:05,099 go. Follow Jesus. 277 00:17:05,500 --> 00:17:08,800 And you may say Ben, I don't read in, Mark chapter 1, 278 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:12,900 starting in verse 18 to where Zebedee encourages his boys to 279 00:17:12,900 --> 00:17:15,700 follow Jesus. Where do you get that? 280 00:17:15,700 --> 00:17:17,500 He encouraged his boys to follow Jesus. 281 00:17:17,900 --> 00:17:22,599 It comes with the overwhelming way in which God has chosen to 282 00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:26,500 work in the power of the influence of dads and father 283 00:17:26,500 --> 00:17:29,300 figures in our lives. I don't think that anything has 284 00:17:29,300 --> 00:17:31,100 changed over. In years. 285 00:17:31,700 --> 00:17:37,400 So here's what I would tell you is as we look as men as women as 286 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:41,200 students as anybody who God has placed in a position of 287 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:46,300 influence, how do we live a life that actually encourages those 288 00:17:46,300 --> 00:17:50,900 around us to follow Jesus? And there's two primary ways 289 00:17:50,900 --> 00:17:53,300 that we're going to be looking at this morning, just two 290 00:17:53,300 --> 00:17:57,100 primary ways through the life and through the lens of Zebedee. 291 00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:00,400 Here's the first one is living a life of consistent. 292 00:18:00,500 --> 00:18:04,100 Fullness living a life of consistent faithfulness. 293 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:09,200 Now, like I said, zebedee's name appears in Matthew Mark, Luke. 294 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:14,900 And John, however, there's not a lot of ink given to him, We just 295 00:18:14,900 --> 00:18:17,700 have his name, but here's what we do have. 296 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:22,800 We do know that his family. We're very, it was very, very 297 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:26,300 close to God. We know that his family was 298 00:18:26,300 --> 00:18:30,400 very, very close to Jesus. As a matter of fact, zebedee's 299 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:35,800 wife was a woman by the name of salami salami minister to Jesus 300 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:40,200 met his physical needs while he ministered in the area of in the 301 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:45,500 region of Galilee. Salami was also one of the women 302 00:18:45,500 --> 00:18:47,100 that was at the foot of the cross. 303 00:18:47,500 --> 00:18:51,800 When Jesus was being crucified and salami was also one of the 304 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:55,600 women that went to the tomb, the morning of Easter of Easter 305 00:18:55,600 --> 00:18:58,700 Sunday to anoint. Jesus body was spices. 306 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,600 Salomi zebedee's wife was one of the first ones to discover that 307 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:04,200 Jesus wasn't in the too many more. 308 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,900 James and John, his brother at his zebedee's sons. 309 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:14,000 John was already a disciple of John, the Baptist we read in 310 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,000 some of the other gospel accounts to where John followed, 311 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,800 John the Baptist and then when John the Baptist introduced 312 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:23,300 everybody to Jesus, John looked at John the Baptist and goes. 313 00:19:23,300 --> 00:19:25,300 Okay, you've been preparing me for this guy. 314 00:19:25,300 --> 00:19:31,200 I'm going to follow this guy. We know that there's this, 315 00:19:31,900 --> 00:19:36,700 there's this track record there James, and John, along with 316 00:19:36,700 --> 00:19:43,100 Peter, they composed the, the Inner Circle, the core three of 317 00:19:43,100 --> 00:19:47,200 Jesus, closest disciples, this core three. 318 00:19:47,500 --> 00:19:50,200 They were privy to beings Jeet Singh. 319 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:54,000 Jesus, actually in his glorified, Heavenly State on the 320 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,600 Mount of transfiguration, they were the only three of the 321 00:19:56,608 --> 00:19:58,600 Apostles that got to see Jesus in that. 322 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:01,200 State. These three were the ones that 323 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:04,800 Jesus Took deeper into the Garden of Gethsemane, the night 324 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:08,300 that he was betrayed by Judas to pray for him. 325 00:20:08,500 --> 00:20:12,000 These three were the three that were present when G, when Judas 326 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:17,700 came up to betray Jesus with a kiss, It was these three that 327 00:20:17,700 --> 00:20:22,300 compose the inner core of Jesus friendship group. 328 00:20:23,700 --> 00:20:27,000 You may say, okay? So salami, she loved Jesus, 329 00:20:27,100 --> 00:20:29,300 James and John, obviously is love Jesus. 330 00:20:29,500 --> 00:20:31,700 Then how do we get that Zebedee obviously? 331 00:20:31,700 --> 00:20:35,900 Love Jesus. Well, we get this through. 332 00:20:35,900 --> 00:20:39,800 There's overwhelming evidence to testicle evidence that he would 333 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:42,700 have absolutely loved Jesus. Here's what I mean. 334 00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:46,000 And like I said, I don't think that anything has changed over 335 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:50,200 2,000 years and the way in which influence works in the way that 336 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:54,000 God wants to work in the family unit, I want to show you Stats. 337 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,400 We kids come to Jesus Christ, first. 3.5 percent of families 338 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:02,800 will follow. What I mean by that is we love 339 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:04,600 being able to pour into our kids. 340 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:07,700 We love being able to teach our kids, the gospel from the time 341 00:21:07,700 --> 00:21:11,300 that they are born to the time that they leave Elementary 342 00:21:11,300 --> 00:21:14,500 School, make the transition into middle school and high school. 343 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:16,200 We love being able to teach them. 344 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:17,900 That there is a God that created them. 345 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,900 There's a God that loves them. Jesus has plans for them and the 346 00:21:20,900 --> 00:21:23,700 Holy Spirit can Empower them. We love doing it. 347 00:21:23,700 --> 00:21:25,800 We will never give up doing that. 348 00:21:25,900 --> 00:21:29,200 We love next-gen. We will always give next-gen our 349 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:33,400 best and our Our first and our finest we love going after next 350 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:36,900 gen. However, if a kid is the first 351 00:21:36,900 --> 00:21:41,200 in a family to become a follower of Jesus, only three, three 352 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:44,600 point, five percent of families, moms and dads in the rest of the 353 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:48,500 family will follow. If a mom comes to Jesus first 354 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:52,100 and she's the only person in the family that becomes a follower 355 00:21:52,100 --> 00:21:56,000 of Jesus first and guess what? Seventeen percent of families. 356 00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:00,200 Follow the check this out when a dad comes to Jesus first. 357 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:04,400 Just check this out. Ninety-three percent of 358 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:09,600 families. Follow May say give or take 359 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:11,300 what? He doesn't matter. 360 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:16,600 Ninety-three percent of families follow when Dad follows Jesus, 361 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:21,700 here's what we know. Typically, as the dad goes so 362 00:22:21,700 --> 00:22:25,100 goes the family. As the dad goes. 363 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:28,400 So goes the family. So how can we make these 364 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:32,700 inferences about Zebedee? We look at the fruit of the 365 00:22:32,700 --> 00:22:36,000 family as the dad goes. So goes the family. 366 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:39,700 So I guarantee you that Zebedee was a God-fearing Jesus loving 367 00:22:39,700 --> 00:22:42,800 man that even though he led from the background. 368 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:45,700 And there's not a lot of print given to him, his life of 369 00:22:45,700 --> 00:22:49,400 faithfulness of consistent faithfulness, was on display in 370 00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:52,000 the way in, which his wife follow Jesus. 371 00:22:52,100 --> 00:22:55,400 In the way that his sons And followed Jesus. 372 00:22:55,500 --> 00:22:59,500 He lived a life of consistent faithfulness. 373 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:03,600 Now, here's the encouraging word Zebedee. 374 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:07,600 Wasn't a pastor Zebedee. Wasn't a missionary Zebedee. 375 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:11,300 Wasn't some had some massive following social media 376 00:23:11,300 --> 00:23:14,500 following. As a Christian influencer, he 377 00:23:14,500 --> 00:23:17,700 was a businessman. He was a fisherman, he was a 378 00:23:17,700 --> 00:23:22,000 businessman. How in the world could this 379 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,900 fishermen have such an impact for the kingdom of God? 380 00:23:26,300 --> 00:23:29,500 Here's why? Because Jesus always did more 381 00:23:29,500 --> 00:23:32,000 through the laws of ordinary fisherman than he ever did 382 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:37,000 through hypocritical, religious leaders, Me say that again Jesus 383 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:41,000 always did. Jesus always does more through 384 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:43,700 the live to the lives of ordinary fishermen. 385 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:46,800 Then he does through hypocritical religious leaders, 386 00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:53,900 he lived a life of consistency. I think that we faithful 387 00:23:53,900 --> 00:23:56,000 consistency. I think that sometimes we get so 388 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,600 twisted and even I would even say that it comes out of some 389 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:03,800 enthusiasm and exuberance to do great things for God, we get 390 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:06,500 things so twisted. That we think that we have to do 391 00:24:06,500 --> 00:24:09,000 these big audacious things for God. 392 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,400 And we lose sight of the fact that what he has called us to do 393 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:18,200 is to live a life of faithful obedience even in the seemingly 394 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:22,200 mundane Tom's. Let me say that a different way. 395 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:26,400 God cares, just as much about your Mondays and Thursdays as he 396 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:32,200 does your Sundays And where's this lived out? 397 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,800 First, it's lived out first in the home. 398 00:24:35,900 --> 00:24:40,800 So dad's father's father figures, men, how do we do this? 399 00:24:41,700 --> 00:24:44,600 How do we live out a life of consistent faithfulness to our 400 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:48,500 families? This is not an exhaustive list, 401 00:24:48,500 --> 00:24:50,000 but I think it's going to start here. 402 00:24:50,700 --> 00:24:56,700 I think it starts with praying over your kids, praying over 403 00:24:56,700 --> 00:24:59,900 your wife, praying over your family, praying with your 404 00:24:59,900 --> 00:25:04,600 family. I think it also starts with 405 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,900 having, just very honest conversations with your family, 406 00:25:08,900 --> 00:25:14,800 with your kids and say, Hey, listen. mom and I, or maybe your 407 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:19,500 single dad, Or maybe you're single bomb and you're just 408 00:25:19,500 --> 00:25:22,000 being very honest, and very vulnerable with your kids and 409 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,800 go. And listen, I'm really having to 410 00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:28,300 pray through this decision. I don't know which way to go, 411 00:25:29,300 --> 00:25:32,200 but I'm praying through it because I need God to God, me, 412 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,400 as a mom, as a dad, as a father, as a father figure, you don't 413 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,600 have to have all the answers. Sometimes, the most powerful 414 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:42,300 thing that you and I can do in leading our homes and leading 415 00:25:42,300 --> 00:25:46,600 our families and lives. The honor Jesus is to show them 416 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:50,700 our Are vulnerable dependence on Jesus, our need for Jesus. 417 00:25:51,900 --> 00:25:54,600 Because listen, if we don't portray that to our kids, our 418 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:56,000 kids are going to grow up thinking. 419 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:59,300 Hey listen if I'm just like Dad and Dad, never showed me that he 420 00:25:59,300 --> 00:26:01,400 needed Jesus. Then I'm going to try to be like 421 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:04,800 Dad and I don't need Jesus and we know that that's not the case 422 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:08,600 at all. I love the I love the old quote. 423 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:11,600 He goes something like this. It says your greatest 424 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:13,400 contribution to the kingdom of God. 425 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:17,800 May not be something that you do but someone that you raise And 426 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:22,700 except under rare circumstances as the dad goes. 427 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:27,200 So goes the family but it starts with living a life of faithful 428 00:26:27,700 --> 00:26:31,900 consistency. And consistent faithfulness. 429 00:26:32,900 --> 00:26:36,200 But it also goes with this living with an eternal 430 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:40,800 perspective, living with an eternal perspective again, put 431 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:42,300 yourself in the shoes of Zebedee. 432 00:26:42,500 --> 00:26:46,400 What would the safer bet be? What were the safer bet be? 433 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,300 For James and John to stay with him as fishermen. 434 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:57,500 That would be the safer bet. But Zebedee, knew this in the 435 00:26:57,500 --> 00:27:01,200 perspective of Eternity, the wisest thing for James and John 436 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:06,300 to do would be to follow Jesus. But make no mistake about it. 437 00:27:06,700 --> 00:27:09,300 This really cost this decision cost Zebedee. 438 00:27:11,100 --> 00:27:14,400 And this is what I mean, James, and John has two boys, they were 439 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:19,100 probably his two best fisherman. He taught his boys, the trick of 440 00:27:19,108 --> 00:27:23,400 the trade. They knew all the family secret 441 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:28,600 like fishing spots. James and John helped Zebedee, 442 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:32,400 help their dad, build this business up, James and John were 443 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:40,000 the retirement plan for Zebedee? James, and John actually 444 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:44,400 standing in in line to inherit a fishing company. 445 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:48,000 A fishing business, stood to make a lot of money, and a lot 446 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,400 of money was going to translate into a lot of influence. 447 00:27:50,500 --> 00:27:55,300 They stood to be major players in the fishing business in the 448 00:27:55,300 --> 00:28:01,200 Galilee region of that time. So when Jesus comes on the scene 449 00:28:01,200 --> 00:28:06,000 and he says, James and John follow me, he was asking them to 450 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:09,700 give up something. That was seemingly certain to 451 00:28:09,700 --> 00:28:12,000 embrace something that had no guarantees. 452 00:28:13,300 --> 00:28:17,400 And he may think, okay, I'm glad it worked out for them, but then 453 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:19,600 I'm really scared of that Exchange. 454 00:28:21,100 --> 00:28:27,200 I don't know if I do that. We'll check this out as a part 455 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:31,400 of that exchange James and John could have stayed as business 456 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:33,700 partners of their dad. Eventually taking over the 457 00:28:33,700 --> 00:28:37,800 family business, or they could be eyewitnesses to the son of 458 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:41,700 God. His life his teachings, his 459 00:28:41,700 --> 00:28:44,300 miracles, his death, his resurrection. 460 00:28:45,900 --> 00:28:49,600 You see James and John after making the decision to follow 461 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:53,200 Jesus. James is going to go on to be 462 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:57,600 the first Apostle martyred. In other words, he's the first 463 00:28:57,900 --> 00:29:01,300 disciple to be killed for saying, I'm a follower of Jesus 464 00:29:01,300 --> 00:29:04,100 Christ. He was killed because he was so 465 00:29:04,100 --> 00:29:08,600 outspoken for Jesus. Christ saying listen, we follow 466 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:11,200 this guy for three, three and a half years. 467 00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:14,400 We saw him die. We saw him resurrect from the 468 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:16,400 dead. He is the Messiah. 469 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:18,600 He is the way the truth, the life. 470 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:25,300 Repent experience eternal life through Jesus and the political 471 00:29:25,300 --> 00:29:30,800 leaders of that day in Jerusalem around 44 ad had enough and they 472 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:32,600 killed James. He was the very first of the 473 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:38,300 disciples killed. his brother, John goes on to write the Books 474 00:29:38,300 --> 00:29:41,700 of first and second and third, John, The Book of Revelation and 475 00:29:41,700 --> 00:29:47,000 the Book of John John was the only one of the 12 apostles. 476 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:51,300 That was not martyred for his faith, but he didn't get off 477 00:29:51,300 --> 00:29:53,500 easy. He actually was hunted down and 478 00:29:53,500 --> 00:29:56,700 he was boiled alive, and oil, and they thought he died. 479 00:29:56,700 --> 00:30:00,700 But he woke up and then he was thrown into a prison. 480 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:04,500 And then he spent his last days busting rocks in a prison camp 481 00:30:04,500 --> 00:30:08,600 on the island of Patmos. Dying desolate and hungry. 482 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:18,400 But it was this exchange there. But again, can you imagine how 483 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:23,700 history may have been different? If Zebedee had forbade James and 484 00:30:23,700 --> 00:30:28,400 John to go Place doubt in their hearts about going, or even 485 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,800 hesitated about James and John following Jesus? 486 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:36,900 You see this gets back to the heart of living with an eternal 487 00:30:36,900 --> 00:30:39,100 perspective. Do you know what the number one? 488 00:30:39,100 --> 00:30:41,300 Qualifier? The number one evidence of a 489 00:30:41,300 --> 00:30:45,200 life that lives with eternal perspective is is generosity. 490 00:30:46,500 --> 00:30:49,500 It's generosity. Now, follow with me. 491 00:30:53,700 --> 00:30:58,300 Generosity is when I take and when I start to look at 492 00:30:58,300 --> 00:31:03,900 everything that I have my Tom, my talents and my treasures. 493 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:08,600 And I start to realize these are not things for me to own. 494 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,000 These are things for me to Steward. 495 00:31:11,900 --> 00:31:14,700 And what I mean by stewarding is these are things for me to 496 00:31:14,700 --> 00:31:20,900 manage not for me to own These are things for me to invest. 497 00:31:20,900 --> 00:31:23,900 These are things that have been entrusted to me by God. 498 00:31:24,300 --> 00:31:28,500 So my primary responsibility is to invest these things to the 499 00:31:28,508 --> 00:31:33,100 kingdom and the purpose of God. Let's hold that. 500 00:31:33,100 --> 00:31:35,000 Thought, let me ask you a question. 501 00:31:35,100 --> 00:31:38,500 If somebody came to you and said, listen, I have no idea 502 00:31:38,500 --> 00:31:40,700 about God. I have no idea about Jesus, but 503 00:31:40,700 --> 00:31:43,800 somebody gave me a Bible. I know that you're a Christian. 504 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:47,500 What is the first place that I should look to find out what 505 00:31:47,500 --> 00:31:49,700 Christianity is about? What is the first place in the 506 00:31:49,700 --> 00:31:55,200 Bible that I should look at to find out who Jesus is and and 507 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:59,000 this God that you say worship, I think that we would probably all 508 00:31:59,500 --> 00:32:02,000 refer that person probably the most popular. 509 00:32:02,300 --> 00:32:06,700 In the entire Bible, right? John 3:16, let me show you since 510 00:32:06,700 --> 00:32:09,400 for God, so loved the world that he gave his only son, that 511 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,800 whoever believes in him. Should not perish, but have 512 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:14,100 eternal life. That is the spot on, right 513 00:32:14,100 --> 00:32:15,200 answer. This is what we should be 514 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:19,000 pointing people to write if we want to know the heart of God. 515 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:22,100 If we want to know, the purpose of Jesus and the offering of the 516 00:32:22,100 --> 00:32:28,000 Holy Spirit, it is John 3:16. But do you pick up the link 517 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,400 between generosity and eternal perspective? 518 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:34,500 Even in John 3:16 for God. So loved the world that he what 519 00:32:34,900 --> 00:32:38,700 that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should 520 00:32:38,700 --> 00:32:41,500 not perish. But half what eternal life. 521 00:32:44,100 --> 00:32:52,100 How do I invest my Tom, my talents and my treasures into 522 00:32:52,100 --> 00:32:57,800 the kingdom of God, that is living a life of generosity. 523 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:02,100 There's a there's a missionary a famous missionary, by the name 524 00:33:02,100 --> 00:33:04,500 of Jim Elliot, he was a missionary to the people in 525 00:33:04,500 --> 00:33:07,800 Ecuador. I love this quote from from Jim 526 00:33:07,900 --> 00:33:09,400 Elliot. He is no fool. 527 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:12,700 Who gives what he cannot keep to gain, what he cannot lose. 528 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:20,300 What a powerful quote. Zebedee is the picture of this 529 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:23,800 70 worked really, really hard to build this fishing business 530 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:27,100 Zebedee. Had plans for James and John to 531 00:33:27,100 --> 00:33:30,200 take over the fishing business, James and John probably had 532 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:32,600 plans for them to take over the fishing business. 533 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:36,800 But here's the thing is Zebedee, and James and John's plans, were 534 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:40,900 not congruent with the plans that Jesus had for James and 535 00:33:40,900 --> 00:33:43,500 John and Zebedee. Jesus actually had a greater 536 00:33:43,500 --> 00:33:46,100 plan. He had a plan in, which he 537 00:33:46,100 --> 00:33:48,200 showed James, and John and Zebedee. 538 00:33:48,500 --> 00:33:51,300 How to live with an eternal perspective and living with an 539 00:33:51,300 --> 00:33:54,700 eternal perspective is going to be living a life of generosity. 540 00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:59,800 so here's what I want to do this morning, I want to focus in on 541 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:02,500 two questions and we're going to end a little bit differently 542 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:07,500 this morning, but I just want to bring us into an overall time of 543 00:34:07,500 --> 00:34:13,699 prayer this morning, and I just want to walk through a couple 544 00:34:13,699 --> 00:34:17,199 questions with you this morning. It's number one. 545 00:34:18,199 --> 00:34:20,100 How are you? How am I? 546 00:34:20,199 --> 00:34:22,500 How are we living a life of generosity? 547 00:34:23,199 --> 00:34:28,900 And number two, Is how are we, how are you? 548 00:34:28,900 --> 00:34:33,900 How am I encouraging those around us to live a life of 549 00:34:33,900 --> 00:34:36,900 generosity? Now, you may be in here. 550 00:34:36,900 --> 00:34:39,100 Oakwood you. Maybe you maybe down in Oakwood 551 00:34:39,100 --> 00:34:41,100 or online to where you're saying. 552 00:34:41,100 --> 00:34:43,699 Been this sounds great. I wish I had a dad like Zebedee, 553 00:34:43,699 --> 00:34:47,300 but that wasn't my experience. What am I supposed to do? 554 00:34:48,500 --> 00:34:51,699 With all mercy and Grace and compassion. 555 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,900 But in full belief of the power of the holy spirit in and 556 00:34:54,900 --> 00:34:57,300 through you, here's my word of encouragement to you. 557 00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:01,300 If you didn't have a father a dad or father figure like 558 00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:03,600 Zebedee, here's my challenge to you. 559 00:35:04,500 --> 00:35:07,200 Let the chain now start with you. 560 00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:10,600 Let The Chain now start with you. 561 00:35:10,700 --> 00:35:15,400 You do realize that zebedee's opening the gate for his son, 562 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:19,000 James, and John. Now links him with hundreds of 563 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:22,900 millions of people's lives, that have given themselves over to 564 00:35:22,900 --> 00:35:26,800 following Jesus Christ. When a new chain, let a new 565 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:29,800 pattern, let a new family link start with you. 566 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:35,500 Whether you're a dad, whether your father or father figure, 567 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:39,800 you have people in your circle and sphere of influence that 568 00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:43,500 lead them the challenges to lead them to live a life of 569 00:35:43,500 --> 00:35:47,200 generosity to lead them in a life that encourages them to 570 00:35:47,200 --> 00:35:51,500 follow, Jesus Christ to live without Eternal perspective and 571 00:35:51,500 --> 00:35:54,000 you're going to live without Eternal perspective with 572 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:58,100 constant and consistent faithful, obedience to his word 573 00:35:58,100 --> 00:36:01,500 and to his prayer. Are you maybe in here? 574 00:36:01,500 --> 00:36:07,400 And you may say Ben, listen, I'm a single mom in here or I'm 575 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:10,900 spiritually single. I'm married, but my, but my 576 00:36:10,900 --> 00:36:15,700 husband or my, my wife is not a follower of Jesus, what am I to 577 00:36:15,700 --> 00:36:18,100 do? And that's a great question to 578 00:36:18,100 --> 00:36:21,100 in our challenges, our churches to come around to love you and 579 00:36:21,100 --> 00:36:23,300 to support you. But here's what I would tell you 580 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:26,500 is the Holy Spirit and full confidence, the Holy Spirit Will 581 00:36:26,500 --> 00:36:29,800 equip you to do and to be anything. 582 00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:33,600 And Anything that he calls you to be in anything and everything 583 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:36,500 that he called you to do in the lives that he's already placed 584 00:36:36,500 --> 00:36:40,600 around you. You may be in the camp where you 585 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:42,800 say, been, I'm new to following Jesus. 586 00:36:43,700 --> 00:36:46,600 I'm new to following Jesus. Like, how can I lead somebody 587 00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:48,700 else to follow Jesus? If I'm brand new to following 588 00:36:48,700 --> 00:36:52,000 Jesus, all you have to do to lead is to Simply Be One. 589 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:56,700 Step Ahead continue spinning. Tom in his word, continue 590 00:36:56,700 --> 00:36:59,500 spending time in prayer and being committed to being 591 00:36:59,500 --> 00:37:02,900 obedient to what, you know, God is speaking in and through you 592 00:37:02,900 --> 00:37:04,800 and prayer. And you know, what God is 593 00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:08,200 revealing to you in his word and just live out. 594 00:37:08,300 --> 00:37:09,700 Out. Faithful obedience. 595 00:37:12,700 --> 00:37:16,000 So every single one of us, whether you're a man or a woman, 596 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:21,000 a mom or a dad, a father figure, a mother figure, a student, a 597 00:37:21,008 --> 00:37:24,700 child in here. We are all called to live with 598 00:37:24,700 --> 00:37:26,900 this consistent faithful, obedience. 599 00:37:26,900 --> 00:37:29,700 And we're called to live with an eternal perspective, but the 600 00:37:29,700 --> 00:37:34,500 Eternal perspective, the number one fruit of Eternal perspective 601 00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:38,400 is generosity. So this is not going to be a 602 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:40,500 time. I'm not going to ask you two to 603 00:37:40,500 --> 00:37:42,400 come down. As a matter of fact, I just 604 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:44,500 simply want to invite you wherever you are. 605 00:37:44,700 --> 00:37:48,000 Gainesville Oakwood online. If you would simply join me in a 606 00:37:48,008 --> 00:37:52,000 time of prayer wherever you are just bow, your heads and close 607 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,200 your eyes. We don't believe that we bow our 608 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,900 heads and close our eyes because it's some holy posture. 609 00:37:57,100 --> 00:37:59,300 We bow our heads and we close our eyes to tune out all the 610 00:37:59,300 --> 00:38:06,200 distractions around us. I just want to spend some time. 611 00:38:07,300 --> 00:38:14,500 And allow the Holy Spirit to speak in and through and over 612 00:38:14,500 --> 00:38:17,900 us. And I want to walk you through 613 00:38:17,900 --> 00:38:21,100 these questions. And these questions are not at 614 00:38:21,100 --> 00:38:23,900 all. Meant to be some point of guilt 615 00:38:23,900 --> 00:38:26,000 there. They're meant to be a point of 616 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:32,400 reflection to where I asked. God, this for me and I'll allow 617 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:35,600 God to transform me from the inside out. 618 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:41,400 So again. Ask God, how God, how am I 619 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:45,800 living a life of generosity? God. 620 00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:50,400 How can I use my Tom? Use my talents. 621 00:38:50,900 --> 00:38:57,100 Use my treasures, my resources. To make a difference for your 622 00:38:57,100 --> 00:39:06,200 kingdom. And then the second question, Is 623 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:12,800 God, can you show me names and faces of people that you were 624 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:19,300 calling me? To encourage them to live a life 625 00:39:19,300 --> 00:39:27,700 of following Jesus. God, who have you placed in my 626 00:39:27,700 --> 00:39:35,300 life? That you've placed them in my 627 00:39:35,300 --> 00:39:39,500 life, for the purpose of, showing them, you and 628 00:39:39,500 --> 00:39:44,900 encouraging them through your word through prayer. 629 00:39:56,900 --> 00:40:00,700 God, we come before you completely humbled by the facts 630 00:40:00,700 --> 00:40:05,000 that you are here with us. God, you love us. 631 00:40:07,100 --> 00:40:09,800 God, that there is nothing in our lives. 632 00:40:10,100 --> 00:40:13,800 That is by chance, coincidence or happenstance. 633 00:40:15,100 --> 00:40:18,100 Got the people that you have placed in our lives. 634 00:40:18,700 --> 00:40:22,300 God, you have strategically placed them there for such a 635 00:40:22,300 --> 00:40:27,600 time as this God, I pray that you would call our hearts and 636 00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:32,700 call our moms and call our lives back to being once. 637 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:42,100 That is most satisfied in you. In that consistent faithful, 638 00:40:42,100 --> 00:40:47,500 obedience to you. God, we pray that you would help 639 00:40:47,500 --> 00:40:49,800 us to live with an eternal perspective. 640 00:40:49,900 --> 00:40:56,700 Got our prayer is that you would use us in similar ways like you 641 00:40:56,700 --> 00:40:59,300 use Zebedee. God, we want to be gate holders. 642 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:04,900 God, we want to hold the gate open for those that are around 643 00:41:04,900 --> 00:41:09,300 us for those that are coming after us, to applaud them, to 644 00:41:09,300 --> 00:41:12,000 cheer them to encourage them to follow after. 645 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:19,400 You got open our eyes to the level and the significance of 646 00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:24,600 influence that we already have. And may we Steward that may we 647 00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:29,900 manage that for your kingdom with an eternal perspective and 648 00:41:29,900 --> 00:41:31,500 is in Jesus name. We pray. 649 00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:35,100 Amen. As we stay in an attitude of 650 00:41:35,100 --> 00:41:38,000 prayer. Also want to ask that that we do 651 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:43,800 this. If you are a dad, if you're a 652 00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:49,500 father in here or you serve as a father figure, I know many men 653 00:41:49,500 --> 00:41:52,700 in our church. I know many men in my life that 654 00:41:52,700 --> 00:41:55,800 they don't have biological kids but they have a lot of spiritual 655 00:41:55,800 --> 00:41:58,400 kids. God is strategically placed 656 00:41:58,500 --> 00:42:02,400 people men and other men. Other women other students, boys 657 00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:05,600 and girls in their lives. For them to be a spiritual 658 00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:08,300 father. So if you're a father, Our 659 00:42:08,300 --> 00:42:11,700 Father Figure in here, this morning, can I just ask that we 660 00:42:11,707 --> 00:42:13,100 do something? We're going to keep the lights 661 00:42:13,100 --> 00:42:18,100 down low, can I just ask that you stand and as you stand? 662 00:42:18,700 --> 00:42:21,800 Can I ask if there's if there's somebody And that is standing 663 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:24,100 near you. Can I ask that you just place 664 00:42:24,100 --> 00:42:26,700 your hand on them or place your hand out towards them. 665 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:33,500 We want to pray over you men. We want to pray over you men 666 00:42:33,500 --> 00:42:35,600 because this is one of the prayers that we're praying as a 667 00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:37,800 church. We're praying that God would 668 00:42:37,800 --> 00:42:41,600 unleash his holy spirit, not just in, and through Riverbend, 669 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:44,300 not just in and through Hall County, but this entire region 670 00:42:44,500 --> 00:42:47,000 and I'm firmly convinced thoroughly convinced, it's going 671 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:49,500 to start with us, it's going to start with a menace. 672 00:42:49,500 --> 00:42:51,700 Going to start with a dad's is going to start with the father's 673 00:42:51,700 --> 00:42:55,300 in the father figures. But church we need one another's 674 00:42:55,300 --> 00:43:01,200 prayer in this endeavor. So as you reach your hand out, 675 00:43:01,200 --> 00:43:03,300 you may be touching them, you may be reaching your hand out 676 00:43:03,300 --> 00:43:05,100 over them. Would you solidly? 677 00:43:05,100 --> 00:43:07,100 Pray for them? You may know them by name. 678 00:43:07,100 --> 00:43:09,800 You may not know them by name, God knows him by name. 679 00:43:11,400 --> 00:43:39,700 But would you pray over them? Got for these men. 680 00:43:41,100 --> 00:43:47,100 Got, we love them that I love for them, got our heart for 681 00:43:47,100 --> 00:43:51,200 them, our desires for them pale in comparison to your love, your 682 00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:54,700 desires, your heart for them. God, I pray that you would 683 00:43:54,700 --> 00:43:57,100 protect them, I pray that you would protect their hearts that 684 00:43:57,100 --> 00:44:01,800 you would protect their minds. God, I pray that you would 685 00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:08,500 protect them from pride and from insecurity, God, I pray that you 686 00:44:08,508 --> 00:44:13,900 would Infuse them with your holy spirit Power God that you would 687 00:44:14,300 --> 00:44:18,500 leave them as you call them to lead those that you've placed 688 00:44:18,500 --> 00:44:21,600 around them God that you would continually work in and through 689 00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:24,400 them and got your work in and through them would be an 690 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:27,100 overflow to all that are around them. 691 00:44:29,900 --> 00:44:33,100 Can we thank you for these families? 692 00:44:35,200 --> 00:44:37,400 God, we thank you for your encouragement. 693 00:44:38,100 --> 00:44:45,200 God, we also want to pray. Over some of the ladies in the 694 00:44:45,200 --> 00:44:48,200 house this morning as well. Some of the ladies in Oakwood 695 00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:52,100 this morning that there's not a dad, there's not a there's not a 696 00:44:52,100 --> 00:44:55,300 there's not a male, there's not a father figure present but God 697 00:44:55,300 --> 00:44:57,200 they're pulling spiritual double duty. 698 00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:00,400 God we pray that you would come alongside them and that you 699 00:45:00,408 --> 00:45:04,700 would strengthen them. God, that you would comfort 700 00:45:04,700 --> 00:45:09,400 them, God that you would embolden them got, Infuse them 701 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:15,900 with your grace, your power, your mercy, your hope, God, we 702 00:45:15,900 --> 00:45:18,900 pray that you would continue to do in and through us. 703 00:45:19,100 --> 00:45:22,900 When only, you could get credit for doing and it's in Jesus 704 00:45:22,900 --> 00:45:29,000 name, we pray, amen. Thank you for listening to the 705 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:32,000 Riverbend Church podcast. Learn more about who we are as a 706 00:45:32,008 --> 00:45:35,000 church and how to connect you can head over to our website 707 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:36,500 Riverbend church. That life