1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:03,200 Well, you stay standing, stay standing, stay standing, stay 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:05,300 standing. I am so glad to be with you 3 00:00:05,300 --> 00:00:07,400 today. If you're thankful for Jesus, 4 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:10,300 put your hand up. If you're thankful that you get 5 00:00:10,300 --> 00:00:12,400 to be a church, they put your other hand up. 6 00:00:12,700 --> 00:00:15,800 Check to make sure that you put on deodorant and have a seat. 7 00:00:16,700 --> 00:00:19,900 God bless you, guys. I am so excited to be with you 8 00:00:19,900 --> 00:00:21,600 today. You guys have been so good to me 9 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,900 recently and I'm just so thankful to be a part of this 10 00:00:24,900 --> 00:00:27,100 church. I want to welcome all of you 11 00:00:27,100 --> 00:00:29,400 joining here at our 48th Street location. 12 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,700 Those of you joining from all of our different locations, those 13 00:00:32,700 --> 00:00:35,500 of your part of our inside family, those you were part of 14 00:00:35,500 --> 00:00:38,400 our online family. Something weird has been 15 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,900 happening to our online family. Some of you keep showing up for 16 00:00:41,900 --> 00:00:45,700 church at one of our physical locations and we absolutely love 17 00:00:45,700 --> 00:00:49,600 it. I went to encounter last night 18 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,500 to check on our high school, students met a kid at encounter 19 00:00:53,700 --> 00:00:58,100 who has only ever attended our church online and he was doing 20 00:00:58,100 --> 00:01:00,300 magic tricks. And so I was like I see That 21 00:01:00,300 --> 00:01:02,200 I'll raise you one. I did a magic trick back. 22 00:01:02,500 --> 00:01:06,600 His magic trick was better. Okay, and then before service 23 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:09,000 started day I met some people from Peoria who have been 24 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,200 watching our church online they decided hey you know what, we 25 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,800 got nothing to do. Let's drive in and hang out 26 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:18,000 here. So if you're watching online and 27 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,500 you're looking for an opportunity to hang out reach 28 00:01:20,500 --> 00:01:24,100 out to one of our campuses, you can click on my face on the on 29 00:01:24,100 --> 00:01:26,300 the website. And we'll get you connected one 30 00:01:26,300 --> 00:01:27,600 of our campus pastors plan a visit. 31 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:29,800 We'd love to have, you come hang out and interact with us. 32 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:32,400 A little bit. Well, this year, the theme for 33 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,200 our church is everyone and we spent the first five weeks 34 00:01:35,500 --> 00:01:38,500 talking about the kind of church that we want to continue to be. 35 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,100 And that we want to be a church that's for everyone, a church 36 00:01:42,100 --> 00:01:44,600 that gives people time. Offers them hope takes 37 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:48,000 faith-filled risks searches for the loss, binds up the hurting 38 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:52,400 and proclaims the truth. Well, we also believe that 39 00:01:52,500 --> 00:01:57,200 everyone wants a better family. We want better relationships 40 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,600 with our spouses, we want better relationship with our kids, But 41 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:03,100 our relationship with our parents better relationship with 42 00:02:03,100 --> 00:02:06,700 grandkids, but a relationship with grandparents, all of us 43 00:02:07,100 --> 00:02:11,700 want to win at home. All of us at some point in 44 00:02:11,700 --> 00:02:14,800 other, though have come to grips with this devastating reality, 45 00:02:15,300 --> 00:02:18,100 that relationships are complicated. 46 00:02:19,100 --> 00:02:23,700 Hard. And sometimes hurtful, if you 47 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,100 agree with that statement, you can go, mmm, okay? 48 00:02:27,100 --> 00:02:28,600 I just want to make sure I had the right group of people 49 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:31,800 because listen, if you guys are going, know, things are like as 50 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:33,700 easy as they've. It doesn't get any better than 51 00:02:33,700 --> 00:02:35,600 where I'm at. You know, here's the mic. 52 00:02:35,700 --> 00:02:39,700 Okay? When God made us, he hardwired 53 00:02:39,700 --> 00:02:42,700 us for community. That is and what it is. 54 00:02:42,700 --> 00:02:46,400 One of the primary ways that we were supposed to experience God 55 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:48,700 and grow in God, and learn about him. 56 00:02:49,300 --> 00:02:54,000 And the greatest expression of this community is supposed to be 57 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,800 the family and it's because of the incredible power of the 58 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:03,300 family that has always been the target of Satan. 59 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,800 Make no mistake about it, your family has a very real enemy, 60 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,900 Satan wants to get a foothold in your family, so that way he can. 61 00:03:12,900 --> 00:03:19,000 So generational dysfunction, Some of you you have seen sin 62 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:23,000 issues and challenges, go get passed from one generation to 63 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:26,100 the next to the next to the next. 64 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,600 Some of you are carrying the weight today, shouldering it on 65 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,100 your back, trying your best, to make sure that the pain you 66 00:03:32,100 --> 00:03:34,100 experience doesn't get passed on. 67 00:03:34,900 --> 00:03:38,200 It's because Satan got ahold of one person and he's so to seed 68 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,100 that reap the generational weed that keeps sprouting up in 69 00:03:41,100 --> 00:03:44,500 generation after generation and without God's help, you'll never 70 00:03:44,500 --> 00:03:47,700 kill that weed. But God, As a plan, he has 71 00:03:47,700 --> 00:03:49,100 tools. He has power. 72 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:53,500 He has wisdom available to you, and to me, that keep the odds in 73 00:03:53,500 --> 00:03:58,500 our favor because if God is for us, who can be against us and 74 00:03:58,500 --> 00:04:01,200 some of you right now, you might be tempted to take the exit ramp 75 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:03,200 and go Clayton. Really appreciate the first 76 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:07,100 couple sermons of the year like jet loved you, but this sermon 77 00:04:07,100 --> 00:04:09,300 is not for us. I don't have a spouse yet. 78 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,300 I don't have kids yet or my kids are out of the house. 79 00:04:12,500 --> 00:04:14,100 So what do you want me to do for the next eight weeks? 80 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:16,600 Let me tell you something. I want you to show Oh, up keep 81 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:18,200 your butt in the seat and watch what God does. 82 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:22,300 Because I believe that there are principles in this series that 83 00:04:22,300 --> 00:04:25,200 are either going to prepare you for when the opportunities come 84 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:28,000 or they're going to help you realize that you have way more 85 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,600 opportunities in front of you than you originally thought 86 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,300 whether or not we want to admit it admit. 87 00:04:33,300 --> 00:04:38,000 It most of us have a plan for how we want our family to 88 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:40,700 operate and how we want our family to turn out. 89 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,700 It may not be spoken. It may not be written down but 90 00:04:44,700 --> 00:04:48,800 internally we have a set of Expectations newlyweds figure 91 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,200 this out because they just think that everything is going to be 92 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,400 perfect and then they have to fold the towels and they're 93 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:55,500 like, oh, dear God. Who did I marry right? 94 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,100 We have like I thought we were always going to fold the towels 95 00:04:58,100 --> 00:05:00,600 this way. What breaks our heart is that 96 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:05,100 rarely does our experience match our expectations. 97 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:09,200 We have this Unwritten set of rules of how we want our family 98 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:11,100 to operate. And then when it doesn't operate 99 00:05:11,100 --> 00:05:16,000 that way we get frustrated, we get depressed, we get angry. 100 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,100 And then that frustration in that depression in that anger, 101 00:05:19,100 --> 00:05:22,400 we sin. And we so a generational seed 102 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:27,100 into our family, this got to be careful here. 103 00:05:27,300 --> 00:05:31,300 This is complicated. This is what most of us kind of 104 00:05:31,300 --> 00:05:35,400 want our family to look like, We have this perfect vision, this 105 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,200 dream or like, Yep, this is what I want it to be. 106 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,600 In fact, we looked through all the different families that were 107 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,200 out there and all the different houses and we picked this one 108 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,200 and we're like, that's exactly what I want it to look like. 109 00:05:48,700 --> 00:05:52,300 And so we go to work, trying to make that happen and every 110 00:05:52,300 --> 00:05:54,700 couple that meets with one of our staff members for premarital 111 00:05:54,700 --> 00:05:57,300 counseling, it's here that they're like, this is what I 112 00:05:57,300 --> 00:05:59,400 want us to look like. And man people who are getting 113 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:01,500 ready to get married, are some of those funnest people to hang 114 00:06:01,500 --> 00:06:05,300 out with, because they have no. How real marriage actually is 115 00:06:05,900 --> 00:06:08,100 okay. They're like, we're never going 116 00:06:08,100 --> 00:06:10,400 to be like our parents and like your mother. 117 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:12,900 Okay? Yeah, there's yeah, brother. 118 00:06:12,900 --> 00:06:14,200 Hold on. Okay. 119 00:06:14,700 --> 00:06:17,200 Yeah, they're going we're not even gonna fight. 120 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:19,900 We love each other. We can't stop holding hands. 121 00:06:20,300 --> 00:06:21,700 My brother. You're going to buy a suburban 122 00:06:21,700 --> 00:06:23,300 and she's gonna ride in back. Okay. 123 00:06:23,500 --> 00:06:27,400 This is this is you got stuff coming your way but everybody 124 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:29,200 wants. This is what every parent wants 125 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:31,100 with their kid. Every kid wants with their 126 00:06:31,100 --> 00:06:33,000 parent. We have this ideal dream. 127 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,900 We Looked at her like, yes, this is what we want. 128 00:06:35,900 --> 00:06:37,900 The same is true for grandparents and grandkids. 129 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:42,700 However, in order to get this life, you have to have three 130 00:06:42,700 --> 00:06:48,100 things, you need a plan, Did you follow? 131 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:55,500 Okay, you need all the pieces. And you need everybody involved 132 00:06:55,500 --> 00:06:59,800 to follow the same plan. And just so, you know, it's that 133 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:06,300 simple. the problem is, Some of us. 134 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,200 We started to build this house and we ended up with this house. 135 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,100 Even the dogs dead in this picture, okay? 136 00:07:17,900 --> 00:07:20,300 And one day you're looking at your your marriage, you like I 137 00:07:20,300 --> 00:07:23,800 thought I was gonna get this. This is what it looks like. 138 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,200 The boys are supposed to be on top of the house and you put 139 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,800 them in the front yard honey. How did this happen? 140 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,300 Well, for some of us it's because we didn't follow the 141 00:07:32,300 --> 00:07:34,700 directions. We thought we knew better. 142 00:07:35,700 --> 00:07:37,500 Others of us were like, hold on a second. 143 00:07:37,500 --> 00:07:40,400 There were directions. I got no clue. 144 00:07:40,700 --> 00:07:43,200 Some was, we didn't get all of the pieces. 145 00:07:44,300 --> 00:07:48,500 Your you never had a Godly dad, you didn't have a chance to 146 00:07:48,500 --> 00:07:51,300 learn from somebody and watch, how you're supposed to interact 147 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:53,400 with your spouse. And so, here, you are trying to 148 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:55,600 be a dad without ever having one. 149 00:07:57,100 --> 00:08:01,400 Your grandparents died young and so you don't even know how to be 150 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,200 a grandparent because you never got to observe it. 151 00:08:04,900 --> 00:08:08,700 Some of us are houses look like this because not everybody was 152 00:08:08,700 --> 00:08:11,500 willing to follow the plan. You did your part but they 153 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:16,900 definitely didn't do their part it requires everybody to 154 00:08:16,900 --> 00:08:20,900 participate. Everybody to follow the plan, 155 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:24,700 but some of the people in your family that had ideas of their 156 00:08:24,700 --> 00:08:27,500 own parents of teenagers. You know what I'm talking about 157 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:31,300 parents who have adult kids, you know this pain and we thought 158 00:08:31,300 --> 00:08:34,799 everything was going good. But no, it's some of us. 159 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:38,000 Fear describe your house right now. 160 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:44,100 This is what you'd say. It's not together. 161 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:46,800 I don't think all the pieces are there. 162 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:52,300 But there's potential. Okay, yeah, this is where I 163 00:08:52,300 --> 00:08:54,200 won't point in time. You, you thought you were 164 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,900 building this There's a period of your life where you felt like 165 00:08:57,900 --> 00:09:00,200 your family was headed in the right direction. 166 00:09:01,900 --> 00:09:05,500 You're engaged but then you learn some of their secrets. 167 00:09:06,500 --> 00:09:09,800 And you had to send the invitations out saying the 168 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,400 wedding's been postponed or canceled. 169 00:09:13,500 --> 00:09:16,400 You were married and all of a sudden they changed got caught 170 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:18,600 up in sin and walked away from God. 171 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:21,500 Maybe your parents and you thought that getting pregnant 172 00:09:21,500 --> 00:09:23,400 was going to be easy. But it hasn't happened. 173 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:26,300 Yet you thought your child would be healthy but you're still 174 00:09:26,500 --> 00:09:29,500 reeling from a miscarriage. Your you thought? 175 00:09:29,500 --> 00:09:33,900 Your kid would stay innocent and pure You thought they would keep 176 00:09:33,900 --> 00:09:37,200 talking to you, you thought that you guys were going to be best 177 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:42,400 friends? And now they look like you, they 178 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:46,400 sound like you, they talk like you but when they come down the 179 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:50,600 stairs or when they come back from college or when they visit 180 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:53,500 you for a long weekend, they look like you. 181 00:09:53,500 --> 00:09:57,800 They sound like you but you don't recognize him anymore. 182 00:10:00,700 --> 00:10:03,800 Maybe you're divorced, you thought you'd be together 183 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:05,700 forever. You thought you had someone on 184 00:10:05,700 --> 00:10:08,400 your team, and now you're trying to figure out how to do it all 185 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,400 alone. You're married Faithfully for a 186 00:10:11,408 --> 00:10:15,100 number of years. And then out of nowhere, they 187 00:10:15,100 --> 00:10:17,000 passed away. And now you're a widow. 188 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:20,900 And there's all kinds of things that you didn't expect. 189 00:10:20,900 --> 00:10:23,500 You'd have to navigate, I mean, on top of the grief, there's now 190 00:10:23,500 --> 00:10:26,500 a cold side to the bed. You you haven't even figured out 191 00:10:26,500 --> 00:10:29,600 how to start making the right amount of coffee in the morning 192 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:34,600 because you keep making enough for them to you go shopping and 193 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,600 you buy too many bananas and you keep just when you're having a 194 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:40,000 good day you come home and you realize that you didn't make it 195 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,800 through the bananas. Again this week, it's nose and 196 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:46,600 for years, he got up early and plowed it, and now you're trying 197 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:48,900 to figure out How many trips outside? 198 00:10:48,900 --> 00:10:51,700 Are you going to have to go in 15 minute increments, to be able 199 00:10:51,700 --> 00:10:54,600 to get yourself all the way out of the drive to get to work on 200 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:56,300 time? In the middle of the heat of 201 00:10:56,300 --> 00:10:57,700 Summer? You're finding yourself, trying 202 00:10:57,700 --> 00:11:00,100 to Google. How do you start a lawn mower? 203 00:11:00,100 --> 00:11:02,300 Because he just always took care of it. 204 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:07,900 How do you navigate this? Perhaps one of the hardest 205 00:11:07,900 --> 00:11:12,500 things to do on planet Earth is to raise a Godly family. 206 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:16,900 Maybe we need to recognize that the thing that we think is going 207 00:11:16,900 --> 00:11:19,900 to be easy and perfect, and life-giving is going to take 208 00:11:19,900 --> 00:11:22,700 absolutely everything inside of us to pull off. 209 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:29,700 It's it's comforting to me that when I read through the pages of 210 00:11:29,700 --> 00:11:33,600 scripture, anytime the Bible goes into detail about anybody 211 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:37,300 in the Bible, you know what, you'll find every single one of 212 00:11:37,300 --> 00:11:38,700 those families was dysfunctional. 213 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,400 You don't find a really good Godly family to kind of model 214 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:46,000 your life. After all of them have glaring 215 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:49,200 sins and leave Devastation in their wake. 216 00:11:50,700 --> 00:11:53,200 And the way we pull ourselves through the pain and the way, we 217 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:56,400 navigate the sorrow, the way we pick up the pieces is by 218 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:02,300 clinging to the words of God, everything happens for a reason. 219 00:12:03,500 --> 00:12:06,300 You've probably said this, you've probably heard this. 220 00:12:06,300 --> 00:12:09,800 And we see the beauty of this on the other side of a divorce, 221 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:12,500 when we find a new person to share the rest of our lives 222 00:12:12,500 --> 00:12:15,900 with, we see it in the marriage that's put together after the 223 00:12:15,900 --> 00:12:18,700 counseling or the relationship we get to have with our 224 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,800 grandkids that we never had with our own kids. 225 00:12:23,500 --> 00:12:26,300 We go through a difficult spell and someone comes up and they 226 00:12:26,500 --> 00:12:28,900 offer us. These kind words, everything 227 00:12:28,900 --> 00:12:35,000 happens for a reason and it's like honey to our lips The 228 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:38,700 problem. Is that God never said that. 229 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:46,700 Because if you say those words to the wrong person, you're not 230 00:12:46,700 --> 00:12:49,100 going to comfort them, you're going to anger them. 231 00:12:50,100 --> 00:12:53,000 You're going to push them further away from God because 232 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,900 everything happens for a reason. If God's the one who said that 233 00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:59,100 then that makes God the architect of your pain. 234 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:03,800 If everything happens for a reason, then your husband 235 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:07,500 cheated on you, Thank God, instigated it. 236 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,200 It means when you fall down the flight of stairs, you go. 237 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:12,100 God, thanks for not pushing me down two flights. 238 00:13:12,100 --> 00:13:17,700 Just just one flight. When your child dies, when your 239 00:13:17,900 --> 00:13:21,500 friends turn on you, when your wife won't speak to you, when 240 00:13:21,500 --> 00:13:25,000 your kids move out on you, because they don't want to be 241 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,300 under your home anymore. Everything happens for a reason 242 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:30,400 God, why would you do this to me? 243 00:13:33,100 --> 00:13:36,800 You say these words to the wrong person and they'll run from God 244 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:41,000 and they'll be angry at God for something that God never said. 245 00:13:42,100 --> 00:13:45,900 so if you've ever said these words, and if you're clinging to 246 00:13:45,900 --> 00:13:53,100 these words, Stop. And your desire to say something 247 00:13:53,100 --> 00:13:57,300 good and nourishing, to a person who is hurting, you might be 248 00:13:57,300 --> 00:14:04,100 saying the exact wrong thing. Let me give you something better 249 00:14:04,100 --> 00:14:07,400 to say. We need to replace everything 250 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:11,000 happens for a reason with anything can be redeemed. 251 00:14:12,100 --> 00:14:15,400 Oh, that's better. That means that if God can get 252 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:19,400 his hand in a situation, he can make it so good that in 253 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:23,200 hindsight, you'll go. I had no idea that my life would 254 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:29,000 turn out like this, even though it started out like that, let me 255 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:31,700 show you what I mean by anything can be redeemed. 256 00:14:32,100 --> 00:14:34,400 Because if you're here today, if you're listening to my voice and 257 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,600 you're going, I would like an aspect of my family redeemed. 258 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:41,000 Let me tell you why. I personally have hope that 259 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,300 anything can be redeemed. You ready for this? 260 00:14:44,300 --> 00:14:45,800 We're going to go through a bunch of scriptures, you're 261 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,100 going to have to hang on, but trust me, it's all going to make 262 00:14:48,100 --> 00:14:51,500 sense in the end. The reason I believe that God 263 00:14:51,500 --> 00:14:55,300 can redeem anything is because of these verses right here 264 00:14:55,300 --> 00:14:58,300 Romans chapter 8, verse 1 through 4, therefore there is 265 00:14:58,300 --> 00:15:01,200 now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 266 00:15:01,500 --> 00:15:05,600 Because through Jesus Christ, the law or Christ Jesus, the law 267 00:15:05,700 --> 00:15:09,900 of the spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin 268 00:15:09,900 --> 00:15:13,700 and death for what the law was powerless to do because It was 269 00:15:13,700 --> 00:15:17,300 weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own son in the 270 00:15:17,300 --> 00:15:21,100 likeness of sinful flesh, to be a sin offering. 271 00:15:21,900 --> 00:15:23,900 And so he condemned sin in the flesh. 272 00:15:23,900 --> 00:15:27,100 In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be 273 00:15:27,100 --> 00:15:30,300 fully met in us who do not live, according to the flesh. 274 00:15:30,500 --> 00:15:34,100 But according to the spirit, I know that God can redeem 275 00:15:34,100 --> 00:15:36,900 anything. Because God redeemed, the worst 276 00:15:36,900 --> 00:15:41,900 thing, he redeemed me, he redeemed you, if you're able at 277 00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:44,500 all of our locations, just this is To sound weird, but trust me, 278 00:15:45,100 --> 00:15:48,700 touch your ankle. I mean, you guys do the, oh 279 00:15:48,700 --> 00:15:50,400 yeah, praise God for the flexibility. 280 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:54,300 Now, listen, if I know you can touch your ankle, I don't have 281 00:15:54,300 --> 00:15:56,400 to ask you. Can you touch your nose? 282 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:01,800 Because if you can reach your ankle, you can reach your nose. 283 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:08,600 If God can redeem your soul from hell, then I have no doubt in my 284 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:13,100 mind that he can navigate and redeem the nose of your 285 00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:16,000 relationships. I know that God can redeem 286 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:19,200 anything because he redeemed, the worst thing, he redeemed us 287 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:22,400 through his son, he took us pay attention this from being 288 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:26,000 prisoners to sin and set us free in him. 289 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,000 He did that kind of Redemptive work. 290 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:29,500 Look what else? He did. 291 00:16:29,500 --> 00:16:32,600 Romans five are right. Verse five and six those who 292 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:35,300 live, according to the flesh, have their minds set on what the 293 00:16:35,300 --> 00:16:37,900 flesh desires. But those who live in accordance 294 00:16:37,900 --> 00:16:41,100 with the spirit, have their minds set on what the spirit 295 00:16:41,100 --> 00:16:46,300 desires, the Mind governed by the flesh is death. 296 00:16:48,700 --> 00:16:52,500 But the Mind governed by the spirit is life and peace. 297 00:16:52,500 --> 00:16:56,900 Leave this up here for just a second, he gives you and me a 298 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,000 new mind that is governed by the spirit. 299 00:17:00,500 --> 00:17:04,400 If you don't have the new mind of Christ in you, it's going to 300 00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:07,599 lead to death. So you're taking a mind that 301 00:17:07,599 --> 00:17:10,400 leads to death into your marriage, into your parenting, 302 00:17:10,500 --> 00:17:16,000 into your grandparenting, into your relationships or Do the 303 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:19,900 work of Jesus Christ in your life, you can take a mind that 304 00:17:19,900 --> 00:17:24,500 has been governed by the spirit, and this brings life and peace. 305 00:17:25,099 --> 00:17:29,800 If you were to get two wishes today for your family, Two 306 00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:35,200 wishes that when you enter the room to talk to your wife that 307 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:38,300 when you enter into the room to talk to your kids, if you were 308 00:17:38,300 --> 00:17:41,800 going to Usher some counseling to your grandkids, how many of 309 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:43,500 you at all of our locations would go? 310 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:47,600 I want to give Life Giving words and words that give peace to 311 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:50,000 your family. Yeah, yeah. 312 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:51,900 Yeah. If you didn't raise your hand 313 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:54,800 pool. Okay. 314 00:17:55,100 --> 00:17:56,600 I tried to set you up for a win there. 315 00:17:58,400 --> 00:18:02,200 Okay, if you want this, you get this through the spirit and the 316 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:04,000 spirit takes up residence in a guide. 317 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:05,200 Your mind look, what else it does. 318 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:10,500 Romans 8:9 you, however, are not in the realm of the flesh for in 319 00:18:10,500 --> 00:18:12,900 the realm of the spirit. If indeed the spirit of God 320 00:18:12,900 --> 00:18:17,300 lives in you, and if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, 321 00:18:17,300 --> 00:18:19,600 they do not belong to Christ. Leave it right here for just s. 322 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:21,900 Go back one, slide. Yeah, hold on a second. 323 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:25,000 So, how do I get the mind of Christ? 324 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:26,900 I get it through the spirit of Christ. 325 00:18:26,900 --> 00:18:29,900 And if you don't have the spirit of Christ, you're not in Christ. 326 00:18:29,900 --> 00:18:32,800 Well, how do you get the spirit? The Bible tells us that when we 327 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:36,900 are baptized, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 328 00:18:36,900 --> 00:18:40,300 We become United with Christ. So when you are baptized into 329 00:18:40,300 --> 00:18:42,000 Christ, you receive the Holy Spirit. 330 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:45,200 You have your mind. That's governed by the spirit 331 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:47,800 and it moves you out of the realm of the Flesh and into the 332 00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:50,200 realm of the spirit. Now, let's keep going verse 10. 333 00:18:50,700 --> 00:18:53,900 But if Christ is in you though, even In though, your body is 334 00:18:53,900 --> 00:18:58,000 subject to death because of sin. The spirit gives life because of 335 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,700 righteousness. And if the spirit of him who 336 00:19:01,700 --> 00:19:03,300 raised Jesus from the dead is living in you. 337 00:19:03,300 --> 00:19:05,400 Hold on a second. Okay. 338 00:19:05,700 --> 00:19:09,200 This what this means is that he has the power to redeem, you 339 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:11,000 from death. So there's going to come a 340 00:19:11,008 --> 00:19:13,000 moment time. When every single one of us are 341 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,700 going to die, our bodies are going to cease to operate. 342 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:20,800 And when that happens, the holy spirit is going to be a part of 343 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:22,800 resurrecting us. So that way we become come 344 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:27,700 Eternal in Christ in heaven forever, if he can redeem a body 345 00:19:27,700 --> 00:19:32,800 from death, That means that he can redeem your marriage if he 346 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:35,000 can redeem. The biggest thing I can trust 347 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,500 him in the small things, if I can trust him. 348 00:19:37,500 --> 00:19:40,400 With my eternity, I can trust him with my today. 349 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:43,900 If I can trust him with my salvation, I can trust him with 350 00:19:43,900 --> 00:19:45,800 my parenting. The conversations. 351 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:47,800 I have to have now. Let's keep going in the text. 352 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:54,000 See what God does next. Romans 8:12, therefore, brothers 353 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,100 and sisters. We have an obligation but it is 354 00:19:56,100 --> 00:20:00,400 not to the flesh to live according to it for if you live, 355 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:01,800 according to the flesh, you will die. 356 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:06,000 But if by the spirit, you put to death the misdeeds of the body, 357 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:10,700 you will live through the spirit, you have the power to 358 00:20:10,700 --> 00:20:15,900 put to death, the very sins that are Waging War and causing harm 359 00:20:15,900 --> 00:20:20,500 in your family. There is a sin in your marriage, 360 00:20:20,500 --> 00:20:23,300 in your parenting and your grandparenting it exists. 361 00:20:23,700 --> 00:20:25,600 If you don't know what it is, ask them. 362 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:29,000 They'll tell you. Okay, I need you to know that 363 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:33,800 the spirit gives you power to put to death, the sin that is 364 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,000 causing harm to the very people you love. 365 00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:39,900 That's how good your God. Is he is coming alongside of you 366 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:41,900 helping you to have the relationship that you 367 00:20:41,900 --> 00:20:44,800 desperately want to have. He's coming and giving you the 368 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,500 tools to bring death, the things that are causing. 369 00:20:47,700 --> 00:20:52,500 Those you love harm. Look at verse 14, for those who 370 00:20:52,500 --> 00:20:55,900 are led by the spirit of God are the children of God, the spirit 371 00:20:55,900 --> 00:20:58,700 you received, does not make you slaves. 372 00:20:58,700 --> 00:21:03,600 So that we live in fear again, rather the spirit you receive 373 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:09,900 brought about your adoption to sonship and by him, we cry Abba 374 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:14,700 Father, this is crazy here we find out that in God's 375 00:21:14,700 --> 00:21:17,200 Redemptive plan. He takes us from being enemies 376 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:23,100 of God to being children of God. I think I've told this story 377 00:21:23,100 --> 00:21:31,000 before when I was either 11 or 14, my parents adopted my 378 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,700 brother. You can tell he's my brother 379 00:21:33,700 --> 00:21:38,200 because he has blond hair blue eyes, great metabolism and loves 380 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:42,400 to run, okay? He he'll be sitting on a couch 381 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:45,000 and go I think I'm just going to go for like a Four Mile Run. 382 00:21:46,100 --> 00:21:51,400 I'm like, okay. It's are you all right? 383 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,700 Like someone chasing you is every, I mean, what do you need? 384 00:21:55,700 --> 00:22:01,600 Yeah, he's a freak now. Check this out. 385 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:04,400 My parents adopted him. I guess what? 386 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:08,000 My last name is Hensel. Guess what? 387 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:10,800 His last name is. Hensel. 388 00:22:11,900 --> 00:22:17,100 When my dad dies, guess how much of whatever my dad has is mine. 389 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:20,100 Well, there's four of us. I get 25%. 390 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:25,900 Guess how much my brother gets? 25%. 391 00:22:27,300 --> 00:22:29,100 That's a pile of stink right there. 392 00:22:30,100 --> 00:22:34,500 He's not even one of us. Oh, hold on a second. 393 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:38,300 God's the one who adopted adopted us? 394 00:22:39,900 --> 00:22:44,100 My dad chose to make my brother one of us and I wouldn't have it 395 00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:46,400 any other way. I was just joking about, I can't 396 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:48,400 believe it. He gets the same amount because 397 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:53,100 when he got brought in, he got full Airship of being a pencil 398 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:55,800 and that makes sense to all of you, right? 399 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:58,900 That of course if my parents are going to adopt him, he shouldn't 400 00:22:58,900 --> 00:23:00,800 be treated as a second class citizen. 401 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:05,000 Look at how good your God. Is he adopted us? 402 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:11,200 He put his name in us and he makes us here's heirs with who 403 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:15,000 with Jesus. Are you kidding me? 404 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:20,100 That's how good he is. If he can take you, from being 405 00:23:20,100 --> 00:23:23,900 his enemy to being his son, what could he do with your parenting? 406 00:23:24,900 --> 00:23:27,300 What could he do in your marriage if he has? 407 00:23:27,300 --> 00:23:30,000 That kind of power is anything off limits? 408 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:36,000 Now, this is not going to be easy, it's going to be hard, it 409 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:40,000 may be a challenge today and the love loving your family. 410 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,700 Well and leading them, well will be costly and heavy but one day 411 00:23:43,700 --> 00:23:46,500 it will be made perfect. If we don't give up, look what 412 00:23:46,500 --> 00:23:50,100 it says in Romans. 8:18, I consider that our present 413 00:23:50,100 --> 00:23:53,200 sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that 414 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,800 will be revealed in US. When Paul writes this, he's 415 00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:00,000 writing to people who are carrying a heavy burden for 416 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:05,300 their faith to bring about Godly redemption in a community, and 417 00:24:05,300 --> 00:24:09,700 it's hard and it hurts, but he's saying don't give up. 418 00:24:09,700 --> 00:24:12,300 Because one day there will be some beauty in this. 419 00:24:13,300 --> 00:24:15,800 Some of us, we want a better family, we just don't want it to 420 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:19,200 hurt. We want to have a better family 421 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:21,800 but we don't want to take the high road because the high road 422 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:26,300 always seems uphill and let's be honest, it's hard for us to take 423 00:24:26,300 --> 00:24:28,300 the high road. When we see everybody else 424 00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:32,900 taking the low road and then we write ourselves a permission 425 00:24:32,900 --> 00:24:38,500 slip before God gets it is able to do the Redemptive work, we 426 00:24:38,500 --> 00:24:40,500 walk it for a little while, like some of you today you're going 427 00:24:40,500 --> 00:24:42,000 to be like you know what, I'm going to go home. 428 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:44,400 I'm just going to do a really awesome job in front of my 429 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,200 spouse. And you're going to last like 15 430 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:49,700 minutes. And I'm like, okay. 431 00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:51,500 All right, I guess this is how it is. 432 00:24:51,500 --> 00:24:56,700 Then No lie. You know. 433 00:24:56,700 --> 00:24:58,000 I'm right. You like Clayton. 434 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:01,200 Quit. You know how I know because I 435 00:25:03,100 --> 00:25:04,500 I've seen what Jennifer goes through. 436 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:09,900 Okay, I've seen it. Yeah, we were like all energized 437 00:25:09,900 --> 00:25:12,100 to go home and make a difference and bring about a change. 438 00:25:12,100 --> 00:25:14,200 In we go. Hey, I just want to talk to you, 439 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:15,700 son. I know things haven't been like 440 00:25:15,700 --> 00:25:19,700 I am busy now, car, I find it. Then then then then, then then 441 00:25:19,700 --> 00:25:25,400 then then, then no, no. It was God's patience. 442 00:25:26,700 --> 00:25:30,000 And his kindness that brought us to Redemption. 443 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:33,200 Oh, that we should be patient with the people. 444 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:34,600 We're trying to turn things around. 445 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,200 Do you want a better marriage? Better parenting, but a 446 00:25:37,208 --> 00:25:39,500 relationship with your kids. What if it's going to take 447 00:25:39,500 --> 00:25:41,400 longer than you thought? Do you think that God could 448 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,800 Supply you with the strength and the patience and the kindness to 449 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:47,000 endure? The present hardship for future? 450 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:52,800 Glory in your marriage? Look at Romans 8:18, or and last 451 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:55,500 one in the same way the spirit helps us in our weakness. 452 00:25:55,500 --> 00:25:58,900 We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit himself 453 00:25:58,900 --> 00:26:02,100 intercedes for us through wordless, Roans. 454 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:05,600 And he who searches our heart knows, the mind of the spirit. 455 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:09,400 Because the spirit intercedes for God's people, these are the 456 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:11,500 people he's adopted. This is you and me, once we 457 00:26:11,500 --> 00:26:14,000 start an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ 458 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:19,000 in accordance with the will of God, no matter how hard it gets, 459 00:26:19,700 --> 00:26:22,900 no matter how heavy the load is, no matter how dark the 460 00:26:22,900 --> 00:26:26,800 situation, no matter how anguishing the moments, you need 461 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:31,700 to know this, you have constant access to God In Prayer All I 462 00:26:31,708 --> 00:26:33,000 need you to hear the truth of this. 463 00:26:33,500 --> 00:26:38,100 It is in that constant access to God In Prayer that he will give 464 00:26:38,100 --> 00:26:40,800 you the gifts and the strength that you need to carry the heavy 465 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:44,600 load that you're carrying to give you the patient's to 466 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,200 navigate the situation, and sometimes you're going to go. 467 00:26:47,300 --> 00:26:49,700 But Clayton, I don't even know what to pray for. 468 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,200 Yeah, I've been there too. You don't even know where to 469 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,400 start. I've been there too and it's in 470 00:26:57,400 --> 00:26:59,600 those moments when you don't even know what to pray for and 471 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:02,300 you don't even know where to start that I need you to know 472 00:27:02,300 --> 00:27:06,600 that the Holy Spirit who is in. You is interceding on your 473 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:11,300 behalf to the father who knows exactly what the situation calls 474 00:27:11,300 --> 00:27:13,900 for. I'm a super simple guy. 475 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:17,800 There's all kinds of things that I want for my kids and for my 476 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:22,000 family like a long long list. And if you try and figure out 477 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:23,500 what are you not going to pray for? 478 00:27:23,700 --> 00:27:26,100 It gets really that gets like, you're like, oh my goodness. 479 00:27:26,100 --> 00:27:27,800 I need to be praying for way more things. 480 00:27:28,500 --> 00:27:30,500 And so, then I was like, God, I'm just going to pray for like 481 00:27:30,500 --> 00:27:33,100 two things, so that way you don't forget, and I don't 482 00:27:33,100 --> 00:27:37,000 forget, okay? And I mean this, if you were to 483 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,400 hop in the car, with me, on Tuesday, when I take my kids to 484 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:42,300 school, I pray the same prayer. I prayed the same. 485 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:45,200 Prayer for Kennedy, when I was taking her to school. 486 00:27:45,300 --> 00:27:47,900 And there's a little, there's a tanning salon place that we used 487 00:27:47,900 --> 00:27:50,300 to where we turned the right to go to her school. 488 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:52,900 And I would start praying that prayer until she was in high 489 00:27:52,900 --> 00:27:54,800 school. And I, when we got to a stop 490 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:57,600 sign on Ward Street that are on Grant Street, I'd start praying 491 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:01,500 for her there and here when we get to 15th Street, I start 492 00:28:01,500 --> 00:28:02,800 praying for my boys. I'm just going to tell you what 493 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:04,400 my super spiritual prayer is you ready? 494 00:28:04,700 --> 00:28:07,100 It's just scripture. God help. 495 00:28:07,100 --> 00:28:08,900 My kids to grow up to love you with all their heart, mind, 496 00:28:08,900 --> 00:28:10,600 soul, and strength, and help them to embrace, the Great 497 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:12,300 Commission to make disciples of all Nations. 498 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:15,100 And God help them to find a spouse who loves you and will 499 00:28:15,100 --> 00:28:17,400 love them. Well if God just answers that 500 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,500 prayer, I'm good. Do you want your kids to be 501 00:28:20,500 --> 00:28:22,300 wealthy? Nope, I want them to love the 502 00:28:22,300 --> 00:28:24,300 Lord their God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength, 503 00:28:24,300 --> 00:28:26,300 and breaks, the Great Commission, and Make Disciples 504 00:28:26,300 --> 00:28:28,800 of all Nations, and help them to find a spouse who loves them and 505 00:28:28,808 --> 00:28:30,000 loves them. Well, because it doesn't matter 506 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:32,400 how much money they have if there's not loving their home 507 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,300 and there's not the love of Jesus in the heart, it had mean 508 00:28:34,300 --> 00:28:36,300 a hill of beans will do you want him to have a job? 509 00:28:36,300 --> 00:28:37,800 Really. Don't care about that either, 510 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:41,900 because I just really if I could pick between my kids being 511 00:28:41,900 --> 00:28:44,400 gainfully, Floyd and having an intimate personal relationship 512 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:46,300 with Jesus. I I know which one. 513 00:28:46,300 --> 00:28:49,200 I'll figure the rest out. Okay, I'll save harder. 514 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:53,700 I just want my kids to know Jesus and to be United with 515 00:28:53,700 --> 00:28:56,400 somebody who knows and loves Jesus. 516 00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:59,700 And when I don't know what to pray about situations, sometimes 517 00:28:59,700 --> 00:29:02,000 I just know, God, you're covering for me. 518 00:29:03,300 --> 00:29:05,400 This week at ever seen one of our locations, you're going to 519 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,700 have an opportunity to pray over the relationships that you have 520 00:29:09,700 --> 00:29:11,700 and we've got cards at all of our locations. 521 00:29:11,700 --> 00:29:14,100 Most of your campus pastors will be talking to you about this 522 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:16,400 during the plane landing. Some might be doing it during 523 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:19,200 the announcements and what we want you to do is we want you to 524 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:21,300 start praying over your family and some of you are going, I 525 00:29:21,308 --> 00:29:24,000 already pray over my family, cool, man. 526 00:29:24,100 --> 00:29:25,900 All right, careful. Okay. 527 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:30,500 We're not saying you have to stop, okay, but for those but we 528 00:29:30,500 --> 00:29:33,500 want to give you like maybe an area to just to kind of Gaston 529 00:29:33,500 --> 00:29:35,900 for the next week and see what God does. 530 00:29:35,900 --> 00:29:39,300 Because here's one of the things that I've noticed we can't 531 00:29:39,300 --> 00:29:42,200 expect Godly wins without pursuing Godly ways. 532 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,500 That I can't expect God to take the ground in my life that I'm 533 00:29:46,500 --> 00:29:50,600 not yielding to him in prayer. Sometimes God uses prayer to 534 00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:53,100 open up my eyes to the work that he's already doing. 535 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:56,600 That when the things I'm praying about, I start to be more 536 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,700 sensitive to it when I'm not praying and I see it represented 537 00:29:59,700 --> 00:30:02,400 in other, people's lives. Romans 8:28, this where we're 538 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:04,600 going to finish up. And we know that in all things, 539 00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:07,200 God works for the good of those who love him, who have been 540 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:08,800 called, according to his purpose. 541 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:12,900 Let me give you some hope. Not only did God redeem you, but 542 00:30:12,900 --> 00:30:16,900 God is working for your good. If you are in a relationship 543 00:30:16,900 --> 00:30:19,300 with him, he is working for your good. 544 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:22,600 That means that you and God are on the same team when it comes 545 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:26,600 to your marriage. He wants a Godly marriage for 546 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:29,100 you. God is on your team when you 547 00:30:29,100 --> 00:30:31,500 want a better relationship with your kids, or your grandkids, or 548 00:30:31,500 --> 00:30:33,900 your parents. He wants that too. 549 00:30:34,100 --> 00:30:35,600 God. Will you want a family that 550 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:38,800 loves well and represents Christ and cares for the world around 551 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:40,700 them? God wants that to you want a 552 00:30:40,700 --> 00:30:43,800 family that prays and gives and connects and lives for a greater 553 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:45,400 purpose. I want you to know that God 554 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:47,600 wants that to you. Want your kids to grow up to 555 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:50,200 love the Lord and to find a spouse that loves the Lord and 556 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:52,400 race kids. That love the Lord showed us God 557 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:56,700 and he is working for For this good, not only is God working 558 00:30:56,700 --> 00:30:58,900 for are good, but he is giving us good things. 559 00:30:59,100 --> 00:31:02,300 He is working to rescue us and forgive our sins and remove our 560 00:31:02,300 --> 00:31:05,100 shame rescue your heart redeem, your past. 561 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:08,600 Nothing is too big for him. If you can touch your ankle, you 562 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:11,700 can touch your nose. If he can redeem your life, he 563 00:31:11,700 --> 00:31:17,000 can redeem your relationships. Cole Miller, who's a part of our 564 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:19,700 Pike County location. Help me with this sermon, and he 565 00:31:19,700 --> 00:31:23,000 told me about can Suki. And some of you guys are way 566 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:26,300 more What I am. But I had never heard of this 567 00:31:26,300 --> 00:31:28,500 and I am, like, all the way in now. 568 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,500 Consider you just means golden joinery. 569 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:35,800 Okay? And what it is, is when someone 570 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:38,500 breaks a bowl, they put it back together. 571 00:31:38,500 --> 00:31:39,900 Here's a picture of what it looks like. 572 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:46,700 That the fractures on a ceramic Bowl, don't represent the end of 573 00:31:46,700 --> 00:31:51,000 that objects life, but simply an essential moment in its history. 574 00:31:51,400 --> 00:31:55,000 How many of you have a chipped plate at home and you haven't 575 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,100 thrown it away, you just keep it there and it's chipped. 576 00:31:57,500 --> 00:31:59,800 How many of you've pulled out a coffee mug and you've dropped it 577 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:02,500 on the ground and it shattered and you up got upset because 578 00:32:02,500 --> 00:32:04,700 someone gave it to you and you end up having to throw it away 579 00:32:05,300 --> 00:32:08,000 and can sue you, you don't throw it away, you put it back 580 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:10,400 together. And the way you put it back 581 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:13,900 together, as you put gold in all of the broken places. 582 00:32:16,100 --> 00:32:19,300 This is probably the best description of what our 583 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:23,700 relationships could look like if we were to let God in the middle 584 00:32:23,700 --> 00:32:26,800 of them, that the broken pieces of your relationship aren't 585 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:30,000 something to be thrown away, but there a place for God to come in 586 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,500 and fix it. They don't represent the end of 587 00:32:32,500 --> 00:32:35,200 that objects life but an essential moment in its history. 588 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:39,800 It the flaws of its shape are not hidden from inspection but 589 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:43,600 in blazoned with golden significance, how many of us 590 00:32:43,900 --> 00:32:47,100 we've tried to hide Broken pieces of our life, instead of 591 00:32:47,100 --> 00:32:50,800 Allowing God to put his golden finger in and restore it and 592 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:52,800 then show it off for the world to see. 593 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:58,300 Look at what my God redeemed. It was Hemingway's famous line 594 00:32:58,300 --> 00:33:02,600 from A Farewell to Arms where he says the world breaks everyone 595 00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:07,000 and afterward. 'S many are stronger in the 596 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:11,200 broken places. This repair requires 597 00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:14,500 transformation and the good news is that the God we serve 598 00:33:14,500 --> 00:33:18,700 specializes in transformation the pottery didn't crack for a 599 00:33:18,700 --> 00:33:21,100 good reason. You don't take your marriage and 600 00:33:21,100 --> 00:33:24,400 dash It On The Ground just so God can put it back together. 601 00:33:24,400 --> 00:33:29,300 No, that's not what it's about. It's about when life happens and 602 00:33:29,300 --> 00:33:33,800 things break that we believe that God can redeem them when we 603 00:33:33,800 --> 00:33:38,000 put the situation and we put the sin in his hands and he takes 604 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,600 his golden finger and he Something beautiful out of it. 605 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:45,500 This is why people say everything happens for a reason 606 00:33:45,700 --> 00:33:49,100 because you can't help but look at this and go if it hadn't 607 00:33:49,100 --> 00:33:51,700 broken, I never would have had something so beautiful. 608 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:57,300 But what we're focusing on is God's Redemptive work, not his 609 00:33:57,300 --> 00:34:00,500 intended work. God intended for your marriage, 610 00:34:00,500 --> 00:34:04,600 to be happy and whole and forever. 611 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:08,400 But when it breaks, when it shatters, I need you to know 612 00:34:08,400 --> 00:34:13,100 that God can redeem it and then when you share your testimony 613 00:34:13,100 --> 00:34:16,800 you allow other people to see the part where God worked his 614 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:18,900 greatest work inside of each and every single. 615 00:34:18,900 --> 00:34:21,199 One of you, the interesting thing. 616 00:34:22,699 --> 00:34:26,699 But I love about Lego pieces is even though you can break the 617 00:34:26,699 --> 00:34:30,699 house down, you can never destroy the power of a single 618 00:34:30,699 --> 00:34:34,199 piece. The little knobs on the top and 619 00:34:34,199 --> 00:34:37,199 little spaces on the bottom are like the most indestructible 620 00:34:37,199 --> 00:34:40,699 part of a Lego. I mean, sure, you can pull them 621 00:34:40,699 --> 00:34:45,400 apart and you can make them all a bunch of just singular pieces. 622 00:34:46,500 --> 00:34:49,699 And so while the house, may not exist, the building blocks for 623 00:34:49,699 --> 00:34:56,400 the house never disappear. God hardwired into your DNA, an 624 00:34:56,400 --> 00:35:01,700 undestructible Force this that you were designed for ever 625 00:35:01,700 --> 00:35:05,400 designed to be connected to God and connect it to the people 626 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:08,500 around you. No matter how bad the situation 627 00:35:08,500 --> 00:35:12,300 has been, no matter how bad you were hurt, no matter how many 628 00:35:12,300 --> 00:35:14,300 heartaches you have had to endure. 629 00:35:14,500 --> 00:35:18,300 There is an Okay? And part of you that was put in 630 00:35:18,300 --> 00:35:22,000 there by God, that is uncrushable, and it is the 631 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:27,100 ability to always be rebuilt, one relationship at a time. 632 00:35:27,500 --> 00:35:31,700 It is deep in the DNA of us. That's maybe why it says, in 633 00:35:31,700 --> 00:35:37,400 First Peter 5:10 and the God of all Grace. 634 00:35:39,500 --> 00:35:43,200 Whoo. Okay, let's do this together and 635 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:46,900 the God of all Grace, who called you to his eternal glory in 636 00:35:46,900 --> 00:35:49,400 Christ. After you have suffered a little 637 00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:54,000 while. Will him will himself restore 638 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:59,300 you and make you. Look at these words, strong firm 639 00:35:59,300 --> 00:36:03,100 and steadfast. Who called you to his eternal 640 00:36:03,100 --> 00:36:07,800 glory, after you have suffered a little while, keep suffering, 641 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:10,300 folks, you're trying to fix that marriage. 642 00:36:10,300 --> 00:36:13,200 Keep suffering, you're trying to endure the heartache of your 643 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:18,500 kids keep suffering, keep suffering because he himself, 644 00:36:18,500 --> 00:36:25,100 will restore you, and make you strong firm, and steadfast. 645 00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:28,200 And when he does that, there's only going to be one thing to do 646 00:36:28,700 --> 00:36:34,800 to say these words to him. Be the power forever and ever. 647 00:36:35,700 --> 00:36:37,800 Amen! God bless you! 648 00:36:37,900 --> 00:36:39,200 We're moving to a time of decision. 649 00:36:46,100 --> 00:36:48,500 Real quick. Those of you who are single. 650 00:36:49,300 --> 00:36:51,200 I got to clear something up. I didn't clear it up in the 651 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:52,600 sermon. I didn't have time and I'm 652 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:55,700 already running late. If you don't ever get married, I 653 00:36:55,707 --> 00:36:57,300 want you to know. You're just fine. 654 00:36:58,800 --> 00:37:02,700 If you don't ever find that someone you're good, if you 655 00:37:02,700 --> 00:37:04,600 already found a someone and that someone didn't work out and 656 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:06,400 you're going I feel like I have to find someone again. 657 00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:11,100 You don't you don't, you are not a better Christian when you get 658 00:37:11,100 --> 00:37:14,400 married. You're not more, holy more 659 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:18,100 useful, more Godly because you're married, because marriage 660 00:37:18,100 --> 00:37:20,900 isn't what gets you into heaven? Oh, we'll get you into heaven is 661 00:37:20,900 --> 00:37:24,000 actually a single guy who never married. 662 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:28,200 His name was Jesus and if being married is what makes you were 663 00:37:28,500 --> 00:37:32,800 usable and worthwhile boy, Jesus would be a gigantic, that's 664 00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:37,200 weird. How about this one a most of 665 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:41,000 your new testament? was written by a man named Paul, 666 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:45,900 you know, an interesting thing about Paul He never got married. 667 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:50,700 Peter, the guy just read from he only wrote two books in the 668 00:37:50,707 --> 00:37:54,100 Bible. He was married thinking what he 669 00:37:54,100 --> 00:37:57,800 could have done. Hear me. 670 00:37:58,700 --> 00:38:00,100 Some of you are carrying around this weight. 671 00:38:00,100 --> 00:38:02,200 You're going to Clayton, you just prayed for your kids to get 672 00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:04,100 married. Yeah, I'd like my kids to get 673 00:38:04,100 --> 00:38:07,300 married, but listen. You don't need to get married to 674 00:38:07,308 --> 00:38:12,400 be used by God to be a powerful force to be leveraged, for the 675 00:38:12,400 --> 00:38:15,400 advancement of the Gospel. You don't have to get married 676 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:18,800 for God to love you anymore. Listen, if you get married, he's 677 00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:20,800 gonna love you. The exact same amount he did 678 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,500 before you got married. So, if you're carrying around 679 00:38:23,500 --> 00:38:26,800 some spiritual, wake that you have to get married, not here. 680 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,400 Not at this church, not in the Bible because two of the most 681 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:35,100 famous people in Scripture. Did it without a spouse. 682 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:39,400 Just be faithful. Just follow. 683 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:42,800 After God, if it's the desire of your heart if you want it, keep 684 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,100 praying for. But listen I don't want you 685 00:38:45,100 --> 00:38:47,300 thinking that this church is just for married folk because 686 00:38:47,300 --> 00:38:49,400 listen married folk have all kinds of problems. 687 00:38:50,300 --> 00:38:52,400 We need some people that don't have marriage problems, coming 688 00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:54,700 to our church. And the best way to do that is 689 00:38:54,700 --> 00:38:58,900 more single people, okay? Okay, you're my heart in this 690 00:38:59,500 --> 00:39:02,700 second thing. If you don't have a relationship 691 00:39:02,700 --> 00:39:09,300 with Jesus Christ, You just don't you just don't stand a 692 00:39:09,300 --> 00:39:13,100 chance. You can't fix your marriage, 693 00:39:13,100 --> 00:39:15,900 your parenting, your grandparenting, on your own 694 00:39:15,900 --> 00:39:20,400 power on your own strength. It only comes through him. 695 00:39:21,500 --> 00:39:25,200 And it's only after he comes in and with his Spirit starts, to 696 00:39:25,200 --> 00:39:29,500 put the to death, the Deeds of your life that you'll never be 697 00:39:29,500 --> 00:39:33,000 able to live the life that you were designed for known as I was 698 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:34,800 going through. Romans 8, I'm hoping that maybe 699 00:39:34,800 --> 00:39:36,600 you are going. I want what they're talking 700 00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:39,100 about. I want a new mind and a new 701 00:39:39,100 --> 00:39:41,400 spirit, I want life and I want peace. 702 00:39:41,700 --> 00:39:44,300 I want to live a life where there's no condemnation where 703 00:39:44,300 --> 00:39:48,100 I've been rescued and made a son and I get to cry out Abba 704 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:51,700 Father. What the Bible is telling us 705 00:39:51,700 --> 00:39:55,500 there is you get to call god, dad, when my kids get hurt in 706 00:39:55,500 --> 00:39:58,500 the house when they fall and trip or you know, something bad 707 00:39:58,500 --> 00:40:00,600 happens, they don't go past the Clayton. 708 00:40:01,900 --> 00:40:03,600 Pastor Clayton. I beseech, thee. 709 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:08,600 Come to thy Aid. No, they don't let him go. 710 00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:11,200 Elder, Clayton, that they don't do that. 711 00:40:12,100 --> 00:40:13,600 If I was a doctor, they wouldn't go. 712 00:40:13,600 --> 00:40:18,400 Ah, doctor Hensel, you know, my kids cry out, dad, dad. 713 00:40:20,100 --> 00:40:24,700 What? What I make a horrible God, 714 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:28,600 okay, that's why it's better him than me and better him than you 715 00:40:28,600 --> 00:40:30,800 trust me. Do you? 716 00:40:30,900 --> 00:40:32,200 Yeah. Well, hold on a second. 717 00:40:32,200 --> 00:40:33,100 Clicking. What are you saying? 718 00:40:33,100 --> 00:40:40,000 Yeah you get to call god, dad. When you come into intimate 719 00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:44,900 personal relationship with him. He is your father always he 720 00:40:44,900 --> 00:40:49,100 Jehovah Jireh Jehovah Rapha. It was he all kinds of things as 721 00:40:49,100 --> 00:40:50,600 he e Lo Keem? Is he a man? 722 00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:53,200 You, well, yeah, but you don't have to remember any of those 723 00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:57,300 words, because you get all of those words when you cry out 724 00:40:57,900 --> 00:41:01,100 Daddy and that could be true for you. 725 00:41:01,100 --> 00:41:04,200 Today, you could find your heavenly father if you have 726 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:06,600 questions about that, there's a new somebody right over by the 727 00:41:06,600 --> 00:41:07,800 baffle. Sure he would love to talk to 728 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:09,800 you about it. For the rest of y'all. 729 00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:13,200 In here, up here at the steps in different spots, we have these 730 00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:17,200 little prayer cards. We have one for single people, 731 00:41:17,400 --> 00:41:21,000 we have one for married people, we have 14 people with kids and 732 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:24,200 we have ones for grandparents. You might be going with Clayton. 733 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:28,100 I'm, I'm married. And I've got kids and I've got 734 00:41:28,100 --> 00:41:30,000 grandkids fine. I mean, overachiever pick up 735 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:33,800 three cards, okay, what I want you guys to do this week, just 736 00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:37,600 just think with me for a second. What if you and all the people 737 00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:41,600 in your row where to start praying to God in a singular 738 00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:43,800 Direction? What do you think could happen 739 00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:46,400 to our marriages? Well, what do you think could 740 00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:48,900 happen in our homes? I don't know. 741 00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:54,100 Let's find out. Would you stand with me, man? 742 00:41:54,100 --> 00:41:57,100 God, I love this church. All of the time that we get to 743 00:41:57,100 --> 00:42:00,600 spend together and grow together and I pray that you would use 744 00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:04,000 this time right now, to bring about a change in every heart, 745 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:07,600 both in this room and to those watching online, the God, you 746 00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:10,300 would help us to take steps. I know there's some people in 747 00:42:10,300 --> 00:42:13,200 here that maybe in their pride their going, my marriage is 748 00:42:13,200 --> 00:42:16,500 good, my parenting is gold. God, I pray that they realize 749 00:42:16,500 --> 00:42:20,100 that they ain't seen nothing yet that when they turn over pieces 750 00:42:20,100 --> 00:42:22,900 of Life to you. You can make broken things 751 00:42:22,900 --> 00:42:25,200 brand-new. Yeah, I know there's people in 752 00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:28,300 here right now that believe that their marriage is beyond saving 753 00:42:28,300 --> 00:42:31,900 that their kids are Beyond reaching, but God, nothing, 754 00:42:32,100 --> 00:42:36,700 nobody ever is beyond the reach and the power of your love. 755 00:42:37,100 --> 00:42:39,400 And so God were claiming that truth today. 756 00:42:39,700 --> 00:42:42,100 And as we come up here and get down on our knees and pray, as 757 00:42:42,100 --> 00:42:44,800 we pick up these prayer cards, I'm asking you to meet us here, 758 00:42:45,300 --> 00:42:47,700 inject. Our hearts full of hope your 759 00:42:47,700 --> 00:42:49,400 name, I pray. Amen.