1 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:04,600 What up Crossing family, It is so good to be with you. 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:07,160 I want to welcome those of you joining here at 48th St. and at 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,280 all of our different locations, those of you watching online, 4 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:12,920 and of course, those of you who are part of our Crossing Inside 5 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:15,360 family. For those of you who missed last 6 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:17,760 week, I've encouraged every single person who calls the 7 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:21,480 Crossing home all across this region to consider adding these 8 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:24,120 three prayers to your morning prayer time. 9 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:26,040 And I would just love it. If you want, you can pull out 10 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:27,240 your phone, take a picture of these. 11 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:29,840 But would you just be praying from now until the end of the 12 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,240 year that God would continue to bless and protect our church? 13 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:35,800 We are definitely in a very special season. 14 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:37,960 And anytime you're trying to take significant ground for the 15 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:40,200 Kingdom of God, you are taking enemy territory. 16 00:00:40,480 --> 00:00:43,400 And anytime you are over enemy territory, the enemy is going to 17 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,040 fight back. And I would love it if you would 18 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:49,080 just continue to pray for God's blessing and protection over our 19 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:50,920 church. Second thing I would love for 20 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,760 you to pray for is that you would have the courage to share 21 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:58,760 your faith with people who are far from God but close to you. 22 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:01,680 The way the Kingdom of God expands, the way the Kingdom of 23 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:05,680 heaven grows, is when people who look just like you and me take a 24 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:09,760 bold step of faith and share our faith with the people around us. 25 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:13,000 And then the third thing is that you would have clarity on what 26 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,200 your next step of faith should be. 27 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:19,480 The way you move closer to God is in two areas, faith and 28 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,960 obedience, and those things are connected, which means that 29 00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:25,640 anytime you're trying to grow your faith, it's going to 30 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:29,360 require a step of obedience, and anytime you want to take a step 31 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,920 of obedience, it's going to require a little extra faith. 32 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:36,080 This past week, I was on Thursday, I was with a group of 33 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:40,920 guys and we were going through First Corinthians chapter 8. 34 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,040 And at the end of it, we kind of just asked ourselves this 35 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:47,120 question in the DBS, What's something that you need to do? 36 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:49,520 Because we want to be people who don't just hear the word of God, 37 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:51,400 but actually live out the word of God. 38 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,680 And I was like, you know what? There's a guy in my life that I 39 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,920 think if I were to look at First Corinthians 8 and read that 40 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:01,320 again, that some of my actions may have caused that guy to 41 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:03,760 stumble. And so before I preached on 42 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:06,400 Thursday night, as I was going through getting myself some 43 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,280 food, I just called that guy up and said, Hey, God kind of put 44 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:12,800 this on my heart. I may have caused you to stumble 45 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,080 and I, if I owe you an apology, I'm calling to, to give you 1. 46 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:21,720 And anytime you do that, But you know, my heart was racing. 47 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:23,520 I kind of got a lump in my throat. 48 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,720 If you guys ever had one of those were like, you feel God 49 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:27,840 calling you to do something and you're like, oh boy, I just want 50 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:29,280 you to know that never goes away. 51 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,320 So I just, if you're thinking, Hey, one of these days I'll 52 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:37,320 graduate to like super spiritual and I won't have those. 53 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,160 No, the you will always have those. 54 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:46,320 But I can tell you what I have 0 regrets over all the times I've 55 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,280 had a lump in my throat and decided to be obedient anyway. 56 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:55,040 I have 0 regrets, but I have a ton of regrets over all the 57 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:59,360 times I felt like I was supposed to do something and I didn't do 58 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:01,600 it. And as a church, I just want us 59 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:05,080 to be people who live by the Spirit so we have as few of 60 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:09,440 regrets as humanly possible. And I guarantee you, if God is 61 00:03:09,640 --> 00:03:13,760 doing what I believe he's doing and that is revealing himself to 62 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,840 us, that means that he is constantly going to be 63 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:19,560 revealing. A step you are supposed to take, 64 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,640 which means the lump in our throat should be a reoccurring 65 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:26,280 theme in our lives. And what I want you to do is 66 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:28,680 when you have those moments, I want you to step through them 67 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:31,840 anyway. Because Jesus was describing one 68 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,280 time what it's like to be in the Kingdom of heaven, and he 69 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:37,960 illustrates it by talking about two stories, and he's talking 70 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:39,800 about the Kingdom of heaven, the Kingdom of God. 71 00:03:40,240 --> 00:03:44,760 And inside of these two stories, there's something very special 72 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:46,160 for us. Now, when I talk about the 73 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,920 Kingdom of heaven or the Kingdom of God, you can kind of break it 74 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,680 down into multiple parts. Here are at least two of them. 75 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:58,400 In one part of the Kingdom of God is that it is the spiritual 76 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:03,920 rule that God has over people who've begun an intimate 77 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:07,280 personal relationship with him. That when you become obedient in 78 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:09,560 the waters of baptism, you receive the power of the Holy 79 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,040 Spirit. You become part of the Kingdom 80 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:16,839 of God, you leave the Kingdom of darkness and you step into his 81 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:20,800 glorious light. And it is in the Kingdom of God 82 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:23,840 that we are supposed to operate and live and then grow the the 83 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:26,720 Kingdom of God. The second part of the Kingdom 84 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:31,280 of God is salvation. It is what it means to be saved. 85 00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:35,440 It's what happens when we are saved because in the Kingdom of 86 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:38,800 heaven or in the Kingdom of God, God reigns. 87 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:43,320 Satan's claim over a soul is lost. 88 00:04:43,840 --> 00:04:49,960 Sin is vanquished, shame is banished, guilt is destroyed, 89 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:55,960 death is defeated, grace is applied, mercy is given, hope is 90 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,160 available, and divine purpose is discovered. 91 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:03,040 That's what happens when you encounter the Kingdom of heaven 92 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:07,560 or the Kingdom of God. And Jesus describes this Kingdom 93 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:11,120 in these two stories. He says there was a man who was 94 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:16,440 walking along a road and he finds a treasure in a field. 95 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:21,080 The field doesn't belong to him, so he covers the treasure. 96 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:25,920 Back up he goes, and he sells everything he has so that he can 97 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:31,240 buy the field, because in that field is a treasure, and the 98 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:35,760 treasure is worth more than he ever had. 99 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:39,280 Then he tells a second story right after this. 100 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:42,120 Jesus goes. It's like a man who was looking 101 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:46,440 for a fine Pearl, and he kept looking, and he kept looking and 102 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:49,040 he kept looking, and then he found one. 103 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:53,280 And when he found that fine Pearl or that fine piece of 104 00:05:53,280 --> 00:06:01,080 jewelry, he went and sold all he had so that way he could have 105 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:07,240 it, buy it, and make it His Jesus is describing, in a way, 106 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:10,560 two types of people. One would be the accidental 107 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:12,480 Finder. The guy's walking along the 108 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:14,040 road. He sees something a little out 109 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,000 of place. He goes and he investigates it a 110 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,440 little bit further. And while he's investigating, he 111 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:23,040 discovers something that is worth more than he has ever had, 112 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:28,040 and he wants it. So he sells everything to have 113 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:30,440 it. He is willing to give up 114 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:35,000 everything he has to lay hold of what he has discovered. 115 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:37,720 The second man was an intentional seeker. 116 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,720 This is a person who was looking for something. 117 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,200 He kept picking up the different pearls and going Nope, that's 118 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:51,600 not it, Nope, that's not it, Nope that's not it, that's it. 119 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:57,080 And he was so moved and intrigued and excited about what 120 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:01,160 he had found that he went and sold everything he had to 121 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:03,400 acquire it. Some of you, you would 122 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:05,760 definitely find yourself in the category of an accidental 123 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:08,680 Finder. You were not looking for Jesus. 124 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:12,800 You are not looking for the undefeated power of the cross. 125 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:16,640 But it came looking for you, others of you. 126 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,320 You were looking for something. You knew that something was 127 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:21,800 wrong. You knew that something wasn't 128 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:22,840 right. You knew that there was 129 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:26,080 something more. And you have found it in our 130 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:29,520 risen Lord. And you might be looking at 131 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:33,320 these two people and going, why would they sell everything they 132 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:39,080 have to take up the Pearl or to take up the treasure? 133 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,800 And I'll tell you, it's because they found something that was 134 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,480 more meaningful than what they had. 135 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,520 The value of what you have discovered will always determine 136 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:57,800 your behavior. And maybe the reason why we have 137 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:01,400 a hard time fully living out the Christian life and giving 138 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:05,320 everything we have to Jesus is we don't realize what we have 139 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:08,840 actually discovered. Our inability to have faith and 140 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:12,520 our inability to be our inability to be obedient might 141 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:16,440 be a sign that we don't realize what we actually have in Jesus. 142 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:20,680 Paul in First Corinthians Chapter 9 actually illustrates 143 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,360 the parables that Jesus told in his own life. 144 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,800 You see, in First Corinthians chapter 8, Paul teaches us to 145 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:37,080 limit our Christian liberty through love for Christ and love 146 00:08:37,080 --> 00:08:39,600 for others. So even though Paul is saying 147 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:43,960 I'm free to do all kinds of things, I will limit what I do 148 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,920 out of respect for God and the people who are a part of the 149 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:50,840 Kingdom of heaven. So I'm going to put a question 150 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:52,760 in your lap that I just want you to kind of hold there for the 151 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:56,440 next 20 minutes and then hopefully I want that question 152 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:58,560 to stay with you for the rest of your life. 153 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:01,320 Here's the question, it's a heavy one. 154 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:07,640 What freedom would you release and what sacrifice would you 155 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:10,000 embrace for the Kingdom of heaven? 156 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:16,760 What freedom would you release? What sacrifice would you embrace 157 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:21,320 for the Kingdom of heaven? And right now some of your going 158 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:29,160 I'm not sure Paul says in First Corinthians Chapter 9 through 3 159 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:33,160 examples in his own life how he lives this out. 160 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:37,960 The first thing that Paul does is he says listen, I'm going to 161 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:42,560 lay down my right to receive compensation. 162 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:45,400 Look what he says in first Corinthians Chapter 9 verses one 163 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,120 through 18. Am I not free? 164 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:52,320 Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? 165 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:55,080 Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 166 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,920 Even though I may not be in a possible apostle to others, 167 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:05,280 surely I am to you, for you are the seal or the proof of my 168 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:09,800 apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who 169 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:13,920 sit in judgement on me. Don't we have the right to food 170 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:17,080 and drink? Don't we have the right to take 171 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:20,400 a believing wife along with us as do the other apostles and the 172 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:22,800 Lord's brothers And Cephas, let me pause for a second. 173 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:24,520 Some of you guys have been reading through your First 174 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:26,200 Corinthians book, which I'm super proud of you for doing 175 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:27,320 that. And you're going, how come 176 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:29,160 Cephas keeps showing up? And who is this guy? 177 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,040 Cephas is, is Peter. And you might be like, well, 178 00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:33,200 then why don't they call him Peter? 179 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:35,320 I don't know. I didn't write it, but here's 180 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:39,920 what I can tell you when you meet, when you meet a guy and he 181 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,600 has like multiple names in Scripture, he's introduced to us 182 00:10:42,600 --> 00:10:44,920 as Simon. Some of you have heard of him as 183 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:48,200 Simon Peter. He gets the Peter because Jesus 184 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:50,640 looks at you and says I will call you Petras. 185 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:52,720 And upon this rock I will build my church. 186 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:55,640 And Petras is the Greek word for rock. 187 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:58,680 Well, when Paul is writing to the people in Corinth, he uses 188 00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:01,520 the Aramaic word for rock, which is Cephas. 189 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:04,880 So now you know, and you're like, nerd time needs to be 190 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:06,000 over. OK, it's over. 191 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,320 I just don't want you getting confused. 192 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:13,440 Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a 193 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,920 living? Who serves as a soldier at his 194 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:19,560 own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does 195 00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:22,480 not eat its grapes? Who tends A flock and does not 196 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:25,440 drink the milk? Do I say this merely on human 197 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:27,960 authority? Doesn't the Law say the same 198 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:30,440 thing? Law is the Old Testament, for it 199 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,880 is written in the Law of Moses. Do not muzzle an ox while it is 200 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:37,560 treading out the grain. Is it about oxen that God is 201 00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:40,840 concerned? Surely He says this for us, 202 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:43,960 doesn't He? Yes, this was written for us, 203 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:48,080 because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so 204 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:50,960 in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 205 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:55,480 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we 206 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:57,920 reap a material harvest from you? 207 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:01,560 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn't we 208 00:12:01,560 --> 00:12:05,400 have it all the more? But we did not use this right. 209 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:10,520 On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the 210 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:13,880 gospel of Christ. Don't you know that those who 211 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:16,840 serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that 212 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:20,600 those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the 213 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:23,640 altar? In the same way, the Lord has 214 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:26,720 commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their 215 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:33,120 living from the gospel. But I have not used any of these 216 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:37,120 rights, and I'm not writing this in the hope that you will do 217 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:39,640 such a thing for me. For I would rather die than 218 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:42,000 allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. 219 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:45,400 For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am 220 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:50,440 compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the 221 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:53,560 gospel. If I preach voluntarily, I have 222 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:56,480 a reward. If not voluntarily, I am simply 223 00:12:56,480 --> 00:12:59,000 discharging the trust committed to me. 224 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,520 What then is my reward? Just this, that in preaching the 225 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:07,280 gospel I may offer it free of charge and so not make full use 226 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,520 of my rights as a preacher of the gospel. 227 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:15,840 Paul looks at the church in Corinth and he says I'm going to 228 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:20,960 lay down my right for compensation for your good. 229 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:26,520 He gives 6 reasons why he has the right to be compensated. 5 230 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:29,000 that apply to all Christians, all missionaries, all church 231 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,880 staff for all of time. 1 doesn't the first one, he says he's an 232 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:34,400 apostle. Paul's an apostle you've never 233 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:38,040 met. 1 So Paul gets that one all by himself, but the remaining 234 00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:42,080 five are for all people, all missionaries who are in part of 235 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:44,760 service to the Kingdom of God. The second reason is, is that 236 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:46,720 culture demands that workers get paid. 237 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:48,600 You guys know this, otherwise you wouldn't work where you 238 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:51,520 work. 3 It's commanded in God's law. 239 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:55,000 Four other leaders in that church in Corinth had 240 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:58,600 experienced that right. Five, it is the spiritual 241 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:00,680 pattern laid down by the Old Testament. 242 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:03,960 And number six is that Jesus ordained it. 243 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:08,160 Paul says I have all these rights to be compensated, but 244 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:10,240 I'm going to lay him down for you. 245 00:14:11,760 --> 00:14:14,080 Paul was supported by the church in Philippi. 246 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:15,800 He was supported by the church in Thessalonica. 247 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:17,880 You can make the case that he was supported by the church in 248 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:22,240 Berea, but in two cities, Ephesus and Corinth, he chose to 249 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:26,800 abstain from financial support. There was something about these. 250 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,960 OK, just get it over with. Whatever is in my throat, be 251 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:35,600 gone. OK, That sounded like 252 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:37,040 witchcraft. I apologize. 253 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:44,360 Dang it. Hocus pocus. 254 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:45,040 Yeah. All right. 255 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:50,320 I'm not drinking water. I can tell you that much. 256 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:53,160 Those of you laughing, you were at church last week. 257 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:54,760 Those of you weren't. You should watch it. 258 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,560 OK. There was something about the 259 00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:02,480 church in Ephesus and the church in Corinth that made Paul decide 260 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:08,400 that he was going to forego financial pay in the hope of 261 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:10,560 greater effectiveness. And there's a lot of reasons why 262 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:15,800 that might be, but Paul is illustrating that he was willing 263 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:21,480 to lay down rights for the sake of the people around him out of 264 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:25,840 Christian love. Second thing that Paul does is 265 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,720 he lays down his freedoms and his preferences. 266 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:31,560 So he's already laid down his rights. 267 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:34,480 Now he lays down his freedoms and his preferences. 268 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:36,800 Look what he does in verses 19 through 23. 269 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:42,320 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a 270 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:46,000 slave to everyone to win as many as possible. 271 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:49,800 To the Jews, I became like a Jew to win the Jews. 272 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:53,240 To those under the law, I became like one under the law. 273 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:57,640 Though I myself am not under the law, so as to win those under 274 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:00,800 the law to those who live are not having the law. 275 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:02,600 I became like 1 not having the law. 276 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:07,480 Though I am not free from God's law, but am under Christ's law 277 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:11,120 so as to win those not having the law. 278 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:13,680 He's making a distinction between Jewish people who are 279 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:16,560 living under the Old Testament law and Gentiles who are not 280 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:20,040 living under the Old Testament law at all, who are both coming 281 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:22,440 to faith. Watch this. 282 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:25,520 To the weak, I became weak. Why? 283 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:30,160 To win the weak. This is a great life verse if 284 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:34,360 you're looking for one. I have become all things to all 285 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:43,520 people, so that by all possible means I might save some. 286 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:49,600 I do all of this for the sake of the gospel that I might share or 287 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:53,320 may share in its blessings. Now, let me be clear. 288 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:56,520 Paul is not becoming a chameleon who's just trying to blend in 289 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:58,960 with absolutely everybody and try to figure out how to 290 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:01,200 navigate peer pressure and just blend in. 291 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:04,960 Paul is not a guy who blends in. Paul's a guy who's highly 292 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:09,040 respectful. He's purposeful, he's 293 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,720 considerate as he deals with different groups of people. 294 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,520 When he was with the Jews, even though he didn't have to live by 295 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:19,280 all their dietary restrictions and all their ceremonies and all 296 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,640 their rituals, if he was ministering to Jews, he would go 297 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,359 through all the ceremonies, all the rituals, and he would 298 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:30,000 embrace all of the dietary restrictions and traditions out 299 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:35,560 of love to reach as many Jews as possible for the Kingdom of 300 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:39,520 heaven. To those who were Gentiles, 301 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:41,520 people who are not under the law, you guys are Gentiles. 302 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:42,680 You didn't grow up under the law. 303 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:47,640 He would enjoy all the liberties of not being under the Old 304 00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:51,800 Testament law. When he says to the weak, I have 305 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:56,000 become weak, so as to when those who are weak, what he's doing in 306 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,960 those moments is he is sympathizing with the weaker 307 00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:05,520 brother, the one who stumbles. So that way, the person who is 308 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:08,920 new to their faith and weak in their faith, he identifies and 309 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:12,600 he sympathizes with them. Here's what this would look like 310 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:16,800 today if all of a sudden a bunch of Amish people started showing 311 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:20,160 up in your life and they were new to their faith in Christ as 312 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,480 we were experiencing it. Here's what Paul would do. 313 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:25,720 He would sell his car, He would forego electricity. 314 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:28,680 He'd buy one awesome mule, and he would go live it out. 315 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:32,480 He'd be like, let's go, let's do it, Amish for Jesus. 316 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:38,880 And he'd be all in if he was ministering to Mormons who had 317 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:42,320 just left the Mormon faith and we're coming to faith in Christ 318 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:44,800 and they were still kind of carrying some of their Mormon 319 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:47,560 baggage and we can't have any caffeine. 320 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:49,560 He would go, all right, sounds good. 321 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:53,400 I guess we're living life without caffeine, which sounds 322 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:56,720 super scary to me. And he'd be like, listen, no 323 00:18:56,720 --> 00:18:59,720 coffee, no Starbucks, no energy drinks. 324 00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:02,880 He would be like, listen, if that's what it means that I can 325 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:06,720 reach more Mormon people by not drinking, getting my Diet Coke, 326 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:09,520 he would lay that down. Why? 327 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:13,000 For this hope that he might save some, If you were ministering to 328 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,000 a bunch of Jewish people, he would go, all right, fine. 329 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:18,280 I'm never eating bacon again. And that's where some of you are 330 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:19,680 like, oh, this we're getting serious now. 331 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,720 Like, I don't know if I love somebody more than I love bacon. 332 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:24,760 Like I've been, I've been thinking it through. 333 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:27,280 I'm going to choose the bacon every time Paul goes no. 334 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:30,880 If I was going to go minister to a bunch of Jewish people who are 335 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,840 coming to faith in Jesus and when they saw bacon, it was just 336 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,120 hard for them to navigate that after spending years of not 337 00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:39,000 eating pork. And Paul would be like, not a 338 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:41,640 problem, bro, when you're with me, no bacon. 339 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:44,960 He has the freedom in Christ to eat it, but he says no. 340 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:49,600 If he decided that he was going to minister to Cowboys, he'd be 341 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:51,400 like, OK, I'm not drinking any more Ipas. 342 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:53,280 I'm only drinking light beer for the rest of my life. 343 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:55,680 He would be all in. Some of you didn't get that 344 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:57,280 joke, but for the fellas, you know what I'm saying? 345 00:19:57,600 --> 00:19:59,480 OK, Ipas became like the hipster drink. 346 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:06,400 He was willing to give up things that were his rights to minister 347 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:09,440 to those that Christ died for. Why? 348 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:15,000 For the sake of the gospel, for the sake of the Kingdom of 349 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:18,600 heaven. He found something so valuable. 350 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:24,200 That it was easy for him to lay down things and embrace 351 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:26,600 discipline. Third illustration that Paul 352 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:30,080 gives in his own life in First Corinthians Chapter 9 is that he 353 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:34,240 is willing to embrace a life of discipline in order to be an 354 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:38,400 example and to be useful. Turn to your neighbor and say 355 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:41,760 useful. First Corinthians Chapter 9, 356 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:46,080 verses 24 through 27. Do you not know that in a race 357 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:50,120 all the runners run but only one gets the prize? 358 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:57,240 Run in such a way as to get the prize. 359 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,560 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. 360 00:21:02,360 --> 00:21:10,240 They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to 361 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:14,240 get a crown that will last forever. 362 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:19,480 Therefore, do not run like someone running aimlessly. 363 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:24,200 Do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 364 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:32,280 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that 365 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:36,880 after I have preached to others, I myself will not be 366 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:42,640 disqualified for the prize. Lots of people line up at the 367 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:46,960 track meet, but only one gets first place and wins the race. 368 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:51,800 Lots of people make it to the Olympics, but only one person in 369 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:58,240 the event gets the gold. And they do it for a crown that 370 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:02,000 will not last. But what you and I do for the 371 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:07,600 Kingdom of heaven gives us a crown that will last forever. 372 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,840 When Paul's using this illustration, he's talking to 373 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:15,400 Greeks, and Greeks had two major athletic competitions. 1 is the 374 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:17,440 Olympics, which we still do today. 375 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:20,640 The other one was the Ismian Games. 376 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:25,360 Now, the Ismian Games were actually held in Corinth, so the 377 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:30,720 illustration is close to home, and the competitors had to sign 378 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:35,560 up and go into 10 months of strict training in order to 379 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:38,960 compete. Then in the last month, they 380 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:43,040 would descend on Corinth and there they would spend a month 381 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:48,440 in supervised workouts and the winner of the event in the 382 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:52,960 Ismian Games would receive a crown out made out of pine 383 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:56,160 leaves. However, eventually that crown, 384 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:59,200 since it was made of pine leaves, would wither and fade, 385 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:04,760 and the influence of that person who at once wore that crown 386 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:10,520 would wither and fade. But Paul says the things we do 387 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:15,640 for the Kingdom of God will get us a crown that will last 388 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:18,800 forever. I've shown this to many of you 389 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:22,160 guys before, but a couple of years back I came across the 390 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,560 workout routine of Tom Brady, and it was super convicting for 391 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:29,240 me. Now, Tom Brady will go down more 392 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:32,840 than likely as the greatest champion in the NFL. 393 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:35,000 Now let me back that up for support, OK? 394 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:40,000 He has seven Super Bowl rings. Seven. 395 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:46,200 That is the same as Joe Montana and Patrick Mahomes combined. 396 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:50,720 That's the same as Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman 397 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:54,400 combined. He has the same number of Super 398 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:59,360 Bowl rings as Eli Manning, Peyton Manning and John Elway 399 00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:04,520 combined. The dude was like what's it take 400 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:08,200 to win Super Bowls? Let's go look at his workout 401 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:09,480 routine. Let's walk through this. 402 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:16,120 OK, 5:30 wake up six AM 20 ounces of water. 403 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:20,640 Don't know what that is. 630 supplements. 7:00 AM Protein 404 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:24,040 shake, smoothies or protein smoothie, seeds and nuts. 405 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:30,800 OK, 730 AM pre workout pliability session 8 to 10 406 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:35,080 strength and conditioning workout 10 AM post workout 407 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:40,680 pliability session 10:30 AM protein shake 1045 prepares 64 408 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:45,440 ounces of electrolytes something 11 AM film study, 12 year lunch 409 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:47,800 with fishing. I don't know if that last word 410 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:51,840 that whatever those are two PM snack. 411 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:53,560 See this is where Tom and I start going. 412 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:56,600 OK, we're on the same page. I do a 2:00 PM snack. 413 00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:01,560 I know what that is. 3:00 PM practice 515 post practice 414 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:05,240 recovery with protein shake. 530 post practice pliability 415 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:08,520 session. 6:00 PM dinner. Organic meat something and bone 416 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:12,800 broth 8:00 PM Recovery pliability session 830 Recovery 417 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:18,760 supplements 9:00 bedtime Bioceramic sleepwear 60 to 65° 418 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:20,880 No digital distraction 30 minutes before bed. 419 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:25,040 These are all the things that he put himself through in order to 420 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:30,800 put himself in the best possible situation to win football games. 421 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:37,200 That is the level of sacrifice he was willing to endure and 422 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:45,880 embrace for a game. And 25 years from now your 423 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:48,760 grandkids will be going to who's the weird guy in the gold 424 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:56,320 jacket? And 40 years from now he'll just 425 00:25:56,320 --> 00:26:03,640 be a stat on a Wikipedia page. And 100 years from now, almost 426 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:09,320 no one will remember his name. All of that energy, all of that 427 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:16,440 effort, all of that discipline for a crown that will not last. 428 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:22,760 If you're a Christian, we believe that God is real, Jesus 429 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:27,200 is alive, the Bible is true, the debt has been paid, Hell is hot, 430 00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:30,520 heaven is glorious, and eternity is a really long time. 431 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:39,280 So let me ask you. What freedom would you be 432 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:45,440 willing to give up and what sacrifice would you embrace for 433 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:53,880 the Kingdom of heaven? If what we believe, we really 434 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:58,920 believe it. So much so that when we find it, 435 00:27:00,120 --> 00:27:03,720 we are willing to let go of all that we have and all that we 436 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:07,200 have been, so that way we can taste it. 437 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:11,520 Paul finds a relationship with Jesus. 438 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:15,000 He's radically transformed and saved. 439 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:19,800 And Paul gives up all the things that he's had, not just to 440 00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:24,320 receive it, but to make sure that other people find what he 441 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:28,640 has found in Jesus. Can I step on your toes for a 442 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:33,240 little bit? Some of you've been saying that 443 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:37,120 you don't know enough to talk to people about Jesus, and you've 444 00:27:37,120 --> 00:27:43,560 been saying that for a decade. It's time to change it. 445 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:47,960 Do what you need to do. What discipline do you need to 446 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:50,040 embrace what? What freedom do you need to 447 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:51,640 release? I think for you, it's time for 448 00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:54,160 you to say, let's go. Some of you've been waiting to 449 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,400 get serious about your faith in Jesus. 450 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:00,600 But listen, the bottom line is you probably know enough to say 451 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:02,240 yes to Jesus. You're just not ready to 452 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:04,800 surrender to Jesus. But the good news is you can 453 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:07,080 surrender to Jesus today. Let's go. 454 00:28:07,720 --> 00:28:10,560 Some of you have been wanting to be a part of what God is doing 455 00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:12,960 and to be involved in the mission and start serving and 456 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:15,720 helping other people find what you have found in Jesus Christ. 457 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:17,640 And I want to tell you, you don't have to wait for the right 458 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:20,280 time because the right time is now for you to get involved. 459 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:22,080 I say it's time for you to say let's go. 460 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:25,240 Some of you, you've been allowing greed and selfishness 461 00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:27,720 and fear to keep you from generously supporting the 462 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:29,080 advancement of the Kingdom of God. 463 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:31,040 What if today you just said let's go? 464 00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:34,080 Some of you've been waiting for the right time to start leading 465 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:36,800 your family spiritually until you get everything figured out, 466 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:38,000 until you have the right schedule. 467 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:40,000 I want you to know that that is never going to come. 468 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:42,840 What you have to do is just decide that today is going to be 469 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:46,080 the day where I'm going to embrace a discipline or I'm 470 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:49,360 going to release a freedom so that other people can find and 471 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:52,240 experience what I found and experienced in Christ. 472 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:55,360 Some of you, you've been wanting to grow spiritually, but the 473 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:57,720 snooze button is winning every single morning. 474 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:02,200 Let's go. Some of you, you've been 475 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:05,080 allowing your social media posts to destroy your witness. 476 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:10,520 What would you be willing to give up and what discipline 477 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:13,840 would you be willing to embrace for the Kingdom of heaven? 478 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:18,240 Paul says I do not run aimlessly. 479 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:24,240 In other words, Paul is saying that I am running with purpose. 480 00:29:25,440 --> 00:29:29,960 Can you say that if somebody were to watch the reel of your 481 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:34,280 life, if they were to put your schedule up on the day and we 482 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:37,160 were to evaluate how you spend your day, would they go that 483 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:43,360 that person is a person of purpose, They're on a mission. 484 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:51,480 Their priorities are clear, and if they were to put yours up and 485 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:52,880 say why are you living the way you're living? 486 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:55,440 Would they be able to come to the conclusion, just looking at 487 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:59,720 your schedule and your commitments, that you were 488 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,480 committed to helping other people find a relationship with 489 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:05,960 Jesus Christ? Are you running with purpose? 490 00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:08,200 Are you running with purpose in your home? 491 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:11,160 Are you running with purpose in your mornings? 492 00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:14,440 Are you running with purpose as you go into work? 493 00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:18,000 Or are you just clocking in and clocking out and not realizing 494 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:19,960 that if you were to come on staff at church, you know the 495 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:22,720 number one thing that people who come on staff at church mess? 496 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:26,200 You ready for this? Being around all the people that 497 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:29,280 don't know Jesus? You know those people that 498 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:31,280 you're like, I can't stand these people because they're so far 499 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:33,240 from Jesus. Do you know if you have the 500 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,240 right heart, all you want is to be around jacked up, messed up 501 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:38,600 people. You tracking with me? 502 00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:41,840 We want to be where the people are. 503 00:30:41,840 --> 00:30:44,000 We're like Ariel, that reference. 504 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:46,680 Some of you get it. OK, that. 505 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:47,960 Oh, boy. Caffeine. 506 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,640 All right. Oh, this. 507 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:53,600 The whole song is going off in my head right now. 508 00:30:53,600 --> 00:30:57,720 Like fireworks. What would you. 509 00:30:57,720 --> 00:30:59,160 Oh, my goodness. It's still going. 510 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:04,600 Ursula. OK, now I'm serious. 511 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,440 When you are going into work, all the people that are driving 512 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:09,560 you nuts, do you realize that that's your mission field? 513 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:14,200 And when you go in there, are you going in with purpose? 514 00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:21,640 Paul is saying I have found something in Jesus and I want 515 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:24,600 other people to have it. And so it filters everything 516 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:28,120 over here. And if you have found what I 517 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:30,720 have found in Jesus, and if you have found what Paul has found 518 00:31:30,720 --> 00:31:35,240 in Jesus, there is no way that we can waste our lives with no 519 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:37,480 purpose and no ambition and no direction. 520 00:31:38,120 --> 00:31:42,520 So I ask you, what freedom would you be willing to release and 521 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:44,960 what sacrifice would you be willing or discipline would you 522 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:47,800 be willing to embrace for the Kingdom of heaven crossing 523 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:49,440 family? I say let's go. 524 00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:51,000 We're moving to a time of decision. 525 00:31:55,880 --> 00:31:58,640 To those of you in here or watching online that do not have 526 00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:00,920 an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ, 527 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:03,120 let me just tell you, there is no better time than today. 528 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:06,080 I really do believe everything that I just told you. 529 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:10,240 I believe that God is real. I believe that Jesus is alive. 530 00:32:10,240 --> 00:32:11,880 I believe that the Bible is true. 531 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:14,600 I believe that heaven is glorious. 532 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:17,040 I believe that hell is hot, and I believe that eternity is a 533 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:20,640 really long time. And because of that, I owe it to 534 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:24,400 you to make sure that you know and understand that today you 535 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:27,560 can find a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. 536 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:31,400 Your ability to get into heaven will not be based off of your 537 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:33,680 good deeds or your works. They are not enough. 538 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:37,280 Paul says, I have more good works and good deeds than any of 539 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:40,280 you and I consider them all rubbish. 540 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:45,280 But through the saving work of Jesus Christ on our behalf that 541 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:49,760 we lay hold of through faith, you can find and have what I 542 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:53,880 have found and have in Jesus. And so in just a few moments, 543 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:56,160 when the people around you stand and say, and some of the people 544 00:32:56,160 --> 00:33:01,080 come to the steps and pray in a bold, courageous, purposeful act 545 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:05,080 of obedience, today could be the day that you respond to the call 546 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:09,520 of Jesus on your life. And right over there underneath 547 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:11,600 that screen, next to the baptistery, there will be people 548 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,160 there who would love to talk to you and answer some of the 549 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:17,120 questions that you have. Maybe you don't want to go and 550 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:18,560 talk to them. Talk to somebody who's in your 551 00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:23,040 row. Don't put it off any longer. 552 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:26,640 To those of you who do have an intimate, personal relationship 553 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:30,040 with Jesus Christ, I want you. Whether you do it at the steps 554 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:32,480 or you do it in your seat. I want you to spend some time 555 00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:38,600 asking what is a freedom you are willing to lay down and a 556 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:44,320 discipline you are willing to embrace so that other people can 557 00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:46,800 find what you have found in Jesus. 558 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:55,840 The kind of church we want to be are people who are not waiting 559 00:33:55,840 --> 00:33:58,040 for other people to get serious about their faith. 560 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:01,040 We want to be the people who are getting serious about their 561 00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:03,840 faith. We don't want everybody else to 562 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:06,080 start acting right. We want to be people who start 563 00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:08,239 acting right. We want to be people who lead by 564 00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:11,560 example, who are willing to be the first people to respond, the 565 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:13,960 first people to stand up, the first people to be convicted, 566 00:34:14,159 --> 00:34:16,719 first people to pray, the first people that say, yeah, let's go. 567 00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:19,360 And this is your opportunity to be that. 568 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:28,040 Would you stand with me, Heavenly Father, in this moment? 569 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:32,520 There is nothing I can add that your spirit can't do infinitely 570 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:37,719 better. And so God in faith, I'm just 571 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:42,679 asking that right now you would drown out all the distractions 572 00:34:42,679 --> 00:34:50,159 that Satan is planting in our minds, delete the grocery lists 573 00:34:50,159 --> 00:34:53,360 and the to do lists that we have to figure out for the rest of 574 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:56,159 the day. And God, would you just create a 575 00:34:56,239 --> 00:35:02,320 holy moment with you and give every single one of us divine 576 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:05,640 clarity on what it is that you want us to do? 577 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:09,800 And then, God, would you give us the strength to carry it out? 578 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:14,920 And God, we're not worried about whether or not we're going to be 579 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:18,560 still living this way a month from now or a week from now, or 580 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:21,480 even tomorrow. God, would you just give us the 581 00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:23,640 strength and the courage to live it out today? 582 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:25,600 Your name I pray. Amen.