1 00:00:00,300 --> 00:00:02,200 Wow, how are you doing Crossing Church? 2 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:07,000 Are you doing, okay? That doesn't light a fire under 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:11,700 your Woods wet. Need to dry out, something needs 4 00:00:11,700 --> 00:00:15,500 to happen. Well, I am so glad to be here 5 00:00:15,500 --> 00:00:21,300 with all of you with everyone online, everyone inside all of 6 00:00:21,300 --> 00:00:24,300 our locations. It's so great to get together 7 00:00:24,300 --> 00:00:27,400 because when the people of the Lord get together and the Holy 8 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:31,800 Spirit inhabits, the Praises of his people stuff happens, the 9 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:35,200 Holy Spirit, begins working, amazing, things happen. 10 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:39,000 And I pray that that is something that happens. 11 00:00:39,100 --> 00:00:43,200 There's something special that happens to you today. 12 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:45,900 I want to welcome all of our campuses joining together and 13 00:00:45,908 --> 00:00:51,500 we're in a series called reclaim restoring what was lost fixing 14 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:55,000 what was broken and we've learned a lot, we've already 15 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,600 learned a lot in this series, there's a lot of things to 16 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:03,200 reclaim in our marriages. There's so much working against 17 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:06,000 us. Those of us that are married, I 18 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,500 mean culture is just coming against us, slamming down on us, 19 00:01:10,500 --> 00:01:15,100 and we have to get back to the basics, or we have to find the 20 00:01:15,100 --> 00:01:18,200 basics for the first time Allison. 21 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:22,000 I just came back from two days at our camp at a marriage 22 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,900 Retreat. And it's just so rewarding to 23 00:01:24,900 --> 00:01:28,200 see the lights come on in people's lives, are asking 24 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,800 really substantive questions and things are getting put together 25 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,300 or put back together in a right way. 26 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,100 Way. That's so encouraging to me that 27 00:01:36,100 --> 00:01:40,900 we can actually do proactive things to reclaim our marriages 28 00:01:40,900 --> 00:01:44,500 last a couple of weeks ago. Clayton talked about technology 29 00:01:44,700 --> 00:01:48,400 and how how I social media and other types of Technology 30 00:01:48,500 --> 00:01:52,000 supposed to connect us. Actually disconnect us from 31 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,600 every critical relationship that we hold dear. 32 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,000 I started thinking about it and the context of my own life you 33 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:01,900 know how hyped up we can get. I mean, and right now for 34 00:02:01,900 --> 00:02:05,600 clickbait all of them. Media and social media are 35 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:09,000 trying to just get us angry, stir us up all the time. 36 00:02:09,199 --> 00:02:11,400 And I don't know about you, but I get the feeling that in my 37 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,900 heart. And so I deleted Facebook 38 00:02:15,900 --> 00:02:18,000 Twitter and Instagram off my phone. 39 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:21,400 You know what? I don't feel less. 40 00:02:23,300 --> 00:02:27,800 Then I felt before, because I could feel myself, amping up. 41 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:32,200 We have to reclaim the quality of those relationships last 42 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,100 week. Clayton, talked about porn. 43 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,200 Wow. That's a hard topic to talk 44 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:41,500 about. I mean a tall order, right? 45 00:02:41,500 --> 00:02:45,600 And and he did such an excellent job and the thing I love the 46 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:50,700 most about last week's experience was, you know, we 47 00:02:50,700 --> 00:02:54,400 always call people to come to the front and you know, to just 48 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:58,400 kind of let the burdens go and of course you know who's going 49 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,000 to do that when you're preaching a sermon on born, right? 50 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,200 So there he's going to go. Oh yeah. 51 00:03:05,100 --> 00:03:08,700 And he said, come on Church everybody come up. 52 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,800 Let's prop provide cover for these other for people that are 53 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,100 dealing with this issue and the whole front was full of people 54 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:19,800 and I thought to myself if that isn't a picture of the church, 55 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:23,300 what is a picture of the church that we come around each other 56 00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:28,100 and we cover each other? With our prayers with our 57 00:03:28,100 --> 00:03:30,300 concerns? I thought that was awesome. 58 00:03:31,300 --> 00:03:36,800 We have to reclaim our Holiness because this stuff damages us 59 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:41,500 and our culture is saturated in sexualized things that really 60 00:03:41,500 --> 00:03:45,600 destroy healthy sexuality. Now today I'm going to be 61 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:48,500 talking about money and I know that some of you're going to go. 62 00:03:48,500 --> 00:03:52,400 Oh, great. He's talking about money now, 63 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:53,900 I'm not talking about church money. 64 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:58,900 I want to talk about your money. And I want you to think of the 65 00:03:58,900 --> 00:04:00,800 things that we've already discussed marriage. 66 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:05,100 Technology, sexuality. And now, today money, you know, 67 00:04:05,100 --> 00:04:09,900 they are all incredible blessings, aren't they? 68 00:04:09,900 --> 00:04:12,900 They all are but there's a reality that comes with 69 00:04:12,900 --> 00:04:15,900 blessings. There's always a dark side to 70 00:04:15,900 --> 00:04:19,000 every blessing and when something is used properly, it's 71 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:21,899 a blessing. And when it's misused or abused, 72 00:04:21,899 --> 00:04:26,300 it can become something. That's incredibly painful, more 73 00:04:26,300 --> 00:04:29,700 painful than Than the blessing can be. 74 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:37,300 And so, I'm so thankful. For the blessing of my marriage 75 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:41,300 because I win. I don't know about the rest of 76 00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:42,200 you. I mean it's great. 77 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:46,000 Maybe you're doing good in your bracket, you know, for the NCAA. 78 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,400 But when it comes to marriage I win you guys. 79 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,300 Good second third, fourth sixteenth, great. 80 00:04:51,300 --> 00:04:55,800 But right, there's number one, nobody beats me when it comes to 81 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:01,100 my wife, as as a life partner and a Ministry partner except 82 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:03,500 for my, that's my point of view. And that's the only one that 83 00:05:03,500 --> 00:05:08,800 matters in that bracket and I am thankful for technology, you 84 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:11,700 know, particularly Now that there's such a thing as face 85 00:05:11,700 --> 00:05:14,200 time because well, I miss my grandkids, I get to get on 86 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:18,100 FaceTime and I don't get to hear about how they lost a tooth. 87 00:05:18,100 --> 00:05:20,600 I get to see what they look like, with both our teeth brush 88 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:25,400 teeth gone or the latest toy that they're playing with, I'm 89 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:31,900 so thankful for that. I'm also thankful that we can 90 00:05:31,900 --> 00:05:35,200 have healthy sexuality because those grandkids that I'm talking 91 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:36,700 about that's where they came from. 92 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,500 Healthy sexuality and the Oneness that I get to experience 93 00:05:41,500 --> 00:05:44,100 with my spouse. And I'm also thankful for money. 94 00:05:44,300 --> 00:05:47,700 I'm thankful for the things that it can do the doors, that it can 95 00:05:47,700 --> 00:05:50,700 open the comfort that it can provide. 96 00:05:52,700 --> 00:05:55,900 But there is a dark side and that's why we need to talk about 97 00:05:55,900 --> 00:06:00,700 having these things. Reclaimed So, where do I start 98 00:06:00,700 --> 00:06:05,700 with this idea of money? Well, I'm going to start with 99 00:06:05,900 --> 00:06:09,500 history. There was a man who was 100 00:06:09,500 --> 00:06:12,700 considered one of the most powerful rulers of all time. 101 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:17,200 His name was Ramses. The second he was also known as 102 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:21,600 Ramses, the Great and he was the greatest leader of one of the 103 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:26,200 greatest kingdoms, that the world has ever seen the Kingdom 104 00:06:26,300 --> 00:06:32,900 of Egypt. He died in 1213, BC and 105 00:06:32,900 --> 00:06:37,300 Egyptians built monuments to him particularly at the city of 106 00:06:37,500 --> 00:06:41,200 Eve's. And one of those monuments was a 107 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:46,100 depiction of him Seated on a throne as a young rameses. 108 00:06:47,700 --> 00:06:52,900 It stood 62 feet high, that's imposing when you think about 109 00:06:52,900 --> 00:06:56,400 him sitting and it's still six stories high. 110 00:06:58,100 --> 00:07:02,000 And one of the things that made this particular depiction of 111 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:06,300 Ramses, the Great interesting was that it was inscribed on the 112 00:07:06,300 --> 00:07:10,700 bottom in Greek. Because at the time, of course, 113 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:13,200 nobody knew how to translate hieroglyphics. 114 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:18,300 They had discovered the Rosetta Stone yet and so, a lot of these 115 00:07:18,300 --> 00:07:23,000 things in Egypt were Mysteries. But this one wasn't a minister, 116 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:25,700 a mystery because it was inscribed in Greek. 117 00:07:25,700 --> 00:07:30,600 And this is what it said in Greek king of kings Ozymandias. 118 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:36,100 Am I if anyone to know how great I am and where I lie? 119 00:07:36,100 --> 00:07:39,100 Let him out. Do me in my work. 120 00:07:40,700 --> 00:07:43,800 Wow. So as man Dias is Greek for 121 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:49,400 Ramses. nearly 1,200 years later that would have meant at the 122 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:55,400 time of Christ a Greek historian named diodorus actually went to 123 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:59,400 thieves and witness the broken ruin of what had been this 124 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:03,300 colossal statue and wrote about it in his volume of world 125 00:08:03,300 --> 00:08:10,000 history and over 800 years after that, Amana a poet by the name 126 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:14,000 of Percy Shelley, got with some of his friends and they were 127 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:18,600 doing speed riding over different topics and the topic 128 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:25,100 that day was this archeological ruin of Ramses, the Great. 129 00:08:25,300 --> 00:08:30,300 And so they all wrote quickly in about 10 minutes, Percy Shelley 130 00:08:30,300 --> 00:08:36,200 wrote his most famous, sonnet, And this is what it says. 131 00:08:37,900 --> 00:08:42,400 I met a Traveller from an antique land who said, two vast 132 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,800 and trunkless legs of Stone Stand in the desert near them on 133 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,200 the sand. Half sunk a shattered Visage, 134 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:55,600 lies, whose frown, and wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command. 135 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:59,200 Tell that it's sculptor. Well, those passions read. 136 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,900 Which yet survive stamped on these lifeless things, the hand 137 00:09:04,900 --> 00:09:07,000 that mocked them and the heart that fed. 138 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:10,100 And on the pedestal, these words appear. 139 00:09:10,900 --> 00:09:14,600 My name is Ozymandias King of Kings. 140 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,400 Look on my Works, ye Mighty and despair. 141 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:24,900 Nothing beside remains round. The decay of that colossal 142 00:09:24,900 --> 00:09:30,400 wreck, boundless, and bare the lone and level, Sands stretch 143 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:35,600 far away. What a picture of how the Mighty 144 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:40,600 Fall. The accumulation of all this 145 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:44,700 wealth and all of this power. And all of this Fame designed to 146 00:09:44,700 --> 00:09:51,200 last forever immortalized, in stone, doesn't last forever at 147 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,600 all. And if that's what we're living 148 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:59,900 for, if that's what your Desiring, you're placing your 149 00:09:59,900 --> 00:10:05,000 faith in the wrong place. Now I'm not talking about the 150 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:10,900 money, it's about where money or power or the pursuit of that 151 00:10:10,900 --> 00:10:14,700 stands on the list of priorities of your life. 152 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,700 And some of those heartbreaking stories that I've ever heard 153 00:10:19,700 --> 00:10:24,300 since I've been at the Crossing, or stories of people who came to 154 00:10:24,300 --> 00:10:27,900 the crossing and, like, many of us before we have the 155 00:10:27,900 --> 00:10:31,300 experience, with this church, never knew that we could 156 00:10:31,300 --> 00:10:34,300 actually have an intimate personal relationship with Jesus 157 00:10:34,300 --> 00:10:37,000 Christ. We understood about religion, we 158 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,300 understood about going to church, but the thought that you 159 00:10:40,300 --> 00:10:44,300 could actually know Jesus that you could actually interact with 160 00:10:44,300 --> 00:10:48,300 Jesus, that you could, Have this relationship with Jesus was a 161 00:10:48,300 --> 00:10:52,500 foreign idea until they experienced it here, and they 162 00:10:52,500 --> 00:10:55,000 experienced massive transformation and that 163 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:57,800 transformation went out into their marriage, into their 164 00:10:57,800 --> 00:11:01,400 family, into their extended family, and it's so beautiful, 165 00:11:01,500 --> 00:11:05,200 and they became rooted in a spiritual community. 166 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:08,800 And they were flourishing and bearing fruit. 167 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:12,700 And then I've seen some of those same people here about 168 00:11:12,700 --> 00:11:17,100 opportunities, maybe more money, maybe A career advancement. 169 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,500 And the desire for that next thing that desire to go up the 170 00:11:21,500 --> 00:11:24,900 next rung of the ladder. LED them to go somewhere else 171 00:11:25,100 --> 00:11:27,500 and they hadn't done their homework about, where's the 172 00:11:27,500 --> 00:11:30,100 spiritual Community down there. I've had phone calls where 173 00:11:30,100 --> 00:11:31,800 they've called me and said, can you help me? 174 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:33,000 We're trying to find a place down. 175 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:36,100 We're not able to find a place down here and you know, we're 176 00:11:36,100 --> 00:11:38,300 watching online or we're doing this or that. 177 00:11:39,700 --> 00:11:43,100 And they never get rooted, they never get routed down. 178 00:11:43,100 --> 00:11:46,600 They ever put foundations down in a new spiritual community and 179 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:50,500 then I hear the story later on that the marriage is blown up, 180 00:11:50,500 --> 00:12:00,800 the family's blown up. And it's just a tragedy. now, 181 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:04,600 I'm not saying that you can't do it like once you're here, you 182 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:08,500 know, the door only swings one way you can't leave, but I am 183 00:12:08,500 --> 00:12:11,900 saying that you have to pay careful attention to the most 184 00:12:11,900 --> 00:12:16,000 important things in life because without the spiritual support 185 00:12:17,500 --> 00:12:21,600 bad things can really happen and wealth can be a blessing, but 186 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:28,000 only if it's used in the way that God intended, The Apostle 187 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:33,500 Paul was teaching Timothy about this very thing and in 1st 188 00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:40,000 Timothy Chapter 6 in verse 6 he says this but godliness with 189 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:44,600 contentment is great gain for we brought nothing into the world 190 00:12:44,900 --> 00:12:46,400 and we can take nothing out of it. 191 00:12:46,700 --> 00:12:49,100 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content 192 00:12:49,100 --> 00:12:51,600 with that. But those who want to get rich 193 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,900 fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and 194 00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:58,600 harmful desires. Plunge people into ruin and 195 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:01,800 destruction. For the Love of Money is the 196 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:05,200 root of all kinds of evil. And some people eager for money. 197 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:09,700 Have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many 198 00:13:09,700 --> 00:13:15,200 griefs. now, I want to go back into that scripture and I want 199 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:18,600 you to look at the beginning of it, and I think every single 200 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:22,200 person Listening to the sound of my voice right now. 201 00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:25,200 Would agree with me and agree with this scripture. 202 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:28,800 That that's what we want. He says godliness with 203 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:33,600 contentment is great gain. How many of you really love the 204 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:35,700 idea of godliness you want to be more Godly? 205 00:13:35,700 --> 00:13:37,900 You want to be closer to God than you are? 206 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:39,500 How many of you would agree with that? 207 00:13:39,500 --> 00:13:41,300 Right now you say yep. That's what I want. 208 00:13:41,300 --> 00:13:44,200 Sure, of course we all want that right? 209 00:13:45,300 --> 00:13:48,600 And then the second thing that said, there is contentment. 210 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:52,400 Contentment. How many of you are pursuing? 211 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,300 The Secret of contentment? You want to be content? 212 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:57,700 No matter what, the circumstance that you'd love to be more 213 00:13:57,700 --> 00:13:59,100 content. How about that? 214 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,900 Yeah, again, we're all in agreement. 215 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,700 That's what we want. But where we looking for that, 216 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:14,300 Where's the source for that? And then you see this other 217 00:14:14,300 --> 00:14:19,300 thing and I can I know that nobody wants this other thing 218 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:24,100 that people who want to get rich and that uses the word fall fall 219 00:14:24,100 --> 00:14:28,100 into temptation, kind of gives you this idea of a pit like like 220 00:14:28,100 --> 00:14:30,600 like like you're just falling into this big a hole in the 221 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,600 ground, right? They fall into temptation. 222 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:35,000 How many of you want to be tempted? 223 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:39,500 Oh yeah, tent me. And attract, how many of you 224 00:14:39,500 --> 00:14:43,300 want to be entrapped? Not a hand. 225 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:49,200 How many you want to have foolish and harmful desires. 226 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:51,700 Give me some foolish and harmful desires. 227 00:14:51,900 --> 00:14:54,400 I'm anybody know where I can get some foolish and harmful 228 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:57,600 desires. No, nobody's asking for that. 229 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:02,300 Nobody wants that. And then it uses the word plunge 230 00:15:02,300 --> 00:15:06,600 plunge people. Again this idea of falling ruin 231 00:15:06,600 --> 00:15:11,200 into ruin and destruction because somebody please show me 232 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:16,300 where I can get some ruin and destruction because that's what 233 00:15:16,300 --> 00:15:19,700 I want. Nobody wants that. 234 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,400 And yet how many people are looking for the opposite thing? 235 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:29,900 Then what is provided? Because people who want to get 236 00:15:29,900 --> 00:15:37,100 rich, believe in that lie. Now, I want to put this in the 237 00:15:37,100 --> 00:15:40,600 proper perspective, I'm not saying that money is bad, I'm 238 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:42,900 not saying that taking care of your families, but on the 239 00:15:42,900 --> 00:15:48,000 contrary, in first Timothy 5:8, just one chapter before just one 240 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,500 page before in your Bible, Paul instructs Timothy. 241 00:15:51,500 --> 00:15:55,500 He says, anyone who does not provide for their relatives and 242 00:15:55,500 --> 00:15:59,700 especially for their own household, has denied the faith 243 00:15:59,900 --> 00:16:02,800 and is worse than an unbeliever. I don't think anybody wants to 244 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:05,100 be worse than an unbeliever. That's pretty bad. 245 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:06,700 Do I I want to be worse than one. 246 00:16:06,700 --> 00:16:09,200 Well if you don't provide for your family, you're worth. 247 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:11,700 So wait a minute. This is frustrating. 248 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,400 On the one hand you tell me I'm supposed to avoid the love of 249 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:17,300 money. On the other hand, I'm supposed 250 00:16:17,300 --> 00:16:20,300 to provide for my family. So how do I walk this tightrope? 251 00:16:21,100 --> 00:16:25,100 I don't understand how these two things work together. 252 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:29,900 Maybe a better way to say it is, how do I enjoy the blessings of 253 00:16:29,900 --> 00:16:34,400 God's Financial provision but not let it spin me out or my 254 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:37,700 family out? Well, let's Let Jesus instruct 255 00:16:37,700 --> 00:16:41,200 us today. Let's look, Jesus teach us. 256 00:16:42,500 --> 00:16:46,500 So Jesus is preaching the most epic sermon of all time. 257 00:16:46,500 --> 00:16:49,400 The Sermon on the Mount, is Matthew, 5, 6, and 7. 258 00:16:50,500 --> 00:16:55,700 And as he's coming to the ending of that sermon, he tells this 259 00:16:55,700 --> 00:16:59,400 story. This, this Parable, this lesson 260 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:04,300 in the story and it has to do with this very thing. 261 00:17:05,599 --> 00:17:07,700 And this is what I want to bring to you. 262 00:17:07,700 --> 00:17:12,400 You have to start if you want to walk that rope that tightrope 263 00:17:12,599 --> 00:17:15,900 you have to build your life on the right foundation. 264 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:21,800 Matthew 7:24 to 27 says therefore anyone who hears these 265 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:25,700 words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who 266 00:17:25,700 --> 00:17:29,400 built his house on the rock and the rain came down the streams 267 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,100 Rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house yet, it 268 00:17:33,100 --> 00:17:38,100 did not fall because it has Had its foundations on the rock. 269 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,200 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put 270 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,700 them into practice, is like a foolish man who built his house 271 00:17:45,900 --> 00:17:49,400 on the sand, and the rain came down the streams Rose, and the 272 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:52,100 winds blew and beat against that house. 273 00:17:53,100 --> 00:17:56,900 And it fell. With a great crash. 274 00:17:59,500 --> 00:18:05,100 We need to build our life on a firm foundation. 275 00:18:06,900 --> 00:18:10,800 We sing that song. That Christ is my firm 276 00:18:10,800 --> 00:18:15,400 foundation. Do you have a firm foundation? 277 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:20,500 Do your foundations go deep? Are they stable? 278 00:18:21,700 --> 00:18:25,800 A couple of years ago we did a series I love this series and 10 279 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,800 lessons in it and we started at the beginning of the year was 280 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:33,000 called closed on Sunday and it was based off of a song that 281 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:37,400 Kanye West had written and he had just released this album 282 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:42,200 that went like Mega platinum and it was just an awesome awesome 283 00:18:42,900 --> 00:18:45,400 song. I remember the lyrics like stand 284 00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,300 up for my home. Even if I have to walk this 285 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:51,300 alone you remember that was just like wow. 286 00:18:51,500 --> 00:18:56,900 It just captured the this idea this concept of putting Christ 287 00:18:56,900 --> 00:19:01,600 first and putting down those kinds of Foundations. 288 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:10,100 I remember my son Joey said Jerry or dad live by the Kanye 289 00:19:10,100 --> 00:19:13,700 die by the Kanye. So he said, be careful because, 290 00:19:13,900 --> 00:19:19,800 you know, the the wind blows around and I but I really think 291 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:22,500 I really think that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were 292 00:19:22,500 --> 00:19:26,200 trying to make it happen. They really were but it didn't 293 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:30,100 last. And those of you that do follow 294 00:19:30,100 --> 00:19:33,400 these things on social media, know that Kim's back to dating 295 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:39,000 around and doing skimpy. Photoshoots and Kanye who is 296 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:43,200 now, ye is getting cancelled for all of his outrageousness. 297 00:19:44,100 --> 00:19:47,200 And all I can think is that. So sad, you know, why it's sad 298 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:49,300 because it was all in front of them. 299 00:19:51,500 --> 00:19:56,900 They knew the right answer. But worldly desires got the best 300 00:19:56,900 --> 00:20:01,800 of them. A good foundation is expensive 301 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:06,900 and it's even more expensive. If you've already built a whole 302 00:20:06,900 --> 00:20:10,300 structure of your life on a bad Foundation, because what that 303 00:20:10,300 --> 00:20:14,600 means is, you got to tear all of that down all the way down 304 00:20:14,700 --> 00:20:16,900 below. Those foundations and lay the 305 00:20:16,900 --> 00:20:20,300 right one. The Apostle Paul said in First 306 00:20:20,300 --> 00:20:22,900 Corinthians 3, there is no Foundation that can be laid 307 00:20:22,900 --> 00:20:26,900 other than the one already laid and that Foundation is Jesus 308 00:20:26,900 --> 00:20:30,600 Christ. He has to be that foundation and 309 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:39,000 they have to go down deep. so, my question to you, is this Are 310 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:42,600 you on the right foundation? Do you have an intimate personal 311 00:20:42,600 --> 00:20:47,000 relationship with Jesus Christ? If you're going to try to live 312 00:20:47,100 --> 00:20:51,800 on that tightrope to be providing for your family and at 313 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:56,800 the same time, not allowing the love of money to take you down, 314 00:20:56,800 --> 00:21:00,300 that really destructive Road. You have to have that 315 00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:06,100 relationship with Jesus. So if that's the case, maybe 316 00:21:06,100 --> 00:21:08,500 some of you are saying, hey, I've laid that I've got that 317 00:21:08,500 --> 00:21:11,600 Foundation. Jesus Christ is the rock on 318 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:12,900 which I stand. Great. 319 00:21:13,300 --> 00:21:19,800 What are you building on it? And what could we learn from 320 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:22,700 Jesus on how to build what we build on it? 321 00:21:23,300 --> 00:21:26,100 How about this, don't build what you can't afford. 322 00:21:28,100 --> 00:21:30,300 Make sure you can afford what you build. 323 00:21:33,300 --> 00:21:38,200 Jesus told three stories in succession told the story of a 324 00:21:38,208 --> 00:21:41,100 hundred sheep and one got lost in the shepherd, went to find 325 00:21:41,100 --> 00:21:43,700 that lost sheep left the 99 to go. 326 00:21:43,700 --> 00:21:47,100 Find that one lost sheep. Then told a second story about a 327 00:21:47,108 --> 00:21:51,400 woman who had 10 coins and lost one of those coins and swept her 328 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:55,200 whole house to find it would rejoice when she found that one 329 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,800 of ten coins and then he concluded with a parable of two 330 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:02,200 sons. We know this story is The 331 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:06,000 Prodigal Son. And the younger, the one who 332 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,900 didn't have the responsibility to family, the wouldn't get the 333 00:22:08,900 --> 00:22:12,000 double portion of the inheritance asked his father to 334 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:16,300 have his inheritance early and his father did as he acts, so he 335 00:22:16,300 --> 00:22:18,500 gave him half of his inheritance. 336 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:23,000 Now that would have been a lot. You can build a life on that, 337 00:22:23,900 --> 00:22:29,900 but what did he decide to do? The Bible uses this term, he 338 00:22:29,900 --> 00:22:37,900 spent it on loose living. Anybody have any illustrations 339 00:22:37,900 --> 00:22:41,200 personally in your life about something that would fall under 340 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:45,100 the heading of loose living? Yeah. 341 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:51,000 How did that last? How did that work out? 342 00:22:51,100 --> 00:22:53,500 Could you afford that when you did that? 343 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:58,400 You know the story, right? So, he spent his inheritance on 344 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:02,200 that, and then when the money was gone, there was a famine in 345 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:05,200 the land and he was starving to death. 346 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:09,100 And so he found work in a pigsty but he still didn't have enough 347 00:23:09,100 --> 00:23:11,000 to eat and he was longing to eat. 348 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:15,900 The slop that was being fed to the pigs and then he said, I'll 349 00:23:15,900 --> 00:23:17,300 go home to my father. Either? 350 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:21,100 I don't deserve to be a son, I'll just be a hired servant he 351 00:23:21,100 --> 00:23:23,900 memorized this whole speech so you can. 352 00:23:23,900 --> 00:23:28,600 Can you see this emaciated disheveled young man coming 353 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:32,100 back, mustering the energy to come back to his father. 354 00:23:32,300 --> 00:23:34,800 The Bible says, while he was still a long way off and 355 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:40,500 probably not recognizable, his father saw him all that way away 356 00:23:40,500 --> 00:23:43,500 and ran to him. And here, he's got the speech 357 00:23:43,500 --> 00:23:48,600 prepared in the father throws, his arms around his Go, son and 358 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:53,000 won't hear any of that. My son was dead and is alive 359 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,300 again. He was lost and now he's found. 360 00:23:56,300 --> 00:24:00,500 Let's throw a party. What a beautiful picture of the 361 00:24:00,500 --> 00:24:07,900 love of God. for his children and yet, He didn't get another 362 00:24:07,900 --> 00:24:13,700 slice of inheritance, did he? It was gone and he had to start 363 00:24:13,700 --> 00:24:16,500 from scratch. This man had everything he 364 00:24:16,500 --> 00:24:19,100 needed for a great life, but he wasted it. 365 00:24:20,500 --> 00:24:24,000 The moral of this story for us is don't waste your life, don't 366 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:29,400 waste your resources, building. Something that is disposable so 367 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:34,000 many things in our lives, we've considered them disposable but 368 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,900 your life itself, that's not disposable. 369 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:41,100 It has Eternal ramifications eternal. 370 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:49,400 Joy said, pay you back. Don't blow that Sometimes. 371 00:24:50,700 --> 00:24:56,100 We get a skewed view of what makes life good. 372 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:01,000 So we build our lives on things that we shouldn't like on debt. 373 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:04,400 Now, I'm not saying that dead is a sin. 374 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:08,900 I'm not saying loan is a bad thing but it can ruin you. 375 00:25:11,500 --> 00:25:16,700 We have to be very careful with that and not try mean you me you 376 00:25:16,700 --> 00:25:19,000 me you might look at some other people and you go look at that 377 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:20,200 car. They're driving. 378 00:25:20,500 --> 00:25:22,900 I wish I had a car like that. Look at the house or living in. 379 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:24,900 I wish I had outside. Look at the clothes, they're 380 00:25:24,900 --> 00:25:26,800 wearing then I wish I had something like that. 381 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:28,500 And so what do we do with our credit card? 382 00:25:30,900 --> 00:25:36,400 Then what happens? When we're dealing with like, 383 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:44,800 exorbitant interest rates. We can spend our lives on once, 384 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:48,600 and totally miss what we need. And I need to tell you this. 385 00:25:48,700 --> 00:25:51,400 I'm 63 years old. So everybody that's younger than 386 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:56,800 me, listen to this. Okay, God is faithful. 387 00:25:58,100 --> 00:26:01,700 When you put him first, he will take care of you. 388 00:26:02,100 --> 00:26:05,100 You think you're good at taking care of your kids, he's better. 389 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:09,700 He will take care of you. But you have to put him first, 390 00:26:10,500 --> 00:26:15,300 you have to live your life by his priorities and not by your 391 00:26:15,300 --> 00:26:18,500 own. He has always been faithful some 392 00:26:18,500 --> 00:26:21,100 of you right now. You're saying I'm disconnecting 393 00:26:21,100 --> 00:26:25,900 from this because you don't I'm already there I'm already not 394 00:26:25,900 --> 00:26:30,400 not not in the good way but in the bad way like I'm like you 395 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:33,500 know I can't even get a credit card anymore, all the other ones 396 00:26:33,500 --> 00:26:35,200 are blown up. I got people, I got this. 397 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:36,600 I don't know how I'm going to make it. 398 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:40,800 I'm worried, I'm struggling. Look, we know that that's a 399 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:45,400 reality in your life and in American culture, and as a 400 00:26:45,408 --> 00:26:47,600 church, we want to reach out to you want to help you. 401 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:52,300 So at all of our locations today, there's an info bar. 402 00:26:52,300 --> 00:26:55,100 There's a place where you can connect and there's something 403 00:26:55,100 --> 00:26:57,200 we've been doing for a long time, Financial Peace 404 00:26:57,200 --> 00:27:01,200 University. And we want to encourage you to 405 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,200 go back to the info bar, at the end of a service and sign up. 406 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:05,600 And say, I want to be a part of that. 407 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:09,100 I want to learn how to do that, because the stories of how 408 00:27:09,100 --> 00:27:13,400 people in such a short time are actually able to reverse that 409 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:17,500 curse, you can do it. And it's christ-centered is 410 00:27:17,500 --> 00:27:19,400 god-honoring. You can do that some of your 411 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:20,600 going. I don't have time to attend a 412 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,000 class. We're going to have one online 413 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:28,200 for you. so, if you don't want to get in a car on a cold day, 414 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:34,600 we got you We want to be the people that have these things in 415 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:36,200 there, right? Order, our priorities, and our 416 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:37,900 right order. We want to help you do that. 417 00:27:38,900 --> 00:27:42,200 So, make sure you build on a right foundation. 418 00:27:42,500 --> 00:27:47,300 Don't build what you can afford and number three, build a life 419 00:27:47,700 --> 00:27:51,200 that lasts. You can have a good foundation 420 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:53,300 and you can build a good building. 421 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,900 What is your life but will it last? 422 00:27:59,900 --> 00:28:02,300 Jesus was confronted with the question. 423 00:28:02,300 --> 00:28:05,400 In Luke chapter 12, starting in verse 13. 424 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,900 Read it with me. It's someone in the crowd said 425 00:28:08,900 --> 00:28:11,500 to him. Teacher tell my brother to 426 00:28:11,500 --> 00:28:14,500 divide the inheritance with me and Jesus replied men who 427 00:28:14,500 --> 00:28:18,100 appointed me a judge in an Arbiter between you, then he 428 00:28:18,100 --> 00:28:22,800 said to them, watch out be on your guard against all kinds of 429 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:25,800 greed. Life does not consist in the 430 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:29,100 abundance of possessions, can I get an amen to that? 431 00:28:29,700 --> 00:28:33,600 Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions and he 432 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:37,100 told them this Parable, the ground of a certain rich, man 433 00:28:37,100 --> 00:28:40,200 yielded an abundant Harvest and he thought to himself. 434 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:42,600 What shall I do? I have no place to store my 435 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:45,000 crops then he said this is what I'll do. 436 00:28:45,100 --> 00:28:48,800 I will tear down my Barns and build bigger ones and there, I 437 00:28:48,808 --> 00:28:53,800 will store my Surplus grain and I'll say to myself, you have 438 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:56,900 plenty of grain light up laid up for many years. 439 00:28:57,600 --> 00:28:59,600 Take life, easy, eat drink and be merry. 440 00:29:00,700 --> 00:29:07,000 But God said to him, you fool, this very night, your life will 441 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,300 be demanded of you, then who will get what you've prepared 442 00:29:09,300 --> 00:29:12,700 for yourself? This is how it will be. 443 00:29:13,900 --> 00:29:16,600 With anyone who stores up things for themselves. 444 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:23,400 But is not rich toward God. you know, sometimes we think that 445 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:28,400 success, with possessions means that we are a successful person 446 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:32,700 it doesn't mean that we might think the bigger the barn, the 447 00:29:32,700 --> 00:29:36,800 better, the life, Sometimes we can feel that way. 448 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:38,600 I know that sometimes I felt that way. 449 00:29:40,100 --> 00:29:43,300 So a couple of months ago, January I was asked to speak 450 00:29:43,300 --> 00:29:47,400 down in Phoenix and a friend. This friend of mine invited me 451 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:50,500 to speak and it happened to be the same week as the 452 00:29:50,500 --> 00:29:53,700 Barrett-Jackson Auction. And I'll just say if, you know, 453 00:29:53,700 --> 00:29:57,200 you know, okay. One of the things that I had 454 00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,800 said to this guy the year before he was asking me a question, 455 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:02,400 what's your favorite car Jerry? And you know what somebody's 456 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:05,200 going to say you know, they're going to say Ferrari or 457 00:30:05,300 --> 00:30:10,700 Lamborghini or you know, some exotic car Maybach or something 458 00:30:10,700 --> 00:30:15,000 like that. And I said a lucid And he went 459 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:21,500 what and I said a lucid. I've never heard of elusive. 460 00:30:21,900 --> 00:30:23,400 Most of you haven't heard of a lucid. 461 00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:24,900 How many of you've never heard of a lucid? 462 00:30:25,500 --> 00:30:26,400 Yeah. See what I'm saying? 463 00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:32,200 Poor people, so sad. Well, Lucid is an electric car. 464 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,000 It's actually made in Arizona about an hour south of 465 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,700 Scottsdale where the Barrett-Jackson Auction is. 466 00:30:37,700 --> 00:30:40,600 And I told him about it and then when we were coming, the next 467 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:42,500 year, we were going to go to Barrett-Jackson. 468 00:30:42,700 --> 00:30:44,200 He said you're not going to believe this. 469 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:48,500 They have a lucid Driving Experience there and you could 470 00:30:48,500 --> 00:30:51,300 even you could actually drive a lucid, okay? 471 00:30:51,700 --> 00:30:56,000 You a lucid is a sedan, it's got four doors. 472 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,400 It has six different ways. It can massage you in the seat. 473 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:05,700 This is what it looks like. That that's that. 474 00:31:05,700 --> 00:31:08,200 That is a lucid at the Barrett-Jackson Auction. 475 00:31:08,700 --> 00:31:13,200 It is also the Lucid that I drove next picture. 476 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:17,300 Just in case you're wondering that's me getting in the lucid. 477 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:20,500 Okay. Do I like it? 478 00:31:20,500 --> 00:31:22,000 Because it's comfortable. Wilshire. 479 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:24,800 Do I like it? Because, you know, it's got 480 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:26,400 great interior finish. Yeah. 481 00:31:26,500 --> 00:31:29,800 No, the reason I like it. It has over 1,000 horsepower. 482 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:36,500 Over 1,000 horsepower. Yeah, this is actually the 483 00:31:36,500 --> 00:31:40,400 middle lucid. Like the low end loose. 484 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:43,700 It's on like 860. Like, who cares 160 horsepower? 485 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,400 Okay, that's like a rocket ship. This is over at the one. 486 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,600 I drove is over 1000. They have one called the 487 00:31:50,608 --> 00:31:55,600 sapphire. Has 1,400 1,400 horsepower. 488 00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:58,500 Yeah, the engineer sitting in the right seat, when I was 489 00:31:58,500 --> 00:32:02,100 driving said he goes we don't even ask ourselves doing ask the 490 00:32:02,100 --> 00:32:04,300 question about is that enough horsepower anymore? 491 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:06,400 Now we're having ethical conversations on. 492 00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:09,900 Is it right? Should you even have that much 493 00:32:09,900 --> 00:32:12,700 horsepower? And I thought I would be driving 494 00:32:12,700 --> 00:32:15,200 it in a parking lot. He goes on now. 495 00:32:16,100 --> 00:32:20,400 We're going out on the highway and I took that sucker out on 496 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:24,000 the highway and he goes, he goes, keep it slow, keep it 497 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:28,600 slow, keep it slow until I got about 300 yards between me and 498 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,100 the car in front of me. He goes let it eat. 499 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:37,200 And I put down the accelerator pedal, and I only got halfway 500 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:39,100 before. I was on that bumper. 501 00:32:39,700 --> 00:32:42,600 I felt like, I mean, you've heard of the ten dollar test 502 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:45,000 where you put a ten dollar bill on the dash and see if you can 503 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:48,100 get it, you can have it like it, put it like, if you're so stiff, 504 00:32:48,100 --> 00:32:50,800 it's your car so fast. It pushes you back in the seat. 505 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:52,500 I've never experienced anything like this. 506 00:32:53,100 --> 00:32:57,700 This was like, just this like being an astronaut going 507 00:32:57,700 --> 00:33:01,500 horizontal. It was crazy, and so I get out 508 00:33:01,500 --> 00:33:03,300 of car. And I get on the phone, and I 509 00:33:03,308 --> 00:33:08,900 call that woman right there. And I said, Allison, I need, I 510 00:33:08,900 --> 00:33:11,500 need this car. I need this car bat. 511 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,000 How much is it? That's 138 thousand dollars. 512 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:19,300 Come on. Needless to say, I didn't come 513 00:33:19,300 --> 00:33:22,800 home with a lucid. And here's the rear. 514 00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:24,800 So here's the the other truth of that. 515 00:33:26,100 --> 00:33:28,700 I cannot imagine the beautiful leather seats of that. 516 00:33:28,700 --> 00:33:33,900 Lucid having like divots in the back seat, from the car seats 517 00:33:33,900 --> 00:33:38,900 for my grandkids. I can't imagine cleaning up the 518 00:33:38,900 --> 00:33:42,300 stain on the beautiful carpet from the juice box. 519 00:33:42,900 --> 00:33:47,500 I can't imagine what it would be like, pulling out the half 520 00:33:47,500 --> 00:33:51,600 sticky, half melted candy. You know I'm trying to say No 521 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:55,000 matter how beautiful something, might seem how incredible it 522 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,200 might be. It won't last. 523 00:33:58,900 --> 00:34:02,400 You know, what does last an intimate personal relationship 524 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:05,000 with Jesus Christ? That'll last. 525 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,900 You know what, a last when you make his priorities, your 526 00:34:08,900 --> 00:34:11,699 priorities. When you put him first every day 527 00:34:11,900 --> 00:34:13,699 and when you don't, you repent of it. 528 00:34:13,699 --> 00:34:19,100 When you do life, his way, not your way in every way, it'll let 529 00:34:19,100 --> 00:34:22,300 you choose a better spouse. Raise better kids have a 530 00:34:22,300 --> 00:34:25,699 purpose, filled life, and find peace in the midst of storms 531 00:34:25,699 --> 00:34:29,699 with an unshakable, hope for the future Be a fool. 532 00:34:30,500 --> 00:34:33,500 I got a text message this morning from my oldest sister. 533 00:34:33,500 --> 00:34:38,400 Carolyn who said death is imminent for my sister Arlene, 534 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:40,699 she's dying right now. She hasn't already passed away. 535 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:46,000 But let me tell you something about my sister Arlene. 536 00:34:47,699 --> 00:34:52,000 She is a spiritual Tyrannosaurus. 537 00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:58,800 She knows the word better than I know the word. and I remember 538 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:02,300 texting her back this morning before first service going, can 539 00:35:02,300 --> 00:35:05,800 you imagine Can you imagine the people? 540 00:35:07,300 --> 00:35:12,900 Welcoming her mom, dad my brother, Larry. 541 00:35:14,100 --> 00:35:19,000 DJ and a lot of other other names, the thought of it. 542 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:22,800 To be in a new body that will never wear out. 543 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:25,500 Never grow old. Never expand, like mine has 544 00:35:26,700 --> 00:35:29,700 Commit to imagine it. Oh, I'm going to miss her 545 00:35:29,700 --> 00:35:32,400 terribly. I love calling her, getting her 546 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:34,200 advice. And I'm not going to have that 547 00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:39,000 for a while, but that is the treasure that you lay up for 548 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:41,000 yourself. When you lay up Treasures in 549 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,800 Heaven rather than putting them here on the earth. 550 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:48,500 It's not just about money, it's about relationships about 551 00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:52,900 opportunities. I'm going to give you five quick 552 00:35:52,900 --> 00:35:56,300 things. 52. Dues ready. 553 00:35:56,300 --> 00:35:58,700 Number one, trust God. You know why you should trust 554 00:35:58,700 --> 00:36:02,200 God? Because you can There, maybe 555 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:04,200 everything else in this world that you can't, but you can 556 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:07,800 trust God number to put down the idol of wealth. 557 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:12,200 Quit living, comparatively, welcome those people live in the 558 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:15,400 house, I should live in a house that big I should drive a car 559 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:20,000 like that. Save yourself, the pain of 560 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,900 self-imposed piercing with grief. 561 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:29,000 Number 3, automate, your giving, you know, Jesus said, when you 562 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:31,900 give don't be like the pagans. Don't let your left hand know 563 00:36:31,900 --> 00:36:33,300 what your right hand is doing, right. 564 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:38,100 My givings automated. I just live in the reality and 565 00:36:38,100 --> 00:36:40,900 90% doesn't bother me. I don't think about it. 566 00:36:42,500 --> 00:36:45,000 And God's blessing people like crazy with it. 567 00:36:45,100 --> 00:36:47,400 Number four, bunch of generosity. 568 00:36:47,500 --> 00:36:49,500 Everything. You give over the tithe, you're 569 00:36:49,500 --> 00:36:51,800 the Lord of that. That means you see a person in 570 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:53,800 need, you want to bless a person? 571 00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:56,300 It would it be great to have a couple hundred bucks in here in 572 00:36:56,300 --> 00:37:04,100 your wallet, your purse and you say hey here here, Just to be 573 00:37:04,100 --> 00:37:05,900 able to reach out and help a person that's in. 574 00:37:05,900 --> 00:37:09,500 Need number 5, look to the example of Jesus. 575 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:15,600 Look to the example of Jesus. None of you in this room or any 576 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:19,300 of our locations have ever heard of James, Allen Francis, none of 577 00:37:19,300 --> 00:37:22,600 you. He was a preacher, not a 578 00:37:22,607 --> 00:37:27,800 particularly well-known preacher in the 1910 1920 range. 579 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:32,700 But he also wrote a piece of literature. 580 00:37:33,900 --> 00:37:38,700 Not like Percy Shelley, not with all of the Pomp and Circumstance 581 00:37:38,700 --> 00:37:43,400 of sonnets and poetry. And even though you've never 582 00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:48,700 heard his name, this piece of literature was part of a sermon, 583 00:37:48,700 --> 00:37:52,200 he preached. And somebody pulled it out of 584 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:57,700 that sermon and published it. And I'm going to read it to you. 585 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:05,000 Here is a man who was born in an obscure Village as the child of 586 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,700 a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure 587 00:38:08,700 --> 00:38:11,700 Village. He worked in a carpenter shop 588 00:38:11,700 --> 00:38:14,700 until he was Thirty, and then for three years he was an 589 00:38:14,700 --> 00:38:19,700 itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book, he never 590 00:38:19,700 --> 00:38:22,900 held an office. He never owned a home. 591 00:38:23,600 --> 00:38:27,000 You never had a family, he never went to college. 592 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:32,300 He never put his foot inside a big city, he never traveled. 200 593 00:38:32,300 --> 00:38:34,400 miles from the place where he was born. 594 00:38:34,500 --> 00:38:37,800 He never did one of the things that usually accompany 595 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:41,300 greatness. He had no credentials, but 596 00:38:41,300 --> 00:38:45,100 himself, he had nothing to do with this world except the naked 597 00:38:45,100 --> 00:38:47,800 power of His Divine Majesty. Manhood. 598 00:38:48,900 --> 00:38:52,800 While still a young man the tide of popular opinion, turned 599 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:57,300 against him, his friends ran away one of them denied him, 600 00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:00,600 another betrayed him. He was turned over to his 601 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:03,000 enemies. He went through the mockery of a 602 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:05,700 trial. He was nailed upon a cross 603 00:39:05,700 --> 00:39:08,500 between two thieves his Executioner's. 604 00:39:08,500 --> 00:39:10,500 Gambled for the only piece of property. 605 00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:14,800 He had on Earth while he was dying and that was his coat when 606 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:17,800 he was dead. He was taken down and laid in a 607 00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:23,000 borrowed Grace. I threw the pity of a friend. 19 608 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:25,300 wide centuries have come and gone. 609 00:39:25,300 --> 00:39:29,600 And today, he is the center of the human race and the leader of 610 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:33,400 the column of progress. I am far within the mark. 611 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:37,400 When I say that all the armies that ever marched, all of the 612 00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:41,500 Navy's that were ever built all of the parliaments that ever sat 613 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:45,000 and all of the kings that ever reigned put together, have not 614 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:49,800 affected the life of man upon the Earth as powerfully as has 615 00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:53,200 this one saw. Solitary life. 616 00:39:54,300 --> 00:39:58,200 That is the person that I want to follow because he did it, 617 00:39:58,200 --> 00:40:01,700 right? And I am willing to entrust my 618 00:40:01,700 --> 00:40:05,000 life to him. How about you? 619 00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:08,300 We're moving to a time of decision. 620 00:40:14,300 --> 00:40:18,200 I thought it was so interesting to put those two pieces of 621 00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:24,400 literature beside one, another to see what the Pinnacle of 622 00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:32,400 human achievement is And to see this other thing. that at the 623 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:36,500 time would have been considered an anti Pinnacle like the lowest 624 00:40:36,500 --> 00:40:41,900 Valley and yet The reason that you are here in this room right 625 00:40:41,900 --> 00:40:45,800 now. The reason that you took time 626 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:51,300 out of your day, the reason that you're listening to this is 627 00:40:51,300 --> 00:40:54,800 because of that one. Solitary life. 628 00:40:59,700 --> 00:41:02,500 Jesus wasn't a man. He became a man. 629 00:41:04,500 --> 00:41:10,800 He's God himself, who came? Put on the mantle of Flesh. 630 00:41:12,700 --> 00:41:16,500 Humbled himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. 631 00:41:16,600 --> 00:41:20,500 And has been exalted by God, he died alone on that cross. 632 00:41:20,500 --> 00:41:24,800 He bore your sin and mine and when he was dead, they buried 633 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:28,100 him in a borrowed tomb, but he rose again on the third day, and 634 00:41:28,100 --> 00:41:32,300 he's alive right now, and he's here in this room and he knows 635 00:41:32,300 --> 00:41:38,200 your name. Not only does he know your name, 636 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:40,400 he knew your name before you knew your name. 637 00:41:43,100 --> 00:41:48,300 And he loves you. He loves you to the point of 638 00:41:48,300 --> 00:41:52,800 Dying For You. So that you could live forever. 639 00:41:56,800 --> 00:41:59,500 He holds you accountable to your debt of sin. 640 00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:02,600 And then he pays the price himself. 641 00:42:04,100 --> 00:42:08,600 That's who Jesus is and he wants you to have an intimate personal 642 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:11,100 relationship with him. There's going to be someone 643 00:42:11,100 --> 00:42:14,200 right over there by that baptistry because in a moment 644 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:15,400 we're going to stand and singing. 645 00:42:15,400 --> 00:42:20,800 When we do, if there's somebody somebody in this room that does 646 00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:23,500 not have that relationship with Jesus Christ. 647 00:42:24,700 --> 00:42:30,100 Why don't you accept the greatest gift ever given to any 648 00:42:30,100 --> 00:42:31,900 human being on the face of the Earth? 649 00:42:33,100 --> 00:42:38,200 And make it your own. Many of you here today, and 650 00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:39,800 you've had made that decision for Christ. 651 00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:42,600 You've accepted him into your heart and your life, you've put 652 00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:46,300 that foundation in. I hope that those the, the the 653 00:42:46,300 --> 00:42:49,300 foundation goes down deep and you're building your life on 654 00:42:49,300 --> 00:42:51,100 that. But, you know, as well as I do, 655 00:42:51,300 --> 00:42:54,100 the lower story sometimes gets the best of us. 656 00:42:54,800 --> 00:42:58,700 We start building things our way instead of his way, sometimes 657 00:42:58,700 --> 00:43:01,300 things get backwards, and sideways and wrong. 658 00:43:01,300 --> 00:43:04,100 And there needs to be times where we just go back to our 659 00:43:04,100 --> 00:43:06,100 knees. We remember, He's the Lord and 660 00:43:06,100 --> 00:43:10,500 who's not the Lord. We turn the burdens over to him. 661 00:43:11,900 --> 00:43:16,500 We remind ourselves or let the Holy Spirit, remind us who we 662 00:43:16,500 --> 00:43:22,000 need to be serving. And those of you that come up 663 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:26,900 here and you lay something down, I'm telling you, you'll feel the 664 00:43:26,900 --> 00:43:30,700 presence of Jesus Christ, raising you up back up onto your 665 00:43:30,700 --> 00:43:34,800 feet and you will walk away from these steps lighter than when 666 00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:38,500 you walk to them. Can I get an amen? 667 00:43:40,300 --> 00:43:45,200 It's true. But that's in your hands. 668 00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:50,500 And so is this moment would you stand with me in Jesus name, 669 00:43:50,500 --> 00:43:54,600 heavenly father I pray. Take this moment. 670 00:43:56,800 --> 00:44:03,200 Take this moment help us father to see ourselves as we truly are 671 00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:05,200 the way that you see us. I pray. 672 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:11,200 Father, the Angels around this building facing outward swords 673 00:44:11,200 --> 00:44:13,800 drawn. No one can get to us. 674 00:44:14,300 --> 00:44:17,100 We stand on Holy Ground because you're here. 675 00:44:18,100 --> 00:44:21,500 And I pray, father, your Holy Spirit would be unimpeded. 676 00:44:22,900 --> 00:44:27,500 Speaking to the depths of our soul and that father, we then 677 00:44:28,300 --> 00:44:31,700 like little children would respond to you. 678 00:44:31,700 --> 00:44:35,700 I pray in Jesus name. Amen.