1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:06,720 Oh, crossing family, I am so glad you're here today because I 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:10,520 believe that Jesus can change everything. 3 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:12,720 I want to welcome all of our different locations. 4 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:16,280 Those of you here at 48th St. those of you watching in Macomb, 5 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,040 Kirksville, 929 Pike County, Hannibal, Lima, Mount Sterling, 6 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:24,160 Keokuk, Monmouth, Jacksonville, Weaver to those of you who are 7 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:26,640 part of our online family, we miss you. 8 00:00:26,920 --> 00:00:28,440 Welcome back. Thanks so much for being 9 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:30,920 gracious to us during the At the Movie series. 10 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:34,800 And to those of you who are a part of The Crossing Inside, we 11 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:40,520 are incredibly thankful for you. Already 89 baptisms this year in 12 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:45,680 The Crossing Inside and more than that, since launching to 13 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:51,800 The Crossing Inside 10 years ago on July 5th, we have had 982 14 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:57,520 baptisms. Here's the deal. 15 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:00,640 I'm hoarse because I did a full send all weekend long with 16 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:02,200 pastors and our men's conference. 17 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:05,600 So if yeah, my my man's, my gosh. 18 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:11,040 Oh, cult is my spirit animal. I don't even have to know who 19 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:14,520 that was. I also want to welcome those of 20 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:16,960 you who are new here, whether it's your first time or your 21 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:20,280 first time in a long time, it is our honor as a church to have 22 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:23,400 you with us today. And if if you have not stopped 23 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,920 by the new here booth in all of our lobbies, please do so. 24 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:28,800 And if you're watching online, just say, hey, I'm new. 25 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:31,200 Pay attention to me. Now to those of you who've been 26 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:35,560 with us for a while, you may remember that in 2022 we 27 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:38,120 preached through the book of Ecclesiastes, which is in the 28 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,080 Old Testament in a sermon series called Chasing Shades. 29 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,720 And then we did the Gospel of John in 2023. 30 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,480 We stepped it up just a little bit and did a 15 week sermon 31 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,000 series through the book of Romans and we created a 32 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:56,200 devotional to accompany in it. Then in 2024 we did 50 for 50, 33 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:58,880 which was a game changer for many of you. 34 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,360 And then in the latter part of last year we did 14 weeks 35 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:07,880 through the book of Exodus. However, today we begin our most 36 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:12,000 ambitious Bible engagement project yet. 37 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:18,080 For the next 17 weeks, we are going to take a deep dive into 38 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,440 the New Testament book of First Corinthians. 39 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,640 The book that you've hopefully picked up is our largest 40 00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:29,160 investment we have ever made in the area of Bible engagement. 41 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:31,040 Now, real quick, I know there's some of you. 42 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:33,040 When you went to high school, you sat at the very front of the 43 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:36,240 room and we're glad that you, you know, come to our church. 44 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,240 But most of the people who attend the crossing, we sat in 45 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:41,240 the back and made paper airplanes. 46 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:45,920 OK, so the journal that you have that little book that you're 47 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:50,640 getting ready to chance to go on, it starts after the sermon 48 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,400 next week. So there's a spot for you to 49 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:57,040 take notes today, but it actually starts after the sermon 50 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:00,680 next week. And you can go into all of our 51 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,320 lobbies and you can buy it. It'll cost you like 10 bucks. 52 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,040 If you don't have 10 bucks, turn to somebody next to you and go. 53 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:07,760 You look rich. Can I have 10 bucks? 54 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,400 If that person says I'm not rich and they don't have 10 bucks, 55 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,680 you know, steal it. OK, You're blessed. 56 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,720 All right, so you might ask yourself, why do we do these 57 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:22,200 series? I'll tell you #1 we believe that 58 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,280 the Bible is the word of God unapologetically. 59 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,400 We believe that it is one of the most powerful tools in the life 60 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:31,320 of a believer. It is a guide for making 61 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:34,960 disciples and training ourselves for godly living. 62 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:40,000 It is a defense against sin, a light in a Dark World, a weapon 63 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,000 against the enemy. Second reason why we do things 64 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:47,160 like this is because God loves obedience. 65 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:50,760 In fact, obedience is the love language of God. 66 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:52,360 You don't have to take my word for it. 67 00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:54,840 Look what it says in first John chapter 5 verse 3. 68 00:03:55,080 --> 00:04:00,920 In fact, this is love for God to keep his commands. 69 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:03,160 Raise your hand if you want to love God. 70 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:05,920 If you didn't, you don't have to raise your hand here. 71 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:08,080 If you're like, that's not me yet, that's fine. 72 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:10,040 But that's you're our favorite people, OK? 73 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,880 If you are in a place, though, that is ready to cheer you on as 74 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,519 you pursue an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 75 00:04:19,959 --> 00:04:24,040 And so if you're a person who wants to love God, your life 76 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:28,160 should be defined by obedience to God's commands. 77 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:33,240 And how can you obey his commands if you don't know them? 78 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:37,960 And how can you know them unless you spend time in the Word of 79 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:45,920 God #3 Being Bible engaged is a game changer for daily living. 80 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:51,800 A couple years back there was a massive study of over 200,000 81 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:58,920 people between the ages of eight years old and 80 years old, and 82 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:01,520 they charted them over a period of time. 83 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:04,680 After day one, not much had changed. 84 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,720 After day 2, not much had changed. 85 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:13,880 They did not start to notice a difference until day three 86 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,600 because on day three things began to change. 87 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:22,800 When I say Bible engaged, the survey came up with people who 88 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:30,440 are in the Word of God at least four times a week, and here's 89 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:34,440 what they found in that group of people. 90 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:38,800 Here are the effects of you becoming a person who engages 91 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:42,000 with the Bible at least four times a week. 92 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:48,640 Loneliness drops 30%. Bitterness drops 43%. 93 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:55,360 Anger drops 32%. Porn consumption drops 42%. 94 00:05:55,840 --> 00:06:03,320 Self harm drops 60%, connectedness goes up 30%, and 95 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:07,760 self esteem goes up 30%. So if you're a person who wants 96 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:13,000 to be less lonely, less bitter, less angry, watch less porn, 97 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:17,280 hurt yourself less often, get connected more, and have a 98 00:06:17,280 --> 00:06:22,560 higher self esteem, you are going to love this series #4. 99 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:26,520 We want to make this region the hardest place on planet earth to 100 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:29,400 get the hell from. And that means that we must make 101 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:32,840 disciples of Jesus Christ. And the Bible helps us 102 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:35,600 understand God. It helps us understand what 103 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:39,800 Jesus has done on our behalf, and it tells us of the power 104 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,800 that we have through the Holy Spirit. 105 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,440 The Bible tells us about our identity in Christ and the 106 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:50,360 heavenly promises that are available to us today. 107 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,560 So before I launch all the way in, this book was a massive 108 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,800 undertaking by our team. They do this though because we 109 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:04,800 love you deeply. We want to be in your corner for 110 00:07:04,840 --> 00:07:08,160 every step that you take in the direction of Jesus. 111 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,120 Our staff have had a profoundly full summer. 112 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,280 We went straight from camp where we set all time records to at 113 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:15,960 the movies where we set all time records. 114 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:19,240 And I cannot begin to tell you of the hundreds of hours that 115 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:22,600 went in to making the book that we have for you, from the 116 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:25,160 graphics to the devotionals to the editing rounds, to the 117 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:27,080 publishing, to the theological framing. 118 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:29,600 I mean, our team labored over this. 119 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:33,560 And so I just in front of you, I want to honor them and all of 120 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,200 the people that work at our church because I'm so proud of 121 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:38,560 what God has assembled at each of our locations. 122 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:40,440 Would you give them just a big round of applause? 123 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:50,640 They it is such an honor to be able to serve alongside of them. 124 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:53,600 All right, so why first Corinthians? 125 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:58,120 Well #1 when we did 50 for 50 and we had all of you read 126 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:01,800 through the New Testament in 50 days, as I was doing my 127 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:05,120 anchoring time in the morning, I started reading through First 128 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:07,360 Corinthians. And I was like, I wonder what a 129 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:11,680 person who is new to their faith is thinking because I'm guessing 130 00:08:11,680 --> 00:08:15,680 they have 1000 questions after reading First Corinthians. 131 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:19,080 And I was like, we should have done a better job of setting 132 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:23,400 them up to win as they read through that book. 133 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:27,280 And I was going, man, we need to, we need to do something 134 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:30,280 about it. And so this series is US doing 135 00:08:30,280 --> 00:08:33,000 something about it. Second reason why we're doing 136 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,840 First Corinthians is because the church in Corinth might be the 137 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:40,799 single most jacked up church in all of Scripture. 138 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:44,440 There are a host of issues in Corinth, issues culturally, 139 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,640 economically, relationally, spiritually, that threaten the 140 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:51,640 very future of this community of believers. 141 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:58,120 If they are not careful, the church in Corinth could miss out 142 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:03,840 on the gospel impact that their region desperately needed. 143 00:09:05,560 --> 00:09:09,440 And as I look around at our communities, I think we would be 144 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:14,440 wise to heed the warnings, the teachings, and the counsel that 145 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:19,840 Paul gives to this church so that you and I together can 146 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:24,680 avoid missing out on the impact that our community and our 147 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:28,840 region desperately needs. What you're going to see as you 148 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:32,960 go through the book of First Corinthians is that God can do a 149 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:35,520 mighty work in the messiest of places. 150 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:44,080 Corinth would be the modern day Las Vegas if you want to get a 151 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:50,560 master's degree in sin, and Stupid Frontier flies there 152 00:09:50,560 --> 00:09:54,160 twice a day. OK, you won't be able to feel 153 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:56,400 your butt when you get there, but you can get there. 154 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:03,400 But just so you know how incredible our God is, God is 155 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:07,160 always doing an incredible kind of work in places just like 156 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:09,120 that. In fact, as I stand on this 157 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:14,960 stage right now, four of the largest churches in America are 158 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:19,240 headquartered where Las Vegas. You want to know why? 159 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:23,640 Because wherever there is sin, there is a Jesus waiting to 160 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:25,960 save. Third reason why we're doing 161 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:29,480 this book of First Corinthians is because this is education 162 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:32,640 Weekend. Teachers, administrators, 163 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:36,080 support staff are all making their final preparations. 164 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:41,400 This month, my kids will join thousands of other kids all 165 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:44,600 across this region in going back to school. 166 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:51,120 And so for a majority of their first semester, we will be in 167 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:56,360 this study of First Corinthians. And as you're going to see, Paul 168 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:01,640 is writing to a church that he desperately loves and at the 169 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:06,800 same time makes him want to pull out all of his hair. 170 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:13,640 Paul's an educator, and I think what he has to say and how he 171 00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:17,320 says it and how he navigates it could be a blessing to you. 172 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:21,160 So let me begin by saying something to all of you who work 173 00:11:21,160 --> 00:11:24,960 in the public school system, top to bottom, thank you. 174 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:28,840 I know that you're about ready to embark on long days. 175 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:31,960 You're going to have to navigate angry parents, challenging 176 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:37,000 expectations, limited resources, and above all, heartbreaking 177 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,920 stories. And I want you to hear me say 178 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:42,600 thank you. Thank you for re enlisting to 179 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:45,280 serve on the front lines of our society. 180 00:11:46,000 --> 00:11:50,000 Thanks for shaping, guiding and directing the minds and the 181 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:54,200 imagination of our most precious possessions, our kids. 182 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:57,080 Thank you. Thank you for pushing through 183 00:11:57,080 --> 00:12:00,200 your own pain to minister to the pain of others. 184 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:06,680 Thanks in advance for being kind when you are hurt, generous when 185 00:12:06,680 --> 00:12:11,120 things are tight. And I want you to know that this 186 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:16,040 church, all 12 locations across this region, 10,000 square miles 187 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:23,040 wide, is in your corner. We are in your corner every step 188 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:28,040 of the way. When you call, we are on our 189 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:31,120 way. But more than that, if you will 190 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:35,680 allow God, He will be your strength when you don't have 191 00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:38,400 any. He will be your patience when 192 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:42,240 you can't find it, He will be your kindness when you are on 193 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:45,200 empty. He will be your gentleness when 194 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:49,120 you are prone to lean into the other emotions. 195 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:53,440 And more than that, through the power of His Spirit, He will be 196 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:58,440 your love. You pay attention to this. 197 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:03,600 You are the pastor of your hallway, you are the pastor of 198 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,240 your office, you are the pastor of your teachers lounge, and you 199 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,320 are the pastor of your classroom. 200 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:14,880 You are going to have a louder voice over the next nine months 201 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,720 than any of our pastoral staff in the life of those kids. 202 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:23,600 You will have a louder, more significant voice than many of 203 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:28,040 the parents that you will teach. You're going to get to spend 204 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:32,840 more time, more energy shaping, molding, directing. 205 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:38,960 And the gospel demands that you steward that opportunity well. 206 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:43,080 And so my prayer for you is that you will be the very best 207 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:47,320 teachers, the ones with a line out your door because kids want 208 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:50,240 to be in your class regardless of what you teach. 209 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:53,520 That you'll be the teacher that every other teacher wants to 210 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:58,880 have on their team because when they're with you, they are seen, 211 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:01,960 they are loved, They're treated with dignity. 212 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:05,040 And so as we get ready to begin this series, and as we have all 213 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:07,360 these teachers here, can we just take just a quick moment and 214 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:14,080 pray? Heavenly Father, this church is 215 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:16,600 nothing. This sermon is nothing. 216 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:18,800 This series is nothing. I'm nothing. 217 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,800 We're nothing unless you're in it. 218 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:26,240 Suddenly, Father, I'm asking you to do what only you can do in 219 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:30,560 ways that only you can do it. That you would start a fire in 220 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:32,760 this church that Satan can't put out. 221 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:38,000 We've heard stories of region wide repentance. 222 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,640 We know what you did in Nineveh and we're asking you to do it 223 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:46,560 again and to do it again in us. So Heavenly Father, we come to 224 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:50,000 you today in the name of the only one who can save, the only 225 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:54,520 one who can turn things around, the only one who fully knows us 226 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:59,800 and fully loves us. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 227 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:05,160 So let's begin. How do you read First 228 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:07,680 Corinthians? Well, First Corinthians is an 229 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:10,960 epistle. The Bible, much like your wife, 230 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:16,440 has multiple personalities. And as you are reading through 231 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:20,440 the Bible, there are different literary genres. 232 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:23,240 And when I say literary genres, this is what I mean. 233 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:28,040 There is origin story, historical narrative, poetry, 234 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:33,120 prophecy, gospel, epistle, and apocalyptic. 235 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:37,960 And knowing what genre you are in helps you understand the 236 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:42,920 personality of the text. First Corinthians is an epistle, 237 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:49,640 which is a very old formal or way of saying a long formal 238 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:54,680 letter. It has an author and it has an 239 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:57,200 audience. And so when you are getting 240 00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:01,320 ready to read an epistle, there are two things that will help 241 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:06,120 you get started. One, treat the entire letter 242 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:09,640 like you are listening to one side of the conversation. 243 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,520 You guys have been in the car with your spouse and she takes a 244 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:17,400 phone call and you don't know who she's talking to and you 245 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:19,640 don't know what's going on right out of the gate. 246 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:26,120 But the longer you listen, the more you hear her response, you 247 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:31,040 are able to start figuring out who she's talking to and what is 248 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:34,400 going on. There's a reason why she is 249 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:38,760 saying the things she is saying. It is in response to something 250 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:43,080 that you can't hear. But the longer you listen, the 251 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:45,560 more it makes sense. Some of you guys, you've been in 252 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:48,920 the car and you've been trying to have a high level 253 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:53,080 conversation with your spouse about another issue and you're 254 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:55,520 trying to do it in such a way that the kids don't understand 255 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:59,000 what's going on. And so you talk quieter and you 256 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,440 keep having it, and then all of a sudden your kids start making 257 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:07,280 gigantic assumptions about what they've overheard, which is the 258 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:08,760 most frustrating part of parenting. 259 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:11,720 So let me give you this pro tip. If you don't want your kids to 260 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:16,160 hear you, talk to them in an audible voice and yell. 261 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:19,240 If you want them to pay attention to every word you're 262 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:25,920 saying, start whispering. I think they should go to bed 263 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:29,160 early. They'll hear that one every time 264 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:33,000 now. So when you are when you are 265 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:35,880 reading an epistle, you are only hearing one side of the 266 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:38,520 conversation, but you can get a pretty good idea of what's going 267 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:41,000 on. The second thing you can do is 268 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:45,320 you can go to the book of Acts to see if it gives us a back 269 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:51,600 story, especially anytime you are in a a letter written by 270 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:54,080 Paul, you should go to the book of Acts. 271 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:58,160 Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. The 5th book of the New 272 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:01,480 Testament is the book of Acts. Why go to Acts? 273 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:07,840 Because Acts is a documentation of the 1st 30 years of the 274 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:11,080 church. And so for First Corinthians, if 275 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:15,240 you were to go to Acts chapter 15 all the way to Acts chapter 276 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:19,880 18, verse 21, you will hear about the church in Corinth. 277 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:24,080 Paul goes there on his second missionary journey. 278 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:27,880 He comes out of Jerusalem, goes all along the coast and visits 279 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:32,920 most, most of Greece. In fact, tomorrow morning I'm 280 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:36,720 going to be sending an e-mail to all of you letting you know that 281 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:41,400 in 2026, we will be taking a trip to Greece to actually walk 282 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,240 the footsteps of Paul. And so if that is something that 283 00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:47,160 you're interested in doing, make sure that our church is not in 284 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:48,960 your junk mail because we don't want to hang out with your junk. 285 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:50,520 We want to hang out with your bills, you know what I mean? 286 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:53,320 Or whatever else you have in there, your subscriptions. 287 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:58,320 Now Paul ends up staying in Corinth for 18 months, which I 288 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:01,120 know to you doesn't seem like a lot of time, but he only stayed 289 00:19:01,120 --> 00:19:02,960 one other place longer, and that was three years. 290 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:06,480 The rest of the time he got kicked out of basically every 291 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:08,560 place he went. I kind of like that about Paul. 292 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:10,960 He kind of shows up, tells people about Jesus, they don't 293 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,160 like him, they kick him out. And so he's like, all right, I'm 294 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:14,600 going to go back in. They're going to kick me out 295 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:15,840 again, then I'll go someplace else. 296 00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:19,280 One time he got stoned and by stone, people threw rocks at him 297 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:21,920 until they thought he was dead, not, you know, visited a 298 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:24,280 dispensary. He got stoned like the old 299 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:26,280 school way, which is getting hit by rocks. 300 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:30,400 And they thought they'd kill them and but they didn't. 301 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:32,360 And so he got up. And you know what he did? 302 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:35,160 He went back into town to finish his sermon. 303 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:37,280 He's kind of bad to the bone like that. 304 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:40,960 So he stays here in Corinth for 18 months. 305 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:43,080 And then he leaves and goes on the rest of the missionary 306 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:44,520 journey and he starts another one. 307 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:48,440 So about 5 or 6 years later, after he left the church in 308 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:54,160 Corinth, he writes to them the letter First Corinthians. 309 00:19:55,360 --> 00:19:58,760 Why does he write the letter? I'll tell you because the church 310 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:00,720 in Corinth was a complete disaster. 311 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:04,680 It was a dumpster fire. As you'll see in just a second. 312 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,880 Paul is playing whack A mole with problems all over the 313 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:13,840 church everywhere you look. The church is falling apart. 314 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:16,920 Here are the problems in the church in Corinth. 315 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,920 The first one is unity. First Corinthians chapter one, 316 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:24,480 verse 11 through 12 says this. My brothers and sisters, some 317 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,000 from clothes household have informed me that there are 318 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:29,400 quarrels among you. What I mean is this. 319 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:32,080 One of you says I follow Paul. Another says I follow Apollo's. 320 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:36,400 Another says I follow a Cephas, Another says I follow Christ. 321 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:39,960 It seems like nobody in clothes Household has been to prison 322 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:42,440 because if you've been to prison, you know, snitches get 323 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:45,360 stitches. But somebody from clothes 324 00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:47,720 household got word to Paul saying these people aren't 325 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:51,920 acting right, so they're like, we got to do something. 326 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:54,480 So they got word to Paul. And for good reason. 327 00:20:55,320 --> 00:20:58,680 The church is being divided. People are picking their 328 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:03,000 favorite pastor and they're developing A cult like following 329 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:06,360 around them. That's why as a church we try 330 00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:08,800 not to advertise who's preaching on a weekend because we just 331 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,400 want you to show up because you want to hear a word from God, 332 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:15,280 not from the preacher. We want God to move in our 333 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:17,800 lives. The second problem in Corinth is 334 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:20,640 sexual immorality. First Corinthians chapter 5 335 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:25,320 verse one, it is actually reported that there is sexual 336 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:31,440 immorality among you and of a kind that even pagans do not 337 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:34,440 tolerate. In short, there are a bunch of 338 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:37,520 people in this church having sex with people that they shouldn't 339 00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:41,240 be having sex with. It was so bad that Paul says 340 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:45,560 that even non Christians would not be engaging in the kind of 341 00:21:45,560 --> 00:21:47,960 behavior that the Christians are engaging in. 342 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:51,040 Which makes you wonder how bad was the sex that the people in 343 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:52,920 Corinth were having? Well, if you want to, you should 344 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,360 go home and read your Bible. If you don't, you can come back. 345 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,000 And I think Week 6 is where we're going to be talking about 346 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:00,400 all the people you shouldn't have sex with. 347 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:03,400 We're going to preach this church back to COVID. 348 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:05,480 You'll all be wearing masks by the time we're done. 349 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:08,960 OK? You're like, my room's crowded. 350 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:10,440 Not for long. OK? 351 00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:15,560 Notice Paul keeps bringing up the fact that the behavior is 352 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:21,920 being reported to him. He's playing whack A mole with 353 00:22:21,960 --> 00:22:25,440 all the problems in the church. He keeps hearing about this. 354 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:28,160 He's like, Dang it, stop. Here's about this. 355 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:30,840 Dang it, stop. In fact, the entire rest of the 356 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:33,360 letter is Paul addressing issue after issue. 357 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:37,320 You're going to hear a version of this phrase over and over 358 00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:39,440 again as you read first Corinthians. 359 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:47,160 Now about turn to your neighbor to say now about now about the 360 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,320 matters you wrote about, and he launches into marriage issues. 361 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:53,880 Now about what to do with all the virgins in the church. 362 00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:58,440 And he addresses unmarried issues now about food, idols and 363 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:00,960 freedom. And he goes, hey, when you guys 364 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:06,160 get together, I hear that there is injustice and drunkenness at 365 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:08,240 the Lord's Supper. And you're like, how do you get 366 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:11,240 drunk during communion? Well, they figured it out. 367 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:13,960 We learned from it and made sure that it doesn't happen here. 368 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,280 You should read your Bible. Then he goes. 369 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:20,040 Now about pride and chaos at the worship gathering. 370 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:23,480 Then he goes, now about the gospel that I preached to you. 371 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:27,520 And then he launches into resurrection theology and how 372 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:33,200 the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a verifiable fact, an event 373 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:39,440 that actually took place, verified by over 500 witnesses, 374 00:23:39,680 --> 00:23:42,960 which is why it forms the basis of our faith and the power 375 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:46,680 behind the hope that you and I have as Christians. 376 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:50,200 And then he concludes his letter the same way we often conclude 377 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:54,560 our services at the crossing with this now about the 378 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:57,480 offering. And he discusses the upcoming 379 00:23:57,520 --> 00:23:59,920 collection. Like I said earlier, there were 380 00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:02,360 a lot of problems in the church in Corinth. 381 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,440 Tons. But I believe that if you're 382 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,160 willing to look closely, I believe that you will see in the 383 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:13,640 book of First Corinthians that Paul welcomes every confused 384 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:20,280 Christian and every broken church into a new reality. 385 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:25,120 I also hope that as we go through this series, you will 386 00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:30,200 see how Paul handled every single one of these issues every 387 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:38,200 single time he does two things. The first is he addresses the 388 00:24:38,360 --> 00:24:46,360 issue directly and the second is that he resolves the issue with 389 00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:48,920 the life changing power of the gospel. 390 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:56,680 And in the resurrection life found in King Jesus, Paul 391 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:00,120 doesn't avoid any of the problems that are brought to his 392 00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:02,880 attention. He doesn't skip over him. 393 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:07,800 He doesn't ignore him, He doesn't downplay him, he doesn't 394 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:11,480 sweep them under the rug. He addresses it directly. 395 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:13,760 Don't miss this. I'm just talking to the 396 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:15,360 Christians for a second. Come here. 397 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:23,560 All too often we will watch people light their lives on fire 398 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,440 and do nothing to put it out because we don't think it's our 399 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:33,160 place. We worry what they will think 400 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:37,840 about or what they will think about us. 401 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:42,160 And in that moment we are not loving God, we are not loving 402 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,600 them. We are worshiping ourselves. 403 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:49,040 That is idolatry. Paul is way more concerned with 404 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:53,280 holiness, righteousness, the cause of Christ, the whores of 405 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:57,240 hell, and the glory of heaven. For Paul, there is a Kingdom 406 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:01,880 cause, a narrow path, and Paul genuinely believed that God's 407 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:05,040 way is the best way. So when he saw people walking 408 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:11,120 away from it, he went and he addressed the issue directly. 409 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:17,800 And second thing, he pointed to the power of the gospel and the 410 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,720 resurrection found in King Jesus. 411 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:25,840 He pointed to the scriptures and then he reminded them of the 412 00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:30,560 cross shaped love that is to define us since it is the very 413 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:34,320 thing that saved us and the resurrection is the proof that 414 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:40,160 it took place. Paul believed that in the risen 415 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:45,640 Jesus and through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit and 416 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:52,840 in the empty tomb that there is enough power of God to overcome 417 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:58,200 any issue in your life and any issue in your church. 418 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:00,800 I'm going to preach for a second. 419 00:27:03,360 --> 00:27:10,840 What problem is going on in your life that you need God to solve? 420 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:20,520 What's the problem in your family that you need God to 421 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:23,760 solve? What's the problem in your 422 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:28,000 marriage that you need God to solve? 423 00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:33,160 Every single person here has a problem. 424 00:27:35,760 --> 00:27:40,280 And while I don't know what your problem is, I know that every 425 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:45,400 single one of us has them. And so while it's impossible for 426 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:48,840 me to know every problem represented in this church or at 427 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:55,280 your campus or all across the region, I do know the solution. 428 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:01,600 Because I know what He has done for me, and I have full 429 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,600 confidence that He can do it in you. 430 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:08,240 Because I know that I am not the only one who has gathered here 431 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,200 today who, because of Jesus in the power of the resurrection, 432 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:16,000 has been accepted, adopted, awakened, blessed, built up, 433 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:19,440 brought near, changed, comforted, and covered. 434 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,400 I know that I'm not the only person in here who's been 435 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:24,280 delivered and declared righteous. 436 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:26,520 I know that there might be somebody in here who'd be 437 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:29,280 willing to say that because of Jesus, you've been equipped, 438 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:33,880 empowered, embraced, freed, forgiven, filled, guarded, 439 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:37,840 helped, included, inspired, ignited, and illuminated. 440 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:40,800 That when you come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, 441 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,360 absolutely everything can change. 442 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:46,200 Say what you want about the power of God, but I know that it 443 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:50,320 justified me, kept me, loved me, led me, lifted me, and has been 444 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:52,800 lavished on. He made me new. 445 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:56,200 He has overcome my sin, protected me from the evil, 1 446 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,320 purified me, and He has pardoned me from my sin. 447 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:02,960 I stand before you today fully rescued, redeemed, restored, 448 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:05,720 refined, and revived because of Jesus. 449 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:09,640 I'm saved, strengthened, sanctified, satisfied, and He 450 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:13,080 sustains me. He has transformed me and He has 451 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:18,600 triumphed on my behalf. He has unburdened me, vindicated 452 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:21,840 me, and he has washed me. Some of you picked up what I'm 453 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:22,400 doing. You're going. 454 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:23,760 How's he doing? The exes? 455 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:36,720 My sin was examined and then it was exterminated when my king 456 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:40,440 was exalted. And as a result, my fear has 457 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:45,480 been expelled. He yelled victory over my past, 458 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:50,440 and He created in me a zeal for other people to find what I have 459 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:53,480 found in Jesus. Like I said, I'm so glad you 460 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:59,120 came to church today because I believe that Jesus can change 461 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:02,000 anything. We're moving to a time of 462 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:09,160 decision. To those of you in here today 463 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,800 who have never started an intimate personal relationship 464 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:14,520 with Jesus Christ, I just need to tell you two things. 465 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:18,320 And this is my story, but I would tell you that the IT 466 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:21,080 following Jesus Christ is the single greatest decision that 467 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:22,920 I've ever made. And my biggest regret is that I 468 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:25,520 didn't do it sooner. And I like to have this 469 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:27,880 conversation about four times a year because I know that there 470 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:31,400 might be some of you in here who are new here or new to Jesus. 471 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:33,760 Maybe somebody brought you and we're getting ready to go on a 472 00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:36,960 journey that I believe could be transformative for your faith. 473 00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:40,120 But some of you are ready to actually start a relationship 474 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:42,320 with Jesus today. And you might be going, but 475 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:45,040 Clayton, that's a really cool work that God's done in your 476 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:47,400 life, but there's no way that he could do it in me. 477 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:50,440 And I want you to know, while I may not know you, I know 478 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:53,640 somebody an awful lot like you. While your testimony might be 479 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:56,360 different than mine, it's not different from every testimony 480 00:30:56,520 --> 00:30:58,360 that has been written across this region. 481 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:00,440 And so I just want to prove something to you. 482 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:03,560 If you're here today and you would join me in saying that the 483 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:06,200 single greatest decision that you ever made is making Jesus 484 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:07,440 Christ the Lord and save your life. 485 00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:09,200 Would you put your hand up and leave it there? 486 00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:11,520 And if you're willing to say that your single biggest regret 487 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:13,480 that you didn't start it earlier, would you put your 488 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:15,760 other hand up? See, it's not just me, which 489 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:18,400 means it can be you. And the moment you want it, you 490 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:20,120 can have it in just a few moments. 491 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:22,360 The people around you, some of them are going to stand and 492 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:23,640 sing. Some of them are going to come 493 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:26,040 to the steps and pray. And I want to encourage you to 494 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:27,800 walk right over there next to the baptistry. 495 00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:30,440 If you're watching online, you just type in the chat, Save me 496 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:32,680 and somebody's going to come alongside of you in that chat 497 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:34,760 and help you find what we have found in Jesus. 498 00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:37,600 There is no reason for you to put it off any longer because 499 00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:40,120 you can start the relationship that you were created to have 500 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:43,720 with the Heavenly Father today to the rest of you in the room, 501 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:50,040 to those of you who are already Christians, this journey is a 502 00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:52,960 big one. The time that you're going to 503 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:58,240 spend and the word is a big one. I'm just going to how do I do 504 00:31:58,240 --> 00:31:59,680 this right? I got time. 505 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:07,240 I was talking to some men in our church on on Friday night and 506 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:09,560 this has been the story of my life. 507 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:17,720 Every incredible ministry moment has been simultaneously 508 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:21,080 accompanied by an unbearable low. 509 00:32:22,720 --> 00:32:27,320 I have never been able to come home from one of my best sermons 510 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:31,360 on a best weekend with everything going right and not 511 00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:39,280 had something down here. Pain and temptation and hurt are 512 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:44,800 constant companions. And I was one of the preachers 513 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:50,800 for our men's conference. He said he had a guy in his in 514 00:32:50,800 --> 00:32:53,760 his church who gave him some counsel about how to do that 515 00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:55,800 because it's not just me. You guys probably have a similar 516 00:32:55,800 --> 00:33:00,400 story. And he was a pilot in the Army. 517 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:04,160 And he said you only get shot at when you're over the enemy. 518 00:33:06,080 --> 00:33:08,640 You only get shot at when you're trying to take the ground. 519 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:12,560 And so here's can I just tell you when you are getting ready 520 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:16,560 to try and get people all across this region to get serious in 521 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:20,320 the word of God, that wakes Satan and the demons up. 522 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:24,960 And so you may have more opposition in your home than 523 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:27,360 you've ever had before as you try to spend time in the Word of 524 00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:30,560 God. There might be more temptation 525 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:34,200 for there to be dysfunction in your marriage or your parenting 526 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:37,760 than ever before as you and your wife maybe for the first time 527 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:40,160 start reading the word of God together. 528 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:43,360 This church is we're getting ready to try and all go in the 529 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:46,560 same direction, might have its unity threatened like never 530 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:50,280 before. And so while I am super pumped 531 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:53,760 that we're all going to start reading our Bible, can I level 532 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:58,600 with you? I think there's a lot that could 533 00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:03,440 happen down here. And so can I just ask that if 534 00:34:03,440 --> 00:34:07,560 you're a person who loves Jesus, that you would spend some time 535 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:10,600 praying over the people who are getting ready to go on this 536 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,480 journey. That you would pray over this 537 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:17,560 church, that you pray over your family, that you would pray over 538 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:21,679 this series, that God would take all the ground and that Satan 539 00:34:21,679 --> 00:34:25,320 would lose every bit of it. If we are going to make this 540 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:27,480 region the hardest place on planet earth to get to hell 541 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:30,040 from, Satan is going to push back the good news. 542 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:33,159 We have already won in the end, but there are battles that must 543 00:34:33,159 --> 00:34:34,920 be fought today. Would you stand with me, 544 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:38,679 Heavenly Father? I'm asking. 545 00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:49,880 I'm asking you to do a mighty work, not just in this region, 546 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:53,120 not just at our campuses. God, I want you to do a mighty 547 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:57,760 work everywhere. God, I know there are people 548 00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:01,840 here that have been following you for a long time who haven't 549 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:03,320 grown as much as they should have. 550 00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:08,680 There's people who are just now starting a relationship with you 551 00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:10,720 and they don't even fully understand what that 552 00:35:10,720 --> 00:35:13,560 relationship looks like. I know that they're people who 553 00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:16,000 have been following you for so long and they're super excited 554 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:17,880 about this series. And I know there's other people 555 00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:20,000 who are wanting to tune out on this series. 556 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:23,080 And God, I'm just surrendering all of that to you right now. 557 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:27,800 That you'd create a desperation in us for you and for your 558 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:30,880 Kingdom and for Your word and for the empowering of Your Holy 559 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:34,000 Spirit. And God as we get down on our 560 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:38,000 knees, that you would hear our prayers, God, that you'd respond 561 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,640 to them. That you'd keep us from sin and 562 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,640 keep us from temptation. And God, that when the enemy 563 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:46,600 attacks, that we would have all the resources to push back. 564 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:48,840 And your name I pray. Amen.