1 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:06,600 Crossing Nation, It is so good to be able to spend time with 2 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:11,800 you today before I jump into the sermon last week, I was 3 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,440 preaching through our state of the church and I was going 4 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:18,480 through our core values. And when I was talking about two 5 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,560 of our core values, in specific about our church being outward 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,120 and our church being downward, I was talking about how our church 7 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,720 has a heightened focus on those who don't have a relationship 8 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:30,800 with Jesus. And our church has a heightened 9 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,800 focus on people who are younger over those who are older. 10 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,880 The way I wrapped that terminology and trying to 11 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,720 express my passion and commitment to those core values 12 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:44,520 was hurtful. And I know that because I got an 13 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:50,040 incredibly kind e-mail from somebody who basically said the 14 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:54,280 way you did that stepped on my air hose and it was hurtful. 15 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:58,720 And as I read through it, I was like, you're right. 16 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:04,840 And I'm assuming she's not the only person who I hurt. 17 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,520 And so I owe you guys an apology because the gospel of Jesus 18 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:14,320 Christ requires me to care deeply and love deeply the 19 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:18,320 people of this church and to say the gospel message in a caring 20 00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:21,680 and kind and compassionate way. And I'm There's going to be 21 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,200 times when I'm going to be offensive, because the gospel is 22 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:27,680 offensive, but I don't need to be needlessly offensive for the 23 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,880 purpose of a joke, a jab, or a sermon filler. 24 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,080 You guys deserve better. The gospel deserves better. 25 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,440 Jesus deserves better. And so I wanted you to know, I'm 26 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,800 sorry, I will do better. Some of you guys will write me a 27 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,240 permission slip, but I don't need one and I don't deserve 28 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:45,440 one. I'm a professional communicator, 29 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,240 and I can figure out ways to communicate my passion in a way 30 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:49,840 that isn't hurtful and offensive. 31 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:55,560 And so I'm sorry. That being said, yeah, I really 32 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:59,240 do. I I really do love you guys and 33 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:00,880 I'd hate for anything to get in the way of that. 34 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:04,480 So I'm going to do a really good job if I can, of preaching A 35 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:08,240 sermon today where I don't step in any mud holes. 36 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:15,400 So a woman had a young child, and she wanted him to be 37 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:19,840 mentored by a good teacher. And so she said, would you 38 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:21,200 please spend the day with my son? 39 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,880 And so the teacher showed up and took the young boy on a walk 40 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:26,720 through the forest. And as they're walking through 41 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:30,720 the forest, the teacher pointed out a small tree that was barely 42 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,400 a couple of days old. And he said, I want you to pull 43 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:35,400 up that tree. And so the boy reached down with 44 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,360 his finger and his thumb, and he plucked that small tree out of 45 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:40,240 the ground. He goes, good job. 46 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,200 They continue walking through the forest and he comes across 47 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,440 another tree that's several weeks old. 48 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,640 And he tells the young boy to pull that tree out. 49 00:02:47,640 --> 00:02:51,440 And the boy reaches down and he puts his entire hand around the 50 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:53,680 trunk of the tree and he pulls it out of the ground. 51 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,240 They keep walking through the forest and they go a little bit 52 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:00,320 further and they find a tree that's well over six months old. 53 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,920 And he says, I want you to pull up that tree. 54 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,640 And so the boy grabs with both hands and he squats down and he 55 00:03:06,640 --> 00:03:10,000 pulls and he pulls and he pulls and eventually he falls back and 56 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,760 the roots release from the ground and he pulls up that tree 57 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,880 and the teacher goes, good job. They keep walking through the 58 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:19,760 forest and they come across a full grown tree and he says, I 59 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,840 want you to pull that tree up. And the boy goes up and he wraps 60 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,720 his arm around the tree and his hands barely touching their 61 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:28,280 side. And he pulls and he pulls and he 62 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:30,200 pulls and eventually he cries out. 63 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:35,120 It's impossible to pull up this tree and the wise teacher turned 64 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,920 to the boy and he said, and so it is with your habits. 65 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:43,920 When your habits just begin to blossom, they are easy to 66 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:46,600 remove. But once they are full grown, it 67 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,920 is impossible to remove them by yourself. 68 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,240 We know this to be true. The good habits that you're 69 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:56,480 trying to form are so easily discarded, right? 70 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:58,840 Last night Jennifer said. Do you want anything from the 71 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:00,520 store? I said whatever you do, don't 72 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:04,120 get any more of those Hy Vee cookies because I'm going to try 73 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:08,720 and start dialing it in. And then today, after first 74 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,040 service, I said, are you still going to Hy Vee Right after 75 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:12,400 church? She goes, yeah, I go pick up 76 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:14,160 some of those cookies because there's a Chiefs game today, 77 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:15,440 right? You could. 78 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:17,440 It just doesn't take any time at all. 79 00:04:18,519 --> 00:04:21,320 Here's what the teacher was trying to tell the young boy Get 80 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:26,760 control of your habits. Before your habits get control 81 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,480 of you, I want to welcome those of you joining at all of our 82 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:33,320 different locations, those of you watching online, and those 83 00:04:33,320 --> 00:04:35,680 of you who are hanging out at the Crossing for the first time 84 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,360 or maybe the first time in a long time. 85 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,680 I got a special word to those of you who are gathering at one of 86 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:45,960 our physical locations. You have made a great decision 87 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:48,720 for your physical and your mental health. 88 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:54,920 Weekly church attendance. Weekly church attendance has 89 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,040 been scientifically proven to be good for you. 90 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:02,200 All this time you thought God was just being legalistic and 91 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:04,320 all this time you thought pastors were just trying to 92 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:06,560 boost their numbers. No, no, no, no, no. 93 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:10,560 When God made you, he knew what was good for you and he calls 94 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:11,920 you to things that are good for you. 95 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:15,560 And when you go to church regularly, it is good for you 96 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:17,760 mentally and it is good for you physically. 97 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:20,280 It boosts your immune system. Did you know that? 98 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:22,520 It's probably because there's people who aren't washing their 99 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:23,960 hands when they're coming out of the bathroom. 100 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,440 Then, like you're just get it decreases your blood pressure. 101 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,440 It adds much as two to three years to your life. 102 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,760 How many of you want to live longer if you didn't raise your 103 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:36,680 hand? You should really get right with 104 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:39,120 Jesus today. You don't. 105 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:40,720 I don't know how much time you got left. 106 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:46,720 Regular church attenders are less likely to be depressed and 107 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:50,040 anxious. Those who attend church 108 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:54,680 regularly have a greater sense of purpose, meaning, and 109 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,280 satisfaction. The survey also goes to get the 110 00:05:57,280 --> 00:06:00,920 same level of satisfaction of going to church regularly, you 111 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:04,000 would need between a 17 and $25,000 raise. 112 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:08,760 So if you didn't get a $20,000 raise this year, keep coming to 113 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:11,280 church, OK? Because that's the only way 114 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:14,560 you're getting happy. At the very least, you being at 115 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:18,360 church is a gift to yourself and to those you love. 116 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:24,760 It's a habit worth keeping, but today we are starting A5 week 117 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:30,000 sermon series called Creatures of Habit Breaking the Habits 118 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,160 Holding you back from God's Best. 119 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:36,880 It's based on a book by Steve Poe who's a friend of Jerry and 120 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:40,480 Allison, and he will actually be here for week 5 of this sermon 121 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:42,280 series. He was a pastor of a large 122 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:45,640 church in Indianapolis and he has agreed to come and close out 123 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:49,720 this sermon series with us. Nobel Prize winning writer 124 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:58,160 Albert Camus said this life is a sum of all your choices, and to 125 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,200 be honest with you, it's pretty hard to argue with that. 126 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:03,520 It doesn't take a lot of time, if you're looking around at your 127 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,880 life, to realize that you ended up where you ended up because of 128 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:09,880 the decisions that you've been making along the way. 129 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,120 You made choices to get where you are right now. 130 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:17,680 Your financial situation more than likely is a result of 131 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:25,040 choices that you made. The haircut you have right now, 132 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:30,800 most of you weren't kidnapped. You made that decision sober. 133 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:33,080 You said, yeah, I want that, which is great. 134 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,400 Friends you have. How many of you have friends 135 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,480 that you don't really like? The fact that you still have 136 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:40,960 those people in your life, it's because you refuse to make the 137 00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:46,200 decision to deal with it. The clothes you're wearing, you 138 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:49,280 decided that and how tight they are right now. 139 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:54,960 You you made that decision too. The scary part is that 140 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:59,520 neurobiologists and cognitive psychologists indicate, check 141 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:07,120 this out, that from 40 to 95% of human behavior, that is what we 142 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:14,760 think, what we say, and our overall behaviors are based on 143 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:20,840 habits. What that means is, if life is 144 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:26,720 based on our decisions, and our decisions are largely based on 145 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:31,480 our habits, then there are some unavoidable truths. 146 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:38,760 The first one is that we are creatures of habit, The second 147 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:47,080 truth, Our habits form us. But the good news is, if you 148 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:54,840 change your habits, you can change your life. 1st we make 149 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:59,280 our habits and then our habits make us. 150 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:04,480 And there is one habit, one single sin. 151 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:09,680 That is the most destructive habit when it comes to your 152 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:13,320 spiritual growth. If you're going in 2024, I want 153 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:15,120 to get closer to God than I've ever been. 154 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:16,720 This habit will keep you from it. 155 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:21,280 It is the single biggest destroyer of marriages and 156 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:24,400 parenting relationships that you desperately desire to have. 157 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:27,040 If you don't get this one figured out, it's going to hurt 158 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:28,440 your marriage. It's going to hurt your 159 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,240 parenting. This one habit limits your 160 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:36,040 ability to be the boss, manager, leader, employee that you want 161 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:39,440 to be. It keeps you from having deep 162 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:45,600 and meaningful relationships. This one habit is the headwaters 163 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:50,280 for so many other sins and vices and harmful habits. 164 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:56,440 It keeps you from experiencing the favor of God. 165 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:01,520 What is this devastating habit? What is this devastating sin? 166 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:06,320 It's the habit. It's the sin of pride. 167 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:11,480 Now some of you you might be going well, how would I know if 168 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:17,000 I have a pride problem? Let me give you some 169 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:23,520 descriptions. If you are super competitive, 170 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,680 you probably have a pride problem. 171 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:36,280 It's not enough for you to just bring your very best, you must 172 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:38,480 decimate somebody in the process. 173 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:42,480 That's why nobody plays Monopoly with me and my family, because I 174 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:50,480 don't stop until they cry and you put winning above all else. 175 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:56,120 It's one thing to take pride in your kids, your appearance, your 176 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:59,640 yard, because you want to bring your very best to the table. 177 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:04,560 But if the only way you get true satisfaction is if somebody is 178 00:11:04,560 --> 00:11:11,800 defeated, somebody loses, You could have a pride problem. 179 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:19,960 If you are constantly comparing yourself to others, you might 180 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:24,800 have a pride problem. Here's what prideful people do. 181 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,480 They pick people to compare themselves to that they know 182 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:32,160 they will win against. They don't pick somebody that 183 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:35,960 will make them get better, become a better husband, become 184 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:37,480 a better wife to compare themselves to. 185 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,760 Oh no, no, no, no, no. They compare themselves to 186 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:43,560 somebody who's worse than them. So they can say, well, at least 187 00:11:43,560 --> 00:11:46,320 I'm not as bad as fill in the blank. 188 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:51,840 You might struggle with pride if when you heard the topic of the 189 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:56,120 sermon, you went, oh, I wish so and so was here because they 190 00:11:56,120 --> 00:12:00,400 could really use this sermon if the first thing that popped in 191 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:06,160 your mind was somebody else, OK, so far, everybody's surviving. 192 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:15,200 If you are controlling, you have a pride problem because nobody 193 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:20,800 can do it like you do it. No one is as good as you. 194 00:12:21,560 --> 00:12:26,000 Your way is the best way to do it, and everyone else's way is 195 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:37,690 not as good as your way. Ladies, your husband doesn't 196 00:12:37,690 --> 00:12:42,930 help fold the towels because your way is the only way to fold 197 00:12:43,010 --> 00:12:46,120 a towel. And your kids don't help clean 198 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,640 up after dinner and wipe down the countertop, because nobody 199 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:53,040 cleans off a countertop as good as you. 200 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:55,720 And it's not that your family's lazy. 201 00:12:55,720 --> 00:12:58,360 It's that you're prideful and controlling. 202 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:06,840 Fellas, I I took that one for you, and I want you to remember 203 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:10,160 that, OK? I also need a place to stay this 204 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:15,640 week. If you are threatened by people 205 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:22,080 who are smarter than you, more skilled than you, more talented 206 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:30,400 and gifted than you, you might have a pride problem as a boss. 207 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:35,160 As a leader, you push those people away because you're 208 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:39,640 insecure. You don't want them to be better 209 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:42,320 than you. You don't want to have to 210 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:45,440 compete against people that will push you and challenge you, and 211 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:50,320 so you push talented people away from your company, from your 212 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:54,240 business, from your team, Charlie Munger, who was kind of 213 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:56,160 the cohort of Warren Buffett, said. 214 00:13:56,360 --> 00:14:00,160 If we only hire people smaller than us, we will become a 215 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:05,800 company of dwarves. And so your family, your 216 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:09,000 friendships, you push the people away who challenge you. 217 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:10,720 So that way you can be in charge. 218 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:16,360 If you are always talking and rarely listening. 219 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,040 I'm just raising my hand. So that way, you know, I know 220 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:22,720 that I have a pride problem. My wife during first service was 221 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:25,560 like speaking so loud at that point that we had to pause the 222 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:28,760 sermon. You probably have a pride 223 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:34,880 problem. If you don't ask for help, you 224 00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:37,640 probably have a pride problem. It's not that you're 225 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:41,280 self-sufficient, it's that you don't want people to know the 226 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:46,760 real you. You would rather they like the 227 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:50,840 fake version of you, then love the real version of you. 228 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:54,560 It keeps you from being honest, and so your relationships don't 229 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:59,880 grow as deep. If you're a people pleaser, you 230 00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:03,600 might struggle with pride because you are constantly 231 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:07,160 trying to figure out how to operate your life in a way that 232 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:10,920 will please everybody else. Because you want everybody else 233 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:16,160 to think really good about you. You, you, you, you, you. 234 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:22,480 You might have a pride problem. You have created a world in 235 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:25,280 which you are the center of the universe. 236 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:30,280 And hear me. If unchecked, pride will lead 237 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:35,000 you to dangerous places. It was because of pride that 238 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:40,920 Satan became Satan. And like Satan, pride will lead 239 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:46,080 to your destruction both in this world and in the world to come. 240 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:51,000 Proverbs chapter 16, verse 18 says this Pride goes before 241 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:55,760 destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. 242 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:00,520 It leads to your eternal destruction because a prideful 243 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:04,880 person will never recognize their need for a savior and will 244 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:08,760 continue to sit on the throne of their lives and their hearts. 245 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:13,360 The good news is it does not have to be this way. 246 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:15,880 If we keep reading in verse 20 it says this. 247 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:20,160 Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers and blessed 248 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,720 is the one who trusts in the Lord. 249 00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:27,600 This year, 2024, how many of you want to prosper? 250 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,520 Those of you who didn't raise your hand, Prospering is a good 251 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:36,400 thing. How many of you would like a 252 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:38,840 good thing this year? And you would like to prosper? 253 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,920 Oh, there we go. We got smart people clued in. 254 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:45,800 How many of you would like God to bless you? 255 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:54,200 When you are prideful, you cannot heed instruction because 256 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:59,160 pride can't learn anything. But you allow the Lord to 257 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:02,920 instruct you. He says he will prosper you and 258 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:08,000 he will bless you. And the way to do that is we 259 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,720 have to get ourselves out of a position of pride. 260 00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:15,240 A prideful person will never trust in the Lord. 261 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:18,800 They'll be too busy putting their trust in themselves. 262 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:21,960 So you might be going, But Clayton, how do I deal with 263 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:25,119 pride in my life? Well, Peter, one of the people 264 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:27,599 closest to Jesus, tells us in First Peter chapter 5. 265 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:31,560 All of you clothe yourselves with humility towards one 266 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:36,240 another because God opposes the proud but shows favor to the 267 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:37,720 humble. Hold on a second. 268 00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:45,920 God opposes prideful people. You do not want God as an enemy. 269 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:50,480 You're going to have enough challenges in your life to have 270 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:51,800 God go. Nope. 271 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,920 But he shows favor to the humble. 272 00:17:56,720 --> 00:18:01,040 God will take a person who walks in humility, clothes himself in 273 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:04,600 humility, and he will put them in a position to prosper. 274 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:09,160 Verse six, humble yourselves therefore, under God's mighty 275 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:14,200 hand that he may lift you up in due time. 276 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:20,040 If you want to fight pride, we need to walk in humility. 277 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:25,600 And here is the promise. As much as God hates pride, he 278 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:29,160 loves humility. If you want to spend all of your 279 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:32,240 energy and all of your effort trying to put yourself above 280 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:34,800 everybody else, God will oppose you. 281 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:40,120 But if you humble yourself, God gets so excited that when he 282 00:18:40,120 --> 00:18:43,520 sees it, he runs to it and He lifts it up. 283 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:47,800 Those who humble themselves will be lifted up. 284 00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:52,560 So how do I kill pride and live in humility? 285 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:55,600 Paul tells us this in Romans chapter 12, verse 3. 286 00:18:56,080 --> 00:19:00,080 For by the grace given me, I say to everyone of you, do not think 287 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:04,760 of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of 288 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,040 yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith 289 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:10,480 that God has distributed to each of you. 290 00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:14,600 Think of yourself with sober judgement. 291 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:16,560 Now, I want you to pay close attention here. 292 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,240 Thinking about yourself with sober judgment is not thinking 293 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:25,600 about yourself poorly. It is not gone. 294 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:29,920 Boy, I'm just bad at everything. I'm not good at anything. 295 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:32,800 Everything about me is absolutely horrible. 296 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:34,880 There's no way God could ever use me. 297 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:36,400 I don't have anything good to say. 298 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:41,480 I don't have any value. That is not humility. 299 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:47,440 That is stupidity. Because when you are saying bad 300 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:55,440 things about you, you are saying bad things about God because God 301 00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:02,680 made you and God makes good things. 302 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:05,560 Don't believe me? Look what it says right here in 303 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:08,760 Ephesians chapter 2. For we, that's you and me are 304 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:13,040 God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works. 305 00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:16,480 Which God prepared in advance for us to do. 306 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:23,480 God made you, formed you, put you together, equipped you, put 307 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:28,880 gifts inside of you to be used. You are a gifted, qualified 308 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:32,920 person to accomplish good things with Christ's help. 309 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:37,360 And when we start going, well, I'm just not any good and I 310 00:20:37,360 --> 00:20:39,880 can't do anything and I don't have anything to offer. 311 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,440 You're making a statement about something good that God made. 312 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:48,680 Imagine your kid were to make you like, you know, you would 313 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:50,240 just came out of the gingerbread season. 314 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:54,280 Your kid makes a gingerbread house and he brings it to you 315 00:20:55,200 --> 00:21:03,040 and you go, oh, wow, that's trash, right? 316 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:08,040 You would be saying something about the maker. 317 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:12,080 And when you look at yourself in the mirror, or when you see 318 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:15,360 minister or opportunities to serve and to accomplish God's 319 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:17,400 mission and you go, well, I just can't. 320 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,520 I'm just not. You're making a claim about your 321 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:23,680 maker. This is about having a sober 322 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:27,120 judgment. When it comes to you thinking of 323 00:21:27,120 --> 00:21:31,400 yourself honestly, it means that you're not perfect. 324 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:35,640 It means that you're not the smartest, most gifted person. 325 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:39,240 You're not the most important person in every room. 326 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:43,680 You recognize that God created you to be part of the body of 327 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:49,800 Christ, but you are not Christ. That's what you're supposed to 328 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,320 do. CS Lewis said it this way. 329 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:55,760 Humility is not thinking less of yourself. 330 00:21:56,400 --> 00:22:02,720 It is thinking of yourself less. And if you stop thinking about 331 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:06,360 yourself as much as you presently think about yourself, 332 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:11,600 you will be amazed at how much time you have to think about God 333 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:16,240 and others. It moves you into a position to 334 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:19,120 accomplish the 2 greatest commandments. 335 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,840 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and 336 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:25,600 strength. And love your neighbor as 337 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:29,080 yourself. You were created by God to love 338 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:32,720 Him and accomplish His mission, and to accomplish his mission by 339 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,880 loving others. Humility is not going. 340 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:38,880 I can't do anything right. Humility is going. 341 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:42,280 How can I make the lives of people around me better? 342 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:47,560 How can I be used by God and for God? 343 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:50,960 To get an example of what this would look like, look at Mark 344 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:54,800 chapter 10, verse 45. For even the Son of Man, that's 345 00:22:55,000 --> 00:23:00,480 Jesus did not come to be served but to serve and to give his 346 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:05,680 life as a ransom. For many, a person who is 347 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:10,960 willing to defeat pride and win in humility sees themselves as a 348 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,640 servant. They see themselves as a 349 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:18,440 opportunity to be used by God, to make the lives of people 350 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:22,000 around them better. Instead of looking for ways to 351 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,360 compete and waiting to be celebrated, they're looking for 352 00:23:25,360 --> 00:23:30,880 ways to help others, celebrate others and serve others. 353 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:35,680 A person who is humble is going to be asking questions like 354 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,880 this. How do I take my gifts that God 355 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:44,200 gave me and use them to make the lives of the people around me 356 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:48,680 better? Instead of making myself better, 357 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:56,000 how do I use my time, my talents, my money, my gifts, and 358 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,680 leverage them to love God and love others? 359 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:04,960 It's super easy to take the gift that you have and to use it for 360 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:10,640 you, and we see people doing it all the time, but we have 361 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:14,640 permission slips when we do it ourselves and condemnation when 362 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:19,480 we see it in others. A person who's humble takes what 363 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:23,520 God has given them and they use it to glorify God and to reach 364 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:29,440 and serve people. This week I want you to find a 365 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:36,920 way to serve your spouse. This week I want you to find a 366 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:42,720 way to serve your kids. Look for a way to serve your Co 367 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:45,800 workers. See yourself as an agent from 368 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:50,960 God to better their life to serve, and point them to Jesus. 369 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:56,200 This week, find a way to celebrate something in somebody 370 00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:58,760 else. Instead of constantly trying to 371 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:02,080 put the spotlight on yourself, turn the spotlight on somebody 372 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:05,080 else. Man, when you did that, that was 373 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:08,800 really good. When I saw that, I really 374 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:12,480 appreciated it. When you are a grateful person, 375 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:16,920 it forces us to keep our pride in check and live in humility 376 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:20,560 because we are celebrating the greatness in others instead of 377 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:23,840 trying to get others to celebrate the greatness in US. 378 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:28,440 Jesus is our supreme example when it comes to this. 379 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:30,400 Look what it says in Philippians chapter 2. 380 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:35,640 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. 381 00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:39,280 That's pride. Rather in humility. 382 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:46,600 Value others above yourselves. It's not devalue yourself, but 383 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:51,800 see the value in others, not looking to your own interests. 384 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:57,000 That's prideful, but each of you to the interests of others. 385 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:01,480 How do I make the lives of people around me better keep 386 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:04,080 going? And your relationships with one 387 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:08,040 another have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. 388 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:13,840 If Jesus was married to my spouse, what would his mindset 389 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:17,280 be? If Jesus had my job, my 390 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:20,120 responsibilities, my relationships, how? 391 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:23,720 What would his mindset be? Instead of having a mindset that 392 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:27,360 is trying to worship yourself, have a mindset of Christ Jesus. 393 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:32,920 How did he live this out? Who being a very nature God, did 394 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:36,960 not consider equality with God something to be used to his own 395 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:41,080 advantage? Rather, he made himself nothing 396 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:44,760 by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human 397 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:49,520 likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled 398 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:54,360 himself by becoming obedient to death, even death. 399 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:59,160 On a cross. Therefore God exalted him to the 400 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:03,360 highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 401 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:07,600 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on 402 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:12,480 earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that 403 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:17,080 Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 404 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:23,320 You see what happens? Jesus humbles himself and God 405 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:26,000 lifts him up and draws people to him. 406 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:29,360 That's why Jesus said if I be lifted up, I will draw all men 407 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:32,280 unto myself. If anybody has a right to be 408 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:34,520 prideful, don't you think it's Jesus? 409 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:38,360 Like, what's the thing that you're better at than him? 410 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:41,600 So you're like, I'm a pretty good counselor. 411 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:42,800 You think you're better than him. 412 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:46,560 So I mean, like, I mean, I'm a pretty good friend. 413 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:50,840 Think you're better than him? I'm a pretty good doctor. 414 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:55,120 Think you're better than him? Like, the only thing I'm better 415 00:27:55,120 --> 00:27:58,920 at than Jesus is swimming. Because every time he tries to 416 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:00,200 get in the water, he just walks on it. 417 00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:02,680 Like, I got a way better backstroke than he does. 418 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:07,000 What's the thing that you think you're better at than Jesus? 419 00:28:08,760 --> 00:28:11,000 He shows up at a party. They run out of drinks. 420 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,160 He's like, I got you. He's walking by a funeral. 421 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,800 He's like, let's cancel it. Like, that's just how he 422 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:19,240 operates. You think you're better than 423 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:24,240 him, and Jesus takes all of that greatness, and what does he do? 424 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:30,480 He lays it all down so that you and I could have an intimate, 425 00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:34,320 personal relationship with him and have the hope of heaven. 426 00:28:35,120 --> 00:28:38,120 Jesus didn't come with all of that greatness and go serve me. 427 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,040 He brought all of that greatness to bear, to purchase something 428 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:44,520 that you and I could have never purchased on our own, our 429 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:48,440 salvation. And in doing so, he made a way 430 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:50,880 for you and I. We have the hope of heaven in 431 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:54,880 our hearts. And maybe, maybe if you and I 432 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:58,880 were to live in humility, God could use us to do the same. 433 00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:04,080 That when we humble ourselves and leverage our lives for the 434 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:09,040 good of God and the good of others, maybe, just maybe, he 435 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:11,760 will use us to draw people into His Kingdom as well. 436 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:13,840 I hope you'll think about that as we move to this time. 437 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:22,360 A decision To those of you in here today that have never 438 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:25,080 started an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus and 439 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:27,840 those of you who are watching online, I'm going to say some 440 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:29,040 hard things. So I'm going to poke you for 441 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:30,800 just a little bit, but I'm poking you in love. 442 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:35,160 The reason you haven't started a relationship with Jesus Christ 443 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:38,040 today might be because you have a pride problem. 444 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:49,440 You think you don't need him, but the Bible clearly says that 445 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:52,560 the way to the Father is through the Son. 446 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:56,760 That Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. 447 00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:01,200 You are not in that equation. The way to the Father is not 448 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:03,880 through you. It's not through your abilities. 449 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:05,280 It's not through your good works. 450 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:08,760 It's through him. And pride might be keeping you 451 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:10,960 thinking, I don't need God to be my savior. 452 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:14,960 I'll save myself. Good luck. 453 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:20,480 If you could fix you, God wouldn't have sent his son to 454 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:24,080 die for you. Some of you, you like the idea 455 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:27,680 of God being your savior. You just don't like the idea of 456 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,960 him being your Lord, him being in control of your life. 457 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:34,000 You having to take everything that you've amassed for yourself 458 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:36,960 and turn it over to him. And not wanting to turn your 459 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,480 life over to Jesus is a pride problem. 460 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:46,240 Some of you, deep down inside you, just still feel like you 461 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:51,360 got to earn it, that you got to fix it, that you got to somehow 462 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:56,640 make it happen on your own. That's pride. 463 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:02,840 The Bible tells us that salvation is a gift from God so 464 00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:07,800 that no one can boast. When you and I get to heaven, 465 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:12,560 we're not going to be going. I'm here because I'm so awesome. 466 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:17,760 I got in here because I'm so good. 467 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:21,680 No, Christians don't boast in themselves. 468 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:27,360 Christians boast in the cross. If there's anything good in you 469 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:31,600 today, it is not from you. It comes from him. 470 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:36,400 Who's the one who puts the Holy Spirit inside of you, Who 471 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:39,640 produces things in you that you can never produce on your own? 472 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:43,400 If there's anything good in me, if I'm making a good parenting 473 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:45,360 decision, it's because of the cross. 474 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,760 If I'm navigating a marriage thing and I'm doing it the right 475 00:31:48,760 --> 00:31:51,840 way, it's because of the cross. If there's anything that I'm 476 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:55,160 doing that's having a positive effect, it's because of him. 477 00:31:55,440 --> 00:32:00,040 Christians glory in the cross. We don't boast in ourselves, we 478 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:03,480 boast in him doing the thing that we could never do and 479 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:06,920 giving us an opportunity to participate in a mission that we 480 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:11,080 don't deserve to participate in. Humility goes it's because of 481 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:13,520 Jesus. If pride goes, I don't need him. 482 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:20,200 And a prideful person will never enter into the Kingdom of 483 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,160 heaven. And so for some of you today, 484 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:26,840 for some reason, you've been putting it off for a really, 485 00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:31,480 really long time. What I can tell you is life 486 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:36,520 without Jesus at the center only hurts you and those you love. 487 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:42,960 And maybe today you will answer the prayers that people have 488 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:47,000 been praying on your behalf for a really long time, and you'll 489 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:51,800 humble yourself and allow Jesus Christ to become Lord and Savior 490 00:32:51,960 --> 00:32:55,600 of your life. And if that's where you are, in 491 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:57,440 just a few moments, when the people around you stand and 492 00:32:57,680 --> 00:32:59,520 saying, I'm going to encourage you to go right over there by 493 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:02,320 that baptistry. Or maybe talk to somebody who 494 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,280 brought you about how you can start that relationship with 495 00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:08,200 Jesus Christ. To the rest of you in here, the 496 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:17,280 Christians, we have a lot of work to do if we're going to 497 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:24,040 kill pride and live in humility. Some of you, you need to finally 498 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:29,680 admit that you have a problem. The relationships and the 499 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:33,480 blessing of the relationships that God wants to give you are 500 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:38,160 being hindered by your inability to be honest about the hurt and 501 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:40,240 the heartache and the struggles that you have. 502 00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:46,440 And so you're stuck in shallow relationships and God's saying 503 00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:50,440 if you'd humble yourself, if you'd kill the pride, I could 504 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:53,880 give you a relational gift that you cannot imagine. 505 00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:58,000 The people around you are way more loving and way more caring 506 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:01,240 than you ever thought, and I have purpose built them and 507 00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:03,640 equipped them to help you navigate the things that you're 508 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:06,280 navigating. You have no idea what it'll be 509 00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:10,880 like when you can finally be real and known and loved. 510 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:14,199 But Satan keeps telling you that you'll be rejected. 511 00:34:15,639 --> 00:34:17,800 Satan keeps telling you you handle this. 512 00:34:20,080 --> 00:34:24,760 Some of you, there are people that you need to apologize to. 513 00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:28,679 You've hurt them. You know you have. 514 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:31,920 But pride keeps you from saying you're sorry. 515 00:34:32,920 --> 00:34:36,840 And so it infects your marriage. It infects your parenting. 516 00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:40,800 It infects the relationships that you have at work, because 517 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:42,639 Pride doesn't want to admit when it's wrong. 518 00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:47,400 But in humility, when we go to people and offer a genuine 519 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:51,280 apology, God can use that to open a door to reconciliation 520 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:53,400 and to the advancement of his mission. 521 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:58,160 Some of us, we haven't told some of our friends about Jesus 522 00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:03,000 because we're worried about rejection, because in Pride 523 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,680 we're worried about what other people think of us more than 524 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:10,440 what he thinks of us. And pride is keeping us from 525 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:13,560 living on mission like he has called us to, like he has 526 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:18,560 rescued us to. And so there are people today 527 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:22,560 that don't know Jesus because the pride in our lives from 528 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:30,720 yesterday, this year, 2024. Would you humble yourself, ask 529 00:35:30,720 --> 00:35:33,440 God to do a work in you that only he can do? 530 00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:38,360 Would you stand with me, Heavenly Father? 531 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:45,000 I ask. That you would just shut out all 532 00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:49,520 of the distractions and allow every person in this room and 533 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:55,600 online to be able to focus on exactly what it is that you want 534 00:35:55,600 --> 00:36:01,320 them to do. God creating us a desire to be 535 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:08,080 humble, bring about changes in our hearts and our lives that 536 00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:14,800 could be transformative. God, Satan is trying to destroy 537 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:20,240 us, but you have come that we may have life and life to the 538 00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:24,240 full. And God pride wants us to keep 539 00:36:24,240 --> 00:36:26,840 trusting in our own paths and our own ways. 540 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:30,280 But humility wants to lean on your ways and your understanding 541 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:32,680 and acknowledge you in all of our ways. 542 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:37,080 And so God, as we come to this moment right now, give us the 543 00:36:37,080 --> 00:36:43,240 strength to humble ourselves. Use us, Lord, to advance your 544 00:36:43,240 --> 00:36:48,080 mission, to reach the loss, and to live the life that you've 545 00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:49,440 called us to. In your name I pray. 546 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:50,520 Amen.