1 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:05,160 Crossing family, I love you and I'm so excited that we get to 2 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,560 spend time together today. I want to welcome those of you 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,720 joining at all of our different locations, those of you watching 4 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:14,240 online, and those of you who are part of our inside family. 5 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:17,000 I'm going to ask everybody all across this region to do me a 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,520 small favor. There is AQR code in front of 7 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:23,080 you if in all of your seats at all of our locations. 8 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:25,880 And I would like you to take advantage of that today for a 9 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:29,240 couple of key reasons. One, we are getting close to 10 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:32,040 Christmas and I know some of you are like, we haven't even 11 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:33,240 celebrated Thanksgiving yet. I know. 12 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:35,520 But we've got so much planned around Christmas that I want you 13 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:38,160 to start being prepared now. And one of the things that we're 14 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:41,480 going to be doing is the 12 days of service, and we would love to 15 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:45,040 have you join us in being in the corner of our different 16 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,240 communities. And one of the things that we're 17 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:49,320 going to be doing this year that we haven't done in the past, 18 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:51,320 this is a new thing that we're going to be trying to 19 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:55,120 accomplish, is we're going to be having a special ministry moment 20 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,640 called Blue Christmas at all of our locations. 21 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:07,240 If you are someone or know someone who is going to be 22 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:11,440 navigating their first Christmas without a loved one, would you 23 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:16,400 raise your hand? Yeah, we would love to do 24 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,360 something about that. The Bible says that we are to 25 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:21,960 mourn with those who mourn and that God is the God of all 26 00:01:21,960 --> 00:01:23,640 comfort. And as his people, we are to 27 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:26,760 take the comfort that we have received from God and use that 28 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:29,880 comfort to comfort others. And what we want to do is we 29 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:32,040 want to have a very special service for people who are 30 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,000 navigating the Christmas season without a loved one. 31 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,560 And there is a great way for you to partner with us in there. 32 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,280 The second thing I want to make you aware of on the QR code is 33 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,000 we are nearing the launch of our Weaver location in Southeast 34 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,200 Iowa. And part of the promotional 35 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:53,360 piece or the launch piece that we're going to be doing for that 36 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:57,280 area is making a video about life change. 37 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:00,680 And what we're asking you to do is if you use that QR code or 38 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,600 save it or text it to yourself, there's a way for you to take 39 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:05,800 about 5 minutes out of your life. 40 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:08,600 You don't even have to talk if you don't want to, but for you 41 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:12,280 to write on one piece of a cardboard or a piece of paper 42 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:17,040 what life was like before Jesus and then flip it over and write 43 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,440 what life has been like since you found Jesus. 44 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,240 And why does this matter is because we want the people in 45 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:27,680 Weaver who look just like you to see somebody who looks just like 46 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:32,360 you find a relationship with Jesus and go, hey, I want what 47 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:34,680 they have. I'm, I'm in where you're at. 48 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,800 There's a lot of people. There's about 35,000 people in 49 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:41,040 southeast Iowa that do not have an intimate personal 50 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,480 relationship with Jesus Christ. And their life before Jesus 51 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,560 looks an awful lot like your life looked like without Jesus. 52 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,800 Except they can't do what you can do, which is turn it over 53 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:54,760 and talk about what it is now. And we would love for you to use 54 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:59,200 your story to inspire other people to allow God to write 55 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:01,320 theirs. And I would love it if you would 56 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:05,080 participate in that. Today we are concluding our 57 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:10,120 series on counterfeit fruit, establishing an authentic walk 58 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,680 with Jesus. And when you come into an 59 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,760 intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Bible 60 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:19,200 tells us that we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 61 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,600 And when you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, he begins to 62 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,760 produce fruit in the life of a believer. 63 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:27,400 What are these fruit, you might ask? 64 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:28,880 What we've been talking about every single week. 65 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:31,320 Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 through 23. 66 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,040 But the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, peace, patience, 67 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,560 kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and 68 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,800 self-control. And as I wrote today's message, 69 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:44,520 there were three groups of people that I had in mind. 70 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:49,040 And if I didn't hit you, enjoy the QR code and, you know, keep 71 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:51,440 track of what's happening in the world during the sermon, OK? 72 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:54,440 The first group of people that I had in my mind is I wrote it for 73 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:59,840 those of you who you're a little bit skeptical, you're a little 74 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:01,840 nervous about giving your all to God. 75 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:03,680 You've got some questions that need answered. 76 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:08,320 I also wrote it for those of you who the idea of being a 77 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:13,000 Christian isn't appealing to you because you think that when you 78 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,640 decide to become a follower of Jesus Christ, you have to be a 79 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:17,279 doormat for the rest of your life. 80 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:21,560 And you've got a bit of an edge to you, a bit of a rebellious or 81 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,360 revolutionary spirit about you, and you're going, I make a 82 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,520 horrible doormat. I'm more of a puncher, OK, when 83 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:30,520 it comes to lover or fighter, I'm a fighter. 84 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:31,880 I don't really want to love anybody. 85 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,640 And the third group of people that I had in mind was for those 86 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:40,320 of you who you've been saying no to Jesus because you think that 87 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:44,360 to say yes to Jesus, and with all of the rules and trappings 88 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:48,840 of Christianity, we'll leave you with nothing left in this life 89 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:53,120 to even enjoy. That being said, let's get into 90 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:57,000 it. Holy Spirit empowered 91 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:02,160 faithfulness is not blind loyalty. 92 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,080 One of the fruits of the Spirit is faithfulness. 93 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:11,160 And a lot of us, we've equated faithfulness with blind loyalty. 94 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:14,880 And for far too long, and for far too many of us, our 95 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:20,320 questions have gone unanswered because we were afraid to ask 96 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:23,480 them. We were worried that if we were 97 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:28,040 to ask our questions about God and life and purpose and meaning 98 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:32,560 and origins and the afterlife and everything in between would 99 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:37,760 push us further away from God and further away from His 100 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:41,360 people. And so we even came to faith, 101 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:45,040 but it was a marginal faith. It was 1/2 hearted faith because 102 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:47,920 there were all these questions rattling around in our mind and 103 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,840 we were worried that if we were the one in class who raised our 104 00:05:50,840 --> 00:05:54,000 hands, everybody would walk away from us. 105 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:57,840 We thought that everybody else had it figured out, and we were 106 00:05:57,840 --> 00:05:59,840 the ones who just didn't. But we were worried that if we 107 00:05:59,840 --> 00:06:02,400 asked the question, the people around us wouldn't like it or 108 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:06,760 that God wouldn't like it. Let me be clear. 109 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:14,920 The Christian life is a life of faith, but it is a reasoned 110 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:20,000 faith. It is a faith that can stand up 111 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:25,160 to scrutiny and hard questions and can be tested. 112 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:32,040 Christianity is not for people who are intellectually stunted 113 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,480 individuals. It is for people who have put 114 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:39,520 lots of things on the table. They've put no religion and 115 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:41,400 atheism. They've put secularism and 116 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:43,200 humanism. They've put different world 117 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:45,800 religions on the table. And they've looked at it and 118 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,360 they've evaluated it and they've realized that there is a reason 119 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:53,000 to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living 120 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:55,160 God, and that we can trust him with our life. 121 00:06:55,440 --> 00:06:58,640 Our questions. Hear me, don't push us away from 122 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,120 God. You asking your questions will 123 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:05,320 draw you closer to him. And Satan gets you to not ask 124 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:09,240 those questions because he doesn't want you to get close. 125 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:12,080 There's a special group of people, can't believe I'm doing 126 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:13,920 this because I don't have time to respond to all the emails. 127 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:17,040 But look at this Acts chapter 17, verse 11. 128 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:19,640 Paul talks about a specific group of people. 129 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:23,560 Look at them now, the Berean Jews, these were the Jews from 130 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:27,840 the town of Berea, were more of more noble character than those 131 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:29,800 in Thessalonica. So there was something different 132 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:33,160 about the Bereans than the people in Thessalonica, for they 133 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:38,200 received the message with great eagerness and examined the 134 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:43,640 Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 135 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:46,880 Here's what these Bereans did. They showed up for church. 136 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:52,680 They heard the sermon. So far you guys are doing pretty 137 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:55,720 good. And then they went home and they 138 00:07:55,720 --> 00:08:00,560 went, is what I just heard true? Why does that matter? 139 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:03,440 Because if you leave here and you go, man, I don't know. 140 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,240 I don't know if what Clayton said or what Jerry said or what 141 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:09,640 somebody else said was true. You will not put that thing into 142 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:11,760 practice in your life. And when you don't put that 143 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:13,760 thing into practice in your life, you won't grow in your 144 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,960 relationship with Christ. What the Bereans did is they 145 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,440 went home and they go. I got to find out if what this 146 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:23,280 guy said is true and they searched the scriptures and they 147 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:27,960 asked the questions and their or their or their faith was 148 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:30,880 strengthened. When you read your Bible, what 149 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:34,320 you will find out is that the people in the Bible trusted God 150 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:40,520 because over and over and over again God proved himself to be 151 00:08:40,520 --> 00:08:45,320 trustworthy, to be faithful. And it is because God is 152 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:48,880 trustworthy and faithful and reliable that the power of the 153 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:52,600 Holy Spirit that He produces in US the fruit of faithfulness. 154 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:58,120 And He makes you and I loyal. He makes you and I someone that 155 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:01,760 other people can depend on. Because you and I have a God 156 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:04,440 that can be depended on. And you and I are made in His 157 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:07,560 image and empowered by His Spirit, you and I can become 158 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:12,560 faithful, reliable people. There should be a bumper sticker 159 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:14,680 that goes on the car of every Christian. 160 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:16,520 Please don't do this. I'm just using this as an 161 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:20,560 illustration. Our reputation in all of our 162 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:26,240 communities should be that Jesus followers are the most trusted 163 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:29,680 people on planet earth. On our bumper sticker it should 164 00:09:29,680 --> 00:09:34,560 say you can count on us. Our word is our bond. 165 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,000 People should be going anytime you do any kind of dealings, 166 00:09:38,280 --> 00:09:42,040 relational dealings, business dealings, the most ethical, 167 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:45,880 dependable, show up on time, do the hard work, should be 168 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:48,080 Christians. The worst possible thing is a 169 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:51,000 person who calls himself to be a Christian lies on the resume, 170 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:53,520 has a really horrible work ethic and gets involved in all the 171 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:56,560 drama at work. You're just slaughtering the 172 00:09:56,560 --> 00:10:00,080 reputation of Jesus. Wouldn't it be great if when 173 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,880 somebody says, yeah, I'm a Christian, they're like, we got 174 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:05,800 to hire all the Christians because they show up on time, 175 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:08,200 they work really hard, they get out of the drama, they go above 176 00:10:08,200 --> 00:10:09,320 and beyond. You can trust them with 177 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:10,560 anything. Why? 178 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:11,200 Why? Why? 179 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:15,440 Because we serve a God who's been trustworthy and his Spirit 180 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,160 is empowering us. Furthermore, check this out. 181 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:22,920 Jesus promises that people who have been faithful with a little 182 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:26,760 bit will eventually be entrusted with more. 183 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:33,520 And then he says that we will be blessed for how we have handled 184 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,400 our faithfulness. So in other words, when you 185 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:39,600 become a faithful, reliable, dependable person for Jesus and 186 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:42,520 for others in this area, God says that He will entrust you 187 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,280 with more things. And then he says He will reward 188 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:47,400 you based on what you've done with the things that He has 189 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,920 given you. It puts you on a path for you to 190 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:53,800 be a greater blessing to the people around you. 191 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:58,600 Here is a tough question, a really tough question for all of 192 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:02,000 us to wrestle with. Can God trust you? 193 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:13,200 Can others trust you? There's No Fear of consequences. 194 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:17,080 How would the people in your life rate you on the 195 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:24,600 trustability meter? When was the last time you were 196 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:27,320 completely and wholly obedient to God? 197 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:34,000 Can he trust you now? Others of you, you struggle to 198 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:38,640 embrace a life completely surrendered to God and a life 199 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:43,720 completely empowered by the Holy Spirit because you think that to 200 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:47,960 be a Christian is to forever commit your life to being weak 201 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,760 and wimpy. You have no desire to be a 202 00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:54,160 doormat for the rest of your lives and have people walk on 203 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:58,320 you in perpetuity and you're going, man, I love Jesus, I love 204 00:11:58,320 --> 00:11:59,920 his mission. I think that's great. 205 00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:03,080 I just don't want to be used and abused by everybody for the rest 206 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:07,880 of my life. If you were to put it maybe a 207 00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:10,560 different way, just talk to the fellas. 208 00:12:10,560 --> 00:12:14,400 You're kind of going, listen, I'm not giving up my car hearts 209 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:17,040 and my Ariats for banana Republican scarves. 210 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:21,160 That's just not me. And if that's you, I was trying 211 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:26,720 to think, you know, scarves. If that's you, I've got really 212 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,560 good news for you. The fruit of the spirit of 213 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:36,840 gentleness is not weakness. I'm going to talk for just just 214 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:39,160 to the men for a second, women, I'm going to talk to them. 215 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:44,360 Please don't take offense. A life that is characterized by 216 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:51,920 biblical gentleness is a far cry from a feminine, passive, timid 217 00:12:51,920 --> 00:12:55,000 life that many have tried to turn it into. 218 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:00,400 Let's take a deeper look. First off, gentleness is a fruit 219 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:05,200 of the Spirit that requires the power of the Holy Spirit, which 220 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:09,520 means that gentleness is a supernatural, powerful thing in 221 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:13,080 the life of a believer. You do not need the Holy Spirit 222 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:17,880 to be timid and passive. In fact, Paul when he is writing 223 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:21,880 a letter to Timothy who is the leader of a church in Ephesus, 224 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:26,000 he has this to say to Timothy in second Timothy chapter one. 225 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:30,560 For the Spirit that God gave us, so this is from God, does not 226 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:34,800 make us timid, but gives us power, love, and 227 00:13:34,800 --> 00:13:37,640 self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the 228 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:40,360 testimony about our Lord or of me, his prisoner. 229 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:45,600 Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel by the 230 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:50,680 power of God. Paul is reminding Timothy not to 231 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:57,040 be afraid or passive or a doormat, but to step into the 232 00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:04,800 fray and if necessary, suffer for God and for His mission. 233 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:08,000 And this is where gentleness shows up. 234 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:14,160 Gentleness shows up in how we step into these moments. 235 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:18,000 Galatians chapter 6 verse one gives us some great insight into 236 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:21,840 this. Brothers and sisters, if someone 237 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:26,320 is caught in sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore 238 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:30,320 that person gently. Let me explain this. 239 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,480 Some of you don't point, just go on the journey with me. 240 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:39,480 Some of you, you are you're, you're John Wayne Christians. 241 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,840 You come into you, people are sending, people are acting a 242 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:45,040 fool. Kids are fighting. 243 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:49,760 You come in, you shoot everybody, and then you start 244 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:53,040 asking questions. All right, now who started it? 245 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,640 And it's just bodies on the floor, right? 246 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:58,760 Your kids are yelling at each other. 247 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:02,720 And what do you do? You step in and you scream even 248 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:05,520 louder. And what do you do? 249 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:08,800 The kids start screaming louder because you're screaming louder. 250 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:11,480 So you can be a John Wayne Christian. 251 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:16,080 You can be a John Wayne parent, you can be a John Wayne spouse, 252 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:19,440 or you can be like a Liam Neeson. 253 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:24,120 I have a very special set of skills. 254 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,000 You can you can fix this issue before I fix you. 255 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:36,600 The clock starts now. That's gentleness. 256 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:40,200 Gentleness is stepping into the same situation. 257 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:45,880 And the louder they yell, the softer you get, because a 258 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,000 yelling person can't hear you if they keep yelling. 259 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,400 And if you get softer, they have to stop yelling to hear what 260 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:55,040 you're saying. You are strength under control. 261 00:15:56,680 --> 00:16:01,880 A Christian can be bold, can be courageous, can be honest, can 262 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:09,000 be strong and still be gentle. In fact, the way the ancients 263 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:14,760 described the world, gentleness was all about strength under 264 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:18,200 control. They would use it to talk about 265 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:22,000 when they would tame a wild horse or an elephant. 266 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:26,840 A big massive creature full of incredible strength that could 267 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:32,680 be LED around by a small rope. Strength under control. 268 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:39,200 And if you took a wild horse and you trained it so that way you 269 00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:42,160 could control it. That same wild beast that has 270 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:46,800 the strength to pull a log out of the forest to take a chariot 271 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:51,400 into war, would stand in a pasture and let a little girl 272 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:53,800 lay in its shadow on a sunny day. 273 00:16:54,720 --> 00:16:58,400 It's an attack dog that is on alert. 274 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:06,400 It's always watching, always looking, but the kids can 275 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:12,280 wrestle and play all over it. But at the Masters command it is 276 00:17:12,319 --> 00:17:15,359 go time. We have a dumb dog at our house. 277 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:19,119 Golden Dummy and we don't have that dog. 278 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:23,160 We have a dog who barks at everybody like he's going to 279 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:27,400 kill everybody, right? So people, Amazon persons coming 280 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:33,920 up to our house, open the door. He just comes out, pet me, 281 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,720 please, pet me please. That is not gentleness. 282 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:41,320 That is moron. That's what we have and 283 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,840 Christian shouldn't be that. Imagine having a dog that's just 284 00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:47,120 looking at you going, do you want me to? 285 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:48,760 How do you want me to get into this? 286 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:51,400 You want me to get I'm not doing anything till you tell me I'm 287 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:53,440 not doing anything till you release me. 288 00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:59,040 Strength under control is gentleness. 289 00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:03,680 And how many of you, when was the last time you released 290 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:06,760 strength because God told you to? 291 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:15,800 A lot of times we release our strength and then we ask God and 292 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:22,080 everybody else to forgive us. What the Spirit wants to produce 293 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:26,840 in you is something that is powerful and effective and 294 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:34,400 productive and good and kind. He wants to produce something in 295 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:39,400 you that is gentle, that turns people around, that changes the 296 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:42,040 trajectory that a person's life is going on. 297 00:18:42,360 --> 00:18:46,200 Proverbs 15. One says a gentle answer turns 298 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:50,840 away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 299 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:57,920 Strength under control is useful and purposeful, and it is not 300 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:03,640 harmful. So parents, if you feel like the 301 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:07,960 last time you kind of dealt with the situation in your house, it 302 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:11,320 was not as productive as you wanted it to be and it was more 303 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,920 harmful than you intended. You probably weren't living by 304 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:19,960 the spirit because you probably were not gentle because 305 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:23,520 gentleness, strength under control. 306 00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:28,800 Speaking of control, the last fruit of the Spirit is 307 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:33,520 self-control. And many people today believe 308 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:40,960 that self-control equals no fun. And so they feel like a yes to 309 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:46,720 Jesus is also saying yes to a boring, unenjoyable life. 310 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:49,680 Now I want to be clear. Crossing family, pay attention. 311 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:55,960 Fun should not be an idol in our life that you pursue. 312 00:19:57,720 --> 00:19:59,200 How many of you guys all the time. 313 00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:03,280 Work is fun, yeah, but we do it anyway. 314 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:06,520 Because it's good. How many of you parenting is 315 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:10,000 always fun? No, but we parent because it's 316 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:13,040 good. There are good things in life 317 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,960 that are not always necessarily fun, but that does not keep us 318 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:18,880 from doing those good things. However, there is absolutely 319 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:22,920 nothing wrong with enjoying the gift of life that God has given 320 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:26,920 us or enjoying ourselves on the mission of Christ. 321 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:30,160 Look what it says in John chapter 10 verse 10. 322 00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:33,480 You've heard me say this like 100 times here the thief that 323 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:38,840 Satan comes only to steal and kill and destroy I this is Jesus 324 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:43,280 talking have come that they may have life and have it to the 325 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:50,040 full. The idea that life with Jesus is 326 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:59,040 mundane, archaic, not enjoyable. Hear me is a lie from Satan 327 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:06,160 himself, and Satan is out to destroy you, and Jesus is out to 328 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:11,400 save you and to give you the life that you were created and 329 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:15,120 destined to experience. And if you are saying no to 330 00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:19,360 Jesus because you think that somehow life with Him will not 331 00:21:19,360 --> 00:21:22,880 be better, you are listening to the voice of Satan. 332 00:21:23,880 --> 00:21:27,800 You see, in our flesh we see rules and restrictions and 333 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:31,840 regulations, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, we see 334 00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:36,360 righteousness and protection. For instance, when we tell our 335 00:21:36,360 --> 00:21:39,880 kids not to touch the stove, is it because we are horrible, 336 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:42,360 rotten, despicable, unloving parents who never want our kids 337 00:21:42,360 --> 00:21:44,120 to enjoy the fullness of a hot stove? 338 00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,680 No, we're going. Look, man, that's not nearly as 339 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:51,760 fun as you think it is. Look at your brother, Nubs. 340 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:56,880 Like he kept touching it. You look at them and you say, 341 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:58,760 listen, I know this sounds appealing. 342 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:01,280 This looks like a lot of fun. Just don't. 343 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:05,160 And it's not because you don't love them, it's because you do. 344 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:08,280 This isn't a rule to keep you from enjoying life. 345 00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:11,320 This is a rule to keep you from hurting in this life. 346 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:15,080 This one's going to hurt a little bit. 347 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:24,560 The area where you see Jesus as restrictive is probably the area 348 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:32,520 where your biggest idol resides and where Satan has his deepest 349 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:37,000 stronghold. Let me give you 3 illustrations. 350 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:42,880 If you see Jesus's teaching on enemy love as restrictive, it 351 00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:48,240 might be because you want to just be an angry person, or you 352 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:51,240 want to have other people looking at all the shortcomings 353 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:56,280 of others instead of you having to own your own shortcomings. 354 00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:02,040 If you see Jesus's teaching on generosity as restrictive, it 355 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:06,000 might be because you wrestle with greed or a scarcity 356 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:10,680 mindset. If you see Jesus's teaching on 357 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:17,240 let's do another fun one, sexual purity, it might be because you 358 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:20,360 would rather use people for your sexual gratification. 359 00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:29,240 Let me explain. Jesus lays out a pretty awesome 360 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:34,360 hot stove argument that a hot stove is really, really good for 361 00:23:34,360 --> 00:23:37,680 making warm food that's good and tasty to eat. 362 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:44,400 However, if you use the stove to touch it and play cards on you 363 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:46,200 and everybody around you will get hurt. 364 00:23:47,200 --> 00:23:50,040 And God, when he set up sex, said sex is good. 365 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:55,160 It's desirable, it's beneficial, and it should take place in the 366 00:23:55,160 --> 00:24:00,400 context of a husband and a wife, in the confines of marriage, and 367 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:06,000 anytime you operate sexually outside of that, you cause pain 368 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:11,560 and hurt and sorrow. When you stack multiple 369 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:15,760 partners, you have to ask yourself, am I actually loving 370 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:18,680 these people or am I using them to get what I want? 371 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,880 And in marriage we are to serve one another, not take from one 372 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:25,360 another. So you're taking a good thing 373 00:24:25,360 --> 00:24:28,200 that God gives you and you are using that good thing for 374 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:32,520 yourself for self worship, and you are purposely using another 375 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:34,440 person to fill the hole in your heart. 376 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:38,000 Or you're inside of a marriage and you decide to start having 377 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:42,240 sex with somebody outside of marriage and then all of a 378 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:46,240 sudden that relationship disintegrates because the broken 379 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:48,200 covenant is just too hard to repair. 380 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:53,240 Or you're having sex outside of marriage and you end up getting 381 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:54,400 pregnant. And then you have to ask 382 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,520 yourself, do we, are we going to keep the kid or not keep the 383 00:24:57,520 --> 00:24:59,320 kid? And let's say you decide to keep 384 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:01,960 the kid and then you decide to keep the kid and you decide to 385 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:04,800 get married, but you're getting married now because, you know, 386 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:06,880 we got a kid and we want this kid to work out. 387 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:08,800 But maybe you decide you're not going to get married. 388 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:11,760 And then this kid now doesn't get to have a, a home with a 389 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,960 father and a mother. He gets to live in a home with a 390 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:17,480 dad sometimes and a mom sometimes. 391 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:20,680 And you can trace all of that back to you just didn't trust 392 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:26,000 that God's way was the best way. And then you and all the people 393 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:30,360 around you are, are navigating a sexual pain from something that 394 00:25:30,360 --> 00:25:34,040 God intended to be an incredible blessing in your life. 395 00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:37,240 Like think about it. If you were to just take God at 396 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:40,000 his word, I'm going to just talk to the junior high and high 397 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:43,040 school kids. If you were to wait until you 398 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:45,760 got married to have sex, check this out. 399 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:49,240 This would be your story. You wouldn't ever have to worry 400 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:51,680 about St. DS Check. 401 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:55,840 Pretty awesome like that one. You don't ever have to worry 402 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:57,640 about getting a phone call that says I'm pregnant. 403 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:02,000 You don't ever have to navigate the issue of abortion in your 404 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:06,160 dialogue. You don't ever have to worry 405 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:08,360 about whether or not the person you married was marrying you 406 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:11,360 just because you you had a kid like you are in the spot. 407 00:26:11,360 --> 00:26:14,200 You never have to navigate issues of comparison and whether 408 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:16,160 or not somebody else thinks you're a better kisser than you 409 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:18,120 like you. All of these things are a gift 410 00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:20,960 that God gives you. And think about how much time 411 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:24,040 and energy and money the world is trying to get you to operate 412 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:26,160 sexually outside of God's design. 413 00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:28,600 Because as soon as you operate outside of that, they can 414 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:34,680 monetize it, they can devalue for it, they can hurt you, they 415 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:39,760 can put you in bondage. Hear me now I know, I know. 416 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:41,560 I know the clientele of the Crossing. 417 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:44,880 So let me say something. I'm assuming that the 418 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:49,360 illustrations that I just gave apply to almost 98% of you. 419 00:26:51,360 --> 00:26:53,880 Hear me? None of that, none of that, none 420 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:58,960 of that was designed to make you feel less valuable, less 421 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:01,320 lovable, or that you are a failure. 422 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:08,880 I just wanted to show you that when you control yourself and 423 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:12,000 you allow God to lead you, it leads to greater blessings. 424 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:15,080 And I need you to hear me. There is not a single decision 425 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:20,320 that you have ever made that our God will not send His Son to die 426 00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:23,360 on the cross. For there is not a single sin 427 00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:27,320 that you have committed that He cannot redeem and repurpose. 428 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:33,840 But I want us to operate where we are experiencing the blessing 429 00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:37,000 of God more than we are experiencing the redemption of 430 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,480 God. When I began the sermon series, 431 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:43,360 I was really, really nervous because there was a part of me 432 00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:45,000 that was going, some of the people are going to go, you know 433 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,000 what, I'm really going to start being a spirit LED individual. 434 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,360 I'm going to start allowing the Holy Spirit to direct the 435 00:27:50,360 --> 00:27:53,080 affairs of my life and I'm going to operate in his power and in 436 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:55,880 his spirit. But I was nervous that some 437 00:27:55,880 --> 00:28:00,760 people would use this sermon series to create a permission 438 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:04,160 slip. Man Clayton said that, you know, 439 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:06,440 godly love has boundaries. So now I don't have to talk to 440 00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:16,050 my mother-in-law anymore. I drew a boundary crossing 441 00:28:16,050 --> 00:28:21,650 family. Our our world is in desperate 442 00:28:21,650 --> 00:28:26,010 need. Not of a better version of you 443 00:28:26,130 --> 00:28:31,800 and me, but a you and me that has been made completely new by 444 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:36,320 the power of God. It is in desperate need of a you 445 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:42,800 and me that is Spirit empowered, spirit directed, spirit 446 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:47,840 controlled, a you and me that is producing something that could 447 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:52,840 only come from God. You might be asking how does 448 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:55,280 this fruit come about in the life of believer? 449 00:28:56,160 --> 00:29:01,200 It happens when you and I remain, abide in God's Word and 450 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:05,840 prayer and biblical community and walk it out in obedience. 451 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:09,440 I've been doing the same chunk of scripture every single week 452 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:11,520 because I want to drill it into our souls. 453 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,440 John 15. Look what it says verses one 454 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:17,000 through 5. This is Jesus talking. 455 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:20,120 I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 456 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:23,720 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every 457 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:26,720 branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even 458 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:30,920 more fruitful. You are already clean because of 459 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:36,200 the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me as I also remain in 460 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:39,200 you. No branch can bear fruit by 461 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:42,600 itself. It must remain in the vine. 462 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:46,440 Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. 463 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:49,160 I am the vine, you are the branches. 464 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:53,840 If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. 465 00:29:54,120 --> 00:30:00,080 Apart from Me, you can do nothing. 466 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:06,320 Let me unpack this crossing family. 467 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:15,040 God expects fruit in the life of a believer, and if there is not 468 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:20,360 godly fruit being produced in your life, it means that you are 469 00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:29,000 not connected. You have been cut off, but a 470 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:35,680 good branch bears fruit. And when he sees fruit, he 471 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:41,200 prunes you so that you will become even more fruitful. 472 00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:43,120 So you should be sitting here going, you know what? 473 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:45,200 I don't want to be cut off, so I want to produce fruit. 474 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:48,160 But I started produce fruit started being produced in me, 475 00:30:48,480 --> 00:30:51,280 and now he's cutting me up. But let me tell you why he's 476 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:53,920 cutting you up. He's cutting you up every time 477 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:57,760 you feel a conviction over sin. He's cutting you up every time 478 00:30:57,760 --> 00:31:00,320 you feel a pressure or a prompting to do something that 479 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:03,080 takes you outside of your comfort zone. 480 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:07,720 And when you do that, that's where you grow because you do 481 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:12,320 not grow in your comfort zone. So you're going, Clayton, I got 482 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,800 to produce fruit because that's what you say Christians do. 483 00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:16,760 So I want fruit coming out of my life. 484 00:31:16,760 --> 00:31:20,200 How does that happen? It happens when we remain and 485 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:25,440 when we abide in Him, when we become wrinkly or pruney. 486 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:29,320 Just like when you take a long hot bath, over time your fingers 487 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:31,040 will in your toes will get all wrinkly. 488 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:34,920 You can't force the wrinkles. All you can do is remain and 489 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:39,320 abide, spending time with God in His Word, in prayer and in 490 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:42,400 community, and walking it out in obedience. 491 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:46,960 Why? Because the fruit that this 492 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:51,160 world desperately needs and the fruit that God is looking for 493 00:31:52,080 --> 00:32:00,440 can only come from Him. Because we have nothing to offer 494 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:09,210 apart from Him. Husbands, do you know what you 495 00:32:09,210 --> 00:32:14,090 have to offer your wife? Father's, do you know what you 496 00:32:14,090 --> 00:32:16,650 have to offer your family apart from God? 497 00:32:17,930 --> 00:32:24,200 Nothing. Wives, Mothers, do you know what 498 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:27,640 you have to offer your husband and your kids apart from God? 499 00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:31,960 Nothing. Do you know what you have to 500 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:36,120 offer the people that you are at work with, who sit next to you 501 00:32:36,120 --> 00:32:43,880 and bump into you? Nothing apart from God Bosses. 502 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:47,000 You have dreams, goals and ambitions of being a great place 503 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:50,640 where people are be able to work hard and enjoy time with their 504 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:53,640 family and provide for their needs and retire in dignity. 505 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:55,080 Do you know what you have to offer? 506 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:57,960 All the people you think about on a regular basis and the 507 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:00,080 pressure you feel? Do you know what you can offer 508 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:03,720 them apart from God? Nothing. 509 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:13,280 A couple years back, I, I was thinking about getting ready to 510 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:17,280 to preach to you guys and there's a lot of different ways 511 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:21,480 to think through preaching. And as I was thinking through 512 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:23,760 it, like the task felt very heavy to me. 513 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:27,280 And so I just started doing something every time before I 514 00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:30,880 get up and preach and I just spend a little bit of time on 515 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:32,360 one knee. I kind of like do a little Tebow 516 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:37,800 during the opening worship set. And I just started praying this 517 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:44,000 prayer and it has been the most freeing prayer that I've prayed. 518 00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:46,800 And I'm one of those guys where like if I kind of stumble across 519 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:49,040 a prayer, like I'm just going to run that prayer forever. 520 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,240 Like I pray the same prayer over my kids every single day. 521 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:55,000 If you asked me to do your wedding, you get the exact same 522 00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,600 wedding I give everybody else. You want to know why? 523 00:33:57,720 --> 00:33:58,880 Because I asked myself this question. 524 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:01,600 If I could tell anybody anything on their wedding day, this is 525 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:04,360 what it would be. And so before I preached one 526 00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:05,520 day, I just kind of prayed a prayer. 527 00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:07,280 And I was like, you know what, I'm going to pour concrete on 528 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:11,000 that one and I'm going to just run that one over and over 529 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:13,880 again. Because for all the areas where 530 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:21,320 I have tons of confidence and I can step into those moments when 531 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,639 you come to the realization that you have nothing to offer 532 00:34:24,639 --> 00:34:29,880 anybody if it is not spirit directed and spirit empowered. 533 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:39,000 So here's the prayer. I pray, Heavenly Father, I am 534 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:43,040 nothing. My sermon is nothing. 535 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:48,080 This church service is nothing. This church is nothing. 536 00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:55,000 My life is nothing unless you are in it. 537 00:34:56,840 --> 00:34:59,520 So fill this place with your spirit. 538 00:35:01,480 --> 00:35:06,920 Do what only you can do in ways that only you can do it. 539 00:35:07,960 --> 00:35:14,640 Start a fire in this church that Satan can't put out. 540 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:19,160 And sometimes you'll get done with the sermon and you'll go, 541 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:23,960 that was a really good sermon. And both me and you are really 542 00:35:23,960 --> 00:35:30,760 surprised. And sometimes somebody will come 543 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:34,000 up and they'll go, man, you were speaking just to me. 544 00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:41,000 Do you know why that happens? It is not because I'm gifted. 545 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:46,240 It's not because I'm creative. It's not because of the late 546 00:35:46,240 --> 00:35:49,640 nights or the early mornings. It's not because of the amount 547 00:35:49,640 --> 00:35:52,800 of pages I read and the amount of words that I wrote. 548 00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:04,480 Man, I love you. And the most freeing thing is 549 00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:09,920 when I came to the realization I have nothing to offer you but 550 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:19,440 him and I would love to find out what would happen in this region 551 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:24,480 if we started praying that prayer and God kept answering 552 00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:26,240 it. We're moving to a time of 553 00:36:26,240 --> 00:36:34,320 decision. If you are in this room or you 554 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:39,480 are watching online right now and you have yet to start an 555 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:44,520 intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you have yet 556 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:49,080 to experience the abundant life that God has in store for you. 557 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:56,680 It's been an incredible year here at the Crossing, and I'll 558 00:36:56,680 --> 00:36:58,720 get to tell you more about that in a couple of weeks. 559 00:36:59,880 --> 00:37:03,560 But every single week, usually on the front end, sometimes on 560 00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:06,160 the back end of the service, we get to watch the baptism video. 561 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:12,360 And I wish that there was just enough time for us to hear 562 00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:17,440 absolutely every single story of every single person who gets 563 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:21,880 baptized at this church. Because if you were sitting here 564 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:24,520 today and you've never started that journey, you've never been 565 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:27,760 obedient in that area and you've never come into that intimate, 566 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:38,920 personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you have no idea how 567 00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:43,840 meaningful that moment is when you finally allow your life to 568 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:49,040 be directed by Him, forgiven by Him, redeemed by Him. 569 00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:53,680 I wish I could describe it to you, what it's like when you 570 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:57,720 feel the love of God and the joy of God and the peace of God and 571 00:37:57,720 --> 00:38:01,000 the patience of God and the kindness of God and the goodness 572 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:04,440 of God and the faithfulness of God and the gentleness of God 573 00:38:04,680 --> 00:38:17,320 wash over your life. And so today, if you're a 574 00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:21,840 skeptic and you've got questions about a life with Jesus and you 575 00:38:21,840 --> 00:38:26,680 haven't asked them, would you in faith, would you ask him? 576 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:31,080 Today, if you've been saying no to Jesus because you didn't want 577 00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:35,200 to be a doormat, but today you start asking the questions about 578 00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:39,680 what it means to actively engage, not passively, actively 579 00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:41,840 engage in furthering the mission of God. 580 00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,040 For those of you who've been saying everything about 581 00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:49,160 Christianity through the lens of rules and regulation, instead of 582 00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:52,320 God equipping you for the good things he has in store for you, 583 00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:55,360 I would just tell you, don't put it off. 584 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:58,800 And in just a few moments, when the people around you stand and 585 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:02,480 sing and other people come to the steps and pray, I want to 586 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:07,080 encourage you to walk right over there underneath that screen 587 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:10,520 next to the baptistry, and start a conversation that can 588 00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:15,880 completely change your life and more importantly, your eternity. 589 00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:20,880 To the rest of you in the room, to those of you already have a 590 00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:25,480 relationship with Jesus Christ, would you start praying the 591 00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:28,680 prayer that I pray and see what God does? 592 00:39:29,440 --> 00:39:37,150 Would you stand with me? Heavenly Father, we want to be a 593 00:39:37,150 --> 00:39:48,000 part of something so impactful, so meaningful, so special, that 594 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:54,840 the only one who could possibly get the credit, the only one who 595 00:39:54,840 --> 00:39:59,040 could possibly get the glory, is you. 596 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:08,000 All of our talents, all of our abilities, all of our strengths, 597 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:14,080 we surrender them to You. Because we just want you. 598 00:40:16,440 --> 00:40:23,080 We just want you to move you, to lead you, to direct you to 599 00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:26,160 empower. We just want to say yes. 600 00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:30,240 Yes to your promptings, Yes to your urgings. 601 00:40:39,560 --> 00:40:42,120 Heavenly Father, we're asking you to do what only you can do 602 00:40:43,240 --> 00:40:48,840 in ways that only you can do it. Yeah, we're asking you to start 603 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:52,520 a fire in us that Satan can't put out. 604 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:54,960 In your name, I pray. Amen.