1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:03,520 I like that it was a mighty shout, but the the clap was a 2 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:05,320 little subdued. And I thank you for that. 3 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:08,480 We are replacing the carpets later this year. 4 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:10,720 But I mean, we don't need to speed up the process, right? 5 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:14,080 Let me just say something before I read from the Scripture while 6 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:16,280 we're holding this communion together and we're we're ready 7 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:20,120 to do this communion is something I took for granted for 8 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:22,920 most of my life. I grew up in a church 9 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:25,680 denomination that it was something you did every Sunday 10 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:27,440 and you were just told this is what you do. 11 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,280 And so I did it and I'm still glad I did it, Don't get me 12 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:31,960 wrong. But I don't want to move past 13 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:34,400 this moment that is so holy and so special. 14 00:00:35,160 --> 00:00:37,440 And to take it together is a family act. 15 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:39,400 And the reason I know that is because all throughout the New 16 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:41,680 Testament when they were talking about taking the Lord's Supper, 17 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:44,280 I'm about to read to you from First Corinthians, it happened 18 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,280 at the family table and it happened amongst families, and 19 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:50,440 then it happened amongst people that called each other familial 20 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:52,880 terms. So they would bring people over, 21 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,000 basking in the teachings of Jesus who said things like who 22 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:57,960 are my mother and my brother and my sisters? 23 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:00,680 Anybody who does the will of my father is my mother and my 24 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:02,880 brother and my sister. And they would sit there 25 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:04,920 together and they would break this bread and they would 26 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,720 remember that Jesus was broken and they would drink the wine 27 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,520 together and they would remember that every drop of his blood was 28 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:14,000 poured out so that every single shred of your sin could be 29 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:15,800 forgiven. And it was special. 30 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:17,680 And it wasn't a religious thing that they did. 31 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,120 It was something they did to remember because we forget. 32 00:01:21,960 --> 00:01:25,480 And so today I want you to just look around and maybe maybe not 33 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:27,200 everybody in here, somebody you would have chosen for your 34 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:28,800 family. But don't get me started on your 35 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:30,800 blood family either, right? OK. 36 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:34,640 This is God's family. I mean, before anything else, 37 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,000 can we just be grateful? Can we just give him praise for 38 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:43,120 for making a family? Come on, listen, listen out in 39 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,680 the world, there are so many different paths to know whatever 40 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,800 the gods are that other people worship or however to send your 41 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:50,840 good vibes to the universe or whatever people say. 42 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,640 Let me tell you something. This is so much more than just 43 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:57,840 picking the best out of all the options out there. 44 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:00,800 This is not your ticket to heaven. 45 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:05,200 This is your ticket to the Father who dwells in heaven, but 46 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:07,720 it's your ticket into a right relationship with him. 47 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:12,080 And so as you look at these elements today, the bread and 48 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,840 the juice, think about it. As I read this, the words of 49 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:18,160 Paul, he says, I pass on to you what I received from the Lord 50 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:20,560 himself on the night when he was betrayed. 51 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,520 The Lord Jesus took some bread and he gave thanks to God for 52 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,480 it. And then he broke it in pieces. 53 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:28,440 And he said, this is my body which is given for you. 54 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:32,440 He said, do this in remembrance of me. 55 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:35,800 Any punishment that you've earned due to sin, there may 56 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:38,480 still be consequences, but any eternal punishment that you've 57 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,640 earned was taken on the cross that day. 58 00:02:41,640 --> 00:02:43,400 And that's what this bread symbolizes. 59 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:45,280 Remember that as you take the bread this morning. 60 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:50,880 Let's do that. Thank you. 61 00:02:50,880 --> 00:03:02,840 It says in the same way he took the 62 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:06,400 cup of wine after supper, saying this cup is the new covenant 63 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:11,480 between God and his people, an agreement confirmed with my 64 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:13,880 blood. Do this in remembrance of me as 65 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:17,480 often as you drink it. So remember this as we drink the 66 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,920 juice today. You are God's people. 67 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:23,600 You may not feel like you deserve it, but you are. 68 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:26,400 Remember that as you take the juice today. 69 00:03:33,020 --> 00:03:35,740 And it says after that every time you eat this bread and 70 00:03:35,740 --> 00:03:37,780 drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death 71 00:03:38,740 --> 00:03:41,640 until he comes again. And as we've been talking about 72 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:45,200 change, when you announce the death of our Lord, you announce 73 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:50,360 the death of the old you. But then again, after Jesus 74 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:51,720 died, something else happened, right? 75 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,720 There was a resurrection. So you are also proclaiming his 76 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:58,560 resurrection, and by extension, you're also proclaiming your 77 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:01,320 chance to be made new. And it's not about you and it's 78 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:03,240 not about me. It's all about Him and the 79 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:05,640 saving work that he continues to do in our lives. 80 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:08,480 But that's what you and I just proclaimed this morning. 81 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:10,840 Is that a beautiful way to start this morning or what? 82 00:04:10,840 --> 00:04:12,360 Come on. Thank you, Jesus. 83 00:04:20,100 --> 00:04:21,740 I am. I'm going to ask you all to go 84 00:04:21,740 --> 00:04:23,540 ahead and and be seated this morning. 85 00:04:23,740 --> 00:04:26,900 This is a family Sunday. If there has ever been a family 86 00:04:26,900 --> 00:04:28,900 Sunday. Man, brothers and sisters in the 87 00:04:28,900 --> 00:04:33,100 Lord, we've got a lot going on and I could not be more thrilled 88 00:04:33,100 --> 00:04:34,540 just the way that everything lined up. 89 00:04:34,540 --> 00:04:38,820 So, Pastor Anna, don't go far because I'll need you soon. 90 00:04:39,420 --> 00:04:42,160 I'll need you soon. You heard it. 91 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:43,960 I, I, I need Pastor Anna in a moment. 92 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:47,320 But before that, I want to go ahead and bring in new members. 93 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,720 So last weekend we had a next steps class and next steps. 94 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,680 Honestly, this is just a chance for us to be able to, to talk 95 00:04:54,680 --> 00:04:58,840 about it. I want to address this because I 96 00:04:58,840 --> 00:05:01,640 just saw some videos this weekend on social media, some 97 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,640 people complaining about harmful practices that happen with 98 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,360 churches and how sometimes it feels exclusive when there's 99 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:09,920 members and, and how they get manipulated based on it. 100 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:11,680 Here's what membership means here. 101 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,040 It means you understand what we believe and where we're going 102 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:15,760 and you're willing to be a part of it and help us. 103 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:18,480 Sometimes we'll get a message from somebody saying, Hey, can 104 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:21,520 you send a letter of membership for fill in the blank who is now 105 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:24,440 attending our church? And we always say we don't have 106 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:26,160 a letter to send you, but they're awesome. 107 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,400 So treat them well. Like I, I mean, we don't, it's 108 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:31,080 not exclusive. When you're a member of liberty, 109 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:34,800 you, you don't belong to us, but as a believer, we do belong to 110 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:36,920 each other, right? And so this is just so we can 111 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:39,760 talk about the core beliefs, answer questions that you have 112 00:05:39,760 --> 00:05:41,280 and get to know each each other a little bit better. 113 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:43,840 And it was a great time. Not everybody who went through 114 00:05:43,840 --> 00:05:45,080 the class was able to be here today. 115 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:48,080 But if if you're here this morning, I'll call out your name 116 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:49,640 coming up here. We'll give you the certificate. 117 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:51,920 Sarah's got them right here. And we'll just have you stand 118 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:53,440 right here in front and we're going to pray you into 119 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:56,400 membership together. So first of all, Anthony Garcia 120 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:14,840 Lopez, Bruce Coolbeth, Junior. We got Bryce Fisher. 121 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:22,840 I'll tell you what, Bryce. I'll see you at the end of 122 00:06:22,840 --> 00:06:24,320 service. Bryce has got a busy Sunday 123 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,520 here. Yeah, we've got Ivan and 124 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:35,880 Michelle Cruz. Jen McMichael, who I think might 125 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,000 be out of town as well. But Jen McMichael, let's cheer 126 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:50,690 for her like she's here. Shelly Herbert, you'll see how 127 00:06:50,690 --> 00:06:52,290 efficient we are. It's her first Sunday in the 128 00:06:52,290 --> 00:06:55,770 membership, and we got her on the care team, So come on. 129 00:06:56,730 --> 00:06:58,810 Yes. And then Joe and Sue fought. 130 00:06:58,810 --> 00:07:09,840 Let's see if I can do this without sending off feedback 131 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,720 with a speaker. Let me tell you, the biggest 132 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:14,600 thing that I think is a benefit when it comes to church 133 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:18,320 membership is because culture today is so non committal. 134 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:22,200 If you don't believe me, have a Facebook event and expect 135 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:26,560 everybody to RSVP it, right? It's so hard to say yes, I'm all 136 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:30,360 in because we don't know other people's motives. 137 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:32,040 We don't know if we're making the wrong decision. 138 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:33,720 We don't know if we're biting off more than we can chew. 139 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:35,880 But man, I'm just telling you, we could do so much more 140 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:37,960 together. And so if you all would just 141 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:39,440 lift your hands towards this crew here. 142 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:43,920 Father, we just thank you so much for the membership in this 143 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:46,000 class today. We thank you so much for every 144 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,200 individual, every couple, every family represented here. 145 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,560 We speak blessings over them and over their children. 146 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:53,480 As their church family, we commit to supporting them, 147 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:56,680 helping them find their fit, put their gifts to use, and help 148 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,520 them take every single thing that you speak to them and bring 149 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,560 it into fruition. As the lead pastor here, Father, 150 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:05,720 I commit and promise to always preach something or lead and 151 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:08,120 teach something that is fresh. That is something you've spoken 152 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:10,840 to me, not something that's been taken from somewhere else or 153 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,000 canned or rehearsed. This will be straight from you 154 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:15,360 to them. And Father, we commit ourselves 155 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:18,480 in integrity to finding the best ways that we can help them 156 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:19,960 become a part of the family here. 157 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:22,720 And we thank you so much for everything that's ahead and 158 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:25,640 everything you've already done in the name of Jesus, Amen. 159 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:34,440 Amen. Although Joe, you, you may want 160 00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:40,559 to hang out for just a second because at this point, I'm going 161 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:44,800 to go ahead and ask for the Albania team to come up now. 162 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:52,920 Come on now. Tomorrow, 15 of us are going to 163 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,280 be leaving for Albania in the morning. 164 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:58,120 We're going to drive up to Raleigh, fly out from there, and 165 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:01,840 we'll be gone Monday to Monday. And so next Sunday. 166 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,040 I'm really thrilled. I'm excited about this. 167 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:07,560 Jared. Jared and Beatrice lead Elevate 168 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:09,120 Student Ministries. Jared's going to be bringing a 169 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:11,240 word for you guys. And so y'all support him. 170 00:09:11,560 --> 00:09:18,000 Yeah. And harass him a little bit. 171 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:21,280 I don't think he's in here. Is he in here today? 172 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:25,240 There he is, yes. So Jared said he's hoping that 173 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:27,960 as confirmation that he did what the Lord wants him to next week, 174 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:30,240 that he could receive 2 hugs from every person who's in 175 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:35,960 attendance next week. So I so this is our team that is 176 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:39,000 going down to Albania. And you know, we've been there 177 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:40,960 the last couple years represented as a church. 178 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,440 This is our first time, this is historic for Liberty Church. 179 00:09:43,680 --> 00:09:47,720 First time that we're taking a full team to Albania to minister 180 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:51,320 to the youth and the adults there in a Muslim nation that 181 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:53,280 welcomes us. And so we're going to walk in 182 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:54,920 and we're going to share the love of Jesus with them. 183 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:57,200 And I have asked Pastor Anna if she would speak a blessing over 184 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:01,360 us. I should have been more 185 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:04,720 specific. It's like people saying pray for 186 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:06,960 the food and you're like grace. Anyways, so back to the food 187 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:08,840 though. All right, ready. 188 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:11,920 You're prepared. OK, Pastor Blake is included in 189 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:14,120 this because he's going. So raise your hands up. 190 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:16,840 Let's pray for our team to send them out to the people. 191 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:19,000 Or do we just thank you right now in the name of Jesus? 192 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:21,760 I just thank you, Father, that they are going for a purpose. 193 00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:23,800 And I think that thank you that you're showing them that 194 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,520 purpose. And Lord, I thank you for every 195 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:29,160 single person here that they're unified in your name. 196 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:31,320 And Lord, I just thank you that you're going to give them power 197 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:33,760 to speak and you're going to give them words that they will 198 00:10:33,760 --> 00:10:36,360 be in your will and they will be walking on your path, Father. 199 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,200 So I thank you right now, in the name of Jesus, that they will be 200 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,000 led by your spirit. And I thank you, Father, where 201 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:45,800 they go, you go, and that the people experience your love and 202 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:48,960 they experience being seen in the proper way that they need. 203 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:51,960 And I thank you, Father, that sometimes we may not know what 204 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:54,160 to say, we may not know what to pray over people. 205 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:57,560 But I just pray that they, they feel connection to you and that 206 00:10:57,560 --> 00:11:00,120 they feel seen by each and every person that they interact 207 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:02,400 because sometimes that connection is just all we need 208 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:04,400 to be able to see the love of Jesus. 209 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:06,240 So what I thank you for blessing them. 210 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:10,200 I thank you for being with them. And as we all stand here 211 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,040 together, sit here together and we pray with there's definitely 212 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:15,360 2 more than two people praying over you. 213 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,840 I just thank you that the blood of Jesus is over every single 214 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:19,800 one of you. And that not only are you 215 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:22,240 blessing others, but that you get blessed as well. 216 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,520 And that the Lord's speaking through you and that you 217 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:27,760 experience things that you've never experienced before and 218 00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:30,440 that you know it's from the Holy Spirit in Jesus name, Amen. 219 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:39,600 Amen. Well, Tom-tom, Tom. 220 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,160 Hey, hey, Tom, and live behinds, why don't you all come up on the 221 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:46,520 stage for a second? I know every time you think I'm 222 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:50,760 about to do the sermon. But wait, there's more. 223 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,400 You know, I'm not going to do this quite the same way that 224 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:57,480 Pastor Tom messed with me a few years ago as he had somebody 225 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:01,280 drag me into the bathroom and slap a cap and gown on me and 226 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:03,520 make me walk out to pomp and circumstance. 227 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:08,240 I'll give you some context in a moment, but I want you to know 228 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:10,800 that Tom, who is an elder here at this church, has earned his 229 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:13,560 master's degree in biblical theology. 230 00:12:22,870 --> 00:12:25,430 This is through Christian Life School of Theology Global. 231 00:12:25,430 --> 00:12:28,670 It's the college that our Bible college is, is under the 232 00:12:28,670 --> 00:12:30,750 umbrella of. So if you ever hear about Bible 233 00:12:30,750 --> 00:12:33,910 college interns like Michael Fletcher doing the announcements 234 00:12:33,910 --> 00:12:37,310 today, C plus. But I'm just kidding. 235 00:12:37,310 --> 00:12:41,760 I'm just kidding. A+ man, you did a great job. 236 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:46,560 But here's the thing, these are for people that are looking to 237 00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:49,680 expand what they're doing and grow in their knowledge, and 238 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:51,400 they don't all have the same end goal. 239 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:53,440 Some are trying to pursue a career where they end up as a 240 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,240 pastor. Some want to understand more 241 00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:57,640 about the heart of the church. Some want to just understand the 242 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,400 heart of the gospel better. Whatever the reason is, it is my 243 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,840 distinct honor and pleasure to present you with this, because 244 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:15,840 you earned it. Now, let me just say, if you're 245 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:19,440 interested in the Bible College in any form, it can be done on 246 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:21,560 your own time. It can also be done with an 247 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:24,680 internship at the church. There's many different ways you 248 00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:27,280 could ask me or a staff member, but I'd also encourage, 249 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:29,600 encourage you to ask somebody who's gone through the program. 250 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:31,120 They can tell you more personally and more 251 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,200 specifically. And Tom, you're a great 252 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,840 candidate to ask about it. We're proud of you. 253 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:37,320 Thank you for being a part of our church. 254 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:47,200 Well, Are you ready for the sermon? 255 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:49,480 You can't because there's one more thing, OK, with the care 256 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:54,600 team come forward. But this is celebratory. 257 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:59,120 Everything today is celebratory. This is a great Family Day. 258 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:02,800 And let me just tell you, I am. I often say this, I'm so 259 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,080 grateful that this is a generous church and that y'all take care 260 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:08,000 of your own. Told you that we were going to 261 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:11,160 have to replace the roof, right? So I normally don't throw 262 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:12,960 numbers up here. I don't like to throw numbers 263 00:14:12,960 --> 00:14:15,800 because what happens when you compare them to other numbers, 264 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,360 It's not the goal of things. I don't like that when you talk 265 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:20,560 about numbers of people baptized or when you're talking about 266 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:23,120 monetary numbers, any of that. But I want you to know that as 267 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:25,000 we started to look through and see what it would cost to 268 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,640 replace this roof, most of the estimates that we had were 269 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:33,800 around $100,000. Most of them through looking 270 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:35,800 through places and finding some that are a little more 271 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,480 sympathetic to the cause and finding some that are willing to 272 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,680 provide discounts and, and things like that and much, much 273 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:43,160 prayer. We found a place that is 274 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,240 replacing the roof here for $64,000. 275 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:50,600 Seriously. I mean, that's, it's, it's huge. 276 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:54,120 But, but what I want you to know is we've already paid them half 277 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:55,680 as the deposit. You'll probably see it get 278 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:58,000 replaced in about a month. We'll pay them the rest then. 279 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:01,360 And so I'm not asking you for the money for the roof. 280 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:05,080 We have it, OK, because we've been wise and we've been waiting 281 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:06,680 and praying and planning for the future. 282 00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:09,720 But what I am asking you to do is to keep being who you've been 283 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,120 all along, OK? Because I mean, y'all pay your 284 00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:14,920 bills at home, so you know how that goes. 285 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:18,320 Thank you for taking care of your home and taking care of 286 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:20,200 God's Kingdom. That's all I really have for you 287 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:22,240 today. Thank you Father, we give this 288 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,600 time of giving back to you. Thank you for your generosity 289 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,800 and for enabling us to be able to take care of the home front 290 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,680 while also taking care of your gospel in places like Albania 291 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:33,600 and Guatemala and just the outside surrounding areas 292 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:35,760 outside of our walls here at Liberty Church. 293 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:37,640 We are not the only church in town. 294 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:39,560 We're just a piece of your family, and we're so grateful 295 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:41,280 that you use us in the name of Jesus. 296 00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:47,640 Amen. I'm so sorry for what I'm about 297 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:54,600 to say to you. I probably have a shorter 298 00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:57,280 message for you today. The reason I say I'm sorry about 299 00:15:57,280 --> 00:15:59,640 that is because every time I sat out there and heard my pastor 300 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:01,160 say it was going to be a shorter message. 301 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:07,560 But the reason it's a little bit shorter is because of so much 302 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:09,480 that we have been celebrating here at the beginning. 303 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:11,560 If this is your first time at Liberty Church, let me just tell 304 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:14,480 you that is not the way that the beginning of service normally 305 00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:16,320 happens. But we had so much to celebrate 306 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:19,200 today, but also because we're ending with water baptisms and 307 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:21,120 we don't want to rush through water baptisms. 308 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:24,040 These are people making a public profession of repentance that 309 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:26,240 something has changed, that something is brand new, and we 310 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:29,160 want to give that the due respect that it deserves. 311 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:31,560 The Lord is doing incredible things in the lives of his 312 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:33,920 people. But for the word today, if you 313 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,280 would go ahead and grab your Bible, you can turn with me to 314 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,480 Philippians chapter 1. We've been walking through this 315 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:46,320 whole series on being changed. Told the staff on Monday, I 316 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:48,200 don't really know what I'm preaching when I come back from 317 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:49,840 Albania. So we'll see. 318 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:53,640 But I guess we're going to go into a little bit of spiritual 319 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:55,280 warfare. So the Lord's been speaking to 320 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:57,480 me this week and we're going to talk a little bit about how to 321 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:01,040 come against the schemes of the enemy and very specific demonic 322 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:02,640 attacks that are laid out throughout the Bible. 323 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:06,280 So you can buckle up for that when I come back. 324 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:09,440 But we've been talking about how change starts in the mind. 325 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:12,319 I shouldn't be surprised that we're going to go into an area 326 00:17:12,319 --> 00:17:14,319 where we talk about how to push back against the enemy. 327 00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:17,000 Because as soon as you start changing for the Lord, he's not 328 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,760 the only one that takes notice. As my pastor used to say, when 329 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:23,839 the Spirit of God moves, all spirits move, right? 330 00:17:23,839 --> 00:17:25,560 It's like throwing a rock into a pond. 331 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:27,640 There's ripples, right? But there's also things beneath 332 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:30,400 the surface that start swimming around and moving as well. 333 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:34,040 And so we talked about how it starts in the mind, and then we 334 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:35,920 moved on from there. We talked about things like when 335 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,360 God prunes you and it feels like he's cutting away something and 336 00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:41,000 it's not comfortable, but it's necessary for your growth. 337 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,360 It's not meant as a punishment, even if it feels that way. 338 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:47,040 We discussed our identity and how to really find who we are in 339 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:48,800 Jesus. And there will be more talk on 340 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:51,000 that in the months to come because it's so crucial. 341 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,680 And there's a lot of people who have solid belief in the Lord, 342 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:56,440 but they still don't really know who they are in the Lord. 343 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:59,720 And so we are committed to making sure that every believer 344 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:01,560 who attends here will know that in due time. 345 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:07,480 And then we talked about making sure that as we are embracing 346 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:10,640 the change that the Lord brings to us, that we're not trying to 347 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:13,880 force the same change in the same methods on everybody else. 348 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:17,480 But it doesn't mean you just live and let live. 349 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:20,120 You still have to speak the truth, but you have to do it in 350 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:22,520 a way that is kind and also firm. 351 00:18:23,040 --> 00:18:25,400 And so last week was probably the most challenging one out of 352 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:27,920 the sermons to preach today is celebratory. 353 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:32,080 But after all of this, I know that I'm not the only one here 354 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,760 that can say this. All too often I have gotten 355 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:38,680 inspired by the Lord. I've had a fresh word from God. 356 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:41,440 Maybe I felt like that Sunday was just for me or I've had 357 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:43,040 something happen in a night of worship. 358 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,520 I mean, we did the baptism of the Holy Spirit and it boiled 359 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:48,520 over. It wasn't just a Sunday a couple 360 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:50,320 Sundays ago. It boiled over into Wednesday 361 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:52,480 night after service. We had more baptisms in the Holy 362 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:56,200 Spirit. And I've been inspired and said 363 00:18:56,200 --> 00:19:02,440 I'll never be the same again. And then 30 days goes by, I'm 364 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:06,720 being generous, you know, a couple days go by, maybe a week 365 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:10,560 or less will go by and all of a sudden things haven't lasted. 366 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,120 And that in and of itself is not something that anybody should 367 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:16,240 feel shame over because these things do happen. 368 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:17,880 But what do we pick up after that? 369 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:20,960 We pick up this thought that says, I've tried that before, I 370 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:23,720 tried changing, what's the point in trying again? 371 00:19:24,360 --> 00:19:28,520 It doesn't make a difference. That's a real place to be. 372 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:30,560 And if you've ever felt that you were not alone, I want you to 373 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:32,640 know that failure has a way of whispering that this is who 374 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:34,920 you'll always be. But I'm also here today to tell 375 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:38,720 you that's not true. William Wilberforce is one of 376 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,040 those historical names that a lot of people like to drop, but 377 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:45,120 he is so inspirational when it comes to staying the course 378 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:46,680 about what the Lord has told you to do. 379 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:50,000 Even if you feel like you failed time and time again, if you do 380 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,120 know him, you probably know the, the, the highlight there, which 381 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:55,640 is he's a man who helped end slavery in the British Empire. 382 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:58,760 But what most people don't know, or if they did know, they forget 383 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:02,360 it, is how many times he failed. He became a Christian in his mid 384 00:20:02,360 --> 00:20:06,960 20s and he felt the Holy Spirit nudge him immediately and and he 385 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:09,280 felt like God was telling him his political career wasn't just 386 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,080 an average one, there was something to do. 387 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:13,880 And so he felt like he had a divine purpose. 388 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:16,720 He actually wrote in his journal that God had given him 2 great 389 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:18,480 objectives. This is what he said. 2 great 390 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:21,840 objects, the abolition of the slave trade and the Reformation 391 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,160 of manners. And by that he meant morality, 392 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:27,400 although manners would not be a bad thing to revisit. 393 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:32,640 So in 1789 he stood up in parliament and he gave his first 394 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:34,640 major speech against the slave trade. 395 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:37,640 He poured out evidence, he poured out heart, he poured out 396 00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:39,440 scripture, he poured out passion. 397 00:20:40,120 --> 00:20:42,760 And he failed. The bill was rejected. 398 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:45,320 And he didn't quit. The next year, he presented it 399 00:20:45,320 --> 00:20:47,760 again. And he did this year after year, 400 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:52,080 for almost 2 full decades, William Wilberforce put forward 401 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:54,480 bill after bill only to watch him get voted down. 402 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:57,080 And he was ridiculed and he was opposed. 403 00:20:57,080 --> 00:20:59,080 He was even threatened. His life was threatened at one 404 00:20:59,080 --> 00:21:01,800 point. And So what did he do? 405 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,520 And lean deeper into his faith. Now, a lot of us let's, let's be 406 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:07,080 really honest, put ourselves in there. 407 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:10,040 How many years in a row do you try to initiate change? 408 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:14,480 Before you say I misheard God, I thought this is something God 409 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:16,880 had for me. But if it was something you had 410 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:18,520 for me, it would have happened by now. 411 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,040 And if you don't think it, somebody else thinks it. 412 00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:23,120 And then at some point somebody's got the guts enough 413 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:26,080 to say to you, hey, look, I know you really feel like God put 414 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:28,560 this on your heart, but it's been three years. 415 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:30,520 Don't you think it would have happened by now? 416 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:34,920 Aren't you grateful for friends? Only you know what the Lord is 417 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:37,840 saying to you. OK, People who mean well, 418 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:40,480 Christians, brothers and sisters in the Lord who mean the best 419 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:43,320 and want the best for you. They also get protective second 420 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:45,080 hand offense and second hand protection. 421 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,360 They're fierce. So we take the things that 422 00:21:48,360 --> 00:21:50,880 people say to us, but we always run them through the filter of 423 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:53,120 what the Lord is saying to us, both through Scripture and 424 00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:57,680 through His Spirit. So finally in 18 O 720 years 425 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:00,600 after that first speech, the Slave Trade Act was passed. 426 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:03,360 It's a massive breakthrough and still didn't dismantle it. 427 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:06,240 So he kept working and kept pressing in and trusting God to 428 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:09,120 finish that work. So that was in 18 O 7. 429 00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:15,120 But in 1833, three days before his death, Wilberforce received 430 00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:17,440 word that Parliament had voted to abolish slavery throughout 431 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:21,160 the whole British Empire. So my question before I read the 432 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:24,640 scripture to you is, could you stick to a task that God gave 433 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,720 you even if it meant you wouldn't see it fulfilled until 434 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:29,920 three days before your death? Because that's what he did. 435 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:33,480 For decades He looked like a failure in the eyes of the 436 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:35,440 world, and in his own eyes, probably. 437 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:38,360 But in the eyes of the Kingdom, he was made of something 438 00:22:38,360 --> 00:22:42,520 different than most of us. In God's hands, those failures 439 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:44,760 were only part of a process, and we're going to talk about this 440 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:48,360 process in a few minutes. He never stopped believing that 441 00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:51,760 God would finish the work that he started in him and that's the 442 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:53,680 encouragement that Philippians one gives us. 443 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:56,400 If you want to read along, we'll start in verse 3. 444 00:22:57,360 --> 00:23:00,520 Paul says this. He says every time I think of 445 00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:04,360 you, I give thanks to my God whenever I pray, I make my 446 00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:06,000 requests for all of you with joy. 447 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:08,800 For you have been partners in spreading the good news about 448 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,200 Christ from the time you first heard about it until now. 449 00:23:12,360 --> 00:23:15,560 And I'm certain that God, here it is who began the good work 450 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:18,760 within you, will continue his work until it is finally 451 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:21,000 finished. On the day when Christ Jesus 452 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:25,040 returns, Paul says So it is right that I should feel as I do 453 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,360 about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. 454 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,720 You share with me the special favor of God, both in my 455 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:35,560 imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the 456 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:37,520 good news. Favor looks a little different 457 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:42,760 to Paul than favor looks to me. God knows how much I love you 458 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:47,720 and long for you with tender compassion of Christ Jesus, he 459 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:51,080 says, I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that 460 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:54,240 you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding, for 461 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:57,120 I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may 462 00:23:57,120 --> 00:24:00,160 live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's 463 00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,120 return. Verse 11, He says May you always 464 00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:06,960 be filled with the fruit of your salvation, the righteous 465 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:10,720 character produced in your life by Jesus Christ, for this will 466 00:24:10,720 --> 00:24:12,280 bring much glory and praise to God. 467 00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:16,440 Do you know why He says he hopes that they'll show the fruit of 468 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,600 their salvation? Because it's possible to be 469 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:27,160 saved and not have any fruit. That's not popular to say, but 470 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:30,200 it is possible. You can be saved, you can be 471 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,880 heaven bound, you punched your ticket, you know where you're 472 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:35,560 going and still not be showing fruit on this earth. 473 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:39,640 But how can he rejoice with them except that he knows that 474 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:43,360 there's a work in them that God started, and because of that, he 475 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:45,720 knows God will finish it? Here's why this matters. 476 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:49,280 How often when we pray for people, especially when they're 477 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,120 in a tough place, do we throw gratitude in there for those 478 00:24:52,120 --> 00:24:54,760 people as well? When you're praying for people, 479 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,280 thank God for what he's doing in them. 480 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:00,200 And you may say, I can't see God doing anything in them. 481 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:02,000 Well, good thing that's not your job. 482 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:04,040 Quality control inspector for heaven, right? 483 00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:08,840 Thank God for what He is doing in the lives of other people 484 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:11,680 because if He's doing something in their lives, that means He 485 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:13,280 started it. And if He started it, what will 486 00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:15,040 he do? He'll finish it. 487 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:17,720 This is not just about what God is doing in my life or your 488 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:18,960 life. It's about what He's doing in 489 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:23,960 the lives of the people around us, even the ones that irk us. 490 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:28,320 The ones that I were taught are represented by three letters. 491 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:32,560 EGR. It means extra grace required. 492 00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:37,360 God is doing something in them, and you might not know what it 493 00:25:37,360 --> 00:25:39,760 is, but if it's of God, it's good. 494 00:25:40,360 --> 00:25:43,320 So think about some of the greatest breakthroughs in 495 00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:44,560 history. Some of these you've probably 496 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,200 heard since grade school, many of which have been used to 497 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:48,320 encourage us throughout the years. 498 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:51,240 Thomas Edison failed over 1000 times before he finally got the 499 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:53,720 light bulb to work. Had to lean on some other 500 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,840 people's education to do that. But how about Walt Disney? 501 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:00,000 We know Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper. 502 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:02,240 Do you know why he was fired from a newspaper? 503 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:04,840 They told him he lacked imagination. 504 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:14,000 OK, Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team 505 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:18,040 over and over again. We can look at people that we 506 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,800 consider great in our eyes, and we can see that they were once 507 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:23,600 people that fell flat on their faces. 508 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,040 Why not you? Why not me? 509 00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:29,960 Why not us? What is God trying to accomplish 510 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:32,720 there that's maybe a little bit greater than a basketball 511 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:37,400 dynasty or cartoon mouse or even the light bulb? 512 00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:40,600 Spiritually, the truth that we're talking about today is 513 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,240 even greater because real change is not about a fresh start every 514 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,400 time you stumble. It's about trusting the One who 515 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:46,960 promised to finish what He started. 516 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,440 Romans 828 says that He causes all things to work together for 517 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:53,080 the good of those that love Him. So if you are sold out to Him, 518 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:56,080 you are trying to accomplish His purposes and you fail or 519 00:26:56,080 --> 00:27:00,240 stumble, He'll use that in His ultimate purpose as well, if 520 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:01,680 you're willing to release it and give it to Him. 521 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:04,440 I don't know about you. That's a huge relief to me. 522 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:10,320 So maybe instead of thinking I'm not just cut out for this, 523 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:13,400 instead of thinking maybe this is as far as I'll ever go, maybe 524 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:15,560 instead of thinking maybe I've just hit the ceiling, I've just 525 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:18,960 hit the plateau. Maybe it's the opposite. 526 00:27:19,120 --> 00:27:21,240 Just like we read. Maybe we're just waiting for God 527 00:27:21,240 --> 00:27:24,440 to finish it, but we've been the ones trying to finish it. 528 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:27,720 The first thing I want you to know, before we ever talk about 529 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:30,280 the future for you as a believer, I want to talk about 530 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:32,520 your past. Yes, that's right, I know all 531 00:27:32,520 --> 00:27:35,280 about it. I don't and that's OK. 532 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:36,560 I don't have the capacity for it. 533 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:39,560 The first thing I want you to know though is your past does 534 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:43,080 not define your process. It doesn't disqualify your 535 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,120 process. Now listen, normally when you 536 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:47,960 hear something like this taught, you'll hear your past does not 537 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:50,600 define your future. You'll hear something like that 538 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:52,760 also true cool sermon for another day. 539 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:55,840 There's a process that the Lord is taking you through and your 540 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:59,400 past does not disqualify it. And you may say, well, why not? 541 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:01,480 I would have disqualified me for it. 542 00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:05,800 You ain't God, but your past doesn't disqualify the process. 543 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:07,680 We're going to be in Isaiah 43 in a moment. 544 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:10,680 Sometimes we wonder why God has not finished something in our 545 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:12,840 lives and we get frustrated and impatient. 546 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:14,680 We start to question His faithfulness. 547 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:17,800 But allow me to be the one to remind you that His Word says 548 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:19,960 He'll be faithful to finish everything He starts. 549 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:23,040 He is not held to the standard of finishing everything that you 550 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:26,160 and I start. Even if you say I'm going to do 551 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,960 this for the Lord. I mean, you can go to Niagara 552 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:32,400 Falls and say I'm gonna walk on water for the Lord. 553 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:35,240 I'll see you when I hit eternity. 554 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:39,720 I mean, you know, God is not beholden to what you decide 555 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:42,160 you're going to do, even if you slap His name on it. 556 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:45,120 But He will finish everything that He starts. 557 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:48,920 Now, He is faithful. But I want you to know This is 558 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:51,280 why your past does not disqualify the process. 559 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:55,920 If God began to work in you, even your own failure, even your 560 00:28:55,920 --> 00:29:03,040 own stupidity, even your own bad judgement calls can't cancel 561 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:05,840 what He's doing now. You can miss opportunities, but 562 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:08,240 you can't miss the ultimate purpose that God has for your 563 00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:11,600 life if you are willing to submit your failures to Him. 564 00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:14,520 Let's read together from Isaiah 43. 565 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:20,160 We'll start in verse 14. This is what the Lord says, your 566 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:24,080 Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, for your sakes, I will 567 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:28,000 send an army against Babylon, forcing the Babylonians to flee 568 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:29,440 in those ships they're so proud of. 569 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:35,480 He says, I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel's creator and 570 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:37,480 king. He says, I am the Lord who 571 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:40,280 opened away through the waters, making a dry path through the 572 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:42,560 sea. Of course, we know that for 573 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:45,640 Jewish people, that story of the Exodus, it's central to their 574 00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:48,040 belief. It's sacred to them, right? 575 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:50,360 And this is what is being recounted through the prophet 576 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:53,960 Isaiah. Verse 17, I called forth the 577 00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:56,760 mighty army of Egypt with all its Chariots and horses. 578 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:59,760 I drew them beneath the waves, and they drown, their lives 579 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:01,840 snuffed out like a smoldering candle Wick. 580 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:06,960 It's very descriptive. And then verse 18, Ephesus mine, 581 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:12,000 God says, and forget all that. Listen, it's nothing compared to 582 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:17,120 what I'm going to do, for I'm about to do something new. 583 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,080 See, I've already begun. Do you not see it? 584 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:24,760 I will make a pathway through the wilderness. 585 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:27,680 I'll create rivers in the dry wasteland. 586 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:30,480 Do you understand that? He just recounted something that 587 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:34,800 they were well aware of. He just said I created dry land 588 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:37,920 through the water. And he just followed that up 589 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:41,880 with, forget about that. I'll put some water where it's 590 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:44,600 dry. And maybe you're in a 591 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:46,760 wilderness. Maybe you're in a place where 592 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:48,320 you're like, I wish I had a drop of water. 593 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:51,320 He can do it. Maybe you're in a place where it 594 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:52,760 feels like there's a sea in front of you. 595 00:30:52,760 --> 00:30:55,640 You have no way to go forward. And worse than that, it feels 596 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:57,840 like there is something bearing down on you from the other side. 597 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:01,880 He can do it. It's going to be something new. 598 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:05,480 Maybe Israel was so focused on what God had done, it hadn't 599 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:08,560 even dawned on them that he could create a river through the 600 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:12,320 wasteland as well. Verse 20, he says the wild 601 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:15,400 animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and the owls 602 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,360 too, for giving them water in the desert. 603 00:31:17,800 --> 00:31:20,960 Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen 604 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:25,840 people can be refreshed. I've made Israel for myself, and 605 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:28,440 they will someday honor me before the whole world. 606 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:33,440 Why is it that the owls and the jackals are going to say thank 607 00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:35,800 you, but he's having to make sure that we pay attention to 608 00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:38,840 it? Because all of nature operates 609 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:43,480 in accordance with what it was created to do except for one 610 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:46,440 part, and that part was given free will. 611 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:52,040 I'll just leave that there. Do you hear the shift there? 612 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:54,960 He says, forget all of that. It's nothing compared to what 613 00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:57,080 I'm going to do. That is his way of saying don't 614 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:59,760 let the past set the feeling of the ceiling for your future. 615 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:02,720 Israel had already seen God move in dramatic ways. 616 00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:06,120 It wasn't just the Exodus. They'd also seen that he crushed 617 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:07,760 Babylon. He's in the process of doing 618 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:09,200 this. And so these are their highlight 619 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:11,280 reels. But God says, that's not the end 620 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:14,040 of my story with you. I'm still doing something new. 621 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:16,880 Sometimes we've got a really cool story about something that 622 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:18,440 the Lord has accomplished in our life. 623 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:21,960 Or maybe we just live off of a story that somebody else has 624 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:24,720 told us about what God has accomplished in their life. 625 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:27,840 And so we hold on to that and say God do it again. 626 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:29,920 In fact, we sing a song sometimes it's a worship song 627 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:33,280 called Do It Again. What if He wants to do something 628 00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:37,040 different, but we can't even see what He's doing because we're so 629 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,400 focused on waiting for it to happen again. 630 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:41,480 But there's something new coming. 631 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:43,960 The owls and the jackals out there, they'll see it. 632 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:46,200 But you and I, we have to have the eyes to see. 633 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:48,120 And I want you to understand this. 634 00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:51,120 And Jewish thought, this section of scripture that we talked 635 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:53,920 about has been tied to the theme of what they call teshuva. 636 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:56,880 Teshuva, it actually means return. 637 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:01,120 The rabbi's taught that even when Israel failed, even when 638 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:04,120 they rebelled and walked away, God's mercy made a way for them 639 00:33:04,120 --> 00:33:08,200 to return. Now here we've got our own form 640 00:33:08,200 --> 00:33:10,080 of a shame culture. They used to have honor shame 641 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:12,120 culture. What we've done is we've we've 642 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:16,840 now brought that and we have shifted it into 2025 and we've 643 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:20,480 gotten rid of the honor part and we've replaced the word shame 644 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:22,880 with cancel. Because when we don't like 645 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:25,080 somebody, we bring down the hammer and we want them snuffed 646 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:26,800 into the dirt never to be seen again. 647 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:31,600 And I'm not even talking about political things or celebrities. 648 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,280 I'm talking about this is what we do with people. 649 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:38,000 We have to be very careful because what they had a concept 650 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,480 of is something we don't. Somebody falls, somebody fails. 651 00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:46,560 Done with you for God, for the people that came up memorizing 652 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:50,640 his scripture, this concept of teshuva, the return was huge. 653 00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:53,080 And this was not saying do what you want because God's going to 654 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:55,720 take you back anyway. This was walking through life 655 00:33:55,720 --> 00:33:58,960 unafraid to make mistakes, honest mistakes, because you 656 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:02,320 know the character of your God. Many of us know the holiness of 657 00:34:02,320 --> 00:34:05,600 God, or we know the angryness of preachers, but we don't always 658 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:08,760 know His character. And His character is merciful. 659 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:12,920 It's rich in grace. That's why God is saying, forget 660 00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:14,520 the former things. It's not because they don't 661 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:16,560 matter. He's just saying Israel has 662 00:34:16,560 --> 00:34:19,000 failures, but they also had victories, and you can't put 663 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:21,199 your hope in any of it. That happened in the past. 664 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,880 What's next? Leadership writer John Maxwell 665 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:27,040 has a really great book. It's been a while since I've 666 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:29,159 given you a book recommendation, so there it is. 667 00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:32,960 It's called Failing Forward. It's a really, really good one. 668 00:34:33,639 --> 00:34:36,679 Some people will tell you every book by John Maxwell is is worth 669 00:34:36,679 --> 00:34:38,400 jumping into, and that's not true. 670 00:34:38,639 --> 00:34:40,960 But most of them, most of them are. 671 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:42,880 And this book, I've got a quote for you. 672 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:45,440 Listen. He says the difference between 673 00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:49,920 average people and achieving people is their perception of 674 00:34:49,920 --> 00:34:53,400 and response to failure. I'm gonna say that one more 675 00:34:54,639 --> 00:34:56,679 time. The difference between average 676 00:34:56,679 --> 00:35:00,200 people and achieving people is their perception of and response 677 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:03,360 to failure. Is that really it? 678 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:06,200 Is it possible that that could really be the only difference? 679 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:09,000 I mean, we just talked about people that failed in 680 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,800 significant ways, but also achieved in significant ways. 681 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:13,800 Failure is not the end for a Christian. 682 00:35:14,080 --> 00:35:16,600 It's a tool that God uses to prepare us for what's next. 683 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:18,360 And the other quote is shorter from him. 684 00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:20,720 He says this. Here's your encouragement for 685 00:35:20,720 --> 00:35:22,160 the day. I want to hear this on K love 686 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:25,520 one day. Fail early, fail often. 687 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,600 But always fail forward. Always fail forward. 688 00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:33,120 You're going to fail. This is something I say to my 689 00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:34,680 kids. Hey, I don't expect you to be 690 00:35:34,680 --> 00:35:36,320 perfect. I know there are going to be 691 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:38,240 things that you get wrong. I want you to be honest about 692 00:35:38,240 --> 00:35:40,320 it. And every time I say it to them, 693 00:35:40,320 --> 00:35:41,960 it's like, yeah, yeah, God, I know I'm your kid. 694 00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:44,440 I I get it too. He's like, I know you're not 695 00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:45,520 going to be. I know God. 696 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:48,560 He expects me to be honest about it. 697 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:51,400 This is the heartbeat about what we're talking about today. 698 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:54,840 Your past does not disqualify his process. 699 00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:57,640 Now, maybe there are programs here in the world that if you do 700 00:35:57,640 --> 00:35:59,360 something, you get kicked out of the program. 701 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:03,800 You don't get kicked out of the program of your faith in the 702 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:06,200 Lord because you made an honest mistake. 703 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:08,520 I'm talking about honest mistakes. 704 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:10,240 I'm not talking about frustrating the grace of God. 705 00:36:10,240 --> 00:36:11,840 That's something we'll talk about in due time. 706 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:15,280 But I want you to understand that it is important that you 707 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:17,440 cannot accidentally fall out of His Kingdom. 708 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,680 That being said, it's a little heavy. 709 00:36:20,680 --> 00:36:22,520 So let's talk about Colonel Sanders. 710 00:36:22,720 --> 00:36:26,200 It's a military community. So show some respect for the 711 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:29,120 Colonel. All right? 712 00:36:29,120 --> 00:36:32,720 I don't think he actually served in the military, but he is the 713 00:36:32,720 --> 00:36:34,200 founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. 714 00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:36,680 This is not in my nose. This is just one of the weirdest 715 00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:39,440 things. Couple years ago, the staff went 716 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:44,800 to Asbury Bible College in tennis or in Kentucky to to see 717 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:48,120 the revival that was happening. And we had a guy that drove us 718 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:50,320 and I'm making small talk with him. 719 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:54,400 I mean, the rest of the staff is like, shut it, don't talk to the 720 00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:56,400 stranger. And I'm like, this is just a 721 00:36:56,400 --> 00:37:00,280 friend I haven't met yet. So I'm talking to him and I'm 722 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:02,000 trying to like, I'm trying to break the ice. 723 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:03,640 And I'm saying to him, like, well, I'm glad we're in 724 00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:05,200 Kentucky. What else do we need to try? 725 00:37:05,440 --> 00:37:07,400 I'm sure there's better fried chicken here than you get in 726 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:10,240 KFC, right? And he was like, no, not really. 727 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:15,800 And at that point, I had the rest of the staff's attention. 728 00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:17,800 I said, what? And he goes, no, they're, 729 00:37:17,800 --> 00:37:19,120 they're fried chicken's pretty good. 730 00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:21,200 And he just, the rest of the drive talked about how much he 731 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:25,680 loved KFC living in Kentucky. So there's people out there who 732 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:31,160 need prayer. How old do you think Colonel 733 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:37,200 Sanders was when he started KFC? 72, That's ridiculous. 734 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:45,160 Only 65, 65 years old. Not only was he 65, that's not 735 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:47,400 the take away, just that he did it later in life, although that 736 00:37:47,400 --> 00:37:49,960 would be enough. He had a string of failures 737 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:53,280 before that, and not everybody knows that he failed in multiple 738 00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:55,360 careers. I've got a short list for you. 739 00:37:56,280 --> 00:38:00,560 He failed as a farmer, as a streetcar conductor, as a 740 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:03,240 railroad fireman, and even as a lawyer. 741 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:06,120 Could you imagine that guy representing you in court? 742 00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:09,840 It's funny now because the iconic white suit with the, you 743 00:38:09,840 --> 00:38:13,240 know, none of that lasted. He also tried running a gas 744 00:38:13,240 --> 00:38:16,640 station and a restaurant and both of them he failed. 745 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:19,720 So he was living off of his Social Security check, 746 00:38:19,720 --> 00:38:23,080 struggling to make ends meet. And at that age, most people 747 00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:24,520 would have considered it a failed life. 748 00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:27,240 And he refused to quit. So what did he do? 749 00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:30,440 He packed up. He brought his patented fried 750 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:32,800 chicken recipe. He got in his old car and he 751 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:34,960 started driving around the country and he went restaurant 752 00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:39,600 by restaurant to see who would be willing to adopt his his his 753 00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:43,120 recipe and they would give him a small Commission moving forward. 754 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:46,440 Eventually he landed on one that actually became a restaurant, 755 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:48,920 became a chain. He became the spokesperson or 756 00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:50,320 mascot, whatever you want to say. 757 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:56,400 But that being said, all of this happened at the age of 65 and no 758 00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:58,240 less than at least 7 failed careers. 759 00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:01,880 So don't tell me that just because something didn't work 760 00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:04,040 doesn't mean that there's not a path forward for you. 761 00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:09,280 Now I remember this because there's multiple times God told 762 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:12,800 me to go into ministry and I didn't do it because I know 763 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:14,040 there'll be some people that remember this. 764 00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:16,200 In the words of my pastor, Pastor Tom, to me, it just 765 00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:18,960 seemed like it was too. There we go. 766 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:22,360 It just seemed too hard. That's Pastor Tommy used to 767 00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:25,440 lovingly mock us with that and say, why won't you do what the 768 00:39:25,440 --> 00:39:27,840 Lord says? Is it because it's too hard, 769 00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:32,760 right For me, I felt called into ministry and couldn't figure out 770 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:35,440 how to get there. So I went to my pastor of a 771 00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:38,360 certain denomination when I was growing up and I asked him about 772 00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:40,280 it and I kind of thought he was going to tell me I wasn't called 773 00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:43,000 to it. He told me I was called and then 774 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:45,640 gave me brochures on seminaries that I didn't know how to afford 775 00:39:45,640 --> 00:39:47,760 or move to. So I threw it away. 776 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:49,600 And then I got into Top 40 radio. 777 00:39:49,600 --> 00:39:52,040 And then when I got in there, I kept feeling this nudge, like I 778 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:54,880 needed to do it. And it wasn't until I got fired 779 00:39:57,560 --> 00:40:01,360 and had a public failure that I actually gave him my attention 780 00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:03,960 in the way that I should have. Now, a lot of times when a 781 00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:06,040 preacher shares their story, they make it sound like, and if 782 00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:07,840 you hear from God, you'll go into ministry too. 783 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:10,840 It's not the take away. Don't do it unless God tells you 784 00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:12,800 to do it. But go into whatever he tells 785 00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:15,680 you to go into. This leads into something that I 786 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:19,080 think we all wrestle with the difference between guilt and 787 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:21,080 shame. And I want to make this really 788 00:40:21,080 --> 00:40:22,680 clear. Talking to a good friend about 789 00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:26,080 this this week. Please don't leave without 790 00:40:26,080 --> 00:40:29,600 catching a hold of this, OK? Guilt says I did something 791 00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:33,800 wrong. Shame says I am something wrong. 792 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:38,880 Do you see the difference when you look back at your past and 793 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:40,520 you're wondering if it disqualifies you from this 794 00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:42,280 process that God is running you through? 795 00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:46,440 The difference is knowing that you did something or believing 796 00:40:46,440 --> 00:40:48,840 that you are that thing that you did. 797 00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:52,360 The gospel tells us the truth. It's honestly one of the freeing 798 00:40:52,360 --> 00:40:55,040 scriptures for me at this point. Romans 323. 799 00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:57,600 We've all failed. We have all sinned. 800 00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:00,040 We've all fallen short of God's glorious standard. 801 00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:03,360 That's guilt in the courtroom of heaven. 802 00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:09,160 We're guilty, but because of Jesus, we don't have to carry it 803 00:41:09,160 --> 00:41:11,800 as an identity. This is something we struggle 804 00:41:11,800 --> 00:41:13,680 with. When you catch somebody in a 805 00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:16,640 lie, and it can be one lie, do we not normally say they're a 806 00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:20,840 liar? Please come on up here if you've 807 00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:23,520 never told one lie in your entire life, right? 808 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:26,480 We're all liars, right? This is this is just the truth. 809 00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:28,000 This is the gospel. We're guilty. 810 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:31,720 But would that be the best descriptor of you? 811 00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:35,320 I don't think it would be and I don't think you'd want it to be. 812 00:41:36,840 --> 00:41:39,760 So here's your other book recommendation. 813 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:42,680 I had two for you today. Christian psychiatrist and 814 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:44,960 author Kurt Thompson says it like this in a book called The 815 00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:48,600 Soul of Shame. He says shame is the emotional 816 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:51,960 weapon that evil uses to do 2 things #1 to corrupt our 817 00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:56,800 relationships with God and each other and #2 disintegrate any 818 00:41:56,800 --> 00:42:00,280 and all gifts of the vocational vision and creativity that we've 819 00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:02,600 been given. In other words, to ruin your 820 00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:04,880 path forward and to ruin your relationships. 821 00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:09,240 That's what shame is used for. Something we probably all 822 00:42:09,240 --> 00:42:11,560 achieved in the Bible reading plan at some point back in 823 00:42:11,560 --> 00:42:14,560 Genesis. Adam and Eve, they ate from that 824 00:42:14,560 --> 00:42:17,880 tree and when the Lord started walking through the garden, he 825 00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:20,960 said, where are you? He was hiding because he was 826 00:42:20,960 --> 00:42:25,640 naked and he felt shame. He felt shame. 827 00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:29,560 He adopted it as his identity. I did the one thing I mean, for 828 00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:32,200 all the joking we have today, Adam, you had one job. 829 00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:38,000 See these things, don't eat them, and he adopted it as his 830 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:40,160 identity. You can be guilty of things in 831 00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:41,680 the past. You can be guilty of hard things 832 00:42:41,680 --> 00:42:44,280 in the past. Shame says that's who you are, 833 00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:48,600 but that's not what God says. This is why shame can be so 834 00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:51,680 devastating, because the Scripture reminds us that shame 835 00:42:51,680 --> 00:42:54,200 doesn't get the last word. But all too often we don't run 836 00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:56,720 to the Scripture to help combat it when we feel shame. 837 00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:02,400 We talked about this last week. You remember John 21, where you 838 00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:05,840 don't have to turn there, but where Jesus is speaking to Peter 839 00:43:05,840 --> 00:43:08,840 and he says, do you love me? Peter said, yeah. 840 00:43:09,080 --> 00:43:13,240 He said, then feed my sheep. And you remember we said this. 841 00:43:13,240 --> 00:43:16,200 He did this three times. It balanced out the three times 842 00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:19,440 that Peter had denied him. He's speaking to a resurrected 843 00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:22,360 Jesus who walks up to the sky, who failed, who denied him. 844 00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:25,880 And three times he says, you have a job to do. 845 00:43:27,600 --> 00:43:29,520 Do you love me? Well, yeah, You know I love you. 846 00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:32,920 Then feed my sheep. I wonder if Peter was actively 847 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:36,720 feeding the sheep at that point or if he was just glad he hadn't 848 00:43:36,720 --> 00:43:40,320 been banished since. There's three denials and three 849 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:43,120 affirmations. I figured we can round it out 850 00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:45,960 with three quotes from Doctor Kurt Thompson from his book The 851 00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:48,880 Soul of Shame. Here you go. 852 00:43:49,320 --> 00:43:52,560 Shame is not just a consequence of something we've done wrong. 853 00:43:53,120 --> 00:43:57,080 It's the very mechanism evil uses to keep us from being 854 00:43:57,080 --> 00:44:00,840 known. What you feel shame over is the 855 00:44:00,840 --> 00:44:02,720 last thing you want to reveal to anybody. 856 00:44:03,720 --> 00:44:06,480 That's the way that that goes. If you don't believe me, talk to 857 00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:07,960 any of the gentlemen who have gone through the Conquer 858 00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:11,440 program. As long as you hold the things 859 00:44:11,440 --> 00:44:14,840 that you have shame over and you never share them, you never air 860 00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:18,600 them out, you never bring them into the light, they'll still 861 00:44:18,600 --> 00:44:22,480 have a hold on you #2 Doctor Thompson says. 862 00:44:22,480 --> 00:44:26,960 Shame convinces us that we are not enough and isolates us from 863 00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:28,680 others who could remind us of the truth. 864 00:44:29,880 --> 00:44:32,440 Let me give you some freedom. You are not enough. 865 00:44:34,680 --> 00:44:37,840 Thank you for coming to Liberty next week 930. 866 00:44:37,840 --> 00:44:43,240 No, you're not enough by yourself, but with the Lord you 867 00:44:43,240 --> 00:44:45,720 have everything that you need. Everything you need to function 868 00:44:45,720 --> 00:44:48,000 in this life is bound up in the resurrected Savior. 869 00:44:49,200 --> 00:44:51,440 And if you have people around you that love him too, they'll 870 00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:56,400 remind you of that. And finally, he says healing 871 00:44:56,400 --> 00:45:00,960 begins when shame is exposed in the light of love and when we 872 00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:04,240 allow God and others to see us as we are, not as we pretend to 873 00:45:04,240 --> 00:45:06,080 be. You can pretend that whatever 874 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:08,000 happened didn't happen, but it did. 875 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:13,720 But also, it's not you. You want to overcome shame. 876 00:45:13,720 --> 00:45:14,960 Here's the things you're going to have to do. 877 00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:16,840 I'll tell you to name things often. 878 00:45:16,840 --> 00:45:19,520 And there's a reason if you never name the things you're 879 00:45:19,520 --> 00:45:21,720 battling against, you won't win the war. 880 00:45:22,240 --> 00:45:24,040 Could you imagine going to war and you don't even know the 881 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:28,040 country you're fighting? Spin the globe, We'll go there. 882 00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:30,680 Name the shame. What is it that you're 883 00:45:30,680 --> 00:45:33,240 struggling with? And then get in a prayer closet, 884 00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:35,560 speak it out loud, admit it to the Lord. 885 00:45:35,640 --> 00:45:37,240 He's not going to be shocked. He knows. 886 00:45:37,600 --> 00:45:40,000 And then get to brothers and sisters who really love you and 887 00:45:40,000 --> 00:45:42,600 want the best for you and want to see you overcome because they 888 00:45:42,600 --> 00:45:47,240 will also help you #2 bring it into that trusted community that 889 00:45:47,240 --> 00:45:49,440 I was just talking about. Because shame will always thrive 890 00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:52,880 in secrecy. Remember James 516, it says 891 00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:55,680 confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that 892 00:45:55,680 --> 00:46:01,200 you may be anybody healed. Isn't that interesting? 893 00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:04,280 Where's God in that? Let me read that again. 894 00:46:04,720 --> 00:46:07,920 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that 895 00:46:07,920 --> 00:46:10,520 you may be healed. I mean, I guess we pray to them, 896 00:46:10,520 --> 00:46:13,520 but is it, is it saying that there's power when we actually 897 00:46:13,520 --> 00:46:15,120 confess and speak it to one another? 898 00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:18,200 Making sure, making sure we got the same Bible. 899 00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:20,400 I didn't want to get like a misprint. 900 00:46:21,720 --> 00:46:23,960 And the last thing, this is where we really do struggle. 901 00:46:24,280 --> 00:46:28,760 Turn that shame into testimony. Shame wants to silence you, but 902 00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:31,560 God redeems you even in the midst of what you've done. 903 00:46:32,560 --> 00:46:35,400 I'll be honest with you. There are some things I'll just 904 00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:36,560 say here. There are some things that I 905 00:46:36,560 --> 00:46:38,640 used to be afraid to preach on. There's some things I used to be 906 00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:40,680 afraid to say. When I was a youth pastor, I 907 00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:43,400 used to fill in for my pastor when he was out of town or 908 00:46:43,400 --> 00:46:45,640 whatever, and I was so afraid that people would know some of 909 00:46:45,640 --> 00:46:49,040 the more shameful things about how I was fired out of radio or 910 00:46:49,040 --> 00:46:51,440 went through a divorce early on in my adulthood. 911 00:46:51,840 --> 00:46:54,440 These things I was so afraid of catching judgement from people 912 00:46:54,440 --> 00:46:56,360 and feeling the shame. And the reality is it mattered 913 00:46:56,360 --> 00:46:58,680 so much more to me than it did to the people that were 914 00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:02,520 listening to me share my story, except for when I would share 915 00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:05,520 the things I went through. It started shocking me how many 916 00:47:05,520 --> 00:47:07,040 people were like, I can really relate. 917 00:47:07,040 --> 00:47:08,440 That's painful. I get it. 918 00:47:09,440 --> 00:47:12,560 And So what I'm telling you is the very thing that the enemy 919 00:47:12,560 --> 00:47:16,680 wants you to adopt as your identity and to silence you now 920 00:47:16,680 --> 00:47:18,320 becomes a weapon in the hands of the Lord. 921 00:47:20,760 --> 00:47:23,040 We talked about this week 1, You've got to renew your mind if 922 00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:24,080 you want change. And you know why? 923 00:47:24,080 --> 00:47:26,120 Because renewed minds get renewed purpose. 924 00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:30,480 Maybe you say, well, I had a purpose, but I gave it away, but 925 00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:34,160 your renewed mind will get you a renewed purpose every time. 926 00:47:34,600 --> 00:47:37,520 If shame is what holds you back, purpose is what pulls you 927 00:47:37,520 --> 00:47:44,280 forward always. Now Philippians 3, we move just 928 00:47:44,280 --> 00:47:46,800 a couple chapters ahead and Philippians chapter 3, I'm going 929 00:47:46,800 --> 00:47:49,640 to read from verse 12. I want you to know that God is 930 00:47:49,640 --> 00:47:51,880 not just interested in erasing your yesterday. 931 00:47:51,880 --> 00:47:54,000 He is calling you into a tomorrow that is bigger than 932 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:55,320 anything you could have imagined. 933 00:47:56,280 --> 00:47:58,520 Here's what He says in Philippians 3, starting in verse 934 00:47:58,520 --> 00:48:02,560 12, Paul says, I don't mean to say that I've already achieved 935 00:48:02,560 --> 00:48:06,160 these things or that I've already reached perfection, but 936 00:48:06,160 --> 00:48:09,000 I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ 937 00:48:09,040 --> 00:48:12,880 Jesus first possessed me. Dear brothers and sisters, I 938 00:48:12,880 --> 00:48:16,560 have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing, 939 00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:20,200 forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. 940 00:48:21,040 --> 00:48:23,040 He says. I press on to reach the end of 941 00:48:23,040 --> 00:48:25,360 the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God 942 00:48:25,360 --> 00:48:27,080 through Christ Jesus is calling us. 943 00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:30,320 And then he says, man, Paul was so blunt. 944 00:48:30,920 --> 00:48:33,320 He says, let all who are spiritually mature agree on 945 00:48:33,320 --> 00:48:36,040 these things. If you disagree on some point, I 946 00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:40,120 believe God will make it plain to you, but we must hold on to 947 00:48:40,120 --> 00:48:43,200 the progress we've already made. And then he says this. 948 00:48:43,200 --> 00:48:45,560 He says, dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives 949 00:48:45,560 --> 00:48:48,960 after mine and learn from those who follow our example. 950 00:48:49,440 --> 00:48:52,400 For I've told you often before, and I say it again with tears in 951 00:48:52,400 --> 00:48:55,040 my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are 952 00:48:55,040 --> 00:48:56,920 really enemies of the cross of Christ. 953 00:48:57,800 --> 00:48:59,960 What shows that they're an enemy of the cross of Christ? 954 00:48:59,960 --> 00:49:03,000 It's their conduct. So here's that fruit talk again, 955 00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:05,920 right? He says they're headed for 956 00:49:05,920 --> 00:49:08,160 destruction. Their God is their appetite. 957 00:49:08,960 --> 00:49:11,480 This is not talking about what y'all are about to do at lunch 958 00:49:11,480 --> 00:49:14,320 after this. OK, Listen, he said they brag 959 00:49:14,320 --> 00:49:17,320 about shameful things and they think about this life. 960 00:49:17,480 --> 00:49:19,400 They only think about this life here on earth. 961 00:49:20,200 --> 00:49:22,520 That's the appetite. It's an appetite for the world, 962 00:49:22,880 --> 00:49:24,720 for the things that this world has to offer. 963 00:49:25,720 --> 00:49:27,800 Everything is about I'm going to get this car, I'm going to get 964 00:49:27,800 --> 00:49:30,640 the skull, I'm going to have this money, he says. 965 00:49:30,640 --> 00:49:33,720 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ 966 00:49:33,720 --> 00:49:36,840 lives, and we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our 967 00:49:36,840 --> 00:49:39,080 Savior. He will take our weak and mortal 968 00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:41,720 bodies, and he'll change them into glorious bodies like his 969 00:49:41,720 --> 00:49:44,440 own, using the same power with which he will bring everything 970 00:49:44,440 --> 00:49:47,000 under his control. Let's analyze this real quick. 971 00:49:49,160 --> 00:49:53,400 Paul says he has not arrived, he has not achieved all of this 972 00:49:53,400 --> 00:49:56,360 yet, so he's not there saying man, I've I'm at this place of 973 00:49:56,360 --> 00:49:58,480 enlightenment, that's why you should follow me. 974 00:49:58,560 --> 00:50:01,440 He says I haven't even achieved what God has laid out for me 975 00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:03,680 yet, but you should follow me because I'm on my way. 976 00:50:04,520 --> 00:50:06,160 That's how a Christian is supposed to live. 977 00:50:06,480 --> 00:50:08,960 Most of us say let me fix this problem, let me get it cleaned 978 00:50:08,960 --> 00:50:11,360 up, let me fix my potty mouth. Good luck Marines. 979 00:50:11,680 --> 00:50:15,120 He says, let me fix all of these things so that I can then be a 980 00:50:15,120 --> 00:50:18,760 proper witness to people. Meanwhile, Paul is like, oh, I'm 981 00:50:18,760 --> 00:50:21,160 screwed up, but God has done great things in my life. 982 00:50:21,160 --> 00:50:22,920 You want to see the next great things, follow me. 983 00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:25,560 That's how we're supposed to live. 984 00:50:27,280 --> 00:50:29,400 Some of us, we're just waiting to seem like we got a better 985 00:50:29,400 --> 00:50:31,480 reputation before we invite somebody to church. 986 00:50:31,480 --> 00:50:34,520 But I just want you to know that after the Lord got a hold of 987 00:50:34,520 --> 00:50:37,920 Paul, he wasn't setting aside his old life for a new goal. 988 00:50:38,680 --> 00:50:41,320 He was setting aside his old life for Christ. 989 00:50:42,080 --> 00:50:44,080 He said, I press on not towards a new goal. 990 00:50:44,360 --> 00:50:46,800 I press forward to grab a hold of Christ. 991 00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:50,560 So when you pursue Jesus, that's the one thing that really 992 00:50:50,560 --> 00:50:53,240 matters. So here's the truth. 993 00:50:53,240 --> 00:50:55,880 God doesn't just save you from something, He saves you to 994 00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:58,840 something. I'm going to just give you an 995 00:50:58,840 --> 00:51:00,840 abbreviated version of an illustration that I found. 996 00:51:00,920 --> 00:51:04,880 This person's name was Nikki. Nikki actually ended up becoming 997 00:51:04,880 --> 00:51:08,800 a a gang leader, born in Puerto Rico, moved to New York and fell 998 00:51:08,800 --> 00:51:10,520 in with a gang that was called the Mau Maus. 999 00:51:10,520 --> 00:51:13,760 I don't know if anybody's ever heard of those of that gang, but 1000 00:51:13,760 --> 00:51:17,080 it was pretty vicious in the in the 70s and and all that. 1001 00:51:17,080 --> 00:51:20,440 But he ended up coming up. He was feared. 1002 00:51:20,440 --> 00:51:22,280 He was known as ruthless and unpredictable. 1003 00:51:22,280 --> 00:51:23,800 And in his own words, he said this. 1004 00:51:23,800 --> 00:51:25,320 I was lonely. I was lost. 1005 00:51:25,320 --> 00:51:28,240 I was like a dog in the street. And I want you to know this. 1006 00:51:28,240 --> 00:51:30,360 That's what Shame does. Shame says this is where you 1007 00:51:30,360 --> 00:51:32,960 found yourself, so make the most of it. 1008 00:51:33,760 --> 00:51:36,000 So he's a gang leader now. Well, this is where he's found 1009 00:51:36,000 --> 00:51:37,520 himself. Maybe he wishes he didn't become 1010 00:51:37,520 --> 00:51:39,520 a gang leader, but how do you get out of that? 1011 00:51:40,160 --> 00:51:43,000 Well, God sent a preacher to him by the name of David Wilkerson, 1012 00:51:44,080 --> 00:51:46,960 who walked into gang territory, walked up to Nikki and said, 1013 00:51:46,960 --> 00:51:49,080 face to face, Jesus loves you, Nikki. 1014 00:51:50,440 --> 00:51:53,920 That's pretty bold. And Nikki spat in his face. 1015 00:51:54,760 --> 00:51:57,040 He cursed him out, threatened to kill him if he kept showing up. 1016 00:51:57,040 --> 00:52:00,080 So what did David Wilkerson do? He kept showing up. 1017 00:52:01,680 --> 00:52:04,520 He kept telling him, look, I understand you're saying that 1018 00:52:04,520 --> 00:52:06,600 Jesus has a purpose for my life. But if you keep showing up in 1019 00:52:06,600 --> 00:52:08,320 this territory, somebody's going to kill you. 1020 00:52:09,160 --> 00:52:10,320 You know what David Wilkerson said? 1021 00:52:11,640 --> 00:52:15,480 He said you can cut me into 1000 pieces and every piece will 1022 00:52:15,480 --> 00:52:17,040 still cry out that Jesus loves you. 1023 00:52:20,760 --> 00:52:22,760 All those words broke through. And at a revival meeting not 1024 00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:24,680 long after that, Nikki gave his life to Christ. 1025 00:52:24,680 --> 00:52:28,880 And what he now does after that era is he now ministers to 1026 00:52:28,880 --> 00:52:31,720 people who are trapped in the drug trade gang life. 1027 00:52:32,200 --> 00:52:35,160 He now takes what he walked through because he understands 1028 00:52:35,160 --> 00:52:36,800 it in a way that maybe you and I don't. 1029 00:52:37,040 --> 00:52:39,760 And he uses it to minister to the very people that are trapped 1030 00:52:39,760 --> 00:52:43,040 in the same way he was. And that's what Second 1031 00:52:43,040 --> 00:52:45,320 Corinthians chapter one is talking about. 1032 00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:47,800 That'll be the last really big scripture that I share with you. 1033 00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:53,400 When you get a renewed purpose, it doesn't just clean your 1034 00:52:53,400 --> 00:52:55,240 slate. You're not just starting from 1035 00:52:55,240 --> 00:52:57,000 nothing. Your past still exists. 1036 00:52:57,160 --> 00:52:58,920 That's not what forgetting your past means. 1037 00:52:59,200 --> 00:53:01,080 It means all these things that used to be weights that would 1038 00:53:01,080 --> 00:53:04,120 drag you down. Now they're tools to be used for 1039 00:53:04,120 --> 00:53:08,120 the Kingdom. And so in, in, in, in second 1040 00:53:08,120 --> 00:53:11,080 Corinthians chapter 1, it says this in verse 3. 1041 00:53:12,320 --> 00:53:14,960 All praise to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1042 00:53:15,360 --> 00:53:18,640 God is our merciful Father and source of all comfort. 1043 00:53:20,320 --> 00:53:25,760 Paul says he comforts us in all our troubles so that we can 1044 00:53:25,760 --> 00:53:29,080 comfort others. He says when they're troubled, 1045 00:53:29,080 --> 00:53:32,680 we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 1046 00:53:34,200 --> 00:53:37,600 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower 1047 00:53:37,600 --> 00:53:42,800 us with his comfort through Christ, even when we are weighed 1048 00:53:42,800 --> 00:53:45,960 down with troubles. It is for your comfort and 1049 00:53:45,960 --> 00:53:50,640 salvation, for when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly 1050 00:53:50,640 --> 00:53:53,800 comfort you. Then you can patiently endure 1051 00:53:53,800 --> 00:53:56,480 the same things we suffer. And listen what he says here in 1052 00:53:56,480 --> 00:53:58,040 verse 7. We're confident that as you 1053 00:53:58,040 --> 00:54:00,800 share in our suffering, you will also share in the comfort God 1054 00:54:00,800 --> 00:54:05,640 gives us. 12 years in the youth group, 12 years with teenagers 1055 00:54:05,640 --> 00:54:09,040 that my wife and I spent working with teens, and I was very proud 1056 00:54:09,040 --> 00:54:12,480 that I knew how to relate to boys and girls. 1057 00:54:12,480 --> 00:54:14,400 I could speak to both of them fairly well. 1058 00:54:15,680 --> 00:54:21,560 Three times in those 12 years did a young lady start to become 1059 00:54:21,560 --> 00:54:29,240 a young woman on a youth trip. At which point I said I got 1060 00:54:29,240 --> 00:54:32,160 nothing. Cassie. 1061 00:54:33,960 --> 00:54:36,400 Now that's a silly example, but let me just bring it to you this 1062 00:54:36,400 --> 00:54:39,000 way. Has anybody ever come to you and 1063 00:54:39,000 --> 00:54:42,960 word vomited a problem that it is hard for you to help them 1064 00:54:42,960 --> 00:54:45,800 with, But do you know somebody who can relate to them? 1065 00:54:46,200 --> 00:54:47,640 Can you point them to a better source? 1066 00:54:47,640 --> 00:54:49,600 Can you get them in touch with somebody who can help? 1067 00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:52,000 A lot of times we're just a connective tissue. 1068 00:54:52,440 --> 00:54:56,160 That's what it means to be open and to be the body, but also be 1069 00:54:56,160 --> 00:54:58,160 ready for the time that somebody comes to you and they can relate 1070 00:54:58,160 --> 00:54:59,560 to the things that you've gone through. 1071 00:55:00,240 --> 00:55:02,800 Here's the biggest problem. Your shame will keep you silent, 1072 00:55:03,840 --> 00:55:06,680 and if it keeps you silent, nobody will ever know if you're 1073 00:55:06,680 --> 00:55:08,240 approachable for what you struggled with. 1074 00:55:09,800 --> 00:55:12,880 There's somebody out there that is hurting that can relate to 1075 00:55:12,880 --> 00:55:15,640 something you've gone through, and God's seen you through it 1076 00:55:15,880 --> 00:55:17,440 and he's been good and he's been faithful. 1077 00:55:17,440 --> 00:55:20,280 And you could pour courage into them, which is literally what 1078 00:55:20,280 --> 00:55:22,960 encourage means. You could pour courage into 1079 00:55:22,960 --> 00:55:25,840 them, but they don't know that you're even an option. 1080 00:55:27,160 --> 00:55:30,080 Now, when you're first struggling, it's hard to do 1081 00:55:30,080 --> 00:55:33,160 that, but eventually you're going to have to make it into a 1082 00:55:33,160 --> 00:55:35,240 testimony. If you want it to be used as a 1083 00:55:35,240 --> 00:55:38,640 comfort, to comfort others, to get that renewed mindset, I 1084 00:55:38,640 --> 00:55:39,680 would just challenge you to do this. 1085 00:55:39,680 --> 00:55:40,880 I challenge you to do this today. 1086 00:55:41,240 --> 00:55:42,560 Don't say like, yeah, Sunday's busy. 1087 00:55:42,560 --> 00:55:44,560 I'll do it on Monday. Do it today, OK? 1088 00:55:45,040 --> 00:55:47,560 I mean, I'm going to check your notebook or give you a grade. 1089 00:55:47,560 --> 00:55:50,680 So write down one place that God has comforted you. 1090 00:55:50,840 --> 00:55:53,040 I'm a help walk you into this in case you're afraid to do it. 1091 00:55:53,400 --> 00:55:55,680 Take one step towards your race. Here's what that means. 1092 00:55:56,360 --> 00:55:59,280 If you feel called to serve, serve somewhere, whether it's 1093 00:55:59,280 --> 00:56:02,840 here or out in the community. If your race is leading your 1094 00:56:02,840 --> 00:56:05,360 family with more integrity, take a step today. 1095 00:56:05,680 --> 00:56:07,800 Plan one time this week that you're going to pray together, 1096 00:56:07,960 --> 00:56:10,560 take communion together, read scripture together at the table. 1097 00:56:10,920 --> 00:56:13,720 If you need to be a better friend, I would just tell you, 1098 00:56:13,960 --> 00:56:17,000 send the text today. Don't think about the race. 1099 00:56:17,320 --> 00:56:19,680 The race is going to seem exhausting when you look at it. 1100 00:56:19,680 --> 00:56:24,800 Just run a lab today, OK? Choose perseverance over 1101 00:56:24,800 --> 00:56:27,120 perfection. Have you been a bad friend 1102 00:56:27,120 --> 00:56:29,200 before? Have you failed when it comes to 1103 00:56:29,200 --> 00:56:30,640 your family? Have you failed when it comes to 1104 00:56:30,640 --> 00:56:34,040 something else or serving or or being more outwardly motivated? 1105 00:56:34,560 --> 00:56:36,800 Take those failures, make them part of the testimony. 1106 00:56:39,880 --> 00:56:43,160 I just want to encourage you, let me say this. 1107 00:56:43,600 --> 00:56:45,360 If you're getting baptized today, if you've already signed 1108 00:56:45,360 --> 00:56:49,280 up or if today is for you and you're just going to go home 1109 00:56:49,280 --> 00:56:50,680 wet, is that what we said earlier? 1110 00:56:51,720 --> 00:56:53,640 Go ahead and head out there to the to the foyer. 1111 00:56:54,520 --> 00:56:55,520 Good. We're going to give you some 1112 00:56:55,520 --> 00:56:58,000 instructions and we're about to do the baptisms, but I want to 1113 00:56:58,000 --> 00:57:00,360 read just a couple verses from Hebrews. 1114 00:57:02,560 --> 00:57:05,240 I want you to remember this before I get to Hebrews. 1115 00:57:05,240 --> 00:57:07,960 Philippians one promised us something very big. 1116 00:57:09,320 --> 00:57:11,400 He who began a good work and you will carry it through to 1117 00:57:11,400 --> 00:57:14,040 completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 1118 00:57:14,040 --> 00:57:18,720 You're not even going to hit a moment that is completed and say 1119 00:57:18,720 --> 00:57:21,480 OK, well now I'm done. He'll bring it through to 1120 00:57:21,480 --> 00:57:25,840 completion until the day of Jesus. 1121 00:57:26,600 --> 00:57:28,040 In other words, until the very end. 1122 00:57:28,400 --> 00:57:31,000 So whatever it is you've been hoping to change, as we've gone 1123 00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:34,040 through this last month and a half of these series, I want you 1124 00:57:34,040 --> 00:57:36,400 to understand it's completely possible. 1125 00:57:37,800 --> 00:57:40,360 It is completely possible. And if God's initiating the 1126 00:57:40,360 --> 00:57:42,720 change in you, He'll be the one to finish it. 1127 00:57:43,200 --> 00:57:45,400 None of it would be possible without what Jesus did on the 1128 00:57:45,400 --> 00:57:48,520 cross. Listen, Hebrews 12 says it like 1129 00:57:48,520 --> 00:57:51,120 this. And since we are surrounded by 1130 00:57:51,120 --> 00:57:54,240 such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us 1131 00:57:54,240 --> 00:57:56,920 strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the 1132 00:57:56,920 --> 00:58:01,480 sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance 1133 00:58:01,480 --> 00:58:03,200 the race that God has set before us. 1134 00:58:03,880 --> 00:58:07,320 And how do we do that? He says we do this by keeping 1135 00:58:07,320 --> 00:58:10,680 our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our 1136 00:58:10,680 --> 00:58:13,480 faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, 1137 00:58:13,920 --> 00:58:17,800 He endured the cross, disregarding it's shame, and now 1138 00:58:17,800 --> 00:58:22,080 He is seated at the place of honor beside God's throne. 1139 00:58:23,800 --> 00:58:26,760 Can you see here that coming to Jesus was never the finishing 1140 00:58:26,760 --> 00:58:29,800 line? Coming to Jesus was always the 1141 00:58:29,800 --> 00:58:32,520 starting line. He initiates your faith, He 1142 00:58:32,520 --> 00:58:35,440 perfects your faith. He's the author and He's the 1143 00:58:35,440 --> 00:58:39,280 finisher. And so the invitation today is 1144 00:58:39,280 --> 00:58:41,600 that this time it's not about trying harder, it's about 1145 00:58:41,600 --> 00:58:44,880 trusting Him deeper. Maybe baptism is not your step 1146 00:58:44,880 --> 00:58:47,560 today, but I hope everybody feels challenged to initiate 1147 00:58:47,560 --> 00:58:49,760 some changes. This time when you try to 1148 00:58:49,760 --> 00:58:54,200 initiate change, it's different because this time he's the one 1149 00:58:54,200 --> 00:58:58,240 doing it. If you have been trying to do 1150 00:58:58,240 --> 00:59:01,120 changes on your own, it's time to lay it down. 1151 00:59:01,120 --> 00:59:06,160 It's exhausting, isn't it? If you need prayer, we will have 1152 00:59:06,160 --> 00:59:08,000 people for prayer at the end of service. 1153 00:59:08,400 --> 00:59:10,760 If you need to talk to somebody, find one of us. 1154 00:59:10,760 --> 00:59:12,760 We'll make sure you get somebody to talk to. 1155 00:59:13,320 --> 00:59:15,400 We'll get you in touch with somebody who's been comforted in 1156 00:59:15,400 --> 00:59:16,760 the way that you need to be comforted. 1157 00:59:18,320 --> 00:59:21,480 If you're for baptized, being baptized today, then I encourage 1158 00:59:21,480 --> 00:59:25,640 you to get up and go get wet. But if none of those apply to 1159 00:59:25,640 --> 00:59:29,400 you, I'm not waiting for you to save your applause until the end 1160 00:59:29,400 --> 00:59:32,120 of baptism. I want to hear you all rejoice 1161 00:59:32,120 --> 00:59:35,000 and cheer for every single person as they come up out of 1162 00:59:35,000 --> 00:59:37,720 that water today. And then this is a family 1163 00:59:37,720 --> 00:59:41,680 celebration of people that desperately want change, and God 1164 00:59:41,680 --> 00:59:42,920 will be faithful to give it to them. 1165 00:59:42,920 --> 00:59:46,320 Amen. And the last thing I just want 1166 00:59:46,320 --> 00:59:48,560 to share is something that we have all been told to do. 1167 00:59:49,080 --> 00:59:56,320 The Great Commission. Matthew 28 says this. 1168 00:59:57,760 --> 01:00:00,120 The 11 disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain 1169 01:00:00,120 --> 01:00:02,720 where Jesus had told them to go. Verse 17 should encourage some 1170 01:00:02,720 --> 01:00:04,760 people today. It says when they saw him, they 1171 01:00:04,760 --> 01:00:07,280 worshipped him, but some of them doubted. 1172 01:00:09,240 --> 01:00:11,680 Jesus came and told his disciples, I've been given all 1173 01:00:11,680 --> 01:00:13,160 authority in heaven and on earth. 1174 01:00:13,640 --> 01:00:17,680 Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing 1175 01:00:17,680 --> 01:00:20,200 them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 1176 01:00:21,080 --> 01:00:23,640 and teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I've given 1177 01:00:23,640 --> 01:00:25,400 you. And be sure of this. 1178 01:00:25,440 --> 01:00:31,400 I'm with you always. Even to the end of the age, He's 1179 01:00:31,400 --> 01:00:34,040 called you to be baptized and He's called you to baptize 1180 01:00:34,040 --> 01:00:36,680 people. He's called you to be a disciple 1181 01:00:36,880 --> 01:00:39,120 and to make disciples. He's called you to learn His 1182 01:00:39,120 --> 01:00:42,400 commands, and He's called you to teach His commands to others. 1183 01:00:43,040 --> 01:00:45,920 This is something we all have, and if you've ever tried to do 1184 01:00:45,920 --> 01:00:48,480 it on your own and ended up exhausted and burnt out, I'm so 1185 01:00:48,480 --> 01:00:50,480 sorry. But I want to encourage you that 1186 01:00:50,480 --> 01:00:53,440 this time it's different because this time He's the one doing it. 1187 01:00:53,480 --> 01:01:00,560 Amen. We're just going to stand and 1188 01:01:00,560 --> 01:01:02,800 sing one more song before the people get dumped for the. 1189 01:01:02,800 --> 01:01:31,840 Lord. Spirit of God, I play over my 1190 01:01:31,840 --> 01:01:36,800 heart and mind. I'm healed by your strive to 1191 01:01:36,840 --> 01:01:40,600 blood. Declare, say I am free. 1192 01:01:40,600 --> 01:01:46,080 Sing it out in the mighty name of Jesus. 1193 01:01:46,080 --> 01:01:51,080 I may call it on the power of living. 1194 01:01:52,200 --> 01:01:57,880 I prove aim every weapon formed against me. 1195 01:01:58,600 --> 01:02:09,400 It must rain in the mighty name of Jesus. 1196 01:02:09,400 --> 01:02:12,800 I draw a permanent boundary line. 1197 01:02:13,600 --> 01:02:19,960 The enemy has no right to come near my family. 1198 01:02:22,480 --> 01:02:27,720 No see could ever undo God's please, no matter the 1199 01:02:27,880 --> 01:02:33,080 circumstance across I seal by destiny. 1200 01:02:34,000 --> 01:02:42,360 In the mighty name of Jesus I pray coming on the power of 1201 01:02:44,640 --> 01:02:49,000 heaven. I pray everywhere but wonder 1202 01:02:49,960 --> 01:02:55,880 they seem in must pray in the mighty name of Jesus. 1203 01:03:00,280 --> 01:03:08,960 In the mighty name of Jesus I know all the power of fear and 1204 01:03:09,600 --> 01:03:12,280 darkness. It must go. 1205 01:03:13,360 --> 01:03:22,000 Every key to everything Green power in the mighty days of 1206 01:03:22,120 --> 01:03:30,800 Jesus. There will not fear. 1207 01:03:31,320 --> 01:03:35,280 There will not fear that the enemy comes here on the door 1208 01:03:35,280 --> 01:03:40,600 frame of my life is the blood of Jesus Christ. 1209 01:03:40,960 --> 01:03:43,760 There will not fear. There will not fear. 1210 01:03:44,440 --> 01:03:51,760 There's a northern angels here. I protected on all sides by the 1211 01:03:52,080 --> 01:03:55,400 blood of Jesus Christ. Sing it one more time with me 1212 01:03:55,400 --> 01:04:00,840 and then we'll go. Mighty name of Jesus happy 1213 01:04:02,600 --> 01:04:11,000 calling on the power of heaven I proclaim everywhere been formed 1214 01:04:11,760 --> 01:04:17,920 against me must be in the mighty name of. 1215 01:04:22,280 --> 01:04:25,680 Jesus, Amen. Hey, man, all right, we're going 1216 01:04:25,680 --> 01:04:28,520 to throw it on back to Pastor Blake and you can, I think, 1217 01:04:28,520 --> 01:04:30,960 watch the screens as people get dunked for Jesus. 1218 01:04:31,560 --> 01:04:33,840 Dunked for Jesus. What a what a great name for it. 1219 01:04:33,840 --> 01:04:35,560 Are we? Is it up on the screen as well, 1220 01:04:35,560 --> 01:04:38,120 or is it just OK, awesome. So yeah, you'll have some 1221 01:04:38,120 --> 01:04:39,360 options on how you're going to see it. 1222 01:04:39,640 --> 01:04:42,720 And let me just explain this because this is my favorite way. 1223 01:04:42,720 --> 01:04:45,200 If you've heard it 1000 times, Congrats, it's 2001. 1224 01:04:46,440 --> 01:04:49,040 I love this because your decision to be one with Jesus 1225 01:04:49,040 --> 01:04:51,200 to, to give your life to him, it is personal. 1226 01:04:51,200 --> 01:04:54,000 It's like the engagement, right? But here we are at the wedding 1227 01:04:54,000 --> 01:04:56,960 reception where we get to celebrate that decision with 1228 01:04:56,960 --> 01:04:58,600 people, right? It's beautiful. 1229 01:04:58,800 --> 01:05:00,960 And, and the last thing I'll just say is in Israel, when this 1230 01:05:00,960 --> 01:05:03,280 would happen, you would have this fresh, clean snow on the 1231 01:05:03,280 --> 01:05:06,560 top of Mount Hermon and all of that snow would melt and it 1232 01:05:06,560 --> 01:05:09,000 would drip down the mountain into the Jordan River. 1233 01:05:09,280 --> 01:05:12,040 And the Jordan River is where Jesus was also baptized. 1234 01:05:12,280 --> 01:05:14,760 The Jordan River flows into a place that you've probably heard 1235 01:05:14,760 --> 01:05:18,200 of called the Dead Sea, where nothing else lives. 1236 01:05:18,200 --> 01:05:20,240 And it was symbolic. And they knew this because when 1237 01:05:20,240 --> 01:05:23,840 you would submerge dead man, dead woman down, new creation is 1238 01:05:23,840 --> 01:05:25,720 up. But the old you washed all the 1239 01:05:25,720 --> 01:05:27,720 way into a place that it can immediately resurrect you. 1240 01:05:27,720 --> 01:05:30,840 Isn't that a beautiful image? So that being said, let's start 1241 01:05:30,840 --> 01:05:37,640 with Mr. Bob Adelsberger. It can be a little slick. 1242 01:05:37,640 --> 01:05:39,800 You want the glass? I got you. 1243 01:05:42,120 --> 01:05:43,800 All right. You want them all facing this 1244 01:05:43,800 --> 01:05:44,320 way. Correct. 1245 01:05:44,440 --> 01:05:45,880 Facing this way. OK. 1246 01:05:45,880 --> 01:05:47,080 Come around here and here and here. 1247 01:05:51,280 --> 01:05:52,520 Bob, this is exciting. Exciting. 1248 01:05:54,280 --> 01:05:55,560 Yeah. This is exciting for me. 1249 01:05:55,720 --> 01:05:56,680 Yeah. Yeah. 1250 01:05:56,680 --> 01:05:58,760 Because we talked about this. And so I've been waiting for 1251 01:05:58,760 --> 01:05:59,440 this day. And it's. 1252 01:05:59,480 --> 01:06:02,040 It's a beautiful day for it. Bob, is there anything you'd 1253 01:06:02,040 --> 01:06:04,880 like to share today? Yeah, I did this. 21 years. 1254 01:06:05,680 --> 01:06:06,120 Just this. This. 1255 01:06:07,960 --> 01:06:11,840 This. Yeah, till two weeks ago. 1256 01:06:11,840 --> 01:06:14,880 Oh, I love it. Holy Spirit. 1257 01:06:14,880 --> 01:06:16,640 He's so good. He guides us into all truth. 1258 01:06:17,400 --> 01:06:19,760 So Jesus is your fraud and Savior. 1259 01:06:19,760 --> 01:06:21,760 Savior, right? It is my honor. 1260 01:06:21,760 --> 01:06:22,360 Bottom. Bottom. 1261 01:06:24,720 --> 01:06:26,960 Well, we'll see. Pixie slipped me a $20 bill 1262 01:06:26,960 --> 01:06:27,840 before this. So. 1263 01:06:28,200 --> 01:06:30,680 We'll we'll see. No, go ahead and grab your nose. 1264 01:06:30,840 --> 01:06:33,240 It is my honor to baptize you in the name of the Father and the 1265 01:06:33,240 --> 01:06:42,160 Son and the Holy Spirit. Yes, yes. 1266 01:06:45,840 --> 01:06:47,760 There you go. You're welcome. 1267 01:06:49,400 --> 01:06:52,800 Right back out the way you came. Oh, you don't want to go out 1268 01:06:52,800 --> 01:06:54,200 that way. All the girls are over there. 1269 01:06:54,200 --> 01:06:58,880 It's weird. Speaking of those girls, 1270 01:06:58,880 --> 01:07:04,640 Savannah Towner sit the same way that he did right here. 1271 01:07:06,840 --> 01:07:09,240 Savannah, man, it's it's cool. You've been kind of like on a 1272 01:07:09,240 --> 01:07:11,160 spiritual fast track. You've just been grabbing a hold 1273 01:07:11,160 --> 01:07:14,480 of whatever God's got for you. Anything that you'd like to 1274 01:07:14,480 --> 01:07:17,360 share today? No, Jesus, your Lord and Savior. 1275 01:07:18,240 --> 01:07:19,800 This is really a special honor for me. 1276 01:07:19,800 --> 01:07:22,760 All right, Savannah, because of your profession of faith, it is 1277 01:07:22,760 --> 01:07:25,520 my honor to baptize you as you go ahead and grab in the name of 1278 01:07:25,520 --> 01:07:27,600 the Father, your son, the Holy Spirit. 1279 01:07:34,120 --> 01:07:35,560 All right, Mr. Clint. Hood. 1280 01:07:35,560 --> 01:07:40,320 Clint, you came. Ready. 1281 01:07:40,320 --> 01:07:41,920 Those are trunks. I think I have a pair of trunks 1282 01:07:41,920 --> 01:07:43,240 like that. Come on. 1283 01:07:43,240 --> 01:07:47,000 Right around here. And you'll just sit here, hear 1284 01:07:47,000 --> 01:07:49,480 you back this way. All right, great. 1285 01:07:49,480 --> 01:07:51,000 You know the deal. Is there anything you'd like to 1286 01:07:51,000 --> 01:07:52,040 share this morning? Yeah. 1287 01:07:52,040 --> 01:07:54,560 I would like to thank God for a son. 1288 01:07:55,240 --> 01:07:58,880 Holy Spirit. Forgiveness, second chances. 1289 01:07:59,000 --> 01:08:00,240 Absolutely. And cleansing. 1290 01:08:00,240 --> 01:08:03,480 Because to me, this is a cleansing and a new beginning. 1291 01:08:04,040 --> 01:08:06,080 I just want to say thank you. Yeah. 1292 01:08:06,560 --> 01:08:09,000 I'll tell you, it's not just us here at Liberty Church that hear 1293 01:08:09,000 --> 01:08:10,240 you today. He hears you, too. 1294 01:08:10,240 --> 01:08:12,760 And he honors your decision. Go ahead and grab your nose 1295 01:08:12,800 --> 01:08:14,560 right there. It's my honor to baptize you in 1296 01:08:14,560 --> 01:08:17,600 the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 1297 01:08:24,359 --> 01:08:25,920 Yeah. Thank you. 1298 01:08:26,040 --> 01:08:29,279 Gee, second chances. He gets the glory. 1299 01:08:30,080 --> 01:08:31,359 All right. Shannon Hughes. 1300 01:08:36,040 --> 01:08:37,560 You're welcome. It can be a little slick. 1301 01:08:39,279 --> 01:08:42,560 There we go. All right, Shannon, is there 1302 01:08:42,560 --> 01:08:43,600 anything you'd like to share today? 1303 01:08:43,600 --> 01:08:44,680 Today. No. 1304 01:08:44,800 --> 01:08:46,240 OK. Jesus, your Lord and Savior. 1305 01:08:46,640 --> 01:08:49,840 OK, Shannon, it's my honor to baptize you in the name of the 1306 01:08:49,840 --> 01:08:59,399 Father and the Son, Holy Spirit. All right. 1307 01:08:59,399 --> 01:09:03,200 Nathaniel Williams. Do I have Nathaniel today? 1308 01:09:03,520 --> 01:09:04,760 Oh, there we go. He's over here. 1309 01:09:09,160 --> 01:09:10,200 That's the close one. That's good. 1310 01:09:17,279 --> 01:09:20,080 All right, there we go. Go, go, go. 1311 01:09:21,319 --> 01:09:23,560 Well, something tells me you got something to share today. 1312 01:09:24,240 --> 01:09:28,720 All right, let's start with this is Jesus your Lord and Savior. 1313 01:09:28,840 --> 01:09:29,560 Yes, he is all. Right. 1314 01:09:29,600 --> 01:09:32,880 What would you like to share? I believe in God, Creator of the 1315 01:09:32,880 --> 01:09:34,760 universe, earth and heaven, heaven, heaven. 1316 01:09:34,840 --> 01:09:38,080 I believe in His Son Jesus Christ, who is conceived of the 1317 01:09:38,080 --> 01:09:40,720 Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary of Bethlehem. 1318 01:09:41,080 --> 01:09:44,080 He walked the earth for 31 years and suffered under Pontius 1319 01:09:44,080 --> 01:09:47,399 Pilate and was crucified. He died and was buried and 1320 01:09:47,399 --> 01:09:51,319 descended into hell, and on the third day he rose from the tomb 1321 01:09:51,319 --> 01:09:54,040 and descended into heaven to heaven and was seated at the 1322 01:09:54,040 --> 01:09:57,680 right hand of God the Father. I believe Jesus will one day 1323 01:09:57,680 --> 01:10:00,440 come again and judge the living and the dead dead. 1324 01:10:01,080 --> 01:10:04,520 I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Saints and the 1325 01:10:04,520 --> 01:10:06,680 apostles, but I do not worship them. 1326 01:10:07,200 --> 01:10:10,160 I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the 1327 01:10:10,160 --> 01:10:16,040 body, and life everlasting. My Lord, may we'll be done. 1328 01:10:16,440 --> 01:10:18,200 Amen. Amen. 1329 01:10:23,120 --> 01:10:25,440 It's absolutely my honor to baptize you in the name of the 1330 01:10:25,440 --> 01:10:27,960 Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 1331 01:10:32,920 --> 01:10:38,200 She's got your book right there. All right, Mr. Bryce Fisher. 1332 01:10:38,680 --> 01:10:39,120 Bryce. Bryce. 1333 01:10:39,160 --> 01:10:48,000 Bryce, Bryce. That's all right. 1334 01:10:50,560 --> 01:10:52,520 Almost doesn't count. Sorry. 1335 01:10:53,760 --> 01:10:56,560 Jesus, your Lord and Savior. Anything you'd like to share? 1336 01:10:56,560 --> 01:11:00,040 Yeah, yeah. They like be confusing and you 1337 01:11:00,520 --> 01:11:03,040 know what I got to do for that wisdom? 1338 01:11:03,360 --> 01:11:06,760 Let let let God, you know, point you in the right direction and 1339 01:11:06,760 --> 01:11:08,280 then, you know, just got to do that thing. 1340 01:11:08,600 --> 01:11:11,880 Hey, thankfully, hey, Jesus, Jesus made made that way for us 1341 01:11:11,880 --> 01:11:15,040 to get get back to me, even when we stumble from our face and I'm 1342 01:11:15,040 --> 01:11:17,120 always thankful for that. Absolutely. 1343 01:11:17,480 --> 01:11:19,960 I always am encouraged to remember that the Lord is not 1344 01:11:19,960 --> 01:11:23,920 the author of confusion, right? So he is ordered, not chaos. 1345 01:11:24,440 --> 01:11:26,480 Well, go ahead. It's it's my honor to baptize 1346 01:11:26,480 --> 01:11:29,520 you in the name of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit. 1347 01:11:38,480 --> 01:11:45,600 Jonathan Jones. I'm excited for this. 1348 01:11:46,520 --> 01:11:47,720 Just in case you slip. I got you. 1349 01:11:47,720 --> 01:11:49,120 All right. Come on around. 1350 01:11:52,440 --> 01:11:54,240 Are you are you done growing? OK. 1351 01:11:57,080 --> 01:11:58,040 OK. Man. 1352 01:11:58,320 --> 01:12:00,680 Every time I see you, is Jesus your Lord and Savior? 1353 01:12:00,760 --> 01:12:02,280 Yes, he is. Anything you'd like to share? 1354 01:12:02,280 --> 01:12:04,920 Feel. Like I've waited that moment 1355 01:12:04,920 --> 01:12:07,400 already. Just want to get it over with 1356 01:12:07,400 --> 01:12:10,640 now, yeah? Hey, I appreciate your honesty. 1357 01:12:11,560 --> 01:12:13,680 It's it's cool. You know, even Jesus said, you 1358 01:12:13,680 --> 01:12:15,240 know, that it fulfilled all righteousness. 1359 01:12:15,240 --> 01:12:16,880 John didn't even want to baptize him. 1360 01:12:16,880 --> 01:12:18,240 He's like, no, it's the right thing to do. 1361 01:12:18,240 --> 01:12:20,880 And so when you become convicted of that, proud of you for taking 1362 01:12:20,880 --> 01:12:23,960 that guy, go ahead and grab your nose because of your profession 1363 01:12:23,960 --> 01:12:25,480 of faith. It's my honor to baptize you in 1364 01:12:25,480 --> 01:12:28,120 the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 1365 01:12:35,440 --> 01:12:39,040 Right? Let me make sure I pronounce 1366 01:12:39,040 --> 01:12:39,640 this right. Right. 1367 01:12:39,720 --> 01:12:40,160 Right. Right. 1368 01:12:40,400 --> 01:12:46,920 Mr. Tom Hines, you take your time. 1369 01:12:46,920 --> 01:12:50,160 We've got some rubber skids in there, but it still can be slit. 1370 01:12:56,380 --> 01:12:57,580 All right. Now, don't be offended when I 1371 01:12:57,580 --> 01:13:00,260 ask you this, all right? I have to. 1372 01:13:00,340 --> 01:13:02,380 Is Jesus your Lord and Savior? Amen. 1373 01:13:02,460 --> 01:13:04,940 Brother, what would you like to share today? 1374 01:13:06,540 --> 01:13:11,960 I just, I had a few words and I wrote them down because I knew I 1375 01:13:11,960 --> 01:13:17,440 would be emotional. While my first baptism at age 16 1376 01:13:17,440 --> 01:13:22,480 was a moment of youthful commitment, the second one, at 1377 01:13:22,480 --> 01:13:27,480 age 70 is a conscious declaration of my faith and 1378 01:13:27,480 --> 01:13:33,640 understanding of God's grace. It's my acknowledgement that a 1379 01:13:33,640 --> 01:13:38,360 relationship with God is a continuous journey, not a one 1380 01:13:38,360 --> 01:13:42,040 time event. Thank you Lord Jesus, I'm 1381 01:13:42,040 --> 01:13:45,760 casting off my great friends. Oh, I love it. 1382 01:13:49,200 --> 01:13:52,520 Old man down, new man up. Go ahead and grab your nose. 1383 01:13:53,400 --> 01:13:56,280 Tom, it is a sincere honor and privilege for me to baptize you 1384 01:13:56,280 --> 01:13:59,320 in the name of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit. 1385 01:14:10,600 --> 01:14:18,800 All right, we got Brent Powell. All right, Brent, Brent got you. 1386 01:14:21,280 --> 01:14:22,760 Come right around this way, if you don't mind. 1387 01:14:24,120 --> 01:14:25,680 That way the capture team doesn't get mad at me. 1388 01:14:27,400 --> 01:14:30,960 Hey, it is. It's been cool watching your 1389 01:14:30,960 --> 01:14:32,440 spiritual journey since you've been here. 1390 01:14:32,440 --> 01:14:34,200 We've had some cool chats since you first got here. 1391 01:14:35,160 --> 01:14:36,760 Jesus, your Lord and Savior. Yes, Sir. 1392 01:14:36,760 --> 01:14:39,920 Anything you'd like to share? This is just me submitting to 1393 01:14:39,920 --> 01:14:42,520 this body, submitting to my brothers and sisters, to my 1394 01:14:42,520 --> 01:14:46,400 pastors, and leaving about 40 years to junk on the bottom of 1395 01:14:46,400 --> 01:14:47,800 this stuff. Oh, I love it. 1396 01:14:48,160 --> 01:14:49,560 Go down the drain, never come back. 1397 01:14:49,560 --> 01:14:54,040 All right, right. It's my honor for it to baptize 1398 01:14:54,040 --> 01:14:57,680 you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 1399 01:15:05,560 --> 01:15:10,840 There you go. All right, we get to wrap this 1400 01:15:10,840 --> 01:15:13,320 up today, as best I understand it, with a bit of a family 1401 01:15:14,000 --> 01:15:19,040 affair here. So Victoria Ochoa, come on. 1402 01:15:22,240 --> 01:15:26,760 You're ready for it. This is such a cool family, you 1403 01:15:26,760 --> 01:15:28,200 guys. If you don't know him, you 1404 01:15:28,200 --> 01:15:30,720 should. Victoria is Jesus, your Lord and 1405 01:15:30,720 --> 01:15:31,720 Savior. Oh yes, Oh yes. 1406 01:15:31,720 --> 01:15:35,160 Anything you'd like to share? I remember, I you know, I 1407 01:15:35,200 --> 01:15:37,760 forgot. Sometimes God tells you to do 1408 01:15:37,760 --> 01:15:39,320 silly things and you don't understand it. 1409 01:15:39,320 --> 01:15:41,320 Just do it. There's a reason, and he reveals 1410 01:15:41,320 --> 01:15:43,760 it to you in due time. Obedience. 1411 01:15:43,760 --> 01:15:45,280 Yeah. Yeah, sometimes you gotta obey 1412 01:15:45,360 --> 01:15:46,320 even though you don't understand. 1413 01:15:46,440 --> 01:15:48,560 Absolutely. Hey, before we do this, Daniel, 1414 01:15:48,600 --> 01:15:51,080 you want to just come, just come maybe mid down the steps here. 1415 01:15:51,200 --> 01:15:53,760 Just be in here right about there. 1416 01:15:53,760 --> 01:15:57,360 That'd be good. We'll do this just so you can be 1417 01:15:57,360 --> 01:15:58,280 a part of it. Ready. 1418 01:15:59,120 --> 01:16:02,000 This is my honor, Victoria, to baptize you in the name of the 1419 01:16:02,000 --> 01:16:04,080 Father, Father, Son, the Holy Spirit. 1420 01:16:07,960 --> 01:16:10,000 Hey, and instead of you going all the way out, you want to 1421 01:16:10,000 --> 01:16:16,400 hang out for a second here for the Ocho Is this is Daniel. 1422 01:16:19,000 --> 01:16:23,160 Hey, you got a good name? Hey is Jesus your Lord and 1423 01:16:23,160 --> 01:16:23,880 Savior? He is. 1424 01:16:24,080 --> 01:16:25,320 Anything you'd like to share today? 1425 01:16:26,000 --> 01:16:29,760 Yeah, so the first time I was baptized, I've got baptized when 1426 01:16:29,760 --> 01:16:33,280 I was a teenager, partly because I really believe, partly because 1427 01:16:33,760 --> 01:16:35,680 of Victoria. I wanted to stick around church. 1428 01:16:35,960 --> 01:16:38,760 Yeah. But I've gone through, made a 1429 01:16:38,760 --> 01:16:42,160 lot of mistakes in my life, in my marriage and like Peter, 1430 01:16:42,160 --> 01:16:46,480 entered my crisis and fell into the water and he pulled, he's 1431 01:16:46,480 --> 01:16:48,360 pulling me out. He's pulled me out thanks to the 1432 01:16:48,360 --> 01:16:51,600 conquerors, thanks to my wife never leaving me and Jesus never 1433 01:16:51,600 --> 01:16:55,160 forsake you, me, me. And I wanted to lead the way for 1434 01:16:55,160 --> 01:16:57,840 my family and my sons. Who said they wanted to get bats 1435 01:16:57,840 --> 01:16:58,840 eyes? So here we are. 1436 01:16:59,480 --> 01:17:06,760 Well, I believe like Peter. I believe just like Peter, he's 1437 01:17:06,760 --> 01:17:08,480 commissioning you into some new things too. 1438 01:17:08,480 --> 01:17:10,040 Remember, he always saves you to something. 1439 01:17:10,960 --> 01:17:13,000 All right, if you go ahead and grab your nose, it is my honor 1440 01:17:13,000 --> 01:17:16,000 down there to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, the 1441 01:17:16,000 --> 01:17:21,600 Holy Spirit. Now, if you want to hang out 1442 01:17:21,600 --> 01:17:23,680 over here, we'll bring down your boys. 1443 01:17:23,680 --> 01:17:27,400 I'm going to hand this over to Pastor Kerry all. 1444 01:17:27,680 --> 01:17:29,080 Right, Mr. Solomon, Are you ready? 1445 01:17:30,520 --> 01:17:31,840 Samson? Samson going to go first. 1446 01:17:31,840 --> 01:17:35,200 Not Solomon. No. 1447 01:17:35,840 --> 01:17:39,600 All right, Samson. Let's go, Big Brother, first. 1448 01:17:42,120 --> 01:17:43,680 You're excited. Go ahead and have a seat. 1449 01:17:44,080 --> 01:17:45,080 There you go. You're good. 1450 01:17:45,200 --> 01:17:46,920 Good, good. All right. 1451 01:17:47,120 --> 01:17:48,880 We're all a little nervous today, aren't we? 1452 01:17:49,680 --> 01:17:51,440 But it's good. This is a good step that you're 1453 01:17:51,440 --> 01:17:52,760 taking. Samson. 1454 01:17:52,760 --> 01:17:53,280 Are you? Are you? 1455 01:17:53,440 --> 01:17:55,360 Do you have Jesus as your Lord and Savior? 1456 01:17:55,360 --> 01:17:57,000 Yes. Do. 1457 01:17:57,800 --> 01:17:59,480 You have anything you want to say to everybody? 1458 01:17:59,480 --> 01:18:00,840 Buddy, buddy, buddy. No. 1459 01:18:01,440 --> 01:18:03,800 All right. This is an honor and privilege 1460 01:18:03,800 --> 01:18:05,880 for me. This is this is a great family. 1461 01:18:06,400 --> 01:18:08,360 And so we're going to get Samson here first. 1462 01:18:22,040 --> 01:18:25,320 All right, Solomon. There you go. 1463 01:18:30,480 --> 01:18:33,320 All right, Solomon, Are you ready? 1464 01:18:34,280 --> 01:18:37,080 Yeah. Do you have Jesus as your Lord, 1465 01:18:37,080 --> 01:18:42,920 your Savior? Do you have any right? 1466 01:18:43,200 --> 01:18:45,480 What a privilege it is for these parents to be able to see their 1467 01:18:45,480 --> 01:19:06,410 boys baptized today. All right. 1468 01:19:06,410 --> 01:19:09,130 Last call. Anybody else? 1469 01:19:09,330 --> 01:19:14,650 We've got an opportunity. The water's nice and warm going 1470 01:19:14,650 --> 01:19:18,960 once, going twice. Sold.