1 00:00:01,480 --> 00:00:06,440 I had an interesting, you can go to Proverbs 24 that that'll be 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,960 the first place that we start. But I had an interesting thing 3 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:12,360 happened this weekend with a a salesman. 4 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:17,400 It's very uncomfortable for me. Didn't get super uncomfortable 5 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:18,560 until the end. I've dealt with a lot of 6 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:20,240 salespeople. I have unfortunately had to be 7 00:00:20,240 --> 00:00:25,600 in sales and I, I don't enjoy sales, but 815 at night, 8 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:28,800 somebody comes to the door 8:15 at night. 9 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:32,920 Little do they know that is not when you find me in my best 10 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:37,320 mood. So they show up at the door and 11 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:39,720 they're telling me neighbors names and they're telling me 12 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:43,040 things about their neighbor, my neighbors that have apparently 13 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:44,960 purchased from this company as well. 14 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:48,520 And I'm like, OK, cool. Well can I just have a couple 15 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:49,680 days? You don't give me some 16 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:50,960 information. Let me read over it. 17 00:00:51,480 --> 00:00:55,120 And he says sure. He said, Do you have a a pad of 18 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,840 paper and a table that I can sit at and I can write down some 19 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:04,440 info for you? It's a little weird. 20 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:08,040 The sarcastic part of me want to be like, I'm sorry, we don't 21 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,160 have tables in this house. It's just not something we 22 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:15,560 believe in. But I but I said, let me go in 23 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:17,080 and get this. I'll go get you a pad of paper 24 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:18,720 and I'll bring it right out. And he says, that's all right, 25 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:22,200 I'll just come on in. And I turned around and I said, 26 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:24,600 the house is a little messy. I don't know that it's a time 27 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:26,480 for somebody to come. And he says, I'm sure I've seen 28 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:28,440 better. And he put his foot in my door 29 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:33,320 frame, at which point I said, I have no idea who you are and I 30 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:34,800 don't want you to come into my house. 31 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:37,880 Anyone. Oh, that's fair. 32 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:39,640 I just knocked on your door like 10 minutes ago. 33 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:42,520 Here's what I would like to get across to you. 34 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:44,640 This is not any part of what I plan to preach today. 35 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:48,760 So sorry if he happens to come to church today. 36 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:54,720 That's how the devil works. And so sometimes it's not that 37 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,480 we aren't Christian enough or whatever. 38 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:58,800 Sometimes it's just about what we're willing to tolerate. 39 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:01,920 Do you know why he was willing to put his foot in my door frame 40 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,360 to come into my house? Because somebody's let him 41 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:07,520 before. And so the enemy is just looking 42 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:11,080 for some sort of entrance. And sometimes he's going to lay 43 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:13,400 things out like, this is what you need in order to be safe. 44 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:15,000 This is what you need in order to be seen. 45 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,560 This is what you need to really be able to live the life that 46 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:18,960 you want. And sometimes it'll be plated in 47 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,280 Christianity. And you can try to be nice. 48 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:24,680 I tried. But when it comes to the enemy, 49 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:26,760 you're ultimately just going to have to use the authority that 50 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,720 you've been given. You do not have any authority on 51 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:31,480 your own. If you're just relying on your 52 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:33,520 own authority, you're going to get creamed by the devil. 53 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:35,080 I'll just tell you that. I'm sorry. 54 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:36,360 I know you're the apple of God's eye. 55 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,600 He loves you. But it's the authority that's 56 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,440 been given to you and shared from Jesus that makes the 57 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,600 difference. And so as far as my spiritual 58 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:48,560 life, as far as me and my home, I don't have the ultimate 59 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,640 authority over it. Jesus does, and I want you to 60 00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:53,960 know that sometimes we just entertain the sales pitch 61 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,920 because we're not sure what the next move is, but you may need 62 00:02:56,920 --> 00:02:58,840 to put your foot down every so often. 63 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:01,800 The only difference is I looked at this guy and said, I don't 64 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:03,560 know who you are, but when it comes to the enemy, you know 65 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,560 exactly who he is. And the Word says that his 66 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,280 schemes are not unfamiliar to us. 67 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:09,720 He doesn't have new tricks. You know why? 68 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:13,200 He's not a creator. So he's got the same old tricks, 69 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,880 but that's OK because the same old resistance will stop him as 70 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,040 long as you use the authority of Jesus. 71 00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:22,080 It's important to do that. But sometimes we don't do these 72 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:24,880 things when they manifest because we don't want to seem 73 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,800 rude. Normally when the enemy attacks, 74 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,560 he comes through people. I've said this often, he uses 75 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:32,720 what are effectively human Shields. 76 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:35,240 So somebody will come to us and they'll offend us, but we know 77 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:37,520 that they're listening to some whispers or they're answering to 78 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:39,480 some insecurities that the devil has placed there. 79 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:43,000 In the first point, our enemies are not flesh and blood. 80 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,840 It is something spiritual behind it at all times. 81 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:53,000 And that being said, we are also sometimes too easily manipulated 82 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,120 by the enemy. He may not trick you into hell, 83 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,120 but he can trick you into a life that falls apart, that's 84 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:00,680 unsatisfying that you feel like is aimless. 85 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:03,760 Does anybody have any words that are like triggers for them? 86 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:09,720 I, I have a trigger word. Nobody likes to be called lazy. 87 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:13,240 That is a trigger word for me. And I found that out because 88 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:18,240 back when I was doing Top 40 radio, somebody that was in 89 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,000 charge of the whole DJ staff sent an e-mail to the entire 90 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,760 staff and said, hey, here's some feedback over the weekend. 91 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:26,760 Gave feedback for literally every single person who was on 92 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:28,120 the air. And then when it came to me, 93 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:30,840 just just like one line and it said, hey Blake, don't be lazy 94 00:04:30,840 --> 00:04:32,720 with your breaks. Use the whole intro time. 95 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:36,480 And I'm like, I'm working 5 jobs right now. 96 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:39,880 Lazy. It's really just a description 97 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,760 to say if you're talking 13 seconds but you have 20 seconds, 98 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,440 please speak 20 seconds. He had every right to ask that 99 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,960 of me. And all I could think in my 100 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:50,560 pride was that e-mail was sent to the entire staff. 101 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:52,920 So I thought I would take the High Road. 102 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:56,400 And then I decided against it and I responded to the entire 103 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,120 staff and lit him up about how I'm not lazy. 104 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,960 Let me tell you how effective it is when somebody tries to 105 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:07,200 convince you of what they are. Lazy is a word that really, 106 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,920 really triggers me for some reason, and it's all wrapped up 107 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:15,320 in in pride. But I want to propose to you 108 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:17,680 guys today that there's different ways to be lazy. 109 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,280 And before I get there, I want to tell you about a story that I 110 00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:24,560 heard from a devotional that I've been reading. 111 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:26,800 It's by a Christian author named Paul David Tripp. 112 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:30,360 Maybe some of you have heard of him, and I want to ask you a 113 00:05:30,360 --> 00:05:32,560 question before I tell you the story, and I want you to really 114 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:34,120 be honest in your heart about this. 115 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:39,000 Have you ever felt so discouraged, so overlooked, or 116 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,720 so exhausted that you started making plans to leave something 117 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:45,160 that God never told you to walk away from? 118 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,920 OK, maybe it's a job, a marriage, a friendship, a 119 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:52,840 calling, whatever. That's exactly where this pastor 120 00:05:52,840 --> 00:05:56,600 found himself and he felt done. This was early on in his 121 00:05:56,600 --> 00:06:01,920 ministry, and he decided this He had packed up his emotional bag, 122 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:03,960 so to speak. He had submitted A resignation 123 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:06,760 to the church he was pastoring, and he'd even started to imagine 124 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:09,080 what the next season of his life would look like. 125 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,360 He was chasing a dream, one that looked a lot better than the 126 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:14,040 nightmare that he was currently walking through. 127 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:15,480 And so, in his own words, he said. 128 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:19,400 I had written the next chapter of my story, but I had forgotten 129 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:21,360 that someone else was supposed to be the author. 130 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,280 See, we tend to feel like laziness only looks like doing 131 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:27,800 nothing. But can I just push on that a 132 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:30,520 little bit? Sometimes laziness looks like 133 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:33,800 running from the real work that God has called you to do. 134 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,520 Sometimes it looks like running from the hard conversations, or 135 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:40,800 the unglamorous moments of faithfulness, or the monotonous 136 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:43,320 grind, or just being patiently obedient. 137 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:47,400 It's a lot easier to start over somewhere new than to be refined 138 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:50,800 where you are sometimes. But that's not the way of 139 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:53,320 wisdom. So this pastor admitted 140 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:55,680 something that I thought was worth sharing. 141 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:59,160 He said I wasn't appreciated the way I thought I deserved. 142 00:06:59,800 --> 00:07:01,840 Nothing was working out the way I had planned. 143 00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:04,160 The dream I was chasing had become a nightmare, and I was 144 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,440 ready to jump ship. But God had other plans. 145 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:09,760 So at the end of the service where he had announced his 146 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:13,480 resignation, the oldest man in the congregation had waited for 147 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:16,080 him on his front porch. And there was just the two of 148 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,520 them there. And this man said something that 149 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:20,960 I thought was pretty brutally honest, but it was also 150 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,480 redemptive. And he looked at him and and 151 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:26,080 these, these are the words from the devotional. 152 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:30,280 The old man said to him, We know you're discouraged and we know 153 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:37,080 that you're a bit immature, he said, but we haven't asked you 154 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:39,680 to leave. Where is the church going to get 155 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,600 mature pastors if the immature ones keep leaving? 156 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,080 So just let that sink in for a second, because the first thing 157 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:50,320 I thought was like, thank God for the people who were there 158 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:51,920 for me as Pastor Tom was retiring. 159 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:53,880 And then my next thought was, this is not just about 160 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:56,760 pastoring. What happens when you have a 161 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:57,920 friend and they're a bit immature? 162 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:01,360 How are you going to find a mature friend unless you give 163 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:03,200 them a chance to mature? What happens when you're in a 164 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:05,640 season where God has LED you to try something you've never done 165 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:09,280 before and you say, it's not quite the way that I wanted it 166 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:12,120 to be, and then you jet. You'll never get a chance to see 167 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:14,600 it mature. Could you imagine planting some 168 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:16,120 sort of tree? I don't know, like, I'd love to 169 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:18,120 have a Cherry Tree, not really because it would bring Wasps, 170 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:20,360 but I just do love some cherries. 171 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:26,120 And they're always so expensive. I'd love to have one, but could 172 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:29,240 you imagine if I planted it? And after a year, I looked at 173 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,200 them like, there's no cherries. I'll just get rid of this. 174 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:33,640 Sometimes you just have to wait for something to grow. 175 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:37,880 So Paul, David Tripp, he said, I found out that I truly am not 176 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:39,679 the author of my own personal story. 177 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:43,480 And it's easy to look back at his story and say, wow, that was 178 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:45,120 a close call. Because he said none of the 179 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:47,040 books he wrote, none of the ministries he ever did would 180 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:49,600 have happened if he had left that season in that church 181 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:52,200 because he rescinded his resignation and stayed there. 182 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:55,360 But the truth is, those moments happened to all of us much more 183 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,960 quietly than we think. And they don't always have 184 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,520 resignation letters attached to them or big announcements. 185 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:02,520 But sometimes it's just a slow drift. 186 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:04,600 And that's normally the way that the enemy will get you. 187 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:07,200 It's quiet quitting in the spiritual. 188 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:10,640 It's it's you become reluctant to show up and you stop praying. 189 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:13,120 Maybe you stop praying with your friends or with your spouse, or 190 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:15,720 you avoid that one conversation or you start pulling back from 191 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,000 community and you convince yourself that God will 192 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,280 understand if you sit this season out because Lord knows 193 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:23,840 I'm tired. And that's where Proverbs 24 194 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,000 speaks up loud and clear. I want to read this to you just 195 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,120 verses 30 through 34 this morning. 196 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:34,760 It says I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of 197 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,400 one with no common sense, and I saw that it was overgrown with 198 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:42,400 nettles, It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken 199 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:44,960 down. Then as I looked and I thought 200 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:50,080 about it, I learned this lesson. A little extra sleep, a little 201 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:54,440 more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and then 202 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:56,600 poverty will pounce on you like a bandit. 203 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:00,360 Scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. 204 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:04,120 It's interesting because as you read this, it talks about it's 205 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:07,080 overgrown with nettles, it's covered with weeds, the walls 206 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:08,840 are broken down. There's no indication that there 207 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:10,960 was an attack. There was no explosion. 208 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:14,840 There was no invading army. These things don't happen except 209 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:18,280 over time. So this is not just about 210 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:20,400 physical work. This is about spiritual work and 211 00:10:20,560 --> 00:10:22,560 relational work. Today too, the field did not 212 00:10:22,560 --> 00:10:25,480 become overgrown in a day. That wall did not collapse 213 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:27,600 overnight. And if we're not careful, this 214 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,600 is what can happen to our churches, to our families and 215 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:33,400 our friendships. The church does not fall apart 216 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,520 all at once. It drifts, it becomes overgrown, 217 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:41,480 it decays unless we watch over it and unless we watch over one 218 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:45,200 another with diligence and intentionality, even if, 219 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:49,280 especially if we feel like there is someone better out there to 220 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:50,760 build what we've been trying to build. 221 00:10:52,240 --> 00:10:55,360 You're not just called to be a consumer of the church, you're 222 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:56,920 called to be a builder of the church. 223 00:10:57,560 --> 00:10:59,440 And builders need a lot, don't they? 224 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:02,840 They need wisdom, they need endurance, and yes, they need 225 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:07,280 rest. So we're building trust and 226 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:11,320 relationships and ministries and accountability and every single 227 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:13,760 one of those takes effort. But I want you to know this 228 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,200 morning that long term fruit is always worth the work. 229 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:20,360 Even Jesus, who had all the wisdom of heaven, didn't try to 230 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:22,000 build relationships with everyone. 231 00:11:22,560 --> 00:11:25,000 He didn't run every meeting. He didn't say yes to every 232 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,520 single person. He didn't chase after the crowd 233 00:11:27,520 --> 00:11:30,320 when they walked away in John 6, but the few that he invested in, 234 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:33,640 the ones that he prayed with and empowered, the ones that he 235 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:36,200 loved, they helped launch the church. 236 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:40,040 So we're going to talk about how to do that today as we wrap up 237 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:41,680 our series on this way of wisdom. 238 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:44,320 And the very first thing that you have to start with before we 239 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:46,680 ever get to building is you have to be willing to protect what 240 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:50,280 matters. Protecting what matters is 241 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:52,200 something that you have to do intentionally. 242 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:54,200 You don't just say, well, we got locked doors. 243 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:57,040 I'm sure it'll be fine. What could happen if I let that 244 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,880 guy into my house? Maybe he's going to case the 245 00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:02,720 joint, maybe he would see pictures and he would have an 246 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:05,720 idea about the ages of my children in my house. 247 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:08,960 Or maybe, you know, I don't know, I don't know him. 248 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:12,600 You have to be active and intentional about protecting 249 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:15,280 what matters. So picture this. 250 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:18,200 When you picture a diligent or a responsible person, you probably 251 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:21,640 picture somebody who works hard, shows up early, stays late, 252 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,280 grinds through adversity. Those people are very 253 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:27,000 inspirational. And to be fair, the book of 254 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:29,400 Proverbs does honor that kind of dedication. 255 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:34,560 But Scripture also draws a clear line between wise diligence and 256 00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:38,240 aimless busyness. Not every full calendar is a 257 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,280 fruitful calendar. Not every single late night was 258 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:46,200 for something that matters. And so Proverbs 21 verse 5 says 259 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:49,760 this. Good planning and hard work lead 260 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:53,560 to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. 261 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:57,360 You do notice that it doesn't just say hard work, right? 262 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,320 It said good planning and hard work. 263 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:05,360 It's the combination of intentionally doing these things 264 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:07,200 and the effort that brings the fruit. 265 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:10,880 Diligence without direction will always wear you down. 266 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:15,320 But diligence that's guided by prayer and planning and wisdom, 267 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:16,840 that's where real growth always happens. 268 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:20,160 The danger that a lot of us face, myself included, is not 269 00:13:20,160 --> 00:13:22,000 laziness in the traditional sense. 270 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,400 Some of us, we wear it as an iron badge that we're 271 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:27,480 perpetually tired. I just can't imagine that's the 272 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:32,440 way that God designed it. Some of the most lazy seasons of 273 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:34,880 our life don't look lazy at all from the outside. 274 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:38,000 They're actually packed with activities and responsibilities 275 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:41,080 and long hours. But we were avoiding the stuff 276 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:42,800 that God actually told us to build. 277 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:46,080 We were doing everything except what mattered the most. 278 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:48,560 And that's a different kind of neglect, but it's just as 279 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:50,600 dangerous. Another proverb right there, 280 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:52,080 Proverbs 23. Four. 281 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,000 If we've been reading through the Proverbs this week, this is 282 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,280 something we read. The author says don't wear 283 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:00,520 yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to 284 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:04,280 quit. Most of us were like, well, I'll 285 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:08,000 quit when I'm rich. See you at the finish line, I 286 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,560 guess. It's not just about money. 287 00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:13,160 This is about the chase and the grind and the pressure to prove 288 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:15,680 something. We push ourselves to exhaustion 289 00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:18,560 in the pursuit of different kinds of success or approval or 290 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:20,720 stability. Even people that work at 291 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:23,360 churches do this without realizing that we have left the 292 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:26,760 vineyard of our soul unguarded and it's falling into disrepair. 293 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,160 Our field looks busy, but it's not bearing fruit. 294 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,960 And that's a scary place to be. So that's why wisdom says 295 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:37,000 protect what matters. So just right off the bat, I 296 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:38,440 would tell you, protect your time. 297 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,880 Not every opportunity is yours to take, and not every need is a 298 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:47,000 need that you need to meet. Sometimes when you say yes to an 299 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,280 opportunity, you've just yanked it away from somebody who was 300 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:51,080 supposed to answer it. But in your mind you've thought, 301 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:52,960 if it's not going to be me, who else will do it? 302 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:56,360 I don't know. Jesus did a pretty good job 303 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:58,560 before you arrived on the scene. He did a pretty good job before 304 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:02,960 I decided to say yes to him. So I assume he's got somebody. 305 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:06,960 How about protect your family? There's no achievement outside 306 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:08,560 the home that is worth neglecting. 307 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:10,440 The people inside of it. Not one. 308 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:16,840 Protect your soul. If the work God called you to do 309 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:20,440 is destroying the intimacy that he died to give you, then you've 310 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:23,160 missed the point. And I would tell you, don't run 311 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:24,080 from it. Refine it. 312 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:25,800 Figure out how to fix what's happening. 313 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,080 Sometimes we're like, God, why would you call this to me? 314 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:31,720 It's, it's destroying my life. Don't let it destroy your life. 315 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:33,720 Ask him what you're doing in the wrong way. 316 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:39,600 And protect your church. Don't just attend. 317 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:41,320 Build it. Speak life. 318 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:43,560 Watch over it like it's yours. Why? 319 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:46,960 Because it is, this is your house. 320 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:49,640 When you serve in a ministry or something, don't just give your 321 00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:52,080 gifts and bring it to the table. Look at the other people sitting 322 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:55,000 at the table and encourage them. Tell them they're doing a great 323 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,720 job. A lot of times we included, we 324 00:15:57,720 --> 00:15:59,600 did this a couple weeks ago so we could use some more people in 325 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:01,120 kids ministry. And God bless those of you all 326 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:02,800 that volunteered to help us with kids ministry. 327 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:06,000 But I know it's easy to say, like churches, they always just 328 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:07,600 want you to work with kids. They want you to be a 329 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:09,200 babysitter. I mean, kind of. 330 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,040 Have you ever thought about the names and the faces though you 331 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,280 make a difference in the life of a kid, you actually make a 332 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:18,760 difference in the lives of the family members because they know 333 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:20,440 that their kids are going to hear the gospel. 334 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:23,200 I'll just make it like real quick. 335 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,880 If you, if you were a child in children's ministry here, would 336 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:28,040 you stand up real quick? At some point, children or youth 337 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:34,120 ministry, if you've ever right, I mean, look at this. 338 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:37,400 OK, y'all can sit down. Thank you so much. 339 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:41,560 Like if you've ever worked with kids, would you stand up real 340 00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:48,800 quick? God bless you y'all. 341 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:51,000 Go ahead and sit down. We won't, don't worry. 342 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:51,920 I won't ask you to keep getting up. 343 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:53,160 We're not going to get that Catholic today. 344 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:58,840 We're OK. When somebody says I've got a 345 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:00,840 musical skill, I've got a musical gift. 346 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:03,560 Yes, you may help bring us into the presence of the Lord and 347 00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:05,680 create an atmosphere where we can focus on Him. 348 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:08,359 Turn around to the other musician or the other singers 349 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:09,640 and just tell them you're killing it. 350 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:11,440 I know you're going through a hard season and you're still 351 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:13,319 singing your very Best Song to the Lord. 352 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:15,839 Build them up because they need it. 353 00:17:17,319 --> 00:17:19,839 And I do want to say this to you because this can easily, even 354 00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:21,720 though I'm saying not everybody's your opportunity, it 355 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:24,160 can easily become like, well, I kind of feel like everybody is. 356 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:26,680 God so loved the world. Yeah, well, you're not Jesus. 357 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:29,920 I want you to hear this. While every single person is 358 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:33,640 equally valuable to God, not every person has an equal 359 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:37,360 assignment in your life. Some are called to your crowd 360 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:40,120 and some are meant for your circle, and a few are given 361 00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:44,800 access to your core. You are called to love everyone, 362 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:46,880 but you are not called to work closely with everyone. 363 00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:50,480 Jesus modelled this and I could have gone the easy route and 364 00:17:50,480 --> 00:17:52,640 said, well look, he had 12 and then he had three and then he 365 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:54,000 had one that he was really close to. 366 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,160 And I mean, I've done that before, I'll do it again, but I 367 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,560 want to show you something. In Mark chapter one verse 35, 368 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:03,120 Jesus modelled this because he was ministering to multitudes 369 00:18:03,120 --> 00:18:07,520 and he walked with 12 right? But he was always willing to 370 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:10,960 disappoint people. And as much as we say God make 371 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:14,200 me like your son, normally we don't say give me his ability to 372 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:16,240 disappoint people without feeling anxiety. 373 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:18,680 That's a very specific prayer, isn't it? 374 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:23,880 Mark chapter one, verse 35. Listen to this before Daybreak 375 00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:26,440 the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated 376 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:30,280 place to pray. Later Simon and the others went 377 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:35,480 out to find him. When they found him, they said, 378 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:37,760 everyone is looking for you. Have you ever felt like that? 379 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:41,960 But Jesus replied, oh, we must go on to the other towns as 380 00:18:41,960 --> 00:18:43,560 well, and I'll preach to them too. 381 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:49,640 He says that is why I came. See, the disciples had seen him 382 00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:51,920 minister here. And they said, hey, everyone's 383 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:54,240 still looking for you here, keep doing what you're doing here. 384 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:56,520 And he said, I got to go to these towns too. 385 00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:00,280 There's no indications like send word to them that I'm leaving. 386 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:03,320 No, he just went on. He said God's telling me to do 387 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:05,280 something else, and there he goes. 388 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:09,640 Jesus did not let the needs of the crowd override his calling. 389 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:11,640 He protected his time with the Father. 390 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:13,160 He's out there in a place of prayer. 391 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:17,160 He guarded his mission, and he said no to people that he loved 392 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:19,280 in order to say yes to the will of God. 393 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:23,480 That is not relational neglect. It's wisdom, OK? 394 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:26,640 That's what diligence looks like in your relationships. 395 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:29,760 It means, you ask, who has God placed in my life that I need to 396 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:31,920 protect and invest in and show up for? 397 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:33,920 Because you can't do that for everyone. 398 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:36,960 And if you try to, you will burn yourself out and then you'll 399 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:39,600 become the person that says I don't have anything to give to 400 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:41,840 other people, I'm too burnt out. No, no, no. 401 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,320 You should have something to give to some, but nobody has 402 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:48,720 something to give to everybody. Jesus didn't let the crowd win. 403 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:52,200 Why do we not? Because these people weren't 404 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:54,760 valuable just because they weren't assigned at that moment. 405 00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:57,040 Jesus knew what that moment needed. 406 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:00,240 So he guarded the space and he brought the ones that God had 407 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:03,640 called to him close. And it was not favoritism. 408 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:07,640 It was, once again, wisdom. You don't have to be everywhere 409 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:10,520 to do everything. So Jesus muddled this perfectly 410 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:12,040 for us. He was never rushed. 411 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:14,440 We never saw him in a hurry to go somewhere, did we? 412 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:18,680 And he walked everywhere. He was never lazy, but he also 413 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:21,360 wasn't anxious, except for that one night in the garden. 414 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:26,360 He worked and he walked and he withdrew and he did all of it 415 00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:28,880 with wisdom. So before you commit to another 416 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:32,080 task, before you say yes to one more thing, I would just ask you 417 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:35,680 to take a step back and ask yourself, is this helping me 418 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:38,400 protect what God has entrusted to me, or is it another 419 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:42,360 distraction? Couple of years ago, I had a day 420 00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:44,160 on the calendar that was completely full. 421 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:47,640 Pastor Tom had just retired and I was getting into the swing of 422 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:50,200 things as a lead pastor and I had meetings and I had 423 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:51,800 counselling and I had sermon prep. 424 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:53,400 I had some follow up phone calls. 425 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:55,560 It was just one of those non-stop days. 426 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:58,600 And I remember thinking, I don't have a single minute to spare. 427 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:01,920 And then I saw the reminder on my phone that this was the day 428 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,440 I'd committed to having lunch with a newer guy at the church 429 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:09,000 who had been quietly drifting. And we had planned it a couple 430 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:12,160 weeks in advance. And to be honest with you, I 431 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,360 want to tell you that when I saw that name pop up on my phone 432 00:21:14,360 --> 00:21:17,440 that I thought, I'm a pastor. This is the mission. 433 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,760 I thought I got to cancel. I need to breathe. 434 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:28,760 And then something nudged me. I guess someone nudged me. 435 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:31,120 It was one of those small internal convictions. 436 00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:34,560 Have you ever had those? And I felt like this matters 437 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,320 more. And so I went to lunch, and we 438 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:39,160 sat down over some food. I won't tell you where. 439 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:44,120 Probably a lot of you know, and he just opened up. 440 00:21:44,120 --> 00:21:47,240 He just word vomited all over the table. 441 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:50,560 He shared his deep struggles and things that he had not told 442 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:52,160 anyone before. And by the end of that 443 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:55,720 conversation, I knew this was actually the most important 444 00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:57,440 thing I would end up doing that entire day. 445 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:01,760 And that lunch didn't just reconnect him here at Liberty. 446 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:04,040 It reconnected him to Christ. He got baptized a few months 447 00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:06,040 later. He found his community and now 448 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:07,560 he's serving at his church back home. 449 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,520 And the truth is, I almost missed it. 450 00:22:11,120 --> 00:22:13,480 Not because I was lazy. It wasn't like I was just trying 451 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:16,480 to say I need a me day. I was trying to do what I 452 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:20,080 thought was the important work in my office and I almost missed 453 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:21,480 the most important part of that day. 454 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,520 That's what Proverbs 21 five means when it says good planning 455 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:28,400 and hard work leads to prosperity. 456 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:30,640 It's not that you're going to live a life without effort. 457 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:32,760 It's just making sure you pour that effort into the right 458 00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:35,840 things. Busyness is not the same thing 459 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:38,840 as fruitfulness. And diligence is not just 460 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:40,880 working hard, it is protecting what matters. 461 00:22:42,600 --> 00:22:45,480 In the Old Testament, there's a guy by the name of Nehemiah. 462 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:47,840 Anybody familiar with the story of Nehemiah and rebuilding the 463 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:50,800 church or another church? But the the temple, he was not a 464 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:52,160 priest. He was not a prophet. 465 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:54,680 Does anybody remember what his job was in Babylon? 466 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:59,080 He's a cup bearer. It's a really, really nice 467 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:01,280 title, isn't it? Carry the cup. 468 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:06,200 But I will say this, you're in a position of trust because you 469 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:07,400 don't want to get poisoned, right? 470 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:09,000 So you're trusting somebody who carries that cup. 471 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,480 But that being said, I'm sure he was good at carrying the cup, 472 00:23:14,400 --> 00:23:16,520 but he's not somebody that you would have looked at and said, I 473 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:18,560 bet you'll be a really good construction worker. 474 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:22,320 But when he heard that Jerusalem's walls had been 475 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:24,760 broken down and that the people were vulnerable back where he 476 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:26,160 had come from, it broke his heart. 477 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:28,800 And so he prayed and he fasted and he asked the king for 478 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:32,160 permission to go back and rebuild the walls of his 479 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:34,760 people's city. And against all odds, he got 480 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:37,640 that permission. And it wasn't an easy thing. 481 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:40,480 He was rebuilding this project, and it faced a lot of 482 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,120 opposition. He endured all sorts of mockery 483 00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:46,320 and intimidation and threats of violence because the enemy 484 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:50,080 didn't want the walls rebuilt, because broken walls mean easy 485 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:53,960 access. So he was dealing with a lot of 486 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,400 fear and vulnerability and chaos, and he had to lead his 487 00:23:57,400 --> 00:23:59,080 people. That was in a way that was both 488 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,200 strategic and spiritual. They had to keep working, but 489 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:04,960 they also had to stay alert. So I just have one verse from 490 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:06,800 the book of Nehemiah that I'd like to share with you. 491 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:11,880 Chapter 4, verse 17 says the labourers carried on with their 492 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:15,040 work with one hand supporting their load and another hand 493 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:19,600 supporting a weapon. Maybe your translation says in 494 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:23,920 one hand they had a, a trowel or something like that, and the 495 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,440 other one had a sword. In other words, they were 496 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,240 working, but at any time they knew that the enemy may come. 497 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:32,400 And what I want you to know is this is a picture of spiritual 498 00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:35,200 maturity. Some of us pour ourselves all 499 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:37,640 into the work and we don't see the enemy coming because we're 500 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:40,000 so busy. Some of us are so paranoid about 501 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,840 the enemy that we need to lift a finger to try and build 502 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:44,840 something. And we've got to learn how to 503 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:47,200 juggle both. We have to be strategic and 504 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:49,840 plan, and we have to be diligent and do the work. 505 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:55,000 Christians don't just show up to sing or serve on a Sunday. 506 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,200 They protect their church, they protect their people, and they 507 00:24:57,200 --> 00:24:59,840 look out for each other and they stay watchful and prayerful. 508 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:01,080 I wasn't even thinking about my sermon. 509 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,560 I was walking behind a friend of mine from that building to this 510 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:05,360 building. He was walking alone earlier, 511 00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:07,600 and I was like, hey, if you walk alone, who's going to watch your 512 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:11,080 back? I was just joking, but now it 513 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:15,800 sounds more serious. The enemy does not wait until 514 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,800 you're done building to attack. Could you imagine that? 515 00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:20,640 All right, I'm coming for you. Not now. 516 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:22,720 I'm building something that'll help me defend against you. 517 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:24,880 Oh, I didn't know it was a bad time. 518 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:27,120 That's not the way that it works. 519 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:29,760 So what I'm telling you is this. Here's the challenge. 520 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:32,200 What part of your spiritual life or your church community has 521 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:36,080 been left unguarded? What wall have you walked away 522 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:37,720 from? Maybe it's your prayer life or 523 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:40,960 your marriage, or maybe it's a relationship that you let drift 524 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:42,840 or a roll that you just checked out from because it was 525 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:45,000 exhausting. You're not the only one 526 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,120 responsible for building, but you are responsible for your 527 00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:50,960 section of the wall. We talk about sharing each 528 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:53,000 other's burdens here. That's an important scripture, 529 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:54,880 but I want you to hear the whole scripture here. 530 00:25:55,280 --> 00:25:59,000 The first 2 verses in Galatians 6, it says, dear brothers and 531 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:02,880 sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who 532 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:06,120 are godly should gently and humbly help that person back 533 00:26:06,360 --> 00:26:10,000 onto the right path and be careful not to fall into the 534 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:13,160 same temptation yourself. Share each other's burdens and 535 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:14,760 in this way obey the law of Christ. 536 00:26:15,120 --> 00:26:18,080 When we read that, what we think about is share the burdens with 537 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:19,960 the people that we love, with the people that God has brought 538 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:23,120 to that inner circle. But this scripture that Paul has 539 00:26:23,120 --> 00:26:25,520 written for us actually says, if you seen other believers 540 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:29,480 overcome by sin, gently and humbly restore them, which is a 541 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:31,760 little bit of a challenge because more of us than we'd 542 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:33,920 like to admit struggle with the idea. 543 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,440 When we see somebody who was so close to God or somebody we 544 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:38,920 thought we knew them, and then they did something that's not 545 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:40,840 godly, they do something, they fall into sin. 546 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:44,080 We're sort of like, well, God's going to have to clean that mess 547 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,320 up. Guess I won't invite them over 548 00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:49,080 to dinner anymore. That's just not the way that it 549 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:51,600 always goes. If another believer has fallen, 550 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:53,400 gently and humbly restore them. Why? 551 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:56,360 Who's going to do it for you when you fall? 552 00:26:57,280 --> 00:26:58,880 Who's going to do it for you when you lose your temper? 553 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:03,520 Who's going to do it for you? You remember last week when I 554 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:08,920 talked about how not all of Scripture is very clear? 555 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:14,480 Are you already noticing here? You're called to restore people 556 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,880 and heal them and look out for them, but also not all of them. 557 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:21,840 You're called to build your part of the wall, but also not the 558 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,520 whole wall. How are you going to know which 559 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:26,360 people you're supposed to do that for? 560 00:27:26,360 --> 00:27:28,400 And how are you going to know what part of the wall you're 561 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:32,720 supposed to build? Wisdom, you have got to cry out 562 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:36,680 and you've got to answer while wisdom is crying out to you in 563 00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:39,480 the street. This scripture I just read to 564 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:40,880 you, that's what protection looks like. 565 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:43,080 And I'll tell you this, it does not look like controlling 566 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:44,840 people. It's more about covering them 567 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,760 and giving them a place to grow. Watch out for the ones who are 568 00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:52,120 slipping through the cracks. So I just have a couple simple 569 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:55,440 steps for you to talk about how we can be protective the right 570 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:57,240 way. Because for me, I have no 571 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:01,000 problem being protective, but I'm been learning how to be 572 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:03,200 protective the right way. The first thing is to identify 573 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:06,520 what's been overgrown. I mean truly stop and think 574 00:28:06,520 --> 00:28:07,960 about this. I would just challenge you to 575 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:10,320 take just a minimum of 15 minutes this week. 576 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:13,400 I mean truly stop and just reflect and say God, can you 577 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:16,600 bring to mind something that I have let become overgrown with 578 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:19,160 nettles? What part of your walk with God 579 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:22,320 or your family life or your role in in His church that He has 580 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:24,880 sent to the world have you allowed to become overgrown or 581 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:27,240 neglected? Write it down and pray over it 582 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:29,320 and ask God to show you the way of wisdom. 583 00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:33,240 The second thing I would challenge you to reach out to 584 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:35,720 someone who's slipping through the cracks and may not be the 585 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:37,920 obvious answer that just popped into your mind either. 586 00:28:39,240 --> 00:28:41,560 Is there somebody who's not been around lately, a friend or a 587 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:43,920 member of your small group or someone who's been distant? 588 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:48,040 If it's somebody that the Lord has laid on your heart, just say 589 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:50,880 I miss you. Just say, hey, I love you. 590 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:52,400 Hey, it's better when you're here. 591 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:55,800 Sometimes a single text can really make a big difference in 592 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,080 somebody's life until they can find the strength again. 593 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:01,640 And if it starts to feel overwhelming, then there's a 594 00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:03,800 good chance that maybe you've been pouring energy into people 595 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,560 or places God has not called you to carry, or at least to carry 596 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:08,440 alone. Last thing I would tell you, 597 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:13,440 guard your calendar. And my calendar is lit up with 598 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:15,400 all sorts of colors. It's like the 4th of July when I 599 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:19,600 look at it. But I'm learning to delete 600 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:21,800 things. Guard your calendar. 601 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:24,400 How else will you have time for new assignments for the Lord? 602 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:28,520 What happens when God does send you a divine assignment to reach 603 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:30,920 into somebody's life and you're already busy with three other 604 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:34,000 people so you don't have room for them, But you didn't even 605 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:37,360 take the moment to ask wisdom or discernment if this was a moment 606 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:39,800 for you because obviously it can't be for you because your 607 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,480 calendar is full. Guard it. 608 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:45,680 I'm not saying don't use it. Use it, please. 609 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:49,400 The message I'm saying is not, don't use your calendar because 610 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:53,720 I live by it, but just guard it. And I'll just tell you this, 611 00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:55,280 this is not one of the steps I have for you. 612 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:57,920 I like to start my days now with a single prayer. 613 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:03,440 Well, I, I pray a couple prayers actually, but every single day I 614 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:05,560 ask the Lord this. I ask him Lord, what needs my 615 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:08,960 attention the most today? I've learned to just ask him 616 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,200 God, where do I need to put my attention the most today? 617 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:13,720 Because I'm sure I'm not really that different from you. 618 00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:16,400 I'm sure that as the day goes on, you feel like 18 different 619 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:18,520 things grab your attention before you even think about 620 00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:20,800 having lunch, and then try to remember if you had breakfast. 621 00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:24,480 What is it that needs my attention the most today, Lord? 622 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:27,920 Because I know I'll have my own opinion, but I'd rather operate 623 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:32,760 according to yours. If you really want to work hard 624 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:34,920 and rest well, you're going to have to know where to bring your 625 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:37,240 attention. You're going to have to know how 626 00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:38,760 to protect what matters the most. 627 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:41,480 But you're also going to have to learn how to build what lasts. 628 00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:45,120 All of us build things everyday. Relationships, friendships, 629 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:48,800 habits, routines, whatever. We don't all build what lasts. 630 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:52,600 And that's the sad reality. We always protect what matters, 631 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:54,400 but protection alone can't be the goal. 632 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:56,960 God didn't call us to just keep things from falling apart. 633 00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:58,600 He always tells us to build things. 634 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,160 And there's a big difference between guarding something and 635 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:03,080 growing it. You could put a fence around 636 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:04,600 your garden and still have weeds. 637 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:07,840 I mean, that's from what I hear. I don't, I don't garden. 638 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:12,200 You can protect your family's schedule, but inside of the 639 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:17,480 house not have any spiritual rhythms and nothing's growing. 640 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:20,960 You could you could have church involvement and still miss the 641 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:23,960 deeper call to plant and build and invest in people's lives. 642 00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:28,160 Proverbs 24 verses 3 through 4 says this. 643 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:33,400 A house is built by wisdom and become strong through good 644 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:36,320 sense, through knowledge. It's rooms are filled with all 645 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:38,240 sorts of precious riches and valuables. 646 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:40,920 You don't get a strong house on accident. 647 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:44,200 You get it by choosing wisdom over your convenience. 648 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:48,800 And when Solomon talks about a house here, he's obviously not 649 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:50,520 talking about a wooden stone house. 650 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:54,200 He's talking about households, which means families and 651 00:31:54,200 --> 00:31:56,200 legacies. These are things that only grow 652 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:58,760 in time with intentionality and care. 653 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:02,360 But for you and I, building something that lasts will always 654 00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:05,360 cost something. It'll always cost you your time. 655 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:07,800 It'll cost you your comfort. It will cost you your pride. 656 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:11,480 As a matter of fact, in Luke chapter 14, we see Jesus 657 00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:14,120 reference this. It'll even cost you your own 658 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:17,480 plans. That's why Jesus said this in 659 00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:22,080 verse 28. He said don't begin until you 660 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:26,040 count the cost for who would begin construction of a building 661 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:28,280 without first calculating the cost to see if there's enough 662 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:32,040 money to finish it. Otherwise you might completely 663 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:35,720 only complete only the foundation before running out of 664 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:37,080 money. And then everyone would laugh at 665 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,040 you. He literally warns you they're 666 00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:41,800 all going to laugh at you. Verse 30, He says they would say 667 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:44,040 there's a person who started building and couldn't afford to 668 00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:47,400 finish it. Was he trying to talk people out 669 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:51,400 of following him? Kind of. 670 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:55,200 He was talking people out of following him for the wrong 671 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:57,120 reasons with the wrong expectations. 672 00:32:57,720 --> 00:32:59,680 And I've been around church culture long enough to know that 673 00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:01,920 when we do recruitment drives for different volunteer 674 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:04,000 positions, we're not real big on this method. 675 00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:07,920 Hey guys, we need kids workers. And then we sit down. 676 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:09,880 Scale of 1 to 10. How much do you love children? 677 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:11,880 If it's lower than a six, you're out automatically. 678 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:14,560 We're just like, are you OK in the season? 679 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:16,520 OK, great. Well, I didn't answer yet. 680 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:19,160 I I'm sure it's fine. I'm just kidding. 681 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:21,800 We do this a lot of times. Hey, would you be willing to do 682 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:23,520 this? We never stop to try and make 683 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:25,440 sure that people know that it will cost them. 684 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:28,680 For the people that work with our children, I pray God's 685 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:30,760 richest blessings on them every single time. 686 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:33,760 I pray over them because they're not hearing the message today. 687 00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:36,840 They weren't sitting in here to bask in the glory of God's 688 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:39,840 presence during worship. Sure, they'll watch the podcast 689 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:43,760 later online maybe, but the reality is it's not the same. 690 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:46,800 They're separated. They don't get to feel it. 691 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,760 I praise God for the people that stand out in that hot parking 692 00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:52,040 lot or stand there at the door with it open so that they can 693 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:53,320 greet you and tell you good morning. 694 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:56,080 Often we walk by, we say good morning. 695 00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:58,480 We don't even know their names. I'm so grateful for them. 696 00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:01,520 Forget it here at the church. I'm so grateful for people who 697 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:02,880 say, you know what, it's a beautiful Tuesday. 698 00:34:02,880 --> 00:34:04,040 I could do anything I want to with it. 699 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:05,800 You know what I think I'll do? I think I'll go to the gathering 700 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:07,960 place and I think I'll serve people who are hungry. 701 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:13,000 I pray God's richest blessings upon the upon the people who are 702 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:15,760 willing to go above and beyond and do something. 703 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:21,560 Jesus was trying to whittle it down. 704 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:28,520 Jesus was saying, look, I want you in, but I have to be honest. 705 00:34:29,159 --> 00:34:30,719 If you follow me, it will cost you. 706 00:34:32,920 --> 00:34:37,480 I'm sure it was just that honest when you enlisted, right? 707 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:42,360 It's so quiet in here. Hey, you're going to come in and 708 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:43,920 hear some things that you need to know. 709 00:34:44,360 --> 00:34:46,239 I'm just kidding. I've I've never served, but I 710 00:34:46,239 --> 00:34:48,400 have heard stories where they're like, oh, they told me I was 711 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:54,480 going to go to Hawaii. Sorry if I touched a nerve 712 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:57,000 there. I'm just trying to say this. 713 00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:59,600 Don't think that following God and trying to build something 714 00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:01,960 that really is going to last is not going to cost you something 715 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:04,400 because it's going to. I'm just encouraging you. 716 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:07,600 Don't start something and then halfway walk away because it got 717 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:09,800 hard. Don't commit to a marriage or a 718 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:12,440 ministry or a mission or even a church without being willing to 719 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:14,040 build through the storms that are going to come. 720 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:18,440 The cross wasn't convenient for Jesus, but it was essential for 721 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:23,320 you and I, and he carried it. And this brings me to another 722 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:26,240 one of those reminders in Proverbs, which I mentioned last 723 00:35:26,240 --> 00:35:28,480 week. But Proverbs 20, verse 7 says 724 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:31,080 the godly walk with integrity and blessed are their children 725 00:35:31,080 --> 00:35:34,240 who follow after them. Legacies are built over time. 726 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:37,680 It's not just about what you built today, it's about who's 727 00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:40,760 going to walk in it tomorrow. Because a wise man or a wise 728 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:43,160 woman isn't just working for results, they're working for 729 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:44,520 something they may not get to see. 730 00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:48,480 So what that means is if you attend church, that you try to 731 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:50,240 also build a culture of love and trust. 732 00:35:50,720 --> 00:35:52,800 I'll just, I mean, this is our year of trust, right? 733 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:55,000 But even though we're over halfway through the year of 734 00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:57,560 trust, can I just see a quick show of hands who would say I 735 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:01,520 still have some trust issues? Look at us. 736 00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:04,280 How's it going to get better unless we build it? 737 00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:07,680 You don't just discipline your kids, you disciple them into 738 00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:09,880 spiritual health. I have to correct my kids all 739 00:36:09,880 --> 00:36:12,120 the time. And then I tell them why they're 740 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:14,200 being corrected because they need to understand the why so 741 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:17,440 that they can grow through it. And we can't just fix problems. 742 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,160 We have to create systems and relationships that stop the 743 00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:21,640 problems from happening all the time. 744 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:26,280 That's what wisdom does. This is a little bit 745 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:28,400 challenging, so just want y'all to relax a little bit. 746 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:31,920 Let's talk about politics. I'm just kidding. 747 00:36:31,920 --> 00:36:32,800 I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding. 748 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,400 He's not in office anymore. He's he's gone on to be with the 749 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:36,480 Lord. Let's talk about Jimmy Carter, 750 00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:38,080 but I don't even want to talk about the fact that he was 751 00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:40,320 president other than just to mention that he was president 752 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:45,920 because he was not president for but one term just from 1977 to 753 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:48,600 1981. I'll just be honest with you. 754 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:51,640 I, I kind of look back on it and not my favorite president as I 755 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:54,840 look back on history, right? But it's just my opinion. 756 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:58,880 You've got opinions too. But to me, I do think he's got a 757 00:36:58,880 --> 00:37:00,840 pretty great legacy. It's just not attached to the 758 00:37:00,840 --> 00:37:05,680 White House. To me, his legacy was built with 759 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:07,440 a hammer in his hand in the servant's heart. 760 00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:12,720 He in 1984 began volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. 761 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:15,960 And what started as like a local build in New York, it quickly 762 00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:19,520 became a lifelong mission. And so for 36 consecutive years, 763 00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:22,680 he and his wife LED what became known as the Carter Work 764 00:37:22,680 --> 00:37:26,080 Project. And, and I got some numbers here 765 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:28,320 just because it stunned me when I looked at this. 766 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:32,880 He mobilized over 100,000 volunteers to help build and 767 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:36,640 renovate homes for families that were in need across 14 different 768 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:38,920 countries. And together they helped 769 00:37:38,920 --> 00:37:42,320 construct or repair more than 4300 homes. 770 00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:45,480 I'll be honest with you. I mean, how many of us, if we 771 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:48,160 spent even four years of president, we're like, I'm done 772 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:49,840 with that. I'm going to write a book. 773 00:37:50,240 --> 00:37:52,080 And by that I mean I'm going to hire somebody to write a book 774 00:37:52,080 --> 00:37:54,360 for me. I'm going to slap my name on it 775 00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:56,440 and do a couple speaking engagements and just enjoy the 776 00:37:56,440 --> 00:37:58,480 Secret Service protecting me for the rest of my life. 777 00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:01,600 And he picked up a hammer. I don't care what side of the 778 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:03,200 politics you're on that's respectable. 779 00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:06,760 And he didn't just sign the checks for them or whatever. 780 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:10,320 Even after multiple falls and surgeries, at the age of 95, he 781 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:13,960 did his last work project. He returned to a build site with 782 00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:18,120 a black eye in 14 stitches that were visible and insist that 783 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:20,600 service doesn't stop just because it gets hard. 784 00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:25,880 He lived to be 100 years old, died just at the end of last 785 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:29,920 year, but he spent the majority of his life showing what 786 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:32,480 faithful work looks like. And it had nothing to do with 787 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:34,840 politics. And his influence didn't even 788 00:38:34,840 --> 00:38:36,800 end with houses. His legacy actually inspired a 789 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:38,520 lot of people that you may have heard of. 790 00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:41,720 Tim Tebow credited him as sparking his passion for hands 791 00:38:41,720 --> 00:38:45,280 on missions and charitable home building celebrities like Garth 792 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:48,280 Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. They've participated in Habitat 793 00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:49,800 builds. And not only that, in addition 794 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:51,920 to all the humanitarian work, do you know what else he did when 795 00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:56,720 he retired from politics? He taught Sunday school at 796 00:38:56,720 --> 00:39:00,240 Maranatha Baptist Church for over 40 years after he left 797 00:39:00,240 --> 00:39:05,520 office, even continuing well after his name was relevant to a 798 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:09,120 lot of people. And at the same age 95, he 799 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:12,600 stopped teaching kids church. So I guess what I'm telling you 800 00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:15,440 is a 95 year old man was building houses and working in 801 00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:17,040 kids church. And I'm just saying talk to the 802 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:18,760 Lord and see what He wants you to do, all right? 803 00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:25,320 That's all I'm saying. He did not just protect what 804 00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:27,120 mattered. He built something that lasted 805 00:39:27,120 --> 00:39:29,240 long after he was gone. There's people living in those 806 00:39:29,240 --> 00:39:31,640 houses that may not even know that his hand was on it. 807 00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:33,320 And that's a pretty cool thought. 808 00:39:34,160 --> 00:39:36,520 People are going to walk in the result of what you build in the 809 00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:38,480 Kingdom and they'll have no clue who you are. 810 00:39:38,720 --> 00:39:41,240 And that's a good thing because it's not all about you. 811 00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:46,280 It's all about Jesus. Some of us are natural builders. 812 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:50,480 Maybe you're, you're the, the master builder when it comes to 813 00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:53,000 like furniture. I, I asked my wife just a couple 814 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:55,040 weeks ago, she wanted to help me build a piece of furniture and 815 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:58,600 she said no, no thank you. She said I don't want to help 816 00:39:58,600 --> 00:40:00,680 you build it, but I'll be happy to build it by myself. 817 00:40:06,160 --> 00:40:08,880 This be like a puzzle for us to do together, she said. 818 00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:13,080 It's not how I see it. So after 5 minutes I'm like, 819 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:14,920 I'll build this tomorrow. And she just sat down on the 820 00:40:14,920 --> 00:40:16,880 floor. She's like, it's OK, just threw 821 00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:18,280 it together. That's cool. 822 00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:21,040 Some people are like that. Maybe you're good at Google 823 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:24,440 spreadsheets or Lego towers or whatever, but there's other 824 00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:28,200 people like us that are sort of the watch and encourage from the 825 00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:30,880 sidelines kind of people. Wow, honey, you're building that 826 00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:35,720 furniture so well. But listen, when it comes to 827 00:40:35,720 --> 00:40:39,320 your life with God and your place in His church, we are all 828 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:43,240 called to be builders. Not just consumers, we're 829 00:40:43,240 --> 00:40:45,600 builders. Paul says it like this in First 830 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:48,880 Corinthians chapter 3. He says because of God's grace 831 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:51,640 to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert 832 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:54,480 builder. Now others are building on it. 833 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:58,000 But whoever's building on this foundation must be very careful, 834 00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:01,720 for no one can lay any foundation other than the one we 835 00:41:01,720 --> 00:41:05,680 already have, Jesus Christ. And the translation to this is 836 00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:08,520 that your life is under construction whether you realize 837 00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:10,520 it or not. The question really is, what are 838 00:41:10,520 --> 00:41:12,520 you building it on? Are you building it on Jesus or 839 00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:15,920 are you just building on what sounds good to you and will it 840 00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:18,640 last? Remember, we just read this a 841 00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:21,560 few minutes ago. A house is built by wisdom and 842 00:41:21,560 --> 00:41:25,440 it becomes strong through good sense, and the same goes for our 843 00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:27,280 homes and our churches and our friendships. 844 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:30,400 Wisdom always builds and foolishness burns out. 845 00:41:31,720 --> 00:41:34,320 Additionally, when we build well, we don't just hold things 846 00:41:34,320 --> 00:41:40,400 together, we hold people up. In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 847 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:43,280 16, it tells us that he makes the whole body fit together 848 00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:46,600 perfectly as each part does its own special work. 849 00:41:46,600 --> 00:41:48,560 So I want to make sure you're listening as each part does its 850 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:52,360 own special work, OK. As each part does its own 851 00:41:52,360 --> 00:41:56,000 special work, it helps the other parts grow so that the whole 852 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:57,720 body is healthy and growing and full of love. 853 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:00,760 I don't know if I've ever looked at it this way, or if you have, 854 00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:04,200 what I can learn just through the logic of that scripture. 855 00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:08,000 If it tells me that when we do our own special work, it helps 856 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:11,480 other parts grow, I wonder how often I have held back the 857 00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:14,240 growth of other parts of the body because I've been unwilling 858 00:42:14,240 --> 00:42:16,320 to build and work at my own part. 859 00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:20,000 Well, it's one thing when you look at the Lord and you say, I 860 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:21,480 know my prayer rhythm could be better. 861 00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:24,640 I know I could be doing better. It's another thing when you look 862 00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:28,520 at him and you say, I know I'm holding back 15 people, but God, 863 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:30,960 you know my heart. That's a scary thought. 864 00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:34,560 So this is what it means to build what lasts. 865 00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:37,160 We have to have a life and legacy that is rooted in Jesus 866 00:42:37,160 --> 00:42:39,480 and what He brought to us. We've got to stay connected to 867 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:42,200 the people who love Him, and we've got to be motivated by 868 00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:44,280 love that endures even after we're gone. 869 00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:46,680 How do you do that on purpose? How can you build with 870 00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:48,920 intentionality? I just challenge you. 871 00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:51,920 If it sounds overwhelming, first of all, just choose one person 872 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:55,400 to invest in and don't necessarily go and tell them, 873 00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:57,800 all right, I'm not looking to have it be weird. 874 00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:00,000 Doesn't need to be a program. You don't need a title because 875 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:01,280 you're going to invest in somebody. 876 00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:04,520 Don't go up to somebody and be like, hey, you won the lottery, 877 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:07,160 right? I'm going to invest in you. 878 00:43:08,840 --> 00:43:10,640 I pointed to you because it was obviously a joke. 879 00:43:11,280 --> 00:43:12,680 I'm just kidding, Just kidding, pastor. 880 00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:13,560 And I love you. OK? 881 00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:16,400 Just go up to somebody and just love them. 882 00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:20,320 I'll warn you though, if you involve God in this, you might 883 00:43:20,320 --> 00:43:24,280 get one of the difficult ones. Choose one person to invest in 884 00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:26,400 them. And if you're saying, well, I 885 00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:28,520 don't really know how to do it. I don't know who to ask for. 886 00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:31,800 I don't just do it. But what if I do it wrong, Fix 887 00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:34,520 it? Or what if I say something the 888 00:43:34,520 --> 00:43:35,440 wrong way and I hurt their feelings? 889 00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:38,520 Say you're sorry, just do it. Don't wait. 890 00:43:38,520 --> 00:43:43,000 If you wait later becomes never before you know it #2 I'm a 891 00:43:43,000 --> 00:43:45,320 challenge you to this. Serve the church with intention. 892 00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:48,360 What beautiful opportunities to serve one another happen in the 893 00:43:48,360 --> 00:43:51,320 House of the Lord. You walk up to somebody that you 894 00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:54,400 know in the office and tell them you want to help serve them. 895 00:43:54,400 --> 00:43:58,320 It might sound a little weird. You can go up to a stranger and 896 00:43:58,320 --> 00:43:59,280 say, I just want to give you money. 897 00:43:59,280 --> 00:44:00,840 And they're like, where are the cameras? 898 00:44:02,120 --> 00:44:04,080 But I'm just telling you, if you don't know where to start, 899 00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:07,240 there's a lot of ways you can serve some of God's people right 900 00:44:07,240 --> 00:44:09,320 here. And maybe you already are. 901 00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:11,760 And if you are, thank you. And maybe you're in a season 902 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:14,440 where the Lord has you resting. And if you're being obedient to 903 00:44:14,440 --> 00:44:19,280 them, thank you. But if you want this to be a 904 00:44:19,280 --> 00:44:23,760 place that feels safer, that you've got more trust, where 905 00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:26,040 Jesus gets all the glory, help build it. 906 00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:29,720 The last one, and this is the painful one, is to tell you to 907 00:44:29,720 --> 00:44:31,960 inspect your foundation. Anybody ever deal with 908 00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:35,000 foundation issues in your actual house or place that you live? 909 00:44:35,480 --> 00:44:37,400 It's a pain. You know why? 910 00:44:37,600 --> 00:44:39,720 I don't care what cartoons showed you growing up, you can't 911 00:44:39,720 --> 00:44:42,560 just pick up the house and move it there and then work on 912 00:44:42,560 --> 00:44:45,040 things. It disrupts everything when you 913 00:44:45,040 --> 00:44:49,360 have to change the foundation. Sometimes we don't even realize 914 00:44:49,360 --> 00:44:51,400 that we've been building on something that wasn't Jesus. 915 00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:54,040 It just seemed like a good thing or a mentor told us that or 916 00:44:54,040 --> 00:44:55,840 somebody we've respected told us that. 917 00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:58,440 And we've got to be willing to look and make sure that it is 918 00:44:58,440 --> 00:45:02,160 Jesus centered, gospel centered, and we have to be willing to 919 00:45:02,160 --> 00:45:04,080 make sure that we are not sugar coating anything. 920 00:45:04,080 --> 00:45:06,440 But they're getting the full truth that is said in this word. 921 00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:08,640 And we're going to talk a lot about that over the next month, 922 00:45:08,640 --> 00:45:09,720 but I'll get to that in a moment. 923 00:45:11,480 --> 00:45:14,560 Revisit First Corinthians 3 about the foundation. 924 00:45:14,800 --> 00:45:17,800 And just ask yourself, But I want everybody to know you don't 925 00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:20,560 need to have a platform or some sort of title in order to 926 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:22,960 actually build the Kingdom. You just need to be willing. 927 00:45:23,480 --> 00:45:26,240 So ask yourself, are you building the church or are you 928 00:45:26,240 --> 00:45:28,680 just benefiting from it? Are you pouring into others or 929 00:45:28,680 --> 00:45:30,240 are you comfortable when they pour into you? 930 00:45:30,840 --> 00:45:33,080 Are you planting seeds in the lives of others, or are you just 931 00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:34,160 waiting for somebody else to do it? 932 00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:38,200 Because I'm a waterer. I just like to encourage Jesus 933 00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:42,040 didn't call us to be spectators. We're disciples that make 934 00:45:42,040 --> 00:45:44,600 disciples, right? I just want to return to where 935 00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:47,040 we begin. I just want to return to that 936 00:45:47,040 --> 00:45:50,360 same verse in the same proverb about the overgrown vineyard in 937 00:45:50,360 --> 00:45:52,840 Proverbs 24. Remember that it didn't fall 938 00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:56,200 apart over overnight. No one woke up and said, I think 939 00:45:56,200 --> 00:45:57,560 I'll just ruin the harvest today. 940 00:45:58,640 --> 00:46:02,000 It's neglect, it's avoidance, it's distraction, and the field 941 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:05,440 becomes unfruitful. One of the scariest things in 942 00:46:05,440 --> 00:46:08,320 that proverb to me is that the man wasn't necessarily 943 00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:11,320 rebellious, he was just passive and apathetic. 944 00:46:12,480 --> 00:46:14,000 And that's the real danger for a lot of us. 945 00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:16,280 We're not rejecting God outright, we're just distracted 946 00:46:16,280 --> 00:46:20,000 and we're OK with it. So when we get fed up, we feel 947 00:46:20,000 --> 00:46:22,160 like we should leave. Whoever or whatever it is would 948 00:46:22,160 --> 00:46:25,280 be better off without us anyway. We're not lazy in the way that 949 00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:27,600 people often think, but we're just exhausted from all the 950 00:46:27,600 --> 00:46:30,000 wrong things. And since we're so busy with 951 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:33,040 these other things, we can't really hear when God asks us to 952 00:46:33,040 --> 00:46:35,040 build. But the wisdom of Scripture 953 00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:37,800 doesn't just call us to work harder, it calls us to work 954 00:46:37,880 --> 00:46:40,120 better. And that includes knowing when 955 00:46:40,120 --> 00:46:41,600 to stop. And I want you to know that rest 956 00:46:41,600 --> 00:46:42,920 really is part of the rhythm here. 957 00:46:43,760 --> 00:46:47,240 Remember in Luke 516 where it said Jesus often withdrew to the 958 00:46:47,240 --> 00:46:51,880 wilderness for prayer, Not just once, but not just on occasion. 959 00:46:51,880 --> 00:46:55,360 It says often. And with all the crowds pressing 960 00:46:55,360 --> 00:47:00,680 in, I want to read you one final scripture in Matthew 11, all the 961 00:47:00,880 --> 00:47:02,880 all the crowds pressing in and all the needs that were 962 00:47:02,880 --> 00:47:05,480 surrounding him, He made space to step away and get with the 963 00:47:05,480 --> 00:47:09,480 Father because he cared so much about people that he knew he he 964 00:47:09,480 --> 00:47:11,720 needed to connect with God first. 965 00:47:12,080 --> 00:47:14,760 He cared enough to protect the intimacy that fueled every 966 00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:18,000 single miracle that he had. And in Matthew 11, this is 967 00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:20,200 something that many of us who have gone to church for a while 968 00:47:20,200 --> 00:47:23,040 are familiar with, but I hope that you'll hear it with ears to 969 00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:30,040 hear today. Jesus said in verse 1128, Come 970 00:47:30,040 --> 00:47:34,720 to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I 971 00:47:34,720 --> 00:47:38,160 will give you rest. He says take my yoke upon you 972 00:47:38,160 --> 00:47:42,200 and let me teach you because I'm humble and gentle at heart and 973 00:47:42,200 --> 00:47:46,480 you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy to 974 00:47:46,480 --> 00:47:48,840 bear and the burden I give you is light. 975 00:47:51,160 --> 00:47:54,000 Jesus did not say come to me and I'll remove all of your 976 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:58,440 responsibility. He says, come to me and I'll 977 00:47:58,440 --> 00:48:02,880 carry what's too heavy for you and I'll teach you and show you 978 00:48:02,880 --> 00:48:06,320 how to walk with me. And that's how we learn to serve 979 00:48:06,320 --> 00:48:10,640 God from a place of rest. He doesn't say give me your yoke 980 00:48:10,960 --> 00:48:13,040 and then you can hop in the wagon and I'll pull you. 981 00:48:13,840 --> 00:48:17,880 He says, take my yoke. You do have work to do, but it's 982 00:48:17,880 --> 00:48:21,480 doable and you can only do it through the wisdom that I have 983 00:48:21,480 --> 00:48:23,440 to offer you. The most encouraging part of 984 00:48:23,440 --> 00:48:27,280 this whole scripture to me is where he says, let me teach you. 985 00:48:27,920 --> 00:48:30,040 Some of us have been doing whatever we're doing for so 986 00:48:30,040 --> 00:48:31,480 long. We're not teachable. 987 00:48:33,000 --> 00:48:35,720 But Jesus says, sometimes you just need to take my yoke and 988 00:48:35,720 --> 00:48:38,160 let me teach you. All right, Jesus, but it's not 989 00:48:38,160 --> 00:48:39,560 going to work. I've tried it before. 990 00:48:39,560 --> 00:48:43,880 You haven't had my teaching yet. And He'll instruct you and He'll 991 00:48:43,880 --> 00:48:46,920 guide you through it. And when you listen to His 992 00:48:46,920 --> 00:48:49,680 teaching and you are obedient, look at that promise. 993 00:48:50,120 --> 00:48:52,280 You will not. You may. 994 00:48:53,160 --> 00:48:57,040 You will find rest for your souls, not through running or 995 00:48:57,040 --> 00:49:01,760 stopping or freezing, through picking up His yoke and doing 996 00:49:01,760 --> 00:49:08,840 what He's asked you to do. So that being said, sometimes 997 00:49:08,840 --> 00:49:11,560 saying yes to what matters the most will mean saying no to 998 00:49:11,560 --> 00:49:14,480 something that looks good. And maybe you need to hear this 999 00:49:14,480 --> 00:49:18,400 today, But that's not selfish, it's not unkind, it's just 1000 00:49:18,400 --> 00:49:21,640 wisdom. Serving people that God didn't 1001 00:49:21,640 --> 00:49:24,120 call you to serve is not always generosity. 1002 00:49:24,480 --> 00:49:28,560 Sometimes it's disobedience, and it might feel noble to step in 1003 00:49:28,560 --> 00:49:31,080 and try to rescue somebody, but when you try to be someone's 1004 00:49:31,080 --> 00:49:34,840 Savior and they already have one, you're not helping them, 1005 00:49:34,880 --> 00:49:38,800 you're just enabling them. And sometimes we're keeping them 1006 00:49:38,800 --> 00:49:41,360 from learning to trust the one who never fails. 1007 00:49:42,320 --> 00:49:44,200 So here's my final parting advice for you. 1008 00:49:45,320 --> 00:49:49,000 If you find yourself in one of those situations, let them grow. 1009 00:49:49,240 --> 00:49:51,640 And by that I mean let them struggle. 1010 00:49:52,240 --> 00:49:55,280 Let them surrender to Jesus the same way that you had to. 1011 00:49:56,040 --> 00:49:59,160 You cannot carry everyone, but you can't protect the people 1012 00:49:59,160 --> 00:50:02,960 that God has entrusted to you. You can build what lasts. 1013 00:50:02,960 --> 00:50:05,320 You can rest in the fact that you're not the one holding it 1014 00:50:05,320 --> 00:50:06,680 all together anyway. Who is it? 1015 00:50:07,640 --> 00:50:09,120 Jesus is the one holding it together. 1016 00:50:10,520 --> 00:50:12,280 Would you all stand up? As we close in worship this 1017 00:50:12,280 --> 00:50:14,240 morning, I got a challenge for you. 1018 00:50:15,640 --> 00:50:18,040 Ask God to let wisdom shape your rhythm. 1019 00:50:18,040 --> 00:50:20,400 Ask Him what deserves your attention today. 1020 00:50:20,880 --> 00:50:22,960 Let Jesus be the one who lightens your load. 1021 00:50:24,560 --> 00:50:27,240 Starting next week, we're going to talk about in the series of 1022 00:50:27,240 --> 00:50:31,040 messages on how we can live changed, how we can have real 1023 00:50:31,040 --> 00:50:34,560 lasting change from the things that we've been crying out for 1024 00:50:34,560 --> 00:50:36,640 and change from things we thought we'd never be able to 1025 00:50:36,640 --> 00:50:40,560 break the patterns of. But before we ever say one word 1026 00:50:40,560 --> 00:50:43,400 in that series, you need to know it is not possible by trying 1027 00:50:43,400 --> 00:50:45,040 harder. It's only possible through 1028 00:50:45,040 --> 00:50:47,200 obedience and submission to Jesus first. 1029 00:50:47,640 --> 00:50:50,880 If he's not the Lord of your whole life, it's bad news, but 1030 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:54,880 he's not Lord of your life, then we can't tell him that he is our 1031 00:50:54,880 --> 00:50:57,520 Lord and then say, but this part, I'll live in my own way. 1032 00:50:59,040 --> 00:51:01,640 He's either fully right or he's fully wrong. 1033 00:51:01,640 --> 00:51:05,160 And we're going to talk about how we can change and be aligned 1034 00:51:05,160 --> 00:51:06,720 with him starting next week. Amen. 1035 00:51:22,800 --> 00:51:30,560 Holy are you Jesus? Oh, you are worthy God. 1036 00:51:32,760 --> 00:51:46,520 Oh holy. Day and night, night and day 1037 00:51:46,560 --> 00:51:53,320 that and censor rise. Day and night, Night and day 1038 00:51:53,320 --> 00:51:58,440 that and censor rise. Day and night. 1039 00:51:58,760 --> 00:52:02,120 Night and day that and censor rise. 1040 00:52:03,840 --> 00:52:08,440 Day and night. Night and day that and horizon. 1041 00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:15,200 Day and night. Night and day that and censor 1042 00:52:15,320 --> 00:52:18,760 rise. Day and night. 1043 00:52:19,080 --> 00:52:21,920 Night and day that and censor rise. 1044 00:52:21,920 --> 00:52:25,200 Day and night. Night and day that and censor 1045 00:52:25,200 --> 00:52:33,120 rise, night and day that instant to rise, Day and night, night 1046 00:52:33,280 --> 00:52:45,880 and day. You were with the other God, you 1047 00:52:45,880 --> 00:52:54,840 were with the other all. For from you what are things, 1048 00:52:55,840 --> 00:53:01,560 and to you are all things, but you deserve the glory. 1049 00:53:05,920 --> 00:53:20,600 You were the Abidor, You were the Abidor Jesus, but from you 1050 00:53:20,960 --> 00:53:24,120 are all things hand to you are all face. 1051 00:53:26,760 --> 00:53:34,840 You deserve the glory. Thank you Lord, thank you Jesus. 1052 00:53:41,830 --> 00:53:43,670 Let's just give him a shout of praise one more time. 1053 00:53:43,670 --> 00:53:55,830 Thank you Lord, thank you. I'm just really grateful to the 1054 00:53:55,830 --> 00:54:00,040 Lord this morning that He's with us in the mess and He gives us 1055 00:54:00,040 --> 00:54:05,600 the wisdom and the gift of rest. If it's your first time with us 1056 00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:08,040 this morning, I'm so glad that you're here and welcome to 1057 00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:14,080 Liberty Church. If you need prayer this morning, 1058 00:54:14,240 --> 00:54:16,960 I should probably go over there. There's people under the make a 1059 00:54:16,960 --> 00:54:19,120 different sign that would love to pray with you. 1060 00:54:19,120 --> 00:54:20,400 Pray over you this morning.