1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:02,960 Welcome to the Illuminate Church podcast. 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:05,520 We hope today's message is encouraging to you. 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:14,440 To be here with you, you know, we're in a series called the 4 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:18,240 seven Habits of Jesus people. If you were here last week, 5 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,200 Pastor Tim kicked it off for us that what it means to be a Jesus 6 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,240 person, a Jesus follower means you're going to be a little 7 00:00:25,240 --> 00:00:28,280 peculiar, right. So all week long I've been 8 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:30,920 talking to people and every now and again the phrases come out 9 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:33,680 like you're so peculiar. And never before has that felt 10 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:35,800 good. Really, honestly, because that 11 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:39,800 is kind of strange, but it's OK. What it means is we're going to 12 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:41,600 be different than the world around us. 13 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:44,040 And if you are here this morning, I want to tell you 14 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:47,400 you're on a good path. You're already on a good path 15 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,920 because you're here. And especially if you're a young 16 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:55,000 adult, if you're between the ages of 18 and 30, whatever the 17 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,680 qualification is, I want to say something to you right now. 18 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:01,440 I want to say to you that the Lord says you're on a good path 19 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:05,319 and don't let anyone deter you from the path that you are on. 20 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,400 Don't let the attraction, the allure, the false draw of what 21 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:13,680 the world says will satisfy you, allure you away from this 22 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:16,200 peculiar path. And if you're, if you're a 23 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,360 student and you're getting ready to go to camp, the Lord is 24 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:20,560 priming your heart. Yes. 25 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,240 And so I say this to the young adults and to the young people 26 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:28,240 in our midst, that you are the next generation of leadership 27 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,440 for where the world is going. And if you haven't noticed, it's 28 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,760 a little unstable. The only stable thing that you 29 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:39,120 will find that you can stake your life to is the eternal 30 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:41,680 power, presence and promise of God. 31 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:44,640 And so for that, I say you're on a good path. 32 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,160 And so this morning, as we take another step in the series, 33 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:50,440 we're going to get to the first habit. 34 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,240 Last week, the stage was set. If I haven't introduced myself 35 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,080 yet, I don't think I have. My name is Christine. 36 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,440 I'm one of the pastors here at Illuminate Church. 37 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:02,240 My husband is Lee Pastor him and together the Lord is birthing 38 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:09,600 and growing a hell shaking ground, taking battleship of 39 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:15,160 believers of Jesus, people that are getting there that are 40 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:19,760 willing to be peculiar. And if that is you, you're in 41 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:21,680 the right place. And if you're here checking it 42 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:23,280 out, you're in the right place too. 43 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:25,760 But what we want to do this morning is we're going to delve 44 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:30,400 into what does it mean to be a Jesus person, to have habits 45 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:34,240 that make us like Jesus. I don't know if you've noticed, 46 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,040 but it's never been so easy to waste our lives. 47 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,000 Anybody noticed? And I have had lots of 48 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,600 conversations lately with some of you young adults, been in my 49 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:47,960 home and two separate occasions, 2 of them said I wish nobody had 50 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,640 ever given this to me. I wish that I could have a flip 51 00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:56,920 phone, right? And so as a parent of a wide age 52 00:02:56,920 --> 00:03:00,280 gap, I would say to you that we were parenting someone when 53 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:03,760 these came on the scene, our oldest and now we're parenting a 54 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:06,760 12 year old. And what we learned in between 55 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:09,520 is we didn't know anything, right? 56 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,280 Isn't that the gift of an age gap? 57 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,440 When you have a much older and then a younger son, you get a 58 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,920 second chance, so to speak. And so while our 12 year old, we 59 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:21,280 love you. We promise we will coach you 60 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:23,840 faithfully. And true, he's constantly 61 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,920 asking, when can I get a phone? And the young adults around me 62 00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:30,720 are saying, help me break free. And it's not just you young 63 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,960 adults, It's all of us. It's all of us tethered to this 64 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:38,320 onslaught of information that makes us feel like we need more 65 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:39,800 stuff. And now I'm not. 66 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,440 I'm not only comparing myself to the people in my life around me, 67 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:46,640 but I'm comparing myself to every woman across the planet. 68 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:51,960 And AI, right? So never before has it been so 69 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,160 easy to get divided, to get pulled into unnecessary 70 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,720 conversations, to get sidetracked by what's going on. 71 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:04,320 Never before has it been so easy to waste our time, but what 72 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,920 Jesus is calling us to see is that when we waste our time, we 73 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:13,440 actually waste our life. And so the first habit of Jesus 74 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:16,920 people, the habit that we want to cling to as a foundation, is 75 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,279 that Jesus people have a rule of life. 76 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:23,360 Everybody say rule of life. If I've already lost you because 77 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:25,720 I had the word rule in it, stay with me. 78 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,920 It doesn't mean some rigid set of religious practices. 79 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:33,680 What it means is a determined course of your life, a 80 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:38,080 determined and set course based on a set of values. 81 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:39,920 That's the first part of our equation. 82 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:44,320 A rule of life involves values and then it couples with it 83 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:46,800 practices. So if you want to know what is a 84 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,480 rule of life, it's when you have values that are specific coupled 85 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:54,040 with practices that are specific, and it results in an 86 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:59,320 outcome that you set out to get. So a set of values supported by 87 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:03,160 a construct of consistent practices that ensure those 88 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:06,440 values are fulfilled. That's what a rule of life is at 89 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:10,080 its most basic level. So let's start with some values. 90 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:13,640 How many people value like a super productive morning? 91 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:15,760 You're like a morning person. Don't be shy. 92 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:17,600 I need to see hands. Like right out of the gate, 93 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:20,280 you're out of the bed. Some of you, some of you might 94 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:23,360 supply it with coffee, right? Do I have coffee drinkers? 95 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:28,520 Yeah, that's a practice. How many of you value like kind 96 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,880 of some flexibility, You're kind of slow in the morning, get up 97 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:37,640 and hey, yeah, nothing wrong with that, right. 98 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:42,320 So as you see, different values, different practices, not right 99 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:44,960 or wrong, we're just, we're not all exactly the same, right. 100 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:49,040 How many people value health to the point where physical 101 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:51,480 exercise is a part of your every week? 102 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:55,920 Yeah, we got some unenthusiastic clapping on the front row here. 103 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:57,920 No. OK. 104 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,480 If you value working out, give me your attention. 105 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:02,440 How many people are like, get in there and get it done in the 106 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:03,920 morning? Like I'm a get it done in the 107 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:05,160 morning or I'm never going to do it? 108 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,640 Yeah. How many people are like, get it 109 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:09,360 done at night, get it done at night? 110 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:11,080 It doesn't matter when. Yeah. 111 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:16,360 So whatever your value is, it's going to drive your practices. 112 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:18,400 Right. So what we're acknowledging 113 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:20,720 today is that we all have patterns and habits. 114 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:25,280 In fact, I would say you have a rule of life whether you know it 115 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:28,280 or you don't. Even if your rule of life is 116 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:35,080 chaos, you have a rule of life. And so today we're slowing down 117 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:37,840 to ask ourselves some intentional questions that God 118 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:40,320 is asking. And I would start with these two 119 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:43,880 right up front. Is your rule of life happening 120 00:06:44,280 --> 00:06:49,920 to you or is it set by you? Are you being intentional? 121 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:52,840 Am I being intentional or am I just taking whatever comes at 122 00:06:52,840 --> 00:06:55,200 me? The second one is, is my rule of 123 00:06:55,200 --> 00:07:00,400 life helping me become more like Jesus or is it helping me fit in 124 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:04,160 more with the world? And I think you would say, 125 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:06,800 building on last week's message, whether you were here or not, 126 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:08,640 you're not going to blend in with the world if you're 127 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:11,560 peculiar. And Jesus, people don't blend in 128 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:14,160 with the world. We stand out because he has a 129 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:15,920 message he is sending through us. 130 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:19,320 So today, we are taking the time to look at the way we build our 131 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:24,120 lives to be sure that we create an intentional, conscious plan 132 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:28,080 that puts us on the path to follow after Jesus. 133 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:32,080 It's a rule of life. My dad has a rule of life. 134 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:36,840 He will be 85 this December. Yeah, that's worth climbing for. 135 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:40,880 And I'm going to tell you he might be one of the most 136 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:44,600 principled and structured people I have ever known. 137 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:47,640 I mentioned he's almost 85. I think at this point he could 138 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:50,160 go out and climb on a ladder and repair his own roof. 139 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:53,320 Both physically and skill wise. He's that guy. 140 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:57,320 He's a mathematical genius. He was an early computer 141 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,080 programmer. And despite the fact that he's 142 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:05,080 almost 85, he still mows his lawn in Florida when it's 99° 143 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:08,480 outside, cultivates his own landscaping. 144 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:13,000 I've got a picture here of some beautiful roses that he grows. 145 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,440 And he grows them partially because he loves them, but he 146 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:20,320 also grows them from my mom. And he takes care of my mom. 147 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:23,640 And one of his values is to make sure that she's cared for. 148 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,000 And she loves these roses. And he grows them, and he 149 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:28,640 cultivates them. And I was spending some time 150 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:34,120 with him this past weekend. He was an educator for a number 151 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:35,600 of years. At one point in his career, 152 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,000 that's how he finished. And when he retired, he became a 153 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:43,000 stained glass artist. I want to show you a few of his 154 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:48,400 beautiful pieces. He is a Craftsman to the NTH 155 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:50,320 degree. I'll show you another one. 156 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,520 Here's a beautiful lamp. And then I've got one more. 157 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:58,960 This one might be my favorite. He taught himself how to do this 158 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:04,120 and this is who this guy is. He is literally a get after it, 159 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:07,200 make the most of your life kind of guy. 160 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:10,640 And I was spending time with him last weekend and we were just 161 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:13,120 kind of shooting the breeze. You know, I'm visiting and just 162 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:14,320 want to hear about what's going on. 163 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,320 And he shows me this binder. It's like a, you know, a 2 inch 164 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:18,360 binder. And he brings it out and he 165 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:21,360 starts flipping through it and he's showing me that he's 166 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:25,120 tracking everything he's eating and how he's wearing a glucose 167 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:28,440 monitor and how much it spikes, how long it takes to come down. 168 00:09:28,560 --> 00:09:37,960 He's not diabetic, OK, he's not diabetic, but he loves to master 169 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,440 and conquer anything. So he's conquering right now, 170 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:45,240 intermittent fasting, aikido lifestyle. 171 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:49,520 And his goal is to be like 0 flat line on his glucose spikes. 172 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:53,880 Are you getting the picture? So this man has a set of values. 173 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:58,160 He has a rule of life. He has practices that support 174 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:00,320 his values. And here are his values. 175 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,080 Don't stop moving. Don't stop growing. 176 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:06,760 Don't stop learning. Make the most of every season of 177 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:08,480 your life. Keep it really organized. 178 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:11,200 That's in there too. But he has practices that 179 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:15,080 support his values. And as a result, at 85, he is 180 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:19,600 physically and mentally incredibly fit in more ways than 181 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:23,520 I can count. This is the power of a rule of 182 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,840 life. When you have values and you put 183 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:30,680 practices with them and you create a structure of a rule of 184 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:35,360 life, you will have an outcome. You will have fruit. 185 00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:40,080 The thing is though, Jesus people have fruit that's 186 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:41,760 different. It's peculiar. 187 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:43,600 It's different than the rest of the world. 188 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:47,840 Jesus people have a rule of life that results in transformation 189 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,400 and we become like Jesus. Did you know that Scripture 190 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:55,160 tells us in Romans chapter 8 that this was God's plan, that 191 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:57,680 we would be transformed into the image? 192 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:00,080 You know God speaks through creation. 193 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:04,240 He shows us in canyons and mountains and depths of oceans. 194 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:08,040 He reveals Himself. But his greatest artistry is in 195 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:12,000 the creation of you and I and in the transformation of our lives 196 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,440 by the Holy Spirit. We begin to bear His image and 197 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:19,400 we take his hope and His love to a broken and hurting world. 198 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:25,320 This is God's plan if we will accept and receive and embrace a 199 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:27,640 rule of life that makes us Jesus people. 200 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,760 But just in case you're wondering, well, what's in it 201 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:32,560 for me, let me tell you what you get. 202 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:36,880 Jesus people have a rule of life that results in an intimate, 203 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:42,640 knowing and being known kind of relationship, always near to an 204 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:47,480 eternal, powerful, loving God. Does that sound good? 205 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:52,320 Where every need is met, yours and those around you. 206 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,920 Where your steps are guided, your wounds are tended to and 207 00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:58,640 healed. You have strength and power and 208 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:03,680 comfort in constant supply. And when you choose a Jesus rule 209 00:12:03,680 --> 00:12:06,560 of life, you have shared mission, You have eternal 210 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:10,160 impact, you have purpose beyond your wildest dreams. 211 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:14,520 And you don't have any shame. Because the love and the 212 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:19,920 lifeblood of Jesus takes away everything and anything that's 213 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:22,000 of us and replaces it with himself. 214 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,840 There's no dumb questions. There's laughter and delight and 215 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:27,440 joy. Are you getting excited yet? 216 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:32,880 Flowing between you and God And what Crystal was talking about 217 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:37,040 earlier, That firm foundation, when it gets shaken, when you 218 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:41,480 face difficult situations, you won't be alone and they won't be 219 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:45,040 wasted. This is the fruit of a Jesus 220 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:49,240 people rule of life. So maybe you're asking, OK, OK, 221 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:51,840 I'm interested. You've got me, I'm listening. 222 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,440 What's the difference between a rule of life that makes us good 223 00:12:56,440 --> 00:13:02,440 people, nice people, disciplined people, and Jesus people? 224 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,720 Because there's distinction. If we're going to choose a rule 225 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:10,240 of life that transforms us into Jesus people, we are going to be 226 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:12,080 good and nice and disciplined, right? 227 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:14,800 We're also going to be powerful and strong and surrendered and 228 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:17,800 submitted and faithful and purposeful, and we're going to 229 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,520 be distinct. And this morning the ground 230 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:24,200 we're going to cover is 3 distinctions of a rule of life 231 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:28,600 as a Jesus person. So if you are ready for this, 232 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:30,440 would you close your eyes and open your hands? 233 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:34,240 And we're going to ask the Holy Spirit who interprets the word, 234 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:38,520 who knows us through and through to have his way and make it 235 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:40,360 simple. Just say Holy Spirit, have your 236 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:42,800 way, however you want to do it. Holy Spirit, have your way. 237 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:45,920 I'm saying it to Holy Spirit, have your way in my words. 238 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:49,120 I step aside. I ask you to come and transform 239 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:52,680 each one of us, including me through this morning. 240 00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:55,240 We want to meet with you. It's in Jesus name we pray. 241 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,040 Amen. So the first distinction of 242 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:01,680 Jesus people is that Jesus people have a rule of life where 243 00:14:01,680 --> 00:14:06,880 their values and their practices are defined by the word of God. 244 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:09,520 Where do we go? Where do we look to build our 245 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:12,120 rule of life? Nowhere but the word of God. 246 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:16,760 Not in the culture, not even necessarily in your family, 247 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:20,240 although that might be good if their rule of life is matching 248 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:23,240 Jesus's rule of life, right? But we're not going to go 249 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:26,440 anywhere first other than the foundation of the Word of God. 250 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:28,640 And this morning we're going to practice that together. 251 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:31,560 And to do that, I want to tell you we're going to read Matthew 252 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:35,240 chapter 6. And we have notes for you, every 253 00:14:35,240 --> 00:14:38,400 scripture that I'm going to use and including later on when I 254 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:42,920 give you a tool for building a rule of life mine and a blank 1 255 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,800 is going to be in there. It is in the message notes 256 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,280 inside of the app. If you don't have the app, you 257 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:51,960 can go to illuminate dot church, Illuminate dot church and pull 258 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:54,800 up the message notes. I highly recommend it. 259 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:58,040 But we're going to read Matthew chapter 6 together. 260 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:00,520 If you'd like a Bible in your hand, you can raise your hand. 261 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:02,920 If you didn't bring one, our ushers will be glad to gift it. 262 00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:05,440 We've got one over here. I love that you want the Word in 263 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:08,200 your hands. We want the Word in your hands 264 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:09,760 and in your heart and transforming you. 265 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:12,600 We've got hands up all over the place as we're doing that and 266 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:14,720 getting you Bibles. Let's do just a little 267 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:17,120 background. Matthew is one of the four 268 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:20,480 gospels, the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John found in 269 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,680 the New Testament. It's where we get the eyewitness 270 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:27,840 account of Jesus, how he lived, who we loved, how we spend his 271 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,200 time. So if we're going to build a 272 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:34,800 Jesus rule of life, we are going to need to look at Jesus, right? 273 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:37,720 So we're going to look at Matthew chapter 6 together. 274 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:40,800 Are you with me? You're with me as we're getting 275 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:44,120 there to Matthew chapter 6, as we read through this, I want you 276 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:49,240 to listen for two things. I want you to listen for values 277 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,520 and I want you to listen for practices. 278 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:55,600 So if we're going to find our values and our practices in the 279 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,680 word of God, let's do it together this morning, Matthew 280 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:02,040 chapter 6 beginning in verse 1. And I want you all to talk back. 281 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:03,480 Can you be a talk back kind of people? 282 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:06,080 OK, we're going to read Matthew 6 together. 283 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:09,600 Holy Spirit highlight to us practices and values. 284 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:13,720 Jesus said to his disciples, watch out, don't do your good 285 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:17,640 deeds publicly to be admired by others, for you will lose the 286 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:19,800 reward from your Father in heaven. 287 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:23,760 Does that sound like a value? No matter what you're doing, 288 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:27,280 your heart matters. That's a value of a Jesus 289 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:31,600 person. Verse #2 When you give, does 290 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:35,560 that sound like something? What is it A a practice when you 291 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,760 give to someone in need? Don't do as the hypocrites do, 292 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:41,480 blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call 293 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:43,160 attention to their acts of charity. 294 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,360 I tell you the truth, you have received all the reward. 295 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:48,800 They have received all the reward they will ever get. 296 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:54,360 But when you give, does that sound like a habit or a 297 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:55,720 practice? Yes. 298 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:58,160 When you give, give to someone in need. 299 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:00,760 Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. 300 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,480 Give your gifts in private and your Father who sees everything 301 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:07,160 will reward you. Then Jesus goes on to teach 302 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:09,720 about praying. He says when you pray, what is 303 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:12,599 that? Come on, talk back. 304 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:15,760 It's a practice. When you pray, don't be like the 305 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:19,200 hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and 306 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:21,359 in the synagogues where everyone can see them. 307 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:24,800 I tell you the truth, that's all the reward they will ever get. 308 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:30,160 But when you pray, when you pray, practice. 309 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:32,960 Right now, we're going to hear about how go away by yourself, 310 00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:36,400 shut the door behind you and pray to your Father in private. 311 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:40,360 Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. 312 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:44,720 There's a value in here about relationship, about the internal 313 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:47,960 part of who we are, being authentic and true with God 314 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:51,920 first before we go and do any of our practices right. 315 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:56,640 And then in verse 16, Jesus said, and when you fast, don't 316 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,160 make it obvious. He kind of repeats the same 317 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:01,840 theme in verse 17. He says when you fast, comb your 318 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:04,440 hair, wash your face so that no one will know that you're 319 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:05,840 fasting. Except who? 320 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:10,400 Your Father, who knows what you do in private, and your father 321 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:13,200 who sees everything will reward you. 322 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,680 And here's a great value. Don't store up treasures here on 323 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,640 earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, where 324 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:23,920 thieves break in and steal. Store up your treasures and 325 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:28,040 where in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, where 326 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:30,120 thieves do not break in and steal. 327 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,040 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will 328 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:37,200 be also. So you can see just from this 329 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:40,720 one passage, just from Matthew chapter 6, you could begin to 330 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:43,880 build a very strong rule of life. 331 00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:46,920 Let's highlight a couple Jesus highlights. 332 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:52,040 He wants us to give to the needy, to fast, to pray, to 333 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:57,160 treasure heaven's eternal rewards over the earth's flash 334 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:01,280 in the pan rewards, and then He puts a strong value behind it. 335 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:05,440 We can't do good things for people's attention, for their 336 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,600 approval. We do everything we do out of a 337 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:13,160 love for God, because God sees. God rewards, not because he's 338 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:16,280 watching you, because he loves you. 339 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:20,160 And out of this love relationship, we could build a 340 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:24,080 really great rule of life. So you might be asking, OK, if 341 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,440 I'm supposed to find my practices and my values in the 342 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:31,000 Word, but I'm not very familiar with the Bible, how am I 343 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:33,840 supposed to do this? What I would say to you is 344 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:37,960 today, decide you want it and borrow someone else's rule of 345 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:41,600 life that has been living this and has been in the Word and has 346 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:46,120 built something that's worth copying for now, borrow it, copy 347 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:49,160 it and just start doing it. And as you spend time in the 348 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:51,720 Word, you will grow, you will tweak, you will change, you will 349 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:54,920 make it your own, but don't wait to figure it out. 350 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:57,360 Borrow something from someone worth following. 351 00:19:57,360 --> 00:20:01,400 As Paul said, follow me as I follow Christ, everybody with 352 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,640 me. Yes, so we're also going to give 353 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,360 you tools in this series to help you along the way. 354 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,600 The next six weeks are going to be some of the practices and 355 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:11,920 we're going to get down into them. 356 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:13,920 Next week is about reading the Bible. 357 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,280 How convenient? Isn't God amazing? 358 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:21,240 Yes. So let's pick up here in Matthew 359 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:24,520 chapter 6, verse 24. We're going to find another 360 00:20:24,520 --> 00:20:28,560 value. No one can serve 2 masters, for 361 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:31,240 you will hate one and love the other. 362 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:35,480 You will be devoted to 1 and despise the other. 363 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:39,840 You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. 364 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:42,760 And the big value here is our second point. 365 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,560 So the first point was we're going to find our values and our 366 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:48,840 practices in the word, not in the world, right? 367 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:53,080 But our second point is this, Jesus, people have a rule of 368 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:56,520 life where their values match their practices. 369 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,120 There's no division, there's no confusion. 370 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,720 So what is Jesus saying? He's saying here, if you're 371 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:05,680 going to serve God, but money is calling your name and it has 372 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:07,840 your attention, you're going to be divided. 373 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:10,800 It won't work. You can't have two masters. 374 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:12,720 We can't have two sets of values. 375 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:17,160 We can't have values that are inconsistent with our practices 376 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,320 or practices that are inconsistent with our values. 377 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:24,880 Are you hearing the invitation to be 1 integrated whole? 378 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:28,640 We have to have practices that match our values. 379 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:32,800 And when we look at Jesus's life, we see that a Jesus 380 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:37,640 person, a Jesus follower, will have to surrender every part of 381 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:40,280 ourselves. You know, when Jesus walked to 382 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:44,920 this earth, he did not see, say, or do anything unless it came 383 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:48,280 from the Father. And so Jesus had a value. 384 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:51,520 We're going to stop for just a moment here and study how Jesus 385 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:54,160 valued a love relationship with the Father. 386 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:58,360 If we want to look for a place where practices match values, we 387 00:21:58,360 --> 00:22:00,720 don't have to look any further than looking at Jesus. 388 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:05,360 He spent time with the Father. You know, we can find a phrase 389 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:09,120 or a version of a phrase like this over and over in Scripture. 390 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:11,440 Jesus went out to a mountain to pray. 391 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:15,440 He spent the night praying to God. 392 00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:19,320 He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. 393 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,120 Jesus went up on the mountain by himself to pray. 394 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:24,600 He went out in the desert by himself to pray. 395 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:27,440 He got up, left the house early in the morning and went to a 396 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:29,640 secluded place and was praying there. 397 00:22:30,080 --> 00:22:34,880 Do you hear a theme? Where did Jesus go when stuff 398 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:37,760 was happening? He went away to be with the 399 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:40,360 Father. He prioritized the relationship 400 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,040 with the Father. Jesus didn't have a separate 401 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:45,960 strategy or a separate compartment for dealing with 402 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,400 pain. When John the Baptist, his 403 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:53,040 cousin and forerunner, was beheaded, Jesus went out to 404 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:55,960 grieve and be with the Father. When Jesus had to make a big 405 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:59,880 decision about choosing the 12 disciples that the church would 406 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:02,800 be built upon, he spent the night before in prayer. 407 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:07,960 When Jesus was being exalted and heralded as an earthly man and 408 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,880 an earthly king, and the crowd wanted to make him the King, he 409 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:15,040 got away to be with the Lord. And when he faced the ultimate 410 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:20,120 suffering of bearing the the knowledge he was going to go to 411 00:23:20,120 --> 00:23:23,520 the cross, he wrestled in the garden in prayer with God. 412 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:26,160 He said, I know this is what I came here to do. 413 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:28,720 I know this is what we agreed on. 414 00:23:32,440 --> 00:23:37,200 But if there's any other way, can we can we go another way? 415 00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:41,160 And in that exchange, in that time alone with the Father, he 416 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:44,680 exchanged his will and said, no, you're right, there is no other 417 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:45,600 way. Let's go. 418 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:51,680 So what did Jesus do at any decision after a hard day, after 419 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:55,200 an exciting day, when he was birthing a new ministry? 420 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,720 Everything he did was based on a big value of being with his 421 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:03,360 Father, practicing, taking time with the Father. 422 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:07,640 So if we're looking at our own rule of life, how do you prepare 423 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:11,720 for a giant move, A launch of a business, a birth of a baby? 424 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:14,800 Where do we go when our heart is broken? 425 00:24:16,120 --> 00:24:20,880 When grief plunges us into pain? Where do we go for wisdom? 426 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:24,360 Where do we go when everything is falling apart? 427 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:29,080 Where do you go when everything's going great? 428 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:34,840 Jesus had a value that matched his practice and his value was 429 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:39,080 Father first, relationship 1st, and everything else comes 430 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:42,160 second. Good, bad, ugly, everything in 431 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:44,480 between. I'm not moving until I've been 432 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:47,640 with you. He had a value that was 433 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:51,800 supported by His practice. And in Matthew chapter 6, that 434 00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:54,840 same verse, the same passage as we were looking at, at the very 435 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:58,280 end of the chapter, there's one more value we want to grab onto 436 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:01,320 from Jesus. And Jesus is talking in this 437 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:03,520 section of scripture. After he talked to them about 438 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:06,360 praying and fasting and serving, and he taught them the Lord's 439 00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:09,760 Prayer, He said, you're going to face day-to-day life where 440 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:11,800 you're going to need clothes and food, You're going to need 441 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:14,920 provision. And when you face these things, 442 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:16,880 you're going to want to take care of it yourself. 443 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:19,600 You're going to have anxiety and worry over where it's coming 444 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:21,040 from. Anyone identify with this? 445 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:23,920 Yeah, we're, we're all my honest people. 446 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,120 Anyone identify with providing for yourself? 447 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:29,520 And then Jesus takes them through this exercise and says, 448 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:31,360 do you see the lilies of the field? 449 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:33,520 Nobody got up and dressed them this morning. 450 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:35,960 God did it. And do you see the Sparrow? 451 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:40,320 Do you see them flitting around? Do you see them toiling to eat? 452 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:44,920 And of course they said no. And Jesus then said, when you 453 00:25:44,920 --> 00:25:48,720 face this life, this crazy upside down life, you're not 454 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:51,600 going to provide for yourself. You're going to have to make a 455 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:54,480 choice, though our God is willing to provide for you. 456 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:58,360 And then he says this verse in Matthew 6, verse 33. 457 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:04,840 But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these 458 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:09,160 things will be added to you. And So what is Jesus saying? 459 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:12,680 He's saying that if we say we trust God, like if we would say, 460 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:14,720 yeah, I trust God, that's a value. 461 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:20,000 But then I'm self-sufficient toiling and striving to provide 462 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:23,800 everything for myself. Is my value matching my 463 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:27,600 practice? No, what Jesus is saying is you 464 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:29,520 have an opportunity to put God first. 465 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:31,320 Seek the things that matter to him. 466 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:34,960 Build a Jesus rule of life and then you will not only have what 467 00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:38,920 you need, you will have peace or you can do your rule of life 468 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:40,840 your way. You can have this discord 469 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:43,320 mismatch and you'll have anxiety and worry. 470 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:46,400 Because when we say we believe in something and we value 471 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:50,440 something and we do something else, it creates a like a chasm 472 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:53,720 in our being because we know we're not matching. 473 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:57,120 The whole is interrupted. There's no integration of the 474 00:26:57,120 --> 00:27:00,280 parts. And so Jesus people have a rule 475 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,280 of life where the values and the practices come from the Word of 476 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:05,160 God. And because they come from the 477 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:08,280 word of God, and as we grow and mature, our practices and our 478 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:11,120 values match. Then what we have is peace and 479 00:27:11,120 --> 00:27:14,720 provision, power, effectiveness, and all the things that God has 480 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:17,480 promised. And this is what Jesus people do 481 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:25,360 Amen. Jesus people prioritize, not 482 00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:28,560 compartmentalize, our relationship with the Father. 483 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:30,800 And that leads us to the Third Point. 484 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,960 Because even if we build our habits, our practices, and we 485 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:37,920 grab our values from the word and we make them match, if we 486 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:41,440 don't invite the Holy Spirit to lead, we're toast. 487 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,120 So our Third Point we cannot live without is that Jesus, 488 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:49,400 people have a rule of life that allows the Holy Spirit to lead 489 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:51,800 and transform. And I'm going to be really 490 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:53,400 candid with you because I love you. 491 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:56,600 We can't cheat this. We can't cheat it. 492 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,760 We can't cheat the fact that we can't muscle change from the 493 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:03,520 outside in. We can't read enough books on 494 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:06,480 self help. The only thing that truly 495 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:10,600 transforms us into the image of Christ and sets us free is the 496 00:28:10,600 --> 00:28:13,720 Holy Spirit. And what Jesus is building here 497 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:18,160 at Illuminate Church are Jesus people living and walking by the 498 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:20,760 Spirit. At the end of my days, what I 499 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:25,160 want to be known for is a life that was led and could only have 500 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:29,840 been lived by the Holy Spirit, by the amount of His presence, 501 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:33,560 of the way He changed me and transformed me into His image of 502 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:35,200 the things that He called me to do. 503 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:38,280 That the only way I could have lived it is by the power and 504 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:41,680 presence of the Holy Spirit. And that is a value that I hold. 505 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:44,880 And if you're here today and you're saying I don't know what 506 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:49,160 that means, I'm glad you said it and I'm glad you're being honest 507 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:51,600 and you are in completely the right place. 508 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:53,240 Let me explain it to you this way. 509 00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:57,160 When God created you, He created you with a body and a spirit. 510 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,000 And the body is the part of us, the flesh parts of us that 511 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:04,000 desires things our own way. Like, you know, the Burger King 512 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:08,480 motto, You can have it your way. Your body really loves that 513 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:10,920 motto. But your body is going to die 514 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:13,760 and decay. And the part of you that lives 515 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:17,280 eternally is your spirit. So at any given time, your 516 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:22,080 spirit that longs for and loves your eternal home is trying to 517 00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:25,520 lead you and guide you to line up with the Holy Spirit. 518 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,840 But at the same time, your flesh is trying to win. 519 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:31,320 Can everybody see it? You're at war within yourself. 520 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:36,200 So to be led by the Holy Spirit means we are going to have to 521 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:40,680 crucify our flesh. In fact, Galatians 5 talks about 522 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,080 this. We are crucifying the flesh, 523 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:47,720 dying to ourselves, getting a lifeblood transfusion, Jesus's 524 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:52,120 blood into ours. Our DNA changes, we change from 525 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:55,000 the inside out. The kind of rule of life that 526 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:58,680 allows that to happen is one that is led by the Spirit. 527 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:02,440 And so today we're going to take just a little look at our fruit 528 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:07,520 because the fruit, the output is how the Holy Spirit leadership 529 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:10,600 is displayed. So today, if we break it down 530 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:13,640 into two lists, they're found in Galatians chapter 5. 531 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:19,080 Starting in verse 22, we're going to see that Jesus people 532 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:22,040 produce a certain kind of fruit. So if you want to know if you're 533 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:26,360 being led by the Spirit, let's look at our fruit in verse 22 it 534 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:30,400 says, but the fruit of the Spirit is Lovejoy, peace, 535 00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:37,400 patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and 536 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:39,560 self-control. Does this sound good? 537 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:42,720 I don't think you're really hearing me if you're not 538 00:30:42,720 --> 00:30:47,240 screaming. Yes, and I say this earnestly. 539 00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:52,160 What would it be like if your life were overflowing with love 540 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:59,560 and joy and peace and patience and kindness and goodness and 541 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:04,360 gentleness and faithfulness? Where you were on the path that 542 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:07,840 you want to be on and not having trouble swerving off of it? 543 00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:11,760 That's faithfulness. And who would not like a little 544 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:15,760 self-control? That I could be doing what it is 545 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:17,800 my heart wants to be doing, right? 546 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:24,120 This is the fruit of a life led by the Holy Spirit, and whenever 547 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:27,200 and wherever you see this kind of fruit, you know that your 548 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:32,160 rule of life is flourishing. But if there is a contrast, it's 549 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:36,240 the one led by our flesh, by our body, by our Burger King motto. 550 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:40,200 We've got to be sober about what this looks like. 551 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:42,840 We're going to back up a couple verses. 552 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:45,080 Galatians 5, verse 19 through 21. 553 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:49,000 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are immorality, 554 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:56,640 impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, anyone 555 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:01,520 getting depressed, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, 556 00:32:01,520 --> 00:32:05,560 disputes, dissensions, factions envying drunkenness. 557 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:10,160 This list is long, carousing and things like these of which Paul 558 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:13,480 has forewarned them. If you practice these things, 559 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:15,440 you're not going to inherit the Kingdom of God. 560 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:19,200 Do you think it's interesting that he uses the word practice? 561 00:32:21,360 --> 00:32:24,480 Do you think it's interesting that it uses the word practice? 562 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:30,480 Because we are at any given time putting values and practices 563 00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:34,760 being led by the Holy Spirit, or we are putting other practices 564 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:36,800 in place and here is what we will get. 565 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:40,200 The choice is simple. Whenever and wherever you see 566 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:44,520 strife and jealousy, anger that's out of control, anger 567 00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:47,960 that's a tool or a weapon instead of a dashboard light, 568 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:54,640 any place you find yourself stuck in habitual sin, this is a 569 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:57,920 place where your rule of life is not working. 570 00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:02,880 The job of the Spirit, the indwelling gift of the presence 571 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:05,440 of God. When you are saved, you become a 572 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:09,760 temple for the Holy Spirit, and that Holy Spirit's job is to 573 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:16,280 live in you, guide you, and as we yield, produce good fruit to 574 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:17,960 become Jesus. People, we're going to have to 575 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:19,640 embrace. This is a mystery. 576 00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:21,960 Is anyone else? Like, if we're being honest, 577 00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:27,520 this is pretty mysterious, but I can testify again and again and 578 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:30,240 again to the truth of this miracle. 579 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:33,880 You can be born again. You are a new creation. 580 00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:37,600 You're born into the Spirit, and over time you will learn to let 581 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:41,000 the Spirit lead you. You can build a rule of life 582 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:45,800 that supports this value and you will be transformed. 583 00:33:46,840 --> 00:33:50,920 So we are going to be a kind of people, a Jesus peculiar people 584 00:33:50,920 --> 00:33:54,040 that have a rule of life. We're going to look to the word 585 00:33:54,040 --> 00:33:56,080 to find our values and our practices. 586 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:59,200 And because we find them there and we grow in maturity, they're 587 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:01,280 going to match. And we're going to let the Holy 588 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:04,360 Spirit lead and we're going to be transformed into some 589 00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:08,000 peculiar, wonderful people. This is the invitation to us. 590 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:11,800 We just took a trip, our family and another family, all of our 591 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:15,080 kids home from college. We went out to Utah and we went 592 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:19,480 to one of my bucket list dream places, Bryce Canyon, Zion, 593 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:24,080 Moab, Arches. And when I say to you that I was 594 00:34:24,080 --> 00:34:30,639 moved by God at the majesty, the wonder, the depth, the variety, 595 00:34:30,639 --> 00:34:33,600 No2 structures looked the same in any place. 596 00:34:34,159 --> 00:34:37,639 We were at one point this giant Canyon called Dead Horse Point, 597 00:34:37,639 --> 00:34:40,920 and we had hiked and hiked and hiked and we got to the overlook 598 00:34:41,159 --> 00:34:46,760 and I wept at the fullness and the majesty and the regality of 599 00:34:46,760 --> 00:34:50,040 the presence of God. It was an amazing trip, but one 600 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:53,280 of the things I was surprised by is we didn't know anything about 601 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:54,920 this region. We're picking where we're going 602 00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:56,800 to stay. We picked a vacation rental 603 00:34:56,800 --> 00:34:59,880 spot, and we picked it because it was centrally located. 604 00:34:59,880 --> 00:35:03,520 We could stay in one spot and do a bunch of things, but we knew 605 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:06,960 nothing about the city. And this city we were in had no 606 00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:11,000 food, like no grocery stores, no restaurants. 607 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:12,560 Like maybe you're familiar with this. 608 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:14,560 You're a city person. This is no big deal. 609 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:16,960 I mean, a country person to a city person. 610 00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:22,600 I was surprised. So as we're driving around, I'm 611 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:25,280 looking at them like, where are these people getting food? 612 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:27,400 But you look at their large properties and you see 613 00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:30,600 greenhouses and you see gardens and you see that they're 614 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:34,120 cultivating the land because they want to eat, right? 615 00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:38,320 And we're not used to this. But we need to borrow something 616 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:41,240 from this truth. Those people living out in that 617 00:35:41,240 --> 00:35:43,400 area, if they want to eat, they're going to eat what they 618 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:45,880 grow. They're going to eat what they 619 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:48,360 produce. And the truth that I believe the 620 00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:51,200 Holy Spirit wants us to really get this morning is you're going 621 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:54,720 to eat what you grow. You can make a pit stop. 622 00:35:54,720 --> 00:35:56,880 You can eat off of someone else's tree. 623 00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:00,120 You can come in and be around great people and get some good 624 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:02,400 fruit. But day in and day out you are 625 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:04,200 going to eat what you're growing. 626 00:36:04,360 --> 00:36:08,680 So why not grow good fruit? Why not grow the fruit that 627 00:36:08,680 --> 00:36:12,720 satisfies not only you and everybody around you, Right? 628 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:19,200 Thank you Lord, so let's borrow as we wrap up our time here. 629 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:21,960 Let's borrow something from agriculture and apply it to our 630 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:25,280 spiritual lives. I've got Sierra in my in the 2nd 631 00:36:25,280 --> 00:36:27,400 row here. She knows all about trellises, 632 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:32,920 but a trellis is a structure that is used to provide support 633 00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:36,880 to help guide to protect flourishing and productive 634 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:39,840 plants. There's so many shapes. 635 00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:42,240 I started looking into this and looking at the varieties. 636 00:36:42,240 --> 00:36:43,760 I've got some pictures here for you. 637 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:46,680 The first one is a Raspberry plant. 638 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:50,200 I love me some raspberries, but they're building this structure 639 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:54,160 to create and guide all of the plants to grow up and flourish 640 00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:58,560 and be nourished. This next one here would work 641 00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:00,440 for any kind of vertical growing plant. 642 00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:03,240 It's not real sturdy, but you could see you could grow some 643 00:37:03,240 --> 00:37:06,400 light, simple things and that trellis is going to guide and 644 00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:10,960 shape and help that plant grow. I think my favorite picture is 645 00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:13,880 this one. Isn't this gorgeous? 646 00:37:15,440 --> 00:37:18,280 And you look at this trellis and with the intention of what it 647 00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:20,880 has done, not only has it created function, but it's 648 00:37:20,880 --> 00:37:24,680 beautiful. Did you know that the structure, 649 00:37:25,240 --> 00:37:29,520 the rule of life, your values and your practices can produce 650 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:35,120 fruit that is so beautiful that people want to stop and know 651 00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:39,400 what is going on? And so in our discussion, we've 652 00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:43,040 talked about a rule of life. And what I'm suggesting is let's 653 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:45,920 build a trellis. Let's build a structure with 654 00:37:45,920 --> 00:37:48,240 intention. And so let's look just a little 655 00:37:48,240 --> 00:37:52,560 bit more at what trellises do. A trellis can do this amazing 656 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:55,800 thing that creates an opportunity for every part of 657 00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:57,680 the plant to get nourishing light. 658 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:01,440 Isn't that amazing? A trellis is strong and sturdy, 659 00:38:01,440 --> 00:38:04,960 but you've got to train your plant to use the trellis. 660 00:38:05,080 --> 00:38:08,280 Have you ever seen someone take a, a plant and like tie it up to 661 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,520 the trellis? Because how many know that if 662 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:12,560 we're left to our own, we're going to go off on our own, 663 00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:15,480 right? But a good trellis with a good 664 00:38:15,640 --> 00:38:20,320 caretaker, which by the way, we have the best gardener caretaker 665 00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:25,640 ever, Father God, who trains us to our trellis, if we will put 666 00:38:25,720 --> 00:38:30,880 the trellis in place, that that trellis can help us grow heavy 667 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:33,320 productive fruit. Because without that trellis, 668 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:36,280 heavy fruit growing on a vine will crash to the ground, it'll 669 00:38:36,280 --> 00:38:40,080 rot, the bugs will eat it and nobody will get, nobody will get 670 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:43,600 the benefit from it. So in agriculture, A trellis 671 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:47,240 guides, a trellis supports a trellis keeps the fruit from 672 00:38:47,240 --> 00:38:50,800 falling and being wasted. It makes it easier to harvest. 673 00:38:51,440 --> 00:38:55,760 And in your spiritual life, your trellis are the practices that 674 00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:59,840 you match with the values that grows beautiful, incredible 675 00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:01,960 fruit. Because if you have a trellis, 676 00:39:01,960 --> 00:39:05,760 you have a bunch of practices without many values, you're not 677 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:09,760 going to grow anything. And if you have some values 678 00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:13,640 without any structure or any support to your life, there 679 00:39:13,640 --> 00:39:18,040 might be a bud of fruit. How many have ever experienced 680 00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:19,400 this? Been to a conference, been to a 681 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:22,560 camp, been to a Bible study, been through something and 682 00:39:22,560 --> 00:39:26,840 there's a surge of fruit, but there's nothing there to support 683 00:39:26,840 --> 00:39:29,200 it. And it dies and falls to the 684 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:31,080 ground. And we think to ourselves, why 685 00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:32,560 was it real? What happened? 686 00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:36,080 It was real. But a rule of life is a set of 687 00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:40,400 values with practices that are consistent that produce an 688 00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:43,360 amazing fruit. So I'm going to share with you 689 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:47,200 this morning my rule of life. And I'm going to ask for a 690 00:39:47,200 --> 00:39:50,200 tremendous amount of grace in knowing that I feel very 691 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:53,920 vulnerable presenting this because I'm not putting myself 692 00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:56,840 forward as a person that has everything figured out. 693 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:00,880 But if we don't share with you what we have learned, how will 694 00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:04,760 we bring you along, Right? So here is my rule of life. 695 00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:10,440 It's also in your message notes. I won't have time to go over 696 00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:14,920 everything today, but I want to go over just a few things in my 697 00:40:14,920 --> 00:40:18,600 rule of life. My first love is God, and the 698 00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:21,680 rest of my life flows from there. 699 00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:26,040 There's nothing more important to me than my love relationship 700 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:28,600 with God. And even as important as the 701 00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:33,120 other 4 categories are, if I do the other 4 without the first 702 00:40:33,120 --> 00:40:39,080 one, it will be very easy for me to drift and drift and drift in 703 00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:42,680 my values, right? Either become legalistic or say, 704 00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:45,240 did that really matter? Maybe it doesn't matter so much. 705 00:40:45,240 --> 00:40:48,120 I'm going to put this over the truth of the Word of God. 706 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:53,240 So in my rule of life, even though they're equally laid out 707 00:40:53,240 --> 00:40:57,800 there, there is an order the I see God comes first. 708 00:40:57,800 --> 00:40:59,600 I start and end each day with God. 709 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:01,400 Super simple. God, I love you. 710 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:03,520 Thank you for this day. At the end of the day, let's 711 00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:05,920 talk about what happened or I just want you to know you're my 712 00:41:05,920 --> 00:41:07,840 shepherd. Why? 713 00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:12,120 Because in the season of my life when everything is chaotic, if 714 00:41:12,240 --> 00:41:15,080 there's nothing else I can count on, I know that I'm going to run 715 00:41:15,080 --> 00:41:17,640 into this practice at the beginning and end of my day, 716 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:19,800 right? It's good to have a trellis that 717 00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:23,120 I know is sturdy and is going to be there and having a reading 718 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:26,440 plan, reading the Bible, having extended time in a prayer 719 00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:28,240 closet. You remember in Matthew chapter 720 00:41:28,240 --> 00:41:31,720 6 when Jesus said don't do all your praying publicly? 721 00:41:31,720 --> 00:41:33,760 Do you remember he said, actually go in and close the 722 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:37,720 door? There's a private, intimate 723 00:41:37,720 --> 00:41:41,720 place where everything slows down, where I pour out my heart 724 00:41:41,720 --> 00:41:46,280 to him. I don't do this perfectly, but 725 00:41:46,280 --> 00:41:49,120 it is an intimate, sweet space and something no one is ever 726 00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:51,960 going to talk me out of. You're never going to talk me 727 00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:56,120 out of reading the Bible, having worship in my heart and on my 728 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:57,960 mind. You're never going to talk me 729 00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:01,320 out of cultivating gratitude because I've been in a love 730 00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:03,680 relationship with Him and it's too sweet and it's too good. 731 00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:07,160 And even when I get off track, my trellis is going to me back. 732 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:11,960 My community, my family, my husband, my core friends are 733 00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:14,840 going to bring me back because as a rule of life, I seek God 734 00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:18,280 first. I'm going to live relationally. 735 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:21,840 And that means when we have meals around our table, we put 736 00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:25,320 phones away, we try to home cook meals and be around the table 737 00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:27,640 more than anything else. That's just my personal 738 00:42:27,640 --> 00:42:29,640 preference. You're going to see food on here 739 00:42:29,640 --> 00:42:32,680 a lot. Maybe that's a problem when you 740 00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:35,520 get to our mission matters most. I love to take care of people 741 00:42:35,520 --> 00:42:37,640 with food. I love to make meals. 742 00:42:37,640 --> 00:42:40,760 I love to do whatever I can. It's the way God's wired me. 743 00:42:40,840 --> 00:42:43,800 So as you find your rule of life, when you get to living out 744 00:42:43,800 --> 00:42:47,680 the Great Commission, don't make it mine, make it yours. 745 00:42:48,200 --> 00:42:51,560 Who are you? How did God uniquely wire you to 746 00:42:51,560 --> 00:42:54,440 love your neighbors, to build relationships? 747 00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:59,800 And one thing I want to point out, especially as all my kids 748 00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:06,720 are in the service, it is my value and I hope it's yours, 749 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:11,240 that the integrity of my life, at the end of my days, my kids 750 00:43:11,240 --> 00:43:15,080 would say that's not just something she taught you, it's 751 00:43:15,080 --> 00:43:18,680 something she taught me. And in the integrity of your 752 00:43:18,680 --> 00:43:25,520 life, thank you, Lord, the integrity of your life is that 753 00:43:25,520 --> 00:43:29,160 every part of who you are would be integrated to a complete 754 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:31,480 whole. You know, I've shared this with 755 00:43:31,480 --> 00:43:33,560 you and I want you to linger in it at home. 756 00:43:33,560 --> 00:43:36,880 I'd love for you to take the blank one and the instructions 757 00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:40,160 that are in the message notes and go to lunch with somebody 758 00:43:40,680 --> 00:43:43,760 and talk about the Holy Spirit birthing your rule of life. 759 00:43:43,800 --> 00:43:49,480 Right, Since we started this message talking a lot about my 760 00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:52,680 dad, I want to end it there. You know, I told you my dad is a 761 00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:55,800 mathematical genius, but what I didn't tell you is that he was 762 00:43:55,800 --> 00:44:00,720 my 10th grade geometry teacher. Anybody here in or around 10th 763 00:44:00,720 --> 00:44:05,320 grade, how many of you want your dad to be the dork who is 764 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:07,880 running the overhead with the Yeah. 765 00:44:07,880 --> 00:44:10,720 OK, so I said that lovingly. I'll tell you the story. 766 00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:15,160 So I loved my dad and really loved him being my teacher. 767 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:18,720 It was kind of amazing and I loved the subject. 768 00:44:18,720 --> 00:44:20,640 I loved seeing him in his genius. 769 00:44:20,920 --> 00:44:23,640 But what was funny is my friends really thought he was kind of 770 00:44:23,640 --> 00:44:25,560 goofy. So there was this thing called 771 00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:28,960 an overhead projector where you scroll the plastic. 772 00:44:29,360 --> 00:44:32,680 Yes, yes. If you're older or at my age, 773 00:44:32,680 --> 00:44:36,480 you understand if you're not. We didn't have technology, so we 774 00:44:36,480 --> 00:44:39,520 had plastic and we wrote on it with markers. 775 00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:42,640 Well, you're supposed to like, erase it with an eraser, but my 776 00:44:42,640 --> 00:44:47,000 dad would lick his finger and erase it and then put it back on 777 00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:48,520 his mouth. So at the end of the day, the 778 00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:50,200 kids were like, Oh my gosh, your dad's such a dork. 779 00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:52,160 He has blue like all over his lips, blah, blah, blah. 780 00:44:52,760 --> 00:44:55,640 And one day in class, this kid said, Mr. Bachman, you're such a 781 00:44:55,640 --> 00:45:00,400 dork. And he goes, that's Mr. Dork to 782 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:04,360 you. I loved it. 783 00:45:04,360 --> 00:45:08,760 I loved having as a teacher. But in geometry, there is a term 784 00:45:08,760 --> 00:45:11,440 called congruence. Everyone say congruence. 785 00:45:12,360 --> 00:45:15,640 Congruent is when you're studying 2 shapes and they have 786 00:45:15,640 --> 00:45:19,000 the same qualities. They're equal in shape and size. 787 00:45:19,440 --> 00:45:22,240 And one of the parts of the definition that I love the most 788 00:45:22,240 --> 00:45:25,440 is that when 2 shapes have congruence, it doesn't matter 789 00:45:25,440 --> 00:45:29,440 how they're flipped or turned. They're always equal. 790 00:45:30,200 --> 00:45:35,200 And the rule of life that Jesus is inviting you to live is that 791 00:45:35,200 --> 00:45:39,960 your life, no matter how you're flipped or turned, no matter how 792 00:45:39,960 --> 00:45:45,240 you are flipped or turned, is so congruent with His that you have 793 00:45:45,240 --> 00:45:50,120 everything you need and you bear His image through every aspect 794 00:45:50,120 --> 00:45:52,760 of your life. This is the goal of the rule of 795 00:45:52,760 --> 00:45:54,920 life, to make us congruent with Jesus. 796 00:45:55,080 --> 00:45:57,480 And I am not saying that you're going to be perfect. 797 00:45:57,480 --> 00:46:02,360 I am clearly not perfect. But what I am saying is that 798 00:46:02,360 --> 00:46:07,200 Jesus people work consistently and fight for true integrity, 799 00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:10,960 that there is a completeness to whatever is being described. 800 00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:14,200 This is a lifelong journey and we don't accomplish it. 801 00:46:14,200 --> 00:46:17,960 Remember who does the transforming the Holy Spirit. 802 00:46:18,120 --> 00:46:21,920 self-sufficiency is not a value found in the Word. 803 00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:25,640 In fact, utter and complete surrender and complete 804 00:46:25,640 --> 00:46:28,360 dependency on God is what is found in the Word. 805 00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:32,960 So if this is stirring in your heart and you're ready to look 806 00:46:32,960 --> 00:46:36,160 at the fruit of your life, let's just kind of close your eyes and 807 00:46:36,160 --> 00:46:39,120 get into a posture. It's not religious, it's 808 00:46:39,120 --> 00:46:43,960 focused. So we said that if we want to 809 00:46:43,960 --> 00:46:48,200 know how we're doing in the Holy Spirit LED flesh and spirit 810 00:46:48,200 --> 00:46:49,480 battle, we would look at our fruit. 811 00:46:49,480 --> 00:46:52,320 So Holy Spirit, would you help us examine our fruit? 812 00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:56,120 If you're looking at the fruit of your life and you're saying I 813 00:46:56,120 --> 00:47:00,640 want more Jesus fruit, maybe it's that you have competing 814 00:47:00,640 --> 00:47:04,400 values. Maybe it's that you have a value 815 00:47:04,400 --> 00:47:08,960 system that is stressed and rubbing up against another set 816 00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:14,240 of values. Maybe it's that you have a set 817 00:47:14,240 --> 00:47:18,720 of values, but you're in a situation at work or a living 818 00:47:18,720 --> 00:47:22,080 situation where you don't have the support and structure of the 819 00:47:22,080 --> 00:47:24,160 people doing life the way you are. 820 00:47:28,760 --> 00:47:31,360 Maybe you have the right values, but you don't have the 821 00:47:31,360 --> 00:47:35,120 practices, whatever it is. Holy Spirit, would you speak now 822 00:47:35,320 --> 00:47:39,840 to each of us? And what I would say to you is 823 00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:44,680 all is if all of this is ringing a bell of you saying I have 824 00:47:44,680 --> 00:47:47,320 never given my life over in full surrender. 825 00:47:48,280 --> 00:47:51,120 I've never been reborn and made new. 826 00:47:52,240 --> 00:47:55,200 And the invitation to you is, let's start there. 827 00:47:55,200 --> 00:48:00,200 I'm going to ask everyone to pray out loud in just a moment. 828 00:48:00,200 --> 00:48:02,680 What I'm asking you is if the Holy Spirit is stirring you to 829 00:48:02,680 --> 00:48:05,400 say, I've been around church, I've been around religion. 830 00:48:05,640 --> 00:48:13,480 I have never ever understood the complete rebirth, transformation 831 00:48:13,480 --> 00:48:15,480 by the Holy Spirit through the blood of Jesus. 832 00:48:15,760 --> 00:48:19,440 And if you're saying today, I want you, Jesus, to be my 833 00:48:19,600 --> 00:48:23,320 shepherd and my rabbi, and I want to follow you, then when we 834 00:48:23,320 --> 00:48:26,760 all pray, you're going to pray this with us for the very first 835 00:48:26,760 --> 00:48:29,160 time. If everyone would say, Jesus, 836 00:48:30,760 --> 00:48:35,080 you have opened my eyes to the truth of who you are. 837 00:48:36,680 --> 00:48:42,240 You are the only way, you are the only truth, and you are my 838 00:48:42,240 --> 00:48:45,840 life. And today I receive the free 839 00:48:45,840 --> 00:48:55,600 gift of your blood in exchange for my sin, and I'm washed anew. 840 00:48:57,520 --> 00:49:04,680 I declare that you our you are my Savior and I want you to be 841 00:49:04,680 --> 00:49:10,040 my Lord and Jesus, we thank you for all those being saved by 842 00:49:10,040 --> 00:49:13,200 Your Holy Spirit and for everyone else wherever you are. 843 00:49:13,400 --> 00:49:17,040 Would you just talk to Him, tell him what you want, what you, 844 00:49:17,240 --> 00:49:20,840 what you are hearing from Him, and where you want to join Him? 845 00:49:20,920 --> 00:49:22,440 It can sound something like this. 846 00:49:22,440 --> 00:49:27,000 You've stirred my heart, Holy Spirit, help me find the values 847 00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:31,880 and the practices in Your Word. Help me not leave this here and 848 00:49:31,880 --> 00:49:35,560 walk away and forget, but to do Your Word. 849 00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:41,440 It's in Jesus name that we pray with great gratitude. 850 00:49:41,480 --> 00:49:46,440 We love you in Jesus name, Amen. Thanks for joining us today. 851 00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:49,520 We hope God is speaking to your heart through this message. 852 00:49:49,840 --> 00:49:52,480 If you'd like to connect with us, you can text connect to 853 00:49:52,480 --> 00:49:59,040 407-588-0115 or visit Illuminate dot church. 854 00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:00,720 Have a great week.