1 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:13,880 Are you a follower of Jesus? Come on. 2 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:18,360 Are you a follower of Jesus? Now how do you define that 3 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:23,440 you're a follower of Jesus? Are you a follower because 4 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,520 you're saying that you asked Jesus into your heart to save 5 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:28,800 you so that when you die, you go to heaven and that's why you're 6 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:31,960 a follower? Or have you searched the 7 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,880 scripture out to determine what a follower of Jesus looks like? 8 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:41,400 That's very important because again, you know, we are in a 9 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:46,160 society and more and more it's becoming this, which is why we 10 00:00:46,160 --> 00:00:50,560 have to be diligent. The Bible tells us to study, to 11 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:52,680 show ourselves approved unto God. 12 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:59,520 A Workman, right? A Workman that rightly devise a 13 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,720 word of truth, who is not ashamed. 14 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:05,680 Why would they not be ashamed? Because they're rightly dividing 15 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,080 the word of truth. Now, you're not going to be able 16 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:11,360 to rightly divide the word of truth if you're #1 not studying 17 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:15,320 and #2 if you even go go across it in a casual manner. 18 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:20,480 It requires us to be diligent. There has to be a layer of 19 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:22,280 diligence to it. Amen. 20 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:26,360 And the good news is, is that as you do it, God is not 21 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,640 withholding from you. He is sharing with you. 22 00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:33,440 He wants to reveal things to you, Amen. 23 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:36,320 And He wants to reveal things to you through your private time 24 00:01:36,320 --> 00:01:40,880 with Him, but also when you come to church, because this is the 25 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:45,080 place where equipping begins to take shape. 26 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,240 For God gave gifts unto men, and some he gave as apostles, 27 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:53,320 prophets, pastor, teachers, and evangelists. 2 or for the 28 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,600 equipment of the Saints. So you should come to service 29 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,560 with this expectation. I'm going to be equipped more 30 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:05,400 and equipping is discovering some things that you may not 31 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:10,360 have known before, or it's sharpening the skills that you 32 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:14,360 already have. Let me give you an example. 33 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:20,800 If you are firing a weapon and you only go to the range once a 34 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:26,120 year, do you understand your skill is not going to be as well 35 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:32,240 as someone who is doing it on a repetitively? 36 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,440 Now, I have a pastor friend of mine who said, listen, you know, 37 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:41,600 you'll do yourself a good service is if you will practice 38 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:44,320 at home more than you go to the range because what you're doing 39 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:46,840 at home will reciprocate at the range. 40 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:51,960 And so this person had gotten into some competitions where, 41 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,440 you know, you would go through a series of things that you had to 42 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:56,280 fire your weapon at certain targets. 43 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,400 You know, some would be a little girl and you don't want to fire 44 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,160 the target at her, but you do want to fire the target at the 45 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,400 bandit. And the things are popping up so 46 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:08,400 fast, you're having to make decisions real quick, OK. 47 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:13,120 And so as a result of that, in order for that individual to get 48 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:16,360 good, the first thing they did is they stood in front of their 49 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:20,160 mirror and took their sidearm and just pulled it out. 50 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:24,400 They got really good at getting it out and they could pull their 51 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:30,520 weapon and fire it in less than a second, but not only fire it 52 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:33,440 less than a second, but fire it accurately. 53 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:38,160 Because when you pull the trigger, you can pull the gun, 54 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:42,000 the weapon, you can pull that thing so that it goes either to 55 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,440 the right or to the left. You can put pressure on that 56 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:45,960 thing. And there's a whole thing that 57 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:50,520 you have to develop what they call muscle memory, but that 58 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:53,480 only comes through repetition. You know, the same thing is true 59 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:57,360 with the Word of God. If you do not continue to 60 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:00,760 meditate on the Word, it will not become a spiritual muscle 61 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:04,440 memory. And so then someone could say 62 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,040 something like, I've never heard that, but you can accept it 63 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,160 because you've not taken the time to go through some muscle 64 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:11,960 memory and say, wait a minute, that's not even right. 65 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:14,000 Oh, I got some questions about that. 66 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,920 Before I eat that, let me ask a couple of questions, right? 67 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,720 And so you know what, we all want everyone to hear the word, 68 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:25,560 be doers of the word. But in order for that to take 69 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,480 place, we actually have to examine what it means because in 70 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:33,480 our society today, this, you know, information is coming at 71 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:37,800 such a fast rate and it's partial information on top of 72 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:39,960 that. And it's really just enough 73 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,920 information to affect your emotions. 74 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:47,800 Most information that you're seeing, whether on news, social 75 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:52,440 media outlets and sometimes even in pulpits is that it can be 76 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:59,680 enough information to pull you in an emotional area to support 77 00:04:59,840 --> 00:05:04,320 a thought you already have without you ever investigating 78 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:13,000 is at actually so Amen. And so we it behooves us to find 79 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,960 ourselves as we taught last week as disciples to actually be a 80 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:21,400 student of the word again. I'm I do not want you to come to 81 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:23,840 Anchor Bay Church and be lectured to. 82 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:32,720 This is not lecture session. This is impartation by the 83 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:38,480 Spirit that if you search it for yourself, it will literally 84 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:42,400 change your life. It will govern how you think, 85 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:48,440 say, do, and another voice you actually won't follow. 86 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:54,400 Because when we when Jesus says follow me, that means no other 87 00:05:54,400 --> 00:06:03,200 voice, no voice contrary to it is written. 88 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,160 So what does the Bible say about following him? 89 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:14,800 Look at Matthew chapter 1828, excuse me, Matthew 28 verses 18 90 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:15,960 to 20. It says this. 91 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:18,920 And Jesus came up and spoke to them saying all authority. 92 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:22,040 How much authority has been given to me in heaven? 93 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:27,280 And so where does he have authority in heaven and and how 94 00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:32,760 much of it OK, go therefore and make what disciples of all 95 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:34,960 nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the 96 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:36,920 Holy Spirit. We will do baptism today. 97 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:42,400 Hallelujah. Teaching them to observe all how 98 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:46,440 much that I commanded you and lo, I am with you even to the 99 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:50,280 end of the age. So right here, this passage of 100 00:06:50,280 --> 00:06:54,800 Scriptures let us know that God's relationship with man of 101 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:58,600 the church that he's building comes through a process of 102 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:01,520 discipleship, not conversion alone. 103 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:08,480 However, can being converted is necessary in order for you to be 104 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:11,120 a disciple. It's called the first step. 105 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:16,080 Now when I say the first step, it is not take a step and stop. 106 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:21,240 When we say first step is that you recognize that Jesus Christ 107 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:25,440 died and rose for all your wrongdoing and you want him to 108 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,680 be Lord of your life. He wants you to come into his 109 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:31,120 Kingdom. So it when he says this is how 110 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:35,280 you come through me, through my death, burial and resurrection. 111 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:39,120 When you call on the name of Jesus to be saved, that is just 112 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:41,520 the first step into a natural next step. 113 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:47,920 It was never this, you know, get get to the cross, step through 114 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:51,480 the cross and stop. That was never his. 115 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:55,400 And then now you're in a holding pattern until you go to heaven 116 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:58,360 when you die. No, the Lord was like, come on 117 00:07:58,360 --> 00:07:59,680 in. I mean, really, when you're 118 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:02,240 invited into a house, how many? You step through the threshold 119 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:08,640 and then stop, right? How many we how many of us do 120 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:09,720 that? Well, come on, let's have 121 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:10,640 dinner. OK. 122 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:11,920 You show up at the house and how many? 123 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,280 You take the first step in and then stop. 124 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:18,480 Well, I'm in the house. Well, you're in the house. 125 00:08:18,840 --> 00:08:20,520 Well, dinner's over here. We're going to serve it at the 126 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:22,080 table. Well, you can bring it to me, 127 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:27,560 Right? Bring it to me. 128 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:30,520 Come to me. I'm not leaving here. 129 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:33,240 Well, if you don't leave here, you don't get to enjoy the 130 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:36,919 benefits of the whole house. So God never intended for you to 131 00:08:36,919 --> 00:08:39,240 step inside the door one step and stop. 132 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:43,600 He expected that when you said man, you're Lord, that was first 133 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:46,920 step, acknowledging your Lord. Second step is I'm going on 134 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,320 through and talking with you and we're going to carry this thing 135 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:49,880 out. Why? 136 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:53,280 Because now I'm going to learn who I am now in Christ. 137 00:08:54,120 --> 00:09:00,520 OK, so you know, I have some people in my life that examine 138 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:04,120 the Word, study the Word, you know, go through the word. 139 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:09,080 And I have this one person as you know him, Rick Hutchinson, 140 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:11,120 that's over in the Dominican Republic. 141 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:14,800 And we were having some conversations about this and he 142 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,360 was doing a particular study and sent it to me. 143 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,760 And this came back and I thought, this is so good that I 144 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,120 want to read this to to you this morning. 145 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:27,800 It says so true. Conversion is a sovereign spirit 146 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:31,840 initiated act of God in which a person is born from above, 147 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:37,480 granted repentance and faith. They are transferred from the 148 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:42,040 domain of darkness into union with Christ, incorporated into 149 00:09:42,040 --> 00:09:47,840 the covenant community, and made participants in New Christ, new 150 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:53,400 creation life. It is so much more than praying 151 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:57,240 a prayer, walking an owl, or signing a card. 152 00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:05,400 So much more. Conversion is a reality that can 153 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:08,960 only be done by God because no man comes to God. 154 00:10:08,960 --> 00:10:12,520 No not one. It is a God initiated 155 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,200 relationship. While we were yet sinners, 156 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:22,080 Christ died for us. But it's God calling you, saying 157 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,000 you are more than what you're living now. 158 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:30,120 My destiny for you is bigger than what you're experiencing, 159 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:35,280 and what you're living now is punishable by eternal 160 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:39,200 separation. I don't want you eternally 161 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,080 separated. I want you back in the family. 162 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:44,400 In order to do that, though, you're going to have to be a 163 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:47,400 different person now. You can't change yourself. 164 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:51,080 Only I can do that. So I've taken on all your 165 00:10:51,080 --> 00:10:53,480 wrongdoing so you can take on me. 166 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:58,520 And if you'll call me Lord, then I'll put in you a new spirit 167 00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:03,040 that's alive to God. And now that that spirit's alive 168 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:07,120 to God, my, my spirit, the Holy Spirit will come and live in 169 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:08,680 you. Bear witness with your spirit, 170 00:11:08,840 --> 00:11:12,320 you're a child of God. And then begin to instruct you 171 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:17,520 in discipleship because there is a way that you flow and live 172 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:21,640 outside in this new life. So what is a disciple? 173 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:23,680 Jesus said? He said go in all the world and 174 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:25,520 make disciples. He did not say go in the world 175 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:28,680 and make converts. Was never God's intent for 176 00:11:28,680 --> 00:11:31,560 people to pray a prayer. Leave them alone and go on. 177 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:35,160 God wants them to be incorporated within His church 178 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:37,960 where they can grow up spiritually. 179 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:42,680 OK, so disciple by definition means to follow his precepts and 180 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:45,240 instructions. Enroll as a scholar. 181 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:48,880 It comes from another Greek word that means a learner, a pupil, 182 00:11:49,560 --> 00:11:51,800 which comes from another Greek word, the foundation, which 183 00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:56,800 means to learn by practice or experience, acquire a custom or 184 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:58,240 habit. Let me say it this way. 185 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:00,960 As you know, Rick and I were having some conversation. 186 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:03,440 This came up and I said this is powerful. 187 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:05,960 This is why so many believers struggle. 188 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:10,440 They are trying to obey into identity rather than obey from 189 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:15,600 identity. Obviously, before Christ we're 190 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:19,840 trying to be right with God. Well, that's works of the flesh. 191 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:23,800 You are trying to work out salvation yourself, independent 192 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:26,000 from God. But when you call on the name of 193 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:30,800 Jesus, you become a new creature in Christ, and from that you 194 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,040 obey. It's out of your new 195 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:38,760 identification that you walk in obedience, not because you're 196 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:42,760 earning something from God, but because He's made you someone. 197 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:46,640 And this new spirit loves to obey God. 198 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:51,240 We have said this for years. This new spirit in you loves to 199 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:55,200 obey God because your old spirit could not. 200 00:12:56,160 --> 00:13:00,080 And even when through your soul realm and your physical body, 201 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:05,000 you tried to do things right, but you found out, man, my heart 202 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,840 was wrong and everything I'm doing. 203 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:10,400 God changed your heart, meaning he changed your spirit. 204 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:14,960 The spirit that was rebellious, dead was not in union with God. 205 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:18,120 He gave you a new one. And now out of that, that spirit 206 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:20,440 says I love to obey. I want to obey. 207 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:23,520 Obeying is not an issue and it's not performance. 208 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:29,200 It's just my nature. See, we use these terms and 209 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,320 these terms are being thrown around in the church. 210 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:32,960 You know, performance and all this. 211 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:35,480 Well, when you know who you are, you're not performing anymore. 212 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:39,120 You're just obeying. This is what you do. 213 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:42,480 I'm not trying to impress you with my obedience to God. 214 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:46,320 I just love to obey God. But my obedience does 215 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:52,480 demonstrate it does have fruit. It does showcase God's, the 216 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:56,480 lifestyle of God. That's just what it does and I'm 217 00:13:56,480 --> 00:14:00,600 thankful for that. So again, we saw that Jesus is 218 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,520 the only one who can define what a disciple looks like. 219 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:07,720 We can't determine that He does it because he's the one. 220 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:11,040 He said go make disciples. Well, how can you make a 221 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:14,280 disciple if he hasn't qualified what 1 looks like? 222 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:20,080 And again, we can say all kinds of stuff in the church. 223 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:23,480 Saints can say all kinds of things and they can actually be 224 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:28,760 socially acceptable that a majority of people can hold that 225 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:31,120 opinion. I mean, I held opinions with a 226 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:34,160 lot of Saints when I was still living fleshly. 227 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:39,080 I did. But then I continued to grow and 228 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:43,520 I quit holding those opinions because I realized my opinion 229 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:46,720 doesn't matter, that I really need to do it his way. 230 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:53,480 And what I thought was OK is really not OK and I don't have 231 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:57,160 to because I'm not even that person anymore and I'm 232 00:14:57,160 --> 00:15:01,080 different. And why am I making excuse to be 233 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:05,280 To live away, act away, respond away and throw out, well you 234 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:07,120 know if I die I'm going to go to heaven anyway. 235 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:10,800 When yet it's really the Spirit of God saying you're much more 236 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:14,120 than what you're doing right now and you can do it. 237 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:16,280 And I'm like, you know what, I'm going to do it. 238 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:20,520 I'm just going to obey you because I can because I want to, 239 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,320 because it's my nature and I'm going to live that lifestyle. 240 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:26,000 It's going to be seen. Praise the Lord. 241 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:30,360 So Jesus said in Luke chapter 14 verse 25 to 27, he says now 242 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:35,080 large crowd, crowds were going around along with him and he 243 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,560 turned and said to them. Now he says to the mass, if 244 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:43,640 anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother 245 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:48,080 and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even 246 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:51,360 your own life, he cannot be my disciple. 247 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:55,320 Now who said this? Now that's heavy hitting. 248 00:15:56,800 --> 00:16:01,440 Could you imagine if if if pulpits all over the world were 249 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:11,000 saying that Now obviously is God saying that you are too abandon 250 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,000 all those relationships. He's obviously not saying that. 251 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:18,080 What he's saying is is if if the your relationship with your 252 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:21,200 father, your relationship with your mother, your relationship 253 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:23,480 with your wife, your relationship with your children, 254 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:25,320 your relationship with your brothers and sister. 255 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:32,360 We're talking about natural or married, which marriage 256 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:34,440 relationship is like Christ in the church. 257 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:37,360 There's a type and shadow there. He said if all those 258 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:43,200 relationships in comparison to me doesn't look like it looks 259 00:16:43,200 --> 00:16:48,080 like you don't even care about them, then you're not my 260 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:50,640 disciple. Because he's not saying husbands 261 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:53,120 don't love your wives. He's not saying that. 262 00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:55,880 He's not saying don't honor your mother and your father. 263 00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,840 He's not saying don't treat your children, don't exasperate your 264 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:01,800 children. He's not saying your brother and 265 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:03,120 sister don't even think about them. 266 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:07,599 What he's saying is, is I am the number one relationship you have 267 00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:11,640 and all the others are to yield to that relationship. 268 00:17:11,839 --> 00:17:18,359 And if you put any of those relationships first, then you're 269 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:20,079 not. You can't be my disciple. 270 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:26,359 If any of those relationships can keep you away from me and 271 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:31,680 obeying me and doing what I'm asking, then you're allowing 272 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:33,400 those relationships to be before. 273 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:36,560 And you're not my disciple. Because when you actually follow 274 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:39,800 Jesus, then he'll make your relationship with your father, 275 00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:42,480 mother the best it can be. You'll make your relationship 276 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,640 with your wife as best as it can because again, your father is 277 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,280 not you and your father may still not like you even though 278 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:51,160 you're loving them. Same thing with your Mama, same 279 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:52,680 thing with your wife or your spouse. 280 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:54,960 And that could go the other way, a wife to a husband. 281 00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:58,040 You know you can do everything right and your kids still reject 282 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:04,800 you because Adam rejected God and God's the perfect father 283 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:08,560 who's never sinned but had a rebellious son. 284 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:13,680 You hear what I'm saying? What he's saying is do never let 285 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:18,120 these relationships come first and do not invest in them more 286 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:23,640 then your relationship with me, 'cause out of that relationship 287 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:27,040 with me you make these relationships the best possible. 288 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:30,760 But then he goes on in verse 27 it says whoever does not carry 289 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:36,080 his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 290 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,720 Now again, I'm not saying this, Jesus is saying this. 291 00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:48,760 I'm putting no pressure on you in God's Kingdom to date, you 292 00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:52,360 can do anything you want to do, but He's going to hold you 293 00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:58,400 responsible to whatever you do. God is not forcing your will, 294 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:02,720 but he is telling you, yield your will to mine, because my 295 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:07,480 will is life. It's love, it's abundance, it's 296 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:11,720 blessing, it's peace, it's joy, it's righteousness, it's 297 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,760 justice. It's amazing, right? 298 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,320 And so I yield to him and then he says, listen, if you're not 299 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:22,360 willing to do the assignment I've asked, I've ordained for 300 00:19:22,360 --> 00:19:29,040 you while you're in the earth, which tells us then if Jesus 301 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:32,560 said go into all the world and make disciples, then just having 302 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:35,840 a person prayed the prayer of salvation, but never discover 303 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:38,720 why they were born was never God's intent. 304 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:44,480 And as you know, Doctor Miles Monroe said, you know, when a 305 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:50,040 person don't know why they were born, abuses are inevitable, are 306 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:51,560 inevitable. And many of you have lived 307 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:55,720 abusive lives. You've abused yourself due to 308 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:59,800 your lack of knowledge. You were in relationships you 309 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:01,760 never should have been in. They were toxic. 310 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:07,760 They were completely ungodly. They left you in great. 311 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:13,040 Emotional distress, you put stuff in your body to try to 312 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:16,720 numb the pain that only began to eat your body. 313 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:20,400 I mean, we could go time, we could talk all kinds of stuff 314 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:22,160 that we did. It's because we didn't know our 315 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:26,600 why the man when you know your why, I said when you know your 316 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:29,040 why. And again, if Jesus says whoever 317 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:31,520 does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my 318 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:35,320 disciple, then that means God will tell you what why you're 319 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:39,640 here. He will and listen, the only 320 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:44,000 thing is not your family. Family is 1. 321 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:46,800 If you're a parent, it's definitely to help raise your 322 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:48,840 children, but it's not the only thing. 323 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:52,880 It's not the only thing and it's awesome and you're going to do 324 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:55,960 your part. But you know, God always extends 325 00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:59,840 us beyond our natural because our family is actually bigger 326 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:02,120 than our natural. Remember what Jesus said when 327 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:03,960 they came and said, hey, your mom, your brother and sister 328 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:08,560 want to talk to you? He said, who is my Mama now? 329 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,840 Jesus is a very intelligent guy. He's anointed of God. 330 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:15,480 Has he suffered from amnesia? No, he hasn't. 331 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:19,960 He says those who do the will of my father, these are my mother, 332 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:23,080 my brothers, my sister. This family's way bigger than 333 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:28,120 the ones you are having by procreation, right? 334 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:31,080 They're important. You want to be an example, but 335 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:33,840 at the end of the day, life's even bigger than that and your 336 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:36,720 why is bigger than that. Hallelujah. 337 00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:43,160 So with that being said, Jesus, if we are going to be a 338 00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:47,280 disciple, we understand a disciple then that this last 339 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:50,400 scripture here says whoever does not carry his own cross and come 340 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:55,920 after me cannot be my disciple. We could translate this to say 341 00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:00,080 whoever does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my 342 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:01,360 disciple. Why do I say that? 343 00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:03,640 Turn over to Matthew chapter 4, verse 19. 344 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:09,480 Matthew chapter 4, verse 19. Jesus, man, this is powerful. 345 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:16,200 Jesus, the chapter previous has the Holy Spirit come upon him 346 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,000 without measure. The Father has said, this is my 347 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:20,680 beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. 348 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:24,440 That same Spirit leads him into the wilderness to be tempted of 349 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:29,280 the devil, the one who has authority and power on the earth 350 00:22:29,360 --> 00:22:34,840 that he received from Jesus's brother Adam, the first Adam. 351 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:43,160 And so he is tempted by that, by him, the one who has literal 352 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:45,960 authority on the earth, the God of the world. 353 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:50,440 OK. And so Jesus conquers that 354 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:54,920 scenario, all right. He has just been tended to by 355 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:59,200 angels and been refreshed after 40 days of fasting and being 356 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:02,240 tempted. I mean, he has, he has been 357 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:08,440 relentlessly attacked and his attack is based upon his 358 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:12,920 identity. If you are, if you are trying, 359 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:16,800 he wants him to doubt who he is. So when Jesus responds, he was 360 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:19,800 not responding trying to prove he was someone. 361 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:23,920 He was responding because he already was this. 362 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:26,120 That's why the Father said you are my son. 363 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:29,480 So Jesus, his response was not to prove to himself he was a 364 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:33,200 son, God's son. It was out of the fact he is 365 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:36,200 God's son and ours is the same way. 366 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:40,160 Our life of faith is not in response to prove to everyone 367 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,200 I'm right with God, I'm doing it because I'm already right with 368 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:44,680 God. Hallelujah. 369 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:49,800 OK, in essence, Jesus saying this is your problem, not my 370 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,400 problem. I know who I am. 371 00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:56,920 You apparently don't know who I am or you don't believe I am who 372 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:59,080 I am. But you going to find out I am 373 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,120 who I am. And you're going to find out 374 00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:09,760 when my foot is on, when my heel is is is on your neck, when I'm, 375 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:13,640 when I am stripping you of all the authority you're currently 376 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:17,200 holding on to because I'm going to get it. 377 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:21,800 I'm going to get it all back and then I'm going to await that day 378 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:24,240 because it's coming that we going to cast you into the lake 379 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:29,280 of fire and you'll never come out of that prison ever again. 380 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:31,200 Hallelujah. Come on. 381 00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:32,840 That way I get a better shout than that. 382 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:39,640 Your enemy has been defeated. He is of no issue to you. 383 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:46,360 Hallelujah. So Jesus now is about to go 384 00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:53,840 preach his Gospel, but before he does, he's picking up some 385 00:24:53,880 --> 00:25:00,600 disciples and it says, and he said to them, follow me and I'll 386 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:06,520 make you fishers of men. All right, couple of things we 387 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:10,280 need to see here before we move into something that I came 388 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:12,680 across that I that is absolutely powerful. 389 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:18,200 You cannot fish for men if you're not following him. 390 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:28,880 And it doesn't say follow me for a little bit and then you could 391 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:33,120 do it without me. If you follow me, this can 392 00:25:33,120 --> 00:25:35,920 occur. But it you have to follow me for 393 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:38,600 this to occur. You have to follow me for this 394 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:42,600 record and this term. Follow me literally means 395 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:43,880 because it comes from 2 Greek words. 396 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:47,680 It literally means come here after me. 397 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:53,280 So he said come here after me. That's what he's saying to them. 398 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:55,880 Come here after me. I'm going to show you another 399 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,520 passive scripture where he uses the term follow, but it's a 400 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:01,040 different Greek word. Here he is looking at some 401 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:03,480 fishermen. This is what they do 402 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:07,240 professionally their whole life up to this point. 403 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:12,640 And he says, follow me, come here after me. 404 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:21,240 And what did they do? They left everything in this 405 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:28,080 moment, four people join Jesus and from there he goes and says 406 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:32,520 because he's priest, you know, 417 repent for the Kingdom of 407 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:39,000 heaven is at hand, right. So I came across this that a 408 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:44,400 scholar in his study of Matthew 419 said I'm going to read some 409 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:45,920 excerpts. It is powerful. 410 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:52,520 He says this, such was the first exercise of the royal authority 411 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:56,840 of the new King. Such was the constitution of His 412 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:00,880 new cabinet, shall we call it, or of His Kingdom itself? 413 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:07,480 Shall we not rather say, For so far as we see, His Cabinet at 414 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:10,640 this moment was all the Kingdom that He had? 415 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:15,600 Let us here pause a moment and try to realize the picture 416 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:18,320 painted for us in the background. 417 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:23,520 The lake with the deserted boats upon the shore in the 418 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:28,520 foreground, the five men walking along, four of them without the 419 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:32,920 least idea of where they're going or of what they had to do. 420 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:38,000 And suppose that we were told by some bystander that man of the 421 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:41,680 five that looks like the leader of the rest, thinks himself a 422 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:48,440 king. He imagines he has been sent to 423 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:53,720 set up a Kingdom of heaven upon the earth, and he has just asked 424 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:58,920 these four to join him, and there they are setting out upon 425 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:03,040 their task. Where was ever a weaker thing in 426 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:05,960 this world than the beginning of this Kingdom? 427 00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:10,920 It would be difficult to imagine any commencement that would have 428 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:16,600 seemed weaker in worldly eyes. Stand by once again and look at 429 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:21,480 it with only human eyes. Say it is not all weakness 430 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:24,440 together. Weakness in the leader to 431 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,960 imagine he can set up a Kingdom after such a fashion. 432 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:32,360 Weakness in the followers to leave a pain business on such a 433 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:36,320 foolish errand. But the fullness, foolishness of 434 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:41,000 God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than 435 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,840 men. And now we can look back upon 436 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:46,840 that scene. We recognize it was one of the 437 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:50,120 grandest this earth has ever witnessed. 438 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:56,720 If it were painted now, that light must be must. 439 00:28:57,280 --> 00:29:01,240 What light there must be in the leader's eye, what majesty in 440 00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:05,200 his step, what glory of dawning faith and love and hope in the 441 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:13,040 faces of the rest. It's just a casual day in 442 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:17,000 Israel. And the King of glory, the law 443 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:24,280 prophesied Messiah has just left the enemy, conquered his 444 00:29:24,280 --> 00:29:30,240 temptations, proclaimed his Kingdom is here and begins his 445 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:36,320 recruitment. And this is the witness account 446 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:42,920 of that first encounter of where he says, I'm going to assemble 447 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:53,320 12 to come follow me because this Kingdom is here and it's 448 00:29:53,320 --> 00:30:03,200 never going to exit the planet. You know, so many times because 449 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:07,320 we've been so enthralled by the saving power of God, we miss the 450 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:11,120 majesty of his Kingdom. And we are missing these moments 451 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:15,120 within Scripture that are so telling, so powerful, so 452 00:30:15,320 --> 00:30:19,320 illuminating when you maintain the lens of what the Bible is 453 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:20,840 about. A king, his Kingdom, and his 454 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:23,760 royal offspring. I'm so thankful that God saved 455 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:27,240 me, but I'm thankful that he saved me out of something, into 456 00:30:27,240 --> 00:30:31,440 something so grand, so magnificent, so amazing. 457 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:34,680 Something that can never be shaken, something that can never 458 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:37,520 be defeated, something that can never be eradicated. 459 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:41,480 This Kingdom that has no end. And now I get to participate 460 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:45,400 solely because I've been made a son and I'm a disciple of it. 461 00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:54,320 I'm going to follow him. I'm going to come here after me. 462 00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:00,560 This is why a Sunday morning should be the number one thing 463 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:07,240 on your list, that the things of His Church should always be 464 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:12,120 resonating within you 'cause it is a call to demonstrate His 465 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:14,320 Kingdom. That not only do you get the 466 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:18,920 mere privilege of, of, of being this example at your place of 467 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:22,600 work, but then you get to assemble with other children of 468 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:26,440 God, hear from heaven, be encouraged, be equipped, be 469 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:28,560 strengthened. Because we've been given a 470 00:31:28,560 --> 00:31:32,160 Kingdom that cannot be shaken. And that Kingdom reigns today 471 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:34,560 and it will physically manifest in the planet. 472 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:41,200 And we're already a part of it. Wow, this is so amazing. 473 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:46,360 So how do you follow you? First, you must follow Christ. 474 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:50,440 Secondly, you must submit to His teaching and His influence. 475 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:56,960 Unlike the 12 the apostles of the Lamb, you can You're not 476 00:31:56,960 --> 00:32:01,800 physically following him because Jesus is not on the planet in 477 00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:05,200 physical form. So how do you follow Jesus 478 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,160 today? In order to be a Fisher of men, 479 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:10,960 you must follow Him in his teachings. 480 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:13,400 You must follow Him in His precepts. 481 00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:17,160 You must submit to Him. You must yield to his way of 482 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:21,440 doing things. And that's how you follow Christ 483 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:25,200 today. Lord, how would you have me do 484 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:27,560 it? How do you want me to respond? 485 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:31,720 What do you want me to do? Is this the job for me or should 486 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:33,920 I take this one? Where do I go? 487 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:36,120 What do I do? Who do I connect with? 488 00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:39,320 Who's going to pull out my gift? Who's going to allow me to 489 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:41,120 become the most fruitful I can be? 490 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:43,840 Who do I connect with? Where do I need to be? 491 00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:46,840 So that all that you ordained for my life come, because here I 492 00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:49,400 am. Whatever you say that I will 493 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:53,600 follow. I'll follow. 494 00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:57,760 You can't say you're following and not showing up. 495 00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:00,200 How can you play? Follow the leader? 496 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:02,000 Because I could get a line right now. 497 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:06,440 Let's do it. All right? 498 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:09,440 Come on, Virgin. You and Rufino, y'all come. 499 00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:11,000 I want y'all to come be a part of this. 500 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:12,840 We're going to get the cameras running now. 501 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:15,240 Come on, Thaddeus. Come help me out. 502 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:17,720 Come on, Ricky. Let's get one more. 503 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:20,960 Casey, come on up. Let me get You got a lot of men 504 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,400 following because we need to. Men need to start following. 505 00:33:23,400 --> 00:33:25,200 We already got enough women doing this. 506 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:26,320 All right? All right, But we're going to 507 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:29,400 put virgin first, OK? I'm going to be God for today, 508 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:30,840 all right? Don't get offended because I 509 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:31,960 said that. I'm not God. 510 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:35,960 I'm just pretending, all right? OK, You're going to follow me. 511 00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:38,160 OK? Where are y'all followers? 512 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:44,360 Come here after me, all right? OK, so we know this particular 513 00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:47,920 scenario, we call it follow the leader as a game, right? 514 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:51,080 And so obviously wherever I'm going, they're supposed to go, 515 00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:54,120 right? They're supposed to do go. 516 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:57,200 And the direction where I'm going, what I'm doing, they're 517 00:33:57,200 --> 00:33:59,800 following me. Now for a moment, let me get 518 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:01,440 across here. So we'll all be stressed out 519 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:07,200 across the platform. You could say that you're 520 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:15,960 following me with your eyes, 'cause everywhere I went you 521 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:20,280 watched. But there's a difference between 522 00:34:20,280 --> 00:34:26,800 you watching following and you actually doing following, right? 523 00:34:27,159 --> 00:34:30,480 This is the big difference because many believers are 524 00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:35,719 spectating their discipleship instead of participating in 525 00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:41,560 discipleship because although you may be watching us with your 526 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:46,000 eyes, your actions are not. So if I looked and said, you 527 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:50,440 know, Pastor Mike, you following us, he could rightly say, yeah, 528 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:54,800 I'm following you. But is he following us like 529 00:34:54,800 --> 00:35:02,840 they're following us? And this is what Jesus meant. 530 00:35:03,240 --> 00:35:06,960 So if I looked at Pastor Mike and I said, hey, come here after 531 00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:10,760 me, follow. Now, how's he going to answer 532 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:15,320 that? If he stays there and just does 533 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:18,000 what he's doing now, would you call him a disciple? 534 00:35:19,240 --> 00:35:21,840 But I told him to come here after me. 535 00:35:28,520 --> 00:35:32,440 Here we go. Because he understands what that 536 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:38,200 actually meant in the church. We're redefining Follow me, as 537 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:41,520 if, well, I'm following God. I watch people online, you know, 538 00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:45,040 I watch social media, you know, I heard this, that and the 539 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:47,080 other. And there's no action to their 540 00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:52,680 faith, right? I don't actually have to get up 541 00:35:52,680 --> 00:35:59,400 and attend a church anymore. Man, anybody listening to us 542 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:03,880 right now, this is good stuff. There is a difference and the 543 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:07,600 quality of these people's lives are going to be way different 544 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:10,680 than the quality of those that are sitting in a seat just 545 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:14,320 watching because they're going to have an experience that 546 00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:17,560 you're not going to have. OK, y'all come on in right here. 547 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:19,360 Everybody gather around. Come on, come on, gather around 548 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:20,840 real quick. Come on, everybody gather around 549 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:22,880 real quick. All right, let me turn my mic 550 00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:43,280 off real fast. Did you see us? 551 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:47,600 Did you hear what we said? You know why? 552 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:52,440 Because you can follow without hearing, because you're not in 553 00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:55,000 proximity, because you're not a doer. 554 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:58,760 So they just got access to stuff that you didn't even know that 555 00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:01,520 you didn't hadn't heard because you're not personally present. 556 00:37:04,640 --> 00:37:09,960 And Jesus, when he said follow me, it meant this and intimacy. 557 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:13,600 It's going to require effort out of you, not because you're 558 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:17,280 earning something, but because you're following someone. 559 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:22,560 You can all be seated. Thank you, Hallelujah. 560 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:25,320 There you go. Amen. 561 00:37:26,640 --> 00:37:30,840 It's Christ only that can qualify us for the work. 562 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:33,360 Jesus said follow me and I'll make you fishers of men. 563 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:36,040 He can only qualify you to be a Fisher of men. 564 00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:41,640 Now let me say it this way. 111 scholar said this, when, when 565 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:44,200 Jesus said, and I'll make you fishes or men, he was saying 566 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:46,440 this. You shall gather men into the 567 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:50,960 Gospel net and gain them over to faith, and such an abundant 568 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:53,840 success. I will give you that the number 569 00:37:53,840 --> 00:38:00,040 of souls converted or by you shall be greater than that of 570 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:03,480 the fishes you have been used to catch. 571 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:11,400 Now in the Luke account of this, which is at the beginning, Jesus 572 00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:15,760 when he comes on this scene to say follow me that we just saw 573 00:38:15,760 --> 00:38:18,480 in Matthew, follow me and I'll make you fishers or men. 574 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:24,800 Jesus shows up and they have been fishing all night and he 575 00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:31,160 says go, let go, let your Nets back out of which Peter says 576 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:33,480 I've done this all night. We didn't catch anything but at 577 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:36,600 your word, OK, Because here's the thing. 578 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:38,320 Jesus shows up in the Luke account. 579 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:43,160 People are gathered around Matthew, says Matthew 417, 580 00:38:43,240 --> 00:38:44,960 repent for the Kingdom of heaven as a head. 581 00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:48,280 He says something in verse 18. And then now we hear verse 19. 582 00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:52,480 But Luke gives us the amplified version of that particular 583 00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:55,000 account. Jesus shows up with Peter, 584 00:38:55,360 --> 00:39:01,880 James, John, Andrew hanging out, mending their Nets from working 585 00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:06,000 all night, of which a crowd was following Jesus. 586 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:08,320 And he said, you know, I'm going to teach them some things. 587 00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:10,920 And so he said, Peter, can I borrow your boat? 588 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:13,920 I'm going to back out a little bit so that they can. 589 00:39:13,920 --> 00:39:16,680 I can see everybody. And he's like, sure. 590 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:21,960 And so now he ministers repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at 591 00:39:21,960 --> 00:39:24,640 hand. The king all by himself begins 592 00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:29,480 to deliver the Kingdom message. You got to change your thinking 593 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:34,720 on how you do life, what you think is success, how you think 594 00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:37,760 you should function, because this Kingdom does not function 595 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:40,160 on the earth like you think it does. 596 00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:46,880 After he's done with that, he says, Peter, I need you to go 597 00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:50,760 back out and let your net down. And he's like, wait a minute, 598 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:53,080 I'm clean. We're done. 599 00:39:53,120 --> 00:39:56,480 There was nothing there. But after he heard Jesus preach 600 00:39:56,480 --> 00:39:59,640 on the Kingdom, he's like, at your word. 601 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:04,920 Because he sense the authority of this man, he's captivated in 602 00:40:04,920 --> 00:40:08,280 his spirit, even though he's not born of God. 603 00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:15,040 He said at your word, he goes out and he less down the net and 604 00:40:15,040 --> 00:40:19,760 man, he starts bringing in so many fish that it is about to 605 00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:23,640 break his Nets and he starts to put them into his boats and his 606 00:40:23,640 --> 00:40:27,160 boats getting so full of fish that it's starting to sag. 607 00:40:27,160 --> 00:40:29,760 And he knows, man, if I put all these in here, we're going to 608 00:40:29,760 --> 00:40:32,120 seek. So he calls his partners. 609 00:40:33,360 --> 00:40:35,560 The other brothers come out here. 610 00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:37,400 They came out, they load up their boat. 611 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:40,320 Both of them are sagging. They low riding on the water 612 00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:46,760 hoping they can get to shore before they both sink and lose 613 00:40:46,760 --> 00:40:50,280 everything. But they make it of which Peter 614 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:55,680 said I'm a sinful man and this is where Jesus says come follow 615 00:40:55,680 --> 00:40:58,240 me and I'll make you fishers of men. 616 00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:01,640 You think that catches impressive because here's the 617 00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:05,840 thing, what did these fishermen do with their fish? 618 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:09,760 They did not play catch and release. 619 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:17,640 And what we are doing in the church, if we don't watch out as 620 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:23,800 we're playing catch and release, when our responsibility is not 621 00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:28,640 to catch and release, but to catch, clean, filet, and serve, 622 00:41:32,480 --> 00:41:34,560 that's what we're here to do. Now. 623 00:41:34,680 --> 00:41:36,720 Jesus makes you righteous in spirit. 624 00:41:36,720 --> 00:41:40,440 But the body or the churches to renew your mind, it's to get 625 00:41:40,440 --> 00:41:43,480 your mind cleaned up, your emotions cleaned up, your 626 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:45,960 behavior cleaned up. And again, you're not, you're 627 00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:47,560 not doing it. You're releasing what you 628 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:49,720 already are. You're yielding to this 629 00:41:49,720 --> 00:41:51,840 identity. You are, and you're allowing 630 00:41:51,840 --> 00:41:55,200 that identity to come out. And the church helps clean your 631 00:41:55,200 --> 00:42:00,800 soul realm through the Word so that you will become something 632 00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:05,080 that is this awesome fillet put on a plate so the world can 633 00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:08,440 taste and see that the Lord is good. 634 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:13,040 Because you're giving yourself away. 635 00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:18,440 You've become a disciple so that people can taste the fruit of 636 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:22,840 your life. It's not catch and release. 637 00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:24,320 Hey, look, we called it. Wow. 638 00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:25,800 We got one save. Great. 639 00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:27,760 Oh, look, we got another one. Great. 640 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:29,680 And what are we doing? We're throwing them back into 641 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:36,520 the world, which is the sea. I mean, we can even catch them, 642 00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:42,640 tag them, throw them back. But now they're out in the sea 643 00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:49,960 again. Hallelujah. 644 00:42:50,760 --> 00:42:52,640 Look at John chapter 12 verse 25. 645 00:42:52,920 --> 00:43:00,000 John 2526 says this. He he who loves his own, he who 646 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:04,600 loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world 647 00:43:04,680 --> 00:43:10,000 will keep it to eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must. 648 00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:14,960 What and where I am there my servant will be also. 649 00:43:15,960 --> 00:43:19,640 If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 650 00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:22,600 This word follow here is different from the Greek word in 651 00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:27,240 Matthew chapter 4. It means this to be in the same 652 00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:34,680 way with so Jesus says come here after me and as you come here 653 00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:38,320 after me and get the initial call, then he'll have you follow 654 00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:42,920 him so that you are the same way with him. 655 00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:47,560 In essence, how He is, so are you, as the Scripture says, as 656 00:43:47,560 --> 00:43:54,280 He is so are we in the earth, that as disciples we actually 657 00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:58,840 reflect Him. And what does it say that the 658 00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:02,760 disciples should bear the image of the one of of whom they are 659 00:44:02,760 --> 00:44:04,840 following? Look what it says in Matthew 660 00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:08,200 chapter 10 verse 24 and 25. It says a disciples not above 661 00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:11,720 his teacher, nor slave above his master. 662 00:44:12,280 --> 00:44:16,120 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher 663 00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:21,360 and the slave like his master. So it is, should we be like 664 00:44:21,360 --> 00:44:25,360 Jesus? Now Jesus goes on and says this. 665 00:44:25,520 --> 00:44:30,360 If they have called the head of the house bells above, how much 666 00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:32,880 more will they malign the members of his household? 667 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:37,240 Now what is Jesus saying here? If you're my disciples, you're 668 00:44:37,240 --> 00:44:41,000 going to act like me. But know this, every disciple of 669 00:44:41,000 --> 00:44:47,720 mine, the world will attack. And the reason why I believe 670 00:44:48,040 --> 00:44:55,960 that we've kind of digressed in our theology, we digressed in 671 00:44:55,960 --> 00:45:01,400 our theology is because it's more comfortable to just talk 672 00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:07,320 about the initial conversion. Because when you start talking 673 00:45:07,320 --> 00:45:12,440 discipleship, there's the acknowledgement of a challenge 674 00:45:14,160 --> 00:45:17,280 and we want the least amount of trouble. 675 00:45:19,200 --> 00:45:23,400 So for us, a lot of times we rather accept, well, I'm going 676 00:45:23,400 --> 00:45:26,120 to go to heaven when I die. That's all that matters. 677 00:45:28,560 --> 00:45:30,840 And as a result, even though we know Scripture say you can build 678 00:45:30,840 --> 00:45:32,760 your house on the sand or build your house on the rock. 679 00:45:32,760 --> 00:45:35,760 Now what we do is we assume that because we're born again, we're 680 00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:39,280 on the rock. Yet many Christians are falling 681 00:45:39,280 --> 00:45:42,560 left and right when troubles are coming, storms of life are 682 00:45:42,560 --> 00:45:45,240 happening, You would think, well, it really looks more like 683 00:45:45,240 --> 00:45:50,040 you're on sand than you are on a rock because you're caving in 684 00:45:50,040 --> 00:45:53,000 the pressure. And this should not be, but it 685 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:55,760 will be if all you are is accepted. 686 00:45:55,760 --> 00:45:58,400 Jesus say you're following him and your discipleship is solely 687 00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:02,200 based on one time prayer, confession, and I know where I'm 688 00:46:02,200 --> 00:46:06,640 going to go when I die. But when you know who you are, 689 00:46:06,640 --> 00:46:11,120 then you realize, OK, if they came against Jesus, I understand 690 00:46:11,120 --> 00:46:14,000 they'll come against me because as he is, so am I in the world. 691 00:46:14,520 --> 00:46:17,480 Not only in repeating what he did. 692 00:46:17,640 --> 00:46:20,400 What did Jesus say? The works that I do, even 693 00:46:20,400 --> 00:46:22,320 greater works. Will you do well? 694 00:46:22,320 --> 00:46:24,280 Did he get persecuted for those words? 695 00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:27,920 Yes, he did. Well, we don't want persecution. 696 00:46:28,240 --> 00:46:32,200 It comes with discipleship. But can I give you some good 697 00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:34,480 news? I said, can I give you some good 698 00:46:34,480 --> 00:46:37,280 news? Look at John chapter 15 verses 699 00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:39,960 18 to 20. Jesus said if the world hates 700 00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:43,280 you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. 701 00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:47,040 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. 702 00:46:47,360 --> 00:46:50,560 But because you are not of the of the world, but I chose you 703 00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:53,360 out of the world because of this the world. 704 00:46:53,360 --> 00:46:57,840 What? So it's OK that you go to work 705 00:46:57,840 --> 00:47:01,840 and people hate you. It's OK that you don't get along 706 00:47:01,840 --> 00:47:04,360 with everybody. Quit sweating it. 707 00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:08,120 The Bible tells you to live at peace with men as far as you 708 00:47:08,120 --> 00:47:11,120 can, but God knows that you're not going to live at peace with 709 00:47:11,120 --> 00:47:13,280 everybody because he already told you. 710 00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:17,480 The world's going to hate you because they hated me first. 711 00:47:18,240 --> 00:47:21,480 If they hate me, guess what? Well, I don't want people to 712 00:47:21,480 --> 00:47:22,720 hate me. I want people to like me. 713 00:47:22,720 --> 00:47:24,160 That's why I have a social media. 714 00:47:26,600 --> 00:47:28,040 This is not about you being liked. 715 00:47:28,680 --> 00:47:33,520 This is about you being godly. Are you hearing me? 716 00:47:36,080 --> 00:47:39,720 It's about you following Jesus. Jesus did not come to be liked. 717 00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:42,440 Jesus came to fulfill the will of his Father. 718 00:47:44,040 --> 00:47:49,200 And for those who love Jesus, this is easy because all we care 719 00:47:49,200 --> 00:47:53,760 about is being known by him. We don't care if the world hates 720 00:47:53,760 --> 00:47:56,640 us and persecutes us. Which will include the 721 00:47:56,640 --> 00:48:00,040 religious. It will include the religious. 722 00:48:00,800 --> 00:48:04,560 He goes on and says in verse 20, remember the word that I said to 723 00:48:04,560 --> 00:48:06,760 you, A slave is not greater than his master. 724 00:48:07,200 --> 00:48:10,960 If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. 725 00:48:10,960 --> 00:48:13,080 Then he goes on and said this. This is good news though. 726 00:48:13,480 --> 00:48:17,920 If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 727 00:48:18,240 --> 00:48:20,520 So what's he saying? You're going to go and represent 728 00:48:20,520 --> 00:48:22,800 me, Say things that I'm saying. You're not Speaking of your own 729 00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:25,680 opinion, and you're going to have great persecution. 730 00:48:25,920 --> 00:48:29,800 But you know, I said some things to people and they kept it. 731 00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:32,120 Guess what? When you say things to people 732 00:48:32,120 --> 00:48:34,480 that I'm telling you to say, they're going to keep it too. 733 00:48:35,600 --> 00:48:39,840 Not everyone's going to actually hate you, but you can't be moved 734 00:48:39,920 --> 00:48:42,520 or stop because of the ones who do. 735 00:48:43,200 --> 00:48:47,520 Last Scripture is this Hebrews chapter 12 verses one through 3 736 00:48:47,560 --> 00:48:49,600 says it this way. Therefore, since we have so 737 00:48:49,600 --> 00:48:52,840 great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay 738 00:48:52,840 --> 00:48:56,360 aside every incumbents and the sin which so easily entangles 739 00:48:56,360 --> 00:48:58,720 us, and let us run with endurance the race that was set 740 00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:02,160 before us. We are going to take our cross 741 00:49:03,520 --> 00:49:07,880 and follow Him because we are going to be His disciples. 742 00:49:08,160 --> 00:49:10,800 Verse 2. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the 743 00:49:10,800 --> 00:49:15,520 author and perfector or finisher of our faith, for the joy, who 744 00:49:15,520 --> 00:49:19,880 for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despised the 745 00:49:19,880 --> 00:49:23,160 shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 746 00:49:23,160 --> 00:49:30,120 Listen, get this for a moment, Jesus, for the joy is now set 747 00:49:30,120 --> 00:49:33,360 down at the right hand of the Father, for the joy of 748 00:49:33,360 --> 00:49:38,320 accomplishing His Father's will. It has it in given him the right 749 00:49:38,520 --> 00:49:42,160 to sit down at the right hand of the Father, But because of the 750 00:49:42,160 --> 00:49:47,040 joy of following His Father's voice, what he received as his 751 00:49:47,040 --> 00:49:51,560 reward did not happen without the persecution. 752 00:49:51,680 --> 00:49:56,280 The shame that it happened in the middle because he came to a 753 00:49:56,280 --> 00:50:00,440 place that was in rebellion to him, that was separated from 754 00:50:00,440 --> 00:50:05,040 him, to a species of being that were not right with God, that 755 00:50:05,040 --> 00:50:07,880 didn't wanted nothing to do with God. 756 00:50:08,080 --> 00:50:13,760 Yet Christ still kept the course, and he tells us in verse 757 00:50:13,760 --> 00:50:16,400 3. So consider him who endured such 758 00:50:16,400 --> 00:50:20,400 hard hostility by sinners against himself, so that you 759 00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:23,280 will not grow weary or lose heart. 760 00:50:23,560 --> 00:50:26,560 Listen as a disciple. Don't lose heart because 761 00:50:26,560 --> 00:50:30,120 challenges come. People no longer want to be your 762 00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:33,560 friend. They no longer want to hang out 763 00:50:33,560 --> 00:50:35,560 with you because of your righteousness. 764 00:50:35,760 --> 00:50:38,600 You understand the only reason why people don't want to be 765 00:50:38,600 --> 00:50:41,960 around each other a lot of times has to do with the lifestyle 766 00:50:41,960 --> 00:50:47,400 they're living. Because when righteousness is in 767 00:50:47,400 --> 00:50:50,080 play, everybody righteous loves to be with the righteous. 768 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:54,120 And the righteous can't even engage the unrighteous. 769 00:50:54,320 --> 00:50:58,600 But the unrighteous does not want to hang with the righteous 770 00:50:59,320 --> 00:51:05,280 doesn't want to do it. And the unrighteous hates us not 771 00:51:05,280 --> 00:51:07,960 because they're really hating us, they're hating the life of 772 00:51:07,960 --> 00:51:11,600 God we're living. That's the reality. 773 00:51:12,520 --> 00:51:14,600 So I'll give you this one last scripture. 774 00:51:14,600 --> 00:51:17,960 I think it's John 1638 maybe so y'all can correct me if I'm 775 00:51:17,960 --> 00:51:20,600 wrong or Jesus said in this life you'll have trials and 776 00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:30,320 tribulation. 1633 John 1633 In this life you'll have trials and 777 00:51:30,320 --> 00:51:34,640 tribulations, but but be of good. 778 00:51:34,640 --> 00:51:38,680 What for Jesus said I've overcome the world. 779 00:51:40,160 --> 00:51:44,240 So if you are a disciple of Jesus, you've already overcome 780 00:51:45,120 --> 00:51:48,200 cause disciples actually overcome. 781 00:51:49,320 --> 00:51:51,360 It's worth following him.