Thank U Next (Tim Somers)

0:00:01.560 --> 0:00:04.120 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:06.600 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:09.920 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:12.000 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:14.720 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:17.720 --> 0:00:19.840 Let me introduce you to my family real quick. You 0:00:19.920 --> 0:00:22.080 might not know who I am. My name is Tim Summers, 0:00:22.120 --> 0:00:24.680 and I get the opportunity to be the youth pastor 0:00:24.720 --> 0:00:33.640 here at Elevation Church. And that's my beautiful family, my 0:00:34.240 --> 0:00:42.280 gorgeous wife, that's my queen. She got me buzzing. And 0:00:42.960 --> 0:00:46.400 that's my big boy Brodi. He's thirteen years old. I 0:00:46.440 --> 0:00:48.680 know I don't look that old. Thank you, I appreciate it. 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:53.120 And then I got my little three year old Genesis. 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:58.880 I know you say that now, and I want you 0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:00.560 to look at you a real quick say, I'm so 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:06.800 glad I'm sitting next to you. Okay, pick your second choice. 0:01:06.800 --> 0:01:12.319 Look at your second choice. Let them know I'm so 0:01:12.520 --> 0:01:17.760 glad I'm sitting next to you too. Come on you see, 0:01:17.840 --> 0:01:25.640 let them know, let them know you could find your 0:01:25.680 --> 0:01:29.520 way to your seat. So honored to be able to 0:01:29.520 --> 0:01:34.600 be here. It wasn't last week. Absolutely incredible. It was amazing. 0:01:35.360 --> 0:01:40.600 And I know what you're thinking, Bishop TD Jakes, Jim, 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:46.840 It's okay, it's okay. I'm not judging you, all right, 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:49.520 but we're gonna be in the Book of Matthew. Everyone say, Matthew, 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:53.040 this is gonna be very interactive. I'm a youth pastor. 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:56.720 I understand the attention span. Okay, I understand it. So 0:01:56.720 --> 0:01:59.000 I'm not going to give you four verses today. Okay, 0:01:59.560 --> 0:02:04.720 four verse, says Matthew. Chapter three, verses thirteen through seventeen. 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:11.120 It says this, Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan. 0:02:12.240 --> 0:02:14.360 Look at your neighbor and say, God's always on the move. 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:20.959 They don't know what's about to Giddo. Then Jesus came 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:24.080 from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:27.840 But John tried to deter him, saying, I need to 0:02:27.919 --> 0:02:31.000 be baptized by you. Why are you coming to me? Pleyah, 0:02:32.040 --> 0:02:35.840 Jesus replied, let it be so. Now. Everyone say now 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:41.000 come on, everyone say now it is proper for us 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:44.040 to do this to fulfill all righteousness. And then John 0:02:44.080 --> 0:02:47.560 consented it as soon as Jesus was baptized. He went 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:50.400 up out of the water, and at the moment, heaven 0:02:50.639 --> 0:02:53.480 was opened, and he saw the spirit of God descending 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:57.320 like a dove, alighting on him. In a voice from 0:02:57.360 --> 0:03:00.640 heaven said, this is my son, whom I loved, and 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:04.200 with him, I am well pleased. I want you to 0:03:04.240 --> 0:03:05.800 look at your neighbor real quick, and I want you 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:07.760 to tell him the title of my message. I want 0:03:07.800 --> 0:03:16.520 you to say thank you next, thank you next. Now, 0:03:16.560 --> 0:03:18.600 if this was a youth service, i'd hit that ariana 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:24.080 grande instrumental right now. But since it ain't, I'm still 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:33.600 going to hit it. Get it, Okay, you stop. I 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:36.760 can already hear the YouTube comments flying right now online. 0:03:37.560 --> 0:03:43.720 How dare them? You know, the Summer's House likes to 0:03:43.760 --> 0:03:46.720 have a lot of fun. Okay, maybe a little too 0:03:46.800 --> 0:03:50.400 much fun every once in a while, hens you TV, 0:03:50.760 --> 0:03:53.520 But we really like to have a lot of fun. 0:03:53.920 --> 0:03:57.760 And if I'm honest with you, the fun happens around 0:03:57.840 --> 0:04:00.320 dinner time. Okay. Now, we're not this perfect fan like 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:04.600 every single night at six thirty, it's just glorious and 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:09.840 confetti and everyone's just happy. No, it's not like that whatsoever. However, 0:04:10.000 --> 0:04:12.120 we do like to have fun. Now, you got to 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:14.120 understand we've got a thirteen year old and a three 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:20.719 year old. That is a dynamic. Okay, it's a dynamic, 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:24.359 all right. And if I'm honest with you, like we 0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:26.200 like to play some music, you know, So we play 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:30.080 like you know Ariana Grande, like dancing. My three year 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:32.320 old is like, oh, like his dance move is like this. 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:35.520 It's like he does this, that's what he does. I 0:04:35.520 --> 0:04:37.200 don't know where he gets that from, but that's actually 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:41.320 kind of good, I think. Okay, and we'll play We'll 0:04:41.320 --> 0:04:44.440 play songs like Yummy by Justin Bieber. You know I'm 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:48.080 talking about My son always looks at me and he's like, Daddy, 0:04:48.120 --> 0:04:54.360 you have a lot of tattoos in that video. Y'all 0:04:54.400 --> 0:04:58.760 are smarter than Saturday. They did not get that. He 0:04:58.880 --> 0:05:01.520 thinks I look like just some beaver. He thinks I 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:07.479 am him. I know. It's cute. It's precious anyways. But 0:05:07.520 --> 0:05:09.200 one of my favorite things that we do around dinner 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:15.240 time is we always eat and have dessert, Like always 0:05:15.279 --> 0:05:17.320 like we're gonna have a cookie, We're gonna have some candy, 0:05:17.400 --> 0:05:20.040 We're gonna bake a cake by we I mean my wife. 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:23.400 But you know what I mean. We are always gonna 0:05:23.440 --> 0:05:26.480 have me some dessert. Okay, how many of you like dessert? 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:30.440 You like some sugar. That's the diet that I love. Okay, 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:32.920 I love me some sugar. And so we do it 0:05:32.920 --> 0:05:35.600 all the time. So my son realizes he's grown up 0:05:35.600 --> 0:05:39.800 in this, and he's like, all right, what he understands 0:05:39.839 --> 0:05:44.440 is that my wife always makes the dessert first, put 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:46.039 it in the fridge, put it in the freezer, do 0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:47.960 whatever she got to do, and then she starts the 0:05:48.000 --> 0:05:51.680 main course. Well what begins happing. My son's like, oh okay, 0:05:51.680 --> 0:05:54.640 I see how this works. Hey mom, why are you 0:05:54.680 --> 0:06:01.000 making the dinner? Can I have me a piece of cake? Like? 0:06:01.680 --> 0:06:03.600 She's like, no, son, you got to make a happy plate. Now, 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:05.719 if you don't know what a happy plate is, a 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:08.080 happy plate is an empty plate. And if you make 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:09.720 an empty plate, that's a happy plate. And we'll put 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:12.239 the cake on the plate afterwards. You get what I'm saying. 0:06:12.360 --> 0:06:14.000 You got to make a happy plate. You can use 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:15.960 that if you want. All right, it works, it really does. 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:21.840 And uh like, hey mom, can I have some cake? No? Son, sorry, 0:06:23.440 --> 0:06:24.600 you got to make a happy plate. What are you 0:06:24.640 --> 0:06:28.200 talking about what my son did. He got really smart. 0:06:28.240 --> 0:06:30.360 He's like, Mom, can have some cake? No, you can't 0:06:30.360 --> 0:06:32.400 have a cake. Okay. Cool. He walks across the living room, 0:06:32.440 --> 0:06:34.200 goes upstairs, go to my room, and says, dad can 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:37.840 have some cake. I was like, yeah, why not? Sure? 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:39.200 I want some cake? Can you bring up a piece 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:44.080 for me? Absolutely? It goes downstairs, go get some cake 0:06:44.120 --> 0:06:45.600 and starts eating it. All of a sudden, I'm here 0:06:45.600 --> 0:06:49.800 in a little scuffle. Volume is raising. My wife does 0:06:49.880 --> 0:06:51.760 not yell. I'm like, what is going on. I'm like, 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:54.440 I walk downstairs. I'm like, what's going on? What is 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:56.440 happening right now? Like? Well, I thought him he couldn't 0:06:56.440 --> 0:06:59.600 have any cake, and you know he's eating this cake. Now, 0:07:00.240 --> 0:07:05.760 I'm like, what a terrible kid. You're kidding me, Genesis. 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:09.000 Now we started talking, were like, all right, look, we 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:11.840 gotta understand. Gotta make the happy plate, then you can 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:15.120 eat cool. My son comes around, He's like, Mom, can 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:18.480 I have some cake? No? Dad? Can I have some cake? 0:07:18.600 --> 0:07:23.240 I got you boy? No, Bubba, can I have some cake? Nah? 0:07:23.280 --> 0:07:25.560 Now here's what you gotta understand. He started doing this 0:07:25.680 --> 0:07:29.120 funny thing. Like to this day, I still laugh it's bad. 0:07:29.200 --> 0:07:31.400 My wife's like stop, turn around, do not laugh. He 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:35.080 cannot see you do that. I mean, it's hilarious. He 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:37.720 will now start asking and he like like, I don't 0:07:37.760 --> 0:07:40.720 know how he got all these facial expressions, but he's 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:49.800 very he's very dramatic. He very dramatic. Okay, So now 0:07:49.840 --> 0:07:52.240 he asks and he says, mom can have some cake. 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:54.800 She's like no, and he goes like this. He puts 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:57.880 his head down and puts his eyes down and bucklers 0:07:57.920 --> 0:08:03.120 out his lips like like this no, and then he 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:07.840 side eyed you like, did that work right? Like he's pouting. 0:08:07.920 --> 0:08:09.960 He's got attitude. I don't care. He's three. It's funny 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:14.000 to me. I'm like, God, that's so cute. And goes 0:08:14.040 --> 0:08:17.480 to me, Dad can have some cake? Nah, Bud, I'm sorry, 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:23.280 you gotta make apvy plate. No. But he's like this 0:08:23.480 --> 0:08:26.160 tall right goes to Baba, Hey, Baba, can I have 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:28.680 some cake? Cat? I some candy? Nobuddy, Sorry, you gotta 0:08:28.680 --> 0:08:38.360 make avy plate. No. Have you ever found yourself doing 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:50.520 this to God? Before God? If I could just get 0:08:50.520 --> 0:08:56.800 that promotion, Felicia don't need it. I need it. I 0:08:56.840 --> 0:09:00.280 need that promotion. I've been working hard. And he's like, ah, 0:09:00.320 --> 0:09:03.080 but I'm working on some things with you, sweetheart. I 0:09:03.120 --> 0:09:12.080 don't think so, not right now? No, how do you 0:09:12.120 --> 0:09:13.600 do that? How do you do a? Side eight to Jesus? 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:17.640 I don't even know right, Like, if I could just 0:09:17.720 --> 0:09:24.319 find me a man, please come on, give me a man, Lord, 0:09:24.880 --> 0:09:35.480 give me like a we're working on self control right now. No, no, right, 0:09:35.679 --> 0:09:37.880 like you know, a lot of us walked into this 0:09:38.000 --> 0:09:40.559 room today and we're like, man, I'm ready to get blessed. 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:44.280 I'm talking about I'm excited for church fourteen years. Pastor 0:09:44.320 --> 0:09:46.920 Stephen about to bring the word. Tim Summers walks up. No, 0:10:05.960 --> 0:10:09.480 don't we find ourselves doing this. We think we know 0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:13.720 what's best for ourselves, don't we, As Legendesis thinks we. 0:10:13.840 --> 0:10:16.880 He just thinks he knows exactly what is best for him. 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:19.520 But if I gave him desert every single night first, 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:27.760 it would ruin everything, including my sanity. This is where 0:10:27.920 --> 0:10:34.679 John is in this passage because this as in verse fourteen, 0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:38.240 John tries to deter him. In the New King James version, 0:10:38.280 --> 0:10:42.360 I love this one, it says he tries to prevent him. 0:10:44.440 --> 0:10:47.360 He's trying to prevent Jesus to perform a miracle right 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:52.480 now he's seeing. John says, I need to be baptized 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:57.800 by you. I need to be baptized by you. I 0:10:57.840 --> 0:11:01.120 don't need to be baptizing you. Why do you come 0:11:01.120 --> 0:11:05.719 to me? John tries to prevent the miracle because in 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:12.680 this moment, he thinks he knows exactly what's best, and 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:15.840 oftentimes we can think we know exactly what is best 0:11:16.480 --> 0:11:19.000 for our lives. Have you ever been there before? I 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:23.240 know I have. I'm raising my hand. Why do we 0:11:23.280 --> 0:11:26.520 think that it is because we think we know exactly 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:29.160 what's coming up. We're like, no, I know what I'm 0:11:29.160 --> 0:11:32.319 gonna do next. Absolutely, I mean I've got a plan. 0:11:36.880 --> 0:11:39.719 I've got a plan. I'm organized. I'm a visionary. How 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:42.040 many planners in the house. How many visionaries in the house. 0:11:42.080 --> 0:11:44.800 I'm a visionary. Maybe not much of a planner, but 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:49.000 a visionary. I'm always thinking about what is next. I'm 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:51.319 gonna let you know right now, this message is gonna 0:11:51.360 --> 0:11:56.640 be hard for you. This message is going to be very, 0:11:56.760 --> 0:11:59.800 very hard for you to comprehend. But I really believe 0:11:59.800 --> 0:12:02.760 that God wants to speak something directly to you today, 0:12:06.800 --> 0:12:09.600 because in all reality, we have no clue what God 0:12:09.720 --> 0:12:14.680 is going to do next, and I like it that way. 0:12:15.640 --> 0:12:21.439 I never want to limit God to my understanding. I'm 0:12:21.480 --> 0:12:26.920 okay with that. And at this moment, John has no 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:32.360 clue what Jesus is about to do, because in verse 0:12:32.440 --> 0:12:36.319 thirteen we go back one Versus says, then Jesus came 0:12:36.840 --> 0:12:40.640 from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 0:12:40.800 --> 0:12:44.360 Do you think John knew that Jesus was coming from 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:50.640 Galilee to the Jordan. Absolutely not, absolutely not. Hey, I 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:53.280 don't know where you are at right now. I don't 0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:56.440 know what situation that you're going through, but I can 0:12:56.480 --> 0:12:59.520 tell you right now, God is on the move. He's 0:12:59.559 --> 0:13:03.559 going from Galilee to your Jordan. He's going from Galilee 0:13:03.760 --> 0:13:07.280 to your marriage. He's going from Galilee to your relationship 0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:10.480 with your kids. He's going from Galilee to provision. He 0:13:10.640 --> 0:13:19.200 is Jehovah, Jirah, my provider. John had no clue that 0:13:19.360 --> 0:13:23.240 Jesus was on the move. John's baptizing people, he's preaching 0:13:23.240 --> 0:13:26.240 the gospel, he's increasing his reach. And what you got 0:13:26.240 --> 0:13:28.240 to understand is from Galilee to Jordan's like a seventy 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:30.600 mile walk. And they didn't have no tesla's back in 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:34.040 the day Okay, so this ain't one hour. I'm talking. 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:38.600 This dude is walking. Jesus is walking. I mean maybe 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:41.120 he was on a donkey, so like that's a fast walk. 0:13:41.200 --> 0:13:45.319 That's it. Okay, this is a long time. This is 0:13:45.360 --> 0:13:48.800 a couple of days at least, maybe even a week. Again, 0:13:49.160 --> 0:13:51.640 I don't know if you've been in a situation for 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:55.200 two years, two months, two days, or two seconds. God 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:58.840 is working on your behalf, whether you know it, see it, 0:13:58.960 --> 0:14:06.280 feel it, or understand end it at all. But as 0:14:06.360 --> 0:14:10.559 much as we think we do, we have minor control 0:14:10.720 --> 0:14:17.280 over what is next. Minor control. Because Jesus replies, let 0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:23.400 it be so now. In the message translation, it says 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:29.720 do it now. That just says to me that Jesus 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:31.840 was an eight on the enneagram. You know what I'm saying. 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:37.160 He said, do it, do it right now. It is 0:14:37.280 --> 0:14:41.200 proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness. 0:14:42.280 --> 0:14:45.800 Jesus is letting John know I know what needs to 0:14:45.880 --> 0:14:51.000 happen next. I need you to focus on what's happening now. 0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:56.600 I know what's happening next. You focus on right now? 0:14:56.880 --> 0:15:05.200 Why Jesus. What happens next is always up to Jesus. 0:15:05.840 --> 0:15:10.880 But what happens now is always up to you. It's 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:16.360 always up to you. When you look at the verse 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:19.560 fifteen when it says it is proper for us to 0:15:19.600 --> 0:15:23.520 do this to fulfill all righteousness. Those words right there, 0:15:23.560 --> 0:15:28.160 fulfill and righteousness. These are weighty words in the passage 0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:30.920 on why Jesus needs to be baptized. Have you ever 0:15:30.960 --> 0:15:33.240 thought about this? Why did Jesus need to give baptized? 0:15:35.680 --> 0:15:38.720 Then don't make any sense to me. You created water, 0:15:40.280 --> 0:15:43.400 You can become water if you'd like. What do you 0:15:43.440 --> 0:15:46.160 what do you mean? Why does Jesus need to be 0:15:46.240 --> 0:15:50.160 baptized in this very moment? But what he's helping John 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:53.520 understand is that I am fulfilling the role as an 0:15:53.600 --> 0:15:58.800 obedient everyone say, obedient, obedient son of God by practicing 0:15:58.840 --> 0:16:02.600 the righteousness of some admitting to God's will. Jesus knew 0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:04.640 I'm gonna get on the cross, I'm gonna die for 0:16:04.680 --> 0:16:07.000 all the sins I'm gonna I'm gonna raise from the grave, 0:16:07.120 --> 0:16:10.520 and I'm gonna change the entire world. But in order 0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:15.960 for me to do next, you right now have got 0:16:16.000 --> 0:16:18.560 to baptize me so that I can help everyone in 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:22.280 the world understand. This is how you are obedient in 0:16:22.320 --> 0:16:27.680 the righteousness of submitting to God's will. I don't. Oh, 0:16:27.760 --> 0:16:29.880 that's the that's the God I want. I want to serve. 0:16:30.240 --> 0:16:35.680 He ain't cutting any corners. He could have, and I 0:16:35.720 --> 0:16:38.360 don't know if we would have even questioned it. He 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:40.800 didn't cut a single corner and said, no, this is 0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:45.160 exactly what needs to happen. This is what needs to happen. 0:16:46.200 --> 0:16:48.200 And right now you can start taking out that TV 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:51.520 real quick, guys, Thank you so much. In verse sixteen, 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:55.200 it says this, as soon as Jesus was baptized, he 0:16:55.320 --> 0:16:57.640 came up out of the water, and at that moment, 0:16:57.720 --> 0:16:59.880 heaven was opened, and he saw the spirit of God 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:02.760 sending like a dove and alighting on him. In a 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:05.880 voice from heaven said this is my son whom I love, 0:17:06.000 --> 0:17:08.800 and with him I am well. Please. Did you ever 0:17:08.880 --> 0:17:11.680 think that John knew that the heavens were gonna crack open? 0:17:15.680 --> 0:17:20.240 Did you ever think that a dove was going to 0:17:20.320 --> 0:17:24.639 descend down to earth? He never thought that. Why because 0:17:24.680 --> 0:17:29.240 he tried to prevent the miracle beforehand. He didn't even 0:17:29.320 --> 0:17:32.920 know Jesus was going from Galilee to the Jordan. He 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:40.840 had no clue, no clue when have we found ourselves 0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:46.320 preventing God's miracle in our lives? Have you ever thought 0:17:46.320 --> 0:17:52.159 that you've known better for yourself? Nah, this isn't the 0:17:52.200 --> 0:17:56.080 way it needs to happen. This isn't going according to plan. 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:06.800 John never intended for any of this to happen, but 0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:12.800 Jesus did. Jesus knew a little bit more than John did, 0:18:13.960 --> 0:18:17.640 which can kind of be hard to understand. Oh, Jesus 0:18:17.680 --> 0:18:24.920 knows more than me. That's how we act sometimes, that's 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:29.959 how we live. I know better than God. I'm stepping 0:18:30.000 --> 0:18:34.719 on toes that hurt. I'm stepping on my toes. I 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:39.520 can find myself thinking. I know I've got everything ready, 0:18:40.200 --> 0:18:42.280 I know exactly how it needs to go. I know 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:48.600 exactly what my sons need to do. Jesus is giving 0:18:48.680 --> 0:18:53.359 us insight. We got to be in the now. We 0:18:53.440 --> 0:18:57.040 got to be in the now. When you think about it, 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:03.200 what's next? As always? Now, you know that God will 0:19:03.240 --> 0:19:11.760 never give you next? He never will and he can't. 0:19:14.760 --> 0:19:21.760 He can't give you next. You don't believe me? You ready, 0:19:22.800 --> 0:19:42.240 what's next? Now? What's next? Now? What's next? Now? What's next? Now? 0:19:43.680 --> 0:19:50.480 He will never give you next? Why do we focus 0:19:50.560 --> 0:19:58.520 our entire life on it constantly. Now, don't hear me say, 0:19:58.680 --> 0:20:02.119 don't plan, don't don't think about next, don't be a visionary. No. 0:20:02.320 --> 0:20:05.320 Do you think our church has a vision for what's 0:20:05.400 --> 0:20:08.840 gonna happen next? Absolutely? You think we think about it 0:20:08.920 --> 0:20:10.840 one hundred percent. Do you think we try and plan 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:18.240 for some things. Absolutely, but it's not the priority. When 0:20:18.359 --> 0:20:24.440 next becomes a priority, it ultimately becomes prevention. It ultimately 0:20:24.480 --> 0:20:27.880 prevents what God is actually trying to do. We've got 0:20:27.880 --> 0:20:32.240 to understand we do not know what's best. God knows 0:20:32.440 --> 0:20:34.680 what's best. That's why I love our church. That's why 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:38.840 I love our pastors fourteen years. That's why we can 0:20:38.880 --> 0:20:41.600 come in and spend the entire weekend last weekend, and 0:20:41.640 --> 0:20:46.359 we can celebrate one hundred and fifty thousand salvations, twenty 0:20:46.440 --> 0:20:54.560 thousand baptisms, fifty two million dollars given to outreach, because 0:20:54.600 --> 0:21:00.640 we understand we're gonna celebrate right now one of our 0:21:00.640 --> 0:21:04.480 core values. We will not take this for granted. It's 0:21:04.480 --> 0:21:09.960 about expressing gratitude. That's all we did last week, expressing 0:21:10.359 --> 0:21:14.560 gratitude for what God has been doing in our lives 0:21:14.560 --> 0:21:19.280 and in our church. Like imagine this Jesus rolls up 0:21:20.400 --> 0:21:24.560 and you're in the Lazy River and Jesus comes to 0:21:24.600 --> 0:21:27.960 you and he's like, hey, I want you to baptize me. 0:21:28.359 --> 0:21:32.040 Are you saying what John said? Probably not anymore. After 0:21:32.080 --> 0:21:35.240 you've heard this, I realized, like, well, maybe I would 0:21:35.240 --> 0:21:38.560 have still asked some questions. But now we're reading this 0:21:38.600 --> 0:21:43.720 page and I'm like, no Ah, Jesus coming to me saying, hey, 0:21:43.760 --> 0:21:47.000 I want you to baptize me. I might Oh really me, Okay, great, 0:21:47.119 --> 0:21:49.600 let's do it. Thank you? What an honor. This is huge? 0:21:49.640 --> 0:21:52.040 Are you serious? Okay, grab my hand, I'll hold your nose. 0:21:52.080 --> 0:21:55.919 Oh my god, your hair is beautiful. Wow, I love it. 0:21:56.880 --> 0:22:04.000 Right coming in grateful, I'm coming in with some gratitude. 0:22:04.359 --> 0:22:07.520 Let me tell you something. Our job is thank you. 0:22:12.560 --> 0:22:19.960 His job is next. That's our responsibility, because the revelation 0:22:20.080 --> 0:22:24.760 of next only comes with the realization of now. I'll 0:22:24.800 --> 0:22:27.399 say it a different way, the revelation of next only 0:22:27.400 --> 0:22:34.200 comes with the responsibility of now. We have looked at 0:22:34.400 --> 0:22:37.919 now as something that we can just move to the 0:22:38.000 --> 0:22:42.200 side with. In all reality, that is the only thing 0:22:42.240 --> 0:22:47.400 that God has ever given you is right now. It's 0:22:47.520 --> 0:22:54.479 right now. It's right now. What's next? Now? What's next? Now? 0:22:55.640 --> 0:23:02.560 What's next? Now? That's that's it. That's all we have. 0:23:03.440 --> 0:23:06.960 And for a generation as a society and a culture 0:23:07.040 --> 0:23:11.879 for who always asks what's next? I dare to say this, 0:23:13.240 --> 0:23:16.320 Show me you're now, and I'll show you you're next. 0:23:17.840 --> 0:23:21.280 Show me what you're doing right now, Show me how 0:23:21.280 --> 0:23:24.640 you're praying right now, show me what you're believing for 0:23:25.080 --> 0:23:29.800 right now? Every single one of us has been given something. 0:23:32.320 --> 0:23:35.199 You've been given something. What are you gonna do with it? 0:23:37.560 --> 0:23:41.399 Why compare? What's the chart that you're comparing off of? 0:23:41.920 --> 0:23:45.560 That didn't make any sense? Every single person in this 0:23:45.680 --> 0:23:53.520 room has breath. You have time? Why what's next? Now? 0:23:54.720 --> 0:24:01.359 What's next? Now? In those moments are going quicker than 0:24:01.400 --> 0:24:06.320 you think? What are you doing with right now? Are 0:24:06.320 --> 0:24:09.879 you okay with just coming in and being like I 0:24:09.960 --> 0:24:20.320 attended church? That's good, that's great, I'm fine. You know, 0:24:21.400 --> 0:24:23.400 eleven years in full time ministry. I know I don't 0:24:23.400 --> 0:24:28.040 look that old, but eleven years in full time ministry. 0:24:28.280 --> 0:24:31.360 You've pastor the whole entire time. People will ask me, man, 0:24:31.440 --> 0:24:33.880 how do you how do you get so many teenagers 0:24:34.240 --> 0:24:36.720 apart and coming to your events and wanting to be 0:24:36.720 --> 0:24:38.320 a part of the thing. I was like, teenagers aren't 0:24:38.320 --> 0:24:49.480 the hard ones that's the hard Make a little relevant. 0:24:49.520 --> 0:24:51.480 Talk to them the way that they talk at school, 0:24:51.600 --> 0:24:54.639 and you know, focus on one thing during the you know, 0:24:54.760 --> 0:24:58.200 the sermon, and like you Gucci, Gucci, gang, gutca gang. 0:25:01.320 --> 0:25:07.800 Am I right? Okay? Maybe not, it's the parents that 0:25:07.880 --> 0:25:12.760 are difficult. I could say that'd be why it's same here. 0:25:13.720 --> 0:25:18.800 I have found myself almost allowing things and I'm like, wait, 0:25:18.840 --> 0:25:21.280 that didn't make any sense. Why am I doing that? 0:25:22.600 --> 0:25:26.359 Like we we were gonna put Brody in that picture. 0:25:26.359 --> 0:25:30.000 It was in sixth grade. The dude's a giant, okay. 0:25:30.200 --> 0:25:34.040 He's twice the size of everyone in his class. Okay, 0:25:34.200 --> 0:25:36.560 and he wants to play basketball like this dude no 0:25:36.560 --> 0:25:38.640 matter what, Like you don't even care if he got 0:25:38.680 --> 0:25:41.159 any skill. He's just tall. So it's gonna work in 0:25:41.240 --> 0:25:43.959 sixth grade, okay. Like, man, we want to put him 0:25:43.960 --> 0:25:46.560 in this camp, like we're so excited, like you know, 0:25:46.640 --> 0:25:49.760 he could be the next you know whatever. I'm like, okay, cool, 0:25:49.840 --> 0:25:52.679 let's do it. Awesome. Then I realized it happened on 0:25:52.680 --> 0:26:01.320 the weekends. I say, hey, Bud, I'm sorry, man, I'm sorry, 0:26:01.600 --> 0:26:04.840 you know what my son said. I can't lie. I 0:26:05.160 --> 0:26:07.800 have to tell the truth. He's like, I get it. 0:26:09.960 --> 0:26:12.560 I didn't even have to really tell him the entire reason. 0:26:12.640 --> 0:26:15.120 He just knew, like ye had dad is on the weekend. 0:26:15.640 --> 0:26:20.760 I was like, oh, and like that's maybe like our 0:26:20.760 --> 0:26:24.240 one parent success, you know. I just I'm not the 0:26:24.280 --> 0:26:26.040 hero or anything like that. I just say this is 0:26:26.080 --> 0:26:30.000 one parent parental success. I was like, yes, he gets it. 0:26:30.480 --> 0:26:34.680 He understands the value of every single weekend in church. 0:26:35.760 --> 0:26:38.920 He understands the value of serving out at the youth tent. 0:26:40.040 --> 0:26:44.199 He understands the value of getting into a group. And 0:26:44.240 --> 0:26:47.080 we had to force it for years. But he's looking 0:26:47.080 --> 0:26:48.680 at me like, man, that's exactly what I want to 0:26:48.720 --> 0:26:52.080 do with my life. But ah, I don't know. I'll 0:26:52.080 --> 0:26:54.760 step back and then guess what happened. Six months later 0:26:54.800 --> 0:26:59.800 we found a camp that's during the week But if 0:26:59.840 --> 0:27:03.600 I it would have been like John trying to prevent it. 0:27:04.480 --> 0:27:08.359 I would have never have known. Oh, there's another camp 0:27:08.400 --> 0:27:13.920 that is accessible that will work perfectly with our schedule. Ah, 0:27:14.080 --> 0:27:16.320 this is why I'm trying to I mean, people will 0:27:16.359 --> 0:27:19.360 come up to me parents and they'll be like, oh, 0:27:19.400 --> 0:27:23.920 man Uthex twenty twenty summer camp teenagers. They look so awesome. 0:27:24.160 --> 0:27:26.840 Oh my goodness, Can you convince me why my child 0:27:26.840 --> 0:27:38.879 should go? Are you serious? I gotta convince you. I 0:27:38.920 --> 0:27:43.080 think it's because we don't understand the ROI on the church, 0:27:44.040 --> 0:27:50.000 all right, the return on investment in the church. I 0:27:50.000 --> 0:27:53.800 can send my kid to a basketball camp, I can 0:27:53.880 --> 0:27:58.639 send him to private school. He might gain confidence through that. 0:27:59.840 --> 0:28:04.000 He might, he might get some good friends. He might. 0:28:05.119 --> 0:28:07.960 I'm not saying it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Right, 0:28:08.000 --> 0:28:10.600 would we all agree? Yeah, it's not a one hundred 0:28:10.600 --> 0:28:19.840 percent guarantee. The church is a one hundred percent guarantee 0:28:20.080 --> 0:28:26.879 that you are going to get something beneficial in their life, 0:28:26.920 --> 0:28:31.159 in your life, in your marriage. It might take some time, 0:28:32.880 --> 0:28:37.280 but it's the one hundred percent guarantee. Why would I not? 0:28:39.440 --> 0:28:44.800 Why would I not? Right now, right now, right now? 0:28:45.240 --> 0:28:47.560 And the only thing that I realized was either you 0:28:47.600 --> 0:28:51.440 don't understand the concept of next to now, or you 0:28:51.480 --> 0:28:58.600 don't understand the return on investment in the church. It 0:28:58.720 --> 0:29:05.360 baffles me how much access we have and resource that 0:29:05.440 --> 0:29:07.920 we have as a church, and a lot of us 0:29:08.040 --> 0:29:10.800 don't take the most advantage of it. As we can, 0:29:12.160 --> 0:29:17.840 the community that you could have, the friendships, the mentorship. 0:29:18.600 --> 0:29:22.760 I'm like, this is everything. It might not be what 0:29:22.880 --> 0:29:29.160 I planned, but this is everything. I'm like, if I'm 0:29:29.160 --> 0:29:31.720 a I'm if I'm a parent, I'm signing my kid 0:29:31.800 --> 0:29:34.520 up for Utex twenty twenty one hundred percent. I don't 0:29:34.520 --> 0:29:36.280 need to ask any more questions because here's the deal. 0:29:36.320 --> 0:29:38.520 You're ready for this. Well, what I ain't got no money? Well, 0:29:38.920 --> 0:29:40.800 I'm glad you said that. I'm glad you went to 0:29:40.800 --> 0:29:42.240 the table and said you ain't got no money because 0:29:42.240 --> 0:29:45.720 guess what we got scholarships. You see how you find 0:29:45.760 --> 0:29:48.680 out things when you do stuff now instead of like, oh, no, 0:29:48.880 --> 0:29:50.400 there's no way I got no money, and it gonna 0:29:50.400 --> 0:29:52.680 even happen. Like when people say like, all right, I'm 0:29:52.680 --> 0:29:54.120 gonna go to an E group. I go to that 0:29:54.200 --> 0:29:57.000 E group and then like, I don't necessarily like that 0:29:57.080 --> 0:30:00.880 E group. That could happen. You'd be like, oh, that 0:30:01.160 --> 0:30:05.440 egert leader is a little weird, eh, and then God 0:30:05.480 --> 0:30:09.280 starts speaking to you, Well, then why don't you start one? No, 0:30:09.320 --> 0:30:11.880 I'm see, but see how it goes to the next thing. 0:30:12.640 --> 0:30:15.720 It's a one hundred percent guarantee that God is going 0:30:15.760 --> 0:30:20.240 to do something beneficial in your life. There's no if 0:30:20.360 --> 0:30:25.040 ANNs or butts about it. It's a timing thing, and timing. 0:30:25.640 --> 0:30:29.360 When it comes to next, that's up to God. But 0:30:29.400 --> 0:30:31.640 when it comes to now, if the only thing I 0:30:31.720 --> 0:30:35.880 have to worry about is now, that is me. That's 0:30:36.000 --> 0:30:39.440 my job. And when He blesses me, when he takes 0:30:39.520 --> 0:30:42.200 care of me, when he gives me the encouragement that 0:30:42.280 --> 0:30:44.400 I need, when he sends people on my way, what 0:30:44.480 --> 0:30:48.560 do I say? Thank you Jesus, What an honor. I 0:30:48.640 --> 0:30:51.480 knew that if I made this decision right now, that 0:30:51.520 --> 0:30:53.760 you are gonna come to me, that you were gonna 0:30:53.840 --> 0:30:56.600 take care of me, that you are gonna let me down. 0:30:56.920 --> 0:30:59.760 And even though it took two years, I would love 0:30:59.840 --> 0:31:03.040 to be in this position rather than my own plan. 0:31:11.160 --> 0:31:13.960 If I could have everyone standing in this moment. I 0:31:13.960 --> 0:31:19.040 want to give people the opportunity to come into a 0:31:19.120 --> 0:31:25.360 relationship with Jesus Christ right now, because for some of you, 0:31:25.360 --> 0:31:29.880 you've been waiting on what's next. And it's not bad 0:31:29.920 --> 0:31:33.720 to plan, it's not bad to be organized, it's not 0:31:33.840 --> 0:31:37.600 bad to be a forward thinker. But when it becomes 0:31:37.720 --> 0:31:43.600 the priority, you're preventing everything that God has for you 0:31:44.440 --> 0:31:47.240 and wants for you, wants for your family, wants for 0:31:47.320 --> 0:31:52.120 your marriage, wants for your soul, and for your spirit. 0:31:53.480 --> 0:31:56.520 I think there are many people in this room and 0:31:56.560 --> 0:32:00.840 across all the locations on EPHAM right now in online 0:32:01.280 --> 0:32:04.560 who you're saying. You know what. I'm ready right now 0:32:05.400 --> 0:32:13.479 because this is it. What's next? Now? What's next? Now? 0:32:14.400 --> 0:32:19.800 That's all you will ever be given. And when you 0:32:19.840 --> 0:32:22.520 see God do something over and over in your life, 0:32:22.560 --> 0:32:28.840 you'll realize it's because you could steward now. You could 0:32:28.840 --> 0:32:36.200 steward it with every head bow and every eye closed. 0:32:37.400 --> 0:32:39.600 Anyone who wants to come into a right relationship with 0:32:39.680 --> 0:32:42.560 Jesus Christ, I want you to pray this prayer along 0:32:42.600 --> 0:32:44.320 with me, and as a church family, we're going to 0:32:44.360 --> 0:32:46.640 pray it together. And so I want you to say this, say, 0:32:46.680 --> 0:32:51.280 dear Jesus, I thank you for who you are. I 0:32:51.320 --> 0:32:53.040 thank you for who the Bible says that you are. 0:32:55.360 --> 0:32:59.280 I believe that you died on the cross, you rose 0:32:59.320 --> 0:33:05.160 from the grave, defeating all sin. Come into my life, 0:33:05.680 --> 0:33:10.400 make me a new creation, and right now I will 0:33:10.440 --> 0:33:15.600 follow you for the rest of my life with every 0:33:15.600 --> 0:33:19.160 head bow and every eye close. At all locations on 0:33:19.280 --> 0:33:21.720 the counter. Three. If you just pray that prayer right 0:33:21.760 --> 0:33:24.200 now and you're saying, you know what, I'm not gonna 0:33:24.200 --> 0:33:26.479 worry about what's next. I know that in this moment 0:33:26.640 --> 0:33:28.680 is the moment that I want to make the most 0:33:28.800 --> 0:33:31.440 out of it. You pray that prayer for the very 0:33:31.440 --> 0:33:32.840 first time on the counter. Three, I want you to 0:33:32.880 --> 0:33:36.320 raise your hand. One. Don't worry about next. Two no hesitation, 0:33:36.520 --> 0:33:40.000 no doubt, no fear. Three, come on, raise your hands. 0:33:41.560 --> 0:33:45.360 Come on, let's give it up. Everyone raising their hands 0:33:45.400 --> 0:33:49.880 making a decision right now at every location it come on. 0:33:51.200 --> 0:33:53.760 Thank you for joining us. Special things to those of 0:33:53.800 --> 0:33:56.800 you who give generously to this ministry. Is because of 0:33:56.840 --> 0:33:59.720 you that this ministry is possible. You can click the 0:33:59.760 --> 0:34:03.520 link in the description to give now, or visit Elevationchurch 0:34:03.680 --> 0:34:06.920 dot org slash podcast for more information and if you 0:34:07.000 --> 0:34:10.239 enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it 0:34:10.280 --> 0:34:12.600 with your friends. You can click the share button, take 0:34:12.600 --> 0:34:14.960 a screenshot and share it on your social stories and 0:34:15.000 --> 0:34:17.879 tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God 0:34:17.880 --> 0:34:18.279 bless you