The Pressure To Perform

0:00:02.080 --> 0:00:04.600 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.880 --> 0:00:06.880 Church and this is our podcast and I wanted to 0:00:06.920 --> 0:00:09.800 thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. 0:00:10.240 --> 0:00:12.400 Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective 0:00:12.440 --> 0:00:18.000 to see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:18.320 --> 0:00:24.120 Let's look at John chapter seven together. I feel God's 0:00:24.120 --> 0:00:28.760 presence in this place. Now. Even if I didn't feel it, 0:00:28.800 --> 0:00:31.840 I would know that it was real. But it's good 0:00:31.840 --> 0:00:37.159 to feel it. And I feel God's presence in this place. Amen. 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:46.440 John chapter seven is a very interesting scenario, or more accurately, 0:00:46.520 --> 0:00:49.920 episode in the life of Jesus. And I think you 0:00:50.000 --> 0:00:54.440 probably will say I never really heard a sermon on 0:00:54.480 --> 0:00:57.080 that story before, and then you won't be able to 0:00:57.120 --> 0:01:01.200 say that after today. But it's a it's a really 0:01:01.320 --> 0:01:06.120 human moment in the life of Jesus, and it's a 0:01:06.120 --> 0:01:10.080 great example to us today. So as we look at this, 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:13.440 we hope that we will see the example of Jesus 0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:16.800 and how it applies to our lives. In John chapter seven, 0:01:16.920 --> 0:01:19.199 verse one, the Bible says after this, Jesus went around 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:23.600 in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:26.640 there were waiting to take his life. But when the 0:01:26.720 --> 0:01:31.080 Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus's brother said to him, 0:01:31.480 --> 0:01:34.000 you ought to leave here. How many know, there's always 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:37.720 somebody to tell you what you ought to do, always, 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:40.640 and usually as people with your same last name, you 0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:44.960 know you oughta well, you ought to leave here and 0:01:45.000 --> 0:01:47.920 go to Judea so that your disciples may see the 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:50.440 miracles you do. No one who wants to become a 0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:54.120 public figure action secret. Since you are doing these things, 0:01:54.440 --> 0:01:57.440 post them on Instagram. For even his own brothers did 0:01:57.480 --> 0:02:00.920 not believe him, and therefore Jesus told them the right 0:02:01.000 --> 0:02:05.520 time for me has not yet come for you. Anytime 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:11.120 is right, salty Jesus. The world cannot hate you, but 0:02:11.200 --> 0:02:14.560 it hates me because I testify that what it does 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:18.120 is evil. If you haven't had a head on collision 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:20.600 with the devil lately, it means you might be headed 0:02:20.600 --> 0:02:23.799 in the same direction. That's what Pastor Mickey used to say. 0:02:24.200 --> 0:02:27.280 Of course I'm in conflict. I am a contradiction of 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:29.920 the world's values, and so it's not easy for me 0:02:30.000 --> 0:02:33.120 to live on this earth. According to Kingdom principles. But 0:02:33.240 --> 0:02:35.840 Jesus said verse eight, you go to the feast. I'm 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:37.960 not going to control you, but you do what you 0:02:38.040 --> 0:02:40.480 need to do. You go ahead and go. I am 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:44.000 not yet going up to this feast because for me 0:02:44.480 --> 0:02:48.680 the right time has not come. I wonder how different 0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:50.520 our lives would be if we would learn the power 0:02:50.560 --> 0:02:56.080 of those two words, not yet, not yet. And having 0:02:56.120 --> 0:02:59.560 said this, he stayed in Galilee. However, after his brothers 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:02.760 had left for the feast, he went also, not publicly, 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:10.919 but in secret. Not publicly, but in secret. Now at 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:14.560 the feast, the Jews were watching for him and asking 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:19.440 where is that man Among the crowds. There was widespread whispering, 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:24.239 widespread whispering about him. Some said he is a good man. 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:29.639 Others replied, no, he deceives the people. But no one 0:03:29.639 --> 0:03:35.000 would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews. 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:40.640 The key for this message today is in verse ten. However, 0:03:40.680 --> 0:03:44.040 after his brothers had left for the feast, he went also, 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:47.120 not publicly, but in secret. And what I want to 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:50.200 talk to you about today is the pressure to perform, 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:54.560 the pressure to perform. And let's pray one more time, 0:03:54.680 --> 0:03:58.000 Spirit of God. I thank you for the accuracy with 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:01.920 which you register in the hearts and the minds of 0:04:01.960 --> 0:04:05.320 people who are open. Give us this openness that we 0:04:05.360 --> 0:04:07.880 may receive whatever you wish to speak, and we give 0:04:07.920 --> 0:04:12.480 you praise in advance in Jesus' name. Amen, would you 0:04:12.520 --> 0:04:14.240 touch somebody on your way to your seat and say, 0:04:14.280 --> 0:04:23.719 I don't have to post it to prove it. It's 0:04:23.760 --> 0:04:28.960 so great to have the opportunity now to apologize to 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:33.760 my mom for my teenage years. I just didn't have 0:04:33.800 --> 0:04:38.719 an appreciation at the time for the pressure of parenting. 0:04:38.800 --> 0:04:42.160 You really can't until you are blessed with the same 0:04:42.240 --> 0:04:50.599 pressure of parental responsibility for yourself, because like, really, my 0:04:50.640 --> 0:04:57.560 mom and dad stretched their resources in order for me 0:04:57.600 --> 0:05:03.719 as a as a I guess like a spoiled, entitled 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:10.279 brat of a kid to not appreciate the sacrifices and 0:05:10.360 --> 0:05:14.600 really the pressure that they were under to buy me 0:05:14.760 --> 0:05:21.320 those rebock pumps. And since my dad was a barber, 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:25.640 and he started out just five dollars a haircut six 0:05:25.720 --> 0:05:28.000 dollars by the time he quit cutting hair, he was 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:31.400 up to thirteen dollars a haircut, I believe. And my 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:35.800 mom had been in education, teaching special education and then 0:05:35.960 --> 0:05:40.599 as an early interventionist, which wasn't exactly a high paying job, 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:48.120 but they provided for me so competently that I never 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:51.239 really thought about the pressure that it must have been 0:05:51.839 --> 0:05:55.200 to try to make sure that I never really felt 0:05:55.760 --> 0:06:01.760 their pressure. I remember going to this telephone office, the 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:05.640 Berkeley Telephone Company, and my parents would clean the office 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:09.039 at night after they would get off their other job, 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:12.279 and all I could do was complain, and I thought 0:06:12.520 --> 0:06:14.480 that it was child abuse that they made me empty 0:06:14.520 --> 0:06:20.200 the trash, but I just didn't understand when she was 0:06:20.240 --> 0:06:23.279 making me run the vacuum cleaner while she was cleaning 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:28.120 the toilets on Saturday, just like I didn't appreciate the 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:32.400 pressure even emotionally. I remember when my dad kind of 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:36.080 quit coming home. I didn't realize that the reason he 0:06:36.160 --> 0:06:38.839 was doing that was because of not having a father 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:43.359 example for himself when I hit the teenage stage, he 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:46.640 had no frame of reference for how to deal with 0:06:46.680 --> 0:06:49.480 what he felt, and I thought he was lazy. So 0:06:49.520 --> 0:06:51.919 he went to go drink with my uncle. But it 0:06:52.000 --> 0:06:54.640 wasn't so much laziness, I now have come to believe, 0:06:55.080 --> 0:06:57.440 as it was the fact that he was under a 0:06:57.480 --> 0:07:00.679 weight that he hadn't felt like he had been built 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:04.160 for and there is a sense in which his pressure 0:07:04.680 --> 0:07:08.240 in his own life paralyzed him, like pressure often can. 0:07:08.640 --> 0:07:11.120 When you find yourself in a situation where you have 0:07:11.240 --> 0:07:15.520 not been exposed to that particular responsibility, and now you 0:07:15.560 --> 0:07:19.160 are responsible for something that you've never been exposed to. 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:22.720 It can create a lot of pressure, not only on 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:27.880 the financial side with kids, but just emotionally and how 0:07:27.920 --> 0:07:29.720 by the time you come home from work where you're 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:33.320 providing materially, you don't have anything left to give emotionally, 0:07:33.640 --> 0:07:37.240 and even if you do. There was this dude that 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:39.800 came up to me Friday night at the baseball game 0:07:40.120 --> 0:07:42.240 and he just looked. He had the look on his 0:07:42.240 --> 0:07:44.800 face like all parents get from time to time, like 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:47.440 if you shoot me, I'll give you half the insurance money. 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:49.400 It was just a parent look, and you only know 0:07:49.480 --> 0:07:54.640 it if you've been there. But I just said to him, 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:57.080 kind of randomly, I said, you're such a good man, 0:07:57.120 --> 0:07:58.720 because I could tell he was having one of those 0:07:58.800 --> 0:08:00.840 days and he was running back and forth and it 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:02.760 kind of stopped them in his tracks. And he's like, really, 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:05.400 I don't feel like a good man today, you know. 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:08.080 I was I was at work, and then I left 0:08:08.120 --> 0:08:09.720 work at four because I'm supposed to get off fit 0:08:09.800 --> 0:08:12.000 for But then the idiot who took my next shift, 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:13.680 he didn't show up in time for a shift. So 0:08:13.720 --> 0:08:15.800 who does the manager call Not the person who didn't 0:08:15.840 --> 0:08:17.480 show up, but me, because they know they can count 0:08:17.480 --> 0:08:19.400 on me, because the people we treat the worst are 0:08:19.480 --> 0:08:21.080 usually the people that we know we can count on 0:08:21.120 --> 0:08:23.320 the most, and we expect the most out of them. 0:08:23.480 --> 0:08:25.480 But by the time he got off work, he was 0:08:25.520 --> 0:08:27.320 throwing the ball with his daughter to get it ready 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:29.240 for the game. And by the time he finished throwing 0:08:29.240 --> 0:08:31.080 with his daughter, he said, this is what he's telling me. 0:08:31.240 --> 0:08:33.400 By the time I finished throwing my daughter, my manager 0:08:33.520 --> 0:08:35.800 been blowing up my phone. Now my manager is mad 0:08:35.800 --> 0:08:37.720 at me, and I'm walking in the house talking to 0:08:37.760 --> 0:08:40.040 my manager who's yelling at me, and my wife's got 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:42.080 dinner ready, but I can't eat dinner because I'm talking 0:08:42.080 --> 0:08:44.080 to my manager, and so my wife is mad because 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:45.800 the food is coll But I can't help it that 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:47.760 the food is coll because if I lose this job, 0:08:47.760 --> 0:08:49.520 we're not going to have any food to cook. So 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:51.920 coal food is better than no food, and all that 0:08:52.040 --> 0:08:54.240 they're on the baseball team and I want to die. 0:08:54.240 --> 0:08:56.080 And funny thing is he doesn't come to the church. 0:08:57.120 --> 0:08:58.959 He doesn't come to the church. He's only been one 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:00.599 time that I know of. And when he came that 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:03.880 one time, he told me it was a good sermon. 0:09:04.240 --> 0:09:06.320 So I knew that he didn't have like a Christian 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:11.080 vocabulary the word that he put in there. But he 0:09:11.120 --> 0:09:14.520 didn't know that I was preaching on pressure today. He 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:16.640 didn't know that he was giving me, he was helping 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:20.319 me see that it's not just as a preacher, or 0:09:20.360 --> 0:09:22.839 it's not just those of us who stand on a 0:09:22.920 --> 0:09:26.640 stage who feel this pressure. Because it used to be 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:30.840 enough if you just provide for your kids. It used 0:09:30.840 --> 0:09:33.000 to be enough if you just protect your kids. It 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:36.360 used to be enough if you would just prepare your kids. 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:40.479 And sometimes all of those things seem to be in conflict, 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:44.559 that while you want to protect your kids, you also 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:48.280 have to prepare your kids. And so sometimes I don't know, 0:09:48.720 --> 0:09:51.760 should I catch you or should I let you fall 0:09:51.800 --> 0:09:55.600 a little bit so you don't fall a lot? Should 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:58.560 I let you skin your knee now so that you 0:09:58.600 --> 0:10:01.280 don't break your neck later? Should I should I let 0:10:01.320 --> 0:10:05.000 you Peter sink down into the water and let you 0:10:05.120 --> 0:10:09.520 sink and not let you drown. Sometimes, even Jesus, if 0:10:09.559 --> 0:10:12.760 you read the scripture, he did not prevent the failure. 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:16.400 He allowed the failure so that the person could learn 0:10:16.480 --> 0:10:20.240 the lesson that would enable them later. Sometimes there's so 0:10:20.360 --> 0:10:24.520 much pressure coming from so many different directions, And if 0:10:24.520 --> 0:10:27.120 you stop to think about the life of Jesus, he 0:10:27.600 --> 0:10:31.760 was he was under pressure from the Pharisees who wanted 0:10:31.760 --> 0:10:35.280 to kill him because he threatened their political power, And 0:10:35.360 --> 0:10:38.560 so they were watching everything that he did, and they 0:10:38.559 --> 0:10:44.320 were watching him with very, very scrutinizing eyes, even to 0:10:44.360 --> 0:10:47.720 the point that if he healed somebody, not only would 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:50.720 they watch him heal the person, but they would they 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:54.040 would find him healing on the wrong day, and if 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:57.040 he healed on the Sabbath, they would stand up and 0:10:57.160 --> 0:11:00.760 accuse him for doing something good. Would you like to 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:04.319 get accused not only for doing the wrong thing, but 0:11:04.360 --> 0:11:07.559 for doing the right thing at the wrong time. This 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:10.360 is Jesus. He shows up and they follow him to 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:13.000 see if he's gonna wash his hands before he eats. 0:11:13.240 --> 0:11:16.320 How creepy is it when you have people following you 0:11:16.600 --> 0:11:19.640 in the bathroom to see one time I was at PF. 0:11:19.720 --> 0:11:25.240 Chanin's and there was a man that was standing there 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:33.360 watching me while I was and it was threatening to me. 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:37.160 It was threatening to me, So I kind of looked 0:11:37.200 --> 0:11:40.040 down my fishies in the bathroom and I washed my hands. 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:42.160 I walked over to him and he said, I was 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:44.360 waiting to see if you do wash your hands after 0:11:44.400 --> 0:11:55.959 you went I go to your church. I'm like, bro, 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:58.000 there's a lot of other great churches I would like 0:11:58.040 --> 0:12:03.640 to tell you about right now. But for Jesus, it 0:12:03.720 --> 0:12:07.560 was ceremonial. It wasn't It wasn't a hygienic thing. They 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:09.360 were watching to see what he breaked the law and 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:11.840 not wash his hands. They weren't worried about the fact 0:12:11.840 --> 0:12:13.760 that he was trying to eat with people that they 0:12:13.800 --> 0:12:16.839 considered unclean, because he was righteousness and grace and truth. 0:12:17.080 --> 0:12:19.800 They were so focused on the cosmetics, and so everything 0:12:19.840 --> 0:12:22.240 that he did was under scrutiny. Oh he's talking with 0:12:22.240 --> 0:12:24.400 a woman. Oh he's touching a leper al. He's not 0:12:24.440 --> 0:12:26.680 supposed to act like that, he's not supposed to speak 0:12:26.760 --> 0:12:31.120 like that. And then sometimes for Jesus he would perform 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:34.560 a miracle for the crowd, but they would miss the 0:12:34.600 --> 0:12:39.200 deeper meaning, which is what has just happened when we 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:43.080 read on chapter seven. Because he just fed five thousand 0:12:43.160 --> 0:12:49.240 men and women and children, and he provided for their 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:53.120 needs in such a great way that they all ate 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:57.679 and had their fill. But after he filled them up physically, 0:12:58.360 --> 0:13:01.720 he turned to fill them spiritually. And it turns out 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:06.000 that they were following him not for the spiritual dynamics 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:09.400 of who he was, but for the physical benefits of 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:12.560 what he could provide. And when he began to speak 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:15.640 at a deeper level, the Bible says that many of 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:18.800 them didn't want to hear it. After he fed them 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:21.360 the bread, he turned around and said, now that you've 0:13:21.440 --> 0:13:25.400 had bread, recognize that I am bread. The miracle that 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:28.600 I just performed was not about what I did. It 0:13:28.679 --> 0:13:31.440 was to point to who I am. I am the 0:13:31.480 --> 0:13:34.680 bread of life, and if you eat my flesh and 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:38.480 drink my blood, you can remain in me. Well, they 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:41.480 didn't like that very much. It's like he had the 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:44.920 crowd and then he lost them. He had the following 0:13:45.160 --> 0:13:47.360 and then he lost it. And the Bible says in 0:13:47.480 --> 0:13:51.720 John six sixty six sixty sixty six, I always remember 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:54.719 that like it's a bad number, six sixty six. I 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:57.280 always remember it because it said many then deserted him 0:13:57.480 --> 0:14:01.800 and followed him no more, then went away because this 0:14:01.880 --> 0:14:05.080 is a hard saying, and followed him no more. And 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:08.240 as they're walking away, Jesus turns to his disciples and says, 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:11.040 do you want to walk away too? And Peter said, 0:14:11.280 --> 0:14:13.680 we don't have no options. I already gave my boat 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.200 away for a little while, and I already put my 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:19.080 investment in you, and I got to see where this ends, 0:14:19.480 --> 0:14:23.680 even if it ends at a cross. That's the context 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:27.920 of John chapter seven. And it's one thing to kind 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:32.960 of have to deal with opposition from the devil. It's 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:34.840 another thing to kind of have to deal with it 0:14:35.600 --> 0:14:41.640 from inside your own house. And Jesus had seven siblings. 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:47.440 Some traditions infer these are his human brothers, And whether 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:50.840 or not Jesus had any sisters, it's interesting to me 0:14:51.200 --> 0:14:54.560 that it was his brothers who pulled him aside with 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:58.240 a strategy watch this for how to get his followers back. 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:02.640 And they've got it all figured out, and they've got 0:15:02.720 --> 0:15:07.760 it all calculated, and they say, Jesus, do more of 0:15:07.800 --> 0:15:12.800 the stuff like where you're feeding people, and less of 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:16.920 the cannibal stuff that you say in your speeches. Let's 0:15:16.920 --> 0:15:20.680 take out the cannibalism. And why don't you go to 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:24.880 Judea because the Feast of Tabernacles is about to start, 0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:27.880 and you can come with us and you can do 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:30.440 the kinds of things that you've been doing here in Galilee, 0:15:31.040 --> 0:15:33.960 which was in the northern part of Palestine, which was 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:38.600 not as densely populated as Jerusalem and Judea. You can 0:15:38.640 --> 0:15:43.200 do publicly what you've been doing privately. You can take 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:45.800 this show on the road. We can get you a 0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:50.120 headlining spot at the Coachella. Of the Old Testament. This 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:53.040 was the feast where they would come and build booths. 0:15:53.080 --> 0:15:56.240 It was actually called the Festival of Booths or Tabernacles. 0:15:56.560 --> 0:15:58.600 And they would build the booth when they got there, 0:15:58.880 --> 0:16:01.040 and they would stay for a while, and they would 0:16:01.080 --> 0:16:03.880 thank God for the water that he gave them, and 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:06.800 they would thank God for the sustenance that he gave them. 0:16:07.120 --> 0:16:10.240 They would remember in the wilderness how God saw his 0:16:10.360 --> 0:16:13.480 people through even though they didn't have quail or grain. 0:16:13.760 --> 0:16:16.880 But he made manna, which literally means what is it, 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:20.480 and it means what it is? So God meets what 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:22.960 is it? With what it is, and it shows that 0:16:23.000 --> 0:16:25.960 he can show up in any situation and take what 0:16:26.000 --> 0:16:28.920 it is, and when he fills what it is with 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:31.560 who he is, it will become what you need it 0:16:31.600 --> 0:16:34.720 to be for the season that you're in. Two people 0:16:34.760 --> 0:16:38.880 recognize good preaching when they hear it, and they say, 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:43.520 come on and do some of the flashy stuff that 0:16:43.560 --> 0:16:46.880 you've been doing here in Nazareth, and take this show 0:16:46.960 --> 0:16:50.840 fifty five miles south to Judea. And if you can 0:16:50.880 --> 0:16:54.280 do these public things in front of people, you can 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:58.640 become a public figure. In fact, that's the phrase that 0:16:58.760 --> 0:17:02.200 drew me to the text. It said, no one who 0:17:02.240 --> 0:17:07.560 wants to become a public figure acts in secret. We 0:17:07.680 --> 0:17:11.040 live in a time where everybody wants to be a 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:15.120 public figure. We live in a time and please don't 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:18.160 get mad at me for saying this, where even people 0:17:18.560 --> 0:17:24.120 who have a private account spend their whole LIFs posting 0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:28.879 stuff and commenting on stuff to create an image and 0:17:28.920 --> 0:17:33.199 a projection of a reality that may bear no resemblance. 0:17:33.200 --> 0:17:35.640 The awkward golf collapse really helped me. I appreciate that 0:17:36.560 --> 0:17:41.160 to the reality of their situation and Jesus's brothers pull 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:44.560 them aside and say, we've got a great idea. Why 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:48.439 don't you show the world who you really are. The 0:17:48.520 --> 0:17:50.600 interesting thing about the text, and I'm gonna give this 0:17:50.640 --> 0:17:53.760 to you quick, because the nexus of this text is 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:58.280 in verse five. It says that even Jesus' brothers did 0:17:58.320 --> 0:18:04.480 not believe in him, and since they didn't believe, they 0:18:04.480 --> 0:18:09.040 were trying to get him to perform. Any time you 0:18:09.160 --> 0:18:12.560 have unbelief in your heart, it will cause you to 0:18:12.640 --> 0:18:16.879 try to perform to prove something that you don't really believe. 0:18:19.200 --> 0:18:24.160 In psychological terms, it's called the fraudulence complex, or some 0:18:24.240 --> 0:18:28.520 call it the impostor syndrome, and it speaks about how 0:18:28.600 --> 0:18:34.359 many of us have an inability to internalize our strengths 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:40.080 and our accomplishments. Psychologists call it the impostor syndrome because 0:18:40.119 --> 0:18:44.399 they say that many of us secretly, deep down feel 0:18:44.440 --> 0:18:48.960 like we're a fraud. Many of us secretly, deep down 0:18:49.359 --> 0:18:52.480 feel like we have so much less to offer than 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:56.640 what people expect, and that even when people compliment us, 0:18:56.920 --> 0:19:00.160 we figure that the reason that they're complimenting us is 0:19:00.160 --> 0:19:02.800 because they don't really see us for who we are. 0:19:03.440 --> 0:19:05.600 And if they ever saw us for who we are, 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:09.199 if they ever saw how stupid we feel. If they 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:13.120 ever saw how inexperienced we feel, if they really saw 0:19:13.119 --> 0:19:16.760 how nervous we really feel, they would kick us out 0:19:16.840 --> 0:19:20.800 the room. It happens to fathers, It happens to mothers. 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:25.119 It happens to leaders, it happens to teenagers. It is 0:19:25.240 --> 0:19:29.520 the fear of being found out to be less than 0:19:29.560 --> 0:19:32.800 they thought you were. It is the fear that keeps 0:19:32.840 --> 0:19:36.159 you in a performance mode. It is the fear that 0:19:36.280 --> 0:19:40.479 keeps you spending money to look like something important, because 0:19:40.520 --> 0:19:44.080 deep down you're afraid that you're really not. It is 0:19:44.160 --> 0:19:47.680 the fear that keeps you over compensating, and you get 0:19:47.720 --> 0:19:50.800 in situations and rather than letting other people be the 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:54.520 center of attention, you feel the need to overcompensate to 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:57.680 show how intelligent you are because deep down you don't 0:19:57.680 --> 0:20:01.280 feel intelligent enough, so people think you're cocky, but you're 0:20:01.320 --> 0:20:05.320 really not cocky. You're scared with the conflict between who 0:20:05.520 --> 0:20:08.040 they think you're supposed to be and who you feel 0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:12.639 like you really are. It's called the imposter syndrome. It 0:20:12.680 --> 0:20:16.760 means that sometimes even as I'm trying to fulfill my purpose, 0:20:17.119 --> 0:20:20.280 I feel like a fake. It's not that I'm a hypocrite. 0:20:20.520 --> 0:20:24.399 It's not that I'm insincere. It's just that deep down inside, 0:20:24.680 --> 0:20:27.720 I'm a man who sometimes feels like a little boy. 0:20:28.080 --> 0:20:31.280 I'm a preacher who sometimes feels like a sinner. I 0:20:31.320 --> 0:20:34.320 want to be wise, but sometimes I feel like a fool. 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:38.160 And I'm wondering, is there anybody here who lately has 0:20:38.200 --> 0:20:49.440 been up under the pressure of an expectation? And when 0:20:49.480 --> 0:20:54.800 you feel that, the temptation and the tendency is to 0:20:54.920 --> 0:21:00.399 prove it. I gotta prove I'm a good dad, prove 0:21:00.800 --> 0:21:03.199 I'm a good mom. I got to prove I'm a 0:21:03.240 --> 0:21:07.280 good preacher. I got to prove it. And when you 0:21:07.320 --> 0:21:09.800 do it to prove it, it takes the joy out 0:21:09.840 --> 0:21:17.119 of it. See Jesus, Jesus didn't mind performing miracles. He 0:21:17.280 --> 0:21:20.760 just wasn't going to do it for the wrong motives. 0:21:21.480 --> 0:21:25.480 Jesus was going to Judea. He just wasn't going to 0:21:25.520 --> 0:21:30.359 make a public spectacle out of his power. Jesus was 0:21:30.520 --> 0:21:34.960 ultimately determined to show the world who he was, but 0:21:35.119 --> 0:21:46.280 he wasn't going to do it for the gram. I 0:21:46.320 --> 0:21:50.000 think the key thing that he says in the text 0:21:50.920 --> 0:21:55.919 is not now I'm going to Judea, which is the 0:21:55.960 --> 0:21:59.919 region where he would ultimately give his life, but not now. 0:22:02.040 --> 0:22:04.720 And it's such a weird world we live in, isn't it. 0:22:05.840 --> 0:22:09.600 I mean, I'm so scared for my kids. Honestly, I 0:22:09.640 --> 0:22:13.480 don't even know what to tell them about growing up 0:22:13.520 --> 0:22:16.720 in a time where we've always had the pressure, but 0:22:16.840 --> 0:22:22.320 now the performance. Now everybody gets to experience performance anxiety 0:22:22.400 --> 0:22:25.080 because we all perform our lives for one another all 0:22:25.119 --> 0:22:31.359 the time, just constantly. I mean, if you cook a 0:22:31.400 --> 0:22:35.159 good meal for your family, it does not count unless 0:22:35.200 --> 0:22:41.000 you make an Instagram story out of the meal. This 0:22:41.080 --> 0:22:45.040 is a very common thing to preach about. Is common 0:22:45.920 --> 0:22:51.159 because it's killing us. Jesus said, if I go to 0:22:51.280 --> 0:22:55.000 Judea for the wrong reasons, and if I show up 0:22:55.040 --> 0:22:58.320 with the wrong motives, and if I live my life 0:22:58.840 --> 0:23:02.919 to perform for others rather than to glorify my father, 0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:08.480 it'll kill me. The religious leaders were waiting to literally 0:23:08.600 --> 0:23:11.600 kill Jesus. But I wonder, what are the things that 0:23:11.640 --> 0:23:16.399 are killing you? It says that he purposely stayed away 0:23:16.840 --> 0:23:20.840 from Judea. What do you need to purposely stay away 0:23:20.880 --> 0:23:24.760 from in this season of your life? What do you 0:23:24.840 --> 0:23:28.600 need to purposely stop thinking about in this season of 0:23:28.640 --> 0:23:32.280 your life, who do you need to purposely stop comparing 0:23:32.320 --> 0:23:36.600 yourself to in this season of your life? For me, 0:23:37.240 --> 0:23:45.560 it's Buck. I was doing squats the other day and Chunks, 0:23:46.560 --> 0:23:49.199 Chunks was watching me do these squats and I was 0:23:49.280 --> 0:23:53.560 doing them deep, deep squats. I only do leg day 0:23:53.760 --> 0:23:55.679 once every six weeks, so I got to make it 0:23:55.720 --> 0:23:57.919 count when I do it. And I don't know if 0:23:57.960 --> 0:23:59.440 I can do it in these genes. I should have 0:23:59.520 --> 0:24:02.960 tested this. I hadn't done this illustration yet, but I mean, 0:24:03.040 --> 0:24:06.720 I was down deep on the squad. Now. Buck wasn't 0:24:06.720 --> 0:24:09.800 there that day. Chunks was there, and Chunks was spotting 0:24:09.840 --> 0:24:13.640 me and he said, what are you doing? And I said, 0:24:13.680 --> 0:24:17.240 I'm doing I'm doing my squats like Buck. But he 0:24:17.280 --> 0:24:20.720 said something so important. He said, don't do them like Buck. 0:24:22.440 --> 0:24:30.560 Buck is built different than you. You're gonna break your 0:24:30.720 --> 0:24:35.920 back trying to be like Buck. And I wonder how 0:24:35.920 --> 0:24:42.760 we look to God trying to You are gonna snap 0:24:42.880 --> 0:24:49.320 your hamstring, you are gonna pop your quads, trying to 0:24:49.600 --> 0:24:54.040 trying to be Buck, getting getting trying to turn, trying 0:24:54.080 --> 0:24:59.159 to I went on Instagram the other day and I 0:24:59.200 --> 0:25:03.679 saw I I saw Kevin Hart, and I felt like 0:25:03.760 --> 0:25:08.800 a failure in my whole life. I felt like, what 0:25:09.000 --> 0:25:12.520 am I doing with my whole life? What is the 0:25:12.640 --> 0:25:20.080 point of my existence? Within fifteen seconds, here I am 0:25:20.119 --> 0:25:23.480 with a burden on me that I wasn't built for 0:25:24.320 --> 0:25:31.359 by comparing myself to someone with a different calling. And 0:25:31.560 --> 0:25:35.680 please don't judge me while I am in this vulnerable position, 0:25:37.040 --> 0:25:40.359 because the truth of the matter is some of you 0:25:40.440 --> 0:25:43.240 are hurting in ways that you don't have to hurt, 0:25:44.000 --> 0:25:47.679 because you are putting yourself in a position that you 0:25:47.760 --> 0:25:51.040 were not built to live in. Jesus said, I'm not 0:25:51.280 --> 0:25:54.800 going to Judea because you want me to go to Judea. 0:25:55.359 --> 0:25:57.879 I don't have to post it to prove it. I 0:25:57.920 --> 0:26:01.040 don't have to turn stones into breadth to show that 0:26:01.119 --> 0:26:04.160 I'm the son of God. I live out of purpose, 0:26:04.640 --> 0:26:08.400 not for popularity. I live out of purpose, not for 0:26:08.440 --> 0:26:11.320 the praises of men, but for the praise that can 0:26:11.359 --> 0:26:14.840 only come from God. And I wonder if there's somebody 0:26:14.880 --> 0:26:18.439 today who is content to stay in Galilee to know 0:26:18.520 --> 0:26:23.600 that it's my season to be obedient. And that's all 0:26:23.640 --> 0:26:32.119 I have to do. All I have to do is 0:26:32.240 --> 0:26:38.600 be obedient in this season of my life. And Jesus said, 0:26:39.000 --> 0:26:47.440 you'll go. I'm not going. Not now you'll go. I'm 0:26:47.440 --> 0:26:51.960 gonna stay. I'm purposely staying away because if I go 0:26:52.080 --> 0:26:55.280 here to impress people with that motive, it'll kill me. 0:26:56.840 --> 0:27:00.239 And trying to impress people and trying to as you're 0:27:00.320 --> 0:27:03.480 up to arbitrary standards that are changing so fast, it'll 0:27:03.600 --> 0:27:07.120 kill your contentment, it'll kill your joy, it'll kill your marriage, 0:27:07.280 --> 0:27:12.920 it'll kill your ministry, it'll kill your family. And now 0:27:12.960 --> 0:27:19.880 even Jesus couldn't please everybody, and he was sinless and spotless. Jesus, 0:27:20.280 --> 0:27:24.159 Jesus Christ, the Son of God, couldn't please everybody, and 0:27:24.200 --> 0:27:30.840 we expect that we can. Even Jesus had to say, 0:27:31.000 --> 0:27:33.800 y'all are my family. I love you, but it's not 0:27:33.880 --> 0:27:40.639 for me, and just those words, it's not for me. 0:27:42.359 --> 0:27:44.399 You ought to go down there, as Judea, show them 0:27:44.400 --> 0:27:46.840 what you've made of because I think they were under 0:27:46.840 --> 0:27:49.840 pressure too. Honestly, I think probably it was a lot 0:27:49.840 --> 0:27:53.960 of pressure to be a sibling of Jesus. And you're 0:27:54.000 --> 0:27:58.119 bringing home seas in chemistry, you know, and he's turning 0:27:58.160 --> 0:28:02.080 water into wine like affect molecular structures in real time, 0:28:06.160 --> 0:28:10.080 a lot of pressure. You got that weird brother, you know, 0:28:10.560 --> 0:28:12.719 the one who stays at the temple teaching people at 0:28:12.760 --> 0:28:19.119 age twelve. It's a pressure to feel special. And sometimes 0:28:19.160 --> 0:28:22.880 the pressure that we feel to be special does not 0:28:22.920 --> 0:28:27.840 come from God. It comes from culture, who tells you 0:28:27.960 --> 0:28:31.760 that you've got to be so special, so different, so unique, 0:28:31.880 --> 0:28:36.600 so set apart. But you already, are you already? Are 0:28:39.400 --> 0:28:45.880 you already? Are already? Am set apart? Jesus? If you 0:28:45.920 --> 0:28:47.960 go down to Judea, you could, you could, really, you 0:28:47.960 --> 0:28:49.960 could show them who you are. You could, you could 0:28:49.960 --> 0:28:51.800 show them who you are. I don't need to show them. 0:28:52.720 --> 0:28:57.720 I know. When you live out of that place, it 0:28:57.800 --> 0:29:00.840 affects you to be able to do it for purpose 0:29:02.200 --> 0:29:06.640 and not for proof, because really, who are you trying 0:29:06.640 --> 0:29:09.520 to prove it to? I mean, whoever you're trying to 0:29:09.520 --> 0:29:13.960 prove something to isn't paying attention, because they're trying to 0:29:13.960 --> 0:29:17.760 prove it to somebody who's not paying attention. And they're 0:29:17.760 --> 0:29:21.040 proving it to someone who's not paying attention. And so 0:29:21.160 --> 0:29:24.040 while we're busy posting to each other our results to 0:29:24.120 --> 0:29:28.160 prove to one another what we're worth, our purpose is 0:29:28.280 --> 0:29:37.680 dying in the place of our insecurity. When you know 0:29:37.760 --> 0:29:41.400 it's real, when you know it's authentic, it enables you 0:29:41.440 --> 0:29:43.320 to do it from a place of purpose. I'm going 0:29:43.360 --> 0:29:46.240 to Judea, I'm going to go. I'm just not going 0:29:46.320 --> 0:29:49.880 to go because you pushed me into it. Be careful 0:29:49.920 --> 0:29:55.080 what you let people or cultural norms push you into. 0:29:56.640 --> 0:29:59.040 You'll never be pushed into purpose. You will be pulled 0:29:59.040 --> 0:30:03.520 from within. If it's pushing, it's not purpose. God does 0:30:03.560 --> 0:30:09.360 not drive, he leads. They are very different. Jesus said, 0:30:09.400 --> 0:30:13.000 I'm going when it's time for me to go. I'm 0:30:13.040 --> 0:30:17.320 not going for clout. I'm going for Cairos. That's the 0:30:17.360 --> 0:30:21.800 Greek word that means the timing of God. In Greek philosophy, 0:30:22.040 --> 0:30:26.960 fate determined timing. In Kingdom philosophy, God determines timing. It 0:30:27.040 --> 0:30:29.640 means I'm where I need to be right now, and 0:30:29.680 --> 0:30:33.720 I'm good in Galilee. I'm good in Galilee. I'm good 0:30:33.720 --> 0:30:37.320 if nobody knows my name. I'm good being anonymous. I 0:30:37.400 --> 0:30:39.720 was listening to a podcast the other day with a 0:30:39.760 --> 0:30:42.560 former First Lady of the United States, and she said 0:30:42.600 --> 0:30:45.440 the number one sacrifice that she gave to serve the 0:30:45.440 --> 0:30:49.160 country was the loss of anonymity. That Isn't it crazy 0:30:49.320 --> 0:30:51.920 that everybody else is trying to climb out of the 0:30:51.960 --> 0:30:56.880 thing that she wishes she could have back, And now 0:30:56.920 --> 0:30:59.640 we've got a whole generation that's just trying to be 0:30:59.800 --> 0:31:03.000 a public figure. I went on somebody's Instagram account the 0:31:03.000 --> 0:31:06.280 other day. They had seventy followers, and it said public 0:31:06.320 --> 0:31:08.920 figure under the name. Why do you need a label 0:31:09.600 --> 0:31:13.400 so bad? Why do you so badly need to be 0:31:13.520 --> 0:31:17.640 perceived by others? It's the pressure to be special, It's 0:31:17.680 --> 0:31:21.000 the pressure to be important. But when you belong to 0:31:21.120 --> 0:31:23.320 God and you are living on assignment, and you know 0:31:23.400 --> 0:31:26.400 your anointing and you know your gift, it takes the 0:31:26.480 --> 0:31:30.640 pressure off. Because I'm good in Galilee. I'll walk on 0:31:30.800 --> 0:31:34.840 water in Galilee. I'll heal blind eyes in Galilee. I'll 0:31:34.960 --> 0:31:44.280 teach in Galilee, I'll pray in Galilee. I'm good in Galilee. 0:31:45.080 --> 0:31:50.880 I see it even seep into our ministry in very 0:31:50.920 --> 0:31:54.760 subtle ways when we sit down to measure our ministry. 0:31:55.240 --> 0:31:59.360 If I'm not careful, I will become so performance oriented 0:32:00.080 --> 0:32:03.000 in the way I pastor this church that I will 0:32:03.000 --> 0:32:07.120 get my priorities more on the statistics than the substance 0:32:12.960 --> 0:32:15.200 and I felt it happening the other day because we're 0:32:15.240 --> 0:32:17.840 looking at all of these Instagram posts that we put out, 0:32:17.840 --> 0:32:20.760 and we use it all. I promise you Jesus would 0:32:20.760 --> 0:32:22.840 have had an Instagram account. It would have been the 0:32:22.880 --> 0:32:25.840 dopest Instagram account that you've ever seen in your life. 0:32:25.920 --> 0:32:28.040 You would have swiped up and got healed. You wouldn't 0:32:28.080 --> 0:32:30.280 even had to click on anything after that. It would 0:32:30.280 --> 0:32:34.520 have been but swipe up and lose your leprosy. It 0:32:34.560 --> 0:32:37.520 would have been an amazing Instagram account. But what I'm 0:32:37.560 --> 0:32:40.120 saying about it is I was in this moment where 0:32:40.160 --> 0:32:44.200 we were showing how this post perform, perform, perform, perform. Now, 0:32:44.200 --> 0:32:47.400 for me, that's a dangerous word because I am performance 0:32:47.440 --> 0:32:50.640 oriented by nature. I don't know why I would ask 0:32:50.680 --> 0:32:53.320 for your prayers for that. I sometimes feel like I'm 0:32:53.360 --> 0:32:55.720 just showing up to regular conversations and oh God, I 0:32:55.800 --> 0:32:57.600 hope I say the right thing. I had a friend 0:32:57.640 --> 0:32:59.600 who got in trouble the other day, and it took 0:32:59.600 --> 0:33:01.800 me a week to call him, not because I didn't 0:33:01.800 --> 0:33:03.760 care about him, but because I didn't think I would 0:33:03.800 --> 0:33:06.520 have anything valid to say, so rather than call him 0:33:06.520 --> 0:33:08.800 and say what I had, I waited and hurt him 0:33:08.800 --> 0:33:10.720 by not calling because I didn't think i'd have something 0:33:10.760 --> 0:33:13.120 to say. And when I finally called him, I realized 0:33:13.160 --> 0:33:16.400 he didn't need my performance. He just needed my presence. 0:33:20.440 --> 0:33:25.239 He didn't need me to say anything. He didn't need 0:33:25.280 --> 0:33:30.800 me to say anything. He just needed me to be there. 0:33:32.920 --> 0:33:37.880 And when you don't believe that, it kills you. Unbelief 0:33:37.920 --> 0:33:41.719 always leads to performance. They didn't believe in him. They 0:33:41.720 --> 0:33:43.800 thought he was a fraud. When you think you're a fraud, 0:33:43.800 --> 0:33:45.440 when you get unbelief in your heart, when you go 0:33:45.520 --> 0:33:52.720 to those places in your mind, you kill yourself trying 0:33:52.720 --> 0:34:01.920 to prove something. You know. We're analyzing, and you can 0:34:01.960 --> 0:34:03.840 look at it. You can look at how how many 0:34:03.880 --> 0:34:06.120 people like this post. And here's a sermon clip we 0:34:06.160 --> 0:34:09.759 put out in. Here's a song that we put out in. 0:34:09.840 --> 0:34:12.160 Here's another sermon clip, and this one performed better than 0:34:12.160 --> 0:34:15.160 that one. And that's good to know. I think should 0:34:15.200 --> 0:34:16.960 look at all that. I mean, I definitely want the 0:34:17.000 --> 0:34:20.200 person who's managing my retirement account to look at the 0:34:20.200 --> 0:34:22.239 performance of the retirement account. I don't just want them 0:34:22.280 --> 0:34:24.640 to pray about it. Amen. Now it's losing money, but 0:34:24.680 --> 0:34:26.560 it's a great company. We believe in their values and 0:34:26.600 --> 0:34:31.400 I want to make some money, But with ministry, you 0:34:31.440 --> 0:34:35.919 can't always measure that, can you. And I don't really 0:34:35.960 --> 0:34:40.799 know if the one that got the most likes was 0:34:40.840 --> 0:34:43.960 the one that God used, because who am I to 0:34:44.000 --> 0:34:47.080 say that the one that didn't get as many likes. 0:34:48.840 --> 0:34:53.480 Maybe it came across somebody's feed when their hands were 0:34:53.520 --> 0:34:56.080 shaken too bad to click like or to comment because 0:34:56.120 --> 0:34:58.319 they had a bottle of pills in their hand, and 0:34:58.360 --> 0:35:01.279 something that was spoken through that I just really hit 0:35:01.280 --> 0:35:08.480 their situation. And you can't measure that when you do 0:35:08.560 --> 0:35:13.319 it for the wrong audience, when people don't clap, you quit, 0:35:16.800 --> 0:35:18.440 when they don't say thank you, or when you get 0:35:18.440 --> 0:35:21.560 the feeling like they don't even appreciate me, they don't 0:35:21.600 --> 0:35:27.440 even notice, they wouldn't even miss me, they don't even 0:35:28.440 --> 0:35:30.200 they don't even know what I bring to this. They 0:35:30.200 --> 0:35:37.400 don't really Jesus wasn't doing it for the people, and 0:35:37.440 --> 0:35:40.960 he certainly wasn't doing it for their praise. He was 0:35:41.000 --> 0:35:45.040 doing it for a purpose, and the people were not 0:35:45.080 --> 0:35:49.120 his audience. And when the brothers said, you need to 0:35:49.160 --> 0:35:53.400 do it so they'll see, you need to do it 0:35:53.480 --> 0:35:55.520 so they'll know you need to do it to prove it, 0:35:56.520 --> 0:36:01.160 Jesus said, I believe. Twenty nineteen version Jesus said, I 0:36:01.160 --> 0:36:05.759 don't have to post it to prove it. I don't 0:36:05.760 --> 0:36:08.680 have to do it because they're clapping. I do it 0:36:08.800 --> 0:36:16.279 because I'm called. I'm not doing it for clout. I'm 0:36:16.280 --> 0:36:21.120 doing it for calling. I am not chasing their approval. 0:36:22.000 --> 0:36:26.719 I am fulfilling my assignment. Now, this message is for 0:36:26.760 --> 0:36:29.839 our generation. And I do not mean people that are 0:36:29.880 --> 0:36:33.000 my age. I mean the time that we live in 0:36:33.440 --> 0:36:39.080 is consumed and obsessed with chasing clout, approval and publicity. 0:36:39.440 --> 0:36:43.400 But some things ought to stay private. Some things that 0:36:43.480 --> 0:36:48.000 God does in your life are not for ppa. Some 0:36:48.040 --> 0:36:51.680 things are not for a public display of ability or 0:36:51.760 --> 0:36:55.040 a public display of affection. You know, back in my day, 0:36:55.239 --> 0:36:57.640 if you were making out with somebody in public, they 0:36:57.640 --> 0:37:00.239 would holler at you. Get a room. And I heard 0:37:00.320 --> 0:37:03.239 Jesus say, when you pray, don't do it out in 0:37:03.360 --> 0:37:07.480 public like the Pagans do trying to impress somebody or 0:37:07.480 --> 0:37:11.759 the Pharisees do. But get in a secret place, get 0:37:11.760 --> 0:37:15.720 in your closet, get a room where you get alone 0:37:15.760 --> 0:37:19.480 with God, and ask God what am I called to 0:37:19.480 --> 0:37:22.719 do what am I called to be. I can't take 0:37:22.800 --> 0:37:27.320 my cues from culture or the crowd is killing me. God, 0:37:27.400 --> 0:37:30.480 what do you want me to do in this season? 0:37:30.800 --> 0:37:34.520 It's too much pressure to please people. God. I just 0:37:34.600 --> 0:37:40.680 want to please you. I do it for you. God. 0:37:42.800 --> 0:37:45.960 I show up for you, I stay late for you, 0:37:46.719 --> 0:37:50.360 I forgive for you. I love for you, I serve 0:37:50.440 --> 0:37:53.560 for you. I breathe for you. I live for you. 0:37:53.960 --> 0:37:59.719 I worship for you. It's not for an audience of them. 0:38:00.040 --> 0:38:08.160 God is my audience. And when God is your audience, 0:38:09.360 --> 0:38:15.640 the opinions of people are no longer your sustenance. I 0:38:15.760 --> 0:38:23.520 don't turn stones into bread. We so need this word 0:38:23.560 --> 0:38:25.680 from the Lord because we're sure not going to get 0:38:25.680 --> 0:38:32.200 it from the world. It's getting weirder and weirder and weirder. 0:38:33.080 --> 0:38:37.800 How we're all performing for each other all the time. 0:38:38.480 --> 0:38:43.359 It's exhausting and it sucks and it's worthless and it 0:38:43.440 --> 0:38:49.480 doesn't matter. And God sent me today. Watch this with 0:38:49.600 --> 0:38:56.839 a word of sanity. The crowd will kill you. I 0:38:56.880 --> 0:38:59.400 love the phrase that he put. Jod said there was 0:38:59.560 --> 0:39:05.879 wide spread whispering about Jesus. Everybody had a comment to make, 0:39:05.920 --> 0:39:08.440 but nobody had the courage to say it out loud 0:39:08.480 --> 0:39:11.960 to his face. Everybody was whispering. And this is the 0:39:12.000 --> 0:39:16.560 world that we live in, and when we give too 0:39:16.640 --> 0:39:21.439 much weight to the whispers of people and not enough 0:39:21.480 --> 0:39:25.080 weight to the word of God, it will kill us 0:39:25.480 --> 0:39:36.399 on the inside. So the impostor syndrome was coined as 0:39:36.440 --> 0:39:42.600 a phrase several decades ago in psychological terms, but it's 0:39:42.600 --> 0:39:46.880 as old as Moses, who stood up one day just 0:39:46.920 --> 0:39:50.319 to see a burning bush that wasn't consumed talking about 0:39:50.360 --> 0:39:52.839 who am I that I should go stand before Pharaoh. 0:39:53.600 --> 0:39:57.200 No matter how many miracles God did through Moses, he 0:39:57.320 --> 0:40:00.399 still had trouble believing that he was enough to lead 0:40:00.440 --> 0:40:03.439 the people. That's why he struck the rock instead of 0:40:03.480 --> 0:40:06.319 speaking to it. That's why he was still trying to 0:40:06.360 --> 0:40:09.680 prove at the end of his ministry, I am something, 0:40:10.000 --> 0:40:12.879 I am somebody I can do it. And now I'm 0:40:12.880 --> 0:40:15.800 spending too much money over here, and now I'm spending 0:40:15.840 --> 0:40:18.840 too much energy over here, and now I'm becoming something 0:40:18.880 --> 0:40:21.239 that I don't even like to prove it to who 0:40:23.120 --> 0:40:30.239 to who? Jesus said, I'm going to Judea when it's 0:40:30.320 --> 0:40:36.239 right for me, and God give us the clarity to 0:40:36.320 --> 0:40:42.359 know what's right for us what we're built for, so 0:40:42.440 --> 0:40:48.120 we stop finding ourselves and compromising positions that do not 0:40:48.239 --> 0:40:52.440 even fit our build God, give us the wisdom to 0:40:52.520 --> 0:40:57.880 know when people are pushing us. Just because it's normal 0:40:57.920 --> 0:41:02.080 doesn't mean it's wise. God, give us the wisdom to 0:41:02.160 --> 0:41:06.279 know our timing. Give us the wisdom to know when 0:41:06.280 --> 0:41:09.400 we need to put something in a journal not on Facebook. 0:41:10.320 --> 0:41:17.280 Give us the wisdom to know when it's your voice. Father, 0:41:17.360 --> 0:41:19.759 I thank you for what you've spoken today, and I 0:41:20.000 --> 0:41:22.160 believe that I will be hearing for a long time 0:41:24.000 --> 0:41:29.560 how it was applied in individual lives. With everyone standing, 0:41:29.960 --> 0:41:32.879 I want to pray a prayer or a blessing over 0:41:32.960 --> 0:41:36.440 you today that if you can receive it with your spirit, 0:41:37.880 --> 0:41:42.080 it will save you so much pain and consternation and 0:41:42.120 --> 0:41:49.160 agony to be able to receive that you don't have 0:41:49.200 --> 0:41:51.719 to live on bread alone, but every word that proceeds 0:41:51.719 --> 0:41:54.880 from the mouth of God. And just to know in 0:41:54.960 --> 0:41:59.960 this moment that it is okay to stay in Galilee, 0:42:03.480 --> 0:42:08.560 it's okay to operate in your gift, it's okay to 0:42:08.600 --> 0:42:11.239 do it the way you need to do it, and 0:42:11.280 --> 0:42:14.919 that proving stuff to people never produce the power of God. 0:42:15.200 --> 0:42:19.600 Never Even when Jesus hung on the cross, they were 0:42:19.719 --> 0:42:21.960 still trying to get him to prove it. If you 0:42:22.040 --> 0:42:24.800 are the son of God, come down from that cross. 0:42:25.000 --> 0:42:28.400 But he couldn't come down. He wasn't up there to 0:42:28.480 --> 0:42:31.600 prove it. He was up there to do it for 0:42:31.680 --> 0:42:35.239 you and for me, to despise the shame and to 0:42:35.440 --> 0:42:43.920 endure the cross. The presence of the Lord is here 0:42:45.280 --> 0:42:49.799 to remind you of your righteousness and to remind you 0:42:51.440 --> 0:42:54.400 that you don't have to perform a religious act or 0:42:54.440 --> 0:42:59.360 a behavior modification program to be accepted by your heavenly Father. 0:43:00.480 --> 0:43:03.680 With your head's bowed and your eyes closed, there's somebody 0:43:03.719 --> 0:43:06.359 here who's been feeling like you're not enough, and it 0:43:06.360 --> 0:43:11.319 has caused you to enter into modes of communication and 0:43:11.480 --> 0:43:15.040 methods of life and paces of lifestyle that do not 0:43:15.120 --> 0:43:18.600 even fit your assignment or your calling. And there are 0:43:18.640 --> 0:43:21.200 some places that you're going to purposely need to stay 0:43:21.239 --> 0:43:25.760 away from in the coming days. Places in your mind 0:43:26.200 --> 0:43:29.880 and places in your imagination. There are places that you 0:43:29.920 --> 0:43:33.680 will need to stay away from on purpose in order 0:43:33.719 --> 0:43:37.040 to live in peace. And you've been under a pressure 0:43:37.400 --> 0:43:40.120 that did not come from God, to live up to 0:43:40.200 --> 0:43:44.800 something that was not even originated in his heart. Today, 0:43:44.840 --> 0:43:47.680 I pray that the peace of God would be your 0:43:47.760 --> 0:43:51.040 portion as you enter this next season of your life, 0:43:51.360 --> 0:43:53.799 and that whatever you do, you would not do it 0:43:53.840 --> 0:43:57.239 for popularity or for praise, but that you would do 0:43:57.280 --> 0:44:01.440 it on purpose, that you would do it with an 0:44:01.480 --> 0:44:05.720 intentionality like Jesus had as he set his face toward 0:44:05.960 --> 0:44:10.120 the future with destiny in his heart, praying, even under 0:44:10.160 --> 0:44:13.399 pressure in the garden of gethsemone, nevertheless, not my will, 0:44:13.440 --> 0:44:16.400 but Thine be done. May God give you this spirit 0:44:16.600 --> 0:44:20.640 of focus and determination to raise your family and to 0:44:20.760 --> 0:44:23.799 run your race, and to live your life, and to 0:44:23.920 --> 0:44:30.080 ignore the whispers to come out of unbelief. Stop trying 0:44:30.120 --> 0:44:34.040 to prove it. You don't have to prove it. It's 0:44:34.080 --> 0:44:40.200 already spoken. It's already settled. With heads bout and eyes closed. 0:44:40.880 --> 0:44:43.680 This is the moment of our service where we give 0:44:43.719 --> 0:44:47.560 you the opportunity to begin a relationship with God. If 0:44:47.600 --> 0:44:50.399 you are here today and you are far away from God, 0:44:50.440 --> 0:44:52.960 you don't have to leave that way, and you don't 0:44:53.000 --> 0:44:55.520 have to perform up to a standard. That's what they 0:44:55.560 --> 0:44:58.279 tried to do through the law, but nobody could keep it. 0:44:58.440 --> 0:45:01.680 There is no unrighteous one and you can make plans 0:45:01.719 --> 0:45:04.440 to change your life, and you can have better priorities, 0:45:04.560 --> 0:45:06.560 and you could try to be a better person, but 0:45:06.600 --> 0:45:08.760 none of it will get you there. It all comes 0:45:08.800 --> 0:45:11.359 down to the grace of God. It all comes down 0:45:11.440 --> 0:45:14.560 to believing and surrendering your life to Him. And I 0:45:14.640 --> 0:45:17.719 believe there are a special few today that God brought 0:45:17.760 --> 0:45:20.799 you here for this moment, for this moment, that He 0:45:20.800 --> 0:45:23.799 can make you his child, that He can give you 0:45:23.880 --> 0:45:26.520 a new beginning in your life, that you can begin 0:45:26.600 --> 0:45:28.880 to walk with Him, that you can give your life 0:45:28.920 --> 0:45:31.600 to Jesus Christ. And with our heads bowed and our 0:45:31.600 --> 0:45:34.960 eyes closed, we pray together as a church family, out 0:45:35.080 --> 0:45:38.160 loud on every campus for the benefit of those who 0:45:38.200 --> 0:45:40.440 are coming to God or coming back to God. The 0:45:40.480 --> 0:45:43.240 Bible says, if you confess with your mouth Jesus's Lord, 0:45:43.520 --> 0:45:45.839 and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, 0:45:46.120 --> 0:45:48.759 you will be saved. It is by grace you are 0:45:48.800 --> 0:45:51.480 saved through faith. It is the gift of God, not 0:45:51.600 --> 0:45:54.320 of work, So no one can boast. It's not about 0:45:54.320 --> 0:45:57.080 what you can do, It's about what has already been done. 0:45:57.280 --> 0:46:01.279 He died for you, he rose for you today. This 0:46:01.320 --> 0:46:04.120 can be your moment with heads about and eyes closed. 0:46:04.280 --> 0:46:06.360 If you want to give your life to Jesus Christ, 0:46:06.600 --> 0:46:10.000 repeat this prayer after me. Church Family, pray along, Heavenly Father. 0:46:10.840 --> 0:46:14.800 I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God 0:46:15.560 --> 0:46:19.120 and the Savior of the world. And today I make 0:46:19.239 --> 0:46:22.959 Jesus the Lord of my life. I believe he died 0:46:23.680 --> 0:46:27.239 that I could be forgiven and rose again to give 0:46:27.280 --> 0:46:32.520 me life. I receive this new life. This is my 0:46:32.680 --> 0:46:35.080 new beginning. On the count of three, if you prayed 0:46:35.120 --> 0:46:37.839 that prayer, shoots your hand up high. One, two, three. 0:46:37.880 --> 0:46:41.879 I want to celebrate with you. Bless you God, Bless Him, 0:46:42.440 --> 0:46:45.600 bless Him. I think we can celebrate better than that. 0:46:46.360 --> 0:46:49.360 Let's do it like a family. Let's do it like 0:46:49.440 --> 0:46:53.640 the angels. Let's throw a little party, a little birthday party. 0:46:54.080 --> 0:46:57.120 Come on, let's throw a little birthday party. Welcome to 0:46:57.160 --> 0:47:03.400 the Family of God. Thank you for joining us. Special 0:47:03.440 --> 0:47:06.280 thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry. 0:47:06.600 --> 0:47:09.560 Is because of you that this ministry is possible. You 0:47:09.600 --> 0:47:11.960 can click the link in the description to give now, 0:47:12.560 --> 0:47:16.400 or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more information, 0:47:16.960 --> 0:47:20.080 and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You 0:47:20.120 --> 0:47:22.160 can share it with your friends. You can click the 0:47:22.200 --> 0:47:24.480 share button, take a screenshot and share it on your 0:47:24.520 --> 0:47:27.480 social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again 0:47:27.520 --> 0:47:33.680 for listening. God bless you.