Your Season To Succeed

0:00:01.960 --> 0:00:04.480 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.760 --> 0:00:07.000 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:07.000 --> 0:00:10.319 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:12.400 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.400 --> 0:00:15.120 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:17.400 --> 0:00:20.360 We're in the final week of a series called Kingdom 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:23.160 Cloud and have you enjoyed the series? Has it been 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:29.960 a blessing to well? You may be seated. We're going 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:34.160 to finish it off together today. And it's interesting because 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:38.000 my brother asked me, has the series been a success? 0:00:38.840 --> 0:00:42.120 He's been deployed and so he hasn't been able to 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.080 get a good Wi Fi connection and watch. He's in 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:48.599 the Air Force, and this is a series successful? And 0:00:48.640 --> 0:00:50.519 it made me pause, and I didn't know how to 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:53.960 answer it, because how do you judge something like that? 0:00:55.640 --> 0:01:00.200 How do you measure the success of a message or 0:01:00.240 --> 0:01:04.360 message series? Would it be like one book I read 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:09.920 said the sermon was a success if it sticks. There's 0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:11.959 a book I'm preaching. They said you need to make 0:01:12.000 --> 0:01:15.720 it sticky. Sermon's supposed to stick. I think that's duct 0:01:15.720 --> 0:01:19.840 tape you're thinking of. It's uh, because like some things 0:01:19.880 --> 0:01:24.200 are sticky, but they're not significant. I remember the macarena. 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:29.880 That doesn't make it a life changing discovery of my life. 0:01:30.120 --> 0:01:34.000 I remember my first girlfriend's name. She didn't mean anything 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:41.160 to me. So it's not necessarily meaningful because you memorized it. 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:43.440 Six eight eight four to two oh three is Danny 0:01:43.480 --> 0:01:45.280 fox Firths's phone number in case you want to call him. 0:01:45.280 --> 0:01:47.480 Here's my best friend in third grade. I remember his number. 0:01:48.920 --> 0:01:50.480 People are going to be blowing him up right now. 0:01:50.640 --> 0:01:54.960 I'm ynny. But it's got to be something more than 0:01:55.200 --> 0:01:58.840 memorable to make it meaningful. I mean, some of the 0:01:58.880 --> 0:02:02.280 most meaningful stuff in our life we can't remember. You 0:02:02.320 --> 0:02:04.240 ever tried to call the role of your kids' names 0:02:04.280 --> 0:02:10.640 and you can't pull them up, and so it's not 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:14.960 that you know. I thought about what makes a successful series. 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:19.639 What would make it successful if people watched it on YouTube, 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:21.920 then PewDiePie is the greatest preacher in the world. If 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:27.160 that's what makes it successful, if it clicks, or how 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:35.200 about this, if people enjoyed it, If they enjoyed it. So, 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:38.720 if you have a comfortable workout, it was a successful workout. 0:02:39.440 --> 0:02:41.480 I just had a great workout what was great about it. 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:44.359 It was just very relaxing. Oh the thing you did 0:02:44.360 --> 0:02:48.440 it right, or a successful surgery, it's not measured by 0:02:48.480 --> 0:02:51.080 the amount of comfort. We didn't get the tumor, but 0:02:51.160 --> 0:02:56.760 we had a great time. It was really, really, really heartwarm. 0:02:56.840 --> 0:03:01.240 So when I thought about that was the success, I thought, 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:06.640 how many people are asking that about their life? How 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:09.560 many people are trying to measure? You know, the more 0:03:09.600 --> 0:03:13.560 it matters, the harder it is to measure. The stuff 0:03:13.600 --> 0:03:17.400 that really matters is hard to measure. And so what 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:19.480 we do we substitute out what we've been saying in 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:23.800 this series, artificial measurements of things that are less significant 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:26.720 or that are visible, because the things that are invisible, 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:29.160 the Kingdom of God, it comes in a way that's 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:32.760 hard to measure. And I don't think there's a person 0:03:33.280 --> 0:03:35.840 that I'm sitting across the counter from today. That's how 0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:37.640 I visualize it in my mind, like we're sitting in 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:39.560 your kitchen, like I showed up, you poured me a 0:03:39.600 --> 0:03:42.520 bowl of cereal, and we had this conversation. I don't 0:03:42.520 --> 0:03:45.720 think there's a person that would be across that counter 0:03:46.000 --> 0:03:48.360 that would say, in every area of my life I'm 0:03:48.440 --> 0:03:52.760 killing it. And I don't think there's a person that 0:03:52.760 --> 0:03:55.520 would sit across and say, there's absolutely nothing in my 0:03:55.600 --> 0:03:58.840 life that I feel successful at. But me, I'm really 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:02.560 hard on myself. And it balances out because Holly is 0:04:02.560 --> 0:04:05.920 not hard enough on herself. And you're like, why would 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:08.440 you say that about your wife? She would tell you 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:12.640 the same thing. She keeps me from quitting and I 0:04:12.840 --> 0:04:16.240 keep her from sitting on the couch all the time. Now, 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:19.840 she's a very hard worker. But one thing that I 0:04:19.880 --> 0:04:23.240 really appreciate about her is she has the ability to 0:04:23.360 --> 0:04:26.200 encourage herself. She'll be like, I'm eating French fries because 0:04:26.200 --> 0:04:33.960 I rode my peloton, like it cancels out in her mind. Anyway, 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:36.640 I want to close the series today talking about your 0:04:36.800 --> 0:04:40.599 definition of success because I think it's important and I 0:04:40.600 --> 0:04:43.159 think a lot of people secretly feel like they're failing, 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:48.320 even if people think that they're winning. And that's an 0:04:48.320 --> 0:04:50.760 interesting thing. Isn't it for people to think one thing, 0:04:50.839 --> 0:04:55.159 but for you to know another and to really really 0:04:55.320 --> 0:04:58.279 wrestle with this topic of your definition of success. The 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:02.400 first thing we need to do is reclaim the biblical 0:05:02.480 --> 0:05:07.159 concept of blessing. There's a scripture that I memorized. I 0:05:07.160 --> 0:05:08.919 guess it was in college, and I don't have it 0:05:09.000 --> 0:05:12.039 quite as sharp as I did back then. But someone says, 0:05:12.160 --> 0:05:15.080 blessed is the man who does not walk in the 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:17.560 council of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, 0:05:17.640 --> 0:05:19.800 or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight 0:05:20.200 --> 0:05:21.479 is in the law of the Lord. And on his 0:05:21.560 --> 0:05:24.400 law he meditates day and night. He is like a 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:28.159 tree that is planted by streams of water. What's the 0:05:28.200 --> 0:05:31.960 next part, oh, which yields this fruit? I did not 0:05:32.080 --> 0:05:35.800 successfully quote the scripture. I guess which yields his fruit 0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:40.839 in season? And whose leaf does not wither? Whatever he 0:05:40.880 --> 0:05:45.600 does prospers. And so you're like, by that definition of success, 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:50.200 whatever he does prospers or works, I am not successful. 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:52.960 But here's the thing about it. The psalm starts with 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:58.040 a word that we translate blessed, blessed. It's how David 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:01.680 psalms start, the ones that are pre particularly significant to him. 0:06:02.080 --> 0:06:04.479 He starts it with the word blessed, but it's not 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:06.960 an English word. It's a Hebrew word, and it can 0:06:07.040 --> 0:06:11.440 also be translated happy. And I thought that was interesting, 0:06:12.040 --> 0:06:15.960 because to be successful and miserable is not a blessing. 0:06:18.320 --> 0:06:24.239 To be skinny and miserable is not a blessing. Yeah, 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:30.440 to be disciplined and miserable is not a blessing. On 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:34.200 the other hand, we cannot discount the fact that Psalm one. 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:36.960 I think it's the best definition of blessed. If you want, 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:39.560 just like a good biblical definition of blessing, and you've 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:41.520 been wanting one all week. You've been walking around going 0:06:41.560 --> 0:06:44.880 what is the best definition of blessed in the Bible? 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:47.599 Just don't know what it is. So if you want 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:49.839 that definition, I think this is a good starting place. 0:06:50.080 --> 0:06:53.640 Blessed is the one who does not walk in the 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:57.960 council of the wicked, who does not get distracted by 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:05.440 the crappy value system of this messed up world. Now, 0:07:05.520 --> 0:07:07.719 it doesn't say that they don't have any friends who 0:07:07.720 --> 0:07:10.400 don't go to church. I always thought the verse was 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:15.320 like code for don't hang out with people who vape 0:07:15.360 --> 0:07:24.080 that weed. You know, that's my youth pastor interpretation. But 0:07:24.120 --> 0:07:26.200 when he said blessed is the man who does not 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:28.960 walk in the council of the wicked, I realize he's 0:07:29.000 --> 0:07:34.440 talking about whose voice you value, whose voice you value, 0:07:34.600 --> 0:07:38.760 and really, who gets to set your definition of success? 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:42.560 How am I going to decide if a sermon was successful? 0:07:43.880 --> 0:07:49.080 I went on Facebook and read the comments, and that 0:07:49.120 --> 0:07:54.120 didn't help. They were talking more about the holes in 0:07:54.200 --> 0:07:58.960 my genes than the holes in his hands? Where the nails? 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:06.360 So silly? I mean, so who? And I want to 0:08:06.440 --> 0:08:08.640 use an investigative method for this. I want to start 0:08:08.640 --> 0:08:11.440 with who, and then I want to talk about what, 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:13.440 and then I want to talk about when, and if 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:16.040 we have a chance, I'll talk about where. Okay, who, what? 0:08:16.320 --> 0:08:21.200 And when? Of success? Who told you that you were naked? 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:24.840 That's what God asked Adam in the garden when he 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:28.240 listened to the serpent. And I found out that whose 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:33.839 voice you value determines your standard of success? Can I 0:08:33.920 --> 0:08:38.320 preach one more week on this topic? So if I 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:43.319 judge my standard of success by by what someone else 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:47.320 telps me, look, it's like I can always find someone 0:08:47.559 --> 0:08:51.600 to make me feel successful. I can always find someone 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:55.280 to make me feel like a failure. There is somebody 0:08:55.400 --> 0:08:58.680 on your row who prais less than you. There is 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:02.720 somebody on your row that praise more than you, except 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:05.400 Greg Weinberger's rowe Him and Autumn pray all the time. 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:07.600 Do you ever want to feel bad about your prayer life? 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:10.439 Talk to Autumn. But other than them, there is somebody 0:09:10.480 --> 0:09:13.400 on your row that prays more than you, and there's 0:09:13.440 --> 0:09:16.840 somebody that prays lefts. And what I'm afraid of is 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:20.080 that we have a standard of success and we never 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:28.080 even checked on who said it? All right, let me 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:32.920 try another way. It really convicted me to realize that 0:09:32.960 --> 0:09:37.880 if we judge success by current worldly standards, the ministry 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:40.520 of Jesus was a complete failure when he left the earth. 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:47.199 So Jesus came to bring a kingdom? Right? Did he 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:53.480 do it? Before? You give me the yes? He did? Answer, 0:09:54.080 --> 0:10:00.920 which I appreciate, kind of depends which kingdom you're expecting 0:10:00.960 --> 0:10:06.600 him to build, if you judge it like how we 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:08.880 judge our lives. Because the way we judge our life 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:11.079 is we look to see who approves of what we're doing. 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:13.920 Or you know, we take a word like blessed, and 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:17.600 David says, happy is the man, blessed is the man? 0:10:17.640 --> 0:10:20.319 He starts. All of his most significant sums that way. 0:10:20.480 --> 0:10:25.040 But we think blessing is a material thing, and sometimes 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:30.079 it is I got a boat, I'm blessed Everybody who 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:32.000 thinks a boat is a blessing never had a boat. 0:10:35.320 --> 0:10:38.000 All it does is break and get fake friends to 0:10:38.040 --> 0:10:41.040 call you want to use it. Okay, So if a 0:10:41.080 --> 0:10:47.200 boat isn't a blessed, what is it is? It is? 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:52.480 It is relative? Write this down. Success is relative. Success 0:10:52.720 --> 0:10:58.400 also creates relatives, people that you hadn't talked to in years, 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:00.280 who call you to borrow some money if you ever 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:03.719 get successful. But success is relative. And this is what 0:11:03.880 --> 0:11:09.920 Jesus knew. Jesus knew that success is relative to who, 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:16.920 it's relative to what, it's relative to win, it's relative 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:20.520 to war. And I think the reason Jesus was able 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:25.160 whether the crowds were clapping for him after he fed them, 0:11:25.400 --> 0:11:28.680 or whether they were leaving him. No, Jesus would preach 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:31.160 a sermon, and here's how good he preached. They would 0:11:31.160 --> 0:11:35.760 walk away and say he had a demon. So, judging 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:40.280 by standards of success from the world Jesus, this is 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:43.720 how bad Jesus was at preaching. By our standards, he 0:11:43.760 --> 0:11:47.080 would preach a parable I preached on one of the 0:11:47.080 --> 0:11:48.559 weeks of this series. I don't remember if it was 0:11:48.640 --> 0:11:51.600 last week. When did I do the talent? Yeah, with 0:11:51.880 --> 0:11:54.480 one bag Billy. That was last week. Okay, so last 0:11:54.480 --> 0:11:56.079 week I used one of his parables. You know what 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:58.000 the disciples did after he got done teaching, They said, 0:11:58.120 --> 0:12:02.439 explain that to us. He was so good at preaching 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:05.360 that his staff didn't even know what he had just said. 0:12:06.720 --> 0:12:10.800 By our definition of success, jesus message was a failure 0:12:11.960 --> 0:12:17.360 because he would not settle for the surface, meaning he 0:12:17.400 --> 0:12:20.200 would not build the kingdom that they wanted him to build. 0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:23.960 And I just wonder, is there's somebody in here who 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:29.880 is waiting for applause from the wrong person. Some of 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:32.920 us are doing stuff to impress people who aren't even 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:42.920 paying attention. And another thing about Jesus, he was so 0:12:43.000 --> 0:12:46.160 successful at what he did that his own people killed 0:12:46.200 --> 0:12:51.240 him for it. Judging by our standards of success. When 0:12:51.320 --> 0:12:53.520 Jesus went to the cross, which is the thing he 0:12:53.600 --> 0:12:56.800 came to do, guess what happened. Every one of his 0:12:56.880 --> 0:13:01.320 followers clicked unfollow except John. That's how successful he was. 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:06.440 And yet we take an earthly measure of success and 0:13:06.520 --> 0:13:08.960 try to apply it to a heavenly calling, and we 0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:11.400 wonder why we're discouraged and frustrated when we measure our 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:13.559 success by the same stuff. The world measures success by 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:15.320 and Jesz came along for each and said, bless or 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:17.520 pores here that blessed are those who hunger and thirst 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:20.200 for righteousness. Blessed who are those who know they're empty? 0:13:20.320 --> 0:13:22.280 Blessed those who have some self awareness to know that 0:13:22.320 --> 0:13:24.640 I need God in my life. That is the definition 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:31.440 of blessing. Have you noticed how we do this? Though? 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:37.640 We attach cultural definitions to biblical terms, and we take 0:13:37.840 --> 0:13:42.240 a word like blessed or success, you know successes. In 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:46.440 the Bible. God told Joshua, I think it's Joshua one 0:13:46.520 --> 0:13:49.480 to eight. He said, I will give you good success. 0:13:50.960 --> 0:13:58.120 That's an interesting phrase. Must mean there's a bad success, 0:13:58.720 --> 0:14:06.960 A success that sucks, sucks, says, I can say it 0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:10.160 that way? Can I say it that way? You know 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:13.160 what kind of success sucks? The one that you project, 0:14:13.480 --> 0:14:15.360 but it's not real and you don't really possess it 0:14:15.760 --> 0:14:21.400 right when you need to appear a certain way. So 0:14:22.480 --> 0:14:26.640 what happens is sometimes we get so addicted to the 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:30.920 approval that comes from others that we cannot receive the 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:32.880 approval that comes from God. And that has to be 0:14:32.960 --> 0:14:37.520 an inner voice. Right, Jesus did the will of his 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:39.840 father he knew the voice of his father. He did 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:42.800 not see it, he knew it at a deeper level. Now, 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:45.720 we're living in a time right now where people want 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:51.120 to be well known above all else. But there's a difference, 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:52.560 and this is how I was thinking about it, tim 0:14:53.400 --> 0:14:59.120 between being well known and widely known. It's the difference 0:14:59.160 --> 0:15:06.360 between fruitfulness and famous. Okay, so well known is like, oh, okay, 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:09.640 a lot of people know my name or I'm popular. 0:15:09.680 --> 0:15:12.640 But if you judge the ministry of Jesus by popularity, 0:15:12.880 --> 0:15:14.880 he was a failure at the moment that he was 0:15:14.880 --> 0:15:19.680 fulfilling his purpose. And why that's encouraging to me is 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:24.600 that being well known only requires that the God who 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:27.400 made me has all of me, and that there's no 0:15:27.560 --> 0:15:29.920 part of my life that is off limits to him. 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:31.880 And I just want to talk to you about this 0:15:31.920 --> 0:15:35.760 today because I'm meeting a lot of people who feel 0:15:35.760 --> 0:15:39.000 like they're failing and they do not even recognize how 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:45.160 much fruit they are bearing. Let that sink in. At 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:48.920 the moment that a seed goes into the ground and 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:51.760 it starts doing what it was created to do, to 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:54.520 break apart, to change forms so that it can produce 0:15:54.560 --> 0:15:58.040 what was in it. At the moment of its greatest 0:15:58.120 --> 0:16:03.320 realization of potential, it is broken and hidden. So that 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:07.480 means that in my life, sometimes the greatest moments of 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:11.400 my maturity, when God is really growing me and really 0:16:11.480 --> 0:16:14.920 using me and really making a difference through me, are 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:17.800 going to be the moments where I feel like I'm breaking, 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:22.160 the moments where I feel like I'm hidden. Obscurity is 0:16:22.200 --> 0:16:25.400 not the enemy. It doesn't matter if they know your name. 0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:28.600 It matters if you know what is inside of you. 0:16:29.120 --> 0:16:32.520 Blessed is the man who does not need the approval 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:36.680 of people, because I already got it from God. Already 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:40.360 got it. It's already mine. I'm walking in it, I'm 0:16:40.400 --> 0:16:43.360 living in it, I'm bathed in it, I'm covered by it. 0:16:43.640 --> 0:16:47.200 I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Whether 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:59.560 you're like me or not, how are you gonna judge 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:02.040 if you're a good mom, whether your teenage daughter likes 0:17:02.040 --> 0:17:13.199 your decision making, you're gonna let the inmates set the curfew? Crazy. 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:17.399 I remember when Oprah lost all that weight. When I 0:17:17.400 --> 0:17:19.120 was a little boy, my mom used to watch Oprah 0:17:19.160 --> 0:17:21.239 and she came on and everybody clapp because she lost weight, 0:17:21.280 --> 0:17:22.880 and a few years later she came back and said, 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:25.280 I was the least healthy that I had ever been 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:27.080 in my life because of the way I lost the weight. 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:29.280 But people will clap because you lost it. They don't 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:31.240 care what it did to you on the inside. It's 0:17:31.320 --> 0:17:33.040 just we clapp Let me give you another verse. Now 0:17:33.080 --> 0:17:37.480 give you another verse. Okay. In uh Luke seventeen twenty, 0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:40.679 Jesus talking about the Kingdom of God. I went straight 0:17:40.720 --> 0:17:44.320 from Oprah to Luke seventeen because I am dynamic like that. 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:52.440 I am verse stil in this fulpan. So on one occasion, 0:17:52.520 --> 0:17:55.119 the Bible says, because Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God. 0:17:55.880 --> 0:17:59.480 In one translation, the phrase appears all throughout the New 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:04.639 Testament twenty six times, and on one occasion, having been 0:18:04.720 --> 0:18:09.000 asked by the Pharisees, those were his enemies. Okay, let's 0:18:09.040 --> 0:18:12.800 talk about that real quick. You think success is having 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:19.080 everybody like you, then Jesus was a failure. You see 0:18:19.080 --> 0:18:25.399 what I'm We think success is just being able for 0:18:25.480 --> 0:18:29.240 everybody all the time to be able to get us. Well, 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:33.480 they just don't get me. They're not supposed to get you. 0:18:33.680 --> 0:18:42.760 Only God can get you because you are dysfunctional. So 0:18:43.680 --> 0:18:46.480 the Pharisees. They didn't get Jesus. They didn't get what 0:18:46.560 --> 0:18:48.480 he came to do, they didn't get who he really was. 0:18:48.880 --> 0:18:50.800 And so on one occasion they asked him. This was 0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:53.600 not a purely motivated question, I might add, they said, 0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:58.440 when they were inquiring when the Kingdom of God would come, 0:18:58.520 --> 0:19:00.359 I love the word of God watches Jesus or apply 0:19:00.600 --> 0:19:02.879 Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:09.119 by your standards of success. The Pharisees kept lots of laws, 0:19:09.160 --> 0:19:11.959 They memorized lots of Bible verses, like how do you 0:19:12.040 --> 0:19:14.760 know if you're a good Christian? If you memorize more scripture, 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:20.480 then the Pharisees would have been the most successful. But 0:19:20.560 --> 0:19:22.919 they were actually the ones who stood in opposition to 0:19:22.960 --> 0:19:27.400 what Jesus came to do. Some people think they're good 0:19:27.480 --> 0:19:29.800 Christians because they read the Bible a lot. Maybe they 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:40.560 just like reading. So in the application of the scripture, 0:19:40.600 --> 0:19:44.960 growth happens, not the knowledge of it. Right, So how 0:19:44.960 --> 0:19:48.280 do you measure if you're more successful? You're growing in God? 0:19:48.840 --> 0:19:54.040 It's are you yielding more of yourself to Him so 0:19:54.080 --> 0:19:57.359 that you can yield the fruit of the purpose that 0:19:57.400 --> 0:20:01.480 he planted inside of you. They're like, when's the kingdom 0:20:01.520 --> 0:20:02.800 going to come? And we all want to know that, 0:20:03.640 --> 0:20:06.000 We all want to know when is God going to 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:10.800 do what I want him to do? Raise your hand. 0:20:10.840 --> 0:20:13.640 I'll stand here all day. Have you ever wondered, when 0:20:13.800 --> 0:20:21.520 are you going to fix them? Jesus? Or when are 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:24.639 you going to fix it? Here's my favorite, When are 0:20:24.640 --> 0:20:29.080 you going to fix me? About to turn forty, that's 0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:32.800 forty years in the wilderness of my weirdness? When am 0:20:32.800 --> 0:20:36.280 I going to be a normal person? Right? But Jesus 0:20:36.280 --> 0:20:38.800 says something, and I really want you to receive this 0:20:39.080 --> 0:20:41.600 in this last week of the series. He says, the 0:20:41.680 --> 0:20:44.800 Kingdom of God. You've got an external definition of success, 0:20:45.320 --> 0:20:49.760 but the Kingdom give me twenty one. People will not 0:20:49.840 --> 0:20:54.280 say here it is or there it is, because the 0:20:54.400 --> 0:21:00.040 Kingdom of God is within you. That's so good, and 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:04.360 come on say it, say it, Say it from your diaphragm. 0:21:04.400 --> 0:21:08.399 The Kingdom is within me. Now. The kingdoms of this 0:21:08.480 --> 0:21:11.960 world they're out there there, there, there. That's what they're marketing. 0:21:12.200 --> 0:21:14.480 When they market to you, they are trying to get 0:21:14.520 --> 0:21:21.359 you to hate here. Wow. Wow. The strategy of the 0:21:21.520 --> 0:21:25.760 enemy is to get you to hate you're here, right, 0:21:27.160 --> 0:21:30.000 and the way he does that. Some says he will 0:21:30.080 --> 0:21:34.199 yield his fruit in season, that that the tree that 0:21:34.280 --> 0:21:38.679 God plants it will yield it's fruit in season. Always 0:21:38.720 --> 0:21:43.040 skid past the word is, But it may be the 0:21:43.040 --> 0:21:46.040 most important part of the verse because it means that 0:21:46.680 --> 0:21:50.959 if I spend my time being frustrated that I can't 0:21:51.119 --> 0:22:00.680 bear your fruit, I can only bear furdic fruit. Right, 0:22:00.800 --> 0:22:03.600 That's all I can bear. That's all I can be. 0:22:04.320 --> 0:22:05.919 All I can be if I can say it this 0:22:05.960 --> 0:22:09.080 way is the most fruitful verdict that I know how 0:22:09.119 --> 0:22:14.840 to be. Now, my temptation is to see the fruit 0:22:14.920 --> 0:22:17.359 that you bear, or the life that you have, or 0:22:17.400 --> 0:22:20.280 the talent that you have, or the personality that you have. 0:22:20.880 --> 0:22:23.120 I usually don't want other people's lives. I want other 0:22:23.119 --> 0:22:28.280 people's personalities because they're chill. And I wonder what would 0:22:28.280 --> 0:22:31.080 it be like to have just a day where you 0:22:31.119 --> 0:22:35.919 were not so uptight like some of y'all's personality looks 0:22:35.960 --> 0:22:43.200 so tropical, so sunny. Wow, that would be so cool. 0:22:43.240 --> 0:22:45.639 Did you see how they just handled that? They didn't 0:22:45.640 --> 0:22:50.040 even get upset. But there's a certain way that God 0:22:50.080 --> 0:22:54.000 wired me within me, he will be like a tree 0:22:54.800 --> 0:23:00.280 planted by the streams that will bear its fruit, will 0:23:00.359 --> 0:23:04.119 yield it's fruit. Help me preach this and tell the 0:23:04.200 --> 0:23:09.280 person next to you. Yield your fruit. Yield your fruit. 0:23:09.880 --> 0:23:16.919 Do your thing, make your mark, do your job, hold 0:23:17.000 --> 0:23:23.359 down your spot, stay on your post. If you're coaching, coach, 0:23:23.840 --> 0:23:28.600 if you're teaching, teach, if you're helping help, If you're 0:23:28.640 --> 0:23:42.399 a shouter, shout, yield your fruit. I might not be famous, 0:23:42.640 --> 0:23:47.000 but I'm gonna be fruitful. God created me to produce 0:23:47.400 --> 0:23:53.439 a purpose. I feel freedom coming through this house. I 0:23:53.640 --> 0:24:02.280 feel freedom from the frustration. God said he wanted to 0:24:02.400 --> 0:24:04.879 set you free from the frustration of trying to produce 0:24:04.960 --> 0:24:15.240 somebody else's through. He's such a good apple tree until 0:24:15.280 --> 0:24:22.840 you see some oranges. It's just the word of God. 0:24:23.480 --> 0:24:24.879 She said. The kingdom is within you. He said, you'd 0:24:24.880 --> 0:24:26.720 be like a tree planted by streams of water. Now, 0:24:26.840 --> 0:24:28.760 problem with the loves is we can't produce anything because 0:24:28.760 --> 0:24:36.240 we don't get planted anywhere, because it's not sexy to 0:24:36.280 --> 0:24:42.640 stay planted. Even preachers. Preachers do the weirdest stuff. How 0:24:42.680 --> 0:24:46.320 many sermons did I preach about Peter walking on water 0:24:48.119 --> 0:24:52.680 and never said anything about Andrew who stayed in the boat. 0:24:55.119 --> 0:24:57.439 All Jesus told them to do was get in the 0:24:57.440 --> 0:25:01.639 boat and go to the other side. Peter was the 0:25:01.640 --> 0:25:06.480 one who needed a spectacular sign. Andrew was content to 0:25:06.520 --> 0:25:08.439 just stay in the boat in the storm because this 0:25:08.560 --> 0:25:11.879 is what God told us to do. And I'm looking 0:25:11.920 --> 0:25:14.560 for some people who will just go home and be 0:25:14.680 --> 0:25:17.720 a dad, and be a mom, and be a husband 0:25:17.960 --> 0:25:23.480 and be a wife. Oh, by the way, we live 0:25:23.520 --> 0:25:26.640 in a culture where you are not considered successful if 0:25:26.680 --> 0:25:29.880 you are still single at a certain age. By that standard, 0:25:30.000 --> 0:25:41.200 Jesus died a failure. He'd be like a tree planted 0:25:41.600 --> 0:25:48.399 by streams of water, streams, streams, streams. Isn't that what 0:25:48.400 --> 0:25:55.840 they call it on feeds streams? To be planted by 0:25:55.880 --> 0:25:59.840 the streams of water produces the fruit that's already in. 0:26:02.240 --> 0:26:05.760 But the temptation to think when Jesus left the earth, 0:26:06.640 --> 0:26:12.439 he left behind some dysfunctional disciples. Can you imagine if 0:26:12.480 --> 0:26:18.119 your greatest protege was Peter. When Jesus trying to go 0:26:18.200 --> 0:26:20.000 to the cross and die like the lamb of God's 0:26:20.040 --> 0:26:22.479 silent before the shearers to pay the price for humanity sin, 0:26:22.800 --> 0:26:27.240 Peter was pulling out his sword, hacking off ears. Did 0:26:27.280 --> 0:26:30.639 Jesus succeed in teaching his disciples? But you judge it 0:26:30.680 --> 0:26:37.040 too soon. You judge it too soon. Oh, I'm not 0:26:37.119 --> 0:26:41.199 really making a difference. The Bible says train up a 0:26:41.280 --> 0:26:45.120 child in the way that they should go, and when 0:26:45.119 --> 0:26:53.240 they are old, they won't depart from it. Hold on, 0:26:54.880 --> 0:26:58.080 let's take a moment. Everybody repeat after me, how old Lord? 0:27:04.760 --> 0:27:08.639 I just need to know, like an age, so I 0:27:08.680 --> 0:27:14.000 can pace myself in the process. But really, to judge 0:27:14.000 --> 0:27:16.200 your influence like that would be a shame because Pastor 0:27:16.200 --> 0:27:18.159 Mickey's church only grew to two hundred. But here I 0:27:18.240 --> 0:27:20.240 am preaching to you, and he's the one who gave 0:27:20.280 --> 0:27:23.240 me a chance. So I want to ask the question 0:27:23.359 --> 0:27:28.639 again today, are you going to chase clout or are 0:27:28.640 --> 0:27:33.480 you gonna embrace calling? Because those are two different things. 0:27:35.440 --> 0:27:39.639 Those are really really different, and you just can't know. 0:27:41.480 --> 0:27:46.800 You just can't know. So bear your fruit in season. 0:27:47.240 --> 0:27:52.479 That's the win in season. I mean, what if this 0:27:52.560 --> 0:27:56.240 message today, What if somebody in Russia we translate our 0:27:56.240 --> 0:28:00.440 sermons into Russian? Man, what if somebody in russ needs 0:28:00.440 --> 0:28:06.280 a message? I don't know if I liked it today? Hm? 0:28:07.119 --> 0:28:09.480 What if that's your reaction. How could I judge the 0:28:09.520 --> 0:28:12.760 success of a sermon. What if somebody who hears it 0:28:12.800 --> 0:28:16.280 in another language two years from now is who really 0:28:16.359 --> 0:28:20.200 need it? It It happens all the time, and I only 0:28:20.240 --> 0:28:22.880 share it because preaching is what I do. Whatever you do, 0:28:23.480 --> 0:28:25.040 you know, you have your own version of this. But 0:28:26.119 --> 0:28:28.480 I'll tell you usually the sermons that I feel the 0:28:28.520 --> 0:28:32.399 worst about delivering it, And so when somebody will come 0:28:32.440 --> 0:28:37.920 back to me later and go, I was on the edge. Yeah, 0:28:38.040 --> 0:28:40.240 I told the Lord I'm gonna I'm gonna give it 0:28:40.280 --> 0:28:42.480 one more shot. I'm going on the elevation app And 0:28:42.760 --> 0:28:46.360 you know something really dramatic, you know, or or or 0:28:46.520 --> 0:28:48.760 or this is the crazy one. They'll be like, I 0:28:48.800 --> 0:28:55.080 wasn't even trying to watch a sermon and the YouTube 0:28:55.080 --> 0:28:58.560 Gods put a thing in my h feed that was 0:28:58.600 --> 0:29:02.480 you preach it, and it was just what I needed. Now, 0:29:02.520 --> 0:29:05.960 if you judge it in the process of doing it, 0:29:07.000 --> 0:29:13.720 you interrupt the power of it. How can we know? 0:29:15.360 --> 0:29:16.880 How can we know what God is doing in your life? 0:29:16.880 --> 0:29:19.880 You're like, well, I'm breaking apart. That's what the seed 0:29:19.920 --> 0:29:25.640 does before it grows. That's what happens before harvest. Have 0:29:25.720 --> 0:29:28.000 you ever thought about that that Jesus was a failure 0:29:28.760 --> 0:29:32.040 by our standards of success when he left the earth, 0:29:34.200 --> 0:29:39.120 and look what his faithfulness created. I'll speaking to somebody 0:29:39.160 --> 0:29:45.280 today who secretly feels like I'm failing, not everywhere in 0:29:45.360 --> 0:29:49.320 my personality. It's like you can't even enjoy the places 0:29:49.360 --> 0:29:52.520 where you're winning because you're so embarrassed about the places 0:29:52.520 --> 0:29:55.960 where you're losing. And I don't feel like I can 0:29:56.000 --> 0:29:59.000 really succeed in every area of my life at the 0:29:59.040 --> 0:30:03.640 same time whack them hole and at the game where 0:30:03.680 --> 0:30:11.240 you That's how my mind feels. It's like, I'll be honest, 0:30:11.760 --> 0:30:13.600 I never feel like a good dad when I get 0:30:13.600 --> 0:30:18.560 finished preaching through the weekend. I never do because for 0:30:18.600 --> 0:30:21.880 the twenty four forty eight hours before I preach, I'm 0:30:21.920 --> 0:30:27.680 like a like a zombie. I'm just like I'm not 0:30:27.720 --> 0:30:30.480 really there, Like I try. I try. I mean, me 0:30:30.520 --> 0:30:32.560 and Graham we were wrestling this morning when I came in, 0:30:32.600 --> 0:30:35.160 So I try my best, but I don't feel totally present. 0:30:35.480 --> 0:30:37.200 So the devil is going to try to get me 0:30:37.240 --> 0:30:40.200 to feel after I finish preaching to you bad about 0:30:40.200 --> 0:30:41.840 what I couldn't do while I was trying to do this. 0:30:42.040 --> 0:30:44.440 Does that ever happen to you. I don't mean to 0:30:44.440 --> 0:30:47.360 turn this into group therapy, but the issue with most 0:30:47.400 --> 0:30:51.080 of us is when we do produce something over here, 0:30:52.320 --> 0:30:55.360 it only causes us to feel worse about and especially 0:30:55.560 --> 0:30:57.640 if you have a secret thing that you struggle with, 0:30:57.920 --> 0:31:00.560 it tends to cancel out your joy over everything else 0:31:00.960 --> 0:31:04.960 that you produce. And so into this God speaks a 0:31:04.960 --> 0:31:08.680 word to those of us who feel like, you know, well, 0:31:08.720 --> 0:31:12.640 I just feel like I'm failing. I feel like I 0:31:12.680 --> 0:31:16.400 can't do enough for everybody. You only are responsible to 0:31:16.480 --> 0:31:23.680 produce what's in you in this moment here now, the 0:31:23.760 --> 0:31:27.640 Kingdom of God is within you. And as we close 0:31:27.680 --> 0:31:31.600 our series together, I just want to know, does anybody 0:31:32.360 --> 0:31:38.840 want prayer today at any of our locations Matthew's Lake, Norman, University, City, Riverwalk, Orlando, Greenville, Greensboro, 0:31:39.400 --> 0:31:43.760 somebody watching epham online to say that that I want 0:31:43.800 --> 0:31:48.040 to be I want to be blessed like the Bible 0:31:48.080 --> 0:31:53.840 says blessed. I want to live in a place that 0:31:54.000 --> 0:31:59.040 is happy with the life that I have. I want 0:31:59.080 --> 0:32:02.760 to live in a place where I'm planted by streams 0:32:02.760 --> 0:32:06.800 that actually nourish me. And I really want God's help 0:32:06.880 --> 0:32:09.240 because I feel like I'm failing most of the time. 0:32:10.040 --> 0:32:12.800 But I want God to bring forth the fruit that 0:32:12.840 --> 0:32:15.880 he put in me, and I will not live this 0:32:16.080 --> 0:32:19.719 next year frustrated over fruit that God never called me 0:32:19.800 --> 0:32:23.720 to produce. And I will not quit on the gift 0:32:23.760 --> 0:32:26.800 that He gave me because I do not see it 0:32:26.840 --> 0:32:35.440 in a sensational form. So I want to pray for you. 0:32:35.600 --> 0:32:37.480 Stand up right now, right where you are, I want 0:32:37.520 --> 0:32:41.200 to pray for you. The Lord is working in this moment. 0:32:41.240 --> 0:32:45.680 He's always working, but he's working in this moment. He's 0:32:45.720 --> 0:32:49.440 trying to show you that when you get set free 0:32:49.560 --> 0:32:54.959 from the need for the approval of people, then you 0:32:55.000 --> 0:33:00.360 can receive the approval of God. Is so import that 0:33:00.440 --> 0:33:03.960 Jesus heard his father say this is my beloved son 0:33:04.040 --> 0:33:06.800 in whom I'm well pleased before he did his ministry 0:33:07.800 --> 0:33:11.920 that way, he didn't need their validation, he already had. 0:33:18.040 --> 0:33:20.840 And we've just got to get this. I don't know 0:33:20.880 --> 0:33:23.920 if you can feel it in this series, but I'm 0:33:24.000 --> 0:33:29.200 I'm consumed by it. I'm serious about it. I need 0:33:29.280 --> 0:33:32.280 us to get this that it is not just fame 0:33:32.720 --> 0:33:36.400 and followers and all the fickle stuff. Someone says that 0:33:36.560 --> 0:33:39.160 the man who has planning. His leaf does not wither. 0:33:39.400 --> 0:33:42.400 It is something that remains. It is something that the 0:33:42.440 --> 0:33:46.200 world can't take away. Anything they can give, they can take. 0:33:46.560 --> 0:33:49.120 But if it comes from God, if it comes from within, 0:33:49.440 --> 0:33:56.600 if the Kingdom is within you, it will not be 0:33:56.800 --> 0:34:01.560 taken away by your head. For the moment, I want 0:34:01.600 --> 0:34:05.000 you to turn your palms up to heaven as you 0:34:05.040 --> 0:34:09.520 lift your hands, and just receive from your Father what 0:34:09.560 --> 0:34:17.480 you need. In this moment, we all walk around wondering, like, 0:34:17.520 --> 0:34:22.680 am I getting it right? Am I good husband, good wife, 0:34:22.760 --> 0:34:30.319 good friend, good daughter? Just get in all these we 0:34:30.360 --> 0:34:37.240 get all this guilt fed by comparison. Then we compare 0:34:37.280 --> 0:34:44.439 ourselves to stuff that isn't even real, and we keep thinking, oh, 0:34:44.520 --> 0:34:49.640 one day when I get there. But God doesn't want 0:34:49.680 --> 0:34:55.200 you to hate. Here. He taught his disciples to pray. 0:34:55.360 --> 0:35:01.560 Jesus taught his disciples to pray My kingdom come, that 0:35:01.560 --> 0:35:04.800 I will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 0:35:06.680 --> 0:35:15.160 That's getting heaven here here here. Then God called Isaiah 0:35:15.239 --> 0:35:19.200 the prophet. He just Isaiah said, I'm a sinful man. 0:35:20.560 --> 0:35:23.040 I have unclean lips. I dwell amongst a people of 0:35:23.160 --> 0:35:30.440 unclean lips. But here I am send me. That's all 0:35:30.480 --> 0:35:36.160 God wants from you. Man, Just stop scrolling through all 0:35:36.160 --> 0:35:38.400 these other images of what you think you're supposed to 0:35:38.440 --> 0:35:43.160 be and yield your fruit. I feel the Holy Spirit 0:35:43.239 --> 0:35:46.320 on this that if you will yield your fruit in season, 0:35:46.400 --> 0:35:49.239 your lief will not with her. God wants to give 0:35:49.280 --> 0:35:53.000 you a peace that doesn't dry up with circumstances and 0:35:53.040 --> 0:35:57.400 does not change with the conflated tides of popular opinion. 0:35:59.200 --> 0:36:02.840 Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, lives 0:36:02.880 --> 0:36:08.680 in you, and you are enough in him. Give them 0:36:08.719 --> 0:36:10.520 what they need right now, God, you have it. I 0:36:10.560 --> 0:36:12.520 don't just give them what they need. What they need 0:36:12.560 --> 0:36:14.799 in your presence. What they need is only found in 0:36:14.800 --> 0:36:20.000 your presence. We receive it. Lord God, would you speak 0:36:20.000 --> 0:36:23.600 to the one who, even this week, has been on 0:36:23.640 --> 0:36:26.399 this loop. They've been meditating on this thought all week. 0:36:27.200 --> 0:36:30.960 What I do doesn't matter, who I am doesn't matter. 0:36:32.880 --> 0:36:36.399 They just felt like that all week, and pray they'd 0:36:36.400 --> 0:36:40.360 get a new meditation in your presence today. They'd be 0:36:40.400 --> 0:36:43.280 planted by streams of water. You will, you your fruit. 0:36:44.680 --> 0:36:46.560 None of the things are in vain. God's word does 0:36:46.600 --> 0:36:50.680 not return void. It can't return void. What God spoke 0:36:50.719 --> 0:36:55.440 over your life. It will bear fruit. So God, we 0:36:55.520 --> 0:37:02.480 release frustration, we release fear. We come to you today 0:37:02.520 --> 0:37:06.840 asking you for a new measure of success. In this moment, 0:37:08.520 --> 0:37:15.160 am I fully here. Thank you Lord, Thank you Jesus. 0:37:18.120 --> 0:37:20.000 But you just begin to worship him right now. With 0:37:20.080 --> 0:37:23.520 your mouth, just say thank you, Lord, thank you, thank you. 0:37:23.560 --> 0:37:27.760 I receive your presence. I receive your grace, I receive 0:37:27.840 --> 0:37:30.400 your mercy. Come on, with your mouth, just say I 0:37:30.440 --> 0:37:32.640 receive it. Lord, I receive your love. I receive your 0:37:32.640 --> 0:37:36.920 words of affirmation, clothing, your righteousness. Lord. I am who 0:37:36.960 --> 0:37:39.800 you say I am, and I will accomplish the purpose 0:37:39.920 --> 0:37:42.920 that you intend for me to accomplish. Lord, I worship you. 0:37:43.320 --> 0:37:46.680 I worship you. You're a great God. Your name is great. 0:37:46.719 --> 0:37:50.640 You live in me. God, you are such a great God. 0:37:50.680 --> 0:37:54.360 You have blessed me so much. Blessed is the man. 0:37:54.520 --> 0:37:58.840 I am blessed. Somebody shot I am blessed. I am blessed. 0:37:59.480 --> 0:38:03.720 I'm bless with every spiritual blessing in Christ. I'm blessed 0:38:03.760 --> 0:38:06.360 not because of what I have or who I know. 0:38:06.840 --> 0:38:10.400 I'm blessed because the limitless God dwells on the inside 0:38:10.400 --> 0:38:13.840 of me and from my belly will flow rivers of 0:38:13.880 --> 0:38:17.120 living water. I have the spirit of God. I have 0:38:17.239 --> 0:38:20.440 the wisdom of God. I have the joy of the Lord. 0:38:20.760 --> 0:38:24.920 It is my strength. I am blessed. I am blessed, 0:38:25.280 --> 0:38:29.279 I am ful, I am known, I am loved, I 0:38:29.360 --> 0:38:36.320 am significant, I am blessed. All the blessed people, clap 0:38:36.360 --> 0:38:41.040 your hands and give God praise for his blessings. We 0:38:41.239 --> 0:38:44.920 praise you for your blessings. Lord. We praise you for 0:38:45.040 --> 0:38:50.320 your blessing, Lord, your blessing, your blessing. We praise you 0:38:50.440 --> 0:38:59.640 for your blessing. How will I know if it was 0:38:59.640 --> 0:39:04.080 a s says, did you bring forth what God put 0:39:04.080 --> 0:39:10.359 in you? That's the definition of success to me. That's 0:39:10.400 --> 0:39:15.880 the definition of success to me. Kingdom Cloud, the spirit 0:39:15.920 --> 0:39:20.680 of Jesus Christ is upon this church, this ministry, and 0:39:20.760 --> 0:39:22.840 I just want to take a moment while we're in 0:39:22.880 --> 0:39:25.759 the presence of God to pray for somebody who needs 0:39:25.800 --> 0:39:29.120 to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ before you leave 0:39:29.160 --> 0:39:33.080 this place today. This is really important to me. There 0:39:33.120 --> 0:39:37.200 are hundreds today who need to make that step across 0:39:37.280 --> 0:39:41.080 the line from thinking that a relationship with God is 0:39:41.120 --> 0:39:44.960 based on what you earn or good behavior, and you 0:39:45.000 --> 0:39:48.000 have never really surrendered your life to Christ, and I 0:39:48.040 --> 0:39:49.920 want to do that with you in this moment. So 0:39:50.000 --> 0:39:52.760 at every location, would you bow your head and close 0:39:52.800 --> 0:39:56.239 your eyes. For those of you who have a relationship 0:39:56.280 --> 0:39:58.239 with God, I want you to pray with me in 0:39:58.280 --> 0:40:01.080 this moment for those who may be around you who 0:40:01.120 --> 0:40:03.799 need a new beginning, who need to be forgiven of 0:40:03.840 --> 0:40:07.600 their sin and trust Christ as savior. Today, with your 0:40:07.640 --> 0:40:10.759 head bowed and your eyes close, I want to tell 0:40:10.760 --> 0:40:13.880 you what the Bible says. That it is by grace 0:40:13.920 --> 0:40:17.200 that you are saved through faith. It's the gift of God. 0:40:17.239 --> 0:40:19.200 It's not of work, so that no one can boast. 0:40:20.560 --> 0:40:23.200 And if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, 0:40:23.239 --> 0:40:25.600 and believe in your heart that God raised him from 0:40:25.600 --> 0:40:28.719 the dead, you will be saved. And right now I 0:40:28.760 --> 0:40:32.000 believe this is your moment to place your faith in Christ. So, 0:40:32.040 --> 0:40:34.640 with our head's bout and our eyes closed, as a 0:40:34.719 --> 0:40:36.960 church family, for the benefit of those who are coming 0:40:37.000 --> 0:40:40.480 to God or coming back to God, repeat this prayer 0:40:40.480 --> 0:40:47.160 after me, Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus Christ is 0:40:47.200 --> 0:40:50.320 the Son of God and the Savior of the world. 0:40:51.280 --> 0:40:56.080 And today I make Jesus the Lord of my life. 0:40:56.239 --> 0:41:00.400 I invite you in to take over my life. I 0:41:00.480 --> 0:41:04.719 give you everything. I believe you die that I could 0:41:04.760 --> 0:41:09.759 be forgiven and rose again to give me life. I 0:41:09.920 --> 0:41:15.719 receive this new life. This is my new beginning. I 0:41:15.800 --> 0:41:19.239 am a child of God. On the count of three 0:41:19.280 --> 0:41:22.319 shoots your hand up. If you prayed that one, two, three, 0:41:22.360 --> 0:41:26.560 I want to celebrate you right now. Come on, Joe, 0:41:26.719 --> 0:41:32.320 let's celebrate thesef com Come on, let's celebrate these sessions 0:41:33.400 --> 0:41:38.279 to follow Christ. Thank you for joining us. Special thanks 0:41:38.320 --> 0:41:40.880 to those of you who give generously to this ministry. 0:41:41.200 --> 0:41:44.160 Is because of you that this ministry is possible. You 0:41:44.200 --> 0:41:46.560 can click the link in the description to give now 0:41:47.160 --> 0:41:50.520 or visit Elevation Church dot org slash podcast for more 0:41:50.520 --> 0:41:54.320 information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. 0:41:54.600 --> 0:41:56.680 You can share it with your friends. You can click 0:41:56.680 --> 0:41:58.920 the share button, take a screenshot and share it on 0:41:58.960 --> 0:42:02.080 your social stories and us at Elevation Church. Thanks again 0:42:02.120 --> 0:42:07.920 for listening. God bless you. M