WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:04.639 I wrote a sermon last night. I'll tell you, I've 00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:06.860 been preaching out of Hebrews and I said that 00:00:06.860 --> 00:00:09.699 my next sermon was going to be in Hebrews 12, 00:00:10.179 --> 00:00:14.419 but I was not, I didn't, I'm really feeling that 00:00:14.419 --> 00:00:16.839 one and I needed to sit and soak in that one 00:00:16.839 --> 00:00:19.960 another week. And so that one is going to be, 00:00:20.039 --> 00:00:22.019 I know you're so excited and have been waiting 00:00:22.019 --> 00:00:25.019 for it on the correction and discipline of the 00:00:25.019 --> 00:00:31.089 Lord. Yeah, it is. You should be excited. It 00:00:31.089 --> 00:00:35.229 means you're a son and a daughter. However, I've 00:00:35.229 --> 00:00:38.189 got another word for today. And here's, I'll 00:00:38.189 --> 00:00:41.810 tell you how I came to this place. I had a dream 00:00:41.810 --> 00:00:45.530 Friday night that I was about to preach on the 00:00:45.530 --> 00:00:51.630 word thrive. And so when I was informed last 00:00:51.630 --> 00:00:54.229 night that I needed a sermon, I was like, okay. 00:00:54.530 --> 00:00:57.469 Well, I dreamt that I was about to preach on 00:00:57.469 --> 00:00:59.969 thriving, so that's what I'm preaching on today. 00:01:00.469 --> 00:01:04.469 So today we are talking about thriving in Christ. 00:01:04.549 --> 00:01:07.849 How many of you would like to thrive and not 00:01:07.849 --> 00:01:12.719 wilt and die away? Right? And so in Proverbs 00:01:12.719 --> 00:01:16.060 chapter 11, and you know, I quote out of Proverbs 00:01:16.060 --> 00:01:19.579 11 often because this is the chapter that says, 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:22.980 he who waters will himself be watered. Right? 00:01:23.019 --> 00:01:29.040 He who is generous will receive generosity. Well, 00:01:29.099 --> 00:01:32.459 later on in that chapter, we have this verse 00:01:32.459 --> 00:01:37.540 right here. Those who trust in their riches will 00:01:37.540 --> 00:01:45.219 fall. But the righteous will thrive like a green 00:01:45.219 --> 00:01:52.239 leaf. But the righteous will thrive like a green 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:57.219 leaf. I don't know about you, but when I go into 00:01:57.219 --> 00:02:02.420 places and I see half -dead plants, I just can't 00:02:02.420 --> 00:02:08.419 get beyond it. It's so sad. This plant is not 00:02:08.419 --> 00:02:12.680 thriving. And I know it's not thriving because 00:02:12.680 --> 00:02:17.879 it's turning brown, right? I'm thinking of all 00:02:17.879 --> 00:02:21.159 the piles of leaves that have been in my yard 00:02:21.159 --> 00:02:25.120 from winter. I do not want to be a crispy, brown, 00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:33.039 easily crushed leaf. I want to be a green leaf. 00:02:36.039 --> 00:02:41.590 And so Proverbs gives us the key. Those who trust 00:02:41.590 --> 00:02:43.210 in your riches, well, you say, well, I'm not 00:02:43.210 --> 00:02:46.009 rich. I would interpret it as this. Those who 00:02:46.009 --> 00:02:51.629 trust in self, those who place their trust in 00:02:51.629 --> 00:02:58.610 self will fall. But the righteous, now listen, 00:02:58.710 --> 00:03:01.750 this is a verse that is in the Old Testament. 00:03:03.370 --> 00:03:06.889 And so if this were true in Old Testament life, 00:03:07.069 --> 00:03:11.490 when they were striving in themselves to be righteous, 00:03:11.629 --> 00:03:18.729 what does it mean for us? Us who are trusting 00:03:18.729 --> 00:03:23.830 in the righteousness of Christ. How much more 00:03:23.830 --> 00:03:28.719 can we flourish today? And so, we're going to 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:31.139 be in the book of John here. So, how many of 00:03:31.139 --> 00:03:32.840 you have your Bibles and your notebooks? You're 00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:35.919 ready to go? Down here, our young adults have 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:38.060 been giving each other a hard time about who 00:03:38.060 --> 00:03:43.080 brought their Bible and who didn't. Oh, I know, 00:03:43.180 --> 00:03:48.900 you stole mine from my bag. John chapter 10, 00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:55.050 verse 9. Jesus, and this is in the context of 00:03:55.050 --> 00:03:59.110 him being our good shepherd, it says, I am the 00:03:59.110 --> 00:04:05.449 door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved 00:04:05.449 --> 00:04:12.069 and will go in and out and find pasture. The 00:04:12.069 --> 00:04:17.509 thief does not come except to steal and to kill 00:04:17.509 --> 00:04:23.230 and to destroy. I have come that they may have 00:04:23.230 --> 00:04:27.509 life and that they may have it more abundantly. 00:04:29.310 --> 00:04:35.889 So let's just set the stage for a moment. Jesus 00:04:35.889 --> 00:04:41.009 says, I'm the door of salvation, right? And if 00:04:41.009 --> 00:04:44.689 you will come through me, there's no longer a 00:04:44.689 --> 00:04:49.329 veil before the Holy of Holies. Jesus has become 00:04:49.329 --> 00:04:54.920 that. that we enter through, right? And any are 00:04:54.920 --> 00:05:00.560 welcome through the veil of Christ. And so anyone 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:05.860 who enters through Jesus will be saved. And what 00:05:05.860 --> 00:05:11.240 I love is this next portion. They will go in 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:16.079 and out and find pasture. What is happening here? 00:05:16.970 --> 00:05:20.329 What it's referring to is as you go about your 00:05:20.329 --> 00:05:24.829 business, as you are going in, coming out, as 00:05:24.829 --> 00:05:27.290 you are going to church and going to work and 00:05:27.290 --> 00:05:30.730 doing family life, going to basketball games, 00:05:30.970 --> 00:05:39.250 going to the bank, going to Walmart, as you are 00:05:39.250 --> 00:05:46.300 going in and out, you will find pasture. It is 00:05:46.300 --> 00:05:49.199 no longer to say, come to church and find it. 00:05:49.220 --> 00:05:52.439 It is your life now. You are living within the 00:05:52.439 --> 00:05:55.560 pasture. You are one of his own. And so wherever 00:05:55.560 --> 00:05:58.300 you are, whatever you are doing, you are in his 00:05:58.300 --> 00:06:03.560 pasture, being cared for by the good shepherd. 00:06:04.040 --> 00:06:08.100 Isn't that good? So you're not alone at your 00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:12.560 difficult workplace. The Clarks don't get that. 00:06:12.620 --> 00:06:14.579 Theirs is a heaven on earth because they all 00:06:14.579 --> 00:06:19.180 work together, right? Along with Zach over there. 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:23.720 We're not talking about their place. It's a wonderful 00:06:23.720 --> 00:06:28.199 place. But maybe your place. I don't know. Sometimes 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:31.300 our families are not places where it feels like 00:06:31.300 --> 00:06:37.540 the best place. He offers us pasture, care, protection, 00:06:37.860 --> 00:06:43.069 wherever we're at. And so this is what he has 00:06:43.069 --> 00:06:46.350 brought us into when we were saved, into the 00:06:46.350 --> 00:06:53.129 place of pasture. Now, it is right after that 00:06:53.129 --> 00:06:59.370 in the next verse that what we see are, what 00:06:59.370 --> 00:07:02.709 we see is really a tale of two goals. Okay, so 00:07:02.709 --> 00:07:05.610 everybody say a tale of two goals. You can write 00:07:05.610 --> 00:07:10.800 that in your notes, a tale of two goals. The 00:07:10.800 --> 00:07:14.740 first goal is the goal of your enemy. Your enemy 00:07:14.740 --> 00:07:24.220 has a goal. He is a thief. And he has one goal 00:07:24.220 --> 00:07:32.120 to steal, to kill, and to destroy. It's not enough 00:07:32.120 --> 00:07:34.420 to just steal from you. He wants to kill you 00:07:34.420 --> 00:07:38.100 and destroy everything about your life. He is 00:07:38.100 --> 00:07:42.019 ruthless. He doesn't care if it's fair or unfair. 00:07:42.339 --> 00:07:45.160 He doesn't care if he ruins your life because 00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:48.800 you were wounded as a child. He will walk right 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:55.660 into that wounded place. He's not fair. And I 00:07:55.660 --> 00:07:58.420 think it's interesting that there's those three 00:07:58.420 --> 00:08:02.279 little words, he does not come, actually four, 00:08:02.540 --> 00:08:08.240 except. Does not come except. There is no other 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:12.420 reason that the enemy would come to you except 00:08:12.420 --> 00:08:17.899 to steal, kill, and destroy you. He comes often 00:08:17.899 --> 00:08:21.920 and tries to lure us with promises of this and 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:29.779 that. He's not trying to bless you. What he has 00:08:29.779 --> 00:08:36.899 is what Darren has. A tackle box full of lures. 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:41.419 Darren's enjoying it because Edmund is of an 00:08:41.419 --> 00:08:43.639 age and has his own tackle box, so they compare 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:49.259 lures together and show them off. Your enemy 00:08:49.259 --> 00:08:52.000 has a tackle box of lures. Oh, the fish aren't 00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:53.879 biting on this one. I'll try something else. 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:58.059 I'll try it. Let's put a different lure on. He 00:08:58.059 --> 00:09:00.539 knows, and you know there are certain lures that 00:09:00.539 --> 00:09:04.350 work for certain fish, right? I mean, I'm not 00:09:04.350 --> 00:09:09.169 a fisherman. John likes catfish. So I'm assuming 00:09:09.169 --> 00:09:12.590 there are certain lures for catfish that you 00:09:12.590 --> 00:09:16.970 wouldn't use for crappie. Is that right? Yes. 00:09:18.850 --> 00:09:23.769 I don't know. I'm just saying, people. There 00:09:23.769 --> 00:09:28.139 are different lures, different bait. Some of 00:09:28.139 --> 00:09:30.659 you might be a catfish. I don't know. That means 00:09:30.659 --> 00:09:32.639 you're a bottom feeder, and I would try to aspire 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:42.740 to something else. He has lures that he knows 00:09:42.740 --> 00:09:46.940 can hook you. It might not tempt your neighbor, 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:51.120 that lure, but it sure will tempt you. And it 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:55.799 looks all shiny and pretty and beautiful. He's 00:09:55.799 --> 00:10:05.940 out to eat you for breakfast. One goal. Now, 00:10:06.019 --> 00:10:08.460 that isn't something we have to be fearful of. 00:10:08.940 --> 00:10:11.740 And quite honestly, I don't give too much attention 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:16.639 to my enemy. I would rather be fixated on my 00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:20.679 Savior, Jesus. So I'm not too focused on, oh 00:10:20.679 --> 00:10:25.139 my, is the enemy trying to do something? I'm 00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:28.220 not going to give attention to him. However, 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:34.080 we do have to know how to deal with him. And 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:37.799 in James 4, it says, submit to God. And when 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:41.179 we do that, it says, resist the devil. And what 00:10:41.179 --> 00:10:49.750 will he do? Flee. He will flee from you. So yes, 00:10:49.929 --> 00:10:53.070 you have an enemy, and yes, he is trying to steal 00:10:53.070 --> 00:10:56.049 and to kill and destroy. And just because you 00:10:56.049 --> 00:10:59.590 come to Christ and become a Christ follower does 00:10:59.590 --> 00:11:03.889 not mean he's going to leave you alone now. No, 00:11:04.009 --> 00:11:07.830 he's going to increase his efforts to steal, 00:11:07.830 --> 00:11:11.350 to kill, and to destroy you because he's after 00:11:11.350 --> 00:11:17.960 making God mad. And so I love, as believers, 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:23.480 Derek said that, how many of you have broken 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:27.100 some generational chains, right? I love in Mark 00:11:27.100 --> 00:11:31.919 chapter 7, we have the account of the Gentile 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:35.200 woman who's coming to Jesus with her demon -possessed 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:38.559 daughter. And she's saying, Jesus, would you 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:42.019 deliver her? And Jesus says, should I take from 00:11:42.019 --> 00:11:46.200 the bread, the children's bread? to give to you. 00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:50.120 Jesus was saying, I'm here for Israel. But she 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:52.700 said, well, even the dogs at the master's table 00:11:52.700 --> 00:11:55.480 will eat the crumbs. Just give me a crumb, Jesus. 00:11:56.259 --> 00:11:59.899 And Jesus was so in awe of her faith that he 00:11:59.899 --> 00:12:04.460 did what she wanted. What we get from this passage, 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:08.840 though, is that it is the children's bread to 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:14.179 walk in deliverance. And when we come to Christ, 00:12:15.820 --> 00:12:19.240 What we need now is a good working of deliverance. 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:24.120 We carry generational curses. We carry just things 00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:27.279 that have been passed down through the DNA of 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:30.179 your family. He comes to break and establish 00:12:30.179 --> 00:12:38.600 a new bloodline. Addictions. Sin that have been 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:41.700 places of iniquity that you just can't, the enemy 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:45.399 just oppressing and putting shame upon you and 00:12:45.399 --> 00:12:48.860 accusation upon you. What you just might need 00:12:48.860 --> 00:12:52.600 is the bread for the children, a work of deliverance. 00:12:53.419 --> 00:12:59.299 And so if you want to thrive in Christ, listen, 00:12:59.379 --> 00:13:01.720 it's not a thing to be ashamed of because we 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:05.279 all had to have a working of deliverance upon 00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:09.700 our lives. when we came to Christ. Every one 00:13:09.700 --> 00:13:13.919 of us needed a working of deliverance, and some 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:15.899 of you today, you're like, why can't I thrive? 00:13:15.980 --> 00:13:19.480 Why can't I flourish? Well, you have an enemy 00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:21.940 that's trying to steal, kill, and destroy, and 00:13:21.940 --> 00:13:24.259 maybe you just need a working of deliverance. 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:27.379 Maybe it's time for you to say, I'm stepping 00:13:27.379 --> 00:13:30.600 up, and I'm saying to the devil, nope, go. Resist 00:13:30.600 --> 00:13:33.980 him. Say no. Break all of those generational 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:37.940 things. Break all of those bondages and oppression 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:43.820 that are part of your past. And today, you can 00:13:43.820 --> 00:13:46.580 do that. You do not have to walk out those doors 00:13:46.580 --> 00:13:52.019 today still carrying that stuff. Jesus is in 00:13:52.019 --> 00:13:56.950 the deliverance business. And I'm so thankful 00:13:56.950 --> 00:13:59.250 for it because he's delivered me of a lot of 00:13:59.250 --> 00:14:02.690 things that I am so grateful to be walking in 00:14:02.690 --> 00:14:07.309 freedom from because it's my bread as a child 00:14:07.309 --> 00:14:10.909 of God. And so your enemy has a goal. He's out 00:14:10.909 --> 00:14:13.610 to steal. He does not want you thriving. He does 00:14:13.610 --> 00:14:16.250 not want you flourishing. He will do everything 00:14:16.250 --> 00:14:21.789 he can. He's like what my next -door neighbor 00:14:21.789 --> 00:14:26.639 used to be. Darren had planted yet another grapevine 00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:30.279 because he didn't think I had enough grape jelly 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:36.159 to make. And so that would have been three. We 00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:39.799 have two. So he had planted along the fence line 00:14:39.799 --> 00:14:45.919 on one of our sides a new grapevine. Well, I 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:48.720 had a neighbor who would mow our front grass. 00:14:49.870 --> 00:14:53.669 He loved to, and he would like kill all of the, 00:14:53.750 --> 00:14:57.129 along his borders. He always had like a space 00:14:57.129 --> 00:15:00.490 this big of no grass, just dirt. He didn't like 00:15:00.490 --> 00:15:04.590 to edge, I guess. And so numerous times we would 00:15:04.590 --> 00:15:06.769 have to say, no, we don't want you doing this 00:15:06.769 --> 00:15:08.649 to our yard. No, we don't want you doing this. 00:15:08.789 --> 00:15:13.669 Well, I caught him out with his poison spraying 00:15:13.669 --> 00:15:20.500 along my fence line. I said, he just. Killed 00:15:20.500 --> 00:15:28.340 my grapevine. And so I told Darren, because this 00:15:28.340 --> 00:15:30.700 is how I deal with it, you need to go talk to 00:15:30.700 --> 00:15:36.340 the neighbor. You need to go tell him to keep 00:15:36.340 --> 00:15:41.919 his poison on his side. I am not a poison person 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:45.399 in my garden. We are all natural. Right here, 00:15:45.480 --> 00:15:49.590 right? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And so he had to go 00:15:49.590 --> 00:15:52.169 say, listen, you need to quit spraying your stuff 00:15:52.169 --> 00:15:56.470 around our yard. This is what the enemy does. 00:15:56.610 --> 00:15:59.490 He comes and he tries to spray toxin all over 00:15:59.490 --> 00:16:05.240 you. I'm going to say no. I'm saying no. I'm 00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:08.399 establishing a clear boundary with the blood 00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:11.899 of Jesus. Do you see the blood of Jesus? It is 00:16:11.899 --> 00:16:15.980 my boundary. The blood of Jesus is the no trespassing 00:16:15.980 --> 00:16:19.679 sign on properties, right? All of the people 00:16:19.679 --> 00:16:23.220 that own property and have no trespassing signs. 00:16:24.649 --> 00:16:28.490 What is that? That is a declaration of you cannot 00:16:28.490 --> 00:16:31.529 cross this boundary. And this is what the blood 00:16:31.529 --> 00:16:34.450 of Jesus is. When the enemy tries to steal, kill, 00:16:34.509 --> 00:16:37.750 and destroy, you stand upon the righteous blood 00:16:37.750 --> 00:16:41.970 of Christ that says, no, you cannot cross here. 00:16:42.210 --> 00:16:47.610 This space... belongs to Jesus. Amen? And so 00:16:47.610 --> 00:16:51.149 today, if you just feel like the enemy has been 00:16:51.149 --> 00:16:53.929 after you, oppressing you, we're going to pray 00:16:53.929 --> 00:16:56.830 with you before you leave today that you would 00:16:56.830 --> 00:17:00.110 walk out in freedom. And so take hope in that. 00:17:00.289 --> 00:17:03.470 Okay, our second goal we find here in our tale 00:17:03.470 --> 00:17:07.069 of two goals. So your enemy has one goal, but 00:17:07.069 --> 00:17:10.710 the good news is that your Savior has a goal 00:17:10.710 --> 00:17:16.799 also. And it is in direct opposition to the enemy's 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:20.240 goal. What did it say that Jesus came to do to 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:23.700 give life, and not just life, but how does he 00:17:23.700 --> 00:17:30.799 want to give it? More abundantly. He wants you 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:37.109 to have abundant life. In Ezekiel 34, I want 00:17:37.109 --> 00:17:39.890 to read this. It's a little bit lengthy, so you 00:17:39.890 --> 00:17:45.089 might want to turn there in verse 25. And this 00:17:45.089 --> 00:17:48.670 is actually the chapter where he's rebuking the 00:17:48.670 --> 00:17:51.250 shepherds of Israel for not shepherding. And 00:17:51.250 --> 00:17:54.849 as pastors, it's always a passage that is a warning 00:17:54.849 --> 00:18:00.630 to us in our shepherding. But Ezekiel 34, starting 00:18:00.630 --> 00:18:05.339 in verse 25. This is God's heart towards Israel. 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:10.140 I will make a covenant of peace with them and 00:18:10.140 --> 00:18:14.819 cause wild beasts to cease from the land. And 00:18:14.819 --> 00:18:18.940 they will dwell safely in the wilderness. And 00:18:18.940 --> 00:18:21.339 the joy of my family, they will sleep in the 00:18:21.339 --> 00:18:25.279 woods. Some of you would like to have a really 00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:29.019 nice fashionable cabin that you can sleep in 00:18:29.019 --> 00:18:32.640 in the woods. and Darren will be out in his tent 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:36.819 on the side yard. I will make them and the places 00:18:36.819 --> 00:18:41.279 all around my hill a blessing, and I will cause 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:46.240 showers to come down in their season. There shall 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:49.640 be showers of blessing. Can we catch that there 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:54.220 in their season? Sometimes it's not the season, 00:18:54.299 --> 00:18:56.920 and we want it to always be showers of blessing. 00:18:57.930 --> 00:19:03.130 But obviously there's seasons here. Then the 00:19:03.130 --> 00:19:07.230 trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and 00:19:07.230 --> 00:19:10.630 the earth shall yield her increase. They shall 00:19:10.630 --> 00:19:14.130 be safe in their land, and they shall know that 00:19:14.130 --> 00:19:17.349 I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of 00:19:17.349 --> 00:19:20.309 their yoke and delivered them from the hand of 00:19:20.309 --> 00:19:24.329 those who enslaved them. And they shall no longer 00:19:24.329 --> 00:19:27.750 be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of 00:19:27.750 --> 00:19:31.069 the land devour them, but they shall dwell safely, 00:19:31.250 --> 00:19:35.710 and no one shall make them afraid. I will rise 00:19:35.710 --> 00:19:39.869 up for them a garden of renown. I love that. 00:19:40.109 --> 00:19:44.210 And they shall no longer be consumed with hunger 00:19:44.210 --> 00:19:48.329 in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles 00:19:48.329 --> 00:19:52.930 anymore. Thus they shall know that I, the Lord 00:19:52.930 --> 00:19:55.710 their God, am with them, and they, the house 00:19:55.710 --> 00:19:58.369 of Israel, are my people, says the Lord God. 00:19:58.609 --> 00:20:03.210 You are my flock, the flock of my pasture. You 00:20:03.210 --> 00:20:08.210 are men, and I am your God, says the Lord God. 00:20:09.390 --> 00:20:12.230 Listen, this is one of those things he's talking 00:20:12.230 --> 00:20:15.029 about King David, and King David's promises were 00:20:15.029 --> 00:20:19.259 always futuristic. This is what we are moving 00:20:19.259 --> 00:20:24.480 toward one day when Christ returns and establishes 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:29.779 the new heavens and earth. And so often we take 00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:34.400 these promises and we understand it, we perceive 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:41.000 it through our Western perspective. The Western 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:45.559 perspective that wants a clean, beautiful, comfortable, 00:20:49.810 --> 00:20:54.670 That's a Western perspective on the gospel. There 00:20:54.670 --> 00:20:57.650 are people around the world, Christians in the 00:20:57.650 --> 00:21:01.490 body of Christ right now. We talk about it a 00:21:01.490 --> 00:21:06.250 lot. We just sent over $2 ,000 to Cuba. Believers. 00:21:07.250 --> 00:21:10.289 Would you say, though, that their spirit man, 00:21:10.390 --> 00:21:14.089 inward man, are abundant life -living people? 00:21:14.670 --> 00:21:19.839 Yeah. It's very humbling for Americans to go 00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:25.759 to places like that who are destitute. And you 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:27.660 would never say they're not living an abundant 00:21:27.660 --> 00:21:32.740 life. They have discovered a secret that is hard 00:21:32.740 --> 00:21:37.259 for Americans to grasp of what real true abundant 00:21:37.259 --> 00:21:42.200 life is. The Western perspective is so focused 00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:47.470 on the outward. When what Jesus is focused on 00:21:47.470 --> 00:21:53.089 is the inward. Your inward realm. Your inward 00:21:53.089 --> 00:21:59.589 world. Your mind. Your soul. This is the place 00:21:59.589 --> 00:22:03.549 where abundance lives and dwells. And this is 00:22:03.549 --> 00:22:06.990 the power of the gospel of Christ. Is that it 00:22:06.990 --> 00:22:10.789 doesn't... Matter the circumstances. That does 00:22:10.789 --> 00:22:14.950 not determine your ability to thrive and to flourish. 00:22:20.109 --> 00:22:23.650 I heard a story last week that I wanted to share. 00:22:24.630 --> 00:22:28.349 I was at a one -day dinner church conference. 00:22:29.029 --> 00:22:32.789 It's just churches that are places where you 00:22:32.789 --> 00:22:35.990 have dinner and tell a Jesus story. It's a different 00:22:35.990 --> 00:22:40.210 way of doing church. And so they were the founder 00:22:40.210 --> 00:22:42.789 of this movement that is now, dinner churches 00:22:42.789 --> 00:22:45.329 are everywhere. They're all over Europe as well. 00:22:45.430 --> 00:22:48.609 They started out in Seattle, Washington. And 00:22:48.609 --> 00:22:52.230 they were telling one of their victories of Mama 00:22:52.230 --> 00:22:57.230 Rosa. And Mama Rosa was a little Cuban woman. 00:22:58.089 --> 00:23:01.950 And she saw the sign on the sidewalk that said, 00:23:02.049 --> 00:23:08.080 free community dinner. So she wandered in. and 00:23:08.080 --> 00:23:11.140 was so excited to find that it was actually a 00:23:11.140 --> 00:23:16.140 church. And so there were a group of men, Spanish 00:23:16.140 --> 00:23:19.319 -speaking men, that were having trouble really 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:22.099 grasping. I mean, they ate the food, but to hear 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:25.859 the Jesus story, they couldn't grasp. So Mama 00:23:25.859 --> 00:23:29.579 Rosa quickly became the interpreter for them. 00:23:30.220 --> 00:23:32.980 And it wasn't just that she interpreted. She 00:23:32.980 --> 00:23:37.569 became Mama Rosa for a reason. She was keeping 00:23:37.569 --> 00:23:40.230 those guys in line. What have you been doing 00:23:40.230 --> 00:23:44.730 this week? She became a mother figure. So Mama 00:23:44.730 --> 00:23:47.289 Rosa said to the team one night, I want to cook 00:23:47.289 --> 00:23:49.630 a Cuban meal for you. I want you to come to my 00:23:49.630 --> 00:23:53.470 house. So they came to her house, and she cooked 00:23:53.470 --> 00:23:56.269 her Cuban meal and began to share her testimony 00:23:56.269 --> 00:23:59.230 of back when she was in her 20s living in New 00:23:59.230 --> 00:24:06.539 York. And she got pulled in to Satanism. in the 00:24:06.539 --> 00:24:10.660 occult, to such an extent that she had decided 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:16.240 to become a high priestess in the occult. And 00:24:16.240 --> 00:24:19.019 so it was the day before, whatever their ceremony 00:24:19.019 --> 00:24:23.420 is to do that, the day before somebody, a lady 00:24:23.420 --> 00:24:26.880 in her apartment building, heard about it and 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:30.000 said to her, well, what do you think God thinks 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:32.940 about that? And she's like, I don't even believe 00:24:32.940 --> 00:24:36.920 in God. What does that mean? She believed in 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:40.319 Satan, had no problem with that, but didn't believe 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:44.920 in God. But that night, she was like, okay, God, 00:24:45.079 --> 00:24:47.359 well, if you have something to say about this, 00:24:47.480 --> 00:24:52.099 then you can say it. So before she had the ceremony, 00:24:52.380 --> 00:24:55.039 walked through it, she had a knock on her door. 00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:58.680 And there was a man on the other side of the 00:24:58.680 --> 00:25:03.750 door, and he said his name was Jesus. and he 00:25:03.750 --> 00:25:07.549 wanted to come in and talk with her and have 00:25:07.549 --> 00:25:12.190 coffee with her. So she invited him in, and for 00:25:12.190 --> 00:25:16.210 eight weeks straight, a knock came at her door. 00:25:16.690 --> 00:25:21.690 A man named Jesus said he wanted to come in and 00:25:21.690 --> 00:25:25.569 talk with her. What you have to understand is 00:25:25.569 --> 00:25:28.950 that she did not know who Jesus was. She just 00:25:28.950 --> 00:25:33.690 knew this man's name was Jesus. And so one day 00:25:33.690 --> 00:25:36.089 as she's leaving her apartment, she's like questioning, 00:25:36.109 --> 00:25:39.769 and I'm not clear on the details of this, but 00:25:39.769 --> 00:25:43.529 she was questioning who this Jesus was, and there 00:25:43.529 --> 00:25:47.329 was a nun there by her. There just so happened 00:25:47.329 --> 00:25:52.029 to be a nun there who began to tell her who Jesus 00:25:52.029 --> 00:25:56.880 was. And she was like, well, I don't know. I 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:59.519 just know some man named Jesus keeps coming to 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:02.019 my apartment. And the nun was like, okay, Rosa. 00:26:03.500 --> 00:26:08.779 She gave her life to the Lord, though. And so 00:26:08.779 --> 00:26:13.819 fast forward to dinner church. And Rosa has been 00:26:13.819 --> 00:26:16.259 helping now with the team. And there was one 00:26:16.259 --> 00:26:20.559 night that it was stormy and wet. And for those 00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:23.000 of you that help with food pantry, you can imagine 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:26.940 this. You bring all of these people in, this 00:26:26.940 --> 00:26:29.859 massive humanity, and they're wet and steamy. 00:26:31.180 --> 00:26:34.779 And let's just say the aroma is not one you would 00:26:34.779 --> 00:26:40.039 put in your oil diffuser. And so one of the leader's 00:26:40.039 --> 00:26:43.819 wife is very petite. She kind of reminds me of 00:26:43.819 --> 00:26:49.119 Kathy Schmidt, you know? And she was like, could 00:26:49.119 --> 00:26:51.180 not take the smell. She was just like, Lord, 00:26:51.380 --> 00:26:54.819 I can't do this. And she leaned against a pole 00:26:54.819 --> 00:26:58.480 and pretty soon Rosa came up to her full of joy. 00:26:58.859 --> 00:27:03.000 And she said, do you smell it? Do you smell it? 00:27:03.839 --> 00:27:10.019 And she's like, yes, Rosa, I smell it. She said, 00:27:10.099 --> 00:27:16.599 that's what Jesus smelled like. She could remember 00:27:16.599 --> 00:27:20.000 that smell all those years later. And she went 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:23.829 joyfully off to serve the people. because the 00:27:23.829 --> 00:27:30.829 aroma of Christ was filling the room. I tell 00:27:30.829 --> 00:27:38.890 that story because Rose's perspective on abundant 00:27:38.890 --> 00:27:45.329 life was not a sweet -smelling thing. For her, 00:27:45.549 --> 00:27:52.000 it was the unpleasant aroma of humanity. That 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:59.839 was Jesus to her. And so I want us today to just 00:27:59.839 --> 00:28:04.460 be open to the possibility that maybe abundant 00:28:04.460 --> 00:28:11.039 life isn't what America has defined it as. What 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:15.140 the Church of America has defined it as. But 00:28:15.140 --> 00:28:17.619 to say, Jesus, you're the one that gives abundant 00:28:17.619 --> 00:28:20.930 life. What does it look like for me? What does 00:28:20.930 --> 00:28:25.069 that mean for me? What does your abundant life, 00:28:25.150 --> 00:28:31.829 how is that expressed in my life? And the truth 00:28:31.829 --> 00:28:36.210 is, Psalm 92 .13, I think, says it beautifully. 00:28:36.470 --> 00:28:40.269 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord 00:28:40.269 --> 00:28:50.619 shall flourish in the courts of our God. For 00:28:50.619 --> 00:28:54.539 me, this is another way of stating his presence. 00:28:56.240 --> 00:29:00.059 When you are established in the presence of the 00:29:00.059 --> 00:29:05.180 Lord, in the courts of the Lord, you will flourish. 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:12.880 That is the promise here. This is the place that 00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:18.549 you will flourish. There's a book written by 00:29:18.549 --> 00:29:21.690 C .S. Lewis called The Screwtape Letters. How 00:29:21.690 --> 00:29:23.670 many of you read The Screwtape Letters? Yeah. 00:29:25.750 --> 00:29:31.450 It's a good one. Satire. And it is telling. It's 00:29:31.450 --> 00:29:33.509 a little book. So if you haven't read it, it's 00:29:33.509 --> 00:29:35.329 an easy read. Our young people would probably 00:29:35.329 --> 00:29:40.670 enjoy it. But it's the story of a senior demon. 00:29:43.880 --> 00:29:48.940 screw tape. And he is training his nephew, Wormwood. 00:29:49.619 --> 00:29:53.019 And so they are letters between the two of them. 00:29:53.220 --> 00:29:56.019 Because what is he teaching Wormwood? He's teaching 00:29:56.019 --> 00:29:59.980 Wormwood how to steal, kill, and destroy. And 00:29:59.980 --> 00:30:03.000 so you find their interactions. Okay, here's 00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:05.180 what you need to do to trip them up. Here's what 00:30:05.180 --> 00:30:08.180 you need to do to deceive them, right? And so 00:30:08.180 --> 00:30:12.480 in one... of the letters, he says, do not be 00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:17.500 deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in 00:30:17.500 --> 00:30:23.799 danger than when a human, no longer desiring 00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:27.779 but still intending to do our enemy's will, will 00:30:27.779 --> 00:30:32.599 look surround upon a universe from which every 00:30:32.599 --> 00:30:37.019 trace of him, God, seems. to have vanished. Has 00:30:37.019 --> 00:30:39.240 anybody been in that place? You look around and 00:30:39.240 --> 00:30:42.220 you're like, where is God? I cannot see him. 00:30:42.259 --> 00:30:47.099 I cannot hear him. You look and it seems every 00:30:47.099 --> 00:30:51.539 trace has vanished. And when asked why he has 00:30:51.539 --> 00:30:56.839 been forsaken, still obeys. That's the greatest 00:30:56.839 --> 00:31:02.240 danger to the enemy. when it seems that there 00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:04.059 is nothing that would cause you to flourish, 00:31:04.099 --> 00:31:09.519 yet you continue to obey, you're flourishing. 00:31:10.259 --> 00:31:13.799 It doesn't feel like you're flourishing. But 00:31:13.799 --> 00:31:16.859 remember, we're after God's definition of flourishing 00:31:16.859 --> 00:31:23.500 and not our own. And so your ability to thrive 00:31:23.500 --> 00:31:30.410 is not dependent on your circumstance. if I could 00:31:30.410 --> 00:31:36.730 hammer that into us, your ability to thrive is 00:31:36.730 --> 00:31:45.470 not dependent on your circumstance. Your ability 00:31:45.470 --> 00:31:52.289 to have abundant life does not require the ideal 00:31:52.289 --> 00:31:59.490 outward circumstances. We have to learn to abide. 00:32:00.430 --> 00:32:04.230 We have to learn to abide in Christ wherever 00:32:04.230 --> 00:32:09.410 we are at, whatever the circumstance. And you 00:32:09.410 --> 00:32:15.450 will thrive. And you will flourish. It is so 00:32:15.450 --> 00:32:23.069 quiet in here today. John said it just a couple 00:32:23.069 --> 00:32:26.329 of chapters later. A branch can't bear fruit, 00:32:26.470 --> 00:32:32.319 can it? unless it abides in the vine. Neither 00:32:32.319 --> 00:32:36.359 can we bear fruit unless we abide in Christ. 00:32:37.380 --> 00:32:41.599 And I love that a lot of these are coming from 00:32:41.599 --> 00:32:44.460 the book of John, which was written by the disciple, 00:32:44.640 --> 00:32:48.950 the apostle John. And remember, just a few sermons 00:32:48.950 --> 00:32:51.809 ago, we talked about the sons of thunder. And 00:32:51.809 --> 00:32:55.769 John was a son of thunder. John was zealous. 00:32:55.970 --> 00:32:59.690 John wanted to call down fire from heaven. John 00:32:59.690 --> 00:33:02.750 wanted to be seated in the highest place in heaven. 00:33:03.630 --> 00:33:10.990 He was a son of thunder. And what he became was 00:33:10.990 --> 00:33:15.630 the beloved. right? I think the book of John 00:33:15.630 --> 00:33:18.750 is one of the most beautiful books because John 00:33:18.750 --> 00:33:25.049 got the intimacy of Jesus. John is the one that 00:33:25.049 --> 00:33:28.190 writes this about bearing fruit. John is the 00:33:28.190 --> 00:33:32.690 one who was reclining with Jesus at the table. 00:33:33.049 --> 00:33:37.410 He is the one whom Jesus loved, according to 00:33:37.410 --> 00:33:47.950 himself. In fact, after Jesus had resurrected 00:33:47.950 --> 00:33:52.750 and the disciples had gone back to fishing, remember? 00:33:53.049 --> 00:33:56.230 And so we have the account at the shore lake, 00:33:56.410 --> 00:33:59.710 the lakeshore, of Jesus cooking fish for the 00:33:59.710 --> 00:34:03.069 disciples. And so they've been out all night 00:34:03.069 --> 00:34:07.529 fishing and they see Jesus in the distance. And 00:34:07.529 --> 00:34:10.329 this is where he restores Peter three times. 00:34:11.500 --> 00:34:14.179 I think it's interesting, though, that the first 00:34:14.179 --> 00:34:19.960 person to recognize the man as Jesus was not 00:34:19.960 --> 00:34:25.079 Peter. It was John. John told Peter, hey, it's 00:34:25.079 --> 00:34:31.360 Jesus. And so I think John got something. And 00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:37.860 John knew. He knew a lot of suffering. But John 00:34:37.860 --> 00:34:43.099 got intimacy. John got abiding. John got that 00:34:43.099 --> 00:34:53.539 flourishing is found in his presence. Oswald 00:34:53.539 --> 00:34:56.239 Chambers, who wrote My Utmost for His Highest, 00:34:56.260 --> 00:35:01.659 said, There is no condition of life in which 00:35:01.659 --> 00:35:07.579 we cannot abide in Jesus. We must learn to abide 00:35:07.579 --> 00:35:13.849 in him wherever we are placed. And so I hear 00:35:13.849 --> 00:35:15.530 it all the time, well, if you just knew what 00:35:15.530 --> 00:35:21.210 I was going through. I know. And I'm not saying 00:35:21.210 --> 00:35:24.110 your stuff is easy. I'm not saying it's not hard. 00:35:24.250 --> 00:35:30.650 It is. But we must learn to abide in him no matter 00:35:30.650 --> 00:35:35.349 the circumstance. If you want to flourish. If 00:35:35.349 --> 00:35:39.329 you want to thrive. And so this morning, I'm 00:35:39.329 --> 00:35:42.739 going to ask the team to come back up. This morning, 00:35:42.940 --> 00:35:48.679 I want us, there are two groups specifically 00:35:48.679 --> 00:35:51.719 that we're going to have some time around the 00:35:51.719 --> 00:35:54.980 altar. And the first group are those of you that 00:35:54.980 --> 00:35:57.780 just feel like I need some deliverance. I just 00:35:57.780 --> 00:36:00.599 have felt the oppression of the enemy. I have 00:36:00.599 --> 00:36:04.300 felt him just attacking everywhere I turn, and 00:36:04.300 --> 00:36:08.369 I need some deliverance. Or I've had sin I just 00:36:08.369 --> 00:36:11.570 can't get rid of. I need some deliverance. Listen, 00:36:11.650 --> 00:36:15.489 we want to pray for you. It's like going to a 00:36:15.489 --> 00:36:18.429 doctor's office and leaving without the cure. 00:36:18.730 --> 00:36:28.170 Don't leave and not get prayer today. The second 00:36:28.170 --> 00:36:31.329 group here, there are some of us that need to 00:36:31.329 --> 00:36:36.909 get firmly planted in the pasture. The place 00:36:36.909 --> 00:36:41.090 of abiding. You've been letting your circumstance 00:36:41.090 --> 00:36:45.530 dictate whether you are going to abide or not. 00:36:47.570 --> 00:36:50.610 And today you have to kind of draw a line in 00:36:50.610 --> 00:36:54.010 the sand and say it doesn't matter. When we remove 00:36:54.010 --> 00:36:58.590 the choice, life gets easier. Abiding gets easier. 00:36:59.730 --> 00:37:02.789 If we depend on how we feel, I guarantee you, 00:37:02.829 --> 00:37:05.800 you'll never feel like abiding. You'll never 00:37:05.800 --> 00:37:10.639 feel like it. But we want you to be people that 00:37:10.639 --> 00:37:13.280 are thriving. We want you all to be green and 00:37:13.280 --> 00:37:19.860 flourishing and bearing fruit. And bearing fruit. 00:37:21.840 --> 00:37:24.840 We want you to look as green as these beautiful 00:37:24.840 --> 00:37:31.619 plants up here that are not real. The truth is, 00:37:31.639 --> 00:37:35.059 is that when I take care of my plants each week, 00:37:35.340 --> 00:37:39.340 my thriving healthy plants sometimes have brown 00:37:39.340 --> 00:37:42.420 leaves. And I go through and I pick them all 00:37:42.420 --> 00:37:46.719 off. And maybe some of you today need Jesus to 00:37:46.719 --> 00:37:49.280 just come and take some of the brown off of you. 00:37:49.840 --> 00:37:52.599 Some areas of life that have just gotten a little 00:37:52.599 --> 00:37:55.019 crusty and a little brown and you need Jesus. 00:37:55.320 --> 00:37:58.829 You need the Holy Spirit. to just come in and 00:37:58.829 --> 00:38:01.369 say, let's get rid of that. You don't need to 00:38:01.369 --> 00:38:08.230 have that on you anymore. And so it's going to 00:38:08.230 --> 00:38:10.969 take boldness. Maybe it's going to take courage. 00:38:11.409 --> 00:38:14.429 But we believe in altars around here. We believe 00:38:14.429 --> 00:38:17.449 in you moving by faith and taking a step outward 00:38:17.449 --> 00:38:22.409 and letting the body pray for you. Pray for you. 00:38:22.989 --> 00:38:26.150 I remember one time being at an altar. I wasn't 00:38:26.150 --> 00:38:29.469 even praying about generational things. And the 00:38:29.469 --> 00:38:31.889 evangelist came up and said, there's something 00:38:31.889 --> 00:38:35.429 through your family, and he named something, 00:38:35.590 --> 00:38:39.710 and we just need to cut that off. I had not thought. 00:38:39.889 --> 00:38:41.769 I was just like, yes, Lord, whatever. You need 00:38:41.769 --> 00:38:45.309 to cut off. Cut off. I don't want to carry that 00:38:45.309 --> 00:38:49.699 stuff. I don't want to carry toxicity. Let's 00:38:49.699 --> 00:38:54.280 deal with it so we can thrive and flourish with 00:38:54.280 --> 00:38:59.159 Jesus. Amen? And so if you'll stand with me this 00:38:59.159 --> 00:39:00.820 morning, we're going to worship. I'm going to 00:39:00.820 --> 00:39:03.699 ask if our elders and Dennis and Linda, I think 00:39:03.699 --> 00:39:06.880 Brian might be our only elder here today. I'm 00:39:06.880 --> 00:39:11.099 going to ask if Dennis and Linda and maybe Suzanne 00:39:11.099 --> 00:39:14.440 and Mike, if you'll just come on up here. These 00:39:14.440 --> 00:39:19.500 are people that want to pray with you. You can 00:39:19.500 --> 00:39:24.880 join in prayer as well. Come on up here so they 00:39:24.880 --> 00:39:29.539 can come up to you and receive prayer. And the 00:39:29.539 --> 00:39:31.900 rest of us, we just want to create an atmosphere 00:39:31.900 --> 00:39:34.619 of worship so that where deliverance needs to 00:39:34.619 --> 00:39:38.340 happen, it can happen. Where we need to recommit 00:39:38.340 --> 00:39:41.380 into the pasture and abiding place, we do that. 00:39:41.699 --> 00:39:45.260 And so whatever group you are in today, maybe 00:39:45.260 --> 00:39:47.760 you just need to spend time kneeling at the altar, 00:39:47.840 --> 00:39:52.500 recommitting. find a place to kneel and to do 00:39:52.500 --> 00:39:59.079 that. But let's not be content to carry brown 00:39:59.079 --> 00:40:02.900 stuff. Let's not be content to just being half 00:40:02.900 --> 00:40:06.360 abundant. Let's just say, Jesus, I want all the 00:40:06.360 --> 00:40:08.900 abundant life that you have to give to me today. 00:40:08.960 --> 00:40:12.460 Amen? And so as the team begins to lead us in 00:40:12.460 --> 00:40:14.719 worship, if that's you, I want you just to come 00:40:14.719 --> 00:40:17.940 on down and receive prayer as we worship together.