Thank you for listening to this message from Life House Church.
Turn to somebody beside you tell them it is 2025.
It is here.
Tell them right now.
It's 2025 just in case they didn't know.
They slept through it.
How many how many of you stayed up and saw the ball drop stayed up till midnight like
like six people stayed up.
That was it.
The rest of you slept in the new year.
Good.
You good and rested for 2025.
But it is good to have you in God's house.
It is a brand new year.
We are heading into this new year with just expectancy.
I hear it in your voice.
Heard it while you were praising this morning.
Just believe in God.
Trust in God.
I know some of you came to the new year sick right.
And just man the flu is going around the illness.
But listen God's on the throne and he's got you.
Can I tell you that this morning.
He does.
And he's going to walk you through and just amazing things unfolding.
A lot of you been asking and I want to let you know we've really started to nail down
what we think is going to be a date to move into the new building.
So we're looking at the first Sunday in March.
So that's March 2nd.
Yeah that should give us time to get equipment installed.
We should be able to get all the training done that we need to.
Do a dry run over there to make sure everything works right and then get launched in.
So just be praying.
We'll be calling on all of you at different times maybe to help out in some kind of way
or to prepare.
But we're excited.
I got two things going on in my heart my head right.
I'm excited about the new thing and I'm a little nostalgic about this place.
So a little bit of both taking place at the same time.
But I could not be more thrilled about what God's doing in your lives and what he's about
to do.
But we're just trusting God for that all along the way.
Amen.
Do you believe it for 2025.
Yeah come on.
He's got good things in store for you.
Well I don't know if you know this or not about me.
Some of you may some of you don't.
But one of my hobbies and I don't get to do this a lot but one of them is I like to go
hunting and I'm a deer hunter and I hunt some other things as well.
But I don't get out near as often as I like.
But I do know this about hunters.
If you're not if you're from Pennsylvania you probably are pretty familiar with deer
hunting especially from Western PA or maybe Northern Pennsylvania.
But every September and every November every Pennsylvania archery hunter in particular
experiences a little more than just a little bit of excitement about a hot pursuit that's
going to take place in the forests of Pennsylvania.
All right.
Any seasoned whitetail archery hunter will tell you that the male whitetail the buck
say the buck all right who occupies the force they're about to go out of their minds in
a hot pursuit chasing a female deer.
What is normally a very skilled creature in staying away from predators avoiding conflict
of any kind or and you know any kind of probably moment of getting near a predator that buck
will lose his ever live in mind in a hot pursuit of a female deer.
And hunters love it because a buck will completely ignore its instincts it will completely ignore
its weary eyes and ears and even a sense of smell and it'll walk right in front of a deer
hunter.
How many of you seen him cross the highway in September November and you're thinking
what in the world are you thinking right.
They'll walk out right on the route on route 81 and step into traffic right.
They'll go into cities they've even been known to walk up to big pane glass windows see a
reflection and start to fight with another buck right because they're in a hot pursuit
of a doe and they'll drive they'll jump right through the window.
They're in hot pursuit and nothing else matters to that buck except the pursuit that's taken
place.
I've seen the same thing with teenage boys all right with a teenage girl they'll lose
their ever live in mind they'll do things they'd never ever do before right.
You've witnessed a hot pursuit in action even if you've never been in the woods right.
We see it on TV with with police officers who are chasing the criminal right and they're
in hot pursuit and it's in the name of justice and it's in the name of public safety.
We see athlete right athletes go to the Olympics and they're in pursuit they're in hot pursuit
of the gold and they will train feverishly for years to bring honor to their country
and to fulfill a personal dream or goal right.
I've witnessed a hot pursuit.
I've seen this with business business owners truly right.
You can get a business owner who will be in a hot pursuit of what they do for the right
reasons and sometimes even for the wrong reasons right.
Sometimes it's all about the money sometimes all about the bucks different kind of bucks
right.
It's it'll be all about the money but sometimes it's really about just providing a service
or providing something that helps others and you can see this hot pursuit and while there
are plenty of things in life to be in a hot pursuit about there's plenty of things that
we can engage in.
There's nothing more important to pursue to be in a hot pursuit about than Jesus.
Nothing right.
It's true.
Nothing will have more impact in your life.
Nothing will change your life more.
Nothing will impact your future more than a hot pursuit of Jesus and in 2025 we're going
to be in hot pursuit.
We're going to pursue Jesus this year.
Anybody with me.
Come on anybody on board.
I believe you because I heard you singing this morning.
We're going to pursue the Holy Spirit.
We're going to pursue righteousness.
We're going to pursue his presence.
We're going to pursue the Father the Son and the Spirit.
We're going to pursue God's Word in a right way right.
We're going to we're going to pursue God's revelation in your life.
That's God's Word in application in your life right.
We're going to go after it and we're going to chase him and we're going to follow him
and we're going to do everything we can.
But know this about a pursuit a constant and relentless pursuit of anything requires a
motivating factor right.
There has to be a purpose behind the pursuit.
Really does.
No one just engages in a hot pursuit accidentally.
That doesn't happen right for the white tailed deer.
It's a biological thing right.
They're ready to procreate.
They're chasing that female deer for the police officer.
It is justice.
It could be public safety for the Olympic athlete right.
The purpose behind the pursuit is the gold.
It is to bring honor to the country and maybe to fulfill their personal goal.
So what's the catalyst or the purpose behind our pursuit of Jesus.
If we're going to chase them down if we're going to engage in this on a daily basis right.
If we're going to do this and not just be a January thing right.
How about you know you can do a January thing.
You know most January things end by January 19th.
It's true they've studied this right.
If it's going to be more than just a January thing if it's going to be something I'm going
to engage in all year long all life long.
What's the purpose.
What is the motivating factor behind pursuing Jesus.
Well it might not be exactly what you think.
A hot pursuit of Jesus is constantly fueled by humility.
Humility it's true.
Say humility just so you hear what I'm saying right.
You heard me.
Humility it's the driving force behind a hot pursuit with Jesus.
Passion will not keep you in the hot pursuit.
Knowledge will only carry you so far in the hot pursuit right.
Inspiration how many know inspiration can fade by lunchtime.
You can get inspired in a church service in the morning and you forget about it by the
time you're munching on some pepperoni right.
It's true.
It's a inspiration can fade.
Sometimes even love won't keep you in the hot pursuit.
It won't.
If you want to stay in a constant state of pursuing state of chasing after Jesus it's
going to be fed by a lot of doses of humility.
In the absence of humility the hot pursuit will turn off.
It'll shift into something that will be nothing more than an occasional interest.
It'll be a half-hearted pursuit of some kind right.
You know only when you figure out the benefits that come along with that half-hearted pursuit
may be following Jesus.
We used to say you know some people pursue Jesus because it was fire insurance right.
They'd get them to heaven and keep them out of hell.
That's what they would say.
It was just they saw nothing more than fire insurance and that will only carry you so
long.
So we're here to tell you humility will keep you in the pursuit of Jesus.
So if you got your Bible this morning I want you to go ahead and turn to second Chronicles.
We're going to go in the Old Testament second Chronicles chapter 7.
We're going to start off with verse 1 and as you turn them on pray this morning Lord
we thank you.
God I thank you that we God have another year.
Lord we can chase after you that we can pursue you.
God that we can get in hot pursuit of everything that you are everything that you do.
God that we are Lord engaged and I pray God that as we look into your word I pray God
that humility would fill our hearts.
God that would Lord begin to sink into our spirit and Lord that we would just humbly
humbly come in behind you and Lord just chase hard after you and Lord we just give you praise
and glory in Jesus name and amen.
Second Chronicles chapter 7 verse 1 and says this when Solomon had finished praying fire
came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices and the glory
of the Lord filled the temple and the priest could not enter the house of the Lord because
the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house when all the children of Israel saw
how the fire came down and the glory of the Lord on the temple they bowed their faces
to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and praised the Lord saying for he is good
for his mercy endures forever.
Then the king and all the people offered up sacrifices before the Lord.
King Solomon offered a sacrifice now listen to this this is a sacrifice at the temple
in the ancient temple 22,000 bulls and 120,000 sheep.
So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God and the priests attended to their
services and the Levites also with instruments of the music of the Lord which King David
had made to praise the Lord saying for his mercy endures forever whenever David offered
praise by their ministry.
The priest sounded trumpets opposite them while all Israel stood.
Furthermore Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house
of the Lord for there he offered burnt offering and a fat of the peace offering because the
brawn altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offering and the
grain offering and the fat.
At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days and all Israel with him a very great
assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Egypt and on the eighth day when
they had held a sacred assembly for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days and
the feast seven days on the 30th on the 23rd day of the seventh month he sent the people
way to their tents joyful and glad of heart for the good that the Lord had done for David
for Solomon and his people Israel.
Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord the king's house and Solomon successfully
accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the Lord and in his
own house.
King Solomon is the third king of Israel.
He's the third king that comes in these David's son King David's son and David had this vision
and this idea to build God a temple.
Now there was a temple that was that existed in ancient Israel but it was a tent Israel
started off as a nomadic people they removed about and God told them and instructed them
and how to build this tent and it was a special tent it was set up with different chambers
in it but when they got settled in the promised land when they got settled down David in his
heart King David wanted to build God a temple and God told him no.
He said you're a man of war you're a man of blood you're not going to build this temple
but your son will your son Solomon will become king.
So God instructs David and David begins to save up materials and this was no small building
that they were talking about.
We're talking about a temple that would stand 207 feet tall at its highest point 20 story
high back then that it would be built out of eun stone and set one upon the other and
it's incredible when you think about the time inside it would have 50 feet high ceilings
180 feet long and 90 feet wide and there would be a vast quantity of cedar that would line
the inside of the temple but not just cedar wood cedar wood overlaid with pure gold pure
gold.
There were some 3300 officials appointed to oversee this project 100 and 100,000 talents
of gold.
So just to give you a little idea how much gold that is 75 pounds to 100 pounds makes
up a talent of gold there was a hundred thousand listen hundred thousand talents used in the
temple overlaid.
This was an incredible facility.
King Solomon had it in his heart in his heart to do right by God.
He wanted to show God's majesty.
He wanted to show how amazing God is and when they dedicated the temple he didn't go small
that either when they started doing the sacrifices 22,000 bulls 120,000 sheep and this effort
actually pleased God right.
His presence fills the temple.
The word of God says that the fire came out of heaven.
They didn't light the fire for the sacrifice.
It came out of heaven.
God sent fire out of heaven and consumed the sacrifices and once this is all completed
and the feast was over seven days of celebration and feast they all go back to their tents
and Solomon goes back to his and verse 12 says this then the Lord appeared to Solomon
by night and said to him I have heard your prayer and I have chosen this place for myself
as a house of sacrifice right.
God Almighty shows up.
Solomon's hot pursuit after he got and God honors it and he speaks speaks to Solomon
and he tells him I see this but as he's talking to Solomon all of a sudden and you see this
sometimes in scripture a shift takes place.
God starts to say something completely different.
I don't know if you've ever read God's word and you're reading you're like how many ever
like why do you say that right.
You're reading along it's like boom boom boom then boom all of a sudden something changes
and God does this when he's talking to Solomon.
Solomon's speaking with God in the night and God commends him for what he's doing then
all of a sudden in verse 13 he says this when I shut up heaven this is God talking and there's
no rain or command the locusts to devour the land or to send pestilence among my people.
The conversation moves from commendation to correction of Israel and God tells Solomon
I'm going to have to correct Israel in the future.
They're going to disobey me their propensity to turn from me and turn their backs upon
me and engage in idol worship is going to take place and when they do that they're going
to leave me no choice but to humble them right to shake them loose from from their their
rebellion in me and and it's going to involve no rain and the locusts are going to come
and it's going to devour the land and when my mercy and patience run out all these things
are going to fall.
I mean that's a pretty big shift right.
He's getting commended for what he did and then he starts hearing about God talking about
Israel and I'll be left.
God says I'll be left with humbling them to reunite them to get them back into hot pursuit
of me and then God says a scripture that gets quoted all the time in Second Chronicle 7
14 says if a people who are called by my name will humble themselves say humble themselves
if they will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways
then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sins and heal their land.
The Lord tells Solomon that hot pursuit of God is always preceded with humility.
It takes humility it's humility that motivates us it's humility that keeps us moving towards
God and it's that humility that will keep me in pursuit a hot pursuit of the master.
God takes no pleasure.
He takes no pleasure in humbling us right.
We read this here.
Correcting us allowing us to go through difficulty.
He doesn't take he doesn't take any pleasure in that but he does know that it's necessary
sometimes in our lives.
Now I know I'm not going to get an amen for that right.
Nobody wants that.
Nobody wants correction.
I've been corrected by the Lord.
I'm not ever going like yeah all right.
I'm like oh no right.
You know that's correct.
But he'll allow us to go through difficulty if it'll turn us back and get us in hot pursuit
of him.
He'll let us go through the difficulty.
It's a little bit like a little kid.
Sometimes little children right.
When they're small and they're walking around and there's a hot stove on and you tell them
don't touch the stove because that's going to mess you up right.
You're going to get burned.
You're going to get disfigured.
You know you don't want to go near that stove.
Don't fall on the stove.
Stay away from the stove.
Sooner or later you say that enough times to a kid.
How many of you just let them brush the stove once.
Right.
You know you want to.
It's better that they get a minor burn right.
It's better they get a minor burn that you can treat and throw a band-aid on and say
see this is why I told you not to touch the stove right.
And it points in the right direction.
God does that sometimes with.
He'll allow us to be humbled.
The hard way.
I mean I know it's a hard way right.
The easy way is if you just listen to what he has to say.
But it's a hard way.
Israel was constantly rebelling against God.
Pride and stiff neck over and over again.
After long periods of grace and mercy and God calling them back and sending prophets
to him and really opening the door for them in so many ways.
Sometimes he would have to let them get captured by the enemy.
Sometimes they would go into slavery.
Sometimes they would suffer setbacks.
And it's because God wanted them in a hot pursuit.
Because they got prideful.
Because the humility was gone.
And they began to chase their own way.
If you want God's hand in favor in your life.
Stay in a humble state before God right.
If you want his power to flow in your life.
Stay humble before God.
The word of God says he resists the proud.
He does right.
Staying humble.
He fights.
If you want God to fight evil for you.
Go out in front of you.
He did that all the time for Israel.
It's when Israel was humble and they were following God.
God said don't worry.
Your enemies coming.
No worries about it.
I got this.
I got this right in my devotions this week.
So cool right.
God goes in and he confused the enemy.
And he makes them hear things like chariots right.
And they're like ahhh.
They freak out and just leave the camp.
They just leave.
And Israel plunders the camp.
He would do stuff like that all the time.
In hot pursuit stay humble.
He'll supply your every need if you stay humble before him.
You got to stay humble.
But Israel rarely humbled themselves.
They forced God's hand to humble them.
Because God did not want to see them get destroyed.
And instead of heeding God's word and humbling themselves and getting before God and remembering
all the things God's done.
They went to the school of hard knocks.
How many of you have ever been to the school of hard knocks?
How many of you live there?
Okay come on.
I'm there sometimes.
Right.
Following.
Not following God's warning.
Not following his word.
How many warning signs are good for us?
They really are.
God's word sometimes warns us about things that are really.
Warning signs are good.
When I was young I used to ski a little bit.
And if you ski any amount on decent slopes you'll start to find out that they have warning
signs for slopes.
When you get to the top of the slope there's going to be green, blue, red, at least where
I did or black.
And it was a diamond shape.
And it meant different things.
Green was a beginner slope.
So if you were a beginner that's where you went.
You went on the green slope.
How many of you were a beginner and you were a green slope kind of skier?
You did not wander over to the black diamond side of things.
Because if you did I've watched some people that were green skiers going over to the black
diamond side of things.
And you know what I saw?
It was not skiing.
They were sliding down the moguls on their back.
You know help me.
Or they were getting hauled away in a stretcher and meeting the first aid crew firsthand.
There's warnings.
We can do humble without getting humbled.
Do you know that?
We can.
We can get humble without getting humbled.
In fact it's the best way to do humble.
Is not to go to the school of hard knocks.
And the way that we get humble without being humbled right is to DTR things.
Say DTR this morning.
DTR.
Come on it's crossing.
How many know what DTR means?
Come on some young people should know this.
What's DTR?
Thank you.
Define a relationship.
Say define a relationship.
Don't go to the school of hard knocks to get humble right?
You got to define the relationship.
You got to define the relationship between you and God.
As a man of God or as a woman of God following God you got to define the relationship.
You got to know who God is in this relationship.
If you want to get an accurate picture.
If you want to have a heart of humility and stay with a humble heart.
You got to DTR it.
You really do.
You might think well how do I do that?
You got to go back to scripture and you got to learn.
You got to know who God is right?
And I want to take you to a guy named Job this morning.
Second scripture I'm going to share with you.
Job Job.
God DTR the relationship for Job.
I don't know if you know that or not.
And if you read about Job Job was an incredible man.
He was a righteous man.
He followed God.
But he went through extreme extreme difficulty.
He in the word of God he lost all 10 of his children and it was a natural disaster that
took them.
And this all was filtered through God's hand.
He lost all his possessions.
He was extremely wealthy.
He lost everything that he had.
He lost all his health.
You know everybody you always hear people say well man as long as you got your health.
He didn't have his health.
He started breaking out in boils and his boils were so severe he sat on an ash heap and he
took pottery and he scraped the boils.
How many know that's gross right?
He just scraped in the boils and he's reject and not only not only does he lose his children
he loses all his possessions.
He's covered in boils.
He's he's sick.
He's he's unhealthy.
Right.
Then his friends his good friends come along and completely reject him.
They feel like he's in sin and they're constantly correcting him.
And all this happens simultaneously with God's permission by the way.
Incredible story.
Go back and read it right.
And you're thinking well this is awful right.
And Joe begins to complain at some point in scripture.
Now how many of you would complain if you suffered all that.
I'd probably be the first one in the complaint line right.
And he begins to complain but he starts to complain to God and somewhere along the way
he edges up to challenging God.
He's scourged it.
I don't know where exactly but somewhere along the way he questions God so much that he ticks
God off a little bit.
That's not a good spot to be in by the way.
Right.
And God says you know what I think it's time to DTR the relationship Joe.
So in Job chapter 38 verse one this is this is God talking to Job.
He starts right.
Job just picture him right.
I want you to picture him on the ash heap and he's sick and he's lost everything right.
And listen boy God says to me he says then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind.
First of all God comes in a whirlwind and says who is this who darkens counsel by words
without knowledge.
Now prepare yourself like a man.
I will question you and you shall answer me.
How many of us a big gulp moment.
Right.
I mean how many of you ever want to back it up.
There's wrote in reverse right.
Back it on up.
Just wish you want to said something right off.
Yeah I just go back and not say anything.
And then God begins to speak to me he says where were you when I laid the foundations
of the earth.
Tell me if you have understanding who determined its measurements.
Surely you know who stretched out the line upon it.
To what were its foundations fashioned or who laid its cornerstones.
When the morning stars sank together and all the sons of God shouted for joy or who shut
shut in the sea with its doors when it burst forth and issued from the womb.
When I made the clouds its garments the thick darkness its swaddling band.
When I fixed my limit for and set bars and doors.
When I said this far you may come but no further here and here your proud ways must stop.
Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its
place that it might take hold of the ends of the earth and the wicked be shaken out
of it.
It takes on the form like clay under the seal and stands out like a garment for the wicked
their light is withheld and upraised arm is broken.
Have you entered the springs of the sea or have you walked in search of the depths.
Have the gates of death been revealed for you or have you seen the doors of the shadow
of death.
Have you comprehended the breath of earth.
Tell me if you know all this Job.
How many know God DTR to relationship.
Right.
He did for another 42 verses.
God tells Job or asked Job were you there.
Were you there when I did all this.
Did you do any of this personally right.
You know and this whole incident I read it this is brought back a little minor picture
in my mind.
This is something that took place with me when I was a kid and I was young.
I was a young teenager and I did something really stupid.
My parents caught me and what I was doing I'm not going to go into all that but what
I did I will tell the story another time.
But what I did I endangered one of my friends and it was very dangerous for that person
and my mom and my mom and dad were pretty calm quiet people but my mom sat me down in
a room and she DTR me for a while.
She went on categorically for an hour explaining to me how harebrained and idiotic what I did
was you know and she went on and on and on and I remember feeling pretty humbled by the
end of that conversation.
I remember shrinking down just a little bit because she was absolutely right in what I
did and this is God with Job and one of the things God understand God can DTR us or we
can understand who he is ahead of time and just humble ourselves ahead of time right.
I don't really want God getting ticked off of me.
I don't really want God coming in and saying well let me straighten you up a little.
He's done that a few times right but I want to come humbly before him because it's in
the humility when you start to understand who God is and who you're not you'll start
chasing after him because I want what he's got.
He has it all right.
He loves me more than anybody on the face of the earth so much so that he sent his own
Lord's son right.
Now listen Job answers God in verse 43 and 43 says this then Job answered the Lord instead
after God goes on for another 40 some verses.
Listen what Job says behold I am vile.
What shall I answer you.
I lay my hand over my mouth once I have spoken but I will not answer yes twice but I will
not proceed no further and God wasn't done yet.
Number 51 verses go by God DTR in the relationship.
I think you wanted Job to get it and verse 41 5 says I have heard Job has to answer again
God says answer me and he says I have heard you by the hearing of the ear but now my eyes
see you therefore I have whore myself and repent in the dust and in the ashes.
Wow.
What am I saying.
DTR the relationship right.
Don't let that happen the hard way.
Don't don't make God humble you so you look up.
Don't smash into something so you're flat on your back looking up.
Understand who he is in this relationship.
Understand all that he has provided.
Understand all the things that he wants to do in your life.
Understand the amazing plans that he has for you right.
Understand that you have nothing outside of his hand.
Understand I just got into a conversation this week with someone and they were talking
about how they got sick and one little germ put him down right in a day.
They're flat on their back.
They couldn't do anything but understand who he is.
Understand what he protects us from right.
What he walks us through.
DTR the relationship because when you do you'll start to understand he's way up here and I'm
way down there and I start to get humble about the God who loves me more than life itself.
I start to get humbled about what he can do.
I start to get humbled about my place in this relationship and you think you think something
like that would drive you away.
It does the exact opposite.
It drives you to him.
You start to understand how amazing he is.
How much he really doesn't need me but longs for me.
Do you understand that?
God doesn't need me.
He doesn't need you.
He's got all the power but he longs for us.
He wants us.
He goes to extreme measures so that we're in relationship with him.
When you understand that it will humble you.
It will humble you and you'll stay in hot pursuit.
You'll want to be in his presence.
You want to be where he's at.
You want to walk where he walks.
You want to hear what he has to say when he has to say it.
So in 2025.
Man humble yourself before him.
Understand who he is.
I'm going to ask you to stay in this morning.
Thank you for tuning in to this message from Lifehouse Church.
We pray that you were impacted powerfully by this message.
If you have been personally affected by our ministry and you would like to partner with
us as we love God, love people every day, visit our website at www.LifehouseCOG.com.
God bless.