WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.459 And I'm going to invite you to go with me to 00:00:01.459 --> 00:00:03.980 read the book of Luke, Gospel according to Luke, 00:00:04.059 --> 00:00:09.519 chapter 5 and verse 1. And just bear with me 00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:14.740 for a few moments. We're going to read a somewhat 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:17.899 lengthy portion of Scripture, but I think it's 00:00:17.899 --> 00:00:21.460 all important. It says this way, So it was, as 00:00:21.460 --> 00:00:24.579 the multitude pressed about him to hear the word 00:00:24.579 --> 00:00:27.260 of God, that he stood by the lake of Gethsemane, 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:31.539 which is... also known as the Sea of Galilee. 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:35.280 And he saw two boats standing by the lake, but 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:38.719 the fishermen had gone from them and were washing 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:41.399 their nets. Then he got into one of the boats, 00:00:41.500 --> 00:00:44.780 which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a 00:00:44.780 --> 00:00:47.420 little from the land. And he sat down and taught 00:00:47.420 --> 00:00:50.359 the multitudes from the boat. And when he had 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:52.939 stopped speaking, he said to Simon, launch out 00:00:52.939 --> 00:00:56.340 into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. 00:00:56.619 --> 00:00:59.890 But Simon answered, and said to him master we 00:00:59.890 --> 00:01:03.509 have toiled all night and caught nothing nevertheless 00:01:03.509 --> 00:01:08.469 at your word i will let down the net when they 00:01:08.469 --> 00:01:11.689 had done this they caught a great number of fish 00:01:11.689 --> 00:01:15.989 and their net was breaking so they signaled to 00:01:15.989 --> 00:01:19.390 their partners in the boat to come and help them 00:01:19.390 --> 00:01:23.750 when they came and filled both the boats they 00:01:23.750 --> 00:01:28.680 began to sink when peter's or when simon peter 00:01:28.680 --> 00:01:34.299 saw it he fell at jesus knees saying depart from 00:01:34.299 --> 00:01:41.159 me for i am a sinful man o lord now verse 10 00:01:41.159 --> 00:01:45.500 and jesus said to him simon do not be afraid 00:01:45.500 --> 00:01:51.420 from now on you will catch men so when they had 00:01:51.420 --> 00:01:54.620 brought their boats to land they forsook all 00:01:54.620 --> 00:01:59.230 and followed him Thank you for reading with me. 00:01:59.269 --> 00:02:02.390 I'm going to preach for a few moments today on 00:02:02.390 --> 00:02:05.829 called to follow, called to follow. Let us pray. 00:02:06.250 --> 00:02:08.289 Father, we love you today. Thank you for everything. 00:02:08.550 --> 00:02:11.569 Thank you for your presence is here, for blessing 00:02:11.569 --> 00:02:16.669 us once again, God. Your goodness is in this 00:02:16.669 --> 00:02:20.270 place. Your presence is in this place. God, now 00:02:20.270 --> 00:02:21.969 we're just asking that you would speak to us 00:02:21.969 --> 00:02:24.969 a word. Our coming in here is not in vain, God. 00:02:25.469 --> 00:02:28.729 You're going to send us home full of word, God, 00:02:28.909 --> 00:02:31.889 to edify us, to bless us, to prepare us, God, 00:02:32.030 --> 00:02:35.870 and convict us, shape us. Lord, I pray that you 00:02:35.870 --> 00:02:38.449 would anoint my lips so I can preach your word 00:02:38.449 --> 00:02:40.789 and not mine, and that you will get all the glory 00:02:40.789 --> 00:02:43.069 and the honor. In Jesus' name we pray. Everyone 00:02:43.069 --> 00:02:46.610 say amen. Amen. You be seated in God's presence. 00:02:46.689 --> 00:02:49.210 I'm going to do the best I can to fit everything 00:02:49.210 --> 00:02:51.689 that I have to share in this message. We may 00:02:51.689 --> 00:02:54.150 even break this one message up into two parts. 00:02:54.250 --> 00:02:57.919 We'll see. how time goes. But if you've ever 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:04.680 watched a sports replay, you know that the first 00:03:04.680 --> 00:03:10.620 shot doesn't always tell the whole story. Thank 00:03:10.620 --> 00:03:13.639 God for replays. There's been some replays that 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:15.659 I have seen that have actually turned back some 00:03:15.659 --> 00:03:18.460 controversial calls and got to get it right. 00:03:18.520 --> 00:03:19.680 How many of you know you got to get it right? 00:03:21.180 --> 00:03:22.860 Right? Got to get it right. Got to get the call 00:03:22.860 --> 00:03:26.889 right. And you need multiple camera angles to 00:03:26.889 --> 00:03:31.710 see everything that happened. And it's the same 00:03:31.710 --> 00:03:36.810 when reading the Gospels. Key moments in Jesus' 00:03:37.050 --> 00:03:42.490 ministry show up more than once, told by different 00:03:42.490 --> 00:03:46.870 writers through their viewpoints, which function 00:03:46.870 --> 00:03:51.150 like camera angles. Think of the Gospels as camera 00:03:51.150 --> 00:03:55.219 angles. on the life and ministry of christ and 00:03:55.219 --> 00:03:59.259 these provide their own perspective and the calling 00:03:59.259 --> 00:04:02.479 of simon or simon peter is one of those times 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:06.460 where all the gospels have cameras pointed at 00:04:06.460 --> 00:04:10.740 this moment matthew and mark give us the shortest 00:04:10.740 --> 00:04:15.080 version jumping straight to the part when simon 00:04:15.080 --> 00:04:17.540 and his brother andrew are casting their nets 00:04:17.540 --> 00:04:21.879 and called with those unforgettable words Follow 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:28.720 me, and I will make you fishers of men. Luke, 00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:33.779 who was not an eyewitness, but more of a historian. 00:04:34.740 --> 00:04:39.220 In fact, contrary to what some might think, Luke 00:04:39.220 --> 00:04:41.379 was not one of the original 12 disciples. He 00:04:41.379 --> 00:04:44.879 came after the fact and served as an investigative 00:04:44.879 --> 00:04:49.519 reporter. He took notes and interviewed witnesses 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:53.339 and... He compiled all that data, and with all 00:04:53.339 --> 00:04:57.459 that information, he put together a full and 00:04:57.459 --> 00:05:02.560 complete story for what took place on that moment. 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:05.279 And that was what he did here with the calling 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:10.000 of Simon Peter. And so that's why his, unlike 00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:14.399 Matthew and Mark, includes the backstory, fills 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:19.720 in the scene with richer, smaller details. And 00:05:19.720 --> 00:05:22.120 he described how there was a pressing crowd, 00:05:22.439 --> 00:05:26.660 a sermon on the boat, a miraculous catch of fish, 00:05:26.839 --> 00:05:31.939 and even Peter's humble confession before Jesus. 00:05:33.139 --> 00:05:38.220 When you harmonize these accounts, you then get 00:05:38.220 --> 00:05:42.959 a vibrant picture of not only how God called 00:05:42.959 --> 00:05:50.459 Peter, but how he calls us as well. It's not 00:05:50.459 --> 00:05:55.399 just one random moment of change. It's not as 00:05:55.399 --> 00:06:01.439 simple as flipping a switch. What we see through 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:04.800 the compilation of the Gospels is that a true 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:11.199 calling of God is a process. It's a process in 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:14.740 which God begins to work in the heart and in 00:06:14.740 --> 00:06:19.129 the life of an individual. through his word, 00:06:19.430 --> 00:06:23.410 through relationship, through interaction, in 00:06:23.410 --> 00:06:27.230 order to bring that person into their God -given 00:06:27.230 --> 00:06:31.310 role. And this is what's going on with Peter. 00:06:31.930 --> 00:06:35.470 He's experiencing a process of letting go of 00:06:35.470 --> 00:06:39.689 the life that he knew for the life that Jesus 00:06:39.689 --> 00:06:45.949 was calling him to. And because this series is 00:06:45.949 --> 00:06:50.670 about called What are we called to do? And everyone 00:06:50.670 --> 00:06:54.990 is called to something and to someone who is 00:06:54.990 --> 00:06:57.329 Christ. But there are aspects of our calling. 00:06:57.410 --> 00:07:01.170 And I believe that Peter and his life provides, 00:07:01.449 --> 00:07:08.970 similar to that of Paul, a very complete picture 00:07:08.970 --> 00:07:13.329 of how God takes a life, regardless of how they 00:07:13.329 --> 00:07:16.810 started, regardless of where they are in their... 00:07:17.449 --> 00:07:20.829 progression of life, and moves them and transforms 00:07:20.829 --> 00:07:25.649 them into becoming a man who could one day stand 00:07:25.649 --> 00:07:29.730 with boldness, full of the Holy Ghost, and preach 00:07:29.730 --> 00:07:33.029 the inaugural message on the day of Pentecost. 00:07:33.769 --> 00:07:37.230 Peter doesn't become that man overnight. Amen, 00:07:37.269 --> 00:07:40.949 somebody. I said he doesn't become that man overnight. 00:07:41.829 --> 00:07:43.850 It's a process. I'm going to say it's a process. 00:07:45.259 --> 00:07:48.180 And it began with him being just an ordinary 00:07:48.180 --> 00:07:53.980 seasoned fisherman who together with his brother 00:07:53.980 --> 00:07:57.120 Andrew and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, 00:07:57.360 --> 00:08:03.939 ran a decent fishing business out of Capernaum. 00:08:04.360 --> 00:08:07.180 And these men were skilled tradesmen. They were 00:08:07.180 --> 00:08:13.439 pros at fishing. They knew the winds. knew the 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:16.120 currents. They were familiar. They were, in fact, 00:08:16.120 --> 00:08:18.980 probably more comfortable on water than they 00:08:18.980 --> 00:08:24.819 were on land. That's how much their lives were 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:29.839 revolved around their fishing business. It wasn't 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:32.519 just a hobby like some of you might have, going 00:08:32.519 --> 00:08:34.659 to the lake or the coast every once in a while. 00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:37.519 No, this was their livelihood. Their families 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:42.009 depended on it. And so they were... They were 00:08:42.009 --> 00:08:46.029 well -tuned to the elements of the Sea of Galilee. 00:08:46.210 --> 00:08:49.610 And on this occasion, they had hauled and toiled 00:08:49.610 --> 00:08:54.490 all night on the sea. But Scripture says that 00:08:54.490 --> 00:08:58.610 after all of that, they caught nothing. Spent 00:08:58.610 --> 00:09:00.529 all night trying to catch something, and they 00:09:00.529 --> 00:09:04.950 came up empty. Nothing to show for. And by morning 00:09:04.950 --> 00:09:11.069 time, they were exhausted, discouraged. defeated, 00:09:11.069 --> 00:09:15.929 and just washing their nets in despondency before 00:09:15.929 --> 00:09:19.250 they went home and have to tell their wife and 00:09:19.250 --> 00:09:23.570 family, I'm sorry, but I caught nothing. We're 00:09:23.570 --> 00:09:26.629 going to have to, you know, eat leftovers. We're 00:09:26.629 --> 00:09:28.710 going to have to figure something out because 00:09:28.710 --> 00:09:32.710 we didn't quite meet the quota that we needed 00:09:32.710 --> 00:09:37.009 to to make do. And this is the state that Peter 00:09:37.009 --> 00:09:40.340 was in. He was in a broken state. He was in an 00:09:40.340 --> 00:09:44.320 empty state, evident by the empty nets that he 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:47.639 was washing in defeat. This was a low moment 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:51.259 for somebody like him. He swung and he missed. 00:09:51.860 --> 00:09:54.639 This was not a moment of pride for him. This 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:57.460 was not a moment for him to brag to his buddies, 00:09:57.600 --> 00:10:01.299 you know, in the fishing union, you know, about 00:10:01.299 --> 00:10:04.309 how big of a catch he had. This is the moment 00:10:04.309 --> 00:10:06.470 where Peter is kind of walking home with his 00:10:06.470 --> 00:10:09.710 tail between his legs. This is not his best moment. 00:10:09.889 --> 00:10:12.070 This is not his brightest moment. This is the 00:10:12.070 --> 00:10:14.409 moment where Peter is feeling like a failure, 00:10:14.590 --> 00:10:17.009 feeling like the thing that I'm supposed to be 00:10:17.009 --> 00:10:21.169 good at, I failed at. And it was at that precise 00:10:21.169 --> 00:10:26.929 moment that Jesus steps into his life. And it 00:10:26.929 --> 00:10:30.110 was at that moment that Jesus steps into his 00:10:30.110 --> 00:10:33.679 boat, not when Peter was at his best. but when 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:38.500 he was at his worst. And to me, this says something 00:10:38.500 --> 00:10:42.500 about the way that God moves in our life. It 00:10:42.500 --> 00:10:45.279 tells us something about the heart, about the 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:51.419 nature of God, and how he enters our world. Contrary 00:10:51.419 --> 00:10:54.580 to what we might think, God does not show up 00:10:54.580 --> 00:10:58.620 when we're at our best. He shows up when we're 00:10:58.620 --> 00:11:03.419 at our worst. Oh, hallelujah, somebody. He doesn't 00:11:03.419 --> 00:11:07.179 show up and wait until we got ourselves together. 00:11:07.299 --> 00:11:10.559 He doesn't show up. And wait until our house 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:13.740 is clean, until our act is together, until we 00:11:13.740 --> 00:11:17.039 are, you know, when we are the best version of 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:20.139 ourselves. He doesn't show up when things are 00:11:20.139 --> 00:11:22.860 spick and span. He doesn't show up when we pulled 00:11:22.860 --> 00:11:25.840 in, you know, that great contract or when we 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:28.639 pulled off, you know, what people didn't think 00:11:28.639 --> 00:11:32.679 we could do. He shows up when perhaps we're toxic 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:35.100 and when we're radioactive, you know what I'm 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:37.139 saying, where maybe nobody wants to be around 00:11:37.139 --> 00:11:40.559 us. We're kind of living in a cloud of defeat. 00:11:41.080 --> 00:11:43.360 That's the very moment. What I've come to tell 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:46.759 you initially today is that God is not looking 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:49.019 at your life, judging you, saying, well, are 00:11:49.019 --> 00:11:52.379 they good enough for me to enter into their life? 00:11:52.620 --> 00:11:55.779 No, it's when we're broken. It's when we've lost. 00:11:56.039 --> 00:11:58.610 It's when we're at the end of our rope. washing 00:11:58.610 --> 00:12:01.870 our nets in failure and in defeat, when we're 00:12:01.870 --> 00:12:04.850 tired, when we're afraid. And I've come to tell 00:12:04.850 --> 00:12:07.690 you my first point today is that the truth about 00:12:07.690 --> 00:12:11.169 following Jesus is that following Jesus reveals 00:12:11.169 --> 00:12:16.789 the miracle of grace. Somebody shout grace. Come 00:12:16.789 --> 00:12:19.129 on, let's shout it again. Somebody shout grace. 00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:24.320 It's all about grace. And so Jesus steps into 00:12:24.320 --> 00:12:27.879 a broken man's life. My God, I can preach the 00:12:27.879 --> 00:12:31.480 whole message just on this. He steps into a broken, 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:35.870 into a mess. He steps into... a dysfunction. 00:12:36.269 --> 00:12:38.970 He steps into a person's life who's trying to 00:12:38.970 --> 00:12:41.350 get their act together, who's trying to figure 00:12:41.350 --> 00:12:45.289 things out, who isn't quite accomplished, isn't 00:12:45.289 --> 00:12:49.190 quite someone who is, you know, incomplete, someone 00:12:49.190 --> 00:12:52.429 who is not a finished product. Are you hearing 00:12:52.429 --> 00:12:55.690 what I'm saying today? Someone who is not a polished 00:12:55.690 --> 00:12:59.009 version of themselves, but somebody who's like, 00:12:59.110 --> 00:13:01.389 someone who's got some explaining to do, you 00:13:01.389 --> 00:13:03.950 know, someone who doesn't quite have their act 00:13:03.950 --> 00:13:06.840 together. Someone who's got some gaps, you know, 00:13:06.879 --> 00:13:09.500 in their life and got some holes in their story. 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:12.799 And someone who is just sort of barely making 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:17.559 it even. And this is where he was. And so I come 00:13:17.559 --> 00:13:19.460 to just tell you something about the way God 00:13:19.460 --> 00:13:22.720 works and how he, because everyone in this place 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:25.559 under the sound of my voice, God is calling us 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:30.080 to follow him. We've got to follow him. And before 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:33.399 Peter would ultimately leave his nets, he saw 00:13:33.399 --> 00:13:38.559 what Jesus could do with almost nothing. He saw 00:13:38.559 --> 00:13:42.740 the miracle of provision. His mind was utterly 00:13:42.740 --> 00:13:49.740 blown at the power of God. Here he is with empty 00:13:49.740 --> 00:13:53.700 nets, having hauled and toiled all night. And 00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:55.960 then the Lord tells him to launch out again. 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.019 I'm not sure what Peter was thinking when God 00:13:58.019 --> 00:14:02.240 told him this. Maybe, like, wait a minute, aren't 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:05.320 you a carpenter, you know, and I'm a fisherman? 00:14:05.659 --> 00:14:08.360 How about we just kind of stay in our own lane, 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:12.259 you know? How about you give me advice when I'm 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:15.039 ready to build my deck in my backyard, but why 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:16.960 don't you just leave the fishing stuff to me? 00:14:17.720 --> 00:14:20.919 Huh? Imagine if that would be our attitude sometimes 00:14:20.919 --> 00:14:24.120 with God. Like, Lord, let me handle it. I got 00:14:24.120 --> 00:14:29.379 this on my own. Lord, have mercy. But Peter heard 00:14:29.379 --> 00:14:32.899 the voice of God, and he said, all right, nevertheless, 00:14:33.399 --> 00:14:38.059 that's your word. And when he did that, he caught 00:14:38.059 --> 00:14:42.259 something so big. It blew his mind. It blew every 00:14:42.259 --> 00:14:45.220 record. I mean, if he had a record for greatest 00:14:45.220 --> 00:14:48.580 catch, this blew that record out of the water. 00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:52.019 And all of a sudden now, his nets are breaking 00:14:52.019 --> 00:14:55.679 under the weight of blessing, under the weight 00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:59.620 of fish, and he saw the miracle of grace in his 00:14:59.620 --> 00:15:05.919 life. He saw what God can do. I have... I've 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:08.120 seen this in my life, and I'm sure you have too, 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:10.919 that just before God gets ready to call you to 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:13.139 the next level, call you to a greater devotion, 00:15:13.340 --> 00:15:17.019 call you to follow him in a more devoted, consecrated 00:15:17.019 --> 00:15:19.940 way. Oftentimes, God will show you something. 00:15:19.980 --> 00:15:21.879 God will move into your life. God will bless 00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:24.019 you. God will touch you. He might even heal you. 00:15:24.080 --> 00:15:26.820 He might do a miracle in your life. Why does 00:15:26.820 --> 00:15:29.080 he do these things? Just before he asks more 00:15:29.080 --> 00:15:31.960 of you so that you will know and have the confidence 00:15:31.960 --> 00:15:34.440 that God is with you, that God is able, that 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:40.120 God is powerful. God wanted to show this future 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:43.710 disciple and apostle of his. Listen. Everything 00:15:43.710 --> 00:15:45.850 that you're trying to catch with your own skill, 00:15:46.110 --> 00:15:49.330 with your own giftedness, with your own expertise, 00:15:49.809 --> 00:15:51.850 and your own knowledge, everything you're trying 00:15:51.850 --> 00:15:54.990 to accomplish in your life, Peter, all the goals, 00:15:55.049 --> 00:15:57.690 the desires, dreams, aspirations, you name it, 00:15:57.710 --> 00:16:00.149 Peter, all that stuff that's wrapped up in the 00:16:00.149 --> 00:16:02.970 nets of those fish. Let me tell you, I've got 00:16:02.970 --> 00:16:07.120 all of that and a lot more. Everything you're 00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:10.240 chasing, everything you want for you and your 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:12.960 family and your children and your household. 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:16.120 Guess what, Peter? If you follow me with all 00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:19.000 of your heart, I will never shortchange you. 00:16:19.179 --> 00:16:22.860 I'll never leave you high and dry. I will be 00:16:22.860 --> 00:16:27.720 your Jehovah Jireh. Come on, let's clap our hands 00:16:27.720 --> 00:16:31.159 and give God some praise. Thank you. How many 00:16:31.159 --> 00:16:34.559 of you know he's a provider? I said, how many 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:38.159 of you know he's a provider? Yes, he is. And 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:40.360 so he's proven to Peter a very powerful lesson. 00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:46.659 Don't worry. I got you. I got you in the palm 00:16:46.659 --> 00:16:50.220 of my hand. I'm going to take care of you. It's 00:16:50.220 --> 00:16:53.639 going to be all right. And this gave Peter the 00:16:53.639 --> 00:16:57.240 confidence to believe that if I follow this man, 00:16:57.480 --> 00:17:00.720 who really at this point is still a stranger 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:04.990 to me, He's going to take care of me. I'm not 00:17:04.990 --> 00:17:07.009 going to lose out. Let me tell you something. 00:17:07.690 --> 00:17:09.950 There's no way you can lose out following Jesus. 00:17:11.609 --> 00:17:13.690 I wish you would hear what I'm saying. I said 00:17:13.690 --> 00:17:15.789 there's no way you can lose out following Jesus. 00:17:18.509 --> 00:17:20.569 In the short term, it might look like, well, 00:17:20.730 --> 00:17:24.789 if I would have taken that raise, it might have 00:17:24.789 --> 00:17:28.329 required more of me, more time. stolen from things 00:17:28.329 --> 00:17:30.769 I can give to God, but giving it to my job or 00:17:30.769 --> 00:17:33.890 giving it to that relationship. Yes, in the moment, 00:17:34.150 --> 00:17:36.269 in the temporary, it might feel like you're losing 00:17:36.269 --> 00:17:38.970 a little bit of this or that, but in the long 00:17:38.970 --> 00:17:41.250 run, let me tell you, God will never leave you 00:17:41.250 --> 00:17:43.630 nor forsake you. Let me tell you, in the long 00:17:43.630 --> 00:17:45.829 run, God will always provide exactly what you 00:17:45.829 --> 00:17:48.210 need. In the long run, he's never going to shortchange 00:17:48.210 --> 00:17:50.789 you. And this was an important lesson that Peter 00:17:50.789 --> 00:17:53.190 needed to learn. And I'm kind of hitting on this 00:17:53.190 --> 00:17:55.430 moment, on this lesson, because I feel like there 00:17:55.430 --> 00:17:58.150 may be some in here today that have some trepidations, 00:17:58.150 --> 00:18:01.269 some reservations about taking that next step 00:18:01.269 --> 00:18:03.809 in God. Well, if I give more of me, then what's 00:18:03.809 --> 00:18:05.849 going to be left of me? What's going to be left? 00:18:06.130 --> 00:18:08.730 What have I got to work with if I give more of 00:18:08.730 --> 00:18:12.240 my time and more of my finances? and more of 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:15.440 my heart, and more of my work. What's going to 00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:17.480 be left over for me? What about me and all this? 00:18:17.619 --> 00:18:20.200 But God wants you to know that whatever you give 00:18:20.200 --> 00:18:22.880 to him, he will bless everything that remains. 00:18:23.099 --> 00:18:26.200 Give, and it shall be given unto you, pressed 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:29.400 down, shaken together, and running over, coming 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:32.119 out of your bosom. I need you to know, God wants 00:18:32.119 --> 00:18:35.220 you to know that you'll never lack when you follow 00:18:35.220 --> 00:18:37.859 him. Hallelujah. And Peter needed to see this. 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:40.460 He needed to understand that there's always an 00:18:40.460 --> 00:18:44.359 upside. There is no downside to giving more to 00:18:44.359 --> 00:18:49.000 God, following that call. But more than this, 00:18:49.220 --> 00:18:55.579 more than this, more than the miracle of the 00:18:55.579 --> 00:18:59.339 fish, he must have felt like he hit the lotto. 00:18:59.500 --> 00:19:03.440 Man, we can go on that vacation we've always 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:09.059 dreamed of. Bigger than the miracle of the fish. 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:14.619 Was the miracle of the master stepping into his 00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:19.279 boat. You see, Peter's net, the Bible says, it 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:22.819 didn't break. But you know what did break? His 00:19:22.819 --> 00:19:31.519 soul. The idea, check this out, that a holy and 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:39.200 awesome God, Jesus, would step into. his imperfect 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:46.799 and blemished life, that God would choose him. 00:19:49.059 --> 00:19:52.960 Hmm. Can I work on this for a little bit? Amen, 00:19:52.980 --> 00:19:58.339 somebody. The miracle of being blessed with fish, 00:19:58.500 --> 00:20:01.839 hey, that's great. That's awesome. No one's going 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:06.150 to turn that away. But that's not the point of 00:20:06.150 --> 00:20:10.430 the story. That's not the greatest miracle. The 00:20:10.430 --> 00:20:14.250 greater miracle was that he was called to something 00:20:14.250 --> 00:20:18.490 greater. Peter's greater miracle wasn't about 00:20:18.490 --> 00:20:22.089 fish. And if that's all you focus on, then you're 00:20:22.089 --> 00:20:25.410 missing the main point. It wasn't that Peter 00:20:25.410 --> 00:20:30.789 found fish. The miracle was that God found Peter. 00:20:34.410 --> 00:20:38.809 God was giving him a living parable. He was trying 00:20:38.809 --> 00:20:41.190 to show him that you need spiritual eyes today 00:20:41.190 --> 00:20:44.230 in order to see. He was giving him a living illustration 00:20:44.230 --> 00:20:47.450 that, look, Peter, the greater miracle is not 00:20:47.450 --> 00:20:50.069 that you caught all of this fish that wasn't 00:20:50.069 --> 00:20:54.289 there, but that I caught you in my net and I 00:20:54.289 --> 00:21:01.730 chose you for my purpose and for my glory. And 00:21:01.730 --> 00:21:04.980 it dawned on Peter. That this was what was happening 00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:08.059 in his life. I think he forgot about all the 00:21:08.059 --> 00:21:10.400 fish. He said, that's great and wonderful. I 00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:21.920 am mesmerized. I am speechless at the fact that 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:31.920 God almighty in the flesh chose me. Oh, my God. 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:39.220 And no wonder, church, no wonder his knees buckled. 00:21:40.180 --> 00:21:46.660 And his voice cracked as he cried out to the 00:21:46.660 --> 00:21:52.640 Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man, 00:21:52.880 --> 00:22:00.160 oh Lord. When he saw what God was doing, he, 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:04.220 in that moment, was overcome and overwhelmed 00:22:04.220 --> 00:22:10.140 by his own sheer fallenness. He saw how far he 00:22:10.140 --> 00:22:13.880 was from where he ought to be, and yet God still 00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:19.420 chose him. And so he cries out, Lord, I'm not 00:22:19.420 --> 00:22:25.730 good enough! God! There's got to be, you must 00:22:25.730 --> 00:22:28.690 have made a mistake, Lord. There are other people 00:22:28.690 --> 00:22:32.089 that are far more qualified than me, other people 00:22:32.089 --> 00:22:35.430 that are greater than me, holier than me, better 00:22:35.430 --> 00:22:39.049 than me, more talented and gifted than me, God. 00:22:39.329 --> 00:22:45.140 Oh, depart from me. I'm a sinful man. Lord, I'm 00:22:45.140 --> 00:22:48.680 not worthy of this. I feel the Holy Ghost in 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:52.319 this place. Oh, God, I don't know if anybody 00:22:52.319 --> 00:22:55.000 in this place under the sound of my voice has 00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:58.500 ever had that conversation with God. God, why 00:22:58.500 --> 00:23:03.460 me? Why me, God? Lord, is there anybody else, 00:23:03.640 --> 00:23:07.579 Lord? God, how could it be, Lord? Haven't you 00:23:07.579 --> 00:23:10.799 seen my resume? Haven't you looked over my, haven't 00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:14.039 you called my references? Haven't you done a 00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:17.079 background check? Don't you know that I'm not 00:23:17.079 --> 00:23:21.380 a religious man? I'm not a studied man. I'm not 00:23:21.380 --> 00:23:25.119 even a rabbi in training. That's not even who 00:23:25.119 --> 00:23:28.240 I am. I don't come from a line of preachers. 00:23:28.440 --> 00:23:32.279 I wasn't born. into this kind of thing. God, 00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:34.700 don't you know these things about why would you 00:23:34.700 --> 00:23:37.160 choose somebody like me? Oh, it's reminiscent 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:41.119 of the cry of Isaiah when he saw the glory of 00:23:41.119 --> 00:23:44.700 the Lord after the death of King Uzziah. He saw 00:23:44.700 --> 00:23:47.880 the Lord high and lifted up and his train filled 00:23:47.880 --> 00:23:51.839 the temple and Isaiah was so overcome by not 00:23:51.839 --> 00:23:55.119 just the glory of God but the sinfulness of a 00:23:55.119 --> 00:23:59.549 man and his own life and his filthy row. righteousness. 00:23:59.750 --> 00:24:05.369 And he says, woe is me for I am undone because 00:24:05.369 --> 00:24:09.269 I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the 00:24:09.269 --> 00:24:13.609 midst of a people of unclean lips for my eyes 00:24:13.609 --> 00:24:16.630 have seen the king. When you get a revelation 00:24:16.630 --> 00:24:19.589 of the king, oh, I'm here to preach to you today. 00:24:19.670 --> 00:24:23.529 I'm talking about when you really see the king, 00:24:23.609 --> 00:24:27.910 then you will really see yourself and realize, 00:24:28.170 --> 00:24:33.259 woe is me. For my eyes have seen the king, the 00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:36.619 Lord of lords. Can we just worship him for a 00:24:36.619 --> 00:24:40.660 moment right now in the beauty of holiness? Come 00:24:40.660 --> 00:24:43.880 on, saints, can we worship the Lord? God is in 00:24:43.880 --> 00:24:47.940 this place. His presence is here. His glory is 00:24:47.940 --> 00:24:50.539 here. Why don't you lift up your voice? Why don't 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:53.660 you magnify him with the fruit of your lips? 00:24:53.799 --> 00:24:56.599 Why don't we take about 30 seconds? Why don't 00:24:56.599 --> 00:24:59.559 we just acknowledge? that God is in this place. 00:24:59.619 --> 00:25:05.660 Come on somebody. Come on, church. Come on, church. 00:25:05.779 --> 00:25:09.660 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I am convinced that one 00:25:09.660 --> 00:25:11.839 of the reasons why people don't humble themselves 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:15.000 as they ought to is because they have a high 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:18.859 view of themselves and a low view of God. But 00:25:18.859 --> 00:25:21.779 if you ever get a high view of God, you'll see 00:25:21.779 --> 00:25:24.660 yourself exactly where you are. And it's not 00:25:24.660 --> 00:25:27.460 to condemn you. And it's not to destroy you. 00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:30.740 But it's to put everything into perspective in 00:25:30.740 --> 00:25:33.890 real life. That it's not a right for me to be 00:25:33.890 --> 00:25:36.670 here. It's not a right for me to sing, play, 00:25:36.869 --> 00:25:39.730 do whatever. It's not a right. It's a privilege. 00:25:45.130 --> 00:25:48.589 It's a privilege. Every time I stand behind this 00:25:48.589 --> 00:25:50.509 pulpit, I realize it's a privilege. Every time 00:25:50.509 --> 00:25:52.950 we serve, whether it's in front of people or 00:25:52.950 --> 00:25:54.950 in private, in public or in private, we realize 00:25:54.950 --> 00:25:57.690 it's a privilege. I don't have a right. I'm not 00:25:57.690 --> 00:25:59.849 entitled to anything. Are you hearing what I'm 00:25:59.849 --> 00:26:03.119 saying today? Because when I remember where I 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:07.720 came from, David said, ah, you can have my palace. 00:26:07.779 --> 00:26:10.240 David said, you can have the chair. He said, 00:26:10.299 --> 00:26:12.299 if I could just be a doorkeeper in the house 00:26:12.299 --> 00:26:17.200 of my God, I'll give it all up. I'll give it 00:26:17.200 --> 00:26:20.319 all up if all I got to be is a doorkeeper to 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:23.880 the house of my God because I remember where 00:26:23.880 --> 00:26:28.970 God found me. That's the heart. Heart of servitude. 00:26:29.049 --> 00:26:34.210 And when we're not careful, it's that other opposite 00:26:34.210 --> 00:26:37.190 attitude creeps into our heart when we start 00:26:37.190 --> 00:26:42.190 to feel like I'm owed something. I'm not owed 00:26:42.190 --> 00:26:47.730 anything. Jesus already paid the price. And God 00:26:47.730 --> 00:26:51.369 forbid I lose my voice and I never preach another 00:26:51.369 --> 00:26:53.950 message a day in my life, I'm still going to 00:26:53.950 --> 00:26:56.970 serve him. I'm still going to worship him. If 00:26:56.970 --> 00:26:59.230 I can't use my voice, I'm going to be the loudest 00:26:59.230 --> 00:27:02.210 stomper that there is. I will make a joyful noise 00:27:02.210 --> 00:27:05.039 unto the Lord. So every time I open up my mouth, 00:27:05.079 --> 00:27:07.559 every time I do anything in the name of Jesus 00:27:07.559 --> 00:27:11.859 Christ, it is with the perspective that God doesn't, 00:27:11.859 --> 00:27:14.500 I said this last week, God doesn't, or two weeks 00:27:14.500 --> 00:27:18.380 ago, God doesn't need my voice. He welcomes my 00:27:18.380 --> 00:27:21.680 voice. Don't you forget for one moment that God 00:27:21.680 --> 00:27:24.259 can cause a rooster to crow and get his message 00:27:24.259 --> 00:27:26.599 across. Don't you forget for one moment that 00:27:26.599 --> 00:27:29.960 God can take a donkey and let that donkey profit. 00:27:30.099 --> 00:27:32.980 God can raise up a pig and a donkey. Come up 00:27:32.980 --> 00:27:35.079 here and preach the word of God. God can use 00:27:35.079 --> 00:27:38.140 a whale to swallow a man and deliver a message. 00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:46.099 Oh, my God. It's a privilege. And it's one that 00:27:46.099 --> 00:27:49.880 Peter, a lesson that Peter needed to learn early 00:27:49.880 --> 00:27:55.299 in his process of being called. So that when 00:27:55.299 --> 00:27:59.400 he stands up, hear me today. On the day of Pentecost. 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:02.480 and preaches the most famous apostolic message. 00:28:03.539 --> 00:28:07.059 I'm sorry, Paul, but none of your sermons are 00:28:07.059 --> 00:28:09.519 going to top Peter's sermon. That's just my opinion 00:28:09.519 --> 00:28:11.559 on the day of Pentecost. Maybe you better think 00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:14.259 you're a scholar and theologian, but as far as 00:28:14.259 --> 00:28:18.460 preaching at a precise moment in history, I'm 00:28:18.460 --> 00:28:22.119 sorry, that honor goes to Peter. I said that 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:25.400 honor goes to Peter. The first Pentecostal message. 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:29.579 And he preaches it. And there's no way that Peter 00:28:29.579 --> 00:28:31.960 stands on the platform that he does and preaches 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:35.319 the message of God that he does without the perspective 00:28:35.319 --> 00:28:43.799 that, and I'm just a fisherman. I will always, 00:28:43.819 --> 00:28:47.660 in my mind, just be that fisherman that God called 00:28:47.660 --> 00:28:53.289 out of darkness, into his marvelous light. And 00:28:53.289 --> 00:28:55.769 I don't ever forget that. No, Pastor, are you 00:28:55.769 --> 00:28:57.630 saying that we should beat ourselves up and be 00:28:57.630 --> 00:29:01.450 self, you know, just defeatism and all that? 00:29:01.490 --> 00:29:03.849 That's not what I'm saying for you to hang your 00:29:03.849 --> 00:29:06.609 head low with just false humility and all that. 00:29:06.670 --> 00:29:09.549 No, walk confidently in the Lord. Hallelujah. 00:29:09.769 --> 00:29:12.890 But what I'm saying is that we ought never to 00:29:12.890 --> 00:29:15.329 lose that perspective. If we're going to go far, 00:29:16.009 --> 00:29:18.549 if we're going to go the distance with God. And 00:29:18.549 --> 00:29:21.890 so, my dear friend, more powerful than God meeting 00:29:21.890 --> 00:29:25.349 our needs. Is God meeting us where we are, not 00:29:25.349 --> 00:29:30.000 where we should be? Oh, oh, hallelujah. Can I 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:31.400 make this into a two -parter? We're going to 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:32.859 come back next week. I know some of you are looking 00:29:32.859 --> 00:29:35.279 at the capacitor. Don't you look at the clock 00:29:35.279 --> 00:29:37.880 right now. Hallelujah, Jesus. Oh, we're going 00:29:37.880 --> 00:29:39.500 to make this a two -parter. But I'm going to 00:29:39.500 --> 00:29:41.819 tell you something. I can relate to Peter. As 00:29:41.819 --> 00:29:43.559 a musician, brother, if you can come up here 00:29:43.559 --> 00:29:45.500 in a moment. I can relate to Peter. You know 00:29:45.500 --> 00:29:47.819 why I can relate to him? Because when he said, 00:29:47.940 --> 00:29:53.059 depart from me, I am a sinful man. Go back to 00:29:53.059 --> 00:29:55.779 that verse, please, where Peter cries out, depart 00:29:55.779 --> 00:29:59.670 from me, for I am a sinful man. He said, Lord, 00:29:59.769 --> 00:30:03.109 depart from me. I don't have what it takes. Lord, 00:30:03.269 --> 00:30:06.230 please pick somebody else, God. Is there anybody 00:30:06.230 --> 00:30:09.089 else that you could use? Let me be transparent 00:30:09.089 --> 00:30:11.890 with you. And I ask you to be respectful with 00:30:11.890 --> 00:30:13.829 what I'm about to say because I don't say this 00:30:13.829 --> 00:30:15.990 because I want your sympathy and I don't say 00:30:15.990 --> 00:30:18.849 this because I need some kind of, you know, validation 00:30:18.849 --> 00:30:22.210 from saying these things. But I need to be truthful. 00:30:22.430 --> 00:30:24.589 I need to tell you like it is so you understand 00:30:24.589 --> 00:30:28.250 that we are all in the same boat, so to speak. 00:30:28.269 --> 00:30:33.809 when it comes to seeing our inability and our 00:30:33.809 --> 00:30:38.730 state and the bigness of God's calling and us 00:30:38.730 --> 00:30:42.150 not feeling worthy of that. I can relate to Peter 00:30:42.150 --> 00:30:45.170 because for many years, for many years, I tell 00:30:45.170 --> 00:30:47.930 you, for many years before pastoring this church, 00:30:48.089 --> 00:30:52.529 I was a minister. I was a preacher. I had evangelized. 00:30:52.529 --> 00:30:56.109 I had done various different works within the 00:30:56.109 --> 00:30:58.680 body, within the church. God had used me in different 00:30:58.680 --> 00:31:00.059 ways. And I'm going to tell you something right 00:31:00.059 --> 00:31:02.700 now as a piano player. I can tell you something 00:31:02.700 --> 00:31:06.279 right now that I was happy doing those things. 00:31:07.660 --> 00:31:10.960 I was all right doing those things. I would have 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:12.839 been all right if I just continued to preach, 00:31:12.880 --> 00:31:15.400 and that's all they ever did, just give me the 00:31:15.400 --> 00:31:17.559 microphone and then give the microphone back, 00:31:17.700 --> 00:31:23.420 you know? I began to hear the voice of God call 00:31:23.420 --> 00:31:30.259 me to pastoring. pastoring this church. And let 00:31:30.259 --> 00:31:35.740 me tell you, I never wanted to pastor. I don't 00:31:35.740 --> 00:31:40.259 know. Maybe I'm not supposed to say that. But 00:31:40.259 --> 00:31:43.019 I'm going to be real with you. For several years, 00:31:43.279 --> 00:31:48.660 my wife and I, we ran from that. We ran from 00:31:48.660 --> 00:31:57.279 that. Lord, thought to myself, Isn't there somebody 00:31:57.279 --> 00:32:05.039 else? Is there anybody else? God, is there anybody 00:32:05.039 --> 00:32:13.339 else? Where's our keyboard at? Okay. Is there 00:32:13.339 --> 00:32:17.160 anybody else? Has anybody ever asked that question 00:32:17.160 --> 00:32:22.500 before? Come on, let's be real. God, why me? 00:32:24.460 --> 00:32:29.759 And we fought the will of God for years. And 00:32:29.759 --> 00:32:31.700 that's what I told the Lord. Find somebody else, 00:32:31.759 --> 00:32:36.519 God. I'm not good enough. I'm not qualified enough. 00:32:40.279 --> 00:32:45.279 Don't you dare say amen on that one. But even 00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:47.380 if you did, it's all right. Because I'm not afraid 00:32:47.380 --> 00:32:51.480 to say it about myself. I'm not qualified enough. 00:32:55.740 --> 00:32:57.819 You know it's okay to say that someone else can 00:32:57.819 --> 00:33:01.720 do this better? Whatever it is you do for the 00:33:01.720 --> 00:33:04.460 Lord, you know that there's always somebody that 00:33:04.460 --> 00:33:07.559 can do it better. Hello, y 'all are quiet on 00:33:07.559 --> 00:33:14.779 me. Somebody else can do it better. We got great 00:33:14.779 --> 00:33:17.480 organizers in here, great administrative minds. 00:33:17.640 --> 00:33:22.559 And you know, but I guarantee, you'll find somebody 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:25.680 that will probably do it better. That's all right. 00:33:33.859 --> 00:33:35.660 There's always going to be someone out there 00:33:35.660 --> 00:33:44.900 that can do it better. I'm not ashamed. I'm comfortable 00:33:44.900 --> 00:33:47.519 in my own skin enough to say that there are better 00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:50.900 preachers than me in this world. Absolutely. 00:33:54.310 --> 00:33:59.130 better leaders than me. I'm comfortable in my 00:33:59.130 --> 00:34:02.309 own skin. Can I be vulnerable? You need to be 00:34:02.309 --> 00:34:03.930 prayerful about what I'm saying. You better not 00:34:03.930 --> 00:34:05.430 take this, go home and say, hey, you should have 00:34:05.430 --> 00:34:06.970 heard what the pastor said about himself. No, 00:34:07.069 --> 00:34:10.769 no, no, no. If that's the case, I rebuke that 00:34:10.769 --> 00:34:14.349 spirit. I'm not sharing this with you to give 00:34:14.349 --> 00:34:18.630 you ammunition. Say, I told you the pastor wasn't 00:34:18.630 --> 00:34:23.940 qualified. The devil is a liar. My point, Is 00:34:23.940 --> 00:34:28.400 that when God puts you somewhere. When God steps 00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:32.420 into your boat. Every devil that was there. Thinking 00:34:32.420 --> 00:34:35.719 they had you on lockdown. Thinking that you were 00:34:35.719 --> 00:34:39.360 radioactive enough. Toxic enough. Not good enough. 00:34:39.679 --> 00:34:43.000 So that God wouldn't use you. It sends a powerful 00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:47.119 message. That it's not about who's the best. 00:34:48.099 --> 00:34:53.480 It's not about who's. Come on. Who's most gifted? 00:34:53.619 --> 00:34:57.340 Who's most talented? It's not about all of that. 00:34:57.500 --> 00:35:02.199 Who's got the most credentials? Not about who's 00:35:02.199 --> 00:35:04.539 got the most degrees? Who's got this? Who's got 00:35:04.539 --> 00:35:12.219 that? No. It's who is most surrendered and willing 00:35:12.219 --> 00:35:17.519 to die to themselves. Y 'all hear what I'm saying. 00:35:19.219 --> 00:35:25.579 Who's willing to pick up. themselves daily and 00:35:25.579 --> 00:35:30.019 follow. Somebody say follow. Would you stand 00:35:30.019 --> 00:35:34.400 with me today? I stand before you not to put 00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:36.159 myself down. I'm just being honest. I'm telling 00:35:36.159 --> 00:35:41.079 you, before I answered the call that God had 00:35:41.079 --> 00:35:44.579 on my life, there was a process. Someone say 00:35:44.579 --> 00:35:47.420 it's a process. Come on, say it again. It's a 00:35:47.420 --> 00:35:52.599 process. But you know what I love about the Lord? 00:35:55.210 --> 00:35:59.090 someone say what thank you for asking what i 00:35:59.090 --> 00:36:01.909 love about the lord is that even when at first 00:36:01.909 --> 00:36:07.630 we are apprehensive even when at first we are 00:36:07.630 --> 00:36:15.190 doubtful even when at first we are hesitant even 00:36:15.190 --> 00:36:19.849 when at first we're unsure and there's this bit 00:36:19.849 --> 00:36:23.409 of tug of war that happens between you and the 00:36:23.409 --> 00:36:27.039 lord's will You and the Lord's call. What I love 00:36:27.039 --> 00:36:30.820 about the Lord is that he doesn't give up trying 00:36:30.820 --> 00:36:35.039 on us. What I love about God is that he'll keep 00:36:35.039 --> 00:36:43.119 calling you. Because once God calls you, this 00:36:43.119 --> 00:36:46.119 is gonna help somebody right now. Once he calls 00:36:46.119 --> 00:36:54.099 you, he cannot uncall you. You're saying, but 00:36:54.099 --> 00:36:55.820 pastor, but what about those guys that are out 00:36:55.820 --> 00:36:57.500 there? You know, what about those guys that, 00:36:57.500 --> 00:36:59.300 you know, people who are backslidden? No, they're 00:36:59.300 --> 00:37:01.760 still called. God didn't change his mind about 00:37:01.760 --> 00:37:03.800 those people just because they're not serving 00:37:03.800 --> 00:37:06.719 him right now. Are you hearing what I'm saying 00:37:06.719 --> 00:37:08.940 today? He didn't change his mind just because 00:37:08.940 --> 00:37:10.900 someone's going through a spiritual funk or they're 00:37:10.900 --> 00:37:12.719 not where they're supposed. God didn't change 00:37:12.719 --> 00:37:15.920 his mind about those people. The call is as real 00:37:15.920 --> 00:37:18.960 today as it was the day when it first went out. 00:37:20.139 --> 00:37:24.079 And he's waiting on. to get over ourselves, to 00:37:24.079 --> 00:37:27.300 get beyond our excuses and say yes to the Lord. 00:37:27.380 --> 00:37:30.000 I wonder today if there's somebody that's willing 00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:35.179 to just give God a space right now in your life 00:37:35.179 --> 00:37:38.360 to where he can call you to go to another level. 00:37:39.420 --> 00:37:41.619 Would you close your eyes in this place? I feel 00:37:41.619 --> 00:37:50.340 the holy. Oh, shalom. We've got some people with 00:37:50.340 --> 00:37:55.769 your eyes closed. Let me tell you. Look, a preacher, 00:37:55.929 --> 00:37:57.670 an evangelist is going to preach this different 00:37:57.670 --> 00:37:58.969 than a pastor, and I'm going to tell you why. 00:38:00.170 --> 00:38:03.670 As your pastor, I know in prayer, in the spirit, 00:38:03.769 --> 00:38:06.389 that some of you, in fact, a good number of you 00:38:06.389 --> 00:38:08.750 right now under the sound of my voice have for 00:38:08.750 --> 00:38:12.230 a while now, whether it's months or years, struggling 00:38:12.230 --> 00:38:14.429 and wrestling with the call of God in your life. 00:38:15.510 --> 00:38:18.239 And every time you get ready, to answer that 00:38:18.239 --> 00:38:21.440 every time you get ready to to just take another 00:38:21.440 --> 00:38:26.119 step forward and and embrace what god is doing 00:38:26.119 --> 00:38:28.699 that something just pulls you back and and it's 00:38:28.699 --> 00:38:31.199 these own questions in your mind i'm not good 00:38:31.199 --> 00:38:34.300 enough and i'm not i don't know if i have what 00:38:34.300 --> 00:38:36.280 it takes come on keep your eyes closed in prayer 00:38:36.280 --> 00:38:39.380 i don't know if i have what it takes i i i you 00:38:39.380 --> 00:38:41.750 know what i hear some of you i hear And I'm not 00:38:41.750 --> 00:38:44.210 a weird mysticist, okay? I don't believe in mysticism. 00:38:44.429 --> 00:38:46.369 But you know what God allows a pastor to hear? 00:38:46.489 --> 00:38:48.469 Sometimes I hear the prayers that you're praying. 00:38:50.449 --> 00:38:53.230 This is just a frequency in the Spirit. I can 00:38:53.230 --> 00:38:55.309 hear what some of you are praying. And I hear 00:38:55.309 --> 00:38:57.570 the objections that you're making to the Lord. 00:38:57.650 --> 00:39:00.010 And some of you, you say things like, I don't 00:39:00.010 --> 00:39:01.550 want to do it because I don't want to mess up. 00:39:01.610 --> 00:39:04.570 I don't want to fall. I don't want to do it, 00:39:04.590 --> 00:39:06.550 God. I don't want to answer because I'm afraid 00:39:06.550 --> 00:39:19.610 if I answer. What if I mess up, God? I'm here 00:39:19.610 --> 00:39:22.510 to tell you today, regardless of what you think, 00:39:22.590 --> 00:39:26.170 we all fall short of the glory of God. We all 00:39:26.170 --> 00:39:29.670 fall. And it's not about if you fall. It's about 00:39:29.670 --> 00:39:33.989 do you get up when you fall. You're going to 00:39:33.989 --> 00:39:38.690 make mistakes. You're going to fall. A righteous 00:39:38.690 --> 00:39:42.989 man falls seven times and he rises again. I hear 00:39:42.989 --> 00:39:44.809 some of you praying, but I'm not. I don't have 00:39:44.809 --> 00:39:47.719 everything figured out. Enough. I'm still, I'm 00:39:47.719 --> 00:39:49.960 still, my family, I've still got issues in my 00:39:49.960 --> 00:39:52.659 family. Let me tell you, if you're waiting to 00:39:52.659 --> 00:39:55.730 iron out all... of the blemishes and the wrinkles 00:39:55.730 --> 00:39:58.510 in your family and in your marriage and with 00:39:58.510 --> 00:40:00.530 all your children. Let me tell you, you're never 00:40:00.530 --> 00:40:03.070 going to be in a position where God can really 00:40:03.070 --> 00:40:05.590 use you. Because if it's not one thing, brother, 00:40:05.670 --> 00:40:07.849 sister, it's going to be another. And you'll 00:40:07.849 --> 00:40:10.429 just find yourself in a perpetual cycle of just 00:40:10.429 --> 00:40:13.070 never being ready and never being at that space. 00:40:13.349 --> 00:40:15.630 But I hear the voice of the Lord say, come on, 00:40:15.670 --> 00:40:18.369 let me into your boat. Let down that net. Let 00:40:18.369 --> 00:40:20.909 me show you that I'm God. Oh, I hear some of 00:40:20.909 --> 00:40:23.869 you. I hear the objections you've made. There's 00:40:23.869 --> 00:40:26.010 a cistern here that in your prayer time with 00:40:26.010 --> 00:40:27.650 the Lord. Come on, let's stay in the spirit right 00:40:27.650 --> 00:40:29.489 now. In your prayer time with the Lord, you say, 00:40:29.570 --> 00:40:32.210 I don't know if physically I can handle it. Because 00:40:32.210 --> 00:40:34.170 your physical body, you're afraid, is going to 00:40:34.170 --> 00:40:36.849 give out on you. And you won't be able to handle 00:40:36.849 --> 00:40:40.510 it physically or mentally. You're prone to stress 00:40:40.510 --> 00:40:43.070 and anxiety. You say, but if I give more of myself 00:40:43.070 --> 00:40:46.050 in that season, you know, I need to take a year 00:40:46.050 --> 00:40:48.110 off. You know, I just need a coach. Don't you 00:40:48.110 --> 00:40:50.989 listen to the enemy. Everyone needs a break from 00:40:50.989 --> 00:40:54.090 it. time to time even me we all need time to 00:40:54.090 --> 00:40:57.070 relax and refresh but we've got to be careful 00:40:57.070 --> 00:41:00.050 that we're not taking the bait of the enemy and 00:41:00.050 --> 00:41:03.210 allowing a time of refreshing to be a whole season 00:41:03.210 --> 00:41:06.050 a lifestyle of complacency where we never get 00:41:06.050 --> 00:41:09.150 back into the thing that we took a break from 00:41:09.150 --> 00:41:12.349 are you hearing what i'm saying today i need 00:41:12.349 --> 00:41:14.909 somebody to understand that while we all are 00:41:14.909 --> 00:41:19.170 human and we need better be at a place of sincerity 00:41:19.170 --> 00:41:26.650 with God that says, Lord, I better not be just 00:41:26.650 --> 00:41:28.989 telling, you know, because I have an anxious 00:41:28.989 --> 00:41:31.349 mind. No, you need to give that over to God. 00:41:31.590 --> 00:41:34.030 Be anxious for nothing but in everything through 00:41:34.030 --> 00:41:37.110 prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving. Let 00:41:37.110 --> 00:41:40.210 your request be made known to God and the peace 00:41:40.210 --> 00:41:42.909 of God which surpasses all understanding will 00:41:42.909 --> 00:41:46.869 guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. those 00:41:46.869 --> 00:41:49.329 anxious thoughts and anxiety and stress overwhelming 00:41:49.329 --> 00:41:52.730 to the point that you count yourself out from 00:41:52.730 --> 00:41:54.710 doing what god has done i feel the holy good 00:41:54.710 --> 00:41:56.010 god's working right now