WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:03.000 If you can open up your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:13.599 16, verse 13. This is Apostle Paul. Be on your 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:18.440 guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. 00:00:19.179 --> 00:00:22.960 Be strong. Amen. Let's give him praise to the 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:28.039 word of the Lord. You may take your seat. The 00:00:28.039 --> 00:00:34.090 world. is changing rapidly. We can see it clearly 00:00:34.090 --> 00:00:37.369 anytime we look at the news or our social medias. 00:00:38.049 --> 00:00:43.149 It's less patient, less loving, more angry, greedier, 00:00:43.289 --> 00:00:49.429 violent. People don't do well with change, especially 00:00:49.429 --> 00:00:55.070 if we don't like it or if we don't agree with 00:00:55.070 --> 00:00:59.390 it. Amen? It's easy to lose control when we don't 00:00:59.390 --> 00:01:02.429 understand everything that's going on. We feed 00:01:02.429 --> 00:01:06.010 off emotions and put ourselves in positions in 00:01:06.010 --> 00:01:08.950 environments or even in relationships that we 00:01:08.950 --> 00:01:12.129 don't belong in. And as people of faith, we are 00:01:12.129 --> 00:01:15.170 called to a different set of rules, principles, 00:01:15.450 --> 00:01:18.909 commandments to set us apart from the rest of 00:01:18.909 --> 00:01:22.569 the world. And the question is, will we stand 00:01:22.569 --> 00:01:29.290 firm in the faith or will we waver? I've titled 00:01:29.290 --> 00:01:34.069 today's message, Hold Your Position. And in the 00:01:34.069 --> 00:01:37.230 military, there's a position called sentry soldiers. 00:01:38.049 --> 00:01:41.489 The role of the sentry is a security authority 00:01:41.489 --> 00:01:45.930 entrusted with the control and defense of designated 00:01:45.930 --> 00:01:51.870 areas, facilities, or equipment. Through unwavering 00:01:51.870 --> 00:01:55.790 vigilance and readiness to act, the sentry serves 00:01:55.790 --> 00:01:58.870 as the first and most essential line of defense, 00:01:59.189 --> 00:02:04.049 upholding security, order, and mission integrity. 00:02:05.450 --> 00:02:12.490 A soldier is assigned a post. Amen? They don't 00:02:12.490 --> 00:02:17.810 abandon it when it gets boring, lonely, dangerous, 00:02:18.069 --> 00:02:21.349 or when they don't fully understand the larger 00:02:21.349 --> 00:02:25.229 battle plan. Their responsibility is to remain 00:02:25.949 --> 00:02:30.330 To stay alert, obey orders, and trust that their 00:02:30.330 --> 00:02:35.430 commanding officer sees the whole picture. Leaving 00:02:35.430 --> 00:02:40.210 the post doesn't just affect them. It endangers 00:02:40.210 --> 00:02:45.990 others. Amen? On the spiritual side, holding 00:02:45.990 --> 00:02:48.990 our position as a child of God means remaining 00:02:48.990 --> 00:02:52.729 faithful to who God says we are, even when the 00:02:52.729 --> 00:02:58.099 circumstances challenge it. We may not see what 00:02:58.099 --> 00:03:01.419 God is doing, why prayers feel unanswered, or 00:03:01.419 --> 00:03:05.240 why obedience is costly. But our calling is to 00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:10.039 remain in faith, in obedience, and in identity 00:03:10.039 --> 00:03:14.099 with Christ. And God, like our perfect commander, 00:03:14.419 --> 00:03:18.460 sees the entire battlefield. He sees our entire 00:03:18.460 --> 00:03:23.400 life, right? And he has assigned us our place 00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:29.030 for a reason. This is going to be my 13 year 00:03:29.030 --> 00:03:34.909 at City Light Church. And in regards to members, 00:03:35.189 --> 00:03:38.650 I am the only one left from the original group 00:03:38.650 --> 00:03:42.050 that helped the pastoral family plant this church. 00:03:43.289 --> 00:03:45.330 And I don't say that to boast because it's been 00:03:45.330 --> 00:03:49.449 really hard. Amen. From when it started 13 years 00:03:49.449 --> 00:03:52.990 ago, the amount of opposition, the amount of 00:03:52.990 --> 00:03:56.889 obstacles in my own ministry. have been really 00:03:56.889 --> 00:04:02.849 tough. And when I first got here, I set up shop 00:04:02.849 --> 00:04:05.689 in the back, right where Brother Micaiah is. 00:04:06.330 --> 00:04:09.610 And I got as close to that back of the wall as 00:04:09.610 --> 00:04:12.930 I could. If I could be a part of the wall, I 00:04:12.930 --> 00:04:17.610 would have. I didn't have a relationship that 00:04:17.610 --> 00:04:20.529 great with God. I knew of God. I understood God. 00:04:20.689 --> 00:04:23.430 I had done really good things in my prior church. 00:04:24.810 --> 00:04:27.410 But I wasn't really in relationship with God. 00:04:27.529 --> 00:04:31.110 So I'm like, you know what? This is easy for 00:04:31.110 --> 00:04:35.629 me. I'm going to go and do that. And I convinced 00:04:35.629 --> 00:04:39.410 myself that if I kept my head down, did the bare 00:04:39.410 --> 00:04:42.649 minimum, I could fly beneath the radar and have 00:04:42.649 --> 00:04:46.170 no accountability and still feel like I was being 00:04:46.170 --> 00:04:51.129 helpful at church. Amen? And the problem with 00:04:51.129 --> 00:04:54.139 that, and the problem with... Without for most 00:04:54.139 --> 00:04:59.360 of us, is that God has a plan for our life. And 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:01.560 for me, I was actively trying to run away from 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:07.040 it. Amen. Potential just oozed out of me. And 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:10.680 I was trying to just like, nope. Nope. Right? 00:05:11.339 --> 00:05:15.240 Oh, I did that too good. I'm going to bring attention 00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:17.720 to myself. And I did. And that's the problem. 00:05:18.600 --> 00:05:20.779 Because I was running. When you're running, you're 00:05:20.779 --> 00:05:22.139 not worried about what other people are thinking. 00:05:22.300 --> 00:05:28.519 You're just running. But God, right? But I was 00:05:28.519 --> 00:05:31.300 doing all these things. I was doing these things. 00:05:31.399 --> 00:05:35.639 I was doing what I wanted. And the problem with 00:05:35.639 --> 00:05:41.180 that is that when we're out of God's will, it's 00:05:41.180 --> 00:05:46.629 hard for him to keep pushing you forward. If 00:05:46.629 --> 00:05:51.129 we're going in a straight line, but if I'm all 00:05:51.129 --> 00:05:53.389 the way over there, God's trying to bring me 00:05:53.389 --> 00:05:57.610 back. You know what I mean? I was making it difficult 00:05:57.610 --> 00:06:02.009 for him. But one day, I snapped out of it. And 00:06:02.009 --> 00:06:04.490 I snapped out of it in the weirdest way because 00:06:04.490 --> 00:06:08.410 I was praying right here. And an opportunity 00:06:08.410 --> 00:06:11.649 literally came knocking. And I still said no. 00:06:14.050 --> 00:06:16.509 Amen. I was literally praying, God, give me an 00:06:16.509 --> 00:06:19.089 opportunity to change my mentality, the way that 00:06:19.089 --> 00:06:23.470 I was doing things. It literally comes. No, not 00:06:23.470 --> 00:06:29.189 that one. Right? And I knew I messed up. And 00:06:29.189 --> 00:06:32.449 as soon as I knew I messed up, I ran to the parking 00:06:32.449 --> 00:06:36.009 lot and told the brother, yes, I'll do it. Because 00:06:36.009 --> 00:06:41.230 I snapped out of it. Right? When I stopped running. 00:06:42.410 --> 00:06:45.889 I committed myself to the Lord. And that's when 00:06:45.889 --> 00:06:49.110 the process really began and I slowly started 00:06:49.110 --> 00:06:56.930 to make my way up to this altar. 13 years. Amen. 00:06:58.449 --> 00:07:03.529 And I share that with you because I delayed a 00:07:03.529 --> 00:07:08.370 lot of the gifts, a lot of the promises that 00:07:08.370 --> 00:07:12.319 God had for me because I was... Running around 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:16.379 doing my own thing. I was still at church. I 00:07:16.379 --> 00:07:20.800 was still at church. But I was still doing what 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:26.079 I wanted. And commitment, yes, commitment sounds 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:30.100 scary. Right? There's a lot of things that go 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:35.100 with commitment. But if we don't commit in the 00:07:35.100 --> 00:07:39.639 appropriate way, we lose it. It gets even more 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:43.230 difficult. Amen. And God revealed some truths 00:07:43.230 --> 00:07:45.209 that I did not discover with ease, but through 00:07:45.209 --> 00:07:49.490 pain, discomfort, and heartache. Because that's 00:07:49.490 --> 00:07:52.149 the way God works. It's not, I wish it was like, 00:07:52.230 --> 00:07:54.649 oh, well, everything's nice and butterflies. 00:07:55.110 --> 00:07:59.709 My son's into butterflies right now. You know, 00:07:59.730 --> 00:08:04.730 but it's not. It doesn't work that way. But you 00:08:04.730 --> 00:08:06.189 know what I learned, and here it is in a nutshell. 00:08:06.829 --> 00:08:10.589 Your obedience is so much more valuable to God 00:08:10.589 --> 00:08:16.889 than anything else you can offer. He won't take 00:08:16.889 --> 00:08:24.310 any less. We can't play church. It doesn't work 00:08:24.310 --> 00:08:31.209 that way. And Apostle Paul, here in his letter 00:08:31.209 --> 00:08:34.210 to the Corinthians, picks up on some unrest at 00:08:34.210 --> 00:08:37.669 the Corinthian church. There's a lot of movement. 00:08:38.330 --> 00:08:42.549 Things are changing. Different leaders, different 00:08:42.549 --> 00:08:44.710 all kinds of stuff going on with the Corinthian 00:08:44.710 --> 00:08:48.090 church. People are choosing sides, drawing their 00:08:48.090 --> 00:08:54.309 lines. A church is divided. There's so much more 00:08:54.309 --> 00:08:56.809 bad things that they were doing too, but I'm 00:08:56.809 --> 00:08:59.690 going to focus on here. But the point is that 00:08:59.690 --> 00:09:02.429 the Corinthian church was getting to the point 00:09:02.429 --> 00:09:08.700 of losing. Their control. And so the first principle 00:09:08.700 --> 00:09:11.539 I want to share with you today is that our position 00:09:11.539 --> 00:09:17.500 is assigned by authority. A soldier does not 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:21.200 choose their post. It is assigned by command. 00:09:22.340 --> 00:09:24.779 And for us, God places his children where he 00:09:24.779 --> 00:09:35.679 wants them for his purposes. Amen. by the Lord. 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:40.799 The steps of what? A bad man? A rebellious man? 00:09:44.539 --> 00:09:46.519 A man that's doing their own thing? A selfish 00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:51.500 man? A woman? It's for the sisters too. Amen. 00:09:56.639 --> 00:10:01.000 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. 00:10:03.559 --> 00:10:08.399 What does that mean? We have to be good. Goodness 00:10:08.399 --> 00:10:14.879 comes from our obedience. And that's the point 00:10:14.879 --> 00:10:18.080 I'm going to push to you all today in the encouragement. 00:10:18.799 --> 00:10:21.779 It's the obedience that unlocks all the gifts, 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:27.360 all the potential. We can't serve two masters. 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:31.720 Amen? And God makes no mistakes even if we think 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:36.759 we know better. We have to get rid of that comfort 00:10:36.759 --> 00:10:39.879 mentality and hold on to our God -directed commands. 00:10:40.820 --> 00:10:42.960 And every one of us has been given a command 00:10:42.960 --> 00:10:47.740 here. Amen. Whether it's the current post that 00:10:47.740 --> 00:10:49.919 you have or ones that haven't been baptized, 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:54.120 your command is to get baptized. Amen. Stop waiting. 00:10:54.960 --> 00:10:58.419 The time is now. Tomorrow isn't promised. Amen. 00:10:59.360 --> 00:11:01.700 So we have God -given commands. And why does 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:04.340 this matter? For us to stay in place because 00:11:04.340 --> 00:11:06.340 it's going to get difficult because it already 00:11:06.340 --> 00:11:14.600 is. And comfort is our first enemy. Sometimes 00:11:14.600 --> 00:11:19.059 the difficulty is as simple as not wanting to 00:11:19.059 --> 00:11:27.759 grow or get tired of our current roles. If God 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:32.990 has a specific role for you in this season, It's 00:11:32.990 --> 00:11:35.590 for a reason. And you have to hold that position 00:11:35.590 --> 00:11:38.409 regardless of what's going on. And there's a 00:11:38.409 --> 00:11:43.909 lot going on. There's a lot of distraction. Amen? 00:11:46.029 --> 00:11:49.629 We can't grow tired and we can't grow weary of 00:11:49.629 --> 00:11:52.850 doing good. Because what we do matters to God. 00:11:54.470 --> 00:11:56.690 And a soldier doesn't abandon their position 00:11:56.690 --> 00:11:59.009 because it becomes dangerous, lonely, or exhausting, 00:11:59.250 --> 00:12:03.490 right? And for believers, we're called to remain 00:12:03.490 --> 00:12:08.970 faithful even when it hurts. Especially when 00:12:08.970 --> 00:12:14.309 it hurts. James 1 .2 says, blessed is the one 00:12:14.309 --> 00:12:19.789 who perseveres under trial. Galatians 6 .9, let 00:12:19.789 --> 00:12:22.710 us not become weary in doing good. For at the 00:12:22.710 --> 00:12:25.990 proper time we will reap the harvest if we don't 00:12:25.990 --> 00:12:32.210 give up. Don't give up. Don't give up your position. 00:12:33.090 --> 00:12:42.269 Don't give up on your ministry. Amen? So what 00:12:42.269 --> 00:12:45.629 does this look like in practice, right? How do 00:12:45.629 --> 00:12:51.129 we hold our position spiritually? It looks like 00:12:51.129 --> 00:12:55.169 walking with God in continued obedience, prayer, 00:12:55.450 --> 00:13:04.369 integrity, and trust when our emotions say, And 00:13:04.369 --> 00:13:06.909 that's what Apostle Paul is telling the Corinthian 00:13:06.909 --> 00:13:10.809 church. Stand firm in the faith. And he's not 00:13:10.809 --> 00:13:15.330 talking to any old city. The Corinthian church 00:13:15.330 --> 00:13:18.429 was a powerhouse. A major Greek port city in 00:13:18.429 --> 00:13:24.289 the Roman Empire. Wealthy. Commercial. Modern 00:13:24.289 --> 00:13:28.490 day maybe Silicon Valley. There was money there. 00:13:28.529 --> 00:13:31.710 There was smart people there. But they were starting 00:13:31.710 --> 00:13:35.690 to lose their way. Because guess what? I know 00:13:35.690 --> 00:13:40.309 better. They weren't going to God anymore. They 00:13:40.309 --> 00:13:43.549 were going to themselves for the answers. And 00:13:43.549 --> 00:13:44.970 that's where we begin to make those mistakes. 00:13:45.610 --> 00:13:47.629 Second principle that I wanted to share is we 00:13:47.629 --> 00:13:51.190 have to trust the bigger plan. A soldier rarely 00:13:51.190 --> 00:13:53.330 knows the full strategy but trusts the command. 00:13:55.129 --> 00:13:58.610 God sees what we cannot and works all things 00:13:58.610 --> 00:14:01.929 for our good. In order to have trust in something 00:14:01.929 --> 00:14:04.210 that we can't see, we have to be courageous. 00:14:05.210 --> 00:14:07.870 Amen? You might feel like your position right 00:14:07.870 --> 00:14:10.850 now is not what it should be, not what it could 00:14:10.850 --> 00:14:15.250 be. It might seem small or insignificant, but 00:14:15.250 --> 00:14:20.090 obedience serves a greater purpose. The truth 00:14:20.090 --> 00:14:24.970 is we are our own worst enemy. We forget that 00:14:24.970 --> 00:14:28.169 we serve a God that is omnipotent, omnipresent, 00:14:28.330 --> 00:14:31.379 omniscient. He knows all things. He knows the 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:34.080 plan. And he's with us and he's for us. Amen. 00:14:36.960 --> 00:14:39.539 But what is it that we do? We tend to get into 00:14:39.539 --> 00:14:43.980 our own heads. And I'm going to give you my journey 00:14:43.980 --> 00:14:48.139 for an example. And I want Brother Ben, if actually 00:14:48.139 --> 00:14:51.460 you can help me out here. Come up to the front. 00:14:54.580 --> 00:14:56.360 They used to do this a lot. They'd get participants 00:14:56.360 --> 00:15:00.250 and, you know, get people going. Brother Ben 00:15:00.250 --> 00:15:05.110 is going to represent Jesus. Amen. Come on, Brother 00:15:05.110 --> 00:15:12.330 Ben. This is Jesus. I just gave my life to Jesus. 00:15:13.730 --> 00:15:17.309 I love you. I'm going to serve you. I'm going 00:15:17.309 --> 00:15:19.529 to give my life to you. I'm going to be obedient 00:15:19.529 --> 00:15:25.230 to you. How long am I going to serve you? Forever. 00:15:26.070 --> 00:15:27.570 That's what we say, right, when we get baptized. 00:15:30.190 --> 00:15:35.029 And so we start out well. We start walking with 00:15:35.029 --> 00:15:40.629 the Lord. Okay? We're doing okay. Then all of 00:15:40.629 --> 00:15:53.830 a sudden, we get a distraction. Stay here. I 00:15:53.830 --> 00:15:58.909 have come to this place on my own. I did what 00:15:58.909 --> 00:16:04.929 I wanted to do. Where is God? Is he with me? 00:16:04.970 --> 00:16:08.809 Is he blessing what I'm doing? And that's what 00:16:08.809 --> 00:16:12.809 we tend to do. And that's why it takes forever 00:16:12.809 --> 00:16:17.490 for our blessings to come. Because we want God 00:16:17.490 --> 00:16:19.409 to bless us where we are and we're not coming 00:16:19.409 --> 00:16:26.350 to him. We're not with him. Amen. And even worse, 00:16:26.409 --> 00:16:30.909 we sometimes want to take God and fit him into 00:16:30.909 --> 00:16:35.159 places. That he doesn't fit. No offense, obviously. 00:16:35.759 --> 00:16:39.019 But you know what I mean? We want to take him 00:16:39.019 --> 00:16:44.799 to places that he doesn't belong. Right? And 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:46.799 we're not going to be, it doesn't work that way. 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:49.639 And we do that a lot of the time because we're 00:16:49.639 --> 00:16:51.940 scared. And I can tell you that much because 00:16:51.940 --> 00:16:57.299 I was. We do it out of fear. If I stay with God, 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:00.000 everybody at work is going to make fun of me. 00:17:00.220 --> 00:17:02.500 Everybody at school is going to chastise me. 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:05.480 Everybody at school, like whatever your environment 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:09.019 is. I'm not going to be liked. Oh, there's the 00:17:09.019 --> 00:17:17.420 Jesus guy. But when I started walking again, 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:29.289 I found my wife. When I kept walking again. I 00:17:29.289 --> 00:17:37.750 got my kid. As I kept walking, I had peace. I 00:17:37.750 --> 00:17:40.250 didn't get the chaos of everybody else. I had, 00:17:40.269 --> 00:17:44.910 no matter what was going on, I stayed. But staying 00:17:44.910 --> 00:17:49.490 meant that people pointed fingers, people put 00:17:49.490 --> 00:17:52.130 me down, the heartache, the pain, all that comes 00:17:52.130 --> 00:17:55.849 with it. The things that we don't want to go 00:17:55.849 --> 00:17:58.769 through. And that's why God doesn't reveal the 00:17:58.769 --> 00:18:02.450 whole plan to us. Because if we know that, oh, 00:18:02.549 --> 00:18:04.829 this is going to happen to you and you're going 00:18:04.829 --> 00:18:06.650 to lose this and they're going to take that and 00:18:06.650 --> 00:18:09.150 you're going to get beat up there. Of course 00:18:09.150 --> 00:18:15.130 we're going to say no. And so our role is to 00:18:15.130 --> 00:18:19.210 walk in faith. Amen. And take God with us. Thank 00:18:19.210 --> 00:18:23.329 you, brother Ben. The word of God says in Joshua 00:18:23.329 --> 00:18:27.589 1, have I not commanded you, be strong. And courageous. 00:18:27.750 --> 00:18:30.789 Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged for the 00:18:30.789 --> 00:18:34.190 Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. 00:18:36.970 --> 00:18:39.829 Everywhere doesn't mean everywhere either. Okay? 00:18:41.450 --> 00:18:44.670 If you're outside full on the will of God and 00:18:44.670 --> 00:18:48.349 he's telling you no, he's not going to bless 00:18:48.349 --> 00:18:54.589 you there. Amen? And a lot of the trouble, you 00:18:54.589 --> 00:18:58.160 know, we get. Is that because we go to church 00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:00.799 on Sunday, because we do certain things for God, 00:19:00.940 --> 00:19:06.519 that we're in his will. We're in his will when 00:19:06.519 --> 00:19:09.880 we obey him. We're in his will when we're doing 00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:15.140 what he wants. And I'm in such a unique phase. 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:20.460 And the parents will understand this. Because 00:19:20.460 --> 00:19:28.619 when you have a kid. It's God teaches you lessons 00:19:28.619 --> 00:19:32.559 that you never thought, you know, were possible. 00:19:33.299 --> 00:19:38.359 And you start understanding love and grace and 00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:45.759 correction in a whole different way. Amen? I 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:47.420 get to spend a lot of time with Matthew. And, 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:50.940 you know, when we're in places, and it's me and 00:19:50.940 --> 00:19:54.799 him, if he wants to do something. you know, he's 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:57.160 going about doing it, right? When he needs help, 00:19:57.319 --> 00:20:05.200 what does he do? When I don't want him to do 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:09.079 something, hey, no. You know what he does when 00:20:09.079 --> 00:20:10.579 he still wants to do it after I tell him no? 00:20:16.500 --> 00:20:21.420 This is how we are as children of God. God's 00:20:21.420 --> 00:20:28.809 right here telling us no, and we're like, And 00:20:28.809 --> 00:20:33.029 here's the problem, church. When you're around 00:20:33.029 --> 00:20:36.410 me, when Matthew's around me, something happens, 00:20:36.589 --> 00:20:42.230 I can easily help him. But when he's disobedient 00:20:42.230 --> 00:20:46.769 and is over here and I'm over there, it takes 00:20:46.769 --> 00:20:50.089 me a lot longer to get to him. I will get to 00:20:50.089 --> 00:20:52.250 him because he's my child, but it's going to 00:20:52.250 --> 00:20:56.819 take longer. Does that make sense? When we're 00:20:56.819 --> 00:20:58.380 in trouble and you're like, where's God, where's 00:20:58.380 --> 00:20:59.599 God, where's God? It's because you're far away 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:04.539 from him, not the other way around. We have to 00:21:04.539 --> 00:21:07.980 have that tight relationship with God in order 00:21:07.980 --> 00:21:10.940 for him to respond to your needs when you need 00:21:10.940 --> 00:21:24.119 it. Amen. Otherwise, you go and get hurt. And 00:21:24.119 --> 00:21:27.730 my kid gets hurt. It's a hard phase. This toddler 00:21:27.730 --> 00:21:29.490 phase is a hard phase. So God bless you parents. 00:21:31.509 --> 00:21:33.529 It's a hard phase because these guys are going 00:21:33.529 --> 00:21:37.069 to get hurt. He's going to get hurt. And here's 00:21:37.069 --> 00:21:42.029 the kicker, right? He goes. He gets hurt. He's 00:21:42.029 --> 00:21:47.349 obviously in pain. So when I see him as his father, 00:21:47.549 --> 00:21:57.819 it hurts me. It hurts me. You're in pain. God 00:21:57.819 --> 00:22:02.740 has to see us as toddlers. It has to be the way 00:22:02.740 --> 00:22:06.619 that he sees us as children of God. Because I 00:22:06.619 --> 00:22:11.279 look at him and my heart just hurts. And I seem 00:22:11.279 --> 00:22:15.339 like you're doing this to yourself. I'm not doing 00:22:15.339 --> 00:22:21.019 it. You're doing it to yourself. Stop. But we 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:25.099 don't. And we keep going and going and going. 00:22:25.259 --> 00:22:28.990 And we want God. to be in the middle of it. He 00:22:28.990 --> 00:22:34.490 can't do that. He won't. And here's the kicker. 00:22:35.150 --> 00:22:39.269 Even though he's beat up, if he still does something 00:22:39.269 --> 00:22:43.990 wrong, I'm still going to go correct him. Because 00:22:43.990 --> 00:22:45.390 just because you're beat up doesn't mean that 00:22:45.390 --> 00:22:48.470 gives you a free, you know, ability to do whatever 00:22:48.470 --> 00:22:51.670 you want. And that's what the Word of God says, 00:22:51.890 --> 00:22:58.019 right? Those he loves, he corrects. And so the 00:22:58.019 --> 00:22:59.880 encouragement I'm trying to bring to you all 00:22:59.880 --> 00:23:02.519 is that the relationship, the position that you 00:23:02.519 --> 00:23:05.980 have as a child of God, as a toddler of God, 00:23:06.119 --> 00:23:13.400 is such a beautiful gift. But it does come at 00:23:13.400 --> 00:23:18.980 a price. Amen. It does come at a price. The word 00:23:18.980 --> 00:23:22.319 of God, Proverbs 3, verse 5 and 6. Trust in the 00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:24.440 Lord with all your heart and lean not on your 00:23:24.440 --> 00:23:27.299 own understanding. In all your ways submit to 00:23:27.299 --> 00:23:30.539 him and he will make your path straight. In all 00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:37.220 your ways submit to him. What does that look 00:23:37.220 --> 00:23:42.299 like to submit to God? Will you submit to the 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:46.079 authorities that he's placed in your life? Amen? 00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:51.900 That's the hard part. Oof. Right? Oh, I'll do 00:23:51.900 --> 00:23:58.609 it for God. Well, that's God's chosen. Amen. 00:23:58.609 --> 00:24:03.609 Where I don't want us to get, like the Corinthian 00:24:03.609 --> 00:24:06.289 church, where they start picking sides. They 00:24:06.289 --> 00:24:10.769 start picking the things that they want. I wore 00:24:10.769 --> 00:24:13.849 this pin today because this pin means something. 00:24:16.089 --> 00:24:19.750 A lot of us are starting to see it as, oh, well, 00:24:19.769 --> 00:24:21.289 you're trying to oppress me. Well, you're trying 00:24:21.289 --> 00:24:23.910 to, you know, tell me how to live my life. No. 00:24:26.160 --> 00:24:28.799 The apostolic assembly is trying to help you 00:24:28.799 --> 00:24:32.880 to get to heaven. That's all it's trying to do. 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:41.839 Are we perfect? No. Only God is. But there are 00:24:41.839 --> 00:24:49.880 19 doctrinal principles. That's your start. You 00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:52.299 want to know what commitment is? Start following 00:24:52.299 --> 00:24:56.640 those principles. It's too hard for you? Well, 00:24:56.660 --> 00:24:58.799 then you're going to delay what God has for you 00:24:58.799 --> 00:25:01.460 because it's simple. The things you do for the 00:25:01.460 --> 00:25:08.960 one that you love is give your life. I never 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:13.539 knew that I could love something that's one and 00:25:13.539 --> 00:25:18.920 a half years old. I would give my life for my 00:25:18.920 --> 00:25:28.779 son. And that's what God did for us. We don't 00:25:28.779 --> 00:25:32.920 deserve to be here. We deserve death. It's easy 00:25:32.920 --> 00:25:35.779 to criticize what everybody's doing. What the 00:25:35.779 --> 00:25:39.000 world's doing. What Ukraine, Russia, everybody's 00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:40.940 doing. It's easy to get into the mix of that. 00:25:44.160 --> 00:25:49.759 There's no point. We belong to God. And that's 00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:52.279 who we need to choose every single day, every 00:25:52.279 --> 00:25:54.519 single time. Every time it gets hard, that's 00:25:54.519 --> 00:25:59.180 who we go to. We go to Jesus. Amen. We don't 00:25:59.180 --> 00:26:01.059 choose. We don't bicker. We don't do any of that. 00:26:01.099 --> 00:26:06.700 We're not that people. What happened in Minneapolis? 00:26:09.539 --> 00:26:14.140 Amen. What's going on there now? But they also 00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:19.619 came into the church. What are you going to do 00:26:19.619 --> 00:26:23.940 if that happens? Are you going to be quick to 00:26:23.940 --> 00:26:29.940 anger? We're not passive people. We're going 00:26:29.940 --> 00:26:32.619 to defend ourselves, of course. But we have to 00:26:32.619 --> 00:26:36.079 defend ourselves the right way. Amen. And it 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:42.299 starts with the word of God. Amen. Our third 00:26:42.299 --> 00:26:49.589 principle is to stay alert and watchful. A guard 00:26:49.589 --> 00:26:52.049 who sleeps at their post endangers the mission. 00:26:54.289 --> 00:26:59.450 God calls us to spiritual alertness. And as children 00:26:59.450 --> 00:27:02.710 of God, we belong to a different kingdom. We 00:27:02.710 --> 00:27:04.450 have to ask ourselves, am I living according 00:27:04.450 --> 00:27:08.230 to my identity as a child of God? Or am I blending 00:27:08.230 --> 00:27:13.990 into the world? Am I one way on Sunday and a 00:27:13.990 --> 00:27:21.490 different person on Monday? Am I playing a role 00:27:21.490 --> 00:27:25.869 on Sunday and playing a different role on Monday? 00:27:30.049 --> 00:27:37.450 That's the hard part. We have to recognize that 00:27:37.450 --> 00:27:41.890 the things that God wants for us, the structure, 00:27:42.089 --> 00:27:47.910 the commitments, are not to harm us. They're 00:27:47.910 --> 00:27:51.940 not. It's because we are in a difficult, difficult 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:57.220 world. And it's changing rapidly. And our emotions 00:27:57.220 --> 00:28:03.200 are going like this. But there's a spiritual 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:07.359 warfare that's also happening. And Christians 00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:14.180 who are rooted are under attack. The word of 00:28:14.180 --> 00:28:22.130 God says that the world will hate us. And they 00:28:22.130 --> 00:28:26.710 don't hate David the person, Micaiah the person, 00:28:26.769 --> 00:28:29.049 Chloe the person. They don't hate you as a person. 00:28:30.190 --> 00:28:34.930 They hate who you represent. And so what does 00:28:34.930 --> 00:28:41.789 that do? It quiets us. I'm not going to say my 00:28:41.789 --> 00:28:49.950 prayer because they might say something. We're 00:28:49.950 --> 00:28:53.539 living in that world right now. And so in 1 Peter 00:28:53.539 --> 00:28:56.960 5a, he says, be alert and of sober mind. Your 00:28:56.960 --> 00:28:59.660 enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring 00:28:59.660 --> 00:29:04.299 lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him. 00:29:04.519 --> 00:29:10.980 Stand firm in the faith. What is standing firm? 00:29:13.079 --> 00:29:19.819 Is this standing firm? Somebody come push me 00:29:19.819 --> 00:29:25.250 and I'll fall. We're not, again, we're not passive 00:29:25.250 --> 00:29:30.289 Christians. Standing firm is, okay, let's go. 00:29:33.829 --> 00:29:38.170 You're only going to get to battle position if 00:29:38.170 --> 00:29:42.569 you've been through some things. And if you're 00:29:42.569 --> 00:29:46.589 obeying the command. The most elite soldiers, 00:29:47.009 --> 00:29:52.789 top ones. They're good at what they do because 00:29:52.789 --> 00:30:00.650 they obey the command. Amen. Matthew 26, 41. 00:30:00.869 --> 00:30:03.109 Watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation. 00:30:04.170 --> 00:30:07.009 Jesus is talking to his disciples here. They 00:30:07.009 --> 00:30:10.390 fell asleep. He told them to stay alert. And 00:30:10.390 --> 00:30:13.710 they fell asleep when he comes back. That's what 00:30:13.710 --> 00:30:18.569 happens to a lot of us. Somebody else will do 00:30:18.569 --> 00:30:22.230 it. Somebody else will pick up the slack. Somebody 00:30:22.230 --> 00:30:27.029 else will pray. Somebody else will fast. Somebody 00:30:27.029 --> 00:30:34.410 else will give. Somebody else will teach. Amen. 00:30:35.210 --> 00:30:38.849 We have to stay alert and always ready. Because 00:30:38.849 --> 00:30:44.369 this, what I'm doing now, reality is for everybody. 00:30:46.190 --> 00:30:48.890 We all have our different calling, different 00:30:48.890 --> 00:30:52.940 way of doing it. Do I have that same fervor that 00:30:52.940 --> 00:30:56.440 Pastor Jacob has? No. But I know that God is 00:30:56.440 --> 00:31:03.720 with me. Amen. And the point is that I'm being 00:31:03.720 --> 00:31:07.519 obedient whether I think I belong here or not. 00:31:07.599 --> 00:31:13.200 Because I was commanded. Amen. And that's where 00:31:13.200 --> 00:31:17.940 everything transforms. I'm going into a very 00:31:17.940 --> 00:31:22.319 hectic year this year. There's a lot of change 00:31:22.319 --> 00:31:26.759 for the Santos family. I am going to have to 00:31:26.759 --> 00:31:30.420 look for work. I haven't done that in actually 00:31:30.420 --> 00:31:37.259 13 years. And whatever it is that God has for 00:31:37.259 --> 00:31:41.099 me and my family, it's all in faith. Because 00:31:41.099 --> 00:31:45.759 I don't know. I could easily spend every single 00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:49.759 moment right now looking for a job. It will consume 00:31:49.759 --> 00:31:57.210 me. But then I wouldn't have time for this. And 00:31:57.210 --> 00:32:00.170 that's how we have to start being in relationship 00:32:00.170 --> 00:32:03.710 with God, right? And holding our position is 00:32:03.710 --> 00:32:06.910 not about what we know. It's about what God knows. 00:32:08.210 --> 00:32:10.289 Holding our position is not about our timing. 00:32:10.589 --> 00:32:14.210 It's about God's timing. Holding our position 00:32:14.210 --> 00:32:17.430 is not about what we can do. It's about what 00:32:17.430 --> 00:32:22.509 God can do. And battle -tested soldiers hold 00:32:22.509 --> 00:32:27.549 a higher value. Why? Because they have been through 00:32:27.549 --> 00:32:32.170 the tests. They have endured difficult trials 00:32:32.170 --> 00:32:34.950 and proven their effectiveness under pressure. 00:32:37.930 --> 00:32:42.130 You might see me here today and like, who's this 00:32:42.130 --> 00:32:48.210 guy? What is he doing? But the last 13 years, 00:32:50.119 --> 00:32:53.339 Have battle tested me to levels that I've never 00:32:53.339 --> 00:32:58.220 been before. And that's why I'm here. And that's 00:32:58.220 --> 00:33:00.700 why I'll continue to be here. And that's why 00:33:00.700 --> 00:33:03.339 I'll continue to serve the Lord. Because he's 00:33:03.339 --> 00:33:06.859 the one that sustains me. He's the one that's 00:33:06.859 --> 00:33:09.460 giving me everything that I have. And will continue 00:33:09.460 --> 00:33:12.599 to bless as we continue to stay in his will. 00:33:12.700 --> 00:33:16.880 Amen. We don't get the medals. We don't get the 00:33:16.880 --> 00:33:20.349 accolades. We don't get the honors. Before the 00:33:20.349 --> 00:33:27.430 mission. We're not given that based on potential. 00:33:30.109 --> 00:33:32.589 He looks like he deserves a medal of honor right 00:33:32.589 --> 00:33:36.289 there. No, we don't do it. We do it after he's 00:33:36.289 --> 00:33:39.869 done something worthy of giving the medal of 00:33:39.869 --> 00:33:45.130 honor to. Amen. There's no participation trophies. 00:33:52.299 --> 00:33:57.220 We're closer than ever to God's coming. We read 00:33:57.220 --> 00:34:04.400 in Matthew 24, verse 6 through 13. You will hear 00:34:04.400 --> 00:34:10.519 of wars and rumors of wars. Those aren't rumors 00:34:10.519 --> 00:34:14.639 anymore. But see to it that you are not alarmed. 00:34:14.739 --> 00:34:19.579 Such things must happen. Nation will rise against 00:34:19.579 --> 00:34:24.440 nation and kingdom. against kingdom. There will 00:34:24.440 --> 00:34:27.400 be famines and earthquakes in various places. 00:34:27.960 --> 00:34:32.800 All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then 00:34:32.800 --> 00:34:36.199 you will be handed over to be persecuted and 00:34:36.199 --> 00:34:39.900 put to death and you will be hated by all nations 00:34:39.900 --> 00:34:46.860 because of me. At that time, many will turn away 00:34:46.860 --> 00:34:52.039 from the faith and will betray and hate each 00:34:52.039 --> 00:34:59.880 other. He's talking about us. He's not talking 00:34:59.880 --> 00:35:05.639 about strangers. He's talking about us. What 00:35:05.639 --> 00:35:08.440 position are you in? Are you in that wavering 00:35:08.440 --> 00:35:10.239 position that somebody's going to come say something, 00:35:10.300 --> 00:35:14.079 I'm going this way. Somebody says something else, 00:35:14.159 --> 00:35:18.219 I'm going that way. Or are you going to stand 00:35:18.219 --> 00:35:25.579 firm? This is what I believe, right? And that's 00:35:25.579 --> 00:35:27.980 the hard part. Because what I'm telling you is 00:35:27.980 --> 00:35:30.340 not easy. It's not easy to stand firm. It's not 00:35:30.340 --> 00:35:33.539 easy to hold your position. But it's what we're 00:35:33.539 --> 00:35:38.920 commanded to do. And once you realize that that's 00:35:38.920 --> 00:35:41.139 all that it takes, you're going to unlock so 00:35:41.139 --> 00:35:43.039 much for your family, for the generations that 00:35:43.039 --> 00:35:46.019 are coming. I'm doing this today because I want 00:35:46.019 --> 00:35:51.190 Matthew to do it better than I can. Amen. Our 00:35:51.190 --> 00:35:53.329 kids are watching. The next generation is watching. 00:35:55.530 --> 00:36:00.750 If you've ever felt sitting in those pews, oh, 00:36:00.750 --> 00:36:05.789 I can do that. Except maybe singing, unless you 00:36:05.789 --> 00:36:07.110 have talent, you know what I mean? Because they 00:36:07.110 --> 00:36:16.610 always say that. Do it. Step in faith. We need 00:36:16.610 --> 00:36:21.340 you. God needs you. City Light needs you. Amen. 00:36:21.940 --> 00:36:24.400 A soldier holds the line because they trust the 00:36:24.400 --> 00:36:28.400 command. A child of God holds their faith because 00:36:28.400 --> 00:36:32.159 they trust the father. Amen. Sister Monique. 00:36:32.900 --> 00:36:40.099 The world is tough right now. But I will hold 00:36:40.099 --> 00:36:45.880 my position. My livelihood is at stake right 00:36:45.880 --> 00:36:52.239 now. But I will hold my position. I feel like 00:36:52.239 --> 00:36:59.840 I'm lost. I will hold my position. I don't feel 00:36:59.840 --> 00:37:05.760 the support that I need. I will hold my position. 00:37:09.139 --> 00:37:15.699 God is calling us to sustain ourselves. And not 00:37:15.699 --> 00:37:23.510 other things of this world. But of his word. 00:37:26.789 --> 00:37:34.909 I had this beautiful revelation. God's word says 00:37:34.909 --> 00:37:47.250 that before I formed you, I knew you. Amen. And 00:37:47.250 --> 00:37:55.880 then in Matthew 7, drastically changes. Then 00:37:55.880 --> 00:38:00.960 I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away 00:38:00.960 --> 00:38:08.559 from me, evildoers. It's a big change. A very 00:38:08.559 --> 00:38:12.760 big change. I knew you before I formed you. To 00:38:12.760 --> 00:38:18.539 get away from me, I never knew you. What happened? 00:38:22.360 --> 00:38:26.340 God had a plan for you. God has a plan for you. 00:38:27.820 --> 00:38:31.320 And you're either going to stay in his plan and 00:38:31.320 --> 00:38:36.719 walk in his will and follow his commands, or 00:38:36.719 --> 00:38:44.300 you're going to do your own thing. Your own thing 00:38:44.300 --> 00:38:50.960 is the wide gate. It's what feels good. I'll 00:38:50.960 --> 00:38:56.420 do it when I get to it. Not when God is tugging 00:38:56.420 --> 00:39:05.800 at you. Amen. I predestined you to save souls. 00:39:06.059 --> 00:39:10.219 I predestined you to be a musician. I predestined 00:39:10.219 --> 00:39:16.739 you to be a teacher, a preacher. But you said 00:39:16.739 --> 00:39:21.940 no. You would rather criticize what everybody 00:39:21.940 --> 00:39:28.400 else is doing. Than to submit to my commandments. 00:39:29.619 --> 00:39:34.539 And you want me to bless that? That's not how 00:39:34.539 --> 00:39:38.179 it works. And I'm telling you this because it 00:39:38.179 --> 00:39:45.679 took me years and pain. That when we submit ourselves 00:39:45.679 --> 00:39:51.659 to God, it doesn't necessarily get easier. But 00:39:51.659 --> 00:39:55.079 the peace that I have compared to others. is 00:39:55.079 --> 00:40:00.820 unmatched by God's grace. Amen. And God is still 00:40:00.820 --> 00:40:03.000 working in me. I haven't reached where I need 00:40:03.000 --> 00:40:10.840 to be. You're seeing day two. Amen. It's my second 00:40:10.840 --> 00:40:15.760 time preaching. You're seeing day two. Some of 00:40:15.760 --> 00:40:21.820 you will see day 1005. Amen. And you'll see a 00:40:21.820 --> 00:40:25.239 different person. But right now, this is what 00:40:25.239 --> 00:40:32.599 God wants. This is what God has for you. To talk 00:40:32.599 --> 00:40:39.559 to you in a very nurturing way. Because he loves 00:40:39.559 --> 00:40:45.159 you. Even when you're throwing a tantrum. He 00:40:45.159 --> 00:40:51.880 loves you. He loves you even more when you're 00:40:51.880 --> 00:40:54.860 disobedient, believe it or not. Because all he 00:40:54.860 --> 00:40:57.780 wants to do is hug you and be like, hey, it's 00:40:57.780 --> 00:41:02.880 going to be fine. It's going to be okay. But 00:41:02.880 --> 00:41:06.800 there are rules. Because as for me and my house, 00:41:06.980 --> 00:41:15.659 we will serve the Lord. Amen. We'll have you 00:41:15.659 --> 00:41:20.880 stand up on your feet. Church. We don't get a 00:41:20.880 --> 00:41:26.380 lot of chances for altar call. Amen. We get 52 00:41:26.380 --> 00:41:33.039 if we're lucky in a year. This is your time to 00:41:33.039 --> 00:41:39.860 come to your father. Tell him. Come nag to him. 00:41:42.119 --> 00:41:51.539 Be messy in his will. Don't be far from him. 00:41:52.559 --> 00:41:55.059 And then expect a different type of outcome. 00:41:56.659 --> 00:42:04.280 Amen. We're in this together. Our goal is to 00:42:04.280 --> 00:42:09.579 hear, well done, good and faithful servant. That's 00:42:09.579 --> 00:42:12.960 our goal. I want every single person here to 00:42:12.960 --> 00:42:17.260 make it to heaven. Amen. And we all have to want 00:42:17.260 --> 00:42:23.469 that. I'm going to invite Bishop here in a second 00:42:23.469 --> 00:42:26.690 to release a word of faith for us in holding 00:42:26.690 --> 00:42:29.710 our position. But I wanted to share with you 00:42:29.710 --> 00:42:32.809 one last truth because a lot of the times we're 00:42:32.809 --> 00:42:35.829 like, well, how do we do this? And I'm a big 00:42:35.829 --> 00:42:42.469 practical person. How do we start detecting what's 00:42:42.469 --> 00:42:45.349 good for us, what's bad for us, who's lying, 00:42:45.449 --> 00:42:52.079 who's not, what's right, what's wrong? The more 00:42:52.079 --> 00:42:57.900 truth you have inside of you, the easier it's 00:42:57.900 --> 00:43:02.300 going to be. You're going to see something and 00:43:02.300 --> 00:43:05.480 you're going to be like, oh, that doesn't align 00:43:05.480 --> 00:43:07.679 with the word of God. I'm not going to pay attention 00:43:07.679 --> 00:43:17.139 to it. Amen. We have to continue to commit to 00:43:17.139 --> 00:43:19.239 God and hold our position.