WEBVTT 00:00:13.339 --> 00:00:16.019 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. To get connected 00:00:16.019 --> 00:00:20.059 or to give online, go to connect .hcv .church 00:00:20.059 --> 00:00:23.839 or give .hcv .church. If at any point during 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:26.000 this message you feel called to make a change 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:30.899 in your life, text change me to 9700. Thank you 00:00:30.899 --> 00:00:42.789 and enjoy the message. Good morning, everyone. 00:00:44.030 --> 00:00:46.950 And there's just something about live announcements, 00:00:47.210 --> 00:00:49.570 man. When you get a drum solo, you just roll 00:00:49.570 --> 00:00:53.409 into it. So we're just so glad you're here. We 00:00:53.409 --> 00:00:56.590 made it through Easter. We have lights. We have 00:00:56.590 --> 00:00:59.969 power. The unexpected happened. But it didn't 00:00:59.969 --> 00:01:03.429 stop from advancing the kingdom of God. If you 00:01:03.429 --> 00:01:05.709 are joining us from home, thank you for welcoming 00:01:05.709 --> 00:01:08.950 us into your space. So I want to start this morning 00:01:08.950 --> 00:01:12.540 by telling you a story. A story about a guy named 00:01:12.540 --> 00:01:17.340 Harry Winston. Harry Winston became famous in 00:01:17.340 --> 00:01:22.359 the 1950s as the King of Jewelry. And if you're 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:23.900 going to have a nickname, why not the King of 00:01:23.900 --> 00:01:26.859 Jewelry, right? It's like a fire nickname. So 00:01:26.859 --> 00:01:29.060 he got the nickname because of his incredible 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:33.840 diamond collection. And in 1958, Harry donated 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:37.879 the Hope Diamond to the Museum of Natural History 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:41.150 in Washington, D .C. Now the Hope Diamond is 00:01:41.150 --> 00:01:47.370 worth $300 million. It is 45 and a half carats. 00:01:47.370 --> 00:01:50.049 It's just slightly larger than the engagement 00:01:50.049 --> 00:01:55.189 ring on Jess's finger that you saw shining. And 00:01:55.189 --> 00:01:58.469 I think we can all agree that it's pretty amazing 00:01:58.469 --> 00:02:01.969 that one person could own something like that, 00:02:02.030 --> 00:02:04.500 but he did. And the most incredible part of the 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:08.500 story is how Harry sent the Hope Diamond from 00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:11.800 New York City to Washington, D .C. Anyone want 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:15.099 to guess how Harry sent the diamond from New 00:02:15.099 --> 00:02:16.879 York to Washington, D .C.? Anyone want to guess? 00:02:18.520 --> 00:02:23.080 An envelope. He literally, all right, I'm not 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:27.319 making this up. Harry took the Hope Diamond, 00:02:27.539 --> 00:02:31.439 $300 million. put it in an envelope, put stamps 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:35.659 on it, and put it into a mailman's hand and said, 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:39.120 please deliver this to Washington, D .C. Now, 00:02:39.139 --> 00:02:41.159 I don't know about you, but I'm not even comfortable 00:02:41.159 --> 00:02:44.340 sending gift cards through the mail, right? I 00:02:44.340 --> 00:02:47.819 could not imagine sending a diamond worth $300 00:02:47.819 --> 00:02:51.219 million through the mail. Now, the story continues. 00:02:52.060 --> 00:02:54.819 There was an interview with the mailman that 00:02:54.819 --> 00:02:56.960 actually carried the diamond, and he was asked, 00:02:57.610 --> 00:02:59.750 What did you think about the whole experience? 00:03:00.169 --> 00:03:03.530 His first response was, I just didn't want to 00:03:03.530 --> 00:03:06.990 lose it. And I think that's a pretty honest response, 00:03:07.050 --> 00:03:09.330 and we can all agree that we wouldn't want to 00:03:09.330 --> 00:03:12.250 lose it. But later in the interview, he actually 00:03:12.250 --> 00:03:16.330 talked about the privilege and the weight of 00:03:16.330 --> 00:03:20.270 carrying something so valuable. So when I was 00:03:20.270 --> 00:03:23.469 reading that story this week, I began to think 00:03:23.469 --> 00:03:28.610 about the mission. That Jesus has given us. Meaning, 00:03:28.750 --> 00:03:31.409 if you're in a relationship with Jesus, this 00:03:31.409 --> 00:03:35.090 includes you. I want us to reflect on the weight 00:03:35.090 --> 00:03:38.569 of what we have been entrusted with. Because 00:03:38.569 --> 00:03:41.650 I believe what we have been entrusted with is 00:03:41.650 --> 00:03:45.650 of far greater value than any one single diamond. 00:03:46.169 --> 00:03:49.569 The mission of the good news of God's kingdom 00:03:49.569 --> 00:03:52.590 has been entrusted to you and me if you're in 00:03:52.590 --> 00:03:56.240 a relationship with God. The extraordinary has 00:03:56.240 --> 00:04:01.099 been entrusted with the ordinary. And do we truly 00:04:01.099 --> 00:04:06.379 understand? Have we experienced the weight and 00:04:06.379 --> 00:04:09.120 the privilege that comes along with this truth? 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:12.439 And my question for all of us this morning is 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:17.120 this. Why don't we see the mission of sharing 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:19.699 the good news of the kingdom of God with the 00:04:19.699 --> 00:04:24.000 same kind of value? that this mailman experienced 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:28.399 by carrying a diamond. So this morning, we're 00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:31.060 closing out our April series, The Unexpected, 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:36.040 with a talk on the unexpected mission. And I 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:38.399 want to begin by jumping into the book of Acts, 00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:42.019 which is part two of Luke's gospel that we were 00:04:42.019 --> 00:04:44.920 reading last Sunday for Easter Sunday when we 00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:48.319 took a walk with Jesus on the road to Emmaus. 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:52.040 So the book of Acts opens not with a principle, 00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:57.579 not with an idea, not even with a memory. The 00:04:57.579 --> 00:05:01.000 book of Acts opens with an impossible reality. 00:05:01.899 --> 00:05:07.300 The one who was dead is now alive. And he's eating 00:05:07.300 --> 00:05:11.759 breakfast with the disciples. So the story opens 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:14.939 with Jesus in Acts 1, verses 3 through 4, when 00:05:14.939 --> 00:05:20.079 we read, He appeared to the apostles from time 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:23.120 to time, and he proved to them in many ways that 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:26.180 he was actually alive. And he talked to them 00:05:26.180 --> 00:05:28.600 about the kingdom of God. And I just want to 00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:31.420 pause there a minute. Now the word used here 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:35.439 for proved in the Greek is the only time that 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:37.600 this word is used in the entire New Testament. 00:05:38.100 --> 00:05:41.720 And it refers to not the kind of evidence you 00:05:41.720 --> 00:05:45.180 collect or the data that is collected. It actually 00:05:45.180 --> 00:05:50.620 refers to touch. or sight, as in seeing or touching 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:53.399 something. And in this case, it would be with 00:05:53.399 --> 00:05:57.000 Jesus. So I want you to just pause for a second 00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:00.759 and imagine being one of these first followers 00:06:00.759 --> 00:06:03.879 of Jesus, one of the disciples. You saw your 00:06:03.879 --> 00:06:08.120 friend, your rabbi, your teacher, executed and 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:11.180 buried. Then a few days later, you're having 00:06:11.180 --> 00:06:15.389 breakfast with him on the beach. I mean, I don't 00:06:15.389 --> 00:06:17.670 know about you, but I can only imagine what was 00:06:17.670 --> 00:06:20.910 going through their head. It had to be just spinning 00:06:20.910 --> 00:06:24.250 a little. Because last Sunday, we even spoke 00:06:24.250 --> 00:06:26.410 about, they weren't even expecting the resurrection 00:06:26.410 --> 00:06:29.970 to happen. So there's probably all sorts of emotions 00:06:29.970 --> 00:06:33.009 like joy and elation, while at the same time 00:06:33.009 --> 00:06:36.949 feeling fear, concern, doubt, and confusion. 00:06:38.189 --> 00:06:42.769 Now at this point, there's only 120. 120 Jesus 00:06:42.769 --> 00:06:46.050 followers on the planet. And they're experiencing 00:06:46.050 --> 00:06:48.649 this flood of emotions while they're eating breakfast 00:06:48.649 --> 00:06:52.509 with Jesus. And let's continue in verse 4. Once, 00:06:52.509 --> 00:06:54.269 when he was eating with them, he commanded them, 00:06:54.329 --> 00:06:56.930 do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends 00:06:56.930 --> 00:07:00.069 you the gift he promised. You will receive power 00:07:00.069 --> 00:07:03.050 when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you 00:07:03.050 --> 00:07:06.230 will be my witnesses, telling people about me 00:07:06.230 --> 00:07:09.410 everywhere, in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and 00:07:09.410 --> 00:07:12.649 Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Again, 00:07:12.790 --> 00:07:15.660 I just want to pause there for a second. Notice 00:07:15.660 --> 00:07:20.300 that Jesus tells them to wait. And I found it 00:07:20.300 --> 00:07:22.839 interesting because if I was one of those disciples 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:26.220 and I'm having breakfast with Jesus, who was 00:07:26.220 --> 00:07:29.100 dead and is alive now, the last thing I want 00:07:29.100 --> 00:07:33.000 to do is wait. I mean, I would be like, let's 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:37.420 go. Let's change the world with this news. But 00:07:37.420 --> 00:07:41.259 see, Jesus is simply reminding them that they 00:07:41.259 --> 00:07:43.240 can't go and change the world in their own strength. 00:07:44.110 --> 00:07:48.050 They needed to wait on the gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:07:48.730 --> 00:07:51.670 And this is important. It's important to all 00:07:51.670 --> 00:07:55.269 of us. Because apart from the Holy Spirit, following 00:07:55.269 --> 00:07:59.889 Jesus isn't difficult. It's impossible. Trying 00:07:59.889 --> 00:08:02.529 to follow Jesus without the Holy Spirit is miserable. 00:08:02.949 --> 00:08:05.370 Because it's just simply moralism. It's trying 00:08:05.370 --> 00:08:08.910 really hard in our own strength and constantly 00:08:08.910 --> 00:08:13.410 not being successful. So he's reminding us, church, 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:18.519 Be filled. So let's continue. After saying this, 00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:20.879 he was taken up into a cloud while they were 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:23.399 watching and they could no longer see him. As 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:25.220 they strained to see him rising into heaven, 00:08:25.319 --> 00:08:28.360 two white robed men suddenly stood among them. 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:31.720 Men of Galilee, they said. Why are you standing 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:35.539 here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken 00:08:35.539 --> 00:08:37.919 from you into the heaven, but someday he will 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:40.720 return from heaven in the same way you saw him 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:44.110 ago. So again, imagine being one of these 120 00:08:44.110 --> 00:08:48.570 disciples. And Jesus is looking at them. He looked 00:08:48.570 --> 00:08:51.429 at them and said, you are responsible for sharing 00:08:51.429 --> 00:08:54.009 the good news of the kingdom of God to the ends 00:08:54.009 --> 00:08:56.450 of the earth. I'm sure they're looking around 00:08:56.450 --> 00:08:59.870 at each other thinking, there's only 120 of us. 00:09:00.210 --> 00:09:04.049 This is completely unexpected. And probably the 00:09:04.049 --> 00:09:06.330 reason they were standing there staring up in 00:09:06.330 --> 00:09:09.970 heaven like, Jesus, what are you doing? There's 00:09:09.970 --> 00:09:15.659 120 of us. It took two angels, again, unexpected, 00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:19.659 to remind them of what they were supposed to 00:09:19.659 --> 00:09:25.600 do. They were supposed to go and wait. So these 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:28.620 disciples would go, they would wait, they would 00:09:28.620 --> 00:09:31.840 pray, and they would be filled. They would be 00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:34.799 empowered by the Holy Spirit becoming the church. 00:09:35.379 --> 00:09:39.870 And every single one of them. saw themselves 00:09:39.870 --> 00:09:43.929 as everyday missionaries or carriers of the good 00:09:43.929 --> 00:09:47.129 news. See, back then there was no such thing 00:09:47.129 --> 00:09:51.509 as spectator Christianity. The early church saw 00:09:51.509 --> 00:09:55.309 the good news as being way, way, way more valuable 00:09:55.309 --> 00:09:59.789 than any one diamond. And listen, if you're here 00:09:59.789 --> 00:10:01.970 this morning and you're a follower of Jesus, 00:10:02.250 --> 00:10:05.730 I want to challenge you today. I want to step 00:10:05.730 --> 00:10:09.379 on your toes. And challenge you to keep moving 00:10:09.379 --> 00:10:12.480 forward. Because, see, there's some requirements 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:16.480 that Jesus charges us with in order to be a people 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:19.860 that are daily living on mission and sharing 00:10:19.860 --> 00:10:23.720 the good news about Jesus. In fact, there's three 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:26.820 requirements that I want to address and challenge 00:10:26.820 --> 00:10:29.100 you with this morning. But before we jump into 00:10:29.100 --> 00:10:32.080 those, let's open in prayer. Holy Spirit come. 00:10:33.460 --> 00:10:36.220 God, I'm just thankful for this word that you've... 00:10:36.509 --> 00:10:39.490 Given to us, God. I just pray that you would 00:10:39.490 --> 00:10:42.090 open our minds, our hearts, God. Unplug our ears. 00:10:42.669 --> 00:10:45.230 Silence distractions to receive all that you 00:10:45.230 --> 00:10:49.029 have for us, God. May we be changed. May we be 00:10:49.029 --> 00:10:52.129 transformed, God. May the light come on in our 00:10:52.129 --> 00:10:56.429 minds and in our hearts. Of the power, of the 00:10:56.429 --> 00:10:59.990 importance, of the good news of God's kingdom. 00:11:00.629 --> 00:11:05.000 In Jesus' name, amen. So before we jump into 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:09.320 the requirements, we have to realize our human 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:13.039 nature, which leads to thought number one. See, 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:18.740 people focus on their own self -interest. Because 00:11:18.740 --> 00:11:22.559 of our fallen nature, we always have a bend towards 00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:25.120 self. And we're going to jump into Matthew chapter 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:28.799 16, verses 21 to 23. From then on, Jesus began 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:31.120 to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:33.320 for him to go to Jerusalem. And that he would 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:35.759 suffer many terrible things at the hands of the 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:38.320 elders, the leading priests, and the teachers 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:41.480 of religious law. He would be killed. But on 00:11:41.480 --> 00:11:43.960 the third day, he would be raised from the dead. 00:11:44.419 --> 00:11:47.320 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:50.539 him for saying such things. Heaven forbid, Lord, 00:11:50.659 --> 00:11:55.000 he said, this will never happen to you. Jesus 00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:58.980 turned to Peter and said, get away from me, Satan. 00:11:59.690 --> 00:12:01.970 You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing 00:12:01.970 --> 00:12:04.750 things merely from a human point of view, not 00:12:04.750 --> 00:12:08.870 from God's. And listen, it would be really easy 00:12:08.870 --> 00:12:11.429 for me to stand up here and point fingers at 00:12:11.429 --> 00:12:17.809 Peter. And I've probably done it before. I mean, 00:12:17.830 --> 00:12:20.789 how could he rebuke Jesus? He's Jesus, right? 00:12:20.830 --> 00:12:25.110 He's God. What is he thinking? But here's the 00:12:25.110 --> 00:12:28.289 reality. If I was one of those first disciples, 00:12:29.389 --> 00:12:32.149 I probably would have did the same thing. Because 00:12:32.149 --> 00:12:35.309 quite often we take Peter's statement and we 00:12:35.309 --> 00:12:38.769 take it out of context. And remember, context 00:12:38.769 --> 00:12:42.870 is important when reading the Bible. Remember 00:12:42.870 --> 00:12:45.149 what Jesus just told his disciples, that the 00:12:45.149 --> 00:12:47.769 Pharisees, the chief priests, the elders, they 00:12:47.769 --> 00:12:51.889 were going to kill him. Now the disciples, they 00:12:51.889 --> 00:12:55.009 left everything to follow Jesus. Their jobs, 00:12:55.190 --> 00:12:56.990 their families, their homes, they left everything. 00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:59.799 everything, believing that Jesus was the Messiah. 00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:04.419 Peter, he was simply standing up and saying, 00:13:04.580 --> 00:13:07.519 no one is going to kill you, Lord. Not on my 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:11.539 watch. Not while I'm around. And I don't know 00:13:11.539 --> 00:13:13.340 about you, but I believe many of us would have 00:13:13.340 --> 00:13:17.279 done or would do the same thing. And then Jesus, 00:13:17.320 --> 00:13:20.019 he looks at Peter and he says, no, get behind 00:13:20.019 --> 00:13:22.399 me, Satan, because you are thinking about the 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:28.700 things of the world, not the kingdom. And if 00:13:28.700 --> 00:13:30.179 we're all really truly honest with ourselves, 00:13:30.500 --> 00:13:33.220 I believe there's not a follower of Jesus in 00:13:33.220 --> 00:13:36.460 this room or watching online that does not continue 00:13:36.460 --> 00:13:39.820 to struggle with this reality. We are constantly 00:13:39.820 --> 00:13:44.279 being torn between these two realities, the world 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:49.340 and the kingdom of God. And Peter was simply 00:13:49.340 --> 00:13:52.820 trying to save the Savior who came to save the 00:13:52.820 --> 00:13:56.840 world. Peter is trying to protect Jesus not knowing 00:13:56.840 --> 00:13:59.980 that his shed blood would protect us from the 00:13:59.980 --> 00:14:03.100 full wrath of God through faith. Peter simply 00:14:03.100 --> 00:14:07.700 had a misunderstanding. Yet he's constantly being 00:14:07.700 --> 00:14:12.500 made fun of and fingers pointed at. And Jesus 00:14:12.500 --> 00:14:14.639 is saying to you and me, if you desire to follow 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:17.419 me, you must deny the world and focus on the 00:14:17.419 --> 00:14:20.500 kingdom of God. He is challenging the disciples 00:14:20.500 --> 00:14:25.720 and you and me. To get our self -interest out 00:14:25.720 --> 00:14:29.320 of the way. To get rid of it. And focus on the 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:31.899 kingdom. Because that's the most important thing 00:14:31.899 --> 00:14:37.220 in this world. Later in Matthew 16, 26, he says, 00:14:37.340 --> 00:14:39.019 What do you benefit if you gain the whole world 00:14:39.019 --> 00:14:42.340 but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more 00:14:42.340 --> 00:14:46.740 than your own soul? And see, this is a question 00:14:46.740 --> 00:14:49.960 that Jesus poses to all of those who are following 00:14:49.960 --> 00:14:52.340 Jesus gathered here today. I'm watching online. 00:14:53.710 --> 00:14:56.649 If we desire to follow Jesus, we have to deal 00:14:56.649 --> 00:14:59.690 with our sin nature that pulls us towards self. 00:15:00.450 --> 00:15:03.870 Self -interest, self -serving, self -gratitude, 00:15:03.970 --> 00:15:07.509 selfishness. And this is a constant struggle 00:15:07.509 --> 00:15:11.669 because the message woven into our very society 00:15:11.669 --> 00:15:16.029 says, hey, just go live your best life. Do whatever 00:15:16.029 --> 00:15:19.529 makes you happy. Do whatever it takes to be successful. 00:15:20.389 --> 00:15:24.740 Well, Jesus. looks at us and says, no, die to 00:15:24.740 --> 00:15:29.059 self, serve others. That is the way of the kingdom. 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:33.279 It's not about what Chris wants. It's about what 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:38.759 God wants to do through Chris at all times. Philippians 00:15:38.759 --> 00:15:41.620 chapter two reminds us, don't be selfish. Don't 00:15:41.620 --> 00:15:43.620 try to impress others. Be humble. Thinking of 00:15:43.620 --> 00:15:46.039 others is better than yourselves. Don't look 00:15:46.039 --> 00:15:47.679 out only for your own interests, but take an 00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:51.220 interest in others too. I love how theologian 00:15:51.220 --> 00:15:54.320 Charles Spurgeon writes it. He says, every Christian 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:58.799 is either a missionary or an imposter. A missionary 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:02.039 or an imposter. I wonder where you are today. 00:16:03.659 --> 00:16:07.879 See, to know God is to love God. To know Jesus 00:16:07.879 --> 00:16:11.039 is to be known by him. And there's a big difference 00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:14.299 between a missionary and an imposter. An imposter 00:16:14.299 --> 00:16:17.200 may know about God. I mean, we can all Google 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:21.379 Jesus. Maybe they read the Bible or study devotionals. 00:16:21.559 --> 00:16:25.000 But they're not in a life -changing relationship 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:28.720 with him. Meaning communing with him daily, speaking 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:31.019 with him, receiving his love, grace, and forgiveness. 00:16:32.940 --> 00:16:35.679 I mean, an imposter, they can say all the right 00:16:35.679 --> 00:16:40.200 things and appear to be godly. But we quickly 00:16:40.200 --> 00:16:42.659 learn that they hide or cover up what's in their 00:16:42.659 --> 00:16:45.960 heart because they don't want to change. Who 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:48.860 are you today, an imposter? Or a missionary. 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:52.080 Now some of you may be thinking, why one or the 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:54.779 other? Why isn't there any middle ground? There 00:16:54.779 --> 00:16:57.899 can't be. I mean, we learned in the book of Acts 00:16:57.899 --> 00:17:00.279 that Jesus charges those who are following him 00:17:00.279 --> 00:17:03.379 with an unexpected mission. And it doesn't matter 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:05.299 how long you've been in a relationship with God. 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:08.039 It doesn't matter if it just started or you've 00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:09.819 been in a relationship with God for 40 years. 00:17:09.980 --> 00:17:13.119 The mission is the same. To share the good news 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:19.059 to the ends of the earth. To daily live on mission, 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:21.619 which brings us to our three requirements that 00:17:21.619 --> 00:17:24.599 we're going to discover in Matthew chapter 16. 00:17:26.259 --> 00:17:30.680 Jesus first invites us to deny ourselves. Then 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:33.839 Jesus said to his disciples, if any of you wants 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:37.359 to be my follower, you must give up your own 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:40.740 way. See, Jesus simply invites us to experience 00:17:40.740 --> 00:17:44.450 an abundant life by denying ourselves. Coming 00:17:44.450 --> 00:17:46.609 to learn, to love, and experience the beauty 00:17:46.609 --> 00:17:50.589 of God and his call, the important call that's 00:17:50.589 --> 00:17:54.170 on all of our lives. Denying ourselves is letting 00:17:54.170 --> 00:17:56.690 Jesus take the lead in our life, meaning he is 00:17:56.690 --> 00:18:00.890 first. Denying ourselves is following his lead 00:18:00.890 --> 00:18:05.529 instead of following our own. Denying self means 00:18:05.529 --> 00:18:07.630 that we surrender our plans, our desires, our 00:18:07.630 --> 00:18:12.609 wants, our needs, and we follow him. We allow 00:18:12.609 --> 00:18:15.450 Jesus to be the center of our life, not just 00:18:15.450 --> 00:18:18.470 an add -on, not just an addition on Sunday morning. 00:18:20.289 --> 00:18:23.089 Denying ourself is a gift that opens up our life 00:18:23.089 --> 00:18:28.950 to all that God has for us. Author C .S. Lewis 00:18:28.950 --> 00:18:33.430 puts it this way. The real test of being in the 00:18:33.430 --> 00:18:36.750 presence of God is that you either forget about 00:18:36.750 --> 00:18:40.730 yourself altogether or you see yourself as a 00:18:40.730 --> 00:18:45.200 small, dirty object. It is much better to forget 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:50.599 about yourself altogether. Now, some of you are 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:51.900 sitting there thinking, well, Chris, what is 00:18:51.900 --> 00:18:54.880 the positive outcome of denying yourself? Well, 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:57.420 Jesus goes on to say in verse 25, if you try 00:18:57.420 --> 00:18:59.720 to hang on to your life, you'll lose it. But 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:02.380 if you give up your life for my sake, you will 00:19:02.380 --> 00:19:06.079 save it. And the word for life there in the original 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:10.430 Greek, which is pronounced psuche, meaning Soul 00:19:10.430 --> 00:19:13.569 life literally means our will, our ambition, 00:19:13.769 --> 00:19:17.910 our goal, and our desires. When you give that 00:19:17.910 --> 00:19:21.369 up to allow yourself to be conformed in the image 00:19:21.369 --> 00:19:23.809 of Jesus, you will discover his plan and his 00:19:23.809 --> 00:19:27.089 purpose for your life. And what is that plan? 00:19:27.529 --> 00:19:31.049 Mark chapter 10, 43 to 44. But among you will 00:19:31.049 --> 00:19:33.730 be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among 00:19:33.730 --> 00:19:36.109 you must be your servant. And whoever wants to 00:19:36.109 --> 00:19:38.269 be first among you must be a slave to everyone. 00:19:38.930 --> 00:19:43.029 else. If we want to live daily on mission for 00:19:43.029 --> 00:19:47.450 Jesus, we first must deny ourselves. Which leads 00:19:47.450 --> 00:19:49.509 us to our next requirement. Jesus challenges 00:19:49.509 --> 00:19:53.609 us to die to self. Then Jesus said to his disciples, 00:19:53.809 --> 00:19:56.269 now notice who he's speaking to here. He's speaking 00:19:56.269 --> 00:20:00.730 directly to his disciples. If anyone wants to 00:20:00.730 --> 00:20:03.369 be my follower, you must give up your own way, 00:20:03.470 --> 00:20:08.180 deny yourself, and take up your cross. let's 00:20:08.180 --> 00:20:12.180 be honest, denying ourself, that's a lot. It's 00:20:12.180 --> 00:20:14.859 difficult to do. And now Jesus tells us, oh yeah, 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:19.519 take up your cross. And please notice, it's not 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:24.339 one or the other. It's both and. And when Jesus 00:20:24.339 --> 00:20:27.920 tells us to take up our cross daily, he is challenging 00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:31.339 us to live on mission, which means we are called 00:20:31.339 --> 00:20:35.079 to die. Because our natural instincts as human 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:37.000 beings is not to live on mission, it's to live 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:41.000 for self. Self -preservation, self -happiness. 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:45.680 But Jesus says, no, give up yourself completely 00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:51.720 because it's worth it. This mission that you 00:20:51.720 --> 00:20:53.900 have been given, that we have been given, it's 00:20:53.900 --> 00:20:58.380 all about eternity. Jesus is not telling us that 00:20:58.380 --> 00:21:01.720 we need to adopt a few minor discomforts. Well, 00:21:01.819 --> 00:21:04.299 I'll take up my cross when the life gets hard. 00:21:05.740 --> 00:21:08.880 When there's tension in my life, when my spouse 00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:12.400 and I are arguing, I'll take up my cross, I'll 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:15.500 ask for forgiveness. Well, when I'm sick and 00:21:15.500 --> 00:21:19.460 I'm struggling and I'm in a hospital bed, oh, 00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:22.019 I'm going to take up my cross. When I'm getting 00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:25.099 made fun of or rejected, I'll take up my cross. 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:28.940 But this is not what Jesus is saying in this 00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:33.819 text. If you live within the Roman Empire during 00:21:33.819 --> 00:21:37.099 Jesus' time on earth, Everyone knew that when 00:21:37.099 --> 00:21:39.819 he said, take up your cross, that cross meant 00:21:39.819 --> 00:21:43.779 crucifixion. See, under Roman rule, criminals 00:21:43.779 --> 00:21:48.440 took up their crosses to be executed for their 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:52.859 transgressions. Jesus, he's challenging those 00:21:52.859 --> 00:21:57.440 in a relationship with him to be completely executed 00:21:57.440 --> 00:22:00.960 of yourself and filled completely with the power 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:04.619 of the Holy Spirit. In other words, I can't. 00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:12.900 Deny it. There's no room for us and God. Jesus 00:22:12.900 --> 00:22:16.099 is challenging us. Die to comforts. Die to self. 00:22:16.319 --> 00:22:19.720 Die to ease. Die to temptation. Die to riches. 00:22:19.960 --> 00:22:27.559 Die to fame. Be different. 1 John 3, 16 through 00:22:27.559 --> 00:22:30.619 18. We know what real love is because Jesus gave 00:22:30.619 --> 00:22:34.720 up his life for us. So we also ought to give 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:37.859 up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If 00:22:37.859 --> 00:22:39.619 someone has enough money to live well and sees 00:22:39.619 --> 00:22:41.660 a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion, 00:22:42.019 --> 00:22:46.259 how can God's love be in that person? Dear children, 00:22:46.339 --> 00:22:48.420 let's not merely say that we love each other. 00:22:48.460 --> 00:22:53.400 Let us show the truth by our actions. See, we're 00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:55.400 called to give it all up so the kingdom of God 00:22:55.400 --> 00:23:00.180 can be expressed through us. God wants to use 00:23:00.180 --> 00:23:03.140 everything that we have, everything that we are, 00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:06.619 for his glory. I mean, you heard Jess share that 00:23:06.619 --> 00:23:09.660 next weekend we have two incredible events, two 00:23:09.660 --> 00:23:12.259 incredible opportunities where we can serve together 00:23:12.259 --> 00:23:14.240 as a community of faith. Friday night's the story 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:17.000 tour. I'll tell you what, last year I've never 00:23:17.000 --> 00:23:19.180 seen this room so full. I mean, there was like 00:23:19.180 --> 00:23:22.480 650 people, standing room only. It was the loudest 00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:24.859 worship setup I think I've ever heard. I was 00:23:24.859 --> 00:23:26.440 talking to John back there. Please don't blow 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:28.119 up our speakers. I have no idea what's going 00:23:28.119 --> 00:23:40.640 on. But the results, results were amazing. Literally 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:42.859 hundreds of people giving their life to Jesus. 00:23:45.079 --> 00:23:47.619 Experiencing God in the midst of testimonies 00:23:47.619 --> 00:23:49.619 and stories. We just need you to serve on Friday 00:23:49.619 --> 00:23:55.200 night. And you get a free worship set. And then 00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:57.079 on Saturday, we're doing a bed build from 8 to 00:23:57.079 --> 00:23:58.559 12. And you say, Chris, why are you doing a bed 00:23:58.559 --> 00:24:00.640 build? Because there's children in Washington 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:02.799 County in the tri -state area that don't have 00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:05.960 a bed to sleep in. The last time I checked, that's 00:24:05.960 --> 00:24:10.359 an important necessity. True or false? Well, 00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:13.460 we need 30 more people to sign up today. Will 00:24:13.460 --> 00:24:15.299 you and your family be one of them? Because it's 00:24:15.299 --> 00:24:17.819 10 and up. And there's no better way, listen 00:24:17.819 --> 00:24:20.319 to me parents, than to raise your children up 00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:23.859 and teaching them to serve than having them serve 00:24:23.859 --> 00:24:26.400 by building a bed for a child that will sleep 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:33.150 in it at their same age. Yes, we do a lot of 00:24:33.150 --> 00:24:35.190 stuff in the area. Yes, we serve the community. 00:24:35.710 --> 00:24:38.130 Why did you schedule all these things, Chris? 00:24:38.230 --> 00:24:41.190 Because we believe the kingdom of God is forcefully 00:24:41.190 --> 00:24:44.730 advancing in the tri -state area. And we will 00:24:44.730 --> 00:24:49.529 continue to serve and serve and serve because 00:24:49.529 --> 00:24:54.440 we want to see people meet Jesus. There is no 00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:57.240 room for ease and comfort in a relationship with 00:24:57.240 --> 00:24:59.799 Jesus. We are called to be living on mission, 00:24:59.920 --> 00:25:03.140 and Jesus challenges us to have the same attitude 00:25:03.140 --> 00:25:05.980 that he had, Philippians 2, 5 through 8. You 00:25:05.980 --> 00:25:08.839 must have the same attitude that Jesus had. Though 00:25:08.839 --> 00:25:11.039 he was God, he did not think of equality with 00:25:11.039 --> 00:25:13.160 God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave 00:25:13.160 --> 00:25:16.019 up his divine privileges. He took the humble 00:25:16.019 --> 00:25:18.500 position of a slave and was born as a human being. 00:25:18.859 --> 00:25:21.180 And when he appeared in human form, he humbled 00:25:21.180 --> 00:25:24.359 himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's 00:25:24.359 --> 00:25:29.519 death on a cross. See, dying to self means we 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:32.839 make time for that cashier that checks us out 00:25:32.839 --> 00:25:37.240 at the store we visit every single week. Dying 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:40.299 to self means that we learn the names of our 00:25:40.299 --> 00:25:44.920 neighbors who we don't even know. Dying to self 00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:47.960 means that we bless that teacher that teaches 00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:53.019 our children every single day. Dying to self 00:25:53.019 --> 00:25:55.559 means we smile at that barista that makes our 00:25:55.559 --> 00:26:01.359 lattes so we can wake up in the morning. Dying 00:26:01.359 --> 00:26:04.819 to self means that we speak life to a co -worker 00:26:04.819 --> 00:26:07.920 that is struggling. Dying to self means that 00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:11.259 we pray for a classmate that is overwhelmed with 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:13.940 identity issues, even though we know the entire 00:26:13.940 --> 00:26:16.599 school is going to make fun of us because we 00:26:16.599 --> 00:26:20.000 prayed for them. Dying to self means that we 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:22.559 are inviting friends and family members to sit 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:27.500 with me at HCV because we know they're going 00:26:27.500 --> 00:26:34.579 to hear the good news. When Jesus says die, We 00:26:34.579 --> 00:26:37.019 are to die to our time, our convenience, our 00:26:37.019 --> 00:26:40.440 comforts, our schedules, our plans, our wants. 00:26:41.200 --> 00:26:43.240 And we are called to give it all up for the kingdom 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:46.980 of God. Again, Matthew 16, 25. If you try to 00:26:46.980 --> 00:26:49.400 hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if 00:26:49.400 --> 00:26:52.279 you give up your life for my sake, you will save 00:26:52.279 --> 00:26:57.359 it. Church, we have to realize we're going to 00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:01.829 lose it all anyway. We're all going to come to 00:27:01.829 --> 00:27:06.569 a point in time where we pass on and we are buried. 00:27:06.690 --> 00:27:09.130 And everything that we have in this life, we 00:27:09.130 --> 00:27:12.890 can't take with us. The only thing that will 00:27:12.890 --> 00:27:15.509 go with us is the message of the good news about 00:27:15.509 --> 00:27:19.000 God's kingdom, which is salvation. And let me 00:27:19.000 --> 00:27:20.839 paint a picture for you. Wouldn't it be amazing 00:27:20.839 --> 00:27:23.500 if when we get into heaven and we experience 00:27:23.500 --> 00:27:26.859 glory, Jesus reveals to us the good news that 00:27:26.859 --> 00:27:28.900 we shared with that co -worker. You remember 00:27:28.900 --> 00:27:31.420 that co -worker? That co -worker then shared 00:27:31.420 --> 00:27:34.019 that good news with her sister. And that good 00:27:34.019 --> 00:27:36.279 news was then shared with her spouse and they 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:38.740 had children. And those children grew up in a 00:27:38.740 --> 00:27:41.480 godly home where they fell in love with Jesus. 00:27:41.599 --> 00:27:43.859 And those kids went to school and they shared 00:27:43.859 --> 00:27:46.359 the good news with their friends. And their lives 00:27:46.359 --> 00:27:49.660 were changed for a change. Wouldn't it be amazing 00:27:49.660 --> 00:27:54.400 if we got into heaven and we saw thousands of 00:27:54.400 --> 00:27:58.960 people who are spending their lives with Jesus 00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:02.400 in eternity because we were faithful to die for 00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:07.299 ourselves? That, friends, is what it's all about. 00:28:10.700 --> 00:28:14.500 When Jesus calls us to die to ourselves, We're 00:28:14.500 --> 00:28:17.299 to run away from convenience. We're to run away 00:28:17.299 --> 00:28:20.400 from comfort. And we're to run towards him and 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:24.619 say, Jesus, it's all yours. Which leads us to 00:28:24.619 --> 00:28:28.519 our final requirement. Jesus commands us to follow 00:28:28.519 --> 00:28:31.740 him. Then Jesus said to his disciples, Matthew 00:28:31.740 --> 00:28:34.099 16, 24, if any of you wants to be my follower, 00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:36.099 you must give up your own way, deny yourself, 00:28:36.339 --> 00:28:39.920 take up your cross, die to self, and follow me. 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:42.099 And some of you are thinking, well, Chris, I'm 00:28:42.099 --> 00:28:44.819 already following Jesus. What does it mean to 00:28:44.819 --> 00:28:47.039 follow Jesus? Well, think about it. In our social 00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:49.880 media world, it is so easy to follow people. 00:28:50.859 --> 00:28:53.220 We follow friends. We follow family members. 00:28:53.319 --> 00:28:57.559 We follow influencers. It's easy to follow. But 00:28:57.559 --> 00:29:00.779 it's also really easy to unfollow and dislike. 00:29:01.880 --> 00:29:04.599 I mean, let's be honest. The moment someone says 00:29:04.599 --> 00:29:07.059 something that we don't agree with, that judges 00:29:07.059 --> 00:29:09.000 us, that points fingers at us, what do we do? 00:29:09.339 --> 00:29:14.759 Unfollow. It's real easy. It's real easy to accept 00:29:14.759 --> 00:29:19.440 and reject. But see, this is not the kind of 00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:22.460 following that Jesus is talking about. This is 00:29:22.460 --> 00:29:26.119 not the easy click of a button. When Jesus says, 00:29:26.220 --> 00:29:29.440 follow me to his disciples, he wrote this in 00:29:29.440 --> 00:29:33.460 the present imperative tense. You're like, who 00:29:33.460 --> 00:29:36.710 cares? Well, it's important. Because what it 00:29:36.710 --> 00:29:39.829 means is 2 ,000 years ago, Jesus gave this message 00:29:39.829 --> 00:29:43.569 to his followers and presently is giving the 00:29:43.569 --> 00:29:47.470 same message to us today. When it's written in 00:29:47.470 --> 00:29:49.990 the present imperative, it means that presently 00:29:49.990 --> 00:29:53.230 the challenge still applies to you and me. And 00:29:53.230 --> 00:29:55.109 the imperative, you know what that means? It 00:29:55.109 --> 00:29:58.829 means it's a command. It's a command that we 00:29:58.829 --> 00:30:03.119 live by, that we don't have a choice. Jesus is 00:30:03.119 --> 00:30:05.779 saying to us, if you believe in me, then every 00:30:05.779 --> 00:30:08.779 single day you need to make the choice to follow 00:30:08.779 --> 00:30:13.119 Jesus. Every hour, every minute, every second 00:30:13.119 --> 00:30:15.859 of our lives, we need to declare that we are 00:30:15.859 --> 00:30:18.940 following Jesus. And some of you are sitting 00:30:18.940 --> 00:30:20.119 there thinking, well, Chris, that's a little 00:30:20.119 --> 00:30:23.059 overboard. Why is this so important? Newsflash, 00:30:23.180 --> 00:30:27.019 we easily forget. Everyone just nod their head. 00:30:27.740 --> 00:30:33.579 Oh, yeah, I'm following Jesus. And you say, well, 00:30:33.640 --> 00:30:35.599 Chris, why is it so easy to forget? Because we 00:30:35.599 --> 00:30:38.059 have schedules and we have jobs and we have children 00:30:38.059 --> 00:30:41.559 and we have ball games and we have Netflix and 00:30:41.559 --> 00:30:46.700 we have social media. We have all these things 00:30:46.700 --> 00:30:54.079 that are pursuing our heart. And we have to make 00:30:54.079 --> 00:30:57.279 a choice and declare that, no, we're following 00:30:57.279 --> 00:31:01.990 Jesus. I'm following Jesus in my home. I'm following 00:31:01.990 --> 00:31:05.390 Jesus while I parent. I'm following Jesus in 00:31:05.390 --> 00:31:08.809 my conversations with my spouse. I'm following 00:31:08.809 --> 00:31:11.950 Jesus while I love my neighbor. I'm following 00:31:11.950 --> 00:31:15.009 Jesus while I honor my parents. I'm following 00:31:15.009 --> 00:31:32.079 Jesus even when I'm driving. You guys are laughing. 00:31:33.640 --> 00:31:36.240 I will follow Jesus when no one else is looking. 00:31:36.420 --> 00:31:38.920 I will follow Jesus while I'm scrolling on my 00:31:38.920 --> 00:31:41.880 phone. I'll follow Jesus while I'm working on 00:31:41.880 --> 00:31:44.779 my computer even though no one else is watching. 00:31:45.059 --> 00:31:47.440 I will follow Jesus while interacting with a 00:31:47.440 --> 00:31:50.019 co -worker that no one else likes. I will follow 00:31:50.019 --> 00:31:55.880 Jesus till I take my last breath. John Mark Comer 00:31:55.880 --> 00:31:59.279 writes it this way. Christ -likeness is possible. 00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:05.319 but it's not natural. Christ -likeness is possible, 00:32:05.480 --> 00:32:10.099 but it's not natural. And see, unfortunately, 00:32:10.200 --> 00:32:12.240 there are many people trying to follow Jesus 00:32:12.240 --> 00:32:16.920 in their own strength, in the natural. Well, 00:32:17.019 --> 00:32:19.299 if I go to church, I'm following Jesus. Check 00:32:19.299 --> 00:32:22.900 that box. Well, if I read my Bible, I'm following 00:32:22.900 --> 00:32:26.500 Jesus. Chris, check that box. Oh, I prayed this 00:32:26.500 --> 00:32:29.480 morning for 15 minutes, Chris. I'm following 00:32:29.480 --> 00:32:33.059 Jesus. Check that box. And yet, that's all true. 00:32:33.220 --> 00:32:36.099 Those three practices are a part of following 00:32:36.099 --> 00:32:39.779 Jesus. But truly following Jesus means that he 00:32:39.779 --> 00:32:44.680 has my mind, my eyes, my mouth, my words, my 00:32:44.680 --> 00:32:48.299 heart, my time, my schedule, my entire life. 00:32:48.660 --> 00:32:54.869 That is following Jesus. All of me, God, is for 00:32:54.869 --> 00:32:57.630 your glory. And I want to follow you wherever 00:32:57.630 --> 00:33:01.670 you lead. And that is why it was so important 00:33:01.670 --> 00:33:04.750 for those 120 disciples, hear this, to wait. 00:33:05.730 --> 00:33:10.089 They had to wait on the Holy Spirit. And as they 00:33:10.089 --> 00:33:13.210 waited on the Holy Spirit, they were filled and 00:33:13.210 --> 00:33:16.130 they were empowered to follow Jesus. Where? To 00:33:16.130 --> 00:33:18.390 the ends of the earth. And how do I know that? 00:33:18.490 --> 00:33:21.509 Because fast forward 2 ,000 years, here we are 00:33:21.509 --> 00:33:24.289 in Hagerstown, Maryland, on the other side of 00:33:24.289 --> 00:33:27.450 the world, worshiping and celebrating Jesus every 00:33:27.450 --> 00:33:33.910 single day. And that is the reason that Jesus 00:33:33.910 --> 00:33:39.779 says to deny, to die, and to follow him. We have 00:33:39.779 --> 00:33:43.460 to get out of the way so Jesus can lead the way. 00:33:44.140 --> 00:33:48.980 And listen, it's all worth it. It's all worth 00:33:48.980 --> 00:33:51.420 it. How do I know? Let me share with you Revelation 00:33:51.420 --> 00:33:56.059 chapter 7, verses 9 through 12. After this, everyone 00:33:56.059 --> 00:34:00.759 say after this. After this, that means that something 00:34:00.759 --> 00:34:06.019 happened before after this. And you know what 00:34:06.019 --> 00:34:10.929 happened? The end of time. After this, I saw 00:34:10.929 --> 00:34:14.269 a vast crowd, too great to count, from every 00:34:14.269 --> 00:34:17.650 nation and tribe and people and language, standing 00:34:17.650 --> 00:34:20.369 in front of the throne and before the Lamb. So 00:34:20.369 --> 00:34:22.530 we can look out at this crowd and say, there's 00:34:22.530 --> 00:34:26.730 roughly 450 people in here. But notice, vast 00:34:26.730 --> 00:34:31.630 crowd, too great to count, full of color, right? 00:34:32.269 --> 00:34:35.969 Nothing like me, nothing like you. All different. 00:34:36.610 --> 00:34:39.550 Standing before the throne. They were clothed 00:34:39.550 --> 00:34:41.590 in white robes and held palm branches in their 00:34:41.590 --> 00:34:44.369 hands. And they were shouting with a great roar. 00:34:45.190 --> 00:34:50.110 With a great what? A great roar. And we struggle 00:34:50.110 --> 00:34:53.630 to worship on a Sunday morning. Salvation comes 00:34:53.630 --> 00:34:55.889 from our God who sits on the throne and from 00:34:55.889 --> 00:34:58.980 the Lamb. And all the angels are standing around 00:34:58.980 --> 00:35:01.179 the throne. It means they were standing around 00:35:01.179 --> 00:35:03.400 Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father, 00:35:03.480 --> 00:35:05.400 and around the elders and the four living beings, 00:35:05.480 --> 00:35:07.360 and they all fell before the throne with their 00:35:07.360 --> 00:35:09.500 faces on the ground, and they worshiped God. 00:35:09.920 --> 00:35:13.619 They sang, Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom 00:35:13.619 --> 00:35:16.000 and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength 00:35:16.000 --> 00:35:25.780 belong to our God forever and ever. Amen. Let 00:35:25.780 --> 00:35:29.139 that be the vision for why we deny ourselves. 00:35:30.139 --> 00:35:33.380 Let that be the vision for why we die daily. 00:35:33.579 --> 00:35:37.139 Let that be the vision for why we follow Jesus 00:35:37.139 --> 00:35:40.179 every single day, every minute, every second, 00:35:40.199 --> 00:35:44.719 every hour. Let it be about the mission. The 00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:47.480 mission to share the good news with our coworkers, 00:35:47.780 --> 00:35:51.440 our classmates, our friends, our families. And 00:35:51.440 --> 00:35:53.599 I get it. You hear that all the time in church. 00:35:54.380 --> 00:35:56.480 You hear that all the time from Chris. All right, 00:35:56.500 --> 00:36:00.639 make it personal. I dare you. I challenge you. 00:36:00.659 --> 00:36:04.800 Make it personal. Start speaking specific names 00:36:04.800 --> 00:36:07.880 of people, of individuals that you know. Could 00:36:07.880 --> 00:36:09.659 be friends, could be family that are not in a 00:36:09.659 --> 00:36:13.340 relationship with Jesus. And when you start speaking 00:36:13.340 --> 00:36:17.840 names, that's when it gets personal. When you 00:36:17.840 --> 00:36:21.159 start sharing names and praying for names, that's 00:36:21.159 --> 00:36:23.760 when it gets personal. And that's when you want 00:36:23.760 --> 00:36:26.099 to do everything you can to serve them, love 00:36:26.099 --> 00:36:30.940 on them, and be different so that one day they 00:36:30.940 --> 00:36:36.239 will enter into eternity. Now, many of you know 00:36:36.239 --> 00:36:40.239 that I'm a baseball fan. Softball, of course. 00:36:41.099 --> 00:36:43.239 Well, a few weeks ago, a friend shared a social 00:36:43.239 --> 00:36:47.030 media post with me. And this social media post, 00:36:47.130 --> 00:36:49.829 they texted it to me, had this image of a player 00:36:49.829 --> 00:36:52.730 that was rounding third and heading for home. 00:36:52.869 --> 00:36:56.329 And the teammates were waiting for him. And the 00:36:56.329 --> 00:37:01.010 caption on the social media post said this. I 00:37:01.010 --> 00:37:03.989 recently read about a man who collects pictures 00:37:03.989 --> 00:37:07.849 of hitters who had hit walk -off home runs. He 00:37:07.849 --> 00:37:10.889 said the reason he did this is because this is 00:37:10.889 --> 00:37:16.019 how he views us entering heaven. Is it okay if 00:37:16.019 --> 00:37:17.579 I give you a picture of what that might look 00:37:17.579 --> 00:37:20.699 like? Can I give you a picture of that? All right, 00:37:20.719 --> 00:38:02.460 let's watch. Travis Ishikawa. That's heaven. 00:38:08.380 --> 00:38:09.860 Now, some of you are sitting there thinking, 00:38:09.960 --> 00:38:11.960 oh, you just chose that, Chris, because you're 00:38:11.960 --> 00:38:17.280 a Giants fan. Now, listen. I'm going to be honest 00:38:17.280 --> 00:38:21.480 with you. I watched probably 20 walk -off home 00:38:21.480 --> 00:38:28.440 runs on Thursday. I cried in every one. I chose 00:38:28.440 --> 00:38:33.269 that video. Because of the person. Because that 00:38:33.269 --> 00:38:37.769 person, none of you know. He's not a star. In 00:38:37.769 --> 00:38:41.269 fact, he's a nobody. Some guy named Travis Ishikawa. 00:38:43.070 --> 00:38:45.570 He was a career minor league baseball player 00:38:45.570 --> 00:38:48.449 where he's now currently coaching. That's his 00:38:48.449 --> 00:38:52.570 job now. And that moment was the shining moment 00:38:52.570 --> 00:38:56.360 of his career. He played. professional baseball 00:38:56.360 --> 00:39:00.159 from 2002 to 2016. He actually played here in 00:39:00.159 --> 00:39:05.000 Hagerstown for the Suns in 2003. But he only 00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:08.340 played in the majors for a total of three years 00:39:08.340 --> 00:39:11.320 over that time. In the majors, in the big leagues. 00:39:12.659 --> 00:39:15.119 And in that time, he didn't find much success. 00:39:16.380 --> 00:39:19.840 But on the biggest stage, he had one of the biggest 00:39:19.840 --> 00:39:24.809 hits. And see, I believe that's how God sees 00:39:24.809 --> 00:39:28.989 you in me. Many days we don't feel like we're 00:39:28.989 --> 00:39:32.869 good enough. We don't say the right things. We 00:39:32.869 --> 00:39:34.730 don't do the right things. We don't have the 00:39:34.730 --> 00:39:39.010 right words. God can't use me. I'm never going 00:39:39.010 --> 00:39:43.510 to make it. But God sees so much more in you. 00:39:45.230 --> 00:39:49.969 He sees so much more in you that he trusted you 00:39:49.969 --> 00:39:55.889 with the mission. Of sharing God's kingdom. To 00:39:55.889 --> 00:39:59.889 the ends of the earth. And all we have to do. 00:40:00.670 --> 00:40:04.530 Is learn to deny ourselves. Die to ourselves. 00:40:05.750 --> 00:40:17.550 And follow him. Will you stand with me? So there's 00:40:17.550 --> 00:40:20.170 three categories of people. That I want to specifically 00:40:20.170 --> 00:40:28.210 address. In prayer. For some of you, you're here 00:40:28.210 --> 00:40:29.989 this morning, maybe you're watching online, and 00:40:29.989 --> 00:40:33.369 you're new to this Jesus thing. Maybe you just 00:40:33.369 --> 00:40:35.929 got baptized on Good Friday. Maybe you got baptized 00:40:35.929 --> 00:40:42.550 at the New Year. And your prayer is, well, I 00:40:42.550 --> 00:40:46.210 want to do this, but God, I need your help. Listen, 00:40:46.369 --> 00:40:49.969 I want to encourage you. We all do. We all do. 00:40:52.579 --> 00:40:54.960 But I believe when I give you the time, if you 00:40:54.960 --> 00:40:58.039 invite the Holy Spirit to fill you, he'll empower 00:40:58.039 --> 00:41:01.559 you to go and live on mission. My second group 00:41:01.559 --> 00:41:03.260 of people is those that have been in relationship 00:41:03.260 --> 00:41:07.460 with Jesus for a while. You may be 10, 20, 30 00:41:07.460 --> 00:41:15.260 years. And I want to challenge you to repent. 00:41:17.139 --> 00:41:19.699 And why I want to challenge you to repent. is 00:41:19.699 --> 00:41:21.519 because there's been many times in those 10, 00:41:21.599 --> 00:41:25.460 20, and 30 years that the Holy Spirit has whispered 00:41:25.460 --> 00:41:27.599 into your ear to go and serve, go and share, 00:41:27.820 --> 00:41:31.380 go and invite. And instead of doing it, you said, 00:41:31.480 --> 00:41:37.440 oh, that's not God, that's me. Listen, that's 00:41:37.440 --> 00:41:40.820 not you. Because our natural tendency as human 00:41:40.820 --> 00:41:43.980 beings is to focus on self. Whenever there's 00:41:43.980 --> 00:41:46.500 an inclination or a whispering that we should 00:41:46.500 --> 00:41:49.019 go and serve and... And advance God's kingdom. 00:41:49.139 --> 00:41:51.900 Guess what that is? That's the Holy Spirit. And 00:41:51.900 --> 00:41:54.360 we need to be obedient. And when we're obedient, 00:41:54.559 --> 00:41:58.119 that's when he uses us. Amen? But for those of 00:41:58.119 --> 00:41:59.239 you who have been in a relationship with Jesus 00:41:59.239 --> 00:42:02.260 for a while, he's probably bringing back to memory 00:42:02.260 --> 00:42:06.260 times that you've said, nah. We've got to repent 00:42:06.260 --> 00:42:10.280 for that. That's sin. Say, God, forgive me. Give 00:42:10.280 --> 00:42:15.480 me another chance. Give me another chance. And 00:42:15.480 --> 00:42:17.460 then the third group of people is those of you 00:42:17.460 --> 00:42:19.099 that are kind of checking out this Jesus thing. 00:42:20.199 --> 00:42:24.559 Let me just tell you, it's all worth it. Because 00:42:24.559 --> 00:42:27.440 that's what heaven looks like. I mean, my man 00:42:27.440 --> 00:42:30.739 barely made it around the basis. Because there 00:42:30.739 --> 00:42:33.739 was such a celebration and excitement to come 00:42:33.739 --> 00:42:37.360 home. Amen? So we're going to pray a simple prayer. 00:42:39.880 --> 00:42:41.519 Because I believe there's people in here that 00:42:41.519 --> 00:42:43.400 are going to start that journey with Jesus today. 00:42:44.230 --> 00:42:46.050 And then I'm going to give you a moment of silence 00:42:46.050 --> 00:42:49.110 for you to deal with God in your own way, in 00:42:49.110 --> 00:42:52.210 your own time. Some of you need to repent. Some 00:42:52.210 --> 00:42:54.429 of you need to invite the Holy Spirit to fill 00:42:54.429 --> 00:42:58.590 you. Let's pray together. Jesus, I'm broken. 00:42:59.250 --> 00:43:04.969 I'm full of doubt, shame, regret, sin. Change 00:43:04.969 --> 00:43:10.389 me. I believe you're God's son. I believe you 00:43:10.389 --> 00:43:16.500 died for me. Make me new. Set me free. Fill me 00:43:16.500 --> 00:43:21.719 with your spirit. Empower me, God, to serve others 00:43:21.719 --> 00:43:27.559 and live on mission. In Jesus' name, amen. So 00:43:27.559 --> 00:43:28.920 if you prayed that prayer for the first time, 00:43:28.960 --> 00:43:33.659 welcome to the family. Welcome. And for the rest 00:43:33.659 --> 00:43:37.039 of us, I'm going to say three simple words. Come, 00:43:37.280 --> 00:43:41.119 Holy Spirit. And I want you to deal. With whatever 00:43:41.119 --> 00:43:43.880 God is impressing on your heart in your own way. 00:43:45.360 --> 00:44:17.159 In your own way. Holy Spirit come. And before 00:44:17.159 --> 00:44:19.039 we go, there are several words of knowledge I 00:44:19.039 --> 00:44:21.539 want to share with you that if any of these line 00:44:21.539 --> 00:44:23.119 up with what you're struggling with, I believe 00:44:23.119 --> 00:44:25.780 God wants to heal you this morning. You currently 00:44:25.780 --> 00:44:30.659 have some sort of glandular condition. There's 00:44:30.659 --> 00:44:33.460 a tendon in your right hand near the middle finger 00:44:33.460 --> 00:44:36.519 joint that's causing you pain. You have a dull 00:44:36.519 --> 00:44:39.539 pain in the left corner of your eye, in your 00:44:39.539 --> 00:44:43.000 left eye. You have right hip pain towards the 00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:47.510 front. You have pain in your left knee that could 00:44:47.510 --> 00:44:51.309 be from an old sports injury. You have issues 00:44:51.309 --> 00:44:53.570 with organs in your throat that's making your 00:44:53.570 --> 00:44:57.710 throat sore. You have right elbow tendinitis, 00:44:57.730 --> 00:45:00.989 like tennis elbow, and the lower part of your 00:45:00.989 --> 00:45:04.090 colon is causing you pain. So if any of those 00:45:04.090 --> 00:45:05.789 are you, our prayer team would be here on the 00:45:05.789 --> 00:45:08.710 right to pray for you or any other need that 00:45:08.710 --> 00:45:11.570 you may have. And listen, I want to send you 00:45:11.570 --> 00:45:16.360 on mission next Sunday. we kick off our inked 00:45:16.360 --> 00:45:19.059 series. Now, many of you know that I'm going 00:45:19.059 --> 00:45:23.440 to be sharing stories of why people have tattoos 00:45:23.440 --> 00:45:26.699 and their story behind them. I've been reading 00:45:26.699 --> 00:45:29.400 the submissions. We've had over 80 submissions. 00:45:29.840 --> 00:45:32.519 Okay, so it's a lot of tattoos. I have four weeks. 00:45:32.519 --> 00:45:34.400 So listen, there's a good chance if you submitted 00:45:34.400 --> 00:45:36.539 your tattoo, I'm not going to talk about it. 00:45:36.579 --> 00:45:38.960 So don't get mad at me. Don't get mad at me. 00:45:39.400 --> 00:45:43.110 I can only do like five or six at the most. Now, 00:45:43.130 --> 00:45:45.170 many of you know that there's controversy in 00:45:45.170 --> 00:45:47.969 the church about tattoos. I've already been accused 00:45:47.969 --> 00:45:51.190 of going to hell because I'm doing this series. 00:45:51.670 --> 00:45:55.110 I had to address that. You know that. There's 00:45:55.110 --> 00:45:57.889 also a lot of people outside of the church that 00:45:57.889 --> 00:46:00.449 may not be in a relationship with God that have 00:46:00.449 --> 00:46:02.170 tattoos and don't feel like they're welcome. 00:46:04.090 --> 00:46:06.989 Invite them because they're going to hear people's 00:46:06.989 --> 00:46:08.829 stories. And more importantly, they're going 00:46:08.829 --> 00:46:12.019 to hear the story of the kingdom of God. where 00:46:12.019 --> 00:46:15.920 they are welcomed, embraced, loved, and God wants 00:46:15.920 --> 00:46:18.659 to use them to further his kingdom. Amen? So 00:46:18.659 --> 00:46:20.619 there isn't any reason you're not inviting and 00:46:20.619 --> 00:46:22.780 including people to be here next month. True 00:46:22.780 --> 00:46:25.860 or false? Okay, good. Frank, I'm coming to your 00:46:25.860 --> 00:46:29.480 door, my friend. So anybody on this side, just 00:46:29.480 --> 00:46:31.400 high -five people around you because I'm going 00:46:31.400 --> 00:46:33.340 to that door to say goodbye to you, and you're 00:46:33.340 --> 00:46:35.440 not getting out anyway. So just take your time. 00:46:35.679 --> 00:46:38.139 God bless you guys. Look forward to the new series 00:46:38.139 --> 00:46:45.170 next week. There's no impossible. I believe that 00:46:45.170 --> 00:46:52.789 you are working now to pour it out. Oh, pour 00:46:52.789 --> 00:46:53.630 it out.