WEBVTT 00:00:07.880 --> 00:00:11.099 Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:15.019 like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:18.100 slash connect. If you feel called to give, go 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.980 to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:23.920 any time you feel called to make a change in 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:29.399 your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the 00:00:29.399 --> 00:00:33.039 message. Hey, good morning, everyone. Happy New 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:36.479 Year. We're so excited that you're here and gathering 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:39.259 with us. Now, you may have noticed we didn't 00:00:39.259 --> 00:00:41.579 have announcements today that it falls on me, 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:43.560 so I'm going to keep them short and sweet. If 00:00:43.560 --> 00:00:45.119 you want to know what's going on in our community 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:48.799 of faith, scan the QR code. Okay, so on the back 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:52.880 of every chair, not every chair, but a few of 00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:55.340 the chairs in front of you, there's a QR code. 00:00:55.420 --> 00:00:59.140 Take your phone out. Photo. It'll take you right 00:00:59.140 --> 00:01:00.880 to our link where it tells you everything that's 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:03.899 going to happen in the next four, five, six weeks 00:01:03.899 --> 00:01:06.780 here at our community of faith and how you can 00:01:06.780 --> 00:01:08.500 get plugged in. If this is your first time here, 00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:11.760 Happy New Year. Welcome. Welcome home. We just 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:14.780 appreciate you being here and being a part of 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:16.819 our Sunday gatherings. If you're joining us from 00:01:16.819 --> 00:01:20.560 home, thank you for opening up your home and 00:01:20.560 --> 00:01:24.439 welcoming us in. So with the new year comes the 00:01:24.439 --> 00:01:28.310 kickoff to our 21 days of prayer. and fasting 00:01:28.310 --> 00:01:31.730 where we challenge one another to fast and pray 00:01:31.730 --> 00:01:35.329 for 21 days. And some of you may be thinking, 00:01:35.370 --> 00:01:38.650 well, Chris, why do that? Well, 21 days of prayer 00:01:38.650 --> 00:01:41.390 and fasting is more than a spiritual routine. 00:01:42.250 --> 00:01:44.769 We do it because it's a time to draw close to 00:01:44.769 --> 00:01:48.469 God, to remove distractions and repair our hearts 00:01:48.469 --> 00:01:51.530 for what he wants to do in our lives, our families, 00:01:51.650 --> 00:01:55.450 our community, our church community in 2026. 00:01:56.349 --> 00:01:59.670 See, the goal of fasting is, again, to draw closer 00:01:59.670 --> 00:02:02.609 to God. It hits the reset button, if you will, 00:02:02.629 --> 00:02:05.530 of our heart, and it renews us from the inside 00:02:05.530 --> 00:02:09.009 out. Now, Jesus taught us in Matthew 17, 21, 00:02:09.250 --> 00:02:12.650 that spiritual breakthroughs, some spiritual 00:02:12.650 --> 00:02:16.949 breakthroughs require fasting and prayer. And 00:02:16.949 --> 00:02:19.169 let's be honest, we all have areas in our lives 00:02:19.169 --> 00:02:21.150 that we are in need of a spiritual breakthrough. 00:02:22.729 --> 00:02:26.000 We may need set free from a sin. An addictive 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:28.780 habit being broken, a direction in our career 00:02:28.780 --> 00:02:32.860 or relationships. Maybe it's health issues. Could 00:02:32.860 --> 00:02:36.280 be faith to follow where God is leading. Or maybe 00:02:36.280 --> 00:02:39.259 we're praying for someone we love. See, whatever 00:02:39.259 --> 00:02:42.860 you are believing for in this new year, we believe 00:02:42.860 --> 00:02:45.120 the spiritual battle was fought through prayer 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:49.280 and fasting first. Now, if you've never fasted 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:51.039 before, I always get the question, well, Chris, 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:54.550 what do I fast? There's different ways that you 00:02:54.550 --> 00:02:58.949 can fast. You may choose a selective fast, which 00:02:58.949 --> 00:03:00.990 simply means you eliminate certain foods from 00:03:00.990 --> 00:03:06.669 your diet, like meats, sweets, breads, sodas, 00:03:06.689 --> 00:03:09.449 whatever it may be. You remove them from your 00:03:09.449 --> 00:03:13.110 diet, and you commit 21 days to faithfully praying 00:03:13.110 --> 00:03:16.009 where you would normally be eating that. Some 00:03:16.009 --> 00:03:19.370 of you may want to go into a complete fast, which 00:03:19.370 --> 00:03:22.030 consists of removing all food. and only drinking 00:03:22.030 --> 00:03:25.270 liquids, waters, light juices, protein shakes, 00:03:25.590 --> 00:03:28.710 any type of thing that we can put into our body 00:03:28.710 --> 00:03:32.530 that is not food. A partial fast, which is sometimes 00:03:32.530 --> 00:03:35.729 called a Jewish fast, consists of sustaining 00:03:35.729 --> 00:03:38.889 from any food during different points throughout 00:03:38.889 --> 00:03:42.060 the day. Now, it's interesting how, you know, 00:03:42.060 --> 00:03:45.360 the fasting has become a fad where you don't 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:47.539 fast in the morning, you don't fast, you know, 00:03:47.539 --> 00:03:49.139 till noon or whatever it may be. This has been 00:03:49.139 --> 00:03:51.699 around for hundreds of thousands of years. It's 00:03:51.699 --> 00:03:54.520 what God wants us to do as a means of giving 00:03:54.520 --> 00:03:58.900 up and getting closer to him. Or, of course, 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:01.400 there's the soul fast, which is a great option 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:03.800 for those people who aren't experienced with 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:06.659 fasting or have health issues. And that simply 00:04:06.659 --> 00:04:09.319 means you abstain from certain things or areas 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:12.419 in life that get you out of balance. For example, 00:04:12.500 --> 00:04:16.220 a soul fast could be giving up TV or social media, 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:19.879 apps on your phone. And let me just remind you, 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:21.779 if you decide to give up an app that's distracting 00:04:21.779 --> 00:04:25.500 you, delete it. Don't try to just not avoid it. 00:04:25.740 --> 00:04:28.779 For some of you, it's gaming systems, right? 00:04:28.860 --> 00:04:32.019 Too much of your time is wasted on a TV and staring 00:04:32.019 --> 00:04:36.120 at it. Then while we fast, we set aside intentional 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:39.740 time to seek God's heart so that our heart aligns 00:04:39.740 --> 00:04:44.959 with his. It's a deliberate 21 days of a pause 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:49.360 from the rush, the demands, the schedules, the 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:52.300 constant bombardment of inputs that we receive 00:04:52.300 --> 00:04:55.879 from our culture and a declaration to God that 00:04:55.879 --> 00:05:00.079 his presence is more important. See, when we 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:04.990 choose to step away, And be still before God. 00:05:05.490 --> 00:05:08.850 We position ourselves to hear what he's already 00:05:08.850 --> 00:05:11.430 trying to speak to us beneath all the noise. 00:05:12.430 --> 00:05:15.910 It's about allowing him to shape our desires, 00:05:15.930 --> 00:05:19.009 our decisions, and our direction in this new 00:05:19.009 --> 00:05:22.790 year. Now every morning from 6 to 7 in our cafe 00:05:22.790 --> 00:05:26.389 for these next 21 days starting tomorrow, we 00:05:26.389 --> 00:05:28.329 will gather in the cafe for morning prayer and 00:05:28.329 --> 00:05:30.949 devotions. All of you are invited. You know, 00:05:30.949 --> 00:05:33.560 get up a little early before work. Grab your 00:05:33.560 --> 00:05:36.439 shower, grab your coffee, show up here, gather 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:39.040 with other Jesus followers, a part of our community 00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:43.800 faith, and pray and fast for our local community, 00:05:44.100 --> 00:05:47.740 for the nation, for the world. Now something 00:05:47.740 --> 00:05:49.779 different this year, I felt God challenged me 00:05:49.779 --> 00:05:54.000 to commit an entire week of 24 -7 prayer to him 00:05:54.000 --> 00:05:57.860 this year. So starting next week, Monday the 00:05:57.860 --> 00:06:00.910 12th. We're going to have people gathering here 00:06:00.910 --> 00:06:02.689 in the auditorium, in the worship room, or in 00:06:02.689 --> 00:06:07.709 the cafe for 24 -7 prayer for an entire week. 00:06:08.129 --> 00:06:09.930 Now listen, we need your help in this. This is 00:06:09.930 --> 00:06:12.490 a huge step of faith. We have a sign -up sheet 00:06:12.490 --> 00:06:15.970 out by our praying hands as you leave here. And 00:06:15.970 --> 00:06:18.769 we still have about 160 slots that need filled. 00:06:19.569 --> 00:06:21.870 And we've heard people saying, well, I'm just 00:06:21.870 --> 00:06:23.470 going to show up. I'm not going to sign up. Listen, 00:06:23.649 --> 00:06:26.370 very important for you to sign up because you 00:06:26.370 --> 00:06:29.100 don't get inside if you don't sign up. We're 00:06:29.100 --> 00:06:31.259 going to give you a code to get inside the building. 00:06:32.120 --> 00:06:34.100 Otherwise, you're going to be doing circles around 00:06:34.100 --> 00:06:36.019 the building in the cold, which is fine with 00:06:36.019 --> 00:06:39.240 me if you want to do that. But at 3 a .m., I 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:41.420 could see that being a daunting challenge. You 00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:44.480 might want to get in so you can be warm. But 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:47.199 I want to encourage you. Please sign up. Take 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:51.240 a one -hour time slot and commit to praying and 00:06:51.240 --> 00:06:54.699 believing for our community, our nation, and 00:06:54.699 --> 00:06:57.350 the world. Now, I felt it fitting that we all 00:06:57.350 --> 00:07:00.230 stand together and share in communion as we launch 00:07:00.230 --> 00:07:02.490 out into this new year. So will you stand with 00:07:02.490 --> 00:07:06.389 me? If you need an element, please put one hand 00:07:06.389 --> 00:07:08.269 up. Our people will come around. You've got to 00:07:08.269 --> 00:07:11.829 keep it up. If you need gluten -free, put two 00:07:11.829 --> 00:07:15.209 hands up. And everybody is coming around now 00:07:15.209 --> 00:07:18.490 to give you your elements. As they are getting 00:07:18.490 --> 00:07:21.930 the elements, please bring your focus here. As 00:07:21.930 --> 00:07:25.779 a community of faith here at HCV, we believe 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:28.379 that communion isn't just something we do at 00:07:28.379 --> 00:07:31.939 church. We believe that communion is an opportunity 00:07:31.939 --> 00:07:35.399 for you to meet a living God. His broken body, 00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:38.800 his shed blood that Jesus shared and did for 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:42.180 us on the cross is a time for us to focus in, 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:46.540 look at our hearts, look at our minds, our actions, 00:07:46.620 --> 00:07:50.220 our choices, and to lay down anything that's 00:07:50.220 --> 00:07:54.959 between him and us. Any sin that has a lid, on 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:58.459 our connection with him. If you need healing, 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:01.379 I believe that God can heal your body. If your 00:08:01.379 --> 00:08:03.639 relationships need restored, I believe that God 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:06.720 can do it through this simple act of being obedient 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:11.720 to what Jesus told us to do. So on the night 00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:15.660 that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread. He gave 00:08:15.660 --> 00:08:19.300 it to his disciples and said, take, eat. This 00:08:19.300 --> 00:08:23.959 is my body, which is broken for you. Do it in 00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:32.259 remembrance of me. Let's eat. Likewise, after 00:08:32.259 --> 00:08:36.000 supper, Jesus took a cup of wine. He said, this 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:38.679 is my blood which is shed for you and for many 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:41.139 for the forgiveness of sins, for the freedom 00:08:41.139 --> 00:08:44.879 from sin. Drink it often, and when you do, do 00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:52.820 it in remembrance of me. Let's drink. Holy Spirit, 00:08:52.860 --> 00:08:58.559 come. God, silence distractions, open our minds, 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:02.539 our ears, and our hearts to receive all that 00:09:02.539 --> 00:09:06.279 you have for us. God, challenge us to draw closer 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:09.620 to you today and throughout this new year. In 00:09:09.620 --> 00:09:16.940 Jesus' name, amen. So when I was praying about 00:09:16.940 --> 00:09:20.809 our scripture, and focus for the new year, God 00:09:20.809 --> 00:09:25.409 led me to Isaiah chapter 6. This book, it is 00:09:25.409 --> 00:09:28.169 an account of the prophet Isaiah, the revelations, 00:09:28.169 --> 00:09:31.970 the prophecies, and wisdom he received from God 00:09:31.970 --> 00:09:35.389 during his 60 years of ministry, which again 00:09:35.389 --> 00:09:39.269 was 700 to 800 years before the birth of Jesus. 00:09:40.350 --> 00:09:42.450 Isaiah is, of course, considered to be one of 00:09:42.450 --> 00:09:46.169 the greatest prophets in Israel's history. And 00:09:46.169 --> 00:09:49.860 these words, were recorded long before Isaiah 00:09:49.860 --> 00:09:53.360 wrote anything recorded in the Bible. See, Isaiah 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:56.379 saw something that radically transformed his 00:09:56.379 --> 00:10:00.379 life. And I believe God is inviting us to respond 00:10:00.379 --> 00:10:05.460 to this same message in 2026. He is calling us 00:10:05.460 --> 00:10:08.500 to a deeper commitment to our relationship with 00:10:08.500 --> 00:10:12.460 Jesus. Long before Isaiah was a prophet, around 00:10:12.460 --> 00:10:16.740 the age of 20, He wrote these words in a journal, 00:10:16.860 --> 00:10:20.159 powerful words, recorded for us. Now think about 00:10:20.159 --> 00:10:24.039 this nearly 3 ,000 years later, which leads us 00:10:24.039 --> 00:10:26.399 to our first thought this morning in this new 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:31.139 year, 2026. When idols die, Jesus can be seen 00:10:31.139 --> 00:10:34.279 and experienced. Isaiah chapter six, verse one. 00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:37.419 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw 00:10:37.419 --> 00:10:40.759 the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne and 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:44.740 the train of his robe filled the temple. Notice 00:10:44.740 --> 00:10:48.220 Isaiah said, in the year King Uzziah died, I 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:51.519 saw something. And my prayer is that you and 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:54.200 I see the same thing in our gatherings today. 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:58.379 See, Isaiah punctuate this moment that changed 00:10:58.379 --> 00:11:01.700 his life with an encounter about a man who died 00:11:01.700 --> 00:11:05.779 named King Uzziah. Now, King Uzziah was a godly 00:11:05.779 --> 00:11:08.740 man until the end of his life. He came into power 00:11:08.740 --> 00:11:11.919 over the nation of Judah at the age of 16 and 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:15.820 reigned over the nation for 52 years. Unfortunately, 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:19.080 King Uzziah got prideful, arrogant, and focused 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:23.080 on himself, and he lost his way. For Isaiah, 00:11:23.379 --> 00:11:27.440 this young man who was only 20, Uzziah was the 00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:30.080 only voice of leadership and direction that he 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:34.220 ever knew. Remember, 52 years King Uzziah reigned. 00:11:34.419 --> 00:11:37.759 So from the time Isaiah was born, Until the time 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:41.399 this man died, this was the only voice that spoke 00:11:41.399 --> 00:11:45.820 spiritually into Isaiah's life. Now the entire 00:11:45.820 --> 00:11:48.500 nation of Judah would exalt, unfortunately, King 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:51.460 Uzziah to the point that he became a type of 00:11:51.460 --> 00:11:54.200 idol for them. They were worshiping him rather 00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:58.799 than God. And notice, Isaiah says, in the year 00:11:58.799 --> 00:12:02.779 this man died, I saw the Lord. Now hear this. 00:12:03.629 --> 00:12:08.730 In the year this king idol died, he saw the real 00:12:08.730 --> 00:12:11.809 king. See, in the text, there's a correlation 00:12:11.809 --> 00:12:16.389 between death and sight. Sometimes things have 00:12:16.389 --> 00:12:20.190 to die in order for us to see. And there's so 00:12:20.190 --> 00:12:23.470 many Jesus followers who don't have vision for 00:12:23.470 --> 00:12:25.929 their life because there's things alive inside 00:12:25.929 --> 00:12:29.470 of them, inside of you and me, that needs to 00:12:29.470 --> 00:12:32.830 die in order for us to see. See, this is truth. 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:37.960 Ask yourself, what sin, whether it be lust, anger, 00:12:38.080 --> 00:12:41.179 pride, or jealousy, what relationship, whether 00:12:41.179 --> 00:12:44.039 it's your marriage or pursuit thereof, what addiction, 00:12:44.299 --> 00:12:47.480 whether it be nicotine, alcohol, weed, or narcotics, 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:50.620 what habit like shopping, gaming, scrolling, 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:55.019 or physical transformation is in your heart that 00:12:55.019 --> 00:12:57.840 keeps you from truly worshiping and experiencing 00:12:57.840 --> 00:13:01.899 Jesus? See, when we place these things, or these 00:13:01.899 --> 00:13:05.940 issues before Jesus, then we actually begin worshiping 00:13:05.940 --> 00:13:09.440 them. We begin to make them an idol in our life 00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:13.679 because they have priority over Jesus. Yet when 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:16.679 we choose to burn up or remove those things we 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:20.000 put before Jesus, we will start to see and experience 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:23.059 Jesus more clearly. How do I know this? Well, 00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:26.240 the Bible says it. The writer of Psalm 24 asks 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:28.539 us a powerful question in verses three and four. 00:13:39.330 --> 00:13:46.009 See, when we read about purity in the Bible, 00:13:46.190 --> 00:13:50.350 it's not just referencing sexuality. It's talking 00:13:50.350 --> 00:13:53.049 about cleanliness. Now, in the Old Testament, 00:13:53.110 --> 00:13:55.289 when we read about purity, it's about cleansing 00:13:55.289 --> 00:13:58.799 things on the outside. But when Jesus shows up, 00:13:58.799 --> 00:14:01.679 everything changes, and we read in the New Testament 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:05.759 that purity moves from the outside in, Matthew 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:09.919 5 .8. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, 00:14:10.059 --> 00:14:14.159 for they will see God. And there's so many people 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:17.840 in the church that thought that they have seen 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:21.519 God, that they have experienced God, but it was 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:25.820 only on a surface level. So many. Encounters 00:14:25.820 --> 00:14:28.879 with God come in crisis or a desire to be set 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:31.639 free from an addiction. And they're all good, 00:14:31.740 --> 00:14:35.299 but God is inviting us to more. If we choose 00:14:35.299 --> 00:14:38.679 to continue to pursue Jesus and we allow the 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:41.460 Holy Spirit to highlight these idols in our hearts 00:14:41.460 --> 00:14:45.000 that come before him, then we can see Jesus high 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:49.500 and lifted up. Above our favorite app or our 00:14:49.500 --> 00:14:52.899 game. Above our favorite team or our career or 00:14:52.899 --> 00:14:56.000 our relationships. Even above our dreams and 00:14:56.000 --> 00:15:00.100 desires. See, what if God wants you to move halfway 00:15:00.100 --> 00:15:03.639 around the world? How would you respond? What 00:15:03.639 --> 00:15:06.480 if God wants you to change careers? Would you 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:09.960 do it? What if God wants you to remove that relationship 00:15:09.960 --> 00:15:13.259 that's dragging you down? Would you break up? 00:15:14.440 --> 00:15:17.460 Matthew 16, 24, then Jesus said to his disciples, 00:15:17.639 --> 00:15:21.220 his followers, if any of you wants to be my follower, 00:15:21.259 --> 00:15:24.360 you must give up your... own way, your own desires, 00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:28.440 your own wants. Take up your cross and follow 00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:32.779 me. See, seeing Jesus high and lifted up means 00:15:32.779 --> 00:15:36.320 that Jesus is first in our lives. He's priority. 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:41.059 That we die to self. We have to give Jesus the 00:15:41.059 --> 00:15:44.039 opportunity to touch any idol that we have placed 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:46.539 before him in our lives. And you're thinking, 00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:48.500 well, why, Chris? Why would I do this? Because 00:15:48.500 --> 00:15:52.710 with sacrifice comes gratitude. See, when we 00:15:52.710 --> 00:15:55.190 stop pursuing the things of the world and focus 00:15:55.190 --> 00:15:58.409 our priorities on Jesus, then we will stop feeling 00:15:58.409 --> 00:16:02.710 empty and start beginning to walk in abundance, 00:16:03.009 --> 00:16:06.070 which leads us to our next thought. See, Jesus 00:16:06.070 --> 00:16:09.549 desires a church that worships with humility 00:16:09.549 --> 00:16:12.649 and gratitude. Let's continue in Isaiah 6, 2 00:16:12.649 --> 00:16:16.990 through 4. Attending him were mighty seraphim. 00:16:17.289 --> 00:16:19.210 Now, I want to pause there just for a second. 00:16:19.230 --> 00:16:22.429 This is the only place. These angelic beings 00:16:22.429 --> 00:16:24.929 are recorded in the Bible. And it's interesting, 00:16:25.210 --> 00:16:29.169 in Hebrew, their name means fiery ones, which 00:16:29.169 --> 00:16:33.289 means they were on fire in the immediate presence 00:16:33.289 --> 00:16:37.549 of God. And Isaiah, remember, was seeing Jesus 00:16:37.549 --> 00:16:41.629 before he was born in Bethlehem. This was before 00:16:41.629 --> 00:16:43.809 he came to earth. And the ones above him, the 00:16:43.809 --> 00:16:48.070 seraphim, were on fire because we cannot come 00:16:48.070 --> 00:16:51.029 close to Jesus and remain lukewarm. It's just 00:16:51.029 --> 00:16:54.350 not possible. We cannot have intimacy with Jesus 00:16:54.350 --> 00:16:57.289 and remain lukewarm because Jesus, the Bible 00:16:57.289 --> 00:17:00.830 tells us, is a consuming fire. So the closer 00:17:00.830 --> 00:17:04.309 we get to him, the more we open up to him, the 00:17:04.309 --> 00:17:08.009 more he will set our heart on fire. Jesus spoke 00:17:08.009 --> 00:17:10.410 these words to the church in Revelation 3, 15 00:17:10.410 --> 00:17:14.069 through 16. I know all the things you do, that 00:17:14.069 --> 00:17:17.039 you're neither hot or cold. I wish you were one 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:19.619 or the other, but since you are like lukewarm 00:17:19.619 --> 00:17:22.839 water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you 00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:25.539 out of my mouth. Now it's interesting, Jesus 00:17:25.539 --> 00:17:30.779 challenges us not to remain on the fence. He 00:17:30.779 --> 00:17:34.480 says, be hot or be cold. And it's interesting, 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:36.539 as I was reading these verses this week, God 00:17:36.539 --> 00:17:38.920 kind of highlighted for me, quite often these 00:17:38.920 --> 00:17:41.460 verses are taken out of context, meaning hot 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:43.880 on fire or cold, not in a relationship with him. 00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:46.410 That's not what it means. It says be hot or cold, 00:17:46.529 --> 00:17:49.789 which means be hot on fire and medicinal to the 00:17:49.789 --> 00:17:52.849 people and to the community, or be cold and refreshing 00:17:52.849 --> 00:17:56.670 to those that need refreshed. But don't be in 00:17:56.670 --> 00:17:59.390 the middle. Don't be lukewarm. Just kind of looking 00:17:59.390 --> 00:18:02.789 at a relationship with God as church. Well, I 00:18:02.789 --> 00:18:05.569 show up to church on Sunday. Well, I do this. 00:18:05.569 --> 00:18:07.529 I do that. It's not a bunch of rules. It's about 00:18:07.529 --> 00:18:12.410 a relationship with him. We have to be in pursuit 00:18:12.410 --> 00:18:15.549 of Jesus. Now let's continue in Isaiah chapter 00:18:15.549 --> 00:18:18.970 6. Each having six wings, with two wings they 00:18:18.970 --> 00:18:21.349 covered their faces. Why would they do that? 00:18:21.490 --> 00:18:24.589 In reverence and honor. And the two, they covered 00:18:24.589 --> 00:18:26.849 their feet. Again, why would they cover their 00:18:26.849 --> 00:18:29.990 feet? It's an act of humility. Right? We should 00:18:29.990 --> 00:18:32.369 not come into his presence with a list of requests 00:18:32.369 --> 00:18:35.329 and needs. We first have to come into his presence 00:18:35.329 --> 00:18:38.230 with honor and humility. We have to open up our 00:18:38.230 --> 00:18:41.730 hearts and be honest. And with two, they flew. 00:18:42.430 --> 00:18:44.809 They were calling out to each other, holy, holy, 00:18:44.950 --> 00:18:47.690 holy is the Lord of heaven's armies. The whole 00:18:47.690 --> 00:18:51.450 earth is filled with his glory. Now notice their 00:18:51.450 --> 00:18:54.470 voices shook the temple to its foundations and 00:18:54.470 --> 00:18:57.289 the entire building was filled with smoke. So 00:18:57.289 --> 00:18:59.549 as we read this, please see this picture. From 00:18:59.549 --> 00:19:03.650 every angle, these angelic beings were worshiping 00:19:03.650 --> 00:19:07.309 Jesus and they were crying out, holy, holy, holy. 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:10.480 And it's interesting, this is the only triple 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:13.380 pronunciation of any character trait of Jesus 00:19:13.380 --> 00:19:17.259 in the entire Bible. Nowhere in the Bible does 00:19:17.259 --> 00:19:20.700 it say Jesus is love, love, love. Nowhere in 00:19:20.700 --> 00:19:23.240 the Bible is it written that Jesus is grace, 00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:27.380 grace, grace. This is the only place a triple 00:19:27.380 --> 00:19:30.079 characteristic of a Jesus is recorded. And you 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:32.180 know what it means? It means to be set apart. 00:19:32.700 --> 00:19:36.000 It means to be different. See, Jesus is above 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:38.680 everything in this world. He's above angels, 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:42.279 he's above demons, and he's above the idols that 00:19:42.279 --> 00:19:45.339 we place in our lives. And why is all this important? 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:49.720 Because this is the attribute of Jesus that can 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:53.720 radically transform our hearts. Radically. And 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:55.680 you say, well, what do you mean? See, when we 00:19:55.680 --> 00:20:00.259 give Jesus his honor and glory, meaning that 00:20:00.259 --> 00:20:03.539 Jesus is supremely holy above everything else 00:20:03.539 --> 00:20:06.460 in this life, then we truly begin to worship 00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:10.019 him and follow him. Peter said these words in 00:20:10.019 --> 00:20:13.119 John chapter six, Lord, to whom would we go? 00:20:13.579 --> 00:20:17.299 You have the words that give eternal life. We 00:20:17.299 --> 00:20:19.660 believe and we know you are the holy, there it 00:20:19.660 --> 00:20:22.700 is, one of God. The author of Hebrews writes 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:26.059 it this way in chapter seven, verse 26. He is 00:20:26.059 --> 00:20:29.319 the kind of high priest we need because he is, 00:20:29.380 --> 00:20:32.700 there it is again, holy and blameless. Unstained 00:20:32.700 --> 00:20:35.000 by sin, he has been set apart from sinners, has 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:37.420 been given the highest place of honor in all 00:20:37.420 --> 00:20:40.599 of heaven. See, when we begin to worship Jesus 00:20:40.599 --> 00:20:45.359 with honor and we celebrate his glory, it simply 00:20:45.359 --> 00:20:48.140 means we're placing him first in our lives. Then, 00:20:48.420 --> 00:20:51.660 when he is first in our lives, we live a life 00:20:51.660 --> 00:20:55.119 of gratitude. Like, doesn't it get old complaining? 00:20:55.920 --> 00:20:58.079 Like, I don't know about you, but I find in my 00:20:58.079 --> 00:21:00.519 life, when I'm constantly complaining, it just 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:04.220 gets old. It's like it just wears you down. Right? 00:21:04.279 --> 00:21:06.539 But that's because we have to begin to see Jesus 00:21:06.539 --> 00:21:08.720 and his honor and his glory so that we begin 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:12.019 to practice gratitude. For example, maybe we 00:21:12.019 --> 00:21:14.299 pray for someone. Their life has radically changed. 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:16.140 They're experiencing healing. You know what that 00:21:16.140 --> 00:21:19.700 points to? His glory. Maybe we see a beautiful 00:21:19.700 --> 00:21:24.400 sunset or a sunrise, and that is etched in our 00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:28.099 mind. What does that point to? His glory. Say 00:21:28.099 --> 00:21:32.329 we appreciate. A delicious dinner and the company 00:21:32.329 --> 00:21:35.109 gathered around the table and that food just 00:21:35.109 --> 00:21:38.410 explodes into our mouths. What does that point 00:21:38.410 --> 00:21:43.250 to? His glory. See, when we gather and worship 00:21:43.250 --> 00:21:47.269 him without distractions, when we uncross our 00:21:47.269 --> 00:21:49.490 arms and we take our hands out of our pockets 00:21:49.490 --> 00:21:52.109 and we lift him up in his honor and glory, what's 00:21:52.109 --> 00:21:56.390 it point to? His glory. See, all the things in 00:21:56.390 --> 00:21:58.910 this world were given to us to point us back 00:21:58.910 --> 00:22:02.829 to Jesus. Right? So the next time you eat a New 00:22:02.829 --> 00:22:06.289 York strip that's perfectly cooked with blackening 00:22:06.289 --> 00:22:08.690 seasoning and some fried shrimp and you're so 00:22:08.690 --> 00:22:17.009 excited, give him glory. Give him glory. Because 00:22:17.009 --> 00:22:20.390 you wouldn't have it without him. Everything 00:22:20.390 --> 00:22:23.730 we have in this life, is a gift from God. And 00:22:23.730 --> 00:22:25.849 when we begin to live that way, you know what 00:22:25.849 --> 00:22:28.849 happens? God's glory increases in our hearts. 00:22:29.250 --> 00:22:32.170 The more we see God's glory behind everything 00:22:32.170 --> 00:22:35.789 we are given, including our spouses, including 00:22:35.789 --> 00:22:39.670 our children, the more our hearts will become 00:22:39.670 --> 00:22:43.309 like God's heart for his creation. And see, God 00:22:43.309 --> 00:22:46.970 is inviting us to respond today. How? Well, that 00:22:46.970 --> 00:22:49.539 leads us to our third thought. See, God's revelation 00:22:49.539 --> 00:22:53.160 in presence leads us to repentance. See, when 00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:57.160 Isaiah got a revelation of the true nature of 00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:00.460 Jesus, how did he respond? Did he ask him for 00:23:00.460 --> 00:23:04.079 a new car, for a new job, for a boyfriend or 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:07.740 a girlfriend? No. Look at Isaiah 6, 5. Then I 00:23:07.740 --> 00:23:11.380 said, it's all over. I am doomed, for I'm a sinful 00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:13.700 man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people 00:23:13.700 --> 00:23:17.839 with filthy lips. Yet I've seen the king. the 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:20.859 Lord of heaven's armies. See, when Isaiah got 00:23:20.859 --> 00:23:24.400 a revelation of the true nature of God, when 00:23:24.400 --> 00:23:28.119 he saw Jesus for who he truly was, he saw himself 00:23:28.119 --> 00:23:34.759 as a sinner before God, a broken vessel. He didn't 00:23:34.759 --> 00:23:37.779 start begging him for stuff. He didn't say, God, 00:23:37.799 --> 00:23:41.920 meet my needs. He broke down on his knees, said, 00:23:42.019 --> 00:23:44.990 God, forgive me. And here's the reality. The 00:23:44.990 --> 00:23:48.009 closer we get to Jesus, the more we hate all 00:23:48.009 --> 00:23:51.490 the garbage that's inside of our hearts. See, 00:23:51.549 --> 00:23:54.009 there's no way we can have an intimate relationship 00:23:54.009 --> 00:23:56.809 with Jesus while at the same time enjoying sin, 00:23:57.049 --> 00:24:00.630 judgment, anger, and pride. It just can't happen. 00:24:01.529 --> 00:24:03.829 And this truth can change some of your lives 00:24:03.829 --> 00:24:08.730 today. We have to come to a place in our lives 00:24:08.730 --> 00:24:12.430 where we're tired of being angry. We have to 00:24:12.430 --> 00:24:14.769 come to a place in our lives where we're tired 00:24:14.769 --> 00:24:18.170 of being addicted. We have to come to a place 00:24:18.170 --> 00:24:20.170 in our lives where we're tired of being full 00:24:20.170 --> 00:24:23.789 of lust, full of jealousy. We have to come to 00:24:23.789 --> 00:24:26.150 a place in our lives where we're tired of holding 00:24:26.150 --> 00:24:29.130 on to bitterness and unforgiveness and negativity. 00:24:29.789 --> 00:24:33.289 And the closer we get to Jesus, the more we should 00:24:33.289 --> 00:24:36.450 hate the brokenness inside of us. Now, some of 00:24:36.450 --> 00:24:38.869 you are thinking, well, Chris, hate is a strong 00:24:38.869 --> 00:24:43.299 word. Yes, it is. But God hates sin. He hates 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:45.940 the anger. He hates the lust. He hates the pursuit 00:24:45.940 --> 00:24:50.660 of money and fame. And why? Because God has so 00:24:50.660 --> 00:24:54.220 much more for us. Jesus went to prepare a place 00:24:54.220 --> 00:24:57.079 for us, a life that is so much better that we 00:24:57.079 --> 00:25:00.539 could ever hope or imagine. And the more we desire 00:25:00.539 --> 00:25:03.359 and focus on the kingdom of God, the more we 00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:06.039 will start hating the sin that is in our hearts 00:25:06.039 --> 00:25:09.160 and in our life. Notice, one day God is going 00:25:09.160 --> 00:25:11.759 to create a world in which Revelation 24 says 00:25:11.759 --> 00:25:14.079 he's going to wipe every tear from their eyes. 00:25:14.660 --> 00:25:16.880 There will be no more death or sorrow, crying 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:22.240 or pain. All these things are gone forever. But 00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:24.380 it's not just about heaven. It's not just about 00:25:24.380 --> 00:25:27.799 when that day comes. God desires for you and 00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:30.880 I, for the church, to be holy every single day, 00:25:31.019 --> 00:25:34.900 Hebrews 10. For God's will was for us to be made 00:25:34.900 --> 00:25:38.940 holy. There it is. By the sacrifice of the body 00:25:38.940 --> 00:25:41.880 of Jesus Christ once for all time. It's done. 00:25:42.000 --> 00:25:45.319 It's finished. Paul challenges us to hate our 00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:48.240 sin in Romans 12, 9. Don't just pretend to love 00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:53.200 others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. 00:25:53.740 --> 00:25:58.220 Hold tightly to what is good. Paul says to focus 00:25:58.220 --> 00:26:01.119 on Colossians 3, 2. Think about the things of 00:26:01.119 --> 00:26:04.980 heaven, not the things of earth. And notice Paul 00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:08.440 complaining about his own life in Romans 7 says 00:26:08.440 --> 00:26:11.039 these words. And I know that nothing good lives 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:14.279 in me that is in my sinful nature. I want to 00:26:14.279 --> 00:26:15.980 do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:18.299 is good, but I don't. I want to do what is wrong, 00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:21.400 and I do it anyway. But if I do what I don't 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:23.660 want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong. 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:28.299 It is sin living in me that does. And God hates 00:26:28.299 --> 00:26:32.500 that sin living in us. Paul is crying out to 00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:35.000 God. He's desiring to be delivered from his brokenness. 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:39.240 He wants to be holy. And God is calling us to 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:42.180 the same level of commitment in 2026. We have 00:26:42.180 --> 00:26:45.559 to stop compromising this world and allow ourselves 00:26:45.559 --> 00:26:48.279 to understand what true repentance is. What is 00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:53.019 true repentance? It's stop choosing sin. That's 00:26:53.019 --> 00:26:56.599 what it means. Stop choosing sin and choose to 00:26:56.599 --> 00:27:00.650 walk in abundance. And just choosing to walk 00:27:00.650 --> 00:27:03.250 in abundance can cause you to hate the sin and 00:27:03.250 --> 00:27:06.529 walk away from it. We have to start loving what 00:27:06.529 --> 00:27:08.950 Jesus loves and hating what God hates. And please 00:27:08.950 --> 00:27:11.589 understand, I'm talking about hating what's inside 00:27:11.589 --> 00:27:13.910 of us, not what's happening outside of this world. 00:27:14.690 --> 00:27:17.150 So keep yourself off social media and your judgments, 00:27:17.269 --> 00:27:21.349 because that's sin too. We're talking about our 00:27:21.349 --> 00:27:24.049 hearts, our personal hearts, and God desiring 00:27:24.049 --> 00:27:26.109 to change them, which leads us to our next thought. 00:27:26.920 --> 00:27:29.920 Jesus frees us from the power of sin. Continuing 00:27:29.920 --> 00:27:33.140 Isaiah 6. Then one of the seraphim flew to me 00:27:33.140 --> 00:27:35.539 with a burning coal he had taken from the altar 00:27:35.539 --> 00:27:38.900 with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips. And 00:27:38.900 --> 00:27:40.579 some of you are thinking, well, why lips? Remember, 00:27:40.779 --> 00:27:43.619 lips are connected to the heart. The Bible tells 00:27:43.619 --> 00:27:46.119 us how the abundance of the heart, the mouth 00:27:46.119 --> 00:27:50.319 speaks. So therefore, this is a picture that 00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:53.500 God is showing Isaiah of freedom, of salvation. 00:27:54.569 --> 00:27:56.670 And being touched in the lips, it says, see, 00:27:56.750 --> 00:27:59.289 this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt 00:27:59.289 --> 00:28:04.210 is removed and your sins are forgiven. Church, 00:28:04.289 --> 00:28:08.809 your sins are forgiven. You are free if you are 00:28:08.809 --> 00:28:11.250 in a relationship with Jesus. So let's start 00:28:11.250 --> 00:28:14.250 to live that way. Let's start to walk in abundance, 00:28:14.450 --> 00:28:17.509 Romans 8 .2. And because you belong to him, the 00:28:17.509 --> 00:28:19.829 power of the life -giving spirit has freed you. 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:23.220 from the power of sin that leads to death. Galatians 00:28:23.220 --> 00:28:27.000 5 .1, Christ has truly set us free. Now make 00:28:27.000 --> 00:28:31.039 sure that you stay free and don't get tied up 00:28:31.039 --> 00:28:34.160 again in the slavery of the law. Paul is challenging 00:28:34.160 --> 00:28:37.519 us not to return to the same habits, the same 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:39.940 addictions, the same sin, the same brokenness. 00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:42.440 You know when that happens, you're just bored. 00:28:43.339 --> 00:28:45.839 You run back to the old habits, the old sins 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:48.400 when you're bored. When you're not passionately 00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:51.339 pursuing Jesus. But Chris, it's not that easy. 00:28:51.460 --> 00:28:54.200 Yes, it is. It's a choice. We're all adults here. 00:28:54.599 --> 00:28:59.059 It's a choice. It's a choice to choose a better 00:28:59.059 --> 00:29:02.400 life, an abundant life that moves us away from 00:29:02.400 --> 00:29:05.359 the sin that's in our hearts, which leads us 00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:08.319 to our final thought. Not only does he free us, 00:29:08.339 --> 00:29:12.460 but Jesus invites us to go. We choose life. Then 00:29:12.460 --> 00:29:14.920 we go, Isaiah 6, 8, then I heard the Lord asking, 00:29:15.099 --> 00:29:18.019 whom should I send as a messenger to this people? 00:29:18.140 --> 00:29:21.640 Who will go for us? And see, I believe so many 00:29:21.640 --> 00:29:24.079 Jesus followers struggle to live in abundance, 00:29:24.380 --> 00:29:28.079 complaining that life is hard. Oh, I need that 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:31.660 crutch. I need it to sleep, Chris. I promise, 00:29:31.740 --> 00:29:37.259 it's just to sleep. I promise, it's just to sleep. 00:29:38.779 --> 00:29:40.640 Well, they use that as a crutch because they 00:29:40.640 --> 00:29:45.410 never go. They're never sent. And God is asking, 00:29:45.470 --> 00:29:47.930 who will go for me? Who can I touch? Who can 00:29:47.930 --> 00:29:50.789 I use? Who can I raise up? Who can I empower? 00:29:51.569 --> 00:29:54.210 And God is asking Isaiah this question to give 00:29:54.210 --> 00:29:56.009 him an opportunity to respond. And this year, 00:29:56.049 --> 00:29:58.950 I believe God is asking us the same question. 00:29:59.450 --> 00:30:03.690 Who will go for me? Well, Chris, am I really 00:30:03.690 --> 00:30:06.049 called? Well, Jesus left his church with the 00:30:06.049 --> 00:30:08.369 Great Commission in Matthew 28. Therefore, notice, 00:30:08.509 --> 00:30:11.440 go. There it is again. and make disciples of 00:30:11.440 --> 00:30:13.240 all the nations, baptizing them in the name of 00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:17.119 the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Who will go 00:30:17.119 --> 00:30:20.599 for me? And the only right response to the one 00:30:20.599 --> 00:30:23.920 that saved us, to the one that freed us, to the 00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:28.039 one that sent his helper to empower us, right? 00:30:28.119 --> 00:30:30.559 Acts 1 .8, you will receive power when the Holy 00:30:30.559 --> 00:30:33.299 Spirit comes upon you. You shall be my witnesses 00:30:33.299 --> 00:30:35.740 to the end of the earth, which leads us to the 00:30:35.740 --> 00:30:38.480 question of the year. This is the question for 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:45.250 2026. Will you go? Isaiah 6, 8 through 9, Then 00:30:45.250 --> 00:30:47.089 I heard the Lord asking, Whom should I send as 00:30:47.089 --> 00:30:49.869 a messenger to this people? Who will go for us? 00:30:49.890 --> 00:30:54.410 I said. Here I am. Isaiah responded, Send me. 00:30:55.490 --> 00:30:57.710 And God said, Yes, go and say to this people. 00:30:58.650 --> 00:31:02.049 See, is that you? Are you willing to lay down 00:31:02.049 --> 00:31:04.529 your agenda? Are you willing to lay down your 00:31:04.529 --> 00:31:07.069 hate? Are you willing to lay down your judgment? 00:31:07.369 --> 00:31:09.569 Are you willing to lay down your anger and your 00:31:09.569 --> 00:31:14.009 lust? Are you willing to hate your sin and then 00:31:14.009 --> 00:31:17.750 stand up for Jesus and speak truth? Some of you 00:31:17.750 --> 00:31:19.170 are thinking, well, Chris, you're just overboard, 00:31:19.369 --> 00:31:21.990 man. You're a little on fire today. What's going 00:31:21.990 --> 00:31:29.690 on here? No, this is because God is calling us 00:31:29.690 --> 00:31:33.490 to more. And the only way we get more is with 00:31:33.490 --> 00:31:38.490 sacrifice. Listen, there's one king in this world, 00:31:38.549 --> 00:31:42.710 and it's King Jesus. That's it. There's nothing 00:31:42.710 --> 00:31:48.890 else. There's nothing else. Right? There's no 00:31:48.890 --> 00:31:51.809 game system. There's no app. There's no relationship. 00:31:53.109 --> 00:31:56.509 There's no money that you could ever earn. There's 00:31:56.509 --> 00:31:58.410 no career or prestige that you could ever have. 00:31:59.109 --> 00:32:02.769 It's just all about him. And the question is, 00:32:02.849 --> 00:32:05.809 are you willing to forgive and move on? Are you 00:32:05.809 --> 00:32:07.690 willing to give God your whole heart so that 00:32:07.690 --> 00:32:09.490 he can use you? And listen, it doesn't matter 00:32:09.490 --> 00:32:13.670 your age, ethnicity, gender, or background. God 00:32:13.670 --> 00:32:16.230 called Isaiah at 20 years old. He called Moses 00:32:16.230 --> 00:32:19.950 at 80 years old. Jesus called misfits and outcasts 00:32:19.950 --> 00:32:23.170 to be his disciples. Church, now is the moment. 00:32:23.769 --> 00:32:27.609 I believe this is the year where we truly see 00:32:27.609 --> 00:32:32.069 life change in the tri -state area. And some 00:32:32.069 --> 00:32:33.490 of you are like, well, Chris, I don't know where 00:32:33.490 --> 00:32:35.509 to begin. I don't know how to do that. Right 00:32:35.509 --> 00:32:36.890 here it is. I'm giving you a piece of paper. 00:32:38.430 --> 00:32:40.490 See, at HCV, we have a partnership agreement. 00:32:41.190 --> 00:32:43.269 I get asked all the time, how do I become a member 00:32:43.269 --> 00:32:45.430 of your church? You don't. We don't have membership. 00:32:46.309 --> 00:32:49.210 I don't have a giant book of 8 ,000 people that 00:32:49.210 --> 00:32:52.250 says, hey, Hub City Vineyard is my church home. 00:32:53.309 --> 00:32:56.660 Because it's not possible. But I do have a partnership 00:32:56.660 --> 00:32:58.900 agreement that I'll put in your hand. And it's 00:32:58.900 --> 00:33:01.440 steps that if you live these out every single 00:33:01.440 --> 00:33:04.180 day, every single week for an entire year, you 00:33:04.180 --> 00:33:06.579 will be on fire for Jesus like you've never been 00:33:06.579 --> 00:33:09.339 on fire before. And you know what this piece 00:33:09.339 --> 00:33:13.420 of paper is? It's a choice. It's a choice to 00:33:13.420 --> 00:33:15.599 want more in your life. And you take this piece 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:18.240 of paper and notice sign date. You sign it and 00:33:18.240 --> 00:33:19.859 you date it. You say, Chris, I'm committing. 00:33:20.640 --> 00:33:24.019 to partnering with you in 2026 to see God radically 00:33:24.019 --> 00:33:26.660 transform the tri -state area. And after you 00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:29.859 sign it and date it, you take it with you and 00:33:29.859 --> 00:33:32.099 you put it somewhere where you see it every single 00:33:32.099 --> 00:33:33.940 day to remind you of what you're committing to. 00:33:34.019 --> 00:33:39.140 Amen? That is partnership. And we believe that 00:33:39.140 --> 00:33:45.759 will radically transform your life. Will you 00:33:45.759 --> 00:33:51.380 stand with me? And listen, I want to preface 00:33:51.380 --> 00:33:53.240 this real quick. I'm just going to mention this 00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:56.220 right now. A lot of times when I invite you to 00:33:56.220 --> 00:33:58.799 stand with me, immediately people shift to getting 00:33:58.799 --> 00:34:02.599 their pocketbooks ready and their keys and their 00:34:02.599 --> 00:34:05.619 coats. Just let them lay on your chairs. This 00:34:05.619 --> 00:34:09.699 is far from being over. Okay, because we're so 00:34:09.699 --> 00:34:12.880 quick to run out these doors to the next appointment 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:15.539 or lunch or breakfast that we miss opportunities 00:34:15.539 --> 00:34:20.280 to connect with a living God. And I want to challenge 00:34:20.280 --> 00:34:22.880 some of you. Okay, I stood in the back. I'm just 00:34:22.880 --> 00:34:25.159 letting you know this. I stood in the back during 00:34:25.159 --> 00:34:29.719 worship. And there's too many of us that are 00:34:29.719 --> 00:34:33.539 just passively letting encounters with God walk 00:34:33.539 --> 00:34:37.420 by us. Because we have our hands in our pockets. 00:34:37.559 --> 00:34:41.019 We're staring at the sky. We're getting our phones 00:34:41.019 --> 00:34:44.809 out, checking social media. This is a holy opportunity 00:34:44.809 --> 00:34:47.570 for you to meet with a holy God that will radically 00:34:47.570 --> 00:34:51.349 transform your life. Give him the time. Give 00:34:51.349 --> 00:34:53.309 him the five minutes because it could radically 00:34:53.309 --> 00:34:57.489 transform everything you believe. Now you know 00:34:57.489 --> 00:34:59.510 every single Sunday at our gatherings we pray 00:34:59.510 --> 00:35:01.530 a simple prayer because we want to give everybody 00:35:01.530 --> 00:35:03.949 that gathers here an opportunity to come home. 00:35:04.650 --> 00:35:06.610 So if you've never had a relationship with Jesus, 00:35:06.690 --> 00:35:09.070 these words are for you. If you walked away from 00:35:09.070 --> 00:35:12.150 God and don't believe anymore, welcome home, 00:35:12.190 --> 00:35:14.809 come back home. God's calling you back home in 00:35:14.809 --> 00:35:17.090 this moment. And we all pray it with you. You 00:35:17.090 --> 00:35:20.409 know why we all pray it? No, it's not because 00:35:20.409 --> 00:35:22.070 we all need it. It's because those of you in 00:35:22.070 --> 00:35:23.909 a relationship with Jesus need to learn this 00:35:23.909 --> 00:35:25.630 prayer so that when you're at work and someone 00:35:25.630 --> 00:35:29.070 needs Jesus, you can pray it with them. You don't 00:35:29.070 --> 00:35:30.510 need to bring them here and have Chris pray it 00:35:30.510 --> 00:35:31.829 with them. You pray it with them. That's called 00:35:31.829 --> 00:35:36.579 being the church. So if that's you, let's pray 00:35:36.579 --> 00:35:41.019 together. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt, 00:35:41.179 --> 00:35:49.199 shame, regret, sin. Change me. Forgive me. I 00:35:49.199 --> 00:35:53.920 believe you're God's son. I believe you died 00:35:53.920 --> 00:35:58.800 for me. I believe you're alive today. Make me 00:35:58.800 --> 00:36:04.650 new. Set me free. Fill me with your spirit. In 00:36:04.650 --> 00:36:09.329 Jesus' name, amen. Now listen, you know, I was 00:36:09.329 --> 00:36:13.210 talking about the fence earlier, right? Our baptismals 00:36:13.210 --> 00:36:15.070 are already set up for our next gathering. We're 00:36:15.070 --> 00:36:16.969 having baptisms after our third gathering. If 00:36:16.969 --> 00:36:19.769 you're on the fence, for some of you, the reason 00:36:19.769 --> 00:36:21.130 you're on the fence is because you never had 00:36:21.130 --> 00:36:23.150 an outward commitment, public commitment, saying 00:36:23.150 --> 00:36:26.710 you follow Jesus. You're having a relationship 00:36:26.710 --> 00:36:28.570 with Jesus in your closet, and God's saying, 00:36:28.590 --> 00:36:32.139 no, come out. It's time to get baptized. So some 00:36:32.139 --> 00:36:35.320 of you need to go get in your cars, forget about 00:36:35.320 --> 00:36:37.260 Mission Barbecue, go get your bathing suits, 00:36:37.400 --> 00:36:41.880 and get back here and get wet after our third 00:36:41.880 --> 00:36:45.480 gathering. Because that's your next step in your 00:36:45.480 --> 00:36:47.699 journey to being in a passionate relationship 00:36:47.699 --> 00:36:52.539 with Jesus. Amen? Now, before we worship, we're 00:36:52.539 --> 00:36:53.920 going to close with worship. And like I said, 00:36:53.940 --> 00:36:57.280 don't run out of here. We're not done. Here's 00:36:57.280 --> 00:37:00.329 my question. And I'll be asking it probably every 00:37:00.329 --> 00:37:06.690 single Sunday. Whom shall I send? Who will go 00:37:06.690 --> 00:37:11.389 for me? And my question to all of you is, what 00:37:11.389 --> 00:37:15.469 is your response? And if your response is send 00:37:15.469 --> 00:37:17.809 me, I want you to lift your hands right now. 00:37:18.050 --> 00:37:19.829 If that's your response, lift your hands. Say 00:37:19.829 --> 00:37:24.809 yes, send me. Send me, God. And don't take this 00:37:24.809 --> 00:37:29.199 call lightly. Take this call as a daily desire, 00:37:29.559 --> 00:37:33.280 a daily battle to take Jesus to the tri -state 00:37:33.280 --> 00:37:37.480 area and see our community radically changed 00:37:37.480 --> 00:37:40.739 for him. Amen? That's what it's all about. Now 00:37:40.739 --> 00:37:53.500 let's sing and give glory back to him. life for 00:37:53.500 --> 00:37:56.300 mine either one turn water into wine please fix 00:37:56.300 --> 00:37:57.480 my heart things inside