WEBVTT 00:00:07.900 --> 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 --> 00:00:32.979 message. Hey, good morning, everyone. So good 00:00:32.979 --> 00:00:36.060 to see you. Yes, vibrant and alive. Thank you 00:00:36.060 --> 00:00:38.340 for welcoming us into your home if you're watching 00:00:38.340 --> 00:00:41.600 us from home. Of course, today is Mother's Day, 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:43.920 and we want to say happy Mother's Day to all 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:52.060 of our moms. Hey, moms, can you stand up, please? 00:00:52.119 --> 00:00:57.259 That is moms, grandmoms, dog moms, cat moms. 00:00:58.419 --> 00:01:05.519 Spiritual moms, we have a gift for you. Yeah, 00:01:05.620 --> 00:01:11.000 give them a hand. It's awesome. There we go. 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:12.659 They're coming around. They'll get you something. 00:01:13.099 --> 00:01:16.200 Just a little gift from us to you that hopefully 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:19.359 you'll be able to use. Stay up. Stay up. I want 00:01:19.359 --> 00:01:21.819 to pray over you. Come on. Stay standing. Don't 00:01:21.819 --> 00:01:23.620 sit back down that quick. You're not that tired. 00:01:23.959 --> 00:01:28.359 Come on. I know you're a mom. You do a lot. I 00:01:28.359 --> 00:01:30.120 just want to pray a blessing over you if you 00:01:30.120 --> 00:01:33.079 could. So while they're giving out those gifts, 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:36.439 I just want to ask God to come and meet you right 00:01:36.439 --> 00:01:39.319 where you are, to infuse you with his power, 00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:41.700 his spirit, and his presence so that you can 00:01:41.700 --> 00:01:43.700 go forth and make a difference in your families 00:01:43.700 --> 00:01:46.420 and the community. Amen? All right, so if you're 00:01:46.420 --> 00:01:48.200 around a mom, you don't mind putting your hand 00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:49.500 on them, that'd be great. I just want to pray 00:01:49.500 --> 00:01:52.500 a blessing over them. Holy Spirit, come. God, 00:01:52.579 --> 00:01:55.209 we are grateful for moms. We're grateful for 00:01:55.209 --> 00:01:57.450 how they serve and give out of the abundance 00:01:57.450 --> 00:01:59.489 of their hearts. We just ask that you would bless 00:01:59.489 --> 00:02:03.069 them today. God, just fill them with your presence. 00:02:03.109 --> 00:02:06.530 Fill them with your power. Fill them, God, with 00:02:06.530 --> 00:02:09.610 your love. May they go forth from here, God, 00:02:09.710 --> 00:02:11.710 to continue to make a difference, not only in 00:02:11.710 --> 00:02:14.729 their families, but in their communities as a 00:02:14.729 --> 00:02:17.800 whole. that they would be vessels of your living 00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:21.199 spirit. And we are grateful for each and every 00:02:21.199 --> 00:02:26.020 mom. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. God bless you, 00:02:26.060 --> 00:02:32.039 moms. We are excited that you are here. So last 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:36.020 Sunday, I missed you all. But I had the opportunity 00:02:36.020 --> 00:02:39.219 to travel to Syracuse, New York, to return to 00:02:39.219 --> 00:02:41.919 somewhat of our homeland, if you will. Jess and 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:44.379 I and the family, three kids back then, lived 00:02:44.379 --> 00:02:47.400 in Syracuse for three years. Or excuse me, five 00:02:47.400 --> 00:02:50.479 years before we planted our church. We planted 00:02:50.479 --> 00:02:52.479 out of the Syracuse vineyard. I had the opportunity 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:56.539 to go return there. Me and Jess and Rick and 00:02:56.539 --> 00:02:59.919 Lynn Vance went up with us. We led a Holy Spirit 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:02.939 conference. And we spent Friday night, all day 00:03:02.939 --> 00:03:05.919 Saturday and Sunday morning. I spoke eight different 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:09.419 times. I was exhausted on Monday. I had no idea 00:03:09.419 --> 00:03:11.699 where I was or what was happening. But that's 00:03:11.699 --> 00:03:15.780 okay. It was well worth it. We deposited a little 00:03:15.780 --> 00:03:19.319 of HCV into the people of upstate New York. And 00:03:19.319 --> 00:03:23.740 they are forever grateful. It was a great time. 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:27.080 So Rudy kicked off a new series, Text to Talk, 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:30.500 last Sunday. And he actually discussed with all 00:03:30.500 --> 00:03:33.379 of you the how -to, if you will, when it comes 00:03:33.379 --> 00:03:35.639 to reading the Bible. Today, I'm going to go 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:37.419 in a little bit of a different direction as we 00:03:37.419 --> 00:03:40.120 continue our series, Text to Talk. And I don't 00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:42.379 want to look at the how -to. I want to look at 00:03:42.379 --> 00:03:48.439 the why. Why should I read the Bible? Well, that 00:03:48.439 --> 00:03:51.669 points us to this lamp right here. If you take 00:03:51.669 --> 00:03:54.469 a look at this lamp, and I was to ask you, what 00:03:54.469 --> 00:04:00.030 is this lamp made to do? That's right. It's made 00:04:00.030 --> 00:04:03.789 to produce light. And it produces light when 00:04:03.789 --> 00:04:10.189 I plug it into the source. Right? So let me plug 00:04:10.189 --> 00:04:13.849 it in, and we'll see if it comes on. Whoa! That's 00:04:13.849 --> 00:04:17.689 a bright light. Right? It shines for all to see. 00:04:17.810 --> 00:04:21.430 It lights up dark spaces. It allows for us to 00:04:21.430 --> 00:04:24.850 read. It allows for us to cook dinner, whether 00:04:24.850 --> 00:04:28.329 it be dark or whatnot. But the second that I 00:04:28.329 --> 00:04:34.129 unplug this lamp, what happens? That's right. 00:04:34.269 --> 00:04:37.930 The lamp doesn't work because it's disconnected 00:04:37.930 --> 00:04:41.170 from the source. Now, a couple of questions for 00:04:41.170 --> 00:04:43.870 you to ponder. Did this lamp lose its purpose? 00:04:45.230 --> 00:04:48.730 Did it lose its design? Did it lose its potential? 00:04:49.250 --> 00:04:52.930 No, the only thing it lost was its connection. 00:04:53.269 --> 00:04:55.769 And the moment it lost its connection, it lost 00:04:55.769 --> 00:04:59.569 its power. And see, unfortunately, so many people 00:04:59.569 --> 00:05:02.329 live their spiritual lives like this unplugged 00:05:02.329 --> 00:05:06.350 lamp. You're still gifted. You're still called. 00:05:06.769 --> 00:05:09.569 You still have purpose and meaning to your life, 00:05:09.709 --> 00:05:12.350 but you're exhausted. You're empty. You're frustrated. 00:05:12.709 --> 00:05:17.279 Yet the source, is waiting on you to plug in. 00:05:17.459 --> 00:05:20.120 And notice, we know the source is ready because 00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:24.379 the end is what? It's lit. It's plugged in. It's 00:05:24.379 --> 00:05:29.879 ready to go. And please understand, many Jesus 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:32.980 followers do not live this way because they're 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:36.759 broken, because they're dysfunctional, because 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:38.579 they're worthless. No, it's because they're simply 00:05:38.579 --> 00:05:41.300 disconnected. See, we live in a culture obsessed 00:05:41.300 --> 00:05:44.920 with activity. Always moving. We're always posting. 00:05:45.220 --> 00:05:48.319 Always producing. We're always chasing something. 00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:52.420 But movement is not the same as connection. Because 00:05:52.420 --> 00:05:56.120 you can be really busy and be disconnected. You 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:59.379 can be serving in our church. You can be serving 00:05:59.379 --> 00:06:01.920 in the community and be disconnected. You can 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:04.000 roll in here on a Sunday morning and extend your 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:07.620 arms and be worshiping and be disconnected. I 00:06:07.620 --> 00:06:10.620 can be preaching to you and be disconnected. 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:14.420 And eventually, what's disconnected loses power. 00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:18.100 And that's why some of us are trying harder but 00:06:18.100 --> 00:06:21.959 getting weaker. We want peace and patience, but 00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:24.420 we can't find it in the midst of our busyness 00:06:24.420 --> 00:06:27.720 and our schedules. We force a smile, and we say 00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:31.180 it's joy. We want to be kind when we're given 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:34.620 the opportunity, but we choose self. See, we 00:06:34.620 --> 00:06:38.060 have to realize fruit cannot be manufactured. 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:42.100 Fruit... if you will, is the byproduct of connection. 00:06:42.779 --> 00:06:47.100 See, the lamp, it doesn't fight to shine. It 00:06:47.100 --> 00:06:50.139 doesn't. It just stays plugged in. But some of 00:06:50.139 --> 00:06:53.339 us have been asking God for strength while neglecting 00:06:53.339 --> 00:06:56.120 the place where strength flows. We want the power 00:06:56.120 --> 00:06:59.420 of God without the presence of God. We want the 00:06:59.420 --> 00:07:02.519 fruit of God without fellowship with God. We 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:06.579 want the promises of God without abiding in God. 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:10.089 But the kingdom, The kingdom of God doesn't work 00:07:10.089 --> 00:07:15.550 that way. The power is in the connection. And 00:07:15.550 --> 00:07:19.329 here's the danger. Disconnection doesn't always 00:07:19.329 --> 00:07:23.769 look dramatic. See, we think disconnection is 00:07:23.769 --> 00:07:28.209 a fall from grace in this deep sin. And as they 00:07:28.209 --> 00:07:30.269 sin, they fall further and further away from 00:07:30.269 --> 00:07:34.750 God. But sometimes the lamp still looks like 00:07:34.750 --> 00:07:37.250 a lamp. It just doesn't function like a lamp. 00:07:37.689 --> 00:07:39.569 And there are people that gather with us every 00:07:39.569 --> 00:07:42.730 single week who on the outside look like they're 00:07:42.730 --> 00:07:46.110 happy, but inside they're empty. Because appearance 00:07:46.110 --> 00:07:48.430 can survive disconnection for a little while, 00:07:48.569 --> 00:07:52.230 but power cannot. And that's why Jesus gives 00:07:52.230 --> 00:07:54.750 us one of the most important invitations that 00:07:54.750 --> 00:07:57.370 he shared in the Bible. He said, you don't have 00:07:57.370 --> 00:07:59.430 to strive. You don't have to perform. You don't 00:07:59.430 --> 00:08:02.069 have to impress anyone. Jesus' followers are 00:08:02.069 --> 00:08:06.959 called to abide. And in John chapter 15, on the 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:09.439 night before Jesus went to the cross for us, 00:08:09.639 --> 00:08:13.060 he looks at his disciples, he looks at us this 00:08:13.060 --> 00:08:16.339 morning, and he says, abide in me, and I in you. 00:08:17.079 --> 00:08:20.279 See, Jesus knew something. He knew that life 00:08:20.279 --> 00:08:23.560 was calling them to live, right, could never 00:08:23.560 --> 00:08:26.160 be sustained apart from him, disconnected from 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:31.139 him. And just like this lamp needs power, we 00:08:31.139 --> 00:08:36.240 need the power of the Holy Spirit. Today, if 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:37.740 we're going to have strength for what God has 00:08:37.740 --> 00:08:40.399 called us to do, it won't come from trying harder 00:08:40.399 --> 00:08:43.480 because that just leads to guilt and shame. It 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:46.419 will come from staying connected. Because if 00:08:46.419 --> 00:08:50.580 we want the power of the kingdom, we have to 00:08:50.580 --> 00:08:52.779 protect the connection and deepen our relationship 00:08:52.779 --> 00:08:55.720 with Jesus. And all of that leads us to our first 00:08:55.720 --> 00:08:59.460 thought. What is abide? Well, abide, simply stated, 00:08:59.460 --> 00:09:03.330 means continuous dependence on Jesus. Let's jump 00:09:03.330 --> 00:09:06.350 into John 15 verses 4 through 5. Abide in me 00:09:06.350 --> 00:09:09.269 and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit 00:09:09.269 --> 00:09:11.669 by itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither 00:09:11.669 --> 00:09:15.289 can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, 00:09:15.330 --> 00:09:18.129 you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and 00:09:18.129 --> 00:09:21.529 I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For 00:09:21.529 --> 00:09:24.629 apart from me you can do nothing. Now notice, 00:09:24.669 --> 00:09:28.049 over and over again we hear Jesus saying to us 00:09:28.049 --> 00:09:31.059 throughout This section of the Bible, abide, 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:34.899 abide, abide. And when hearing those words repeated 00:09:34.899 --> 00:09:38.480 like this, obviously Jesus wants us to understand 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:41.379 an important truth. Therefore, as we're reading 00:09:41.379 --> 00:09:43.980 the Bible, this is when we pause and we ask ourselves 00:09:43.980 --> 00:09:47.340 the question, what does abide mean? Because I'm 00:09:47.340 --> 00:09:49.259 reading it over and over and over again. This 00:09:49.259 --> 00:09:51.980 is Bible study 101. This is how we read the Bible. 00:09:52.460 --> 00:09:54.639 Now, the word abide in the Greek is the word 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:57.899 meno, and it simply means to stay or to remain. 00:09:58.769 --> 00:10:01.389 Therefore, when Jesus says that we need to abide 00:10:01.389 --> 00:10:04.370 in him, it means that we need to cling to him. 00:10:04.649 --> 00:10:08.169 We need to live near him. We need to desire to 00:10:08.169 --> 00:10:12.169 be in his presence. See, we live a life of total 00:10:12.169 --> 00:10:14.009 dependence on God. That's what it means to abide. 00:10:14.529 --> 00:10:18.210 We surrender any desire or effort we may have 00:10:18.210 --> 00:10:21.070 to live this life in our own strength. See, we 00:10:21.070 --> 00:10:24.409 have to realize our worth isn't found in ourselves. 00:10:25.429 --> 00:10:28.419 It's found in the God who made us. and loves 00:10:28.419 --> 00:10:30.799 us. And if we want to live a life of meaning 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:33.740 and purpose, then we cannot live this life without 00:10:33.740 --> 00:10:37.200 God. It's realizing that without Jesus, we are 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:40.399 lost. While in a relationship with Jesus, we 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:43.799 find our purpose, our identity, and our life. 00:10:44.379 --> 00:10:46.840 Now, have you ever been asked the question, are 00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:49.139 you religious? Has anyone ever asked you that 00:10:49.139 --> 00:10:51.960 question? Only a few of you. Wow, that's interesting. 00:10:53.519 --> 00:10:56.159 Typically, when you attend a church and you're 00:10:56.159 --> 00:10:59.340 there frequently every Sunday, there's always 00:10:59.340 --> 00:11:01.799 people in our sphere of influence that ask you 00:11:01.799 --> 00:11:03.379 that question, are you religious? I get asked 00:11:03.379 --> 00:11:05.879 that question quite often when I'm leading weddings. 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:08.940 And when people ask me that question, I love 00:11:08.940 --> 00:11:11.639 looking back at them and saying, no, in fact, 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:14.100 I am not religious. I believe that religion kills. 00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:18.460 And when I say those words, quickly they begin 00:11:18.460 --> 00:11:22.429 to look at me in a very strange tone. Because 00:11:22.429 --> 00:11:24.190 in their mind, they're like, wait a minute, this 00:11:24.190 --> 00:11:27.210 is a pastor and he's saying he's not religious. 00:11:27.970 --> 00:11:29.809 So then they look back at me and they say, well, 00:11:29.850 --> 00:11:33.250 if you're not religious, what are you? My response 00:11:33.250 --> 00:11:36.409 is simple. I look back at them and say, I have 00:11:36.409 --> 00:11:38.529 a real authentic relationship with God through 00:11:38.529 --> 00:11:41.590 Jesus who now lives in me through the power of 00:11:41.590 --> 00:11:45.289 the Holy Spirit. And then they're even more confused 00:11:45.289 --> 00:11:47.129 as they stare at the words that I just said. 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:51.279 And some of you are thinking, well, Chris, is 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:52.860 that really a good answer? Because I consider 00:11:52.860 --> 00:11:55.259 myself religious. And I say, well, let's look 00:11:55.259 --> 00:11:59.000 at 1 John 3, verses 23 to 24 and see if this 00:11:59.000 --> 00:12:02.200 verse doesn't answer my statement. And this is 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:04.899 his commandment, that we believe in the name 00:12:04.899 --> 00:12:06.960 of his son, Jesus Christ, and love one another 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:11.860 just as he commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments 00:12:11.860 --> 00:12:15.909 abides in God and God in him. And by this, we 00:12:15.909 --> 00:12:18.769 know that he abides in us by the spirit whom 00:12:18.769 --> 00:12:22.269 he has given us. So yes, that is the correct 00:12:22.269 --> 00:12:25.529 answer. I am not religious. I believe that religious 00:12:25.529 --> 00:12:28.610 activity simply pulls us away from God while 00:12:28.610 --> 00:12:31.250 a relationship with Jesus spurs us on and fills 00:12:31.250 --> 00:12:34.090 us with the spirit. So ask yourself this morning, 00:12:34.230 --> 00:12:37.590 is the verse that I just read a picture or reflection 00:12:37.590 --> 00:12:43.399 of your life? Do you abide in Jesus? See, the 00:12:43.399 --> 00:12:46.299 Bible is the source of truth that allows for 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:48.820 us to fully understand our identity, our purpose, 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:52.740 and our significance. Thus, the importance of 00:12:52.740 --> 00:12:58.000 reading it every single day. That is our first 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:01.960 step in abiding in Jesus, which leads us to our 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:04.419 next thought, which is also a very important 00:13:04.419 --> 00:13:07.799 truth. And as I wrote this down this week, I 00:13:07.799 --> 00:13:11.379 felt like God wanted to highlight this. Particular 00:13:11.379 --> 00:13:13.840 truth to many of you because I believe it's going 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:16.460 to be transformational for your relationship 00:13:16.460 --> 00:13:20.860 with God today. And it is this. God abides in 00:13:20.860 --> 00:13:25.340 every follower of Jesus. Notice what Jesus says 00:13:25.340 --> 00:13:30.980 to us in John 15, 4. Abide in me and I in you. 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:34.019 So if you are in a relationship with Jesus, God 00:13:34.019 --> 00:13:37.740 lives inside of you. When we gather to worship 00:13:37.740 --> 00:13:41.100 during Sundays, when we gather for growth groups, 00:13:41.299 --> 00:13:43.879 we're not worshiping some distant, disconnected 00:13:43.879 --> 00:13:47.860 God that's up there somewhere in heaven. No, 00:13:48.100 --> 00:13:53.000 God is literally inside of us. God is literally 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:57.909 here with us right now. And that truth can change 00:13:57.909 --> 00:14:01.210 who we are both individually and as a community 00:14:01.210 --> 00:14:03.730 of faith. And you say, well, Chris, I need support 00:14:03.730 --> 00:14:06.850 to believe that. John 14, 23, the chapter just 00:14:06.850 --> 00:14:09.730 before John 15, Jesus answered him. If anyone 00:14:09.730 --> 00:14:12.309 loves me, he will keep my word and my father 00:14:12.309 --> 00:14:16.269 will love him. And we, everyone say we, will 00:14:16.269 --> 00:14:22.120 come to him and make our home with him. So God 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:25.220 the Father and God the Son literally make their 00:14:25.220 --> 00:14:29.440 home, their residence inside of the Jesus follower. 00:14:29.720 --> 00:14:31.980 Still don't believe me? Let's go to John 17. 00:14:32.539 --> 00:14:36.080 I in them and you in me, that they may become 00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:39.559 perfectly one, so that the world may know that 00:14:39.559 --> 00:14:42.460 you sent me and love them even as you loved me. 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:47.370 What is Jesus saying to us? I live in you. you. 00:14:47.590 --> 00:14:50.429 Paul wrote in Romans 8 10, and Christ lives within 00:14:50.429 --> 00:14:52.490 you. So even though your body will die because 00:14:52.490 --> 00:14:55.269 of the sin, the Spirit gives you life because 00:14:55.269 --> 00:14:58.600 you have been made right with God. Paul again 00:14:58.600 --> 00:15:01.440 writes in 1 Corinthians 6 .19, don't you realize 00:15:01.440 --> 00:15:04.919 your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who 00:15:04.919 --> 00:15:08.000 lives in you and was given to you by God. You 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:10.539 do not belong to yourself. And it's interesting, 00:15:10.700 --> 00:15:13.840 the word used for temple here is the Greek word 00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:17.659 neos, and this is the same exact word used in 00:15:17.659 --> 00:15:20.700 the Old Testament when the description of the 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:24.700 holy of holies is established in the old temple 00:15:24.700 --> 00:15:28.200 system. Meaning, Those in a relationship with 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:32.360 Jesus are the naos or the place where God's presence 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:35.399 and power now reside. Because when you think 00:15:35.399 --> 00:15:38.200 about the holy of holies in the temple, right, 00:15:38.299 --> 00:15:41.000 there was only one person that could enter it 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:44.519 one time a year. And even if that priest entered 00:15:44.519 --> 00:15:46.759 it and his heart wasn't right, what happened 00:15:46.759 --> 00:15:51.169 to the priest? He died because God is holy. And 00:15:51.169 --> 00:15:53.529 God is separate from his people because of Jesus' 00:15:53.730 --> 00:15:56.450 actions on the cross. God's holiness now resides 00:15:56.450 --> 00:16:00.169 where? It doesn't sound like you believe that. 00:16:02.190 --> 00:16:05.129 And some of you are saying in us and some of 00:16:05.129 --> 00:16:07.389 you aren't saying anything because you believe 00:16:07.389 --> 00:16:11.370 your guilt and your sin and your choices from 00:16:11.370 --> 00:16:15.649 this past week relegate you to non -active duty 00:16:15.649 --> 00:16:19.570 and that's a lie from the enemy. He's still living 00:16:19.570 --> 00:16:22.929 in sin. side of you. This is why Paul writes 00:16:22.929 --> 00:16:25.870 in Galatians 2 .20, my old self has been crucified 00:16:25.870 --> 00:16:28.590 with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ 00:16:28.590 --> 00:16:31.669 who lives in me. So I live in this earthly body 00:16:31.669 --> 00:16:33.529 by trusting in the Son of God who loved me and 00:16:33.529 --> 00:16:36.350 gave himself for me. And Paul is challenging 00:16:36.350 --> 00:16:40.309 us to realize this body, right, this flesh, it's 00:16:40.309 --> 00:16:43.269 just an external shell. Yes, we need to take 00:16:43.269 --> 00:16:47.659 care of it, church. I believe in it. Why? So 00:16:47.659 --> 00:16:49.940 that we can live long, healthy, productive lives. 00:16:50.059 --> 00:16:52.779 But in order to be productive, we need to realize 00:16:52.779 --> 00:16:56.299 it's Jesus in us. 1 John 4, 12, no one has ever 00:16:56.299 --> 00:16:59.899 seen God, but if we love each other, God lives 00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:02.779 in us and his love is brought to the full expressions 00:17:02.779 --> 00:17:05.319 in us. And if you were here this morning and 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:07.720 you're in a relationship with Jesus, God abides 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:12.519 in you. You are the very home of God. And the 00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:14.720 Bible is telling us that this truth is vital 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:17.200 to our understanding of what it means to be a 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:19.039 follower of Jesus. And that's why Paul says, 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:23.299 consider yourselves dead. Why? Because we need 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:25.539 reminded that we don't just believe in someone. 00:17:26.319 --> 00:17:28.740 The God of the universe comes to live within 00:17:28.740 --> 00:17:31.720 us. It's not about believing in somebody. It's 00:17:31.720 --> 00:17:35.279 about receiving the gift. And to abide means 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:38.299 to live in reliance, to live in deep dependence 00:17:38.299 --> 00:17:41.680 on God. And that is God's best for you, for me, 00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:44.480 and for the entire world. And that's why we're 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:46.940 called to go and tell them, which leads us to 00:17:46.940 --> 00:17:49.059 answer the question, well, how do we abide in 00:17:49.059 --> 00:17:51.640 Jesus then? This is obviously an important truth, 00:17:51.720 --> 00:17:54.380 but let me first say, you don't have to be creative. 00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:57.779 Okay, truth is, we live in a world that loves 00:17:57.779 --> 00:18:00.619 novelty. New movies are released every single 00:18:00.619 --> 00:18:03.880 week. New fashions are released quarterly for 00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:06.680 the different seasons. New iPhones are released 00:18:06.680 --> 00:18:09.279 every single year. Why? So we can have more stuff 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:13.539 to keep us busy. The answer to the question, 00:18:13.640 --> 00:18:16.420 how do we abide, has actually been the same for 00:18:16.420 --> 00:18:20.180 over 2 ,000 years. And I get it, the truths in 00:18:20.180 --> 00:18:22.039 books and the Bible, sometimes they're difficult 00:18:22.039 --> 00:18:26.400 to understand. However, There are also many truths 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:29.119 in the Bible that are so simple that we just 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:31.440 don't do them. And we don't do them because we're 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:33.099 not reading the Bible and applying it to our 00:18:33.099 --> 00:18:35.759 lives. Therefore, we need to invite God's Spirit 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:39.779 to reveal these truths to us so that we can truly 00:18:39.779 --> 00:18:45.220 abide in Him. Amen? So Holy Spirit, come. Open 00:18:45.220 --> 00:18:48.240 our ears, our minds. our hearts, more importantly, 00:18:48.319 --> 00:18:50.859 to receive these truths, that as we walk them 00:18:50.859 --> 00:18:54.119 out this week, we will learn to abide in you, 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:56.799 which leads us to our first one. We need to internalize 00:18:56.799 --> 00:19:00.960 the words of Jesus. Now notice John 15, 7. As 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:05.759 you abide in me, and my words abide in you. We 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:09.039 have to abide in the words of Jesus. What does 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:11.740 that mean? Well, it just means we need to read 00:19:11.740 --> 00:19:14.880 the Bible. It means we need to open the book 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:18.269 and get into it. We can't overcomplicate this 00:19:18.269 --> 00:19:21.130 truth. Charles Spurgeon, the theologian, wrote, 00:19:21.349 --> 00:19:24.670 we cannot separate Jesus from the word. For in 00:19:24.670 --> 00:19:27.269 the first place, he is the word. And in the next 00:19:27.269 --> 00:19:30.289 place, how dare we call him master and Lord and 00:19:30.289 --> 00:19:33.109 do not do the things which he says and reject 00:19:33.109 --> 00:19:36.890 the truth that he teaches. To abide in my words 00:19:36.890 --> 00:19:40.089 means we live by the sayings and teachings of 00:19:40.089 --> 00:19:43.349 Jesus. We pattern our life after it. It's more 00:19:43.349 --> 00:19:46.000 than listening. It's more than hearing. It's 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:49.200 more than reading. It's internalizing his truths. 00:19:49.460 --> 00:19:54.519 It's making them ours. See, our lives are often 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:57.579 so busy that it makes us difficult for us to 00:19:57.579 --> 00:20:01.059 ponder, think, meditate, and reflect deeply on 00:20:01.059 --> 00:20:04.000 God. For many of us, if we're really honest, 00:20:04.440 --> 00:20:09.039 Bible reading is like ordering fast food. Right? 00:20:09.099 --> 00:20:11.220 We drive up to the restaurant. We're starving. 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:14.509 We're on our lunch break. We order. through a 00:20:14.509 --> 00:20:18.309 telecom machine. We drive around to the window, 00:20:18.369 --> 00:20:20.690 we pick it up, and we eat it while we drive back 00:20:20.690 --> 00:20:23.930 to work or to our next destination. Not necessarily 00:20:23.930 --> 00:20:25.710 a bad thing when it comes to reading the Bible. 00:20:25.750 --> 00:20:27.309 At least you're opening it and reading it something. 00:20:27.710 --> 00:20:30.789 But it's not God's best. See, we have to desire 00:20:30.789 --> 00:20:33.210 to know God and to understand his teachings. 00:20:33.869 --> 00:20:38.609 His life for us, that takes time. Okay, it's 00:20:38.609 --> 00:20:40.670 not fast food. It's actually a gourmet meal. 00:20:41.180 --> 00:20:44.079 You know a meal that you prep, you prepare, you 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:47.180 cook, and then you sit down and you eat together. 00:20:47.700 --> 00:20:52.559 To abide means to feast there, to dwell there. 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:56.279 And God is challenging us. He's raising the bar 00:20:56.279 --> 00:20:59.480 for the church saying, are you abiding in Jesus? 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:03.119 Are you actually reading the words and internalizing 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:05.299 them? The psalmist wrote it this way in Psalm 00:21:05.299 --> 00:21:09.299 1. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating 00:21:09.299 --> 00:21:11.059 on it day and night. And some of you are thinking, 00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:12.380 what's that mean, law of the Lord? It means you're 00:21:12.380 --> 00:21:15.420 reading the Bible. That's what it means, day 00:21:15.420 --> 00:21:17.920 and night. And notice what happens when they're 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:19.619 reading it day and night. They are like trees 00:21:19.619 --> 00:21:23.000 planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:26.680 season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper 00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:29.900 in all they do. And notice, this is not some 00:21:29.900 --> 00:21:32.740 dry obligation. This isn't religious practices. 00:21:33.079 --> 00:21:36.819 This is life. This literally is life to us. And 00:21:36.819 --> 00:21:38.900 we have to realize there are a lot of things 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:42.220 vying for our attention that become priorities 00:21:42.220 --> 00:21:44.859 in our life rather than just a hobby, right? 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:48.480 It's very easy to allow a good thing to become 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:50.900 an ultimate thing that then becomes an idol in 00:21:50.900 --> 00:21:54.660 our life. Not necessarily bad, but not God's 00:21:54.660 --> 00:21:57.799 best. And I'm not meaning to offend anyone by 00:21:57.799 --> 00:21:59.579 this statement, but that's why I never really 00:21:59.579 --> 00:22:02.849 understood golf, right? For those of you who 00:22:02.849 --> 00:22:04.730 play golf, God bless you. I'm sure it's just 00:22:04.730 --> 00:22:07.390 a hobby. For me, I can't quite understand it 00:22:07.390 --> 00:22:10.490 because it takes over four hours to play golf. 00:22:11.240 --> 00:22:13.799 And in my mind, I begin to think, I don't have 00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:16.140 four hours. I don't know if I have four hours 00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:18.099 in my day. I don't have four hours in my schedule. 00:22:18.220 --> 00:22:21.059 How do people do this? And then to take it a 00:22:21.059 --> 00:22:22.779 step further, as you're playing the game, which 00:22:22.779 --> 00:22:25.440 I've played it before, you slice it to the right. 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:27.839 You curve it to the left. You're throwing clubs. 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:31.099 You're swearing up and down the course. As you're 00:22:31.099 --> 00:22:34.339 in God's beautiful creation, this game causes 00:22:34.339 --> 00:22:40.750 you to sin. So in my mind, I'm thinking, what's 00:22:40.750 --> 00:22:44.910 the point? What is the point? I'm chasing a little 00:22:44.910 --> 00:22:46.990 white ball that I'm never going to master anyway. 00:22:50.269 --> 00:22:56.069 So we have to understand. Abiding is not for 00:22:56.069 --> 00:22:58.529 the religious elite or the super saints. It's 00:22:58.529 --> 00:23:01.109 just not. It's not for pastors or leaders that 00:23:01.109 --> 00:23:03.349 are pastoring churches. It's for the everyday 00:23:03.349 --> 00:23:06.410 child of God who wants and needs to live in reliance 00:23:06.410 --> 00:23:09.440 upon God. which is all of us, in my opinion. 00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:13.920 John 6 .63, the spirit alone gives eternal life. 00:23:14.339 --> 00:23:20.440 Human effort accomplishes nothing. Wow, allow 00:23:20.440 --> 00:23:23.240 that to speak to you a minute. And the very words 00:23:23.240 --> 00:23:26.240 I've spoken to you are spirit and life. Therefore, 00:23:26.339 --> 00:23:28.880 the words written in the Bible are life -giving. 00:23:29.180 --> 00:23:32.420 And unfortunately, we often miss out on their 00:23:32.420 --> 00:23:35.640 blessing because we're busy focusing on what's 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:40.640 not. always important in life. So reflect this 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:42.619 morning, where are you? Which leads us to our 00:23:42.619 --> 00:23:46.559 next step. We experience the love of Jesus. Continuing 00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:49.519 in John 15, as the Father has loved me, so I 00:23:49.519 --> 00:23:53.259 have loved you. Abide in my love. See, there's 00:23:53.259 --> 00:23:55.460 this idea out there that if Jesus' followers 00:23:55.460 --> 00:23:58.930 dwell on the love of God too much, They are missing 00:23:58.930 --> 00:24:02.289 out on all the other attributes of God. They 00:24:02.289 --> 00:24:05.170 are dumbing down the gospel, which I have often 00:24:05.170 --> 00:24:07.630 been accused of doing. But many of you know it's 00:24:07.630 --> 00:24:11.769 absolute hogwash, okay? Jesus is telling us in 00:24:11.769 --> 00:24:14.650 his own words that we need to fall in love with 00:24:14.650 --> 00:24:17.390 him. That's what he's telling us. We need to 00:24:17.390 --> 00:24:20.049 be loved and accepted by Jesus in order for us 00:24:20.049 --> 00:24:23.049 to remain connected to him. And how much does 00:24:23.049 --> 00:24:26.029 God the Father love God the Son? Well, the Bible 00:24:26.029 --> 00:24:29.490 tells us that God is love. and that he loved 00:24:29.490 --> 00:24:33.190 before there was anything or anyone else to love. 00:24:33.670 --> 00:24:35.849 So therefore, how much does the Father love the 00:24:35.849 --> 00:24:39.490 Son? It's infinite. It's an infinite love that 00:24:39.490 --> 00:24:42.009 our minds can't even wrap our heads around. Therefore, 00:24:42.210 --> 00:24:44.769 if we're in a relationship with Jesus, this isn't 00:24:44.769 --> 00:24:47.490 even going to blow your mind, Father, God loves 00:24:47.490 --> 00:24:51.630 you just the same way. God loves you as much 00:24:51.630 --> 00:24:55.220 as he loves his own Son. And why is it so hard 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:57.920 for us to understand and receive this simple 00:24:57.920 --> 00:25:00.880 truth about God's love? Well, I believe it's 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:03.240 because we actually receive and understand his 00:25:03.240 --> 00:25:06.839 love for us, and that leads to lifestyle changes. 00:25:07.140 --> 00:25:10.740 See, when we fall in love with Jesus, right, 00:25:10.880 --> 00:25:15.579 we suddenly realize how broken we are. how mistake 00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:18.420 -filled we are. And then as we fall more in love 00:25:18.420 --> 00:25:20.900 with Jesus, he desires that we change, and we 00:25:20.900 --> 00:25:24.000 know how much humanity doesn't like to change. 00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:28.059 Doesn't like to change. Yet we read in Romans 00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:31.240 2, 4, or do you show contempt for the riches 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:34.220 of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not 00:25:34.220 --> 00:25:37.279 realizing that God's kindness is intended to 00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:40.140 lead you to repentance? In other words, this 00:25:40.140 --> 00:25:42.680 is saying we want to obey and follow God because 00:25:42.680 --> 00:25:46.759 we love him. And as we love him and fall in love 00:25:46.759 --> 00:25:50.220 with Jesus, he reveals areas of our life that 00:25:50.220 --> 00:25:53.039 are broken, and he invites us to repent. And 00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:55.299 remember, repent's not a bad word. What does 00:25:55.299 --> 00:25:58.500 repent mean, church? It just means turn around. 00:25:58.740 --> 00:26:01.700 It just means fix it. It means make it right. 00:26:02.359 --> 00:26:04.960 Right? If you were to go to a doctor and they 00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:06.960 diagnosed you with cancer and they were to say 00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:09.180 to you, if you do this, we'll be able to heal 00:26:09.180 --> 00:26:11.319 you of your cancer, you're going to do it. True 00:26:11.319 --> 00:26:15.400 or false? Wow. Some of you don't have faith in 00:26:15.400 --> 00:26:19.099 doctors. Darn right you're going to do it. You're 00:26:19.099 --> 00:26:22.160 going to do everything you can to survive. Well, 00:26:22.220 --> 00:26:24.680 for the Jesus followers, for us to survive, that 00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:27.960 means we need to abide. We need to fall in love 00:26:27.960 --> 00:26:30.920 with Jesus, 1 John 4, 19. We love each other 00:26:30.920 --> 00:26:33.299 because he loved us first. We have the ability 00:26:33.299 --> 00:26:36.920 to love others once we are loved by God, notice, 00:26:37.099 --> 00:26:41.859 and we love him back. See, our obedience to God 00:26:41.859 --> 00:26:44.859 cannot become some religious obligation because 00:26:44.859 --> 00:26:48.759 religion kills. It has to be love -fueled and 00:26:48.759 --> 00:26:52.059 love -empowered, 2 Corinthians 5, 14. Either 00:26:52.059 --> 00:26:56.069 way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe 00:26:56.069 --> 00:26:58.650 that Christ died for all, we also believe that 00:26:58.650 --> 00:27:01.710 we have all died to our old life. See, to abide 00:27:01.710 --> 00:27:04.250 in the love of God simply means that we have 00:27:04.250 --> 00:27:06.490 to abide in the words of God. We have to read 00:27:06.490 --> 00:27:08.410 the Bible. We have to apply them to our lives. 00:27:08.529 --> 00:27:11.089 We have to be connected to the Bible. And this 00:27:11.089 --> 00:27:14.450 is why Jesus tells us to abide in his word. See, 00:27:14.490 --> 00:27:17.269 the Bible is not superficial truths explaining 00:27:17.269 --> 00:27:19.910 to us the meaning of life and how we should live. 00:27:20.210 --> 00:27:23.650 It's literally God's love letter to you and to 00:27:23.650 --> 00:27:26.819 me. And we have to realize we cannot experience 00:27:26.819 --> 00:27:30.319 a deep love of God with a shallow understanding 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:33.720 of the Bible. There has to be a desire for understanding 00:27:33.720 --> 00:27:37.240 and truth. Psalm 63, again, the psalmist writes, 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:40.680 your unfailing love is better than life itself. 00:27:40.819 --> 00:27:44.940 How I praise you. I will praise you as long as 00:27:44.940 --> 00:27:47.299 I live, lifting my hands to you in prayer. You 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:49.619 satisfy me more than a richest feast. I will 00:27:49.619 --> 00:27:52.960 praise you with songs of joy. See, there are 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:56.960 a lot of things that I say on Sunday mornings 00:27:56.960 --> 00:27:59.359 during our gatherings. And see, you hear them, 00:27:59.539 --> 00:28:02.539 but then what I've often found is people then 00:28:02.539 --> 00:28:04.819 say to themselves, well, that sounds right, that 00:28:04.819 --> 00:28:07.319 sounds like truth, but why is it not real for 00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:11.720 me? Why is it not real for me, Chris? Well, when 00:28:11.720 --> 00:28:15.059 I say this, God's love is better than life, it's 00:28:15.059 --> 00:28:18.279 one thing to say it, but another thing to experience 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:20.829 it. And see, that's why I'm challenging you to 00:28:20.829 --> 00:28:23.349 constantly be connecting to and experiencing 00:28:23.349 --> 00:28:26.369 God's love. And for those of you that are struggling 00:28:26.369 --> 00:28:29.589 with an old habit pattern or a sin or an addiction 00:28:29.589 --> 00:28:32.329 that you have, John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard 00:28:32.329 --> 00:28:35.190 Movement, was quoted as saying, It seems the 00:28:35.190 --> 00:28:38.769 more I think about not sinning, the more I sin. 00:28:39.690 --> 00:28:42.730 But the more I think about just loving Jesus, 00:28:42.950 --> 00:28:46.990 the less I seem to sin. Falling in love seems 00:28:46.990 --> 00:28:51.170 to be the key. And the things that make you go, 00:28:51.250 --> 00:28:55.829 hmm. See, as people, we want to do all these 00:28:55.829 --> 00:28:57.930 works and these obligations when in reality, 00:28:57.950 --> 00:29:01.730 Jesus is saying, fall in love with me. Just fall 00:29:01.730 --> 00:29:04.869 in love with me. Fall in love with my word. Fall 00:29:04.869 --> 00:29:07.309 in love with my presence. Fall in love with my 00:29:07.309 --> 00:29:10.650 Father. Be empowered by the Holy Spirit. And 00:29:10.650 --> 00:29:12.869 then go and make a difference, which leads us 00:29:12.869 --> 00:29:16.569 to our third step in abiding. We need to connect 00:29:16.569 --> 00:29:19.240 to God in prayer. So we internalize the scriptures. 00:29:21.400 --> 00:29:24.799 We connect with God's love. We connect to God 00:29:24.799 --> 00:29:26.920 in prayer. If you abide in me and my words abide 00:29:26.920 --> 00:29:29.319 in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be 00:29:29.319 --> 00:29:33.599 done for you. Oh my goodness. I mean, when I 00:29:33.599 --> 00:29:35.220 read those words, let me read them to you again. 00:29:35.319 --> 00:29:37.440 If you abide in me and my words abide in you, 00:29:37.559 --> 00:29:43.119 ask, everyone say ask, whatever you wish and 00:29:43.119 --> 00:29:46.640 it will be done for you. I mean, think about 00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:48.980 this. For those of you that like to invest and 00:29:48.980 --> 00:29:51.940 plan for your future retirement, if I was to 00:29:51.940 --> 00:29:54.319 look at you and say, if you make this one investment, 00:29:54.660 --> 00:29:57.539 the returns will make you millions. For those 00:29:57.539 --> 00:29:59.380 of you that are health conscious, that love to 00:29:59.380 --> 00:30:01.500 take care of yourselves and be healthy, if I 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:04.400 was to look at you and say, hey, if you take 00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:08.440 this one pill, it will transform how you exercise, 00:30:08.579 --> 00:30:10.380 how you look, and how you feel about yourself. 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:12.539 And for those of you that are moms and dads, 00:30:12.740 --> 00:30:15.769 and you love your kids, If I was to say to you, 00:30:15.789 --> 00:30:18.170 if you read this one book, it will transform 00:30:18.170 --> 00:30:20.549 how you parent your children and your children 00:30:20.549 --> 00:30:23.210 will be difference makers. See, if I was to say 00:30:23.210 --> 00:30:25.289 that to any one of those three groups of people, 00:30:25.410 --> 00:30:27.130 I guarantee you, you would look back at me and 00:30:27.130 --> 00:30:30.009 say, I want that. True or false? You want it. 00:30:30.029 --> 00:30:32.250 You want that. Notice what Jesus just said to 00:30:32.250 --> 00:30:36.329 you. If you're in a relationship with him, ask 00:30:36.329 --> 00:30:38.769 whatever you wish and it'll be done for you. 00:30:40.309 --> 00:30:42.869 Ask whatever you wish and it'll be done for you. 00:30:43.400 --> 00:30:45.480 See, we have a privilege that is given to us 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:48.720 every day, and it's called prayer. It's called 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:51.240 prayer. It's called connection. See, our relationship 00:30:51.240 --> 00:30:53.859 with Jesus, it's not just transactional, meaning 00:30:53.859 --> 00:30:56.660 it's not just about what he did for us on the 00:30:56.660 --> 00:30:59.519 cross. See, our relationship with Jesus should 00:30:59.519 --> 00:31:03.859 first be personal, meaning we need to talk to 00:31:03.859 --> 00:31:08.299 Jesus every day. It's impossible to be in a relationship 00:31:08.299 --> 00:31:12.500 with anyone unless we talk to them every single 00:31:12.500 --> 00:31:15.259 day. We need to communicate with them. How do 00:31:15.259 --> 00:31:18.420 I know this? If you're married, go ahead and 00:31:18.420 --> 00:31:20.740 don't talk to your spouse from Monday to Saturday. 00:31:21.440 --> 00:31:23.819 Go ahead. I'll give you permission. Go ahead. 00:31:23.900 --> 00:31:25.440 I'll give you permission. Some of you are like, 00:31:25.539 --> 00:31:31.559 yes. To you, I say, I'm praying for you. The 00:31:31.559 --> 00:31:35.309 rest. You know in your mind, if you don't talk 00:31:35.309 --> 00:31:37.849 to your spouse for six days, what's going to 00:31:37.849 --> 00:31:40.849 happen? Your relationship's going to quickly 00:31:40.849 --> 00:31:44.329 spin out of control. So if we know that's true 00:31:44.329 --> 00:31:48.450 for our humanity relationships, why would it 00:31:48.450 --> 00:31:51.430 be any different in our relationship with Jesus? 00:31:51.950 --> 00:31:54.789 See, there's more to just them believing in him. 00:31:54.869 --> 00:31:57.130 We got to connect with him. And one of the biggest 00:31:57.130 --> 00:32:00.849 reasons people are not passionate about God is 00:32:00.849 --> 00:32:03.940 because it becomes a thing to us. He becomes 00:32:03.940 --> 00:32:07.579 a thing to us rather than a personal being that 00:32:07.579 --> 00:32:10.140 we have fellowship with. And to live in prayer 00:32:10.140 --> 00:32:12.220 is to understand what it means to experience 00:32:12.220 --> 00:32:14.859 the fullness of God. If you want to know what 00:32:14.859 --> 00:32:17.180 the fullness of God is in your life, begin to 00:32:17.180 --> 00:32:20.470 prioritize prayer. I mean, think about it. Summer's 00:32:20.470 --> 00:32:22.289 coming. We're excited about the warm weather. 00:32:22.430 --> 00:32:24.730 Some of you already have made plans for your 00:32:24.730 --> 00:32:27.009 vacations. You've already booked them. Others 00:32:27.009 --> 00:32:29.630 of you, you're already budgeting for concerts, 00:32:29.690 --> 00:32:32.589 for sporting events, right? And there's so many 00:32:32.589 --> 00:32:35.809 of us. We budget all this money so that we can 00:32:35.809 --> 00:32:38.369 purchase front row seats to our favorite artist 00:32:38.369 --> 00:32:41.109 or our favorite athlete or our favorite location 00:32:41.109 --> 00:32:44.309 that we can stare at for seven days, right? We 00:32:44.309 --> 00:32:48.130 do all that. While in the meantime, if you're 00:32:48.130 --> 00:32:50.250 in a relationship with God, we have direct access 00:32:50.250 --> 00:32:53.069 to the king and creator of the universe every 00:32:53.069 --> 00:32:55.230 single day, and we don't take advantage of it. 00:32:57.809 --> 00:33:04.089 We're nuts. We're crazy. We're distracted. We're 00:33:04.089 --> 00:33:08.150 mental. And I am too. What does it mean to abide? 00:33:08.869 --> 00:33:12.650 It's communion with God. It's experiencing his 00:33:12.650 --> 00:33:15.450 goodness and connection. And then we desire more. 00:33:16.119 --> 00:33:18.859 Right? Paul wanted to know him more. Philippians 00:33:18.859 --> 00:33:21.279 3 .12. I don't mean to say that I've already 00:33:21.279 --> 00:33:23.519 achieved these things or that I've already reached 00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:28.220 perfection, but I press on to possess that perfection 00:33:28.220 --> 00:33:31.519 with Christ Jesus first possessed me. Here you 00:33:31.519 --> 00:33:34.160 got this guy. Wrote more than half the New Testament. 00:33:34.680 --> 00:33:37.700 Right? Was shipwrecked, beaten, whipped, bruised, 00:33:37.779 --> 00:33:41.480 forgotten, falsely accused, and imprisoned. And 00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:45.950 then he says to us. We need to be connected to 00:33:45.950 --> 00:33:48.869 God in prayer. I press on to connect to the living 00:33:48.869 --> 00:33:52.549 God. Is it really that important? Read Paul's 00:33:52.549 --> 00:33:54.970 letters. They begin with prayer. They end with 00:33:54.970 --> 00:33:56.490 prayer. And in the middle somewhere, they're 00:33:56.490 --> 00:33:59.509 praying for you. I mean, it's just constant prayer. 00:33:59.849 --> 00:34:02.829 The psalmist wrote in Psalm 42, as the deer longs 00:34:02.829 --> 00:34:05.349 for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. 00:34:05.430 --> 00:34:08.130 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I 00:34:08.130 --> 00:34:11.889 go and stand before him? Hear that desire? There's 00:34:11.889 --> 00:34:15.260 a desire for the connection. There's this desire 00:34:15.260 --> 00:34:19.199 for the experience. Do you do the same? Do you 00:34:19.199 --> 00:34:23.780 do the same? After all, the average person in 00:34:23.780 --> 00:34:28.019 America checks their phone 186 times a day. The 00:34:28.019 --> 00:34:30.239 average person in America spends more than seven 00:34:30.239 --> 00:34:32.679 hours a day staring at a screen telling us what 00:34:32.679 --> 00:34:35.760 to do. We are constantly distracted and entertained 00:34:35.760 --> 00:34:39.519 with Netflix and social media. And I want to 00:34:39.519 --> 00:34:42.719 challenge you, take some inventory. How do you 00:34:42.719 --> 00:34:45.599 spend your time? How do you spend your time? 00:34:45.960 --> 00:34:47.960 Because some of you aren't walking in the fullness 00:34:47.960 --> 00:34:50.719 of God because you're not prioritizing the relationship. 00:34:51.679 --> 00:34:54.239 And that should be our number one priority. C 00:34:54.239 --> 00:34:57.179 .S. Lewis wrote this, we are like ignorant child 00:34:57.179 --> 00:34:59.699 who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum 00:34:59.699 --> 00:35:02.059 because he cannot imagine what is meant by the 00:35:02.059 --> 00:35:04.579 offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too 00:35:04.579 --> 00:35:09.460 easily pleased. Why do we do this? Why do we 00:35:09.460 --> 00:35:12.469 live in the miserable middle? And some of you 00:35:12.469 --> 00:35:13.989 are thinking, Chris, what's the miserable middle? 00:35:14.130 --> 00:35:16.750 Well, the miserable middle is these two groups 00:35:16.750 --> 00:35:20.610 of people. All right, on my left hand, you have 00:35:20.610 --> 00:35:22.969 those people that don't partake in the sin of 00:35:22.969 --> 00:35:25.570 the world. They know that that sin is bad. It's 00:35:25.570 --> 00:35:27.909 not good for them. So they avoid those things. 00:35:28.010 --> 00:35:29.389 They make it a religious point. I'm going to 00:35:29.389 --> 00:35:32.309 avoid those things. I won't go there. But then 00:35:32.309 --> 00:35:34.690 on my right hand, there's the thrill of living 00:35:34.690 --> 00:35:38.429 passionately for Jesus. The God is my friend 00:35:38.429 --> 00:35:40.849 type of life. You know that you're a religious 00:35:40.849 --> 00:35:44.289 lunatic. You're a nut job, man. You're a fool 00:35:44.289 --> 00:35:48.210 for Christ. You know I am. Right? So that's the 00:35:48.210 --> 00:35:52.030 difference. Unfortunately, a lot of people in 00:35:52.030 --> 00:35:55.309 the church, they live here in the middle. They 00:35:55.309 --> 00:35:57.550 don't participate in worldly sin, but they don't 00:35:57.550 --> 00:35:59.849 participate in the thrill and the real experience 00:35:59.849 --> 00:36:05.190 and the pleasure of knowing a living God. Dare 00:36:05.190 --> 00:36:08.130 I say that's a boring way to live. That's a boring 00:36:08.130 --> 00:36:12.389 way to live. Don't live in the middle. It's not 00:36:12.389 --> 00:36:16.250 God's best. Our hearts, our hearts were created 00:36:16.250 --> 00:36:19.630 to be loved and ravished on by God. Our hearts 00:36:19.630 --> 00:36:21.989 were created to be conduits of his presence in 00:36:21.989 --> 00:36:25.150 his kingdom. And hear me out. This isn't a let 00:36:25.150 --> 00:36:28.000 go and let God kind of love. No, it takes effort. 00:36:28.079 --> 00:36:30.460 You've got to pursue him. Paul says in Colossians 00:36:30.460 --> 00:36:33.500 129, that's why I work and struggle so hard. 00:36:33.599 --> 00:36:36.880 Look, I work, I struggle so hard depending on 00:36:36.880 --> 00:36:39.940 Christ's mighty power that works within me. And 00:36:39.940 --> 00:36:44.219 what is he saying? I labor, I strive, but it's 00:36:44.219 --> 00:36:47.199 his power. It almost sounds contradictory. Like 00:36:47.199 --> 00:36:49.539 Paul is saying, wait a minute, you strive, you 00:36:49.539 --> 00:36:51.760 struggle, you press on, you beat your body, but 00:36:51.760 --> 00:36:54.690 it's his power. How does this work? How does 00:36:54.690 --> 00:36:57.429 it work? It simply means live out these points. 00:36:58.010 --> 00:37:01.269 Strive to abide. Because as we strive to abide, 00:37:01.389 --> 00:37:05.190 God can then work through us. We labor. We work 00:37:05.190 --> 00:37:08.369 in God's presence. Listen, your job that you 00:37:08.369 --> 00:37:10.690 hate and is miserable to you that you can't stand 00:37:10.690 --> 00:37:13.530 and you need a new job, it will change if you 00:37:13.530 --> 00:37:16.289 learn to abide in Jesus. Because your whole outlook 00:37:16.289 --> 00:37:18.070 on life, guess what's going to happen? It's going 00:37:18.070 --> 00:37:20.860 to change. You won't be miserable anymore. It 00:37:20.860 --> 00:37:23.039 will be looked on as an opportunity to further 00:37:23.039 --> 00:37:25.500 God's kingdom and that God can provide to meet 00:37:25.500 --> 00:37:28.059 your needs. Amen? It's all about the outlook. 00:37:28.420 --> 00:37:30.519 Leading us to discuss, we're almost done as we 00:37:30.519 --> 00:37:33.639 close it out. Why should we do this? Why abide? 00:37:34.079 --> 00:37:37.300 What does abiding produce? Well, first, fruit 00:37:37.300 --> 00:37:42.190 is produced. John 15, 8. This is my father. By 00:37:42.190 --> 00:37:44.949 this, my father is glorified that you bear much 00:37:44.949 --> 00:37:48.409 fruit so you prove to be my disciples. So as 00:37:48.409 --> 00:37:52.409 we plug in, as we connect with the living God, 00:37:52.489 --> 00:37:55.530 the source that is always on waiting for us to 00:37:55.530 --> 00:38:00.590 connect, we light and become fruit. That's our 00:38:00.590 --> 00:38:04.289 lives. We become a city on the hill. And you're 00:38:04.289 --> 00:38:08.889 like, really? Yeah. That you bear much fruit. 00:38:09.610 --> 00:38:12.730 And what is fruit? Ephesians 5 tells us, For 00:38:12.730 --> 00:38:15.750 once you were full of darkness, but now you have 00:38:15.750 --> 00:38:17.510 the light from the Lord, so live as people of 00:38:17.510 --> 00:38:20.010 the light. For this light within you produces 00:38:20.010 --> 00:38:23.849 only what is good and right and true. Fruit means 00:38:23.849 --> 00:38:26.230 you're living a righteous life. You want to be 00:38:26.230 --> 00:38:29.909 righteous? You want to live a holy life? Abide 00:38:29.909 --> 00:38:33.050 in Jesus. Live close to Jesus. Because Jesus 00:38:33.050 --> 00:38:35.230 produces the fruit in us. What is the fruit? 00:38:35.289 --> 00:38:39.389 Galatians 5. Love. Joy, peace, patience, goodness, 00:38:39.670 --> 00:38:41.949 kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self 00:38:41.949 --> 00:38:46.969 -control. See, as we abide in Jesus, we have 00:38:46.969 --> 00:38:49.989 his qualities. The very character of God comes 00:38:49.989 --> 00:38:53.250 out of us. And it's organic. It's not transactional. 00:38:53.269 --> 00:38:56.329 We literally become like Jesus, his personal 00:38:56.329 --> 00:38:58.889 transformation, be the light. Which leads to 00:38:58.889 --> 00:39:01.409 our second truth, joy is experience. How many 00:39:01.409 --> 00:39:02.869 of you would like a little more joy in your life? 00:39:03.070 --> 00:39:05.369 How many? Be honest. If you didn't put your hand 00:39:05.369 --> 00:39:08.139 up, you're lying. You know, I say that all the 00:39:08.139 --> 00:39:10.699 time because I believe it. We all want some more 00:39:10.699 --> 00:39:13.019 joy. John 15, 11, these things I've spoken to 00:39:13.019 --> 00:39:16.360 you, that my joy, notice, may be in you and that 00:39:16.360 --> 00:39:18.780 your joy may be full. Some of you are just miserable 00:39:18.780 --> 00:39:21.900 because you like to be miserable. Because you're 00:39:21.900 --> 00:39:24.380 looking for pity. You're looking for people to 00:39:24.380 --> 00:39:26.059 pray for you. You're looking for people to encourage 00:39:26.059 --> 00:39:29.960 you, which we all need. We all need it. But when 00:39:29.960 --> 00:39:32.320 it becomes a need that we just need, need, need, 00:39:32.559 --> 00:39:39.059 that means we're not getting it from God. We 00:39:39.059 --> 00:39:41.500 have to realize that as we mature in our relationship 00:39:41.500 --> 00:39:43.960 with Jesus, that means we experience more joy 00:39:43.960 --> 00:39:46.699 in this life. No matter the circumstances. Everyone 00:39:46.699 --> 00:39:49.579 say circumstances. See, too many of us allow 00:39:49.579 --> 00:39:51.860 our circumstances to dictate our attitude and 00:39:51.860 --> 00:39:54.420 our outlook on life. But notice what Paul wrote 00:39:54.420 --> 00:39:57.059 in 2 Corinthians 6. Our hearts ache, but we always 00:39:57.059 --> 00:40:00.000 have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual 00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:02.980 riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we 00:40:02.980 --> 00:40:07.000 have everything. It's incredible. Paul is writing 00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:08.900 these words from a jail cell. He'd been beaten, 00:40:08.980 --> 00:40:11.980 stoned, bruised. Why? Just for following Jesus. 00:40:12.119 --> 00:40:15.539 Yet he's full of what? Joy. Dear brothers and 00:40:15.539 --> 00:40:17.860 sisters, James tells us, when troubles of any 00:40:17.860 --> 00:40:20.019 kind come your way, consider an opportunity for 00:40:20.019 --> 00:40:25.000 great joy. Dare I say, the world does not know 00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:27.780 we are Jesus followers because we attend a 75 00:40:27.780 --> 00:40:31.079 -minute gathering on Sundays. Because we attend 00:40:31.079 --> 00:40:33.159 a 75 -minute gathering on Sundays, we get asked 00:40:33.159 --> 00:40:37.039 the question, are you religious? That's it. But 00:40:37.039 --> 00:40:39.559 the world will know us as light to the world 00:40:39.559 --> 00:40:43.079 when we abide in Jesus because we joyfully produce 00:40:43.079 --> 00:40:46.079 the fruits of the Spirit in our lives, in our 00:40:46.079 --> 00:40:49.480 words and in our actions. It's a dependence on 00:40:49.480 --> 00:40:52.440 God to live out a life of humility and service, 00:40:52.480 --> 00:40:55.420 which leads us to our final point. Lives are 00:40:55.420 --> 00:40:59.269 changed. If you abide in Jesus, John 15, 5, I 00:40:59.269 --> 00:41:01.449 am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides 00:41:01.449 --> 00:41:04.510 in me and I in him, he it is that bears much 00:41:04.510 --> 00:41:06.269 fruit for a part of me and you can do nothing. 00:41:06.730 --> 00:41:09.969 We can do nothing. Like we want to see and we 00:41:09.969 --> 00:41:12.489 pray for our children that have walked away from 00:41:12.489 --> 00:41:15.590 God to come home. Be the light. Are you praying 00:41:15.590 --> 00:41:17.920 for them? Are you interceding for them? Are you 00:41:17.920 --> 00:41:19.719 calling them home? Are you believing the Holy 00:41:19.719 --> 00:41:21.800 Spirit's going to change their lives? We want 00:41:21.800 --> 00:41:23.760 to go out. We want our communities to change. 00:41:23.880 --> 00:41:25.800 We want our schools to change. We want our workplaces 00:41:25.800 --> 00:41:28.320 to change. Are you being the light? Are you being 00:41:28.320 --> 00:41:34.760 a judgmental person that pushes people away from 00:41:34.760 --> 00:41:39.260 Jesus? We have to understand fruit is produced 00:41:39.260 --> 00:41:43.960 in us first that leads other people one. and 00:41:43.960 --> 00:41:47.639 desiring that same fruit. And it's our responsibility 00:41:47.639 --> 00:41:49.639 then to share the good news and point them to 00:41:49.639 --> 00:41:53.000 Jesus, Romans 1. So I am eager to come to you 00:41:53.000 --> 00:41:55.699 in Rome, too, to preach the good news. For I 00:41:55.699 --> 00:41:58.699 am not ashamed of this good news about Christ. 00:41:58.699 --> 00:42:00.619 It is the power of God at work, saving everyone 00:42:00.619 --> 00:42:03.460 who believes, to the Jew first and also the Gentile. 00:42:03.539 --> 00:42:07.460 And Jesus reminds us in John chapter 4, the harvest 00:42:07.460 --> 00:42:12.210 is plentiful, but the workers are few. The harvesters 00:42:12.210 --> 00:42:14.429 are paid good wages and the fruit they harvest 00:42:14.429 --> 00:42:17.210 is people through the eternal life. What joy, 00:42:17.369 --> 00:42:19.869 there it is again, awaits both the planter and 00:42:19.869 --> 00:42:23.090 the harvester. See, as we abide in Jesus, his 00:42:23.090 --> 00:42:27.070 love for us compels us to want to share it with 00:42:27.070 --> 00:42:31.050 others. Dare I say the greatest form of marketing 00:42:31.050 --> 00:42:33.929 in the history of the world is not social media, 00:42:34.110 --> 00:42:41.219 it's not billboards, it's word of mouth. If we 00:42:41.219 --> 00:42:43.920 like what we've tasted and seen, we'll tell someone 00:42:43.920 --> 00:42:47.460 about it. But if we're not falling in love with 00:42:47.460 --> 00:42:50.059 Jesus, we'll keep our mouths shut because of 00:42:50.059 --> 00:42:53.019 our insecurities, our doubts, and our frustrations. 00:42:53.619 --> 00:42:56.719 We have to be open to opening our mouths and 00:42:56.719 --> 00:42:58.699 allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through us. 00:42:59.079 --> 00:43:02.260 See, as we abide in Jesus, we also have the ability 00:43:02.260 --> 00:43:05.900 to walk in his power and his authority. The light 00:43:05.900 --> 00:43:10.929 bulb doesn't tell us it's on. It's just on and 00:43:10.929 --> 00:43:15.130 we see it. We are called to have our lights on 00:43:15.130 --> 00:43:17.590 in this dark world so that others will recognize 00:43:17.590 --> 00:43:20.389 it, be drawn to it, and then we can share that 00:43:20.389 --> 00:43:23.630 love with them. Amen? Will you stand with me? 00:43:31.849 --> 00:43:34.309 Listen, I got a really honest, brutal truth for 00:43:34.309 --> 00:43:36.530 you that I need to close with before I lead us 00:43:36.530 --> 00:43:39.679 all into our weekly prayer. So I want you all 00:43:39.679 --> 00:43:42.099 to be focused here and listen. As I was praying 00:43:42.099 --> 00:43:45.699 for all of you this week, I felt like God highlighted 00:43:45.699 --> 00:43:49.400 in my spirit that many of you don't abide in 00:43:49.400 --> 00:43:53.920 Jesus because you think God's mad at you. You 00:43:53.920 --> 00:43:57.300 think God's disappointed with you. Listen, I 00:43:57.300 --> 00:44:00.780 have six children, okay? I love every single 00:44:00.780 --> 00:44:03.420 one of them. Even the one that's the youngest 00:44:03.420 --> 00:44:05.599 that I use in my sermon examples every week. 00:44:08.079 --> 00:44:12.920 that you know drives me absolutely crazy. However, 00:44:13.099 --> 00:44:17.360 I love my children for who they are. They're 00:44:17.360 --> 00:44:20.900 a gift. They're God's blessing to my life. I 00:44:20.900 --> 00:44:22.619 love them more than life itself and would do 00:44:22.619 --> 00:44:25.960 anything for them so that they can go and change 00:44:25.960 --> 00:44:29.739 the world. And if a normal, everyday, average 00:44:29.739 --> 00:44:34.599 human man can love his children that way, how 00:44:34.599 --> 00:44:37.760 much more does our Father love us? Listen to 00:44:37.760 --> 00:44:41.480 me. God is not disappointed in you. God is not 00:44:41.480 --> 00:44:45.699 angry with you. God doesn't hate you. God loves 00:44:45.699 --> 00:44:49.480 you. And he's inviting us back into a passionate 00:44:49.480 --> 00:44:52.159 relationship with him. And listen, for some of 00:44:52.159 --> 00:44:56.719 us, it's simple as this. God, forgive me. I'm 00:44:56.719 --> 00:44:59.840 sorry. I repent and turn back to him. That's 00:44:59.840 --> 00:45:02.820 it. That's all you got to do. And then he'll 00:45:02.820 --> 00:45:05.869 receive you back in with his love. His grace 00:45:05.869 --> 00:45:08.389 and mercy will wash over you. And then you'll 00:45:08.389 --> 00:45:11.190 go on desiring to be in connection with him. 00:45:11.250 --> 00:45:13.750 But you've got to make that choice. Because if 00:45:13.750 --> 00:45:17.269 you don't, if you don't, you're going to constantly 00:45:17.269 --> 00:45:19.769 be walking around thinking, God, you're mad at 00:45:19.769 --> 00:45:22.449 me. You're upset with me. None of us are perfect. 00:45:22.550 --> 00:45:25.469 We all make mistakes. He's waiting for that forgiveness, 00:45:25.730 --> 00:45:28.389 that ask, that connection with him so he can 00:45:28.389 --> 00:45:30.949 return and fill us with his spirit. Amen? So 00:45:30.949 --> 00:45:35.159 turn back to him, church. He loves you. Now I'm 00:45:35.159 --> 00:45:36.760 going to pray a simple prayer because I believe 00:45:36.760 --> 00:45:39.260 as I was talking this week, many of you realize, 00:45:39.340 --> 00:45:41.059 shoot, I'm not even in a relationship with Jesus 00:45:41.059 --> 00:45:43.860 because there is no abiding here. And that's 00:45:43.860 --> 00:45:46.340 why we pray this prayer every single gathering. 00:45:46.800 --> 00:45:48.980 Because we believe that people are distant and 00:45:48.980 --> 00:45:51.000 far from God and they need to come home. Amen? 00:45:51.679 --> 00:45:56.059 Let's pray. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt, 00:45:56.219 --> 00:46:02.539 shame, regret, sin. Change me. Forgive me. I 00:46:02.539 --> 00:46:06.690 believe. You're God's son. I believe you died 00:46:06.690 --> 00:46:11.630 for me. I believe you're alive today. Make me 00:46:11.630 --> 00:46:16.650 new. Set me free. Fill me with your spirit. Help 00:46:16.650 --> 00:46:21.590 me, God, to serve others. In Jesus' name, amen. 00:46:22.110 --> 00:46:24.050 So if you prayed that prayer, listen, see me, 00:46:24.070 --> 00:46:26.530 hold on, we're not done. We're not done. I know 00:46:26.530 --> 00:46:28.989 some of you are anxious. Several words of knowledge 00:46:28.989 --> 00:46:30.809 I need to share with you. They're very specific. 00:46:32.139 --> 00:46:34.980 You have pain in your right hip. You have stomach 00:46:34.980 --> 00:46:38.900 issues in your lower abdomen that is causing 00:46:38.900 --> 00:46:44.019 you discomfort. You have joint pain in your left 00:46:44.019 --> 00:46:46.800 toe that's right beside your big toe in your 00:46:46.800 --> 00:46:49.639 left foot. I mean, that's specific, dude. You 00:46:49.639 --> 00:46:54.860 know that. You have left knee pain. Another specific 00:46:54.860 --> 00:46:59.019 one. You have a six to eight -year -old boy or 00:46:59.019 --> 00:47:02.980 son that's struggling with disabilities. If that's 00:47:02.980 --> 00:47:05.699 you, go get your child and bring them back here 00:47:05.699 --> 00:47:09.460 to get prayer. Has everyone got that? Okay. This 00:47:09.460 --> 00:47:11.820 has become a frequent one. You have pain in the 00:47:11.820 --> 00:47:16.480 neck, both literally and figuratively. So if 00:47:16.480 --> 00:47:19.420 you're a pain in your neck to your spouse, get 00:47:19.420 --> 00:47:23.559 up here and get prayer, okay? And you have pain 00:47:23.559 --> 00:47:25.820 in your left collarbone. So if any of those are 00:47:25.820 --> 00:47:27.440 you or you have any other requests, get up here 00:47:27.440 --> 00:47:30.460 and get some prayer. Left, right, prayer team. 00:47:30.539 --> 00:47:32.869 Amen? All right, it's going to be a great series. 00:47:33.010 --> 00:47:34.590 I'm going to challenge you guys to abide and 00:47:34.590 --> 00:47:37.130 read the Bible this month. Amen? All right, see 00:47:37.130 --> 00:47:37.489 you later.