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 --> 00:00:41.219 message. Welcome to Summer Jams 26. Please turn 00:00:41.219 --> 00:00:44.700 on your cell phone flashlights and help me welcome 00:00:44.700 --> 00:00:48.039 to the stage international performing artist 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:52.240 Nelly and the Tanzanian Twosome as they bring 00:00:52.240 --> 00:01:31.379 you Leon Bridges River. Mm. Traveling these wide 00:01:31.379 --> 00:01:38.420 roads for so long. My heart's been pulled from 00:01:38.420 --> 00:01:47.219 you. Ten thousand miles gone. Oh, I want to come 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:54.299 near and give every part of me. But there's blood 00:01:54.299 --> 00:02:02.060 on my head. And my lips are unclean. In the darkness 00:02:02.060 --> 00:02:09.659 I remember Mama's words reoccur to me Surrender 00:02:09.659 --> 00:02:14.300 to the good Lord And you'll wipe your slate clean 00:02:14.300 --> 00:04:56.269 Take me to your river Oh. Well, good morning, 00:04:56.290 --> 00:04:57.829 everyone. If you're joining us from home, thank 00:04:57.829 --> 00:05:00.449 you for welcoming us into your space. June means 00:05:00.449 --> 00:05:04.750 summer jams at HCV, a yearly series that we've 00:05:04.750 --> 00:05:06.709 been doing here as a part of our community of 00:05:06.709 --> 00:05:09.829 faith for going on over 10 years now, focusing 00:05:09.829 --> 00:05:13.610 on music and its connection to our culture. See, 00:05:13.689 --> 00:05:16.610 this series is about discovering God in everyday 00:05:16.610 --> 00:05:19.790 life and the songs that we listen to and how 00:05:19.790 --> 00:05:23.350 they influence what we do and how we choose to 00:05:23.350 --> 00:05:25.639 follow them. The songs that have been chosen 00:05:25.639 --> 00:05:28.980 for this series are simply tools to assist us 00:05:28.980 --> 00:05:32.439 in discovering God's truth for our lives. Now, 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:34.939 people ask me, Chris, is this biblical? Is it 00:05:34.939 --> 00:05:38.420 biblical to play songs that aren't worship inside 00:05:38.420 --> 00:05:40.860 a church? And my answer to that is, let's look 00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:43.319 at what the Bible tells us. In the book of Acts, 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:47.100 Paul referenced the unknown God in chapter 17, 00:05:47.180 --> 00:05:50.410 verse 23, when we read, For as I was walking 00:05:50.410 --> 00:05:54.870 along, I saw your many shrines, or idols, and 00:05:54.870 --> 00:05:57.329 one of your altars had this inscription on it, 00:05:57.370 --> 00:06:00.389 to an unknown God. This God, whom you worship 00:06:00.389 --> 00:06:03.250 without knowing, is the one I'm telling you about. 00:06:03.490 --> 00:06:06.949 So Paul was using their idols to point them to 00:06:06.949 --> 00:06:10.810 Jesus. In the same way, a lot of times music 00:06:10.810 --> 00:06:14.509 becomes an idol in people's lives. We are simply 00:06:14.509 --> 00:06:18.189 using this as a means to point people to Jesus. 00:06:18.959 --> 00:06:22.220 River by Leon Bridges is a powerful gospel soul 00:06:22.220 --> 00:06:26.199 ballad about seeking spiritual redemption, letting 00:06:26.199 --> 00:06:29.060 go of past mistakes, and finding a fresh start. 00:06:29.300 --> 00:06:32.519 I personally was first introduced to this song 00:06:32.519 --> 00:06:35.899 from my recent graduate, Lily, who is a Leon 00:06:35.899 --> 00:06:39.180 Bridges fan and actually used this song for her 00:06:39.180 --> 00:06:42.879 senior year chapel talk at St. James. As I was 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:45.800 sitting there listening to her share and challenge 00:06:45.800 --> 00:06:48.600 her student body to walk in forgiveness and grace, 00:06:48.860 --> 00:06:52.720 I was moved by her talk and said, this song has 00:06:52.720 --> 00:06:56.399 got to be a part of Summer Jams. Now, River is 00:06:56.399 --> 00:06:59.220 widely considered Leon Bridges' signature and 00:06:59.220 --> 00:07:02.000 most popular song, where it has been streamed 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:05.779 well over a million times across multiple platforms. 00:07:06.279 --> 00:07:09.399 The track appears on Bridges' Grammy -nominated 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:12.540 album, Welcome Home. that was nominated for Best 00:07:12.540 --> 00:07:16.660 R &B Album of the Year in 2016. Bridges wrote 00:07:16.660 --> 00:07:19.279 it during a period of deep depression, using 00:07:19.279 --> 00:07:23.379 the river as a metaphor for baptism and surrendering 00:07:23.379 --> 00:07:27.199 one's struggles to God. Bridges would go on to 00:07:27.199 --> 00:07:30.920 explain to Spin Magazine, a river has historically 00:07:30.920 --> 00:07:33.980 been used in gospel music as symbolism for change 00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:37.279 and redemption. My goal was to write a song about 00:07:37.279 --> 00:07:40.459 my personal spiritual experience. It was written 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:42.699 during a time of real depression in my life, 00:07:42.819 --> 00:07:45.980 and I recall sitting in my garage trying to write 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:49.019 a song which reflected this struggle. I felt 00:07:49.019 --> 00:07:52.279 stuck working multiple jobs to support myself 00:07:52.279 --> 00:07:55.680 and my mom. I had little hope and couldn't see 00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:58.439 a road out of my reality. The only thing I could 00:07:58.439 --> 00:08:01.579 cling to in the midst of all that was my faith 00:08:01.579 --> 00:08:05.560 in Jesus. So the opening lyrics, you heard him 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:08.779 sing, 10 ,000 miles gone, blood on my hands. 00:08:09.300 --> 00:08:11.819 Reflecting, of course, Bridges' feeling of feeling 00:08:11.819 --> 00:08:15.279 lost. He was burdened by guilt. He was trapped 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:18.360 in a difficult reality while working multiple 00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:21.860 jobs, wondering, will this music career ever 00:08:21.860 --> 00:08:26.079 take off? The line, Mama's words reoccur to me, 00:08:26.259 --> 00:08:28.860 surrender to the good Lord, he'll wipe your slate 00:08:28.860 --> 00:08:32.799 clean, highlights. the grounding power of his 00:08:32.799 --> 00:08:35.879 faith when he had nowhere else to turn. And as 00:08:35.879 --> 00:08:38.279 I was listening to this song and praying about 00:08:38.279 --> 00:08:41.539 a direction to go in, I felt the Holy Spirit 00:08:41.539 --> 00:08:44.740 challenge me that I had to charge our recent 00:08:44.740 --> 00:08:47.799 graduates. So if you're a graduate, this year 00:08:47.799 --> 00:08:51.100 I'm going to charge you and all of those that 00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:53.419 are part of our community of faith to go all 00:08:53.419 --> 00:08:57.340 in with Jesus. It's time to go all in with Jesus. 00:08:57.539 --> 00:08:59.740 Because here's the reality. It doesn't matter 00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:02.600 what season of life you're in, it's not easy. 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:05.480 Daily, we're going to face challenges. We're 00:09:05.480 --> 00:09:07.940 going to face struggles that make us question 00:09:07.940 --> 00:09:10.940 who we are, what we are called to do, and what 00:09:10.940 --> 00:09:14.440 is this whole thing about life. And you heard 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:16.840 in Bridget's interview that he was working multiple 00:09:16.840 --> 00:09:19.700 jobs. He was trying to support his mom. He was 00:09:19.700 --> 00:09:23.100 trying to support himself, all while making a 00:09:23.100 --> 00:09:25.799 career out of his music. And it's in those difficult 00:09:25.799 --> 00:09:29.840 seasons of life that I believe our faith is so 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:33.679 important. Because remember what David told us. 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:36.539 You know, in those times of difficulty, God's 00:09:36.539 --> 00:09:40.179 presence is there. And we need to be reminded 00:09:40.179 --> 00:09:44.580 that daily Jesus invites us to come and follow 00:09:44.580 --> 00:09:48.120 him. But we must remember that Jesus' invitation 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:51.480 doesn't mean that life will be easy. It simply 00:09:51.480 --> 00:09:55.580 means that we can live a life of abundance and 00:09:55.580 --> 00:09:59.659 meaning if we choose to go all in, which leads 00:09:59.659 --> 00:10:02.039 us to our first thought from the Song River. 00:10:02.320 --> 00:10:05.919 See, Jesus challenges those that follow him to 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:10.110 go all in. In Luke chapter 9, Jesus addresses 00:10:10.110 --> 00:10:14.330 three men and the desire to follow him. Now at 00:10:14.330 --> 00:10:17.529 this point in Jesus' ministry, the miracles had 00:10:17.529 --> 00:10:19.470 been performed. The dead had been raised. The 00:10:19.470 --> 00:10:23.289 blind see. The truth had been shared. The Sermon 00:10:23.289 --> 00:10:26.470 on the Mount was spoken. He was now preparing 00:10:26.470 --> 00:10:29.750 to head to Jerusalem where he will face trial, 00:10:30.070 --> 00:10:34.110 be beaten. and hung on a cross and died for our 00:10:34.110 --> 00:10:37.210 sins. All of the glamour, all the excitement 00:10:37.210 --> 00:10:41.549 of three years of ministry has passed, leaving 00:10:41.549 --> 00:10:45.450 Jesus to face the reason that God sent his son 00:10:45.450 --> 00:10:50.269 to earth. And I felt, right, that I needed to 00:10:50.269 --> 00:10:53.529 remind you that if you're in a relationship with 00:10:53.529 --> 00:10:58.169 Jesus, right, all in means, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer 00:10:58.169 --> 00:11:01.840 wrote, when Christ calls a man or a woman, He 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:06.240 bids them to come and die, to come and die. I 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:09.559 mean, that's following Jesus 101. To be all in 00:11:09.559 --> 00:11:12.539 with God means that we get out of the way and 00:11:12.539 --> 00:11:16.179 we let Jesus have his way with our life. Hey, 00:11:16.200 --> 00:11:19.120 God, wherever you lead me, it doesn't matter 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:21.860 how difficult it is. It doesn't matter how frustrating 00:11:21.860 --> 00:11:24.820 it will be. It doesn't matter what comes my way. 00:11:24.899 --> 00:11:29.200 I will follow. I will die to myself so that I 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:31.500 can live in abundance. But here's the reality. 00:11:32.220 --> 00:11:35.659 Anywhere self is involved, it kills the relationship. 00:11:36.059 --> 00:11:39.240 When we have a lot of self in our marriage, the 00:11:39.240 --> 00:11:42.200 partnership suffers. When we have a lot of self 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:45.740 in our friendships, it becomes one -sided, all 00:11:45.740 --> 00:11:48.659 about one individual, and the friendship ends. 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:52.360 When we have a lot of self in church, churches 00:11:52.360 --> 00:11:55.509 split. And it literally kills the purpose of 00:11:55.509 --> 00:11:58.730 the church. And Jesus says, hey, if you're going 00:11:58.730 --> 00:12:03.149 to follow me, you must first deny yourself, then 00:12:03.149 --> 00:12:05.570 come and follow. We read this in Luke chapter 00:12:05.570 --> 00:12:09.009 9, verses 23 to 25. Then he said to the crowd, 00:12:09.850 --> 00:12:12.509 if any of you wants to be my follower, you must 00:12:12.509 --> 00:12:15.529 give up your own way. Take up your cross daily 00:12:15.529 --> 00:12:19.110 and follow me. Right? Follow me. And notice, 00:12:19.190 --> 00:12:22.350 it's not about what we get. It's about who we 00:12:22.350 --> 00:12:25.559 become. He continues, if you try to hang on to 00:12:25.559 --> 00:12:28.320 your life, and that's what our culture is telling 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:31.460 us today. Hang on to yourself. Take care of yourself. 00:12:31.720 --> 00:12:36.279 Make yourself higher. You will lose it. But if 00:12:36.279 --> 00:12:39.559 you give up your life for my sake, you will save 00:12:39.559 --> 00:12:42.419 it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole 00:12:42.419 --> 00:12:46.639 world, but are yourself lost or destroyed? See, 00:12:46.740 --> 00:12:50.139 the world is doing everything it can to get us 00:12:50.139 --> 00:12:53.379 lost and frustrated. To destroy us by chasing 00:12:53.379 --> 00:12:57.580 after all these other material things that promises 00:12:57.580 --> 00:13:00.960 us life. That promises us peace. That promises 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:04.179 us joy. Yet in the end, what are they? They're 00:13:04.179 --> 00:13:07.720 empty and meaningless. Paul says it this way 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:12.580 in Philippians chapter 3. Everything else is 00:13:12.580 --> 00:13:16.080 worthless when compared with the infinite value 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:19.200 of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:23.009 I have discarded. everything else. Counting it 00:13:23.009 --> 00:13:27.690 all as garbage so that I could gain Christ. And 00:13:27.690 --> 00:13:30.870 see, unfortunately, there's too many people in 00:13:30.870 --> 00:13:33.450 our culture today who are a part of the church 00:13:33.450 --> 00:13:35.870 and they've bought into this American version 00:13:35.870 --> 00:13:38.750 of Christianity. That it's all about this feel 00:13:38.750 --> 00:13:42.509 good, be a better you, live a comfortable life, 00:13:42.610 --> 00:13:46.340 give me more God. missing out on the ultimate 00:13:46.340 --> 00:13:49.860 message, the ultimate challenge that Jesus came 00:13:49.860 --> 00:13:52.340 to communicate to us, and that's church. You 00:13:52.340 --> 00:13:56.000 need to come and die. Come and die and follow 00:13:56.000 --> 00:14:00.039 me. Then you would understand what life is and 00:14:00.039 --> 00:14:01.860 the meaning of life. It doesn't matter if it's 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:04.120 difficult. It doesn't matter if it's challenging. 00:14:04.559 --> 00:14:07.139 It doesn't matter if none of your friends want 00:14:07.139 --> 00:14:10.179 to do the right thing. Stand up for truth and 00:14:10.179 --> 00:14:13.559 be a difference maker in this world. And see, 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:17.320 it's my desire to lead a church that is passionate 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:19.659 about following Jesus no matter the circumstances. 00:14:20.340 --> 00:14:24.820 Because we are not in this for nominal, passive 00:14:24.820 --> 00:14:28.480 Christianity. We are in it for Jesus, and we 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:31.740 are in it to make heaven more crowded. That's 00:14:31.740 --> 00:14:34.159 the type of church that I want to lead. I want 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:36.700 to see people coming to Jesus, being baptized, 00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:39.470 and the world turned upside down. side down because 00:14:39.470 --> 00:14:42.610 we as the church are out there doing the stuff. 00:14:42.830 --> 00:14:47.470 And this happens by dying to self. And today 00:14:47.470 --> 00:14:51.169 we're going to discuss three men and their three 00:14:51.169 --> 00:14:55.289 different excuses as to why they could not follow 00:14:55.289 --> 00:14:59.029 Jesus. And chances are that you are going to 00:14:59.029 --> 00:15:02.929 see yourself in each one of these men. And as 00:15:02.929 --> 00:15:06.110 you do see yourself, my challenge to you is lay 00:15:06.110 --> 00:15:10.779 it down and change. Holy Spirit, come. Prepare 00:15:10.779 --> 00:15:14.740 our hearts, God. Open our minds, our ears, our 00:15:14.740 --> 00:15:17.500 hearts, most importantly, to receive your truth 00:15:17.500 --> 00:15:20.419 and to be different than when we walked in, in 00:15:20.419 --> 00:15:25.320 Jesus' name. So all of that leads us to our first 00:15:25.320 --> 00:15:28.600 excuse or our first reason to go all in with 00:15:28.600 --> 00:15:32.159 Jesus. We need to replace comfort with sacrifice. 00:15:32.700 --> 00:15:37.049 Looking at Luke chapter 9, verses 57 to 58. As 00:15:37.049 --> 00:15:39.549 they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, 00:15:39.809 --> 00:15:42.669 I will follow you wherever you go. Notice the 00:15:42.669 --> 00:15:46.190 statement, I'm all in. But notice Jesus' response. 00:15:47.029 --> 00:15:49.909 Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests. 00:15:49.990 --> 00:15:54.690 But the Son of Man has no place even to lay his 00:15:54.690 --> 00:15:57.750 head. And what Jesus is saying here is, hey, 00:15:57.789 --> 00:16:00.289 if you choose to follow me, you may not have 00:16:00.289 --> 00:16:02.809 anywhere to sleep. Because it's not about your 00:16:02.809 --> 00:16:06.169 comfort. It's about sacrifice. And this first 00:16:06.169 --> 00:16:08.970 man thought it was going to be comfortable to 00:16:08.970 --> 00:16:11.730 follow Jesus. And immediately, Jesus responds 00:16:11.730 --> 00:16:15.009 to him and says, no, you have to be willing to 00:16:15.009 --> 00:16:18.590 make a sacrifice. And we live in a world and 00:16:18.590 --> 00:16:21.610 a society that is built around the idea of making 00:16:21.610 --> 00:16:26.370 us comfortable. We can order food without leaving 00:16:26.370 --> 00:16:29.129 our home and have it delivered to our front door. 00:16:29.580 --> 00:16:33.000 We can shop without entering a store and have 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:35.960 it delivered to our front door in two days. We 00:16:35.960 --> 00:16:39.259 can be entertained without moving from our couch. 00:16:39.980 --> 00:16:43.120 Comfort has become one of our highest values 00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:46.919 in American culture. And let's be honest. We 00:16:46.919 --> 00:16:50.639 gather here at HCV every single Sunday. Some 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:52.980 of you. Some of you every other. Some of you 00:16:52.980 --> 00:16:55.879 once a month. Some of you on Easter and Christmas. 00:16:56.019 --> 00:17:00.679 Oh, it's Summer Jams. I'll show up. And our community 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:02.740 of faith is making a difference in the tri -state 00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:06.599 area. Yesterday alone, we had more than 60 people 00:17:06.599 --> 00:17:09.339 show up for our annual bed build. And we built 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:12.539 beds that are going to be given to children without 00:17:12.539 --> 00:17:15.599 beds. Right? A great way to make a difference 00:17:15.599 --> 00:17:17.940 in a practical way. Right? Yeah. Give yourself 00:17:17.940 --> 00:17:19.700 a hand if you're a part of that. Thank you. God 00:17:19.700 --> 00:17:24.259 bless you guys. But for many of us, if we're 00:17:24.259 --> 00:17:26.299 honest and we look in the mirror, we're comfortable. 00:17:27.019 --> 00:17:29.619 We show up on Sunday. Our kids are cared for 00:17:29.619 --> 00:17:32.519 and loved. The music and worship in this place 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:36.200 is awesome. We have a great facility that invites 00:17:36.200 --> 00:17:38.339 people in to hang out with their friends in the 00:17:38.339 --> 00:17:41.599 cafe. And my challenge to you is guard against 00:17:41.599 --> 00:17:44.819 becoming comfortable. Because the second we get 00:17:44.819 --> 00:17:48.339 uncomfortable, suddenly it's bad for us. There's 00:17:48.339 --> 00:17:51.299 something wrong. And Jesus is challenging this 00:17:51.299 --> 00:17:55.240 man. Look, if you're going to follow me, it's 00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:57.759 not going to be comfortable. And that is significant 00:17:57.759 --> 00:18:02.700 to our lives because Jesus, right, Jesus desires 00:18:02.700 --> 00:18:07.920 that we go all in with him and experience uncomfortability. 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.740 Have difficult conversation. Make the lifestyle 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:15.640 changes. Don't compromise your convictions. Why? 00:18:16.039 --> 00:18:19.769 Because God wants us to be more like Jesus. It's 00:18:19.769 --> 00:18:21.509 not about beating people over the head with the 00:18:21.509 --> 00:18:24.650 Bible. It's about looking and representing more 00:18:24.650 --> 00:18:27.730 and more like Jesus every single day. That we 00:18:27.730 --> 00:18:30.410 would die to self and we would make a difference 00:18:30.410 --> 00:18:32.930 into the world, not conform to the world and 00:18:32.930 --> 00:18:35.829 be more comfortable. See, following Jesus is 00:18:35.829 --> 00:18:39.190 not a call to come and be comfortable. It's a 00:18:39.190 --> 00:18:43.750 call to come and be crucified. Luke 9, 23, he 00:18:43.750 --> 00:18:46.309 said to the crowd, if you want to be my follower, 00:18:47.429 --> 00:18:51.430 Give up your own way. Get off of yourself. Take 00:18:51.430 --> 00:18:53.970 up your cross daily and follow me. And this is 00:18:53.970 --> 00:18:57.230 important to discuss because if we think following 00:18:57.230 --> 00:19:00.730 Jesus is comfortable, then the second we stop 00:19:00.730 --> 00:19:03.430 being comfortable, you're going to walk away 00:19:03.430 --> 00:19:06.170 from God. And you're going to go back to the 00:19:06.170 --> 00:19:09.390 world. And you're going to desire the world to 00:19:09.390 --> 00:19:11.109 make you comfortable. And you're going to find 00:19:11.109 --> 00:19:13.309 your peace and your joy and your happiness in 00:19:13.309 --> 00:19:15.730 the world. And God says that's the way to destruction. 00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:19.599 Going all in means we're willing to risk everything 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:22.819 for Jesus. John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard 00:19:22.819 --> 00:19:26.799 Movement, used to say faith is spelled R -I -S 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:29.960 -K or risk. And it's interesting. I did a word 00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:32.839 study this week, and that word risk in the Greek 00:19:32.839 --> 00:19:37.640 is defined as to expose oneself to danger, to 00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:41.599 venture boldly, and to risk everything. And it's 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:45.140 interesting. That word is only used one time. 00:19:45.740 --> 00:19:48.539 One time in the entire Bible. And it's used to 00:19:48.539 --> 00:19:52.079 describe a friend of Paul who is all in in his 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:55.799 faith. Paul is writing this letter from prison 00:19:55.799 --> 00:20:00.099 to the church in Philippi. And he gives his friend 00:20:00.099 --> 00:20:03.339 a shout out. Let's read Philippians 2, 25 and 00:20:03.339 --> 00:20:08.039 30. Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:11.039 back to you. He is a true brother, co -worker, 00:20:11.180 --> 00:20:14.019 and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger 00:20:14.019 --> 00:20:18.559 to help me in need. For he, notice what Epaphroditus 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:22.319 did, he risked his life for the work of Christ. 00:20:22.619 --> 00:20:25.839 And he was at the point of death while doing 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:29.220 for me what you couldn't do from far away. And 00:20:29.220 --> 00:20:31.900 notice, many of you have no idea who this guy 00:20:31.900 --> 00:20:33.779 is because this is the only time he's mentioned. 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:38.400 Epaphroditus was all in and his faith cost him 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:41.750 something. Because this man risked his life, 00:20:41.970 --> 00:20:46.150 we now have a beautiful letter written to us 00:20:46.150 --> 00:20:50.589 called the book of Philippians. And this book 00:20:50.589 --> 00:20:54.190 records truths for us like, hey, church, don't 00:20:54.190 --> 00:20:56.710 worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. 00:20:56.809 --> 00:20:58.509 Tell God what you need and thank him for all 00:20:58.509 --> 00:21:02.509 he's done. Hey, church, you can do all things 00:21:02.509 --> 00:21:08.029 through Christ who gives you strength. Men and 00:21:08.029 --> 00:21:11.519 women. have been encouraged for the last 2 ,000 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:14.400 plus years from this letter. Think about it, 00:21:14.420 --> 00:21:18.519 because one Jesus follower chose to go all in 00:21:18.519 --> 00:21:22.299 with Jesus and risk his life because that's what 00:21:22.299 --> 00:21:26.099 it takes to build a life of faith. So I want 00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:30.960 to ask you, church, when is the last time you 00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:34.599 made a sacrificial decision to build your faith? 00:21:35.079 --> 00:21:39.109 When is the last time you took a risk, and went 00:21:39.109 --> 00:21:42.730 all in with Jesus. See, maybe God is challenging 00:21:42.730 --> 00:21:46.730 you to end that relationship. Hey, choose to 00:21:46.730 --> 00:21:48.990 honor God instead of compromising your values. 00:21:49.470 --> 00:21:52.750 Maybe God is challenging you to give, to tithe. 00:21:53.470 --> 00:21:56.970 Give to God first in your finances, but you continue 00:21:56.970 --> 00:22:00.049 to make excuses that you can't afford it. Maybe 00:22:00.049 --> 00:22:02.769 God has been challenging you. Delete that social 00:22:02.769 --> 00:22:05.569 media app. It's distracting you. Maybe God has 00:22:05.569 --> 00:22:07.589 been challenging you. Hey, you want to get closer 00:22:07.589 --> 00:22:10.569 to me? Get up earlier. Set your alarm 30 minutes 00:22:10.569 --> 00:22:14.650 earlier. Make a sacrifice. Maybe God has been 00:22:14.650 --> 00:22:16.589 challenging you to serve in our community of 00:22:16.589 --> 00:22:20.009 faith. Join a team. Maybe it's to teach kids, 00:22:20.069 --> 00:22:23.349 to encourage the youth, to help people find parking 00:22:23.349 --> 00:22:26.289 spaces wearing a yellow vest. But you simply 00:22:26.289 --> 00:22:28.740 haven't done it. You hear Chris talking about 00:22:28.740 --> 00:22:30.420 it every week and you think, yeah, I got to do 00:22:30.420 --> 00:22:34.299 that. But there's always an excuse. Listen, following 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:41.400 Jesus is not putting a post on Instagram. Following 00:22:41.400 --> 00:22:44.980 Jesus is not putting a scripture verse on Facebook. 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:49.180 It doesn't cost you anything. It costs you nothing. 00:22:50.039 --> 00:22:52.920 I want to challenge you. Do something difficult 00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:55.819 that challenges you to grow. Become the best 00:22:55.819 --> 00:22:59.099 version of you. Remove that toxic relationship. 00:22:59.640 --> 00:23:02.799 Share your faith with somebody. Share your story 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:05.480 of how Jesus radically changed your life. Forgive 00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:08.579 that person, even though they don't deserve it, 00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:14.380 because God tells us to forgive. Pursue sacrifice 00:23:14.380 --> 00:23:19.019 over comfort. This man, who we never hear about 00:23:19.019 --> 00:23:22.559 again, chose comfort over sacrifice, and he didn't 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:25.259 go all in. Which leads us to our next excuse 00:23:25.259 --> 00:23:30.460 or second step. We replace delay with obedience. 00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:34.319 Luke chapter 9, 59 and 60, continuing on. He 00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:37.759 said to another person, come, follow me. The 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:41.900 man agreed, but he said, Lord, first, let me 00:23:41.900 --> 00:23:45.160 return home and bury my father. But Jesus told 00:23:45.160 --> 00:23:48.380 him, let the spiritually dead bury their own 00:23:48.380 --> 00:23:51.220 dead. Your duty is to go and preach about the 00:23:51.220 --> 00:23:54.420 kingdom of God. Now listen. If we're going to 00:23:54.420 --> 00:23:57.859 make an excuse about why we shouldn't follow 00:23:57.859 --> 00:24:00.759 Jesus, in my opinion, this is a pretty good one. 00:24:00.839 --> 00:24:04.079 Would you agree? I mean, Jesus, let me go bury 00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:08.339 my father. And when you read these words, you're 00:24:08.339 --> 00:24:11.119 like, Jesus, that's a little harsh. You just 00:24:11.119 --> 00:24:12.660 told this man, no, don't go bury your father. 00:24:13.299 --> 00:24:16.619 But isn't it true that we as people are really 00:24:16.619 --> 00:24:18.640 good at coming up with excuses? I mean, we're 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:21.059 really good at it. I don't need to really make 00:24:21.059 --> 00:24:24.130 my bed. I'm going to sleep in it later. All of 00:24:24.130 --> 00:24:26.670 us think that. We all think, I'm going to get 00:24:26.670 --> 00:24:28.690 in it later. Even though it's 10 hours, it's 00:24:28.690 --> 00:24:32.130 all good. That doesn't mean anything. But what 00:24:32.130 --> 00:24:34.289 I've found in pastoring a church is the same 00:24:34.289 --> 00:24:38.329 goes with our relationship with Jesus. Hey, why 00:24:38.329 --> 00:24:40.029 don't you come serve at the bed build? I'm busy 00:24:40.029 --> 00:24:43.769 tomorrow. Hey, why don't you be a part of a growth 00:24:43.769 --> 00:24:48.769 group? When things slow down, I'll take God seriously. 00:24:49.309 --> 00:24:52.049 I need to focus on my career first. Well, once 00:24:52.049 --> 00:24:53.730 the kids are a little older, I'll have more time 00:24:53.730 --> 00:24:56.769 for God. Oh, someone else can do it. There's 00:24:56.769 --> 00:24:58.690 a lot of people in here. There's over a thousand 00:24:58.690 --> 00:25:01.269 people over there. Someone else can do it. Well, 00:25:01.349 --> 00:25:03.190 Chris, I'm really not qualified enough. I haven't 00:25:03.190 --> 00:25:09.430 read the Bible. Stop making excuses. Because 00:25:09.430 --> 00:25:12.869 on the surface, this man's excuse sounds like 00:25:12.869 --> 00:25:15.130 a good one. He simply wanted to bury his father 00:25:15.130 --> 00:25:19.150 and then go and follow Jesus. But that is why 00:25:19.150 --> 00:25:21.589 context when reading the Bible is so important. 00:25:21.809 --> 00:25:24.589 So in studying this section of the Bible, I learned 00:25:24.589 --> 00:25:28.170 that many scholars now believe that this man's 00:25:28.170 --> 00:25:32.349 father wasn't dead. He wasn't dead at all. Notice 00:25:32.349 --> 00:25:36.950 this man didn't say, let me go bury my dead father. 00:25:37.349 --> 00:25:41.109 See, Jewish culture tells us that burial needs 00:25:41.109 --> 00:25:43.690 to happen for a person that dies within the first 00:25:43.690 --> 00:25:46.849 72 hours of death. And if his father would have 00:25:46.849 --> 00:25:49.970 died within the last few days, he would have 00:25:49.970 --> 00:25:52.410 been buried. And this man asking the question 00:25:52.410 --> 00:25:55.170 would have been considered unclean for seven 00:25:55.170 --> 00:25:57.630 days. He wouldn't have been out in public having 00:25:57.630 --> 00:26:00.569 this conversation with Jesus. So now scholars 00:26:00.569 --> 00:26:03.690 are unanimous that this man's father wasn't dead. 00:26:03.990 --> 00:26:07.349 He was simply making an excuse by saying, one 00:26:07.349 --> 00:26:12.170 day when my dad eventually dies, I will bury 00:26:12.170 --> 00:26:17.039 him. Or in other words, Hey, Jesus, I need to 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:20.400 go back and handle all this other stuff first. 00:26:21.059 --> 00:26:24.759 Then I will come and follow you. And here's the 00:26:24.759 --> 00:26:27.099 reality. All of us have excuses in this life. 00:26:27.660 --> 00:26:31.000 I'll go all in with God, but first, but first, 00:26:31.099 --> 00:26:34.859 I need to get married. I'll go all in with God, 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:37.359 but first, I need to get out of college because, 00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:41.009 man, I want to have some fun in college. I'll 00:26:41.009 --> 00:26:43.549 go all in with God, but first I need a career 00:26:43.549 --> 00:26:48.150 because the career pays my bills. We can't say, 00:26:48.250 --> 00:26:50.309 if you're in a relationship with Jesus, we can't 00:26:50.309 --> 00:26:55.230 say, Jesus, let me first fill in the blank and 00:26:55.230 --> 00:26:58.130 still call him Lord. Because that means we're 00:26:58.130 --> 00:27:02.369 holding on to whatever we're putting first. Jesus 00:27:02.369 --> 00:27:07.920 first. Jesus first. Right? It's got to be him 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:10.339 first. And if we're saying, Jesus, let me first 00:27:10.339 --> 00:27:12.900 build a successful business, then I'll prioritize 00:27:12.900 --> 00:27:16.180 you. Jesus, let me graduate. Jesus, let me, you 00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:19.640 know, whatever it may be, get a new job. Delayed 00:27:19.640 --> 00:27:23.220 obedience is disobedience. If God is asking us 00:27:23.220 --> 00:27:26.039 to do something and we delay or we put it off, 00:27:26.119 --> 00:27:29.240 it's disobedience. And following Jesus is not 00:27:29.240 --> 00:27:32.240 about what we want for ourselves. It's not our 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:34.599 ideas. It's not our ambitions. It's not our plans. 00:27:35.019 --> 00:27:38.299 Following Jesus means we go all in on that relationship 00:27:38.299 --> 00:27:42.079 and prioritize it. We understand this truth from 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:45.380 1 Kings chapter 18, that Elijah stood in front 00:27:45.380 --> 00:27:48.259 of them. Imagine Elijah standing in front of 00:27:48.259 --> 00:27:50.279 the church and saying, how much longer will you 00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:53.059 waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the 00:27:53.059 --> 00:27:56.019 Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal is God, 00:27:56.140 --> 00:27:58.799 follow him. In other words, if you're following 00:27:58.799 --> 00:28:00.880 Jesus, follow him. If you want to go all in with 00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:03.039 the world, go all in with the world. There's 00:28:03.039 --> 00:28:07.490 not one or the other. It's one, choose one. Right? 00:28:07.490 --> 00:28:10.490 Don't continue to hop the fence, put one leg 00:28:10.490 --> 00:28:12.690 in one and one leg in the other, go all in in 00:28:12.690 --> 00:28:14.990 one direction. If you want the world, go for 00:28:14.990 --> 00:28:17.589 it. If you want Jesus, let's go on a journey 00:28:17.589 --> 00:28:20.869 and change the world. How long are you going 00:28:20.869 --> 00:28:23.750 to waver between going all in with God and all 00:28:23.750 --> 00:28:26.509 in with the world? How long are we going to continue 00:28:26.509 --> 00:28:29.690 to make excuses about that habit, that addiction, 00:28:29.849 --> 00:28:33.069 that relationship, that career that God is telling 00:28:33.069 --> 00:28:35.599 you to change? I want to encourage you, make 00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:39.519 a decision to go all in with God today and start 00:28:39.519 --> 00:28:42.859 right now. And see, that's what many people don't 00:28:42.859 --> 00:28:46.599 understand. Start right now. Stop saying, but 00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:49.579 first. Yes, Chris, eventually I'll join a team. 00:28:49.640 --> 00:28:53.079 No, join a team today. I'm going to forgive that 00:28:53.079 --> 00:28:55.839 person. Forgive that person right now. Like, 00:28:55.839 --> 00:28:59.140 choose to do it. I will remove social media from 00:28:59.140 --> 00:29:00.799 my phone. Some of you need to get your phones 00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:05.880 out. Just delete it. Right now. Remove the toxic 00:29:05.880 --> 00:29:08.119 relationship today. Make the phone call. End 00:29:08.119 --> 00:29:11.880 it. I'm going to start eating healthy right now 00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:16.000 as I take a crumpy out of my mouth. It's your 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:21.839 fault, Chris. You gave us crumpies. When will 00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:26.839 we fully commit to Jesus and go all in? Because 00:29:26.839 --> 00:29:29.359 I'm going to encourage you. When you go all in, 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:33.220 that's when we experience an abundant life. Which 00:29:33.220 --> 00:29:35.599 leads us to our final excuse or our final step. 00:29:35.960 --> 00:29:39.180 We need to replace the past with God's plan. 00:29:39.940 --> 00:29:42.039 Continuing on to our third gentleman, Luke 9, 00:29:42.140 --> 00:29:47.759 61 to 62. Another said, excuse me, yes, Lord, 00:29:47.940 --> 00:29:51.259 I will follow you. But notice, but first, let 00:29:51.259 --> 00:29:54.299 me say goodbye to my family. But Jesus told him, 00:29:54.380 --> 00:29:57.559 anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks 00:29:57.559 --> 00:30:01.960 back is not fit for the kingdom of God. Why is 00:30:01.960 --> 00:30:05.460 Jesus telling this man not to say goodbye to 00:30:05.460 --> 00:30:08.380 his family? So in study, and again, there was 00:30:08.380 --> 00:30:10.980 common belief among scholars that if this man 00:30:10.980 --> 00:30:14.059 went back to his family, he would have gone back 00:30:14.059 --> 00:30:17.180 to a group of people who did not have an encounter 00:30:17.180 --> 00:30:20.480 with Jesus. So think about this. He goes back 00:30:20.480 --> 00:30:23.099 to his family. He's excited. He got invited to 00:30:23.099 --> 00:30:25.799 come and follow and die. He goes back to his 00:30:25.799 --> 00:30:28.460 family and says, hey, mom, hey, dad, I met this 00:30:28.460 --> 00:30:32.819 rabbi. He's heading to Jerusalem to die, and 00:30:32.819 --> 00:30:35.599 he wants me to go with him and follow him. I'm 00:30:35.599 --> 00:30:40.140 going to go and die with him. His family and 00:30:40.140 --> 00:30:42.480 friends, they would have gone to him and said, 00:30:42.599 --> 00:30:47.079 no, you can't make that decision. You can't do 00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:50.339 that with your life. You'll ruin your life. Here's 00:30:50.339 --> 00:30:53.119 the reality. This man was going to the wrong 00:30:53.119 --> 00:30:56.079 people for advice and opinions about a life that 00:30:56.079 --> 00:30:58.269 God had called him to. He was going to the wrong 00:30:58.269 --> 00:31:00.670 people. His family and friends did not have the 00:31:00.670 --> 00:31:03.869 same encounter that this man had. And Jesus was 00:31:03.869 --> 00:31:06.569 trying to protect him. He was trying to keep 00:31:06.569 --> 00:31:10.190 him focused on the goal. And I want to challenge 00:31:10.190 --> 00:31:14.230 you, church. Stop going back to the past. Stop 00:31:14.230 --> 00:31:16.869 looking backwards to friendships, to influences, 00:31:17.069 --> 00:31:20.690 to family for advice and counsel on what God 00:31:20.690 --> 00:31:22.269 wants for your life. Now, don't get me wrong. 00:31:22.410 --> 00:31:24.630 If your whole family's in a relationship with 00:31:24.630 --> 00:31:26.650 Jesus and your mom and dad are passionate about 00:31:26.650 --> 00:31:29.269 God, yeah, you go to them for counsel. But if 00:31:29.269 --> 00:31:33.769 they're not, you don't. So many people wonder 00:31:33.769 --> 00:31:37.529 why they become stuck. It's because they continue 00:31:37.529 --> 00:31:40.029 to look backwards and go to the wrong people 00:31:40.029 --> 00:31:43.009 for advice, and God wants us to move forward. 00:31:43.470 --> 00:31:46.549 We won't change our lives until we change our 00:31:46.549 --> 00:31:49.990 community. We've got to surround ourselves with 00:31:49.990 --> 00:31:53.609 friends, with like -minded people that will encourage 00:31:53.609 --> 00:31:56.809 us, pray for us, and challenge us to grow. God 00:31:56.809 --> 00:31:59.970 is calling us forward. But if we continue to 00:31:59.970 --> 00:32:02.829 look backwards and go backwards to wrong influences 00:32:02.829 --> 00:32:06.460 and voices, that don't not speak to God's will 00:32:06.460 --> 00:32:08.700 for your life, you're going to become confused 00:32:08.700 --> 00:32:11.339 and frustrated. And when we become confused and 00:32:11.339 --> 00:32:13.900 frustrated, we begin to doubt, and when we begin 00:32:13.900 --> 00:32:16.740 to doubt, we walk away from God. My challenge 00:32:16.740 --> 00:32:21.180 to you is stop going backwards. Surround yourself 00:32:21.180 --> 00:32:24.640 with people that love Jesus and invite them into 00:32:24.640 --> 00:32:27.339 your life so that they can challenge you to grow. 00:32:27.769 --> 00:32:31.029 1 Peter chapter 4 tells us, you have had enough 00:32:31.029 --> 00:32:33.789 in the past of the evil things that godless people 00:32:33.789 --> 00:32:36.990 enjoy. Their immorality and lust, their feasting 00:32:36.990 --> 00:32:38.910 and drunkenness and wild parties and their terrible 00:32:38.910 --> 00:32:41.910 worship of idols. Of course, your former friends 00:32:41.910 --> 00:32:44.930 are surprised when you no longer plunge into 00:32:44.930 --> 00:32:47.150 the flood of wild and destructive things they 00:32:47.150 --> 00:32:52.009 do. So, they slander you. See, Jesus is not anti 00:32:52.009 --> 00:32:55.319 -family. He loves your family. But he's also 00:32:55.319 --> 00:32:58.599 pro -focus. He wants us to focus on him. Jesus 00:32:58.599 --> 00:33:01.539 is not against your friends. He simply does not 00:33:01.539 --> 00:33:05.119 want us to be distracted by our friends and pulled 00:33:05.119 --> 00:33:07.579 away from the mission that God has called us 00:33:07.579 --> 00:33:10.920 on. Jesus challenges us then. He challenges that 00:33:10.920 --> 00:33:14.839 man. Put your hands to the plow and move forward. 00:33:15.319 --> 00:33:19.359 So a plow was used in biblical times to till 00:33:19.359 --> 00:33:22.509 up a field. And I have an image here of what 00:33:22.509 --> 00:33:25.509 a plow looked like in biblical times. It's a 00:33:25.509 --> 00:33:29.470 piece of equipment used in farming that is pulled 00:33:29.470 --> 00:33:34.650 by oxen. And notice, in this image, the man has 00:33:34.650 --> 00:33:39.549 the equipment and both hands are on it. The oxen 00:33:39.549 --> 00:33:42.750 are doing all the work. The man is simply responsible 00:33:42.750 --> 00:33:46.950 to have his hands on the equipment and to direct 00:33:46.950 --> 00:33:51.470 it. The oxen were leading. He was simply guiding 00:33:51.470 --> 00:33:54.289 it in the right direction. But there would be 00:33:54.289 --> 00:33:56.990 a problem arise if that man let go of one of 00:33:56.990 --> 00:33:59.569 his hands and began to look backwards, not focused 00:33:59.569 --> 00:34:02.849 on the course in front of him. And Jesus is challenging 00:34:02.849 --> 00:34:06.960 us. Don't let go. Keep your hands to the plow. 00:34:07.480 --> 00:34:10.860 Don't look back. Because when you look back, 00:34:10.900 --> 00:34:14.280 you're not experiencing God's best. So I began 00:34:14.280 --> 00:34:17.239 to think, what's a modern day version of this 00:34:17.239 --> 00:34:19.539 plow? And I found something. Are you ready for 00:34:19.539 --> 00:34:22.719 it? Now some of you, you have no idea what this 00:34:22.719 --> 00:34:26.920 is because you pay people to do your yard. Okay? 00:34:28.599 --> 00:34:31.519 So for those of you that pay for your grass to 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:36.219 be cut, this is called a lawnmower. Okay? And 00:34:36.219 --> 00:34:39.780 this lawnmower has a unique device on it called 00:34:39.780 --> 00:34:43.739 a self -propelled mechanism. So when you pull 00:34:43.739 --> 00:34:47.119 this handle down, the lawnmower actually mows 00:34:47.119 --> 00:34:50.559 the grass for you. And what do you have to do 00:34:50.559 --> 00:34:54.230 as the person following it? Walk along. That's 00:34:54.230 --> 00:34:56.849 all you have to do. You don't even have a push. 00:34:56.909 --> 00:34:58.929 I remember as a kid, I hated mowing the lawn 00:34:58.929 --> 00:35:00.449 because I could barely get through the grass 00:35:00.449 --> 00:35:03.050 because you had to push the thing, right? But 00:35:03.050 --> 00:35:07.150 now it does it for you. But if I was to be mowing 00:35:07.150 --> 00:35:09.869 my grass and instead of walking like this, had 00:35:09.869 --> 00:35:12.449 one hand on it and was looking backwards or pointing 00:35:12.449 --> 00:35:14.929 backwards, what's going to happen to my lawn? 00:35:15.789 --> 00:35:18.570 It's going to be a train wreck, right? Because 00:35:18.570 --> 00:35:20.710 the lawnmower is basically going to go wherever 00:35:20.710 --> 00:35:25.110 it wants. And Jesus is trying to tell us, he's 00:35:25.110 --> 00:35:29.550 leading the way. Put your hands to the plow and 00:35:29.550 --> 00:35:34.110 allow him to have control. Put both hands on 00:35:34.110 --> 00:35:38.010 it and focus on going forward, not backward. 00:35:38.190 --> 00:35:41.570 Because when you focus on going backward, then 00:35:41.570 --> 00:35:44.630 you're focused on all the wrong things. And he 00:35:44.630 --> 00:35:48.610 challenges us in Hebrews 12 too. Therefore, since 00:35:48.610 --> 00:35:51.449 we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses 00:35:51.449 --> 00:35:55.409 to the life of faith, strip off, church, every 00:35:55.409 --> 00:35:58.309 weight that slows you down, especially the sin 00:35:58.309 --> 00:36:01.869 that so easily traps us up. And let us run with 00:36:01.869 --> 00:36:04.369 endurance the race God has set before us. And 00:36:04.369 --> 00:36:08.409 we do this. How do we do it? We keep our eyes 00:36:08.409 --> 00:36:12.190 on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects 00:36:12.190 --> 00:36:16.090 our faith. We don't have to do the work. We simply 00:36:16.090 --> 00:36:19.030 follow the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us through 00:36:19.030 --> 00:36:23.650 life. So I want you to all ask yourself, what 00:36:23.650 --> 00:36:26.809 are you still holding on to from your past that's 00:36:26.809 --> 00:36:30.010 keeping you from going all in with Jesus? Because 00:36:30.010 --> 00:36:32.409 whatever it is, It doesn't matter if it's an 00:36:32.409 --> 00:36:35.030 addiction, a friend, a habit, an excuse, a job. 00:36:35.210 --> 00:36:37.849 When we go all in with God, everything changes. 00:36:38.429 --> 00:36:41.809 And if you think about these three men, we never 00:36:41.809 --> 00:36:44.449 hear from them again. And if you think about 00:36:44.449 --> 00:36:46.869 them, they probably heard the news that Jesus 00:36:46.869 --> 00:36:50.670 went to Jerusalem and was killed. He was crucified. 00:36:51.010 --> 00:36:53.590 And they celebrated, and they probably thought 00:36:53.590 --> 00:36:56.449 to themselves when they received that news, man, 00:36:56.510 --> 00:37:00.059 I'm so glad I didn't go after him. I'm so glad 00:37:00.059 --> 00:37:03.460 I didn't follow him. But then three days later, 00:37:03.619 --> 00:37:05.940 they would have heard that, but he's risen from 00:37:05.940 --> 00:37:09.599 the dead. He's been resurrected. We've seen him. 00:37:09.679 --> 00:37:13.360 He's walking the earth. They would have recognized 00:37:13.360 --> 00:37:17.599 that they missed out on abundant life because 00:37:17.599 --> 00:37:21.360 when resurrection life happens, we need to die 00:37:21.360 --> 00:37:26.559 in order to rise again. Jesus promises us a life 00:37:26.559 --> 00:37:30.059 of abundance. That happens, church, when we choose 00:37:30.059 --> 00:37:33.679 to go all in and when we choose to die to our 00:37:33.679 --> 00:37:48.179 old life. Will you stand with me? So as we reflect 00:37:48.179 --> 00:37:50.099 on our lives today, I want you to reflect on 00:37:50.099 --> 00:37:53.159 where you are. You just heard three men. You 00:37:53.159 --> 00:37:56.699 heard three excuses. And you heard the challenge 00:37:56.699 --> 00:38:01.539 to go all in. It's not a simple challenge. It's 00:38:01.539 --> 00:38:04.960 a heartfelt one. But that's where Jesus is. He 00:38:04.960 --> 00:38:08.019 speaks truth and he invites you to come and prosper. 00:38:08.440 --> 00:38:12.159 He invites you to come, walk away from what was 00:38:12.159 --> 00:38:16.079 and walk into what's new. Graduates, you're going 00:38:16.079 --> 00:38:19.099 into a new season of life. Be a difference maker 00:38:19.099 --> 00:38:23.239 wherever you go. Stand up for truth. Be the light 00:38:23.239 --> 00:38:25.260 to the world. Doesn't matter what's happening 00:38:25.260 --> 00:38:29.789 around you. Don't compromise. Be a truth seeker. 00:38:30.610 --> 00:38:34.869 Be a truth speaker. Lead others into a relationship 00:38:34.869 --> 00:38:37.929 with God. That's the meaning and purpose of life. 00:38:39.429 --> 00:38:42.349 That's what it's all about. It's choosing to 00:38:42.349 --> 00:38:46.210 go all in. So I'm going to invite the Holy Spirit 00:38:46.210 --> 00:38:50.730 to come, and I want to encourage you. If God 00:38:50.730 --> 00:38:52.590 revealed to you something that's keeping you, 00:38:52.670 --> 00:38:55.150 holding you back from going all in, lay it down. 00:38:56.030 --> 00:39:01.309 Leave it here. Right, had many of you come forward 00:39:01.309 --> 00:39:04.429 to experience a miracle, to worship and experience 00:39:04.429 --> 00:39:06.630 that encounter with God today so that you can 00:39:06.630 --> 00:39:09.289 walk away from it? For some of you, you're holding 00:39:09.289 --> 00:39:15.110 on to your past. You're comfortable. Right, you're 00:39:15.110 --> 00:39:19.130 comfortable. You're making excuses. And if that's 00:39:19.130 --> 00:39:20.530 you, I wanna encourage you, before you leave 00:39:20.530 --> 00:39:22.530 this place, walk up here to the altar, lay it 00:39:22.530 --> 00:39:25.909 down, and then leave. Because sometimes an act 00:39:25.909 --> 00:39:31.250 of obedience Changes your life. So Holy Spirit 00:39:31.250 --> 00:39:34.170 come. I'm grateful God for this community of 00:39:34.170 --> 00:39:37.530 faith. And it's my prayer that all of us go all 00:39:37.530 --> 00:39:41.710 in. That we won't hold back. That we'll see our 00:39:41.710 --> 00:39:43.989 friends, our family, our coworkers, our classmates 00:39:43.989 --> 00:39:46.730 come into a vibrant relationship with you. That 00:39:46.730 --> 00:39:49.750 heaven will be more crowded because this church 00:39:49.750 --> 00:39:53.710 exists in the tri -state area and this community 00:39:53.710 --> 00:39:56.809 will be turned upside down for Jesus that will 00:39:56.809 --> 00:39:59.050 continue to be out there making a difference 00:39:59.050 --> 00:40:02.590 in the lives of others. Empower us, God. Reveal 00:40:02.590 --> 00:40:04.969 to us those people that we're called to serve, 00:40:05.070 --> 00:40:06.909 those people we're called to pray for, those 00:40:06.909 --> 00:40:10.429 people we're called to share with. Change us, 00:40:10.469 --> 00:40:14.190 God. Make us more like your son. And if you're 00:40:14.190 --> 00:40:16.389 here today and you aren't in that relationship 00:40:16.389 --> 00:40:18.909 with Jesus, you're distant, you're far from God, 00:40:18.969 --> 00:40:21.070 you've never made that decision, today's your 00:40:21.070 --> 00:40:23.489 day. I'm not going to have you raise your hand. 00:40:23.570 --> 00:40:24.849 I'm not going to have you come forward. I'm going 00:40:24.849 --> 00:40:27.090 to pray a simple prayer. And all of us will pray 00:40:27.090 --> 00:40:30.570 with you because we are a family here. And we 00:40:30.570 --> 00:40:33.989 believe in welcoming people home. Amen? Let's 00:40:33.989 --> 00:40:37.610 pray together. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of 00:40:37.610 --> 00:40:43.239 doubt. Shame, regret, sin. Change me. Forgive 00:40:43.239 --> 00:40:48.820 me. I believe you're God's son. I believe you 00:40:48.820 --> 00:40:53.960 died for me. I believe you're alive today. Make 00:40:53.960 --> 00:40:58.480 me new. Set me free. Fill me with your spirit. 00:40:58.880 --> 00:41:03.280 Help me, God, to serve others. In Jesus' name. 00:41:04.099 --> 00:41:06.079 Amen. Now there are several words of knowledge 00:41:06.079 --> 00:41:08.539 I want to share with you. If these are you, our 00:41:08.539 --> 00:41:10.639 prayer to you on my left and my right to pray 00:41:10.639 --> 00:41:13.260 with you. You have an abnormal growth from the 00:41:13.260 --> 00:41:16.920 middle of your back. You have neck pain that 00:41:16.920 --> 00:41:20.320 is causing you to not being able to sleep. You 00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:23.940 have left knee pain because of an injury. You 00:41:23.940 --> 00:41:26.079 are struggling with sciatic pain in the lower 00:41:26.079 --> 00:41:30.340 part of your back or butt area. You are married 00:41:30.340 --> 00:41:32.679 and struggling in your relationship and considering 00:41:32.679 --> 00:41:36.400 divorce. If any of those are you, come up here 00:41:36.400 --> 00:41:38.139 and get some prayer. We believe that God wants 00:41:38.139 --> 00:41:40.900 to meet you and heal you. If you're a couple 00:41:40.900 --> 00:41:43.849 and you're struggling, Husband and wife, get 00:41:43.849 --> 00:41:47.070 up here so we can pray with you. God bless you 00:41:47.070 --> 00:41:49.469 guys. Summer Jams continues for the month of 00:41:49.469 --> 00:41:53.289 June. Next week, we have The Killers, a modern 00:41:53.289 --> 00:41:55.670 -day rock and roll band that's going to blow 00:41:55.670 --> 00:41:57.969 your mind. Invite your friends and family. God 00:41:57.969 --> 00:42:10.260 bless you guys. life for mine you're the one 00:42:10.260 --> 00:42:13.019 turn water into wine please fix my heart things 00:42:13.019 --> 00:42:13.380 inside