WEBVTT 00:00:00.380 --> 00:00:02.560 Let's go, church. Let's give it up for Jesus. 00:00:05.540 --> 00:00:08.140 Amen, amen. You guys can go ahead and grab a 00:00:08.140 --> 00:00:11.660 seat. Man, so excited to be with you guys this 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:14.720 morning, to be able to open God's Word with you. 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:16.379 I want to welcome you. If you've not been welcomed 00:00:16.379 --> 00:00:18.899 yet, I want to welcome those of you online, those 00:00:18.899 --> 00:00:21.019 of you out in Baghdad, those of you in Paulding 00:00:21.019 --> 00:00:22.879 watching. We're so glad that you get to join 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:27.019 with us today. Let me ask you this. How many 00:00:27.019 --> 00:00:29.820 of you like getting your picture taken? There's 00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:31.260 like a very few of you. Some of you are like, 00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:33.200 oh yeah, I look good, right? Like the rest of 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:35.320 you are like, I'm not sure, right? That's not 00:00:35.320 --> 00:00:37.579 your thing. But I've noticed there's really like 00:00:37.579 --> 00:00:40.719 three types of photos that can be taken of you. 00:00:41.140 --> 00:00:43.939 The first is the candid photo, right? You have 00:00:43.939 --> 00:00:46.799 no clue it's coming. It can happen at any time. 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:49.200 You have no idea. And some of you I'm really 00:00:49.200 --> 00:00:51.659 jealous of because it doesn't matter who takes 00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:53.439 it, when they take it, you look like you belong 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:55.179 in a magazine. You're just like, oh, perfect 00:00:55.179 --> 00:00:58.060 pose. I don't know how you do it. Because when 00:00:58.060 --> 00:01:00.439 people take pictures of me candidly, I'm like, 00:01:00.500 --> 00:01:02.479 I have four chins in that picture. I don't know 00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:04.799 how you even hit that angle. It doesn't make 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:07.799 sense. So there's candid photos. Then there's 00:01:07.799 --> 00:01:11.049 posed photos. You know the picture's being taken. 00:01:11.209 --> 00:01:14.489 You're ready. You're posing. You're getting in 00:01:14.489 --> 00:01:16.290 the right place, which apparently my children 00:01:16.290 --> 00:01:18.069 think this is the time for them to smile like 00:01:18.069 --> 00:01:21.909 this. Right? Like picture day, we got their hair 00:01:21.909 --> 00:01:23.590 perfect, and we're like, did you smile? They're 00:01:23.590 --> 00:01:25.090 like, yeah. We get the picture back, and we're 00:01:25.090 --> 00:01:28.450 like, no, you didn't. What is that? There's post 00:01:28.450 --> 00:01:32.760 photos. And then there's selfies. All right, 00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:34.599 then there's selfies where you get to find the 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:37.000 right angle. You got to hit it just right. You 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:38.459 got to be like, this is what I want them to see. 00:01:38.519 --> 00:01:40.819 Like one chin, not four. You know what I mean? 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:42.640 Like you got to find the right angle. You got 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:44.900 to do it. You get to show people what you want 00:01:44.900 --> 00:01:47.079 them to see. What you're like, hey, this is what 00:01:47.079 --> 00:01:49.700 I want you to see. And it's estimated that there's 00:01:49.700 --> 00:01:53.599 93 million selfies taken daily. And some of you 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:55.299 are the culprits. I've seen you. All right, I'm 00:01:55.299 --> 00:01:59.510 just saying. I'm just saying. Well, as we've 00:01:59.510 --> 00:02:00.709 been going through this collection of talks, 00:02:00.810 --> 00:02:03.170 we've been walking through snapshots where we 00:02:03.170 --> 00:02:06.109 get a snapshot of God's character. We get a picture 00:02:06.109 --> 00:02:09.370 of God's character and we've seen multiple snapshots 00:02:09.370 --> 00:02:11.789 to say this is what God's character is and we 00:02:11.789 --> 00:02:14.669 see it through the snapshot. Today, we're gonna 00:02:14.669 --> 00:02:17.509 look at a selfie that God gives us of his character. 00:02:17.849 --> 00:02:20.569 I think of it as God's business card. All right, 00:02:20.569 --> 00:02:22.750 you guys remember business cards? All right, 00:02:22.750 --> 00:02:25.050 let me help. A LinkedIn profile, that's what 00:02:25.050 --> 00:02:27.340 I mean, right? business card. You go, hey, this 00:02:27.340 --> 00:02:30.240 is the information you need to know about me. 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:32.460 I'm giving you the information right here so 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:35.400 you can know what it is that I want you to know 00:02:35.400 --> 00:02:37.280 about me. And as we're going to look at God's 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:41.099 business card today, because Moses has seen snapshots 00:02:41.099 --> 00:02:43.139 of God and he's seen snapshots of God's character. 00:02:43.479 --> 00:02:45.419 I remember the burning bush. He saw a snapshot 00:02:45.419 --> 00:02:47.280 of God through the burning bush. He saw the burning 00:02:47.280 --> 00:02:50.319 bush. He saw a snapshot of God through the plagues. 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:53.400 He saw a snapshot of God through every single 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:56.060 thing that he did, the giant pillar of fire, 00:02:56.199 --> 00:02:58.099 a pillar of cloud. He saw a snapshot of God. 00:02:58.120 --> 00:03:00.539 He saw a snapshot of God's protection, God's 00:03:00.539 --> 00:03:06.000 provision, God's guidance. He saw God's love. 00:03:06.860 --> 00:03:09.120 He's seen all of these things of God, but as 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:11.800 far as God telling him who he is, all he had 00:03:11.800 --> 00:03:15.219 to go off of was I am, that's it. When he's like, 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:16.639 who should I say sent me? And he's like, say 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:21.750 I am. He's like, sweet, I got it. So God gives 00:03:21.750 --> 00:03:24.389 us a little bit more here. And what's happening 00:03:24.389 --> 00:03:26.750 is this, is the Israelites, they're going through 00:03:26.750 --> 00:03:28.650 the desert. And as they're going through the 00:03:28.650 --> 00:03:31.229 desert and they're on this journey, Moses stops 00:03:31.229 --> 00:03:33.229 for a moment and he goes up to this mountain 00:03:33.229 --> 00:03:37.090 to talk with God, to hear from God, to have some 00:03:37.090 --> 00:03:39.509 time with God. And while he's gone, he's gone 00:03:39.509 --> 00:03:42.229 for just a few moments. He's gone just for a 00:03:42.229 --> 00:03:44.129 little bit, just a few days he goes up on this 00:03:44.129 --> 00:03:46.509 mountain. All right, so any parents in here, 00:03:46.550 --> 00:03:48.629 you ever left the room for just a few minutes? 00:03:49.539 --> 00:03:51.840 You know what I'm talking about? Like everything's 00:03:51.840 --> 00:03:54.060 clean perfectly. It's spotless. Everything's 00:03:54.060 --> 00:03:56.199 great. There are no fishy crackers all over the 00:03:56.199 --> 00:04:00.659 floor. And you leave for just a little bit. And 00:04:00.659 --> 00:04:02.360 you come back in and you're like, who lit the 00:04:02.360 --> 00:04:05.759 bomb? Like what happened? This is insane. This 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:07.539 is crazy, right? That's when I lose my mind. 00:04:07.580 --> 00:04:09.460 I'm like, this is not what I left it like. That's 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:11.560 why I, listen, I used to have hair, but I pulled 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:13.280 it all out because of those situations. Just 00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:17.220 like that. Moses leaves just for a couple moments. 00:04:17.980 --> 00:04:20.279 And he comes back. And when he comes back, while 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:22.639 he was gone, what the Israelites did is they 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:25.180 melted down their jewelry and they made a calf 00:04:25.180 --> 00:04:27.040 to worship because they're like, God must have 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:29.500 left us. And so they made a calf and they worshiped 00:04:29.500 --> 00:04:32.500 this golden calf. And Moses, who just comes down 00:04:32.500 --> 00:04:34.939 from talking with God, who received the 10 commandments 00:04:34.939 --> 00:04:36.579 on these plates, and he comes down, he's like, 00:04:36.620 --> 00:04:38.120 I'm gonna give these to them. This is gonna be 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:41.160 great. This is God's guidance for us. He loses 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:44.379 his mind. He pulled his hair out. And he throws 00:04:44.379 --> 00:04:46.139 these tablets down and he breaks them. And he's 00:04:46.139 --> 00:04:49.620 going, what did you guys do? I was gone for a 00:04:49.620 --> 00:04:52.420 moment and you messed it all up. And so he goes, 00:04:52.459 --> 00:04:54.560 God is gonna be angry and I need to go up and 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:56.699 I need to talk to God. And so he goes up in an 00:04:56.699 --> 00:04:59.259 act of almost trying to atone for them. He goes 00:04:59.259 --> 00:05:01.819 up and he goes, hey, don't kill these people. 00:05:02.100 --> 00:05:06.060 Kill me instead. Take me instead, spare the people, 00:05:06.139 --> 00:05:07.899 man. And if that's not a picture of what Jesus 00:05:07.899 --> 00:05:12.240 did for us, If that's not a snapshot of Jesus 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:16.060 showing us what he's going to do on a cross for 00:05:16.060 --> 00:05:19.360 us. But Moses goes up and he does this and this 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:22.019 sparks God to go, hey, let me tell you who I 00:05:22.019 --> 00:05:26.379 am. Let me from my mouth tell you who I am. And 00:05:26.379 --> 00:05:31.959 he says this in Exodus 34, verse six. It says, 00:05:32.019 --> 00:05:35.139 the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, the 00:05:35.139 --> 00:05:39.600 Lord, the Lord, a God merciful. and gracious. 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:42.060 That's what he says. This is on his business 00:05:42.060 --> 00:05:43.699 card. The first thing listed is he says, man, 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:47.100 I am merciful. I am merciful. A lot of times 00:05:47.100 --> 00:05:49.399 when we think of God, we would say, yeah, who's 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:52.139 God? God is love. And that's true. God is love. 00:05:52.220 --> 00:05:54.680 But the only reason we're even able to experience 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:58.019 his love is because of his mercy. God is merciful. 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:01.040 God is merciful and gracious. What is mercy? 00:06:01.579 --> 00:06:06.029 Mercy is you not getting what you deserve. It's 00:06:06.029 --> 00:06:07.889 not getting what you, you deserve this punishment. 00:06:07.990 --> 00:06:10.209 It's you not getting what you deserve. I don't 00:06:10.209 --> 00:06:12.649 know how you grew up, but I grew up in a generation 00:06:12.649 --> 00:06:15.170 where I got spanked. Okay, there was no nice, 00:06:15.209 --> 00:06:17.129 kind conversation. I got whooped. That's what 00:06:17.129 --> 00:06:20.129 happened. My parents are like, oh, no, you deserved 00:06:20.129 --> 00:06:23.069 it. Let's go. And so anytime when I would do 00:06:23.069 --> 00:06:25.569 something that deserved to get a whooping, here's 00:06:25.569 --> 00:06:31.009 what would happen. I would ask for mercy. Please, 00:06:31.050 --> 00:06:34.209 mercy. Come on, please. Don't give me what I 00:06:34.209 --> 00:06:37.129 deserve. All right, what God does is you deserve 00:06:37.129 --> 00:06:39.149 a punishment, but he said, no, I'm giving you 00:06:39.149 --> 00:06:41.370 mercy. Why? Because I am merciful. That's who 00:06:41.370 --> 00:06:43.889 I am. That's who God is. And so he's given us 00:06:43.889 --> 00:06:46.230 his mercy by not giving us the punishment that 00:06:46.230 --> 00:06:48.589 we deserve. But not only that, he gives us grace. 00:06:49.410 --> 00:06:51.290 Grace is you getting what you don't deserve. 00:06:52.470 --> 00:06:54.589 It's like my parents going, not only do you deserve 00:06:54.589 --> 00:06:56.350 a whooping, but instead I'm gonna buy you ice 00:06:56.350 --> 00:06:59.470 cream. That never happened, by the way. Never, 00:06:59.529 --> 00:07:02.389 not once. I'm just saying, that's an example. 00:07:03.629 --> 00:07:05.269 All right, what God did is he said, you don't 00:07:05.269 --> 00:07:08.410 deserve this, but I'm giving you Jesus. I'm giving 00:07:08.410 --> 00:07:10.810 you this because I am merciful, because I am 00:07:10.810 --> 00:07:13.810 gracious. That's who he is because of his mercy 00:07:13.810 --> 00:07:16.389 and his grace. All right, the whole verse, it 00:07:16.389 --> 00:07:18.350 goes on. It says this, the Lord passed before 00:07:18.350 --> 00:07:22.269 him, proclaimed the Lord, the Lord, a God merciful 00:07:22.269 --> 00:07:28.189 and gracious. It says slow to anger. How many 00:07:28.189 --> 00:07:30.509 of you are gratefully slow to anger? All right, 00:07:30.509 --> 00:07:31.709 some of you aren't grateful because you don't 00:07:31.709 --> 00:07:34.269 know yourself. Come on now. I know me. I'm grateful 00:07:34.269 --> 00:07:38.410 that he's slow to anger. He says, I'm abounding 00:07:38.410 --> 00:07:42.649 in steadfast love and faithfulness. That is who 00:07:42.649 --> 00:07:44.670 he is. He's given him his business card. He's 00:07:44.670 --> 00:07:46.550 saying, this is it. This is a selfie. This is 00:07:46.550 --> 00:07:48.370 a snapshot. I want you to understand this is 00:07:48.370 --> 00:07:51.569 who I am. I am full of mercy. I am full of grace. 00:07:51.610 --> 00:07:53.790 That is who he is. And if we're honest, we see 00:07:53.790 --> 00:07:55.730 it everywhere. If you're taking notes, write 00:07:55.730 --> 00:07:59.589 that down. That is who he is. And we see it everywhere. 00:08:00.250 --> 00:08:03.660 It is consistent. It's consistent all throughout 00:08:03.660 --> 00:08:06.240 scripture. All throughout scripture, we see his 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:09.360 mercy and his grace on display, but no more so 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:12.240 than in the New Testament. It is full of mercy, 00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:15.360 full of grace on display. That is where we see 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:18.379 it the most throughout scripture. All right, 00:08:18.379 --> 00:08:20.660 it reminds me of this. How many of you have ever 00:08:20.660 --> 00:08:22.759 been to Great Wolf Lodge? Been to Great Wolf 00:08:22.759 --> 00:08:25.819 Lodge? All right, they take this place and they 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:27.579 design it so that you feel like you are in a 00:08:27.579 --> 00:08:29.680 different place. You don't need the outside world. 00:08:29.779 --> 00:08:32.139 You are on your own planet in Great Wolf Lodge. 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:34.700 All right, and what they do is they design it 00:08:34.700 --> 00:08:36.779 everywhere that the kid looks they want something. 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:39.240 They're like, oh, donuts, I want one of those. 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:41.080 And then they're like, oh my goodness, there's 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:42.679 candy over here. And you're like, close your 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:46.120 eyes right now. And they make it really easy. 00:08:46.179 --> 00:08:47.679 They give you a wristband so all you can do is 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:49.740 just scan it. You're like, beep, beep, scan it. 00:08:50.059 --> 00:08:52.799 You want a donut? Sweet. Right? Like, what does 00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:54.860 that smell? I want fries. Let's get fries. And 00:08:54.860 --> 00:08:57.220 you scan it. And then you check out and your 00:08:57.220 --> 00:08:59.279 bill's like $5 million. And you're like, what 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:02.840 in the world just happened? But in the back, 00:09:02.840 --> 00:09:04.379 they have their water park area and they have 00:09:04.379 --> 00:09:06.360 like a wave pool over there and they have water 00:09:06.360 --> 00:09:09.379 slides. And then they have the playground. And 00:09:09.379 --> 00:09:11.360 my kids are at an age where they love the playground. 00:09:11.460 --> 00:09:13.779 They'll play on this playground. And if you've 00:09:13.779 --> 00:09:15.700 been to a water park playground, most of them 00:09:15.700 --> 00:09:17.779 have this feature where there's just water everywhere. 00:09:17.820 --> 00:09:19.960 But there's one thing. There's a giant bucket 00:09:19.960 --> 00:09:23.570 up top. And it slowly fills up and you can play 00:09:23.570 --> 00:09:25.350 and you can sit there and it fills up and it 00:09:25.350 --> 00:09:27.129 fills up and it fills up and it finally gets 00:09:27.129 --> 00:09:30.450 to a point where it dumps out. And all of that 00:09:30.450 --> 00:09:33.129 water comes pouring out of this bucket. And as 00:09:33.129 --> 00:09:35.450 I'm standing there with my kids and we're waiting 00:09:35.450 --> 00:09:36.850 for this bucket, it's getting to the point where 00:09:36.850 --> 00:09:38.169 it's starting to tip and you're like, oh, it's 00:09:38.169 --> 00:09:40.750 going to happen. And then this moment I'm sitting 00:09:40.750 --> 00:09:44.730 there and listen, I could be a good father. I 00:09:44.730 --> 00:09:47.690 could be a good father. I would like pull my 00:09:47.690 --> 00:09:49.289 kids out of the way so they don't just get smashed 00:09:49.289 --> 00:09:52.169 by this water. Or I might even take it for them 00:09:52.169 --> 00:09:53.629 and just be like, no, it hits me and you're good 00:09:53.629 --> 00:09:56.990 and you just get a little bit. And I intend to 00:09:56.990 --> 00:10:01.429 do that. But then when it's about to pour out, 00:10:01.470 --> 00:10:04.370 something comes over me and I turn into like 00:10:04.370 --> 00:10:08.850 a cartoon villain. I'm like, oh, right. Maybe 00:10:08.850 --> 00:10:10.190 not just the villain. Maybe I'm like the bald 00:10:10.190 --> 00:10:11.590 sidekick. You know what I mean? Why are they 00:10:11.590 --> 00:10:14.690 always bald? Why do they do that to us? Hi, some 00:10:14.690 --> 00:10:16.250 of you in here, you're standing with me. I see 00:10:16.250 --> 00:10:19.690 you. And right as this thing dumps, I'm like, 00:10:19.730 --> 00:10:21.710 no, no, no, you save yourself. And I throw them 00:10:21.710 --> 00:10:23.210 right in the water. They get smashed and I'm 00:10:23.210 --> 00:10:26.850 like, ah. Here's what the Bible says in Romans. 00:10:26.929 --> 00:10:29.470 In Romans chapter two, verse five, it says that 00:10:29.470 --> 00:10:32.970 God's righteous wrath is being stored up and 00:10:32.970 --> 00:10:36.080 waiting to be poured out upon us. His righteous 00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:38.600 wrath that we've been storing up will be poured 00:10:38.600 --> 00:10:41.620 out, but in an act of extreme mercy and extreme 00:10:41.620 --> 00:10:44.919 grace, when the bucket was full of wrath to be 00:10:44.919 --> 00:10:47.620 poured out on you, Jesus stepped in and took 00:10:47.620 --> 00:10:50.440 you out so that you do not get hit with what 00:10:50.440 --> 00:10:54.100 you deserve. That is mercy. That is grace. Because 00:10:54.100 --> 00:10:55.759 we've been storing it up, because everything 00:10:55.759 --> 00:10:59.539 we've done is storing up this wrath that God 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:02.919 is going to pour out. But Jesus steps in and 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:05.620 that is who he is. He is full of mercy. He is 00:11:05.620 --> 00:11:09.700 full of grace. And we see it everywhere. We see 00:11:09.700 --> 00:11:10.860 it everywhere. If you're taking notes, write 00:11:10.860 --> 00:11:14.600 this down. Because of his mercy and grace, we 00:11:14.600 --> 00:11:17.759 can have salvation. Because of his mercy and 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:21.379 grace, we can have salvation. We have a problem 00:11:21.379 --> 00:11:26.039 though. And the problem is sin. And every single 00:11:26.039 --> 00:11:29.320 one of us have the problem of sin. Some of you 00:11:29.320 --> 00:11:31.509 are like, I don't know if I have it. Yes, you 00:11:31.509 --> 00:11:34.889 do. You have it. You know how I know? Have you 00:11:34.889 --> 00:11:37.830 ever hung out with a two -year -old before? Right, 00:11:37.870 --> 00:11:39.450 you ever hung out with, they're evil. They are. 00:11:41.529 --> 00:11:43.370 God bless our two and three -year -old workers 00:11:43.370 --> 00:11:47.289 that are in there right now. Right, nobody has 00:11:47.289 --> 00:11:48.870 to sit a two -year -old down and go, okay, listen, 00:11:49.090 --> 00:11:51.149 what I want you to do is I want you to yell no. 00:11:51.750 --> 00:11:54.929 Okay, now louder, yell no. Say mine and then 00:11:54.929 --> 00:11:57.309 hit them, right? Nobody has to say that. They 00:11:57.309 --> 00:11:59.389 just know it. Nobody taught them how to do that. 00:12:00.520 --> 00:12:02.460 That's the life they live. Why? Because we have 00:12:02.460 --> 00:12:04.679 a sin nature. It's inside of us and it grows 00:12:04.679 --> 00:12:07.100 in us. And each one of us have sin. And because 00:12:07.100 --> 00:12:09.440 of our sin, because of the sin that you and I 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:11.820 have, we are separated from God. But check this 00:12:11.820 --> 00:12:14.799 out. It says in Romans 5, 8, but God demonstrates, 00:12:15.159 --> 00:12:19.340 he shows his love for us in what? In his mercy 00:12:19.340 --> 00:12:22.620 and his grace. Because while we were still sinners, 00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:27.299 Christ died for us. While you could not do it 00:12:27.299 --> 00:12:30.279 on your own, while you were still sinners, Christ 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:33.399 died for you and said, here is my mercy. Here's 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:36.139 my grace. I'm going to step in on your behalf. 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:39.500 I'm gonna go to a cross and I'm going to die 00:12:39.500 --> 00:12:45.360 for you. That is salvation. We have an opportunity 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:49.659 to be saved. Salvation is saying, God, I accept 00:12:49.659 --> 00:12:55.100 your mercy. I accept your grace. And I think 00:12:55.100 --> 00:12:57.000 the Holy Spirit is working on some of you in 00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:59.399 here right now. Maybe the Holy Spirit is telling 00:12:59.399 --> 00:13:01.080 you, hey, that's you and you need to accept my 00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:03.259 mercy and grace. You need to step into my mercy 00:13:03.259 --> 00:13:06.279 and grace. Because here's the thing, you can't 00:13:06.279 --> 00:13:08.879 accept it. You can't be saved without his mercy 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:12.480 and his grace. Just because you come to church, 00:13:12.500 --> 00:13:14.980 it doesn't make you a Christian. Just because 00:13:14.980 --> 00:13:16.940 you're here, that's like saying because you stand 00:13:16.940 --> 00:13:19.799 in a garage that you're a car. You're not a car, 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:22.509 you're just standing in a garage. You're not 00:13:22.509 --> 00:13:24.009 a Christian because you come to church. It is 00:13:24.009 --> 00:13:29.309 only because of Jesus. It is only through Jesus. 00:13:30.409 --> 00:13:33.590 I grew up in San Diego, and growing up in San 00:13:33.590 --> 00:13:36.409 Diego, every summer I was at the beach almost 00:13:36.409 --> 00:13:38.450 every day. I was at the beach all the time, and 00:13:38.450 --> 00:13:40.769 it never failed. Every single year we'd have 00:13:40.769 --> 00:13:43.570 people come from out of town. They'd come in. 00:13:43.690 --> 00:13:45.750 Most of them were Arizonans, I'm just saying. 00:13:46.450 --> 00:13:49.600 And they'd come in and go to the beach. Every 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:50.860 time they go out and they're like, I wanna go 00:13:50.860 --> 00:13:52.539 on the water. I wanna go swim in the ocean. I 00:13:52.539 --> 00:13:54.960 wanna go out in the waves. And they don't realize 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:56.740 that it's not Great Wolf Lodge Waves Pool. You 00:13:56.740 --> 00:13:58.580 know what I'm saying? They get a little bit too 00:13:58.580 --> 00:14:01.519 far out. They get a little bit scared. They panic 00:14:01.519 --> 00:14:02.779 a little bit and they get to a place where they 00:14:02.779 --> 00:14:04.240 go, how did I even get here? I don't know what 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:06.200 I'm doing. I shouldn't be this far out. And they 00:14:06.200 --> 00:14:08.899 get a little embarrassed in that moment because 00:14:08.899 --> 00:14:10.500 they're so far out, because they're like, I don't 00:14:10.500 --> 00:14:12.440 know how to do this. And they start kind of freaking 00:14:12.440 --> 00:14:15.019 out from where they're at. And I always like 00:14:15.019 --> 00:14:16.519 looking after the lifeguards because the lifeguards 00:14:16.519 --> 00:14:18.799 are ready. And you know what the lifeguard says 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:20.519 when he looks out and sees someone out there? 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:22.500 He doesn't go, well, you're just not trying hard 00:14:22.500 --> 00:14:25.440 enough. If you were trying a little harder, maybe 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:29.539 I'd care. If you just had a little bit more perfection, 00:14:29.779 --> 00:14:32.919 then maybe I'd go after you. Just a little more 00:14:32.919 --> 00:14:35.519 elegance. No, not a chance. As soon as that hand 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:38.559 goes up, the lifeguard dives in. Just like Jesus 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:40.840 says, listen, I'm not waiting for perfection. 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:42.720 I'm not waiting for anything that you can do. 00:14:42.779 --> 00:14:45.000 There's no effort on your part to earn salvation. 00:14:45.019 --> 00:14:47.360 As soon as you say, I am putting my hand up to 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:49.419 receive what you have done, you are given his 00:14:49.419 --> 00:14:51.399 grace, you are given his mercy, and you were 00:14:51.399 --> 00:14:53.480 given a seat at the right hand of the throne 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:57.139 of God next to Jesus in heaven. You are given 00:14:57.139 --> 00:15:05.039 that because of Jesus. Not because anything you 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:09.440 have done. We get to worship God because of his 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:12.899 grace. It says this in Hebrews 4, 16, let us 00:15:12.899 --> 00:15:15.980 then approach God's throne of grace with confidence 00:15:15.980 --> 00:15:20.960 so that we may receive mercy and find grace to 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:24.720 help us in our time of need. Let's just approach 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:27.500 his throne of grace with confidence. Why? Because 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:29.279 he's gonna give you mercy. He's gonna give you 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:32.340 grace. And when you've accepted his mercy and 00:15:32.340 --> 00:15:33.940 his grace in your life, when you've said, hey, 00:15:34.000 --> 00:15:38.919 that's me. I need it. I can't do this. When you've 00:15:38.919 --> 00:15:41.159 accepted his mercy and grace, you then get to 00:15:41.159 --> 00:15:45.519 live in his mercy and grace. It's not a one and 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:48.039 done. You get to constantly live in his mercy 00:15:48.039 --> 00:15:50.080 and grace. If you're taking notes, write this 00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:53.179 down. Because of his mercy and grace, we get 00:15:53.179 --> 00:15:56.639 to join him on kingdom mission. Because of his 00:15:56.639 --> 00:15:58.980 mercy and grace, we get to join him on kingdom. 00:16:00.169 --> 00:16:03.230 mission, right? We get to be the snapshots of 00:16:03.230 --> 00:16:07.549 his mercy and grace to the world around us. It's 00:16:07.549 --> 00:16:10.250 like this, my kids, man, if you know me and you 00:16:10.250 --> 00:16:12.389 don't know my wife at all, when people see my 00:16:12.389 --> 00:16:15.330 kids, they go, oh, they look just like you. And 00:16:15.330 --> 00:16:17.190 then they see my wife and they don't know me. 00:16:17.230 --> 00:16:18.710 If they don't know me, they know her. They go, 00:16:18.730 --> 00:16:22.070 man, these kids look just like her. Like, yeah, 00:16:22.110 --> 00:16:23.809 because they're the perfect mix of both of us. 00:16:23.830 --> 00:16:25.769 They are a snapshot of us. They have more hair 00:16:25.769 --> 00:16:28.769 than me, okay? But they're a snapshot of us. 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:30.840 And the hope is it's not just the way that they 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:32.279 look, it's the way that they act so that when 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:34.159 they go out in public and the way that they live, 00:16:34.259 --> 00:16:36.480 people are going, that is a snapshot of the values 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:38.940 that you've instilled in your kids. That is a 00:16:38.940 --> 00:16:41.159 snapshot of the way that you have loved them 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:42.820 and have raised them. And they are showing that 00:16:42.820 --> 00:16:45.500 snapshot. And we see that in the way that they 00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:48.059 live their lives. You and I, we get to be a snapshot 00:16:48.059 --> 00:16:50.320 of our heavenly father to the world around us. 00:16:51.350 --> 00:16:54.289 We get to be a representative of his grace and 00:16:54.289 --> 00:16:56.990 of his mercy to the world around us so that when 00:16:56.990 --> 00:16:58.830 they see the way that we live, they go, oh my 00:16:58.830 --> 00:17:01.830 goodness, that is a snapshot of God and his character. 00:17:03.649 --> 00:17:06.250 Because of the way that we carry ourself, we 00:17:06.250 --> 00:17:11.109 get to be the hands and the feet of Jesus. When 00:17:11.109 --> 00:17:12.710 you join him on kingdom mission, you get to be 00:17:12.710 --> 00:17:15.430 his hands and feet. On Wednesday night here, 00:17:15.509 --> 00:17:18.369 we have our youth and our kids programs. We have 00:17:18.369 --> 00:17:20.690 people that serve diligently in those programs. 00:17:21.410 --> 00:17:23.170 I was talking to Pastor Jordan this week and 00:17:23.170 --> 00:17:24.970 we have people that have been serving. This is 00:17:24.970 --> 00:17:27.029 their second year serving faithfully in the fourth 00:17:27.029 --> 00:17:28.809 and fifth grade room. Every single week they're 00:17:28.809 --> 00:17:32.130 there and they're pouring into these kids. And 00:17:32.130 --> 00:17:33.569 the kids, when they graduate and they go into 00:17:33.569 --> 00:17:35.349 sixth grade, they move on to the next program. 00:17:35.470 --> 00:17:37.170 But he was telling me that every week they come 00:17:37.170 --> 00:17:39.029 back and they go, hey, are they here? Are they 00:17:39.029 --> 00:17:40.809 here? I wanna come and I wanna say hi to them. 00:17:41.170 --> 00:17:43.730 I wanna talk to them. Why? Because they've made 00:17:43.730 --> 00:17:46.730 an impact on their life. Why? Because they love 00:17:46.730 --> 00:17:48.930 them. Why? Because they were the hands and feet 00:17:48.930 --> 00:17:52.910 of Jesus by serving, by showing up in their life 00:17:52.910 --> 00:17:55.910 and serving. We get to be the hands and feet 00:17:55.910 --> 00:17:58.529 of Jesus. I was driving the other day and I was 00:17:58.529 --> 00:18:01.490 driving down. Willow Creek here in Prescott. 00:18:01.589 --> 00:18:04.309 And as I was going, I noticed off in the distance 00:18:04.309 --> 00:18:06.410 that there was two people kind of on the sidewalk 00:18:06.410 --> 00:18:07.970 on the side of the road. And as I got closer, 00:18:08.069 --> 00:18:11.309 I'm wondering what is happening here. And from 00:18:11.309 --> 00:18:13.890 appearance, what I could tell is the man looked 00:18:13.890 --> 00:18:16.250 like maybe he was going through some rough times. 00:18:16.329 --> 00:18:18.390 He was an older gentleman that maybe was experiencing 00:18:18.390 --> 00:18:21.150 homelessness and he had some physical ailments 00:18:21.150 --> 00:18:24.309 going on. And this woman is next to him and she 00:18:24.309 --> 00:18:26.910 has her hand on his shoulder. And as I got closer, 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:29.299 What was happening is exactly what I thought. 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:32.640 She was just praying for this man. She had her 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:34.720 head bowed and her eyes are closed and she's 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:36.200 praying and I'm going, wow, this is incredible. 00:18:36.920 --> 00:18:38.799 As the light stopped and I kind of slowed down, 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:41.619 I got a closer look and I was just filled with 00:18:41.619 --> 00:18:43.960 joy as I recognized who it was because she goes 00:18:43.960 --> 00:18:46.720 to Heights Church every week. And what I saw 00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:49.460 is somebody living on kingdom mission in their 00:18:49.460 --> 00:18:51.059 world. Listen, she didn't know her pastor was 00:18:51.059 --> 00:18:53.619 driving by. She wasn't like, all right, let me 00:18:53.619 --> 00:18:54.960 just do this real quick. Someone's gonna see 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:58.619 me. She was like, I am living on kingdom mission. 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:01.279 I have experienced grace. I've experienced mercy. 00:19:01.380 --> 00:19:02.859 And I want to show it to the world around me 00:19:02.859 --> 00:19:05.000 so that when I see someone who needs some prayer, 00:19:05.160 --> 00:19:06.940 who needs someone to come alongside them, I'm 00:19:06.940 --> 00:19:09.759 willing to do it wherever I'm at. Because that's 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:11.759 what the hands and feet of Jesus are. When you 00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:13.220 live on kingdom mission, you are the hands and 00:19:13.220 --> 00:19:15.720 feet of Jesus. When you live on kingdom mission, 00:19:15.819 --> 00:19:17.400 you understand that you are a representative 00:19:17.400 --> 00:19:21.940 of Jesus. You get to represent Jesus to the world 00:19:21.940 --> 00:19:26.099 around you. Last week, I was talking to A gentleman 00:19:26.099 --> 00:19:29.180 in our church that many of you know is very involved 00:19:29.180 --> 00:19:32.539 here. He's been going through some health issues, 00:19:32.660 --> 00:19:36.380 some very serious health issues. So much so that 00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:39.579 he needs a new heart. And it's been a process 00:19:39.579 --> 00:19:42.940 over the years. And recently he got a call to 00:19:42.940 --> 00:19:45.599 say he had a new heart that was going to be given. 00:19:46.619 --> 00:19:48.700 So he goes to the hospital down in Phoenix. And 00:19:48.700 --> 00:19:51.079 as he's in the hospital, the doctors come up 00:19:51.079 --> 00:19:53.930 and the doctors go, hey. The heart that we have 00:19:53.930 --> 00:19:57.650 is corrupted. We cannot use it. And the doctors 00:19:57.650 --> 00:20:00.450 are extremely upset by it. And the nurses are 00:20:00.450 --> 00:20:02.410 upset by it as they've walked this journey with 00:20:02.410 --> 00:20:03.990 him. And they're going, this is not okay. This 00:20:03.990 --> 00:20:06.630 is not good. And as he looked back at them, he 00:20:06.630 --> 00:20:09.410 said, it's okay. And the doctor's like, it's 00:20:09.410 --> 00:20:11.109 not okay. And he goes, yeah, it's okay. You know 00:20:11.109 --> 00:20:14.369 why? Because I trust God. And in that moment, 00:20:14.410 --> 00:20:16.329 the doctors are going, why can you trust God 00:20:16.329 --> 00:20:18.029 in this? And you know what he did? He shared 00:20:18.029 --> 00:20:21.450 Jesus with them. Because it doesn't matter our 00:20:21.450 --> 00:20:23.730 situation. It doesn't matter how hard it is and 00:20:23.730 --> 00:20:25.230 the things that we're going through and what's 00:20:25.230 --> 00:20:27.009 happening around us. If you are on kingdom mission, 00:20:27.109 --> 00:20:29.269 you are a representative of Jesus to the world 00:20:29.269 --> 00:20:31.170 around you. Whether you're laying in a hospital 00:20:31.170 --> 00:20:32.950 bed or whether you're walking on a sidewalk, 00:20:33.269 --> 00:20:38.250 you can represent Jesus. Last week, I was walking 00:20:38.250 --> 00:20:40.450 into church and someone stopped me and they said, 00:20:40.490 --> 00:20:41.950 hey, Pastor Todd, I gotta tell you this story. 00:20:42.569 --> 00:20:44.269 Said I was having a conversation with someone 00:20:44.269 --> 00:20:46.329 this week and they hadn't been to church in 10 00:20:46.329 --> 00:20:49.509 years. And in 10 years, they hadn't come to church, 00:20:49.549 --> 00:20:51.970 but they came last week and they came to Heights. 00:20:52.809 --> 00:20:54.990 They said they felt more welcomed and loved than 00:20:54.990 --> 00:20:57.630 they've ever felt before. So it was so welcoming. 00:20:57.650 --> 00:21:00.329 It was so loving. And they tell them, they're 00:21:00.329 --> 00:21:02.309 like, hey, and that bald guy that spoke, he did 00:21:02.309 --> 00:21:04.329 a great job. And I was like, that's just the 00:21:04.329 --> 00:21:07.349 bald guy. That's all I got. But you podcast people 00:21:07.349 --> 00:21:08.849 know it's not bald guy. It's the bald eagle, 00:21:08.930 --> 00:21:11.009 baby. Come on now. All right. Some of you, some 00:21:11.009 --> 00:21:14.089 of you are with me. And if you don't know, unedited 00:21:14.089 --> 00:21:15.609 podcast, you better listen to it. All right. 00:21:17.370 --> 00:21:18.910 And so I'm talking to him. I'm going, man, this 00:21:18.910 --> 00:21:20.910 is awesome. I'm glad. And he said, she just stayed 00:21:20.910 --> 00:21:23.789 after the service and she cried. She was just 00:21:23.789 --> 00:21:25.250 in tears because she's like, this is incredible. 00:21:26.410 --> 00:21:28.410 And she had no idea that he was involved with 00:21:28.410 --> 00:21:29.829 Heights. And I said, well, that's incredible. 00:21:30.009 --> 00:21:32.369 How did she tell you this? And he goes, we were 00:21:32.369 --> 00:21:35.130 having a banking conversation. And I was like, 00:21:35.150 --> 00:21:37.509 how did that come up in a banking conversation? 00:21:38.630 --> 00:21:40.529 And you know what he said? He said, how does 00:21:40.529 --> 00:21:43.500 that not come up in a banking conversation? Because 00:21:43.500 --> 00:21:46.220 when you've experienced Jesus's mercy and grace, 00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:48.960 every conversation is an opportunity to talk 00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:52.160 about Jesus, to be a representative of him in 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:55.200 the world that you're in. Every place that you 00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:57.799 find yourself is an opportunity to put yourself 00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:02.019 in a place where you can share Jesus, where you 00:22:02.019 --> 00:22:04.039 can talk about Jesus, where you get to be his 00:22:04.039 --> 00:22:09.400 representative to the world around you. His mercy 00:22:09.400 --> 00:22:11.339 and grace, when you've experienced it, you can't 00:22:11.339 --> 00:22:15.390 stop showing it. It's living on kingdom mission. 00:22:15.829 --> 00:22:21.609 It's loving people. It's giving. It's serving. 00:22:22.390 --> 00:22:26.009 It's inviting. It's sharing. It's doing these 00:22:26.009 --> 00:22:27.950 things. This is what the mark of living on kingdom 00:22:27.950 --> 00:22:30.970 mission looks like. And more than that, this 00:22:30.970 --> 00:22:35.069 is the mark of a mature believer. This is the 00:22:35.069 --> 00:22:36.809 mark of a mature believer. It's not how much 00:22:36.809 --> 00:22:39.599 you know, it's what you do. I'm gonna get in 00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:41.380 your grill a little bit right now, okay? Listen, 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:43.019 because a lot of people, when it comes to church, 00:22:43.079 --> 00:22:45.019 you go, hey, I just need more. I just need you 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:46.680 to give me more. I need you to go deeper. How 00:22:46.680 --> 00:22:48.680 come you don't go deep enough? And here's what 00:22:48.680 --> 00:22:50.900 I would say. You don't need more until you've 00:22:50.900 --> 00:22:54.380 used what you have. I think about my kids when 00:22:54.380 --> 00:22:56.420 they have a good dinner. It's in their plate 00:22:56.420 --> 00:22:57.660 and they take a couple good bites and they're 00:22:57.660 --> 00:23:00.359 like, that's really good. Can I have more? And 00:23:00.359 --> 00:23:01.640 I'm like, why don't you finish what's on your 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:04.029 plate first before I give you more? Some of you 00:23:04.029 --> 00:23:05.589 guys haven't applied what you learned last week 00:23:05.589 --> 00:23:07.049 or the week before, the week before, the week 00:23:07.049 --> 00:23:08.329 before, and you're going, can I have more? I 00:23:08.329 --> 00:23:09.849 just need to go deeper. And I'm like, no, do 00:23:09.849 --> 00:23:12.829 what you already know. Because the mark of a 00:23:12.829 --> 00:23:15.990 mature believer is not how deep you are. It's 00:23:15.990 --> 00:23:20.609 how much you do. I think most Christians are 00:23:20.609 --> 00:23:22.690 educated far beyond their level of obedience. 00:23:24.230 --> 00:23:25.950 You know way more than you're willing to do. 00:23:26.410 --> 00:23:29.289 That's not the mark of maturity. It's living 00:23:29.289 --> 00:23:31.369 on kingdom mission. It's living a life that says 00:23:31.369 --> 00:23:33.529 it's not about me. It's about giving away to 00:23:33.529 --> 00:23:36.069 other people. It's about living the mission because 00:23:36.069 --> 00:23:37.970 I've received grace, because I've received mercy. 00:23:38.029 --> 00:23:39.970 I then wanna live in a way that shows grace and 00:23:39.970 --> 00:23:41.750 mercy to other people. I'm telling you, Pastor 00:23:41.750 --> 00:23:43.349 John and I could get up here and confuse the 00:23:43.349 --> 00:23:44.970 heck out of you every week. So you leave and 00:23:44.970 --> 00:23:46.970 go, oh, that was really deep, but it doesn't 00:23:46.970 --> 00:23:50.630 change your life at all. And we failed because 00:23:50.630 --> 00:23:54.589 you have been called to live on kingdom mission. 00:23:55.039 --> 00:23:57.420 You've been called to be loving to the people 00:23:57.420 --> 00:24:00.140 around you. What if you were just present with 00:24:00.140 --> 00:24:02.180 the people around you long enough to see them? 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:04.579 Some of us, we move so fast that we can't be 00:24:04.579 --> 00:24:07.259 loving. You can't stop to pray for someone on 00:24:07.259 --> 00:24:08.900 the side of the road because you're moving too 00:24:08.900 --> 00:24:12.460 fast. Being loving is just stopping to be present. 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:16.680 Being loving, if you're gonna live kingdom mission, 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:19.279 being loving is, some of you are gonna love this 00:24:19.279 --> 00:24:22.019 one too, it's choosing kindness over being right. 00:24:24.039 --> 00:24:26.579 Oh, we're good at being right though. I know 00:24:26.579 --> 00:24:28.079 how to be right. I got to stand on this. What 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:29.700 if you were just loving enough to be kind instead 00:24:29.700 --> 00:24:33.920 of being right? I wonder if we lived in a way 00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:35.640 where we could just serve people around us. What 00:24:35.640 --> 00:24:38.259 that means is going, hey, this isn't about just 00:24:38.259 --> 00:24:40.160 my time because a lot of you don't have time 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:42.619 and I get that. But what if you joined a serve 00:24:42.619 --> 00:24:45.019 team? Listen, a lot of you have come here for 00:24:45.019 --> 00:24:46.700 a really long time and that's great. We're glad 00:24:46.700 --> 00:24:49.599 you're here. But start getting involved. Join 00:24:49.599 --> 00:24:53.160 a serve team. Say, man, I want to serve. Not 00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:55.099 just here, but wherever you're at. Serving means 00:24:55.099 --> 00:24:58.440 putting other people first. What if you were 00:24:58.440 --> 00:25:00.500 like, hey, no, you go first. We live in a me 00:25:00.500 --> 00:25:02.680 first society, but what if you just step back 00:25:02.680 --> 00:25:04.480 and say, no, I'm gonna serve you by letting you 00:25:04.480 --> 00:25:08.660 go first. What if in our life, we were able to 00:25:08.660 --> 00:25:12.400 share with the people around us? Most of us are 00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:14.740 scared to share with the people around us when 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:17.119 it comes to Jesus, because we're like, what if 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:21.740 they say no? And you need to know this. We are 00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:24.579 living in a time where people are more open than 00:25:24.579 --> 00:25:29.680 they have ever been. People are searching. People 00:25:29.680 --> 00:25:31.519 are wanting. People are going, I need, I wanna 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:33.980 hear about this. And we're afraid to get rejected, 00:25:33.980 --> 00:25:36.420 but I promise you 99 % of the time, if you say, 00:25:36.500 --> 00:25:38.599 hey, can I just share with you about Jesus? People 00:25:38.599 --> 00:25:40.940 are gonna say yes. If you just say, hey, can 00:25:40.940 --> 00:25:46.539 I pray with you? People are gonna say yes. What 00:25:46.539 --> 00:25:49.079 if we were giving? Living on kingdom missions, 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:51.339 it means you're living in a giving way. where 00:25:51.339 --> 00:25:53.039 you understand that everything that you have 00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:54.980 been given is not yours, it is God's anyway, 00:25:55.099 --> 00:25:59.180 therefore you can give it to other people. I 00:25:59.180 --> 00:26:00.519 was talking to a friend of mine last week who 00:26:00.519 --> 00:26:02.819 had donated for a project that ended up not happening. 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:04.559 And I said, hey, I gotta give you that money 00:26:04.559 --> 00:26:07.200 back. And he says, no, you don't. I gave it. 00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:09.359 I said, no, no, I gotta give it back to you. 00:26:09.400 --> 00:26:10.900 And he goes, if you give it back to me, I'm actually 00:26:10.900 --> 00:26:14.420 gonna be mad because it's not mine, it's God's 00:26:14.420 --> 00:26:17.960 and I gave it away. That's what living on kingdom 00:26:17.960 --> 00:26:21.619 mission looks like, saying I'm giving it. All 00:26:21.619 --> 00:26:24.359 right, it's inviting people to church. It's saying, 00:26:24.420 --> 00:26:27.559 hey, come on, come check this out. All right, 00:26:27.559 --> 00:26:29.019 you invite people to church and they go, I'm 00:26:29.019 --> 00:26:31.740 just not really churchy. And you're like, yeah, 00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:34.420 you should meet our pastors. They aren't either. 00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:38.660 All right, there's no such thing as churchy, 00:26:38.660 --> 00:26:40.940 there's Jesus people. And when you're a Jesus 00:26:40.940 --> 00:26:43.480 person, you show mercy and you show grace and 00:26:43.480 --> 00:26:46.799 you reflect him to the world around you. I was 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:49.650 talking to someone this last week who, is involved 00:26:49.650 --> 00:26:52.490 with our church. They're actually on staff. And 00:26:52.490 --> 00:26:53.930 they were telling me they went to In -N -Out. 00:26:54.710 --> 00:26:56.170 And they went to In -N -Out because they love 00:26:56.170 --> 00:26:57.849 Jesus and it's the Lord's restaurant, that's 00:26:57.849 --> 00:27:00.529 why. Because Chick -fil -A's closed on Sunday, 00:27:00.589 --> 00:27:01.670 so you gotta go to In -N -Out, you know what 00:27:01.670 --> 00:27:04.470 I'm saying? And so they're walking to In -N -Out 00:27:04.470 --> 00:27:06.430 and someone approached them in the parking lot 00:27:06.430 --> 00:27:09.410 and they were, I don't know how to describe them, 00:27:09.430 --> 00:27:11.029 they were sketchy, right? You know, you're sketchy 00:27:11.029 --> 00:27:12.690 people. Some of you, you're sketchy people. You 00:27:12.690 --> 00:27:14.470 know what it means, right? They were sketchy. 00:27:15.009 --> 00:27:16.470 And they come up and said, hey, can I have some 00:27:16.470 --> 00:27:19.119 money? They go, do you need food? What do you 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:20.700 need? I said, we just need money. He said, no, 00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:24.500 hey, how about I buy you some dinner? So he took 00:27:24.500 --> 00:27:26.619 them inside and they bought their dinner, but 00:27:26.619 --> 00:27:28.200 they didn't just stop there. That's a good place 00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:29.819 to just pat yourself on the back. Awesome, I 00:27:29.819 --> 00:27:31.000 did a good deed. They said, hey, why don't you 00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:34.680 sit with us? And they ate dinner with them. That's 00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:36.299 also a good place to stop and pat yourself on 00:27:36.299 --> 00:27:38.720 the back. But they said, no, no, no. Can I pray 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:43.670 for you? Again, they said, absolutely. So they 00:27:43.670 --> 00:27:45.170 prayed for him. And these people, after they 00:27:45.170 --> 00:27:46.630 prayed, just kind of sat there and goes, why 00:27:46.630 --> 00:27:49.150 are you doing this? Why did you sacrifice to 00:27:49.150 --> 00:27:50.890 pay for our food and then invite us to eat with 00:27:50.890 --> 00:27:52.329 you and then ask if I could pray with you? And 00:27:52.329 --> 00:27:54.009 they said, let me tell you why. Because of this 00:27:54.009 --> 00:27:55.869 guy named Jesus. And they started sharing Jesus 00:27:55.869 --> 00:27:58.269 with him. They started sharing Jesus, started 00:27:58.269 --> 00:28:01.349 telling him about this guy named Jesus who is 00:28:01.349 --> 00:28:05.650 full of mercy, who is full of grace. And they 00:28:05.650 --> 00:28:08.650 said, because of him, this is why we live the 00:28:08.650 --> 00:28:13.269 way that we do. That is who he is. And it's because 00:28:13.269 --> 00:28:15.349 of his mercy and it's because of his grace that 00:28:15.349 --> 00:28:17.549 we can live that way. That's who he is and it 00:28:17.549 --> 00:28:19.569 is everywhere. It is all around us. We get to 00:28:19.569 --> 00:28:22.670 be the snapshots in our world. But it's not just 00:28:22.670 --> 00:28:25.410 here in our area. This is happening everywhere. 00:28:26.130 --> 00:28:29.470 God is moving globally. And I'm so excited for 00:28:29.470 --> 00:28:32.069 you guys over the next couple of weeks. This 00:28:32.069 --> 00:28:34.210 is what we call Global Month at Heights Church 00:28:34.210 --> 00:28:36.890 where we get to share stories of what God is 00:28:36.890 --> 00:28:39.170 doing around the globe with our global partners. 00:28:39.430 --> 00:28:42.980 You get to hear stories of people. whose lives 00:28:42.980 --> 00:28:45.359 are being changed because of the gospel in other 00:28:45.359 --> 00:28:48.759 countries around the globe. And what you get 00:28:48.759 --> 00:28:51.779 to see is you get to see a snapshot of God's 00:28:51.779 --> 00:28:55.119 character on display in our world today. It doesn't 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:57.140 just happen on the Old Testament and Exodus because 00:28:57.140 --> 00:29:00.140 God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 00:29:00.700 --> 00:29:03.980 And we get to experience what God is doing. We 00:29:03.980 --> 00:29:07.440 get to see it when you understand the grace and 00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:09.640 mercy you've been given. You live on kingdom 00:29:09.640 --> 00:29:15.170 mission. Last is this, because of his grace, 00:29:15.250 --> 00:29:18.009 because of his mercy and his grace, we get to 00:29:18.009 --> 00:29:21.190 rest in him. Because of his mercy and grace, 00:29:21.250 --> 00:29:24.450 we get to rest in him. I was gonna tell you a 00:29:24.450 --> 00:29:27.470 story of my need for rest because I got 5 ,000 00:29:27.470 --> 00:29:30.269 kids and my life is crazy and all that. But the 00:29:30.269 --> 00:29:32.089 truth is, I think we're all in the same boat. 00:29:33.549 --> 00:29:37.009 We live in a world that's hard. We live in a 00:29:37.009 --> 00:29:39.390 world where we need rest. We got so much going 00:29:39.390 --> 00:29:46.650 on. It's so difficult. We need rest. And here's 00:29:46.650 --> 00:29:51.569 what God says. He was telling Moses. Moses was 00:29:51.569 --> 00:29:53.109 like, I'm done leading these people, man. This 00:29:53.109 --> 00:29:56.710 is too hard. I can't do this. And he tells them 00:29:56.710 --> 00:29:58.609 this. He says, the Lord replied, my presence 00:29:58.609 --> 00:30:01.650 will go with you and I will give you rest. Because 00:30:01.650 --> 00:30:05.410 you find rest in God's presence. You find rest 00:30:05.410 --> 00:30:10.230 in God's presence. And that's where we get rest 00:30:10.230 --> 00:30:12.450 is by going in. We all need rest, but living 00:30:12.450 --> 00:30:16.210 on mission in God's presence is where we find 00:30:16.210 --> 00:30:19.970 true rest. Living on mission in God's presence. 00:30:21.029 --> 00:30:23.450 Living the kingdom mission that he has set out 00:30:23.450 --> 00:30:26.970 for us. All right, Jesus speaks to this. And 00:30:26.970 --> 00:30:29.349 Jesus speaks to this in the New Testament. What 00:30:29.349 --> 00:30:31.490 was happening in this in the book of Matthew. 00:30:32.190 --> 00:30:34.230 is that people are getting burnt out on religion. 00:30:34.430 --> 00:30:36.109 They're getting beat up by religion. They're 00:30:36.109 --> 00:30:37.990 going, I've tried everything and I'm doing too 00:30:37.990 --> 00:30:41.809 much and I need rest. And so Jesus says this 00:30:41.809 --> 00:30:47.849 to them. It says in Matthew 11, verse 28, he 00:30:47.849 --> 00:30:51.890 says, come to me, all who are weary and burdened. 00:30:52.609 --> 00:30:55.910 Does that describe some of you? He says, and 00:30:55.910 --> 00:30:59.369 I will give you rest. He says, take my yoke upon 00:30:59.369 --> 00:31:02.470 you. And learn from me, for I am gentle and humble 00:31:02.470 --> 00:31:05.569 in heart. And you will find rest for your souls. 00:31:06.089 --> 00:31:11.009 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. And 00:31:11.009 --> 00:31:14.210 man, we can preach that. We can preach that unless 00:31:14.210 --> 00:31:18.230 you know what a yoke is. Because it's a device 00:31:18.230 --> 00:31:21.269 that's used for ox to plow a field. It's a device 00:31:21.269 --> 00:31:24.730 used for an incredible amount of work. And when 00:31:24.730 --> 00:31:26.529 we think rest, we go, okay, yeah, rest is no 00:31:26.529 --> 00:31:28.589 work whatsoever, can't do it. No, what true rest 00:31:28.589 --> 00:31:33.730 is. is working for Jesus. He says, take my yoke 00:31:33.730 --> 00:31:36.450 upon you. What he's saying is take my mission 00:31:36.450 --> 00:31:40.210 on. Live on kingdom mission and you will find 00:31:40.210 --> 00:31:42.750 true rest because you are in my presence, living 00:31:42.750 --> 00:31:46.329 in my steps. And that's where true rest is found. 00:31:48.470 --> 00:31:51.250 And we think it's all sacrifice. And we think 00:31:51.250 --> 00:31:54.210 of people who go to In -N -Out, who pay for somebody, 00:31:54.329 --> 00:31:57.180 who let them invade their mealtime. who step 00:31:57.180 --> 00:31:59.099 out in faith and pray for them and share with 00:31:59.099 --> 00:32:00.839 them. We go, that's all sacrifice, man. That's 00:32:00.839 --> 00:32:05.099 a lot of sacrifice to give. I'm telling you, 00:32:05.119 --> 00:32:07.079 when she shared that story with me this weekend, 00:32:07.259 --> 00:32:09.579 I was in a room with a few different people and 00:32:09.579 --> 00:32:12.279 as this story is being shared, the joy on her 00:32:12.279 --> 00:32:16.539 face, the joy that came out from her mouth was... 00:32:17.159 --> 00:32:20.099 And not only was it joy for her, the entire room 00:32:20.099 --> 00:32:23.200 was so joyful listening to someone living on 00:32:23.200 --> 00:32:25.400 kingdom mission because it is not a sacrifice. 00:32:25.539 --> 00:32:28.799 It is not work. It is not painful. It is rest 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:31.319 when you step into what God has called you to 00:32:31.319 --> 00:32:33.740 do, to live on kingdom mission, to say where 00:32:33.740 --> 00:32:37.980 my feet are is where ministry happens. It's not 00:32:37.980 --> 00:32:39.980 something you flip on and flip off. You don't 00:32:39.980 --> 00:32:41.779 just flip on the switch and go, well, now I'm 00:32:41.779 --> 00:32:45.400 in church. This is the time. When you live in 00:32:45.400 --> 00:32:47.849 kingdom mission, That means that wherever God 00:32:47.849 --> 00:32:53.369 has you is your mission field. To love, to give, 00:32:53.569 --> 00:33:00.710 to serve, to share, to invite. It is all because 00:33:00.710 --> 00:33:05.549 of his mercy and grace. And some of you today 00:33:05.549 --> 00:33:08.710 need to accept his mercy and grace. Some of you 00:33:08.710 --> 00:33:10.869 have lived your life and you're trying to do 00:33:10.869 --> 00:33:13.750 it on your own. You're striving. All right, you 00:33:13.750 --> 00:33:15.890 are out too deep and too deep of waters going, 00:33:15.950 --> 00:33:19.650 I can't do this. And you need to accept his mercy. 00:33:19.769 --> 00:33:21.849 You need to accept his grace by saying, Jesus, 00:33:21.950 --> 00:33:25.130 I accept what you did for me on the cross to 00:33:25.130 --> 00:33:29.109 pay the price for me. And some of you are feeling 00:33:29.109 --> 00:33:30.829 the Holy Spirit right now push you to do that. 00:33:31.029 --> 00:33:32.910 You're feeling that feeling inside of going, 00:33:32.970 --> 00:33:35.609 that's me, that's me. I need to do that. Don't 00:33:35.609 --> 00:33:37.900 let today pass. If you have questions or you 00:33:37.900 --> 00:33:39.460 wanna talk to someone, there will be people up 00:33:39.460 --> 00:33:41.200 front after this that wanna talk with you, that 00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:43.279 wanna pray with you, just wanna help you accept 00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:46.000 what Jesus has done for you and accept his mercy 00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:50.440 and grace and step from death into life. For 00:33:50.440 --> 00:33:53.940 those of us that have accepted that, my challenge 00:33:53.940 --> 00:33:57.380 to you is this, because of his mercy, because 00:33:57.380 --> 00:34:03.220 of his grace, live on kingdom mission. When you 00:34:03.220 --> 00:34:06.289 came in today, you were given this. this cup. 00:34:07.009 --> 00:34:09.449 And in the church world, we know this is communion 00:34:09.449 --> 00:34:14.170 and we do it often. It's a tradition. It's very 00:34:14.170 --> 00:34:15.849 tradition. It's very check off your list. We 00:34:15.849 --> 00:34:19.469 did it in church kind of thing. But as we have 00:34:19.469 --> 00:34:22.889 time right now to reflect, I would challenge 00:34:22.889 --> 00:34:25.809 you to reflect on his mercy and his grace in 00:34:25.809 --> 00:34:29.070 your life. Where have you seen his mercy and 00:34:29.070 --> 00:34:32.510 grace that was poured out for you on the cross? 00:34:34.750 --> 00:34:36.710 I would challenge you to think, man, where is 00:34:36.710 --> 00:34:38.889 it in your life where you can go, I am weary 00:34:38.889 --> 00:34:43.170 and I am burdened, but my true rest comes from 00:34:43.170 --> 00:34:46.449 him. In a couple of moments, we'll take this 00:34:46.449 --> 00:34:48.329 together. But right now, I want you to just spend 00:34:48.329 --> 00:34:50.550 time reflecting on what Jesus did for you in 00:34:50.550 --> 00:34:50.829 the cross.