I'm really excited to be here. You know, my wife,
Alex, and I, we live in Nashville. I'm a family
minister at the church that I work at. So from
zero to 18, I'm there. I was literally texting
people this morning about, hey, y 'all call it,
we worship, we call it Kids in Christ service.
I was texting people this morning, hey, make
sure you do this, make sure you do that. And
people were like, hey, we got it. You know, it's
so weird to be a little bit, to be away from
the church for even a short amount of time that
we get to. you know, travel on the weekends.
It's a little bit weird to be away from my home
church, but I'm so incredibly glad to be here
this morning, be with my family, right? Regardless
of where we meet, we're family, and I'm absolutely
overjoyed by that. Donovan brought this to me
a little while ago about what this sermon series
is about, about what we're going to talk about
this morning, and it's all about doing well,
right? I think that so often in our lives, we
are consumed by the idea of success. We're consumed
by the idea of success. And we look across the
world, and one of the terrible things that we
can get into is we can get into the comparison
game. I work with, you know, small people, medium
people. I work with so many young people. And
one of the most prevailing themes in their lives
is the idea of comparison. You know, when a 16
-year -old gets a car, if they don't have a BMW,
it's like, oh, man, well, this guy got a BMW
for his 16th birthday. Am I lesser because of
that? Oh, this person got a car on their 16th
birthday. I only got a bike. Oh, this person
got this. This person got that. One of the things
that we too often focus onto is the idea of what
the definition is of doing well. What is the
definition of doing well? So often in not only
our culture, but every place surrounding the
world, the idea of doing well is tied to money.
It's tied to success. It's tied to fame. And
I don't think anybody in here would think it's
out of bounds to say that unfortunately that
has creeped its way into the church. What do
you mean that you go to a church of less than
400 people? What do you mean you don't have five
people on staff? What do you mean you don't have
this? What do you mean that you don't have that?
What do you mean you don't have a full -time
children's minister? What do you mean you don't
go to a Honduras trip every single year? What
do you mean you don't do this? And so we've judged
the church and people inside the church based
on success, how the world defines it. But that's
happened a lot, not only with this specific area
in terms of doing well, but also in business,
in Christian businesses, right? One of the gold
standards for doing well in the world today,
at least I feel, is Chick -fil -A, right? I think
that's a perfect example of Christians setting
a standard. And rather than curtailing their
clientele, curtailing their standards to the
world, they uplift the world's standards. When
we think of doing well, sometimes as a minister,
I can, I guess the best way to describe it is
I can fall into this sin. I can be worried about,
oh, My church doesn't have 500 people. I'm not
the biggest youth program in Nashville. I'm not
this. I'm not that. And I think that when we
start to understand the true definition of what
success is, the true definition of what doing
well is, the more it becomes obvious that Jesus
Christ is at the center of that. The idea of
well. The idea of doing, the idea of success
has to start at Christ. In the year 2020, it
was my very first ministry job. My very first
ministry job, I agreed to the job about two weeks
before the world shut down. It was wild. One
of the things that I did in that time frame was
I started, I'm a big NBA fan. I love NBA basketball.
You probably can tell by my height. But I love
NBA basketball. I love all things basketball.
I watch basketball way too much. And I started
this little podcast thing. So I started on YouTube,
on Twitter, on Instagram. I got some really awesome
opportunities. I got to interview several different
NBA players. This picture in the middle here,
it got posted on social media on the New Orleans
Pelican site. I'm there in the back. ground.
I got to stand on the court at halftime. I got
an NBA media pass. I got to talk to NBA GMs.
I got to meet millionaires who, you know, get
to play the game of basketball. And it was so
much fun. It was so much fun. And, you know,
by all metrics of the world, I was successful.
By all metrics of the world in this world, like
on Twitter, I was getting 5 to 10 million impressions
a month. On Instagram, I was getting paid to
do a post. On YouTube, I was making so much money
a month by posting all these videos. By all markers
of success in the world, I was successful. But
what went into this, in my mind, as a minister
now, was inappropriate. Because here's the point
that I was at, is that every game, NBA plays
82 games a year. Every game I was watching. It
didn't matter if I was at a wedding. It didn't
matter if I was at a funeral. It didn't matter
if I had a youth ministry thing going on that
day. I would end class early on Wednesday nights
to make sure that I got to watch the beginning
of this so I could tweet about it. So I could
make sure that I was the most informed on content
and be able to comment good things about the
team. My wife will tell you it was a rough time
because it seemed that all other responsibilities,
all other things in my life came second to this.
And I was still an active minister at the time.
By all metrics, I should have continued doing
this because I was successful. And the question
this morning is, Does all success come from God?
Does all success come from God? It's a very interesting
and important question that we have to ask. Some
of us immediately have an answer. Some of us
have dealt with people in the world who are successful
by the metric of the world, who sell millions
of dollars of merchandise, who... have really
good businesses that are profitable, that have
a wide span of successfulness, both professionally
in the business world and things like that. But
one of the things that I think we have to understand,
and I'll say this and then we'll explain it,
is that Satan can bless you too. Satan will give
you anything you want. Anything you want. He'll
give you money. He'll give you fame. He'll give
you ideas and ideals of grandeur that you could
obtain one day. But apart from that, he'll take
everything you have. He'll give you anything
you want, but will take everything that you have.
And I think one of the things that we have to
understand, and with the idea of Satan blessing
us, I know we tie that word with blessing and
we tie it with Christ and God and what he has
given to us and praise be to him for that. But
Satan can make a curse seem like a blessing.
He can say, you know what? This thing that you've
wanted for your entire life, I'm going to be
a good guy. I'm going to give it to you. And
I think that it is no more clear that this is
not only true, but absolutely fundamental to
not only our faith as individuals, but even to
Christ. In Matthew chapter 4, verses 1 through
11, then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After
fasting for 40 days and for 40 nights, he was
hungry. The tempter came to him and said, if
you are the Son of God, tell these stones to
become bread. Jesus answered, it is written,
man shall not live on bread alone. but on every
word that comes from the mouth of God. And the
devil took him to the holy city, had him stand
at the highest point of the temple. If you are
the son of God, he said, throw yourself down
for it is written. He will command his angels
concerning you and they will lift. you up in
their hands so that you will not strike your
foot against a stone. Jesus answered him, it
is also written, do not put the Lord your God
to the test. Again, the devil took him to a very
high mountain and showed him all of the kingdoms
of the world and their splendor and says, what?
I will give them to you. He said, if you will
bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, away
from me, Satan, for it is written, worship the
Lord your God and serve him only. And the devil
left him and the angels came and attended. We
see it very clearly at the end of the verse here.
Verse nine, all this I will give to you. The
idea of success is great. The source of success
is more important. If Christ is not the source
of our success, then I question what we have
been given. So often we can have conversations
about fruit, right? Don and I this week, we're
talking about the idea of fruits versus fruit
of the Spirit. If the success that we have is
not built upon love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, and faithfulness, has it come from
God? And can a good thing be a good thing apart
from God? Can a fantastic work that wasn't inspired
by God be good? There's so many questions. There's
so much to contain here. I know we're at the
part of the sermon where you're like, where are
we going? Where are we getting at? I'm going
to take a break. Let's see. How many people in
here are under 10 years old? Do we have anybody?
Question mark. Yes. No, maybe so. One on there.
What about under 18? Under 18? Yes. One, two.
Look, I got you a deal. I got you a steal of
a deal. I got a dollar. Can you name who is most
often attributed to... The writing of Ecclesiastes.
Who's the author? You can shout it out. I'll
give you a dollar. No? No? Okay, we'll go 25
and under. Anybody? Anybody? No. I promise you
can shout it out. 25. 25 and under? 35 and under.
Solomon? Who said it? Oh, that man needs some
money. After this, I got you. I got you. Listen.
I'll pay for half the tip at the Mexican restaurant
after lunch today. I got you. I got you. Ecclesiastes
chapter 2 is most commonly attributed to Solomon,
right? Solomon was this guy that for whatever
reason became somebody who was consumed by success.
And it's really important that we understand
in Solomon's story, he was blessed by God with
what? Wisdom, blessed with riches. Even if something
starts with a blessing from God, it can still
not end up as a result of God. Solomon's life
is a beautiful, painful example of that. I don't
know if y 'all are still a Bible reading church,
but I read big chapters all the time. So if you
want to read with me, I'm going to read the entire
chapter of Ecclesiastes 2. If you take the idea
of it being read by Solomon, I think it's hauntingly
beautiful in this idea of success. Ecclesiastes
chapter 2. I said in my heart, come now, I will
test you with pleasure. Enjoy yourself, but hold
this also was vanity. I said of laughter, it
is mad, and of pleasure, what use is it? I searched
with my heart how to cheer my body with wine,
my heart still guiding me with wisdom, and how
to lay... hold on folly, till I might see what
was good for the children of man to do under
heaven during the few days of their life. I made
great works. I built houses. I planted vineyards
for myself. I made myself gardens and parks and
planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made
myself pools from which to water to the forest
of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves
and had slaves who were born in my house. I had
also great possessions of herds and flocks more
than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.
I also gathered for myself silver and gold and
the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers,
men and women, and many concubines, the delight
of the sons of man. So I became great and surpassed
all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my
wisdom remained with me, and whatever my eyes
desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart
from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure
in all my toil. And this was my reward for all
of my toil, that I considered all that my hands
had done in the toil I had expended in doing
it. And behold, all was vanity, and the striving
after win. Then there was nothing to be gained
under the sun. So I turned to consider wisdom
and madness and folly. For what can the man do
who comes after the king? Only what has already
been done. Then I saw that there is more gain
in wisdom than in folly. And there is more gain
in light than in darkness. The wise person. has
his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness.
And yet I perceive that the same event happens
to all of them. Then I said in my heart, what
happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why
then have I been so very wise? And said in my
heart that this is also vanity. For of the wise,
as of the fool, there is no enduring remembrance,
seeing that in the days to come all will have
been forgotten. How the wise dies just like the
fool. So I hated life, because what is done under
the sun was grievous to me. For all is vanity
and a striving after win. And I hated all my
toil, in which I toil under the sun, seeing that
I must leave it to the man who will come after
me. And who knows whether he will be wise or
a fool? Yet he will be the master of all, which
I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This
is also vanity. So I turned about and gave my
heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors
under the sun, because sometimes a person who
has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill
must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone
who did not toil for it. This also is vanity
and a great evil. What has a man from all the
toil and striving of heart with which he toils
beneath the sun? For all his days are full of
sorrow and his work of vexation. Even in the
night his heart does not rest. This is also vanity.
There is nothing better for a person than that
he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in
his toil. This also I saw is from... the hand
of God. For apart from him who can eat or who
can have enjoyment. For to the one who pleases
him, God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy.
But to the sinner, he has given the busyness
of gathering and collecting only to give to one
who pleases God. This is also vanity. and is
striving after the wind. It is so incredibly
hauntingly beautiful. You see a man that has
been given everything, success, money. It says
that his house was innumerable, his wives innumerable,
his money uncalculable. The man who had it all,
at the end, after it had all been taken away,
that is when he found out how important the source
was. Because he had it all. Again, the same idea.
He had the successes of the world. And it boils
down to this point. Do not judge success on the
scale of the world, but instead through the eyes
of God. Do not judge it based on biggest house.
Do not judge it based on most money. Do not judge
it based on all the things that so many people
in the world want to tell us. And honestly, even
people in the church will tell us. How many times
do we see, not only in my work, but in our everyday
lives, do we see people out in the world who
have... you know, these huge churches that, you
know, spend hundreds and hundreds and thousands
and thousands. I'll give you a perfect example
from a church in Nashville. There was a church
in Nashville that was giving out $1 ,000 to the
individual who was under 18 years old who brought
the most friends to church. And here's, I'm not
saying that I don't spend money to get people
to come to church, but I have an issue with that.
I have an issue with that because quite simply
and quite frankly, as nicely as I can put it,
I hold a high regard for what God blesses a church
with. If a family, you know, I think about a
family member at our church that they have a
limited income and they give, you know, let's
say they give $30 on a Sunday morning. And it's
a sacrifice. And we so flippantly give something
like that out to an 18 year old, a 16 year old,
a 15 year old, whatever it may be. And so in
the pursuit of success, have we lost the mission
of Christ? In the pursuit of filling a sanctuary
filled with people who love God, have we forgot
the definition? of success? Have we forgot how
many people the church started with? Have we
forgot that God blesses us regardless of the
number of people in attendance? He blesses the
true and faithful in heart, the people who are
seeking Him daily, the people who are desiring
Him so fervently that their lives are changed
forever. The truth and the matter of the fact
is so often what can happen is we see success
and we're threatened by it. We should always
be in prayer and always be lifting up churches
to be successful, for people to be successful.
And the fruits of our labor, the fruits of their
labor, will show if that success is from God.
And more importantly, and this is the part that
I think all of us struggle with, is the idea
of judgment in that. Sometimes there's a really
popular saying, there's no hate like Christian
love, right? Sometimes because we can get kind
of a bad rap for being a little judgy. Just a
little bit, some of us. Not you great, wonderful
people, but people out there. Sometimes we can
get a little bit of hate for being judgy. We
can. And it's really interesting to me because
what can happen is, and it happens all the time,
is we so often become the brother in Luke chapter
15. If you'll read with me there, Luke chapter
15, verses 11 through 32. And he said there was
a man who had two sons, and the younger of them
said to his father, Father, give me the share
of the property that is coming to me. And he
divided his property between them. Not many days
later, the younger son gathered all he had. and
took a journey into a far country. And there
he squandered his property and reckless living,
and when he had spent everything, a severe famine
arose in that country. And he began to be in
need, so he went and hired himself out to one
of the citizens of that country, who sent him
into his fields to feed the pigs. And he was
longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs
ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he
came to himself, he said, How many of my father's
hired servants have more than enough bread, but
I perish here with hunger? I will arise and go
to my father, and I will say to him, Father,
I have sinned against heaven and before you.
I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
Treat me as one of your hired servants. And he
arose and came to his father. But while he was
still a long way off, his father saw him and
felt compassion and ran and embraced him and
kissed him. And the son said to him, Father,
I have sinned against heaven and before you.
I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
But the father said to his servants, bring quickly
the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring
on his hand and shoes on his feet, and bring
the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and
celebrate. For my son was dead and is alive again.
He was lost and is found, and they began to celebrate.
Now his older son was in the field, and as he
came and drew near to the house, he heard music
and he heard dancing. And he called one of the
servants and asked what these things meant. And
he said to him, your brother has come and your
father has killed the fattened calf because he
has received him back safe and sound. But he
was angry and refused to go in. His father came
out and entreated him. But he answered his father,
look, these many years I have served you and
I never disobeyed your command. You have never
gave me a young goat that I might celebrate with
my friends. But when this son of yours came who
has devoured your property with prostitutes,
you killed the fatted calf for him. And he said
to him, son, you're always with me, and all that
is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate
and be glad, for this your brother was dead and
is alive. He was lost and he is found. When I
think of the church today, I feel too often.
that we're like the brother in this scenario.
I'll give you a really good example. A lot of
times we'll see people out, whether they are
celebrities, whether we know them really well.
Maybe they are a movie star, an actor. Maybe
they're an NFL player. Maybe they play NBA. Maybe
they're a famous concert. or a famous person
in the orchestra or whatever it is. We see these
people who are really, really famous in life.
Maybe they've lived their lives in a way in which
has been public and has not been pretty. You
know, maybe they've had several divorces. Maybe
they have had several scandals. Maybe they've
had several things in their life that do not
reflect Christian values. And all of a sudden
we see maybe on social media in a post or something
like that, we'll see that, hey, this person got
baptized. How many Christians would we see in
the comments of a post like that being like,
this isn't real. This isn't real. Hey, we know
what you did last week. We know, we know, we
see this. We know 10 years ago what you were.
We know that you've had several husbands. We
know that you've had several partners. We know
that, you know, you've been drunk on the cover
of Vogue or whatever it is. Like, we know these
things. And Christians are so loud. We are so
loud when people come to Christ about how they
don't meet our level of Christ, about how they
don't meet our level of faith, about how they
don't meet certain standards that we have set
that God has not. I fear that the church today
has never been louder. We've never had less to
say. I feel that so often we scream from the
mountaintops about what is and what is not right.
Another example for you. For a long time, especially
when I grew up, there was a lot of people that
said, no, you have to use the KJV. No, don't
use the KJV, use the New King James Version.
What do you mean you use the NIV? How can you
use anything else besides the NASB? How can you
use that type of Bible? How can you use that
translation? If you're in the churches of Christ,
you use the message, you're already excommunicated.
Like, it has been insane for a long time. And
that's a standard that has not been set. And
so what we say for so long is that this person,
has not met my definition of what it means to
be a Christian, yet they have met the definition
of what it means to be a Christian in Christ's
love. What happens is the further and further
and further and further that we get... Maybe
it's our own conversion. Maybe it's the start
of our faith. Maybe we go from the milk to the
meat. The further that we get from the milk,
the more that we judge people that they're not
on the meat already. I see it all the time in
the church today that we see 15 and 16 and 17
-year -olds make big mistakes that they are going
to make, and older Christians judge them. They
say, I never made that mistake. How can you make
that mistake? You are not a Christian. Do not
call yourself a Christian. Do not relate yourself
with me. And Christ is making a point here. Do
not be overjoyed that you are better in comparison
than another Christian. That if another Christian
comes back home into the fold of God's love,
that we welcome them in, that we eat the fatted
calf with them because we're overjoyed. We're
so incredibly filled with the spirit of renewal,
of hope, of love. of so many great and fantastic
emotions that God gives us to express the beauty
that is a Christian who has been found. It's
amazing to me to see people come to Christ, but
I still struggle with this. I texted Donovan
this week about somebody who is famous, kind
of like I said, that made a commitment to God
that I questioned. And in his study for this
lesson, I was like, wow, I stink. You know, like
I was like, you, what are we doing? Sometimes
you preach to yourself. And I think it's important
for all of us to understand this point most specifically.
We cannot be so consumed by our own Christian
journey that we forget that there are many paths
to the faith. Many paths. It's not always two
-parent household, two -and -a -half kids, go
to church every Sunday and Wednesday. It's not
always that because life is messy. The faith
is messy. It can be really hard to not only be
a Christian, but it can be really hard to be
a part of something that you feel inferior to.
I struggle with this relationship. up and down
that we have with God. Because even preaching,
I've told Donovan, I've told several people,
I don't consider myself a preacher. It's not
something I desire. I'm so excited that Donovan
has made that journey into the pulpit. I think
he does a great, fantastic job. But I just don't
think that preaching is something that I aspire
to do full time because I have such a high calling
of it. It's such a high calling. Same thing with
like an elder, right? Is that it's such a high
calling, I feel like I constantly will fall below,
and I'm scared of the things that I won't do.
When we think about our Christian journey, we
have to remember there are many paths to that
faith. Some people have to meet, it's a really
popular saying, some people have to meet Jesus
at the very last moment. Think of the thief on
the cross. He knew about Jesus. He believed in
Jesus more than the guy to the right. Sometimes
faith journey, our faith journey looks very different
from the people to the left and to the right
of us. And praise be to God for that. Because
for me, You know, my dad and my grandfather passed
very, very young when I was about three years
old. And I grew up without my dad and my grandfather.
So every time that, like, I would read the Bible,
I would read that what's the most common relationship
that we see depicted between Jesus and God, right?
It's a father -son relationship. And I struggled
with that, right? Because I didn't get to know
my father. I didn't know what it was like to
be his son. So I struggled with that. And I needed
people who had great father and son relationships
to describe that to me. The beauty of the church
is not that everyone is uniform. It is that God
fits us together like a puzzle. That every little
indent that we have, every piece that we have
or that is missing, someone in the church is
able to fulfill. And I think so often of how
we can continue to grow the church, continue
to be a better example for the people around
us, be involved in the community, and be a church
that calls people to a higher. I coach fifth
and sixth grade basketball. One of the things
I tell them all the time is this. I'm not calling
you out. I'm calling you up, right? I'm not saying
you're a terrible human being. I'm saying I know
your character. I know how you can act better,
right? I know how God is working in your life,
and I know that He calls us all higher, and I
know that we can do that together. That's the
beauty of the church. One of the things that
we have to remember is in Luke chapter 15, verse
7, I tell you that in the same way there will
be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who
repents than over 99 righteous persons who do
not need to repent. Who is your one center? Oftentimes
we sit in a church setting and there's some semblance
of an altar call. We have some type of conversation
here on a Sunday morning and we say, all right,
you know, we're going to stand up. We're going
to have a prayer. If you need anything, you come
forward, right? Who's your one person? I think
it's really interesting. Donovan and I were talking
about this this past week about what this means.
One of the times when we read verses like this,
we say, who's our one sinner? Who's our one person
that we are trying to affect in our lives to
impact change? One of the things that God all
the time in the Old Testament and a lot of times
in the New Testament, he calls us to consider
ourselves first. Who is that one person? Could
that one person be you? Could that one person
be somebody in your life that you desperately
need to have a conversation with? Not a, you're
the worst person in the world, but how can I
help you? I'll never forget a family that I know.
in Texas had an atheist son who was very against
Christianity for a really, really long time.
And every month or so, they'd say, hey, son,
you know, can we talk about this? And he'd say
no. He'd say no. And it took 32 and a half years
until the son finally said yes. Sometimes it's
not about what you're saying. It's about when
you say it. Sometimes it's not about coming in
with the fist, the meat of the Bible, but coming
with the love and care that Christ shows us every
day, to be able to wake up on this earth, to
be able to breathe, to be able to live, to be
able to enjoy the emotions that He has given
us, the joy, the laughter, even the pain. Who
is your one person? Is it you? Are you avoiding
a conversation? Is it someone close to you? Is
it somebody that you love? I'm not the person
that's going to stand up here and say, well,
you have to talk today because you might not
get tomorrow. I believe that. But I also believe
that pushing people with some sort of spiritual
manipulation is not healthy. that you do know
as a Christian when is the right time to have
a conversation with your one. What are you doing
in preparation for that conversation now? Are
you studying? Are you praying? Are you lifting
them up in prayer? Are you studying the scriptures
about something that they are afflicted with?
Are you securing yourself with the Spirit so
when that time comes, He is blessing you with
the beauty that He can. with the joy of the gospel,
with the joy of Christ? Who is your one? I don't
know exactly how you typically pray. One of the
things that I always like to do in my own personal
prayer life is I always like to just talk to
God about the people that I'm thinking about.
whether it be somebody at my work, somebody that
I meet at National Christian, somebody in a bank
that I've met, a general person that's come to
church once or twice, whatever it may be. Just
talk to God about that person. Not in a way where
we're trying to change their lives, but just
say, God, if this person is somebody that you
want me to be involved in their lives, make that
clear. Who is your one? I would love for us to
pray over that person now.