WEBVTT 00:00:00.430 --> 00:00:08.250 Only one found worthy. There's a reason that 00:00:08.250 --> 00:00:14.990 heaven is built the way it is. With Jesus at 00:00:14.990 --> 00:00:21.390 the center. Right? Who else is worthy to have 00:00:21.390 --> 00:00:28.070 created beings covered with eyes? beholding Him 00:00:28.070 --> 00:00:33.649 24 -7 and in response, they cry out, holy is 00:00:33.649 --> 00:00:44.390 this man. Our King is not dead. He's not a story. 00:00:45.289 --> 00:00:50.270 He's not just a purpose. A person of history. 00:00:51.549 --> 00:00:56.899 He's alive today. He's reigning. He's orchestrating. 00:00:57.240 --> 00:01:02.679 And I believe He's powerfully moving among us 00:01:02.679 --> 00:01:08.879 to bring His kingdom of heaven to earth. We started 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:14.319 out the service reading Matthew's account of 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:17.799 the resurrection. But now if we could, let's 00:01:17.799 --> 00:01:20.939 turn to Paul's discussion on the resurrection. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:24.930 This is 1 Corinthians 15. I'm going to spend 00:01:24.930 --> 00:01:29.090 a few minutes reading this passage. 1 Corinthians 00:01:29.090 --> 00:01:35.390 15. We're going to read verses 51 -58. The real 00:01:35.390 --> 00:01:42.489 powerhouse, I believe, of the passage that we're 00:01:42.489 --> 00:01:44.489 going to interact with is going to be mostly 00:01:44.489 --> 00:01:49.750 verses 57 and 58 today. But as I was encouraging 00:01:49.750 --> 00:01:54.599 the early service... If you want to just meditate 00:01:54.599 --> 00:01:58.939 and read through a passage of Scripture that 00:01:58.939 --> 00:02:02.459 will really strengthen the hope of God, the power 00:02:02.459 --> 00:02:04.560 of God in your life through the resurrection, 00:02:04.840 --> 00:02:07.659 you're like, it's Easter, it's Resurrection Sunday, 00:02:07.859 --> 00:02:10.939 I want to really grab a hold of the revelation 00:02:10.939 --> 00:02:13.740 of the resurrection of Jesus and what it means. 00:02:14.060 --> 00:02:17.219 This is a very long chapter, 1 Corinthians chapter 00:02:17.219 --> 00:02:21.830 15, but the Apostle Paul, The entire chapter 00:02:21.830 --> 00:02:24.729 is about the resurrection, why the resurrection, 00:02:24.949 --> 00:02:27.210 the power of the resurrection, how the resurrection 00:02:27.210 --> 00:02:30.550 changes us. It's just a wonderful passage, so 00:02:30.550 --> 00:02:33.449 I encourage you to meditate on it all throughout 00:02:33.449 --> 00:02:36.069 the day. But let's pick up all throughout this 00:02:36.069 --> 00:02:39.189 week. Today's fine too. But 1 Corinthians chapter 00:02:39.189 --> 00:02:43.569 15, let's pick up in verse 51. So this is the 00:02:43.569 --> 00:02:49.599 Apostle Paul. He's writing a letter. to the church 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:52.960 in the city of Corinth, right? And he's writing 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:55.520 about the resurrection and he says this, verse 00:02:55.520 --> 00:03:00.139 51. He says, listen, I tell you a mystery. We 00:03:00.139 --> 00:03:04.560 will not all sleep, but we will all be changed 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:08.780 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the 00:03:08.780 --> 00:03:12.500 last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:16.259 dead will be raised imperishable, and we will 00:03:16.259 --> 00:03:20.930 be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself 00:03:20.930 --> 00:03:24.469 with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality. 00:03:24.969 --> 00:03:27.550 Can I pause this for a second? All throughout 00:03:27.550 --> 00:03:29.610 this chapter, the Apostle Paul's been talking 00:03:29.610 --> 00:03:32.270 about it, but the context is he's talking about 00:03:32.270 --> 00:03:36.389 the very near return of Jesus. When he comes 00:03:36.389 --> 00:03:39.189 back, right? When the trumpet sounds and the 00:03:39.189 --> 00:03:42.110 skies split in the east and the twinkle of an 00:03:42.110 --> 00:03:45.069 eye, he's going to come back and the ground and 00:03:45.069 --> 00:03:47.090 the ocean, the Bible says, is going to give up 00:03:47.090 --> 00:03:49.759 their dead. Right? And there'll be a great time 00:03:49.759 --> 00:03:53.620 of both celebration and righteous judgment on 00:03:53.620 --> 00:03:56.180 the earth. And the Apostle Paul says, when that 00:03:56.180 --> 00:03:59.080 happens, verse 54, when the perishable has been 00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:01.460 clothed with the imperishable and the mortal 00:04:01.460 --> 00:04:04.599 with immortality, then the saying that is written 00:04:04.599 --> 00:04:08.379 will come true. Death has been swallowed up in 00:04:08.379 --> 00:04:12.360 victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:15.520 O death, is your sting? Quoting from Isaiah chapter 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:18.889 25. The Apostle Paul says, the sting of death 00:04:18.889 --> 00:04:21.589 is sin and the power of sin is the law. Here's 00:04:21.589 --> 00:04:23.129 where we want to camp out for a few minutes. 00:04:23.350 --> 00:04:27.490 But thanks be to God, He gives us the victory 00:04:27.490 --> 00:04:31.149 through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my 00:04:31.149 --> 00:04:35.170 dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. 00:04:35.509 --> 00:04:38.350 Always give yourselves fully to the work of the 00:04:38.350 --> 00:04:41.250 Lord because you know that your labor in the 00:04:41.250 --> 00:04:46.389 Lord is not in vain. Let's just... Let's surrender 00:04:46.389 --> 00:04:50.209 ourselves to the Scriptures. Jesus, we come and 00:04:50.209 --> 00:04:53.930 we surrender our hearts, our minds, the way we 00:04:53.930 --> 00:04:58.050 think, our past, our theology, all those things 00:04:58.050 --> 00:05:04.089 we surrender right now. And we are asking for 00:05:04.089 --> 00:05:08.730 a powerful move of Your Holy Spirit through these 00:05:08.730 --> 00:05:14.060 words to change us forever. We surrender in Jesus' 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:17.199 name. You say amen to that? Amen. When we look 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:21.459 at this passage, if we're allowed to entitle 00:05:21.459 --> 00:05:24.300 kind of thoughts about the passage, today would 00:05:24.300 --> 00:05:28.160 be entitled, How to be Changed by the Resurrection 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:32.860 of Jesus. How to be changed by the resurrection 00:05:32.860 --> 00:05:42.420 of Jesus. I've mentioned a kind of joke that 00:05:42.420 --> 00:05:47.620 I was born in the church. I was basically in 00:05:47.620 --> 00:05:51.939 church, in the womb. All I can remember all my 00:05:51.939 --> 00:05:57.879 life is going to church. And I've heard the crucifixion 00:05:57.879 --> 00:06:03.819 and the resurrection story. I have no idea how 00:06:03.819 --> 00:06:07.139 many sermons I've heard preached, how many coloring 00:06:07.139 --> 00:06:13.149 sheets I've done. I mean... My whole life. And 00:06:13.149 --> 00:06:16.529 for me, maybe not for anybody else, but for me, 00:06:16.629 --> 00:06:21.209 there were large blocks of time in my life where 00:06:21.209 --> 00:06:24.970 the story of Jesus had no impact on my life. 00:06:25.350 --> 00:06:29.310 It was just that. A story that I had heard 10 00:06:29.310 --> 00:06:36.310 ,000 times. And so, in these days, when I'm... 00:06:36.430 --> 00:06:39.170 experiencing revival in my own life, and my life 00:06:39.170 --> 00:06:41.629 has been set on fire with purpose for the kingdom 00:06:41.629 --> 00:06:44.870 of heaven on the earth, when I come to a celebration 00:06:44.870 --> 00:06:50.589 like Resurrection Sunday, to me, I come with 00:06:50.589 --> 00:06:54.670 it with the question, Jesus, how can you change 00:06:54.670 --> 00:06:58.769 me? Because it has to be more than a holiday, 00:06:59.009 --> 00:07:03.470 yes? The death and resurrection has to be so 00:07:03.470 --> 00:07:08.019 much more than American holiday. Now, I'm about 00:07:08.019 --> 00:07:15.379 to eat some ham, some yeast rolls, and I'm going 00:07:15.379 --> 00:07:18.519 to enjoy it. I'm going to hang out with my family 00:07:18.519 --> 00:07:21.699 today. I'm going to drive all over Texas so we 00:07:21.699 --> 00:07:24.339 can be together. And I'm going to enjoy it. But 00:07:24.339 --> 00:07:27.019 how many of you would be able to say the resurrection 00:07:27.019 --> 00:07:32.579 of Jesus has to be about more than that? You 00:07:32.579 --> 00:07:35.040 understand that... The death and resurrection 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:38.120 of Jesus is quite literally the turning point 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:42.319 of human history. Time is marked B .C. and A 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:46.220 .D. by this event. But even more than that, some 00:07:46.220 --> 00:07:49.680 kind of human construct, what we're celebrating 00:07:49.680 --> 00:07:56.860 today is the very power and turning point of 00:07:56.860 --> 00:08:00.980 the story of mankind. Where mankind was destined 00:08:00.980 --> 00:08:07.589 to hell. hopeless, and God rescued them. And 00:08:07.589 --> 00:08:09.290 so when we come to this, and we come to this 00:08:09.290 --> 00:08:12.689 passage, the apostle Paul says, on that day, 00:08:12.709 --> 00:08:21.589 you're going to be changed. Yeah? So, he says, 00:08:21.730 --> 00:08:25.069 I want to tell you a mystery. We will not all 00:08:25.069 --> 00:08:30.750 sleep, but we will all be changed. Again, he's 00:08:30.750 --> 00:08:36.899 talking about the Second coming of Jesus. There 00:08:36.899 --> 00:08:39.820 is coming a day. It may be in our generation. 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:42.840 It may be our children's generation. It may be 00:08:42.840 --> 00:08:44.860 their children. It may be their great -grandchildren. 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:49.080 But there is coming a day on the earth. You can 00:08:49.080 --> 00:08:53.320 be assured of this. When the whole world will 00:08:53.320 --> 00:08:58.879 come to a quiet pause. And the skies will break 00:08:58.879 --> 00:09:04.870 open in the east. And there will be the sound 00:09:04.870 --> 00:09:08.509 of a trumpet. That's what it says. It says, and 00:09:08.509 --> 00:09:12.330 the trumpet will sound. I'm going to tell you 00:09:12.330 --> 00:09:15.230 a mystery. Don't be mistaken about this. There's 00:09:15.230 --> 00:09:18.330 coming a day that the trumpet will sound. And 00:09:18.330 --> 00:09:20.549 here's where I want to encourage you today. On 00:09:20.549 --> 00:09:24.990 that day, Jesus returns as the righteous judge. 00:09:26.090 --> 00:09:29.490 And there will be a judgment on the world. and 00:09:29.490 --> 00:09:32.610 the entire world will be changed in that day. 00:09:34.129 --> 00:09:36.929 And for some of us, we're like, hallelujah, bring 00:09:36.929 --> 00:09:39.870 it on. That's going to be a glorious day. But 00:09:39.870 --> 00:09:43.149 for all these people we're praying for, not such 00:09:43.149 --> 00:09:47.070 a beautiful day. Do you understand the perspective? 00:09:48.289 --> 00:09:51.149 And so, here's what I want to encourage you. 00:09:51.210 --> 00:09:56.629 Right now, you have the unique ability that not 00:09:56.629 --> 00:09:59.990 all generations will have. you have the ability 00:09:59.990 --> 00:10:02.529 to be changed by the resurrection of Jesus on 00:10:02.529 --> 00:10:06.850 this side of the trumpet. Does that make sense? 00:10:08.190 --> 00:10:10.470 There's going to be a mandatory change on the 00:10:10.470 --> 00:10:13.070 other side of the trumpet. We're in the age of 00:10:13.070 --> 00:10:15.490 the church in which we're in the great mercy 00:10:15.490 --> 00:10:21.649 of God. So I've asked Christian Landbower to 00:10:21.649 --> 00:10:24.409 come. When the Bible says the trumpet, it's actually 00:10:24.409 --> 00:10:28.049 speaking of the ram's horn, the shofar. It's 00:10:28.049 --> 00:10:31.009 the same sound that brought down the walls of 00:10:31.009 --> 00:10:33.570 Jericho. And it's the very sound we're going 00:10:33.570 --> 00:10:37.289 to hear at the return of Jesus. Christian has 00:10:37.289 --> 00:10:41.470 a Bachelor of Arts in trumpet. I mean, you can't 00:10:41.470 --> 00:10:45.409 make this stuff up. No pressure, Christian. You 00:10:45.409 --> 00:10:49.730 better do good. But I'm going to ask him, can 00:10:49.730 --> 00:10:53.830 you just for a moment, can you go to that place 00:10:53.830 --> 00:10:56.629 in your imagination which is a gift from God? 00:10:57.290 --> 00:11:01.769 sanctified and made holy by Jesus. Can you picture 00:11:01.769 --> 00:11:05.789 the entire world getting still and the ground 00:11:05.789 --> 00:11:10.710 shaking and the skies opening? Give it to us, 00:11:10.730 --> 00:11:32.970 Christian. Great job. Didn't you do a great job? 00:11:40.070 --> 00:11:43.730 Think about that. The Apostle Paul says, listen, 00:11:43.809 --> 00:11:47.649 I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, 00:11:47.789 --> 00:11:52.690 but we will all be changed in a flash. In the 00:11:52.690 --> 00:11:55.570 twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for 00:11:55.570 --> 00:12:00.779 the trumpet will sound. And the dead will be 00:12:00.779 --> 00:12:07.759 raised imperishable. So, what I'd like to do 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:11.519 briefly for the next few minutes is take a look 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:15.820 at these words from the Apostle Paul and say, 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:20.940 Jesus, how do You want to change us by the power 00:12:20.940 --> 00:12:25.899 of the resurrection? Anybody choose to be changed 00:12:25.899 --> 00:12:28.779 today? Would you just make the choice right now? 00:12:28.860 --> 00:12:30.980 Jesus, by the power of the resurrection, change 00:12:30.980 --> 00:12:34.299 me. I choose to be changed on this side of the 00:12:34.299 --> 00:12:39.779 trumpet. You know why? Because if we're willing 00:12:39.779 --> 00:12:43.019 to be changed on this side of the trumpet, these 00:12:43.019 --> 00:12:46.960 folks have a chance to see Jesus on this side 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:50.679 of the trumpet. Everybody's going to see Him 00:12:50.679 --> 00:12:53.899 in that day. Everybody's going to see Him in 00:12:53.899 --> 00:12:58.580 that day. It's called the wonderful, awful, horrible, 00:12:58.679 --> 00:13:04.059 glorious day of the Lord. Everybody's going to 00:13:04.059 --> 00:13:09.120 see Him in that day. But you're the picture of 00:13:09.120 --> 00:13:13.659 Jesus in the world right now. It's the church. 00:13:14.500 --> 00:13:18.419 You are the image of Jesus to the lost world. 00:13:18.860 --> 00:13:21.679 And I don't know about you, but that sparks a 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:25.519 little motivation for change in my life. Because 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:33.200 I'm not there yet. So, anybody have like a crotchety 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:36.480 old uncle or aunt or grandma and grandpa that 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:40.759 told you these things growing up? Boy, I tell 00:13:40.759 --> 00:13:44.240 you, only two things guaranteed in life, death 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:47.279 and taxes. Anybody ever got a crotchety old family 00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:50.379 member saying, death and taxes, boy. The only 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:53.399 thing that's guaranteed in life. Well, according 00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:55.399 to the Apostle Paul, they were right about the 00:13:55.399 --> 00:13:58.840 taxes, but not so much about the death. I mean, 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:00.399 if you're breathing in America, you're going 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:04.740 to pay taxes. That is a guarantee. But the Apostle 00:14:04.740 --> 00:14:07.460 Paul says, I tell you a mystery, not everyone's 00:14:07.460 --> 00:14:09.480 going to sleep. You think he's talking about 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:12.039 natural sleep? He's not. He's not talking about 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:15.220 like new parents and stuff that never get to 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:17.889 sleep. One day you'll get to sleep again. If 00:14:17.889 --> 00:14:20.090 you read the Apostle Paul's writing, anytime 00:14:20.090 --> 00:14:23.210 he talks about death, he calls it sleep. This 00:14:23.210 --> 00:14:27.409 is his own personal language. And the Apostle 00:14:27.409 --> 00:14:30.149 Paul says, I want to tell you a mystery. Not 00:14:30.149 --> 00:14:33.490 everyone's going to sleep. You understand that, 00:14:33.549 --> 00:14:35.429 like we've been talking about, there is a generation 00:14:35.429 --> 00:14:39.769 on the earth that will not die. I don't know 00:14:39.769 --> 00:14:43.730 when that will be. I would love for it to be 00:14:43.730 --> 00:14:47.419 my generation. I'd love to see that. but that's 00:14:47.419 --> 00:14:50.379 his business, not mine. A little above my pay 00:14:50.379 --> 00:14:54.080 grade. But there is coming a generation that 00:14:54.080 --> 00:15:07.940 will not die. Wow. So, in light of that, the 00:15:07.940 --> 00:15:13.000 Apostle Paul says, verse 57, so thanks be to 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:16.830 God. For He gives us the victory through our 00:15:16.830 --> 00:15:20.669 Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, 00:15:20.870 --> 00:15:23.669 the word there for brothers in the Greek, it's 00:15:23.669 --> 00:15:25.549 mankind. It's talking about people. Therefore, 00:15:25.669 --> 00:15:28.929 my dear brothers and sisters, mankind, stand 00:15:28.929 --> 00:15:35.149 firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves 00:15:35.149 --> 00:15:38.070 fully to the work of the Lord because you know 00:15:38.070 --> 00:15:42.230 that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. I'd 00:15:42.230 --> 00:15:45.509 like to... focus the next few minutes on those 00:15:45.509 --> 00:15:48.370 practical changes that God can make in us. So 00:15:48.370 --> 00:15:52.549 if you're writing down notes, number one, how 00:15:52.549 --> 00:15:55.850 do I allow the resurrection of Jesus to change 00:15:55.850 --> 00:15:58.909 my life? It starts with this. Number one, receive 00:15:58.909 --> 00:16:05.309 total, I do mean total victory over sin and death 00:16:05.309 --> 00:16:09.809 by salvation through Jesus Christ. This is where... 00:16:10.990 --> 00:16:13.730 It begins. This is where the resurrection of 00:16:13.730 --> 00:16:18.169 Jesus truly meets our lives. In that we come 00:16:18.169 --> 00:16:21.110 into a place of surrender. And that's why the 00:16:21.110 --> 00:16:24.029 Apostle Paul said, in that day it will be true 00:16:24.029 --> 00:16:26.950 what has been said. Death has been swallowed 00:16:26.950 --> 00:16:30.210 up in victory. And he said, and thanks be to 00:16:30.210 --> 00:16:33.750 God, you have been given victory through our 00:16:33.750 --> 00:16:37.789 Lord Jesus Christ. You're in Corinthians. Can 00:16:37.789 --> 00:16:40.149 I just get you to turn with me to Ephesians? 00:16:41.709 --> 00:16:44.789 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians. 00:16:45.870 --> 00:16:47.769 We're going to come back to 1 Corinthians 15 00:16:47.769 --> 00:16:50.509 if you want to put a finger there. But Ephesians 00:16:50.509 --> 00:16:56.590 2, verse 1. Listen to this. As for you, you were 00:16:56.590 --> 00:16:59.690 dead in your transgressions and sins in which 00:16:59.690 --> 00:17:02.370 you used to live when you followed the ways of 00:17:02.370 --> 00:17:04.630 this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of 00:17:04.630 --> 00:17:07.450 the air, the Spirit who is now at work in those 00:17:07.450 --> 00:17:11.930 who are disobedient. All of us. also lived among 00:17:11.930 --> 00:17:14.869 them at one time, gratifying the cravings of 00:17:14.869 --> 00:17:18.730 our sinful nature and following its desires and 00:17:18.730 --> 00:17:22.769 thoughts. Raise your hand if you used to be dead 00:17:22.769 --> 00:17:26.029 in sin and transgressions. That's a freebie. 00:17:26.289 --> 00:17:29.150 Everybody gets to raise their hand. Everybody. 00:17:29.230 --> 00:17:35.069 Alright? Then look right here. But because of 00:17:35.069 --> 00:17:39.950 His great love for us, verse 4, God, who is rich 00:17:39.950 --> 00:17:44.349 in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when 00:17:44.349 --> 00:17:47.869 we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace 00:17:47.869 --> 00:17:51.549 you have been saved. And God raised us up with 00:17:51.549 --> 00:17:54.569 Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly 00:17:54.569 --> 00:18:08.440 realms in Christ Jesus. Have you... I asked the 00:18:08.440 --> 00:18:11.220 early service, and I mean, we were up earlier 00:18:11.220 --> 00:18:12.960 in here, a little earlier, so maybe they didn't 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:15.039 get to catch up. But has anybody been catching 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:19.319 up on the news about the rescued airmen? You've 00:18:19.319 --> 00:18:22.140 been reading this story. You know, the backseater 00:18:22.140 --> 00:18:26.000 was rescued, they said, early, early this morning 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:32.099 or late into last night. The F -15 was shot down. 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:35.119 The frontseater pilot was already rescued, but 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:38.869 the backseater weapons... systems operator which 00:18:38.869 --> 00:18:41.190 is what my dad used to do in the air force and 00:18:41.190 --> 00:18:48.329 the f4s uh ejected here oh we were talking about 00:18:48.329 --> 00:18:54.529 this their plane was shot down in enemy territory 00:18:54.529 --> 00:18:58.549 on good friday have you read the story and for 00:18:58.549 --> 00:19:02.470 the last 48 hours he's been hiding in the cleft 00:19:02.470 --> 00:19:08.180 of a rock Hiding in the cleft of the rock and 00:19:08.180 --> 00:19:16.799 was rescued on Easter morning. Can you imagine? 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:22.660 I mean, we can't. But could we try to imagine 00:19:22.660 --> 00:19:27.339 what could possibly be going through the man's 00:19:27.339 --> 00:19:30.720 mind? I mean, I don't know if you've got to read 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:33.440 about it, but... You know, the president, of 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:35.720 course, calls it the most spectacular, the most 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:38.380 wonderful search and rescue that the world has 00:19:38.380 --> 00:19:42.440 ever seen. But they said over a hundred special 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:46.240 operations soldiers and special operation aircraft 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:50.119 took place in the rescue. They said that they've 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:53.819 been in communication with him as he's been in 00:19:53.819 --> 00:19:56.200 the cleft of the rock making their plans. They 00:19:56.200 --> 00:20:00.119 sent the CIA into Iran with a deception campaign. 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:03.960 To put everybody off in the wrong area for them 00:20:03.960 --> 00:20:07.400 looking for them. It said that they landed a 00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:09.779 C -130. Does anybody know what a C -130 Hercules 00:20:09.779 --> 00:20:14.380 is? It's a massive transport aircraft. They landed 00:20:14.380 --> 00:20:17.960 it and I ran. It got stuck in the mud. They had 00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:20.660 to evacuate the crew and then blow up our own 00:20:20.660 --> 00:20:23.099 plane so the enemy didn't have it. All so that 00:20:23.099 --> 00:20:28.519 this man could be rescued. Here's a man hiding 00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:33.269 in the cleft of the rock. believing that His 00:20:33.269 --> 00:20:36.230 country is moving heaven and earth to come rescue 00:20:36.230 --> 00:20:43.130 Him. And it may be the greatest military rescue 00:20:43.130 --> 00:20:45.789 mission in the history of the world, and I don't 00:20:45.789 --> 00:20:47.509 know about you, but I can't wait to watch the 00:20:47.509 --> 00:20:54.009 movie. But I'm telling you, it may be the greatest 00:20:54.009 --> 00:20:56.990 military rescue in history, but it is not the 00:20:56.990 --> 00:20:59.650 greatest search and rescue mission on the earth. 00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:06.000 Because 2 ,000 years ago, and this is what I 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:08.079 was trying to do. I don't know if I communicated 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:11.119 well in the early service, but there are a lot 00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:15.259 of parallels in my mind between what Jesus did 00:21:15.259 --> 00:21:18.240 for us and this pilot that I was just explaining. 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:22.000 But there are some major differences. The major 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:25.329 differences are this. We weren't the good guys 00:21:25.329 --> 00:21:28.769 that got shot down in enemy territory. We defected 00:21:28.769 --> 00:21:30.869 against our commander -in -chief and willingly 00:21:30.869 --> 00:21:33.910 walked into enemy territory and shackled ourselves 00:21:33.910 --> 00:21:40.930 to the enemy. A little different, isn't it? Now, 00:21:40.950 --> 00:21:45.269 is President Trump going to be so bold if a traitor 00:21:45.269 --> 00:21:48.930 walks into the Iranian camp and says, hey, I'm 00:21:48.930 --> 00:21:51.289 with the enemy now. You think he's going to move 00:21:51.289 --> 00:21:55.039 heaven and earth to rescue that guy? I mean, 00:21:55.059 --> 00:22:02.160 I like them, but that's the difference. We defected 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:05.819 in rebellion willingly, and He didn't send a 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:08.619 hundred special operations soldiers. He sent 00:22:08.619 --> 00:22:12.420 one man, the Son of God, alone to walk into enemy 00:22:12.420 --> 00:22:17.019 territory and rip us from Him. And you know what 00:22:17.019 --> 00:22:21.380 the crazy thing is? For many of us, we went kicking 00:22:21.380 --> 00:22:24.859 and screaming. I love that guy. I love this one. 00:22:25.119 --> 00:22:35.240 And He still rescued us. So, number one, how 00:22:35.240 --> 00:22:37.940 do you let the resurrection of Jesus change you? 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:43.740 If you have not surrendered your life to God, 00:22:43.859 --> 00:22:46.200 if there's never been a time in your life that 00:22:46.200 --> 00:22:48.539 you have gotten real with God and cried out to 00:22:48.539 --> 00:22:53.369 Him, I need to be rescued. I can't do it. I can't 00:22:53.369 --> 00:22:56.410 save myself. I can't set myself free. I've tried. 00:22:56.809 --> 00:22:59.650 I need You. I believe that You, the Son of God, 00:22:59.750 --> 00:23:03.009 came to rescue me. And by faith, I receive it 00:23:03.009 --> 00:23:06.589 and I give You my life. If you've never been 00:23:06.589 --> 00:23:13.710 saved, this is where it begins. The greatest 00:23:13.710 --> 00:23:18.029 rescue mission in history was the Son of God 00:23:18.029 --> 00:23:24.019 going into the grave of enemy territory. to rescue 00:23:24.019 --> 00:23:26.259 us from the hands we could never get free from. 00:23:30.160 --> 00:23:33.759 Please don't miss that opportunity. If you're 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:36.339 here and you don't know, you've never given your 00:23:36.339 --> 00:23:38.599 life to the Lord, we've been praying like crazy 00:23:38.599 --> 00:23:42.039 for you. We've been praying you would come today. 00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:46.539 Why? Because we love you and not near as much 00:23:46.539 --> 00:23:49.839 as He loves you. So at the end of service today, 00:23:49.900 --> 00:23:51.259 we're going to have our ministry team. They're 00:23:51.259 --> 00:23:53.950 going to stay. after service over on the wall, 00:23:54.109 --> 00:23:56.150 and we're going to give you an opportunity. If 00:23:56.150 --> 00:23:59.210 you need help with any of that, or want someone 00:23:59.210 --> 00:24:01.289 to be a witness with you, and you want to get 00:24:01.289 --> 00:24:04.730 real and get right with God, today's your day. 00:24:04.809 --> 00:24:10.349 What better day than Resurrection Sunday? So 00:24:10.349 --> 00:24:13.170 I would encourage you to do that. I know many 00:24:13.170 --> 00:24:15.309 of you have been walking with the Lord for some 00:24:15.309 --> 00:24:18.170 time, and so I just want to encourage you in 00:24:18.170 --> 00:24:22.069 closing out number one. Don't settle for anything 00:24:22.069 --> 00:24:26.650 less than total victory over sin and death. You 00:24:26.650 --> 00:24:29.630 know what I'm saying? Jesus didn't do what He 00:24:29.630 --> 00:24:34.450 did so we could live in mediocrity. So we could 00:24:34.450 --> 00:24:37.329 live lukewarm lives. What did the Apostle Paul 00:24:37.329 --> 00:24:40.470 say? And thanks be to God because we have the 00:24:40.470 --> 00:24:44.910 victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus 00:24:44.910 --> 00:24:49.430 purchased total victory. You know what the greatest 00:24:49.430 --> 00:24:52.710 thing you could do today? The greatest gift you 00:24:52.710 --> 00:24:55.170 could give Him is walking out of here a free 00:24:55.170 --> 00:24:59.109 man or woman. Leaving some chains right here. 00:24:59.250 --> 00:25:02.369 Leaving some habitual sins right here. Leaving 00:25:02.369 --> 00:25:03.990 some things you would struggle with and you're 00:25:03.990 --> 00:25:07.089 like, Jesse, I've given this to the Lord 10 ,000 00:25:07.089 --> 00:25:11.329 times. Make it 10 ,001 today. Don't give up. 00:25:11.769 --> 00:25:17.150 Keep going. Are you with me? Does he not deserve 00:25:17.150 --> 00:25:22.250 to get what he paid for? He does. He's worthy 00:25:22.250 --> 00:25:25.970 of that. So don't settle. I'm not going to settle. 00:25:26.069 --> 00:25:29.089 You don't settle. We're not there. But we're 00:25:29.089 --> 00:25:32.089 going to die breathing the breath of freedom. 00:25:34.250 --> 00:25:37.690 We're not giving up. Alright? So, that's number 00:25:37.690 --> 00:25:39.829 one. Thanks for letting me spend a little time. 00:25:40.029 --> 00:25:42.470 That's kind of a foundational one. Salvation. 00:25:42.950 --> 00:25:45.890 Total victory over death. Alright, let's move 00:25:45.890 --> 00:25:49.089 briefly through these other ones. How to be changed 00:25:49.089 --> 00:25:51.630 by the resurrection of Jesus. Number two, become 00:25:51.630 --> 00:25:54.609 consistently immovable from the cares of this 00:25:54.609 --> 00:25:58.890 world. Become consistently immovable. Look here 00:25:58.890 --> 00:26:04.650 at what Paul says here in our passages. Verse 00:26:04.650 --> 00:26:08.250 58, Therefore, my dear brothers, I was telling 00:26:08.250 --> 00:26:11.079 the early service, I remember a preacher a long 00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:13.660 time ago saying, when the Bible says therefore, 00:26:13.900 --> 00:26:17.119 find out what it's there for. Right? And you 00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:20.859 read in context saying, this is the total victory 00:26:20.859 --> 00:26:24.259 that God purchased through Jesus. This is what 00:26:24.259 --> 00:26:27.359 God has done. He has set you free. He has defeated 00:26:27.359 --> 00:26:31.339 all your enemies. Now therefore, because of that, 00:26:31.500 --> 00:26:39.089 he says, stand firm and do not be moved. Because 00:26:39.089 --> 00:26:41.910 of what God has done through the death and resurrection 00:26:41.910 --> 00:26:46.109 of Jesus, stand firm and don't be moved. What 00:26:46.109 --> 00:26:50.349 the world needs to see in the church today is 00:26:50.349 --> 00:26:54.630 not this politically correct, wimpy, sway with 00:26:54.630 --> 00:26:58.950 the world's thinking kind of church. What they 00:26:58.950 --> 00:27:02.490 need to see is a church that is immovable on 00:27:02.490 --> 00:27:04.930 the rock of the foundation that is Jesus Christ. 00:27:05.869 --> 00:27:08.750 And we're not swayed back and forth like the 00:27:08.750 --> 00:27:10.670 world is with all the cares of the world and 00:27:10.670 --> 00:27:13.170 all the distractions and all the things that 00:27:13.170 --> 00:27:17.509 discourage us or encourage us. No, the Apostle 00:27:17.509 --> 00:27:19.750 Paul says, because what Jesus has done, let the 00:27:19.750 --> 00:27:24.769 resurrection make you stand firm. Not moved. 00:27:25.309 --> 00:27:28.109 Why is it important that the world sees immovable 00:27:28.109 --> 00:27:31.509 Christians? Now, when I say immovable Christians, 00:27:31.609 --> 00:27:36.269 I'm not talking about stiff -necked, arrogant 00:27:36.269 --> 00:27:40.690 jerks. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm 00:27:40.690 --> 00:27:43.890 talking about immovable on the foundation of 00:27:43.890 --> 00:27:47.190 Jesus. This is truth. He is truth. I am unmoved 00:27:47.190 --> 00:27:49.789 by the world. Why does the world need to see 00:27:49.789 --> 00:27:53.230 that? Number one, in my opinion, and I'm just 00:27:53.230 --> 00:28:01.950 thinking through, our world is so shifty. So 00:28:01.950 --> 00:28:05.009 shaky. There's nothing people can bank on anymore. 00:28:05.329 --> 00:28:08.109 Everything is a deception. Even the videos they 00:28:08.109 --> 00:28:10.289 see with their own eyes are created by AI and 00:28:10.289 --> 00:28:12.430 they're not really what they are. Everything's 00:28:12.430 --> 00:28:16.950 a deception. And the world is tired of being 00:28:16.950 --> 00:28:20.609 continually duped by the church as well. Amen? 00:28:21.789 --> 00:28:24.670 They're like, oh yeah, at least I can run to 00:28:24.670 --> 00:28:27.190 Jesus. And they go to the church and they see 00:28:27.190 --> 00:28:30.690 sniveling, wimpy, being moved just like the world. 00:28:31.880 --> 00:28:34.799 I'm telling you, they're not interested in that 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:37.140 anymore. Or there'd be more people in the walls 00:28:37.140 --> 00:28:40.539 today. They're not interested. What they need 00:28:40.539 --> 00:28:44.039 to see is a church that is confident in who Christ 00:28:44.039 --> 00:28:46.940 is, standing on the foundation and saying, I 00:28:46.940 --> 00:28:49.579 will not be moved by the ways of this world. 00:28:58.380 --> 00:29:01.690 A second reason, we've been... If you're a visitor, 00:29:01.750 --> 00:29:04.890 we've been studying the parables of Jesus in 00:29:04.890 --> 00:29:08.130 Matthew 13 about the kingdom of heaven. Remember 00:29:08.130 --> 00:29:10.890 in the kingdom of the sower, when Jesus explains 00:29:10.890 --> 00:29:14.829 the kingdom of the sower, what did He say choked 00:29:14.829 --> 00:29:19.309 out the fruit of the kingdom of heaven in the 00:29:19.309 --> 00:29:21.769 story? Anybody remember? What choked out? It 00:29:21.769 --> 00:29:24.470 was the seed that fell on the thorns, the thorny 00:29:24.470 --> 00:29:27.849 soil. It says, what grew up to choke out the 00:29:27.849 --> 00:29:30.920 fruit of the kingdom? the cares of this world 00:29:30.920 --> 00:29:33.980 you see the cares of this world the distractions 00:29:33.980 --> 00:29:36.880 of this world and what jesus said the insatiable 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:40.680 pursuit of wealth those are the things that choke 00:29:40.680 --> 00:29:44.779 out the fruit of the kingdom of heaven and why 00:29:44.779 --> 00:29:47.619 the church needs to be immovable is the world 00:29:47.619 --> 00:29:51.039 needs to see a church that is producing fruit 00:29:51.039 --> 00:29:53.859 of the kingdom they need to see a church that 00:29:53.859 --> 00:29:58.390 actually looks like jesus talks like Jesus, lives 00:29:58.390 --> 00:30:04.150 like Jesus, walks like Jesus. They need to see 00:30:04.150 --> 00:30:08.369 an immovable, consistently immovable church. 00:30:08.829 --> 00:30:12.730 Hebrews 12, 28 says, for we are receiving a kingdom, 00:30:12.930 --> 00:30:18.289 what? That cannot be shaken. Did you hear that? 00:30:20.490 --> 00:30:23.130 Are we talking about the same Bible, the same 00:30:23.130 --> 00:30:28.559 church? And we are receiving a kingdom that cannot 00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:36.240 be shaken. My dad calls it panic proof. He says, 00:30:36.299 --> 00:30:38.339 Jesse, we want to be men who are panic proof. 00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:43.940 Anybody want to be panic proof when it comes 00:30:43.940 --> 00:30:48.519 to the kingdom of heaven? Anybody ever fail at 00:30:48.519 --> 00:30:52.359 that? I'm going to just tell you real quick. 00:30:52.890 --> 00:30:55.230 somewhat funny, somewhat horrible story of a 00:30:55.230 --> 00:30:59.769 huge failure I had in being immovable. I'm going 00:30:59.769 --> 00:31:02.450 to do this quickly. I have a son. He's 20. He's 00:31:02.450 --> 00:31:04.890 enlisted in the Navy. Five, six years he's been 00:31:04.890 --> 00:31:07.789 planning to be a Navy SEAL. He went to Navy SEAL 00:31:07.789 --> 00:31:11.450 training and failed. Was devastated. All his 00:31:11.450 --> 00:31:14.130 dreams were over. Got kicked out of the BUDS 00:31:14.130 --> 00:31:18.809 program. Failure. Went through a dark time. Kind 00:31:18.809 --> 00:31:21.349 of, what am I going to do next? God opened up 00:31:21.349 --> 00:31:25.630 a door. for him to go to a pretty rare program 00:31:25.630 --> 00:31:29.089 and contract to become a special operations medic. 00:31:29.650 --> 00:31:32.170 Like it's two and a half years of training, very 00:31:32.170 --> 00:31:34.150 intensive medical, a lot of combat training. 00:31:34.430 --> 00:31:37.210 And so he's on this new track. He's getting excited 00:31:37.210 --> 00:31:39.549 about it. He just got shipped to San Antonio. 00:31:39.670 --> 00:31:42.109 He's about to start school. And we're praying 00:31:42.109 --> 00:31:46.069 for him, you know, because we want him to succeed. 00:31:47.609 --> 00:31:50.430 I mean, we want him to do well. We felt horrible 00:31:50.430 --> 00:31:52.490 when he fell. We want him to do well. So we've 00:31:52.490 --> 00:31:54.809 been praying for him. Well, this was last week. 00:31:54.829 --> 00:31:57.450 It started day one of his training on his new 00:31:57.450 --> 00:32:00.049 contract track. And I had texted him something 00:32:00.049 --> 00:32:02.450 that morning, just some personal stuff between 00:32:02.450 --> 00:32:05.210 him and I. And I was waiting for him to reply. 00:32:05.289 --> 00:32:07.730 I know he'll reply when he does, but normally 00:32:07.730 --> 00:32:10.630 I get a quicker reply than I did. Time, time, 00:32:10.710 --> 00:32:14.329 time. And then I get a text from him. And this 00:32:14.329 --> 00:32:16.390 is what his text says. It's two brief texts. 00:32:16.589 --> 00:32:23.450 It says, Let me see if I can... I want to make 00:32:23.450 --> 00:32:28.549 sure I got it right. What was the word I used 00:32:28.549 --> 00:32:31.390 at first service? I'm trying to remember. Yeah, 00:32:31.529 --> 00:32:34.730 yeah, thank you. His text was... The program's 00:32:34.730 --> 00:32:36.970 called ATF, Advanced Training Field or something 00:32:36.970 --> 00:32:39.329 like that. But it's this high -speed program. 00:32:39.470 --> 00:32:44.970 His text was, I just got cut from ATF. Next text, 00:32:45.170 --> 00:32:50.640 we'll call when I can. And I was like... Jill 00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:53.500 was there with me. I was like, are you serious? 00:32:54.519 --> 00:32:57.880 This guy just fell out of the second program? 00:32:58.140 --> 00:33:00.500 It's day one. I just started freaking out. I 00:33:00.500 --> 00:33:02.480 was like, what could have happened? The guy's 00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:05.940 been training. I mean, he's physically fit. I 00:33:05.940 --> 00:33:08.980 don't think he's going to do something just illegal 00:33:08.980 --> 00:33:11.799 and stupid. And I just started talking to Jill. 00:33:11.839 --> 00:33:15.059 What is God doing? I can't believe this. And 00:33:15.059 --> 00:33:17.460 I literally, nothing will cause you to have a 00:33:17.460 --> 00:33:20.950 freak out moment like your kids. And I'm just 00:33:20.950 --> 00:33:24.529 having this freak out moment. I mean, no faith. 00:33:24.849 --> 00:33:28.809 No standing immovable. I'm just swimming in fear 00:33:28.809 --> 00:33:31.990 and emotion. And I can't believe this is going 00:33:31.990 --> 00:33:34.190 to happen again. I was just watching be tortured 00:33:34.190 --> 00:33:36.009 in the last failure or whatever. And I'm just 00:33:36.009 --> 00:33:40.150 like, ah. And so nothing. No phone call. No nothing. 00:33:40.470 --> 00:33:44.230 Hours. Hours got literally. Hours go by. No nothing. 00:33:44.750 --> 00:33:46.849 Finally, his mom's like, I've had enough of this. 00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:49.920 They get the mom involved. She texts him. She's 00:33:49.920 --> 00:33:56.279 like, what happened? He texts back to her immediately, 00:33:56.400 --> 00:33:59.480 of course, because it's mom. What do you mean 00:33:59.480 --> 00:34:01.660 what happened? Question mark, question mark. 00:34:03.059 --> 00:34:06.380 She says, you text your dad that you got cut 00:34:06.380 --> 00:34:10.019 from ATF this morning. What happened? Long silence. 00:34:10.699 --> 00:34:14.000 And then a text. No, I meant I got released for 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:18.559 the day. I'm going to dinner. Like, He got released 00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:21.239 from his formation and he would call me later. 00:34:21.440 --> 00:34:25.440 So he's still in the program. But like the last 00:34:25.440 --> 00:34:30.400 few hours, after I choke him through the phone, 00:34:30.559 --> 00:34:34.420 and then Jill makes fun of me for a couple hours, 00:34:34.659 --> 00:34:37.460 she looks at me and she says, Jesse, you really 00:34:37.460 --> 00:34:41.199 failed that one. I was like, actually I defended 00:34:41.199 --> 00:34:46.710 myself then, but I repented later. I failed. 00:34:49.590 --> 00:34:56.349 I failed. But, I repented. And I'm coming to 00:34:56.349 --> 00:35:00.670 the Lord today saying, I want to become, because 00:35:00.670 --> 00:35:04.789 of what Jesus did, consistently immovable in 00:35:04.789 --> 00:35:08.090 an unshakable kingdom for this world. So, if 00:35:08.090 --> 00:35:11.219 you long for that too, let's just pause. We just 00:35:11.219 --> 00:35:13.039 ask the Lord. If you're like me and you need 00:35:13.039 --> 00:35:16.139 to repent right now for just being a person swayed 00:35:16.139 --> 00:35:21.039 by everything the world says and does, or your 00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:24.940 children, seriously, if you just need to repent 00:35:24.940 --> 00:35:30.139 for that, just go ahead. Repentance is a gift 00:35:30.139 --> 00:35:34.820 offered freely. And then let's just commit together. 00:35:34.940 --> 00:35:38.659 Lord, we want to be... consistently immovable 00:35:38.659 --> 00:35:41.780 so that we can show the world what it looks like 00:35:41.780 --> 00:35:47.739 to walk like Jesus. Help us, Lord. Amen. Didn't 00:35:47.739 --> 00:35:50.960 Jesus do a good job of that? I mean, He's standing 00:35:50.960 --> 00:35:53.519 before Pilate. Pilate's like, I've got the power 00:35:53.519 --> 00:35:55.719 to take your life. And he's like, you've got 00:35:55.719 --> 00:35:59.699 nothing but what I give you. Silent before the 00:35:59.699 --> 00:36:04.519 shearer. No panic. Facing the most horrible moments 00:36:04.519 --> 00:36:10.179 of his life. Trust in God. And immovable. And 00:36:10.179 --> 00:36:12.599 that's what we want to be like. Amen? Alright. 00:36:12.800 --> 00:36:15.619 Number three, if you want to take notes, remain 00:36:15.619 --> 00:36:18.659 fully devoted to the kingdom of God rather than 00:36:18.659 --> 00:36:22.420 our own desires. How can the resurrection of 00:36:22.420 --> 00:36:24.780 Jesus change me? I want to remain fully devoted 00:36:24.780 --> 00:36:27.059 to the kingdom of God rather than our own desires. 00:36:27.340 --> 00:36:29.980 Look what it says in verse 58. The Apostle Paul 00:36:29.980 --> 00:36:35.099 says, and always give yourselves fully to the 00:36:35.099 --> 00:36:39.239 work of the Lord. Don't you love how the Apostle 00:36:39.239 --> 00:36:41.840 Paul has the ability to give you absolutely no 00:36:41.840 --> 00:36:44.980 wiggle room whatsoever in this? He's like, hey 00:36:44.980 --> 00:36:47.440 listen, by the power of the resurrection, therefore, 00:36:47.559 --> 00:36:51.760 because of what God has done, always give yourself 00:36:51.760 --> 00:36:54.619 fully to the work of the Lord. I know we've been 00:36:54.619 --> 00:36:56.460 talking about this for a number of years here 00:36:56.460 --> 00:36:59.480 at this church, but if you're new here, we understand 00:36:59.480 --> 00:37:03.659 that God has called us to seek first His kingdom. 00:37:04.139 --> 00:37:06.820 That's what the Bible says. Seek first the kingdom 00:37:06.820 --> 00:37:10.179 of God and His righteousness and everything else 00:37:10.179 --> 00:37:13.840 will be added to us. And so we understand that 00:37:13.840 --> 00:37:18.719 we have a life mission as Christ followers. Our 00:37:18.719 --> 00:37:23.280 life is no longer about us. It's no longer about 00:37:23.280 --> 00:37:26.599 our pleasures, our wants, our desires. And that's 00:37:26.599 --> 00:37:29.599 what I want to say like our kingdoms. You know 00:37:29.599 --> 00:37:32.300 what I'm saying? Does anybody else have a problem 00:37:32.300 --> 00:37:36.360 by being distracted by your own kingdom? I mean, 00:37:36.360 --> 00:37:38.920 I do. I'm like, I got these four kids to raise. 00:37:39.019 --> 00:37:42.380 I got bills to pay. I got hobbies I want to enjoy. 00:37:42.500 --> 00:37:46.440 I got pleasures I want to stack up. I mean, and 00:37:46.440 --> 00:37:51.119 if I'm being honest, like there are many times 00:37:51.119 --> 00:37:54.820 where I'm losing sight of the kingdom in the 00:37:54.820 --> 00:37:57.860 effort to build my own kingdom. And not like 00:37:57.860 --> 00:38:00.780 intentionally like. Forget your kingdom, God. 00:38:00.980 --> 00:38:03.500 I don't want anything. I know we're not doing 00:38:03.500 --> 00:38:06.860 that. But in the way that we live our lives, 00:38:06.980 --> 00:38:11.340 sometimes, we're no longer fully devoted to the 00:38:11.340 --> 00:38:17.179 work of the Lord on the earth. My mom, before 00:38:17.179 --> 00:38:20.059 she died, she wrote this devotional, 365 -day 00:38:20.059 --> 00:38:23.699 devotional. It's really good. My dad and I talk 00:38:23.699 --> 00:38:26.059 about it. It doesn't even seem like that. It's 00:38:26.059 --> 00:38:28.579 our mom that wrote that. It's really anointed. 00:38:29.280 --> 00:38:33.000 But in her devotional this week, she was talking 00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:37.599 about this passage in 1 Samuel 12. In 1 Samuel 00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:41.739 12, what's happening is God has been leading 00:38:41.739 --> 00:38:44.539 the Israelites. He's their king. And they're 00:38:44.539 --> 00:38:49.780 like, all these other people have a man for a 00:38:49.780 --> 00:38:52.579 king. We want one of those. And Samuel's like, 00:38:52.719 --> 00:38:56.280 no, man, you don't want a man for a king. God 00:38:56.280 --> 00:38:59.269 is leading you. And they're like, no. We want 00:38:59.269 --> 00:39:02.570 a man like everybody else. So God gives them 00:39:02.570 --> 00:39:06.349 a king, and Samuel's coming to them, and of course 00:39:06.349 --> 00:39:09.329 they go astray. You know, they're like us. Sometimes 00:39:09.329 --> 00:39:13.469 really dumb. And Samuel comes to them and he 00:39:13.469 --> 00:39:17.590 says this, and I swear he was speaking straight 00:39:17.590 --> 00:39:21.769 to my heart. He says, you have done evil things, 00:39:21.909 --> 00:39:25.510 but don't turn your eyes away from the Lord. 00:39:25.670 --> 00:39:29.190 Instead, turn your heart to Him and serve Him 00:39:29.190 --> 00:39:32.849 fully. He says, because the idols you're pursuing 00:39:32.849 --> 00:39:38.030 can't do anything for you. They're useless. And 00:39:38.030 --> 00:39:41.090 I was cut to the heart because in my own personal 00:39:41.090 --> 00:39:45.250 life, I've been going through some personal struggles, 00:39:45.329 --> 00:39:48.570 some difficulties, and to be honest, I've just 00:39:48.570 --> 00:39:51.530 kind of been coasting in some mediocrity over 00:39:51.530 --> 00:39:53.550 the last couple of months in my own personal 00:39:53.550 --> 00:39:58.210 pursuit of God. And God just, cut deep to my 00:39:58.210 --> 00:40:02.329 heart. And I got my journal out and I just began 00:40:02.329 --> 00:40:05.449 to write this prayer of repentance saying, God, 00:40:05.449 --> 00:40:09.349 I have gone to other idols that can't save me 00:40:09.349 --> 00:40:13.650 or change me. But I'm not taking my eyes off 00:40:13.650 --> 00:40:17.309 You. And I'm taking my heart and I'm turning 00:40:17.309 --> 00:40:20.150 it towards You again because I want to serve 00:40:20.150 --> 00:40:23.510 You and serve You alone. I just want to encourage 00:40:23.510 --> 00:40:27.239 you. Maybe I'm not the only person in the room 00:40:27.239 --> 00:40:31.539 that's been distracted lately. We've been pursuing 00:40:31.539 --> 00:40:34.920 our own kingdoms, our own desires. And I want 00:40:34.920 --> 00:40:37.500 to tell you that the power of the resurrection 00:40:37.500 --> 00:40:44.960 says to you today, always be fully devoted to 00:40:44.960 --> 00:40:48.880 the work of the Lord. It's the reason that you're 00:40:48.880 --> 00:40:54.199 alive. The kingdom of heaven. How many of you 00:40:54.199 --> 00:40:56.519 know, I know we talk about this passage all the 00:40:56.519 --> 00:40:58.679 time, but we were reading Ephesians 2, the end 00:40:58.679 --> 00:41:01.639 of the passage says, you've been saved by grace, 00:41:01.800 --> 00:41:05.780 not works. It's the gift of God so that no man 00:41:05.780 --> 00:41:09.119 can boast. But then the Apostle Paul says this, 00:41:09.300 --> 00:41:12.940 and now you're God's craftsmanship. He created 00:41:12.940 --> 00:41:16.260 you with His own hands and says, and now do good 00:41:16.260 --> 00:41:20.579 works that God has ordained for your life. And 00:41:20.579 --> 00:41:23.429 what I'm saying is, no matter where you are with 00:41:23.429 --> 00:41:26.510 God, no matter what your job is, your occupation, 00:41:26.789 --> 00:41:29.789 whatever it may be, no matter where God has placed 00:41:29.789 --> 00:41:34.409 you, God has uniquely designed good works for 00:41:34.409 --> 00:41:37.670 you to do for the kingdom. Are you hearing me? 00:41:40.130 --> 00:41:43.929 Unique works for the kingdom that nobody else 00:41:43.929 --> 00:41:47.309 gets assigned but you. That's what the Scripture 00:41:47.309 --> 00:41:52.460 says. Ordained by God. Good works. And what we 00:41:52.460 --> 00:41:54.059 have the opportunity to do through the power 00:41:54.059 --> 00:41:56.860 of the resurrection today is say, God, forgive 00:41:56.860 --> 00:42:00.579 me, take me back, and empower me to be about 00:42:00.579 --> 00:42:04.139 those works and not my own. Because how many 00:42:04.139 --> 00:42:06.139 of you know the other stuff outside the kingdom 00:42:06.139 --> 00:42:10.420 is going to burn? It's going to burn. The apostle 00:42:10.420 --> 00:42:14.340 Paul says, like I built you a foundation of Jesus. 00:42:15.070 --> 00:42:17.530 Now build on top of that foundation, but be careful 00:42:17.530 --> 00:42:20.449 what you build for because every man's life will 00:42:20.449 --> 00:42:24.170 be tested by fire. And if what you build with 00:42:24.170 --> 00:42:28.550 did not honor Jesus, it will burn up. And what 00:42:28.550 --> 00:42:31.329 will be left will be what is built on the foundation 00:42:31.329 --> 00:42:35.429 of Jesus for the kingdom. We all have all kinds 00:42:35.429 --> 00:42:39.230 of opportunities in our lives. May we by the 00:42:39.230 --> 00:42:43.960 power of the resurrection remain devoted. to 00:42:43.960 --> 00:42:50.659 the kingdom that matters. Yes? Okay, let's just 00:42:50.659 --> 00:42:53.019 take a moment and then we'll close out this last 00:42:53.019 --> 00:42:56.039 one. If you just need a moment to repent, this 00:42:56.039 --> 00:42:57.900 is where we're engaging. We're engaging right 00:42:57.900 --> 00:43:01.179 now with the Word of God. If you need to repent 00:43:01.179 --> 00:43:04.940 for the pursuit of your own kingdoms and you 00:43:04.940 --> 00:43:07.320 realize that that doesn't come to the end that 00:43:07.320 --> 00:43:13.869 you desire, just repent right now. And then let's 00:43:13.869 --> 00:43:16.150 commit ourselves to be obedient to this Word. 00:43:16.389 --> 00:43:21.710 Jesus, we want to always be fully devoted to 00:43:21.710 --> 00:43:26.550 Your works. Would You help us to see them? Would 00:43:26.550 --> 00:43:30.369 You help us to have courage to follow You? And 00:43:30.369 --> 00:43:33.949 would You help us stay dedicated to it? We need 00:43:33.949 --> 00:43:36.809 Your help, but we know that You've done it through 00:43:36.809 --> 00:43:39.409 the power of Your resurrection. We receive it. 00:43:39.429 --> 00:43:43.610 Amen? Let's just close with this. It leads right 00:43:43.610 --> 00:43:45.929 into this one's last one. Number four, enjoy 00:43:45.929 --> 00:43:49.710 a life of true meaning, purpose, and significance. 00:43:52.590 --> 00:43:59.250 Enjoy. Enjoy your life with true meaning, purpose, 00:43:59.369 --> 00:44:01.429 and significance. Look at the very last phrase. 00:44:01.590 --> 00:44:04.369 The Apostle Paul said that the entire chapter 00:44:04.369 --> 00:44:07.409 15, resurrection, resurrection, power of the 00:44:07.409 --> 00:44:10.010 resurrection, purpose of the resurrection. And 00:44:10.010 --> 00:44:12.469 then he says, now with all that said, therefore, 00:44:12.530 --> 00:44:16.489 brothers, stand firm. Don't be moved. Always 00:44:16.489 --> 00:44:20.090 stay faithful to the work of the kingdom. And 00:44:20.090 --> 00:44:24.050 then look how he closes it. Because you know 00:44:24.050 --> 00:44:31.590 that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. What 00:44:31.590 --> 00:44:36.210 does that mean? Stay faithful. Don't give up. 00:44:36.559 --> 00:44:39.360 Because the work of the Lord is the only true 00:44:39.360 --> 00:44:43.320 purpose. You know that it won't be in vain. If 00:44:43.320 --> 00:44:46.579 you work for the kingdom of heaven, you can bet 00:44:46.579 --> 00:44:48.940 your life, you can lay down your head at night, 00:44:49.000 --> 00:44:51.679 you can have total peace that what you have given 00:44:51.679 --> 00:44:57.019 your life for is not in vain. It matters. And 00:44:57.019 --> 00:45:00.079 that's a real problem in the world today. In 00:45:00.079 --> 00:45:04.719 the law enforcement world. I was 100 % surprised. 00:45:05.440 --> 00:45:08.039 at how many suicide threats and attempts we go 00:45:08.039 --> 00:45:10.139 to in Weatherford, Texas. It's unbelievable. 00:45:10.679 --> 00:45:14.239 Right, Gray? Is Gray here? I mean, any of you 00:45:14.239 --> 00:45:16.699 guys that are in law enforcement, every shift 00:45:16.699 --> 00:45:19.119 we're taking people to John Peter Smith Hospital 00:45:19.119 --> 00:45:22.000 in Fort Worth that used to be the 10th floor 00:45:22.000 --> 00:45:24.940 psych ward, but now it got so bad they built 00:45:24.940 --> 00:45:32.300 a whole new wing for just mental illness. Feeling 00:45:32.300 --> 00:45:35.989 insignificant? and without purpose is an epidemic 00:45:35.989 --> 00:45:40.070 in the world right now. Jill and I were listening. 00:45:40.250 --> 00:45:44.530 We took a road trip to take Adam his car. And 00:45:44.530 --> 00:45:46.590 we were listening to History Tellers podcast. 00:45:46.829 --> 00:45:47.909 I don't know if you listened to that. It was 00:45:47.909 --> 00:45:50.309 really good. But we were listening to the story 00:45:50.309 --> 00:45:52.869 of Lewis and Clark. You know, the great explorers 00:45:52.869 --> 00:45:55.989 in the 1800s tasked by the president. You know, 00:45:55.989 --> 00:46:00.480 they mapped 8 ,000 miles of... untouched, unmapped 00:46:00.480 --> 00:46:04.239 territory over to the Pacific Ocean. All this 00:46:04.239 --> 00:46:07.059 thing. I mean, came back, were held as heroes, 00:46:07.099 --> 00:46:11.420 parades, parties. Did you know that two years 00:46:11.420 --> 00:46:15.679 later in a little inn next to a river, Louis 00:46:15.679 --> 00:46:20.260 the Explorer took his own life? You ever heard 00:46:20.260 --> 00:46:23.820 that part of the story? The guy that mapped the 00:46:23.820 --> 00:46:27.659 known world was celebrated as a hero, took his 00:46:27.659 --> 00:46:32.519 own life. Because even that kind of success is 00:46:32.519 --> 00:46:43.239 meaningless without an eternal kingdom. Let me 00:46:43.239 --> 00:46:54.159 just give you a confession. 2005, 2006, 25, 26 00:46:54.159 --> 00:46:57.929 years old, I get asked to pastor. first church 00:46:57.929 --> 00:47:01.789 I pastored at. I'm not sure that anyone that 00:47:01.789 --> 00:47:05.329 young should ever be given the opportunity to 00:47:05.329 --> 00:47:09.329 pastor. But in that context of pastoring that 00:47:09.329 --> 00:47:16.409 church, in that religious context, your worth 00:47:16.409 --> 00:47:19.909 as a pastor is determined by how fast your church 00:47:19.909 --> 00:47:22.889 is growing, how big your church is, and how many 00:47:22.889 --> 00:47:26.510 baptisms you have on the count. Like literally. 00:47:26.530 --> 00:47:28.349 And for those of you who have been a minister, 00:47:28.449 --> 00:47:32.130 you know, like if your identity is a pastor, 00:47:32.250 --> 00:47:34.469 then this is how you're judged. How fast is your 00:47:34.469 --> 00:47:36.469 church growing? How big is it? And how many people 00:47:36.469 --> 00:47:39.369 did you get dumped? And that's the measurement 00:47:39.369 --> 00:47:43.030 of how good of a pastor you are. And so as a 00:47:43.030 --> 00:47:45.920 26 -year -old, I can remember just... laying 00:47:45.920 --> 00:47:48.559 in my bed at night and I'm going to church growth 00:47:48.559 --> 00:47:51.320 conferences I'm going to all these things that 00:47:51.320 --> 00:47:53.800 the seminary is sending me to so that I can make 00:47:53.800 --> 00:47:56.820 a church grow and I can get people baptized and 00:47:56.820 --> 00:47:59.519 I'm laying down at night and I'm wondering what 00:47:59.519 --> 00:48:02.480 in the world is my life for I feel like no purpose 00:48:02.480 --> 00:48:08.719 no purpose I'm in ministry and I feel like I 00:48:08.719 --> 00:48:11.780 have no purpose I thought this is what God called 00:48:11.780 --> 00:48:16.139 me to and I can't sleep at night And then I had 00:48:16.139 --> 00:48:20.179 an encounter with God in 2007. I had a personal 00:48:20.179 --> 00:48:24.119 encounter with God. And what I found out was 00:48:24.119 --> 00:48:26.860 that my identity has nothing to do with my occupation. 00:48:28.519 --> 00:48:33.039 But that I am a loved son. And the purpose of 00:48:33.039 --> 00:48:36.300 my life is not to preach, is not to lead churches. 00:48:36.460 --> 00:48:42.519 The purpose of my life is to serve Him. And you 00:48:42.519 --> 00:48:46.860 know, Obviously, this is not a huge church. We 00:48:46.860 --> 00:48:51.440 didn't baptize anybody today, this week. Definitely 00:48:51.440 --> 00:48:56.019 not the fastest growing church in the area. And 00:48:56.019 --> 00:49:00.420 I have such unshakable peace. And here's the 00:49:00.420 --> 00:49:02.760 deal. I got questions all the time. Does anybody 00:49:02.760 --> 00:49:06.519 else have questions about their life? I'm asking 00:49:06.519 --> 00:49:09.079 God all the time. God, am I supposed to still 00:49:09.079 --> 00:49:10.840 be pastoring? Am I supposed to be preaching? 00:49:11.159 --> 00:49:13.079 You want me to go full -time law enforcement? 00:49:13.159 --> 00:49:14.980 Sometimes I feel like that's the best way to 00:49:14.980 --> 00:49:17.460 further the kingdom. I got this sphere of influence 00:49:17.460 --> 00:49:19.519 in private security world. Do you want me to 00:49:19.519 --> 00:49:23.320 do that? I got questions about God's plan for 00:49:23.320 --> 00:49:26.300 my life all the time. What I don't have is a 00:49:26.300 --> 00:49:29.260 lack of purpose. Because what I've come to realize 00:49:29.260 --> 00:49:32.559 is it doesn't matter what my job is. Am I being 00:49:32.559 --> 00:49:34.639 a dad today? Am I being a father? Am I being 00:49:34.639 --> 00:49:36.980 a cop? Am I being a pastor? Am I being a security 00:49:36.980 --> 00:49:39.780 guy? It doesn't matter. Because none of that 00:49:39.780 --> 00:49:44.260 is my identity. Now I'm completely satisfied 00:49:44.260 --> 00:49:47.320 in who I am. I'm his son. And I don't have to 00:49:47.320 --> 00:49:50.519 earn your applause because he already loves me. 00:49:51.599 --> 00:49:55.599 And he likes me. And I don't have to be the best 00:49:55.599 --> 00:49:59.820 shot or the coolest cop because he likes me. 00:50:00.250 --> 00:50:02.829 And He loves me. And all I have to do is work 00:50:02.829 --> 00:50:05.369 with excellent at whatever He puts to my hand 00:50:05.369 --> 00:50:08.650 and give Him glory. And I sleep like a baby. 00:50:11.349 --> 00:50:14.630 Does that make sense? When the Apostle Paul ends 00:50:14.630 --> 00:50:18.429 with these words, because you know that if you're 00:50:18.429 --> 00:50:21.550 laboring in the Lord, it's not in vain. I want 00:50:21.550 --> 00:50:23.949 to tell you, if you're living for any other kingdom, 00:50:24.150 --> 00:50:26.329 you're going to struggle with significance and 00:50:26.329 --> 00:50:29.039 purpose. But if you surrender to your identity 00:50:29.039 --> 00:50:31.880 as a son or daughter loved by God, guess what? 00:50:31.980 --> 00:50:34.420 You don't have to change your job unless he tells 00:50:34.420 --> 00:50:37.280 you to, but I doubt it. You don't have to give 00:50:37.280 --> 00:50:39.860 up your whole world and move to Uganda unless 00:50:39.860 --> 00:50:43.340 he tells you to, but that's pretty rare. What 00:50:43.340 --> 00:50:46.360 he wants is whatever's in your hand living surrendered 00:50:46.360 --> 00:50:51.599 for him. And you can go from a dude that feels 00:50:51.599 --> 00:50:54.219 like you're totally insignificant, have the same 00:50:54.219 --> 00:50:56.920 job, the same family, the same house, the same 00:50:56.920 --> 00:51:01.099 everything, and wake up tomorrow and go to bed 00:51:01.099 --> 00:51:03.500 tomorrow night and sleep like a baby with total 00:51:03.500 --> 00:51:06.539 peace because you said, whatever you put in my 00:51:06.539 --> 00:51:10.099 hands, I know you love me, I'm surrendered to 00:51:10.099 --> 00:51:12.639 you, and I work for your kingdom through this 00:51:12.639 --> 00:51:16.840 tool you gave me. It's glorious. It's a glorious 00:51:16.840 --> 00:51:21.110 way to live. And I want that for you. I want 00:51:21.110 --> 00:51:30.809 that for you because I don't want to go to any 00:51:30.809 --> 00:51:36.289 more insignificant life calls. You know what 00:51:36.289 --> 00:51:40.769 I'm saying? This is Jesus died. That we would 00:51:40.769 --> 00:51:44.250 have resurrection life and so that our life would 00:51:44.250 --> 00:51:50.239 mean something. And it means something through 00:51:50.239 --> 00:51:54.420 His kingdom. So, let me just say this. If you're 00:51:54.420 --> 00:51:56.940 not living for His kingdom, repent and change 00:51:56.940 --> 00:52:00.280 and just say, whatever you put in my hands, Lord, 00:52:00.440 --> 00:52:03.500 I'm going to live for You. I repent. I'm shifting. 00:52:04.019 --> 00:52:07.199 This job You gave me, it's no longer about my 00:52:07.199 --> 00:52:10.139 career. It's no longer about my retirement account. 00:52:10.280 --> 00:52:11.880 It's about Your kingdom and I'm going to let 00:52:11.880 --> 00:52:15.000 You fill everything else together. These kids 00:52:15.000 --> 00:52:17.940 You gave me, I'm going to stop griping about 00:52:17.940 --> 00:52:21.039 all these kids you gave me. And instead, I'm 00:52:21.039 --> 00:52:22.559 going to take these children that you put in 00:52:22.559 --> 00:52:25.260 my hands and I'm going to mother or father for 00:52:25.260 --> 00:52:27.980 the kingdom of heaven on the earth. You know 00:52:27.980 --> 00:52:31.519 what I'm saying? Whatever your spot in life is, 00:52:31.719 --> 00:52:34.360 just repent. You know what repent means biblically? 00:52:34.420 --> 00:52:36.900 Change the way you think. Stop thinking about 00:52:36.900 --> 00:52:40.619 that tool in your hand about your kingdom and 00:52:40.619 --> 00:52:42.920 start thinking about His. It's going to work 00:52:42.920 --> 00:52:45.619 out beautifully. And you'll find more favor, 00:52:45.760 --> 00:52:48.820 more significance, and more productivity when 00:52:48.820 --> 00:52:51.639 you turn it to His kingdom first. That's how 00:52:51.639 --> 00:52:54.980 His kingdom works. Alright? And then if you've 00:52:54.980 --> 00:52:57.980 been doing that, then I just want to say this. 00:52:58.500 --> 00:53:02.840 Don't give up. Keep going. I know sometimes it 00:53:02.840 --> 00:53:04.780 feels like, dude, I'm beating my head against 00:53:04.780 --> 00:53:09.639 this wall. The kingdom of heaven is a narrow 00:53:09.639 --> 00:53:13.599 road and it's not for sissies for a reason. Because 00:53:13.599 --> 00:53:15.719 you're living for something eternal that goes 00:53:15.719 --> 00:53:19.679 beyond you. I'd like to say you just surrender 00:53:19.679 --> 00:53:22.840 it all. It's going to be roses. But then you'd 00:53:22.840 --> 00:53:24.940 be here next week slapping me in the face and 00:53:24.940 --> 00:53:29.860 I don't like that. Right? It's not all roses. 00:53:30.860 --> 00:53:33.400 A surrendered lifestyle is a surrendered lifestyle 00:53:33.400 --> 00:53:36.260 and that hurts. That means it's not about me. 00:53:36.909 --> 00:53:39.949 Every day. But it will have eternal significance. 00:53:40.349 --> 00:53:42.230 Would it be okay? Thank you for being so patient. 00:53:42.369 --> 00:53:43.929 Could we stand? I just want to pray for you. 00:53:44.829 --> 00:53:46.730 Ministry team, would you mind just being over 00:53:46.730 --> 00:53:49.489 against the wall if anybody needs you? Again, 00:53:49.510 --> 00:53:51.610 if you've never been saved, you've never fully 00:53:51.610 --> 00:53:53.469 given your life to the Lord, could we help you? 00:53:55.349 --> 00:53:57.670 Lord, I thank you for my friends. I thank you 00:53:57.670 --> 00:54:00.670 that you brought us together. Father, I thank 00:54:00.670 --> 00:54:02.750 you for the presence of Jesus and I thank you 00:54:02.750 --> 00:54:05.889 for the Bible. We thank you for the Apostle Paul. 00:54:06.619 --> 00:54:09.059 The knowledge You gave them and the words You 00:54:09.059 --> 00:54:13.460 wrote through them. Father, here we are. We're 00:54:13.460 --> 00:54:17.960 messed up. We struggle. We fail. We're far from 00:54:17.960 --> 00:54:23.139 what we want to be at times. But by the power 00:54:23.139 --> 00:54:26.300 of the resurrection, we hear Your words say to 00:54:26.300 --> 00:54:29.719 us, You have the victory through the Lord Jesus. 00:54:30.880 --> 00:54:35.969 Stand firm and don't be moved. Always give your 00:54:35.969 --> 00:54:40.230 life fully to the work of the Lord. And your 00:54:40.230 --> 00:54:43.449 life will not be in vain. We receive it. I pray 00:54:43.449 --> 00:54:46.309 blessings on them. Blessings on their gatherings 00:54:46.309 --> 00:54:48.909 today. Protection as they travel. And may they 00:54:48.909 --> 00:54:51.530 enjoy you this week. In Jesus' name, Amen.