WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.139 You want to turn in your Bibles to the Gospel 00:00:05.139 --> 00:00:09.640 of Luke. So, you've got the New Testament, Matthew, 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:13.220 Mark, Luke. The Gospel of Luke. And we're going 00:00:13.220 --> 00:00:20.679 to go to chapter 14 together. If you're a visitor, 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:22.859 welcome along on the journey. I know today's 00:00:22.859 --> 00:00:25.199 a little different in setting things in place, 00:00:25.300 --> 00:00:28.920 but I think you get the importance. But we welcome 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:31.649 you. And we welcome you to a journey that we're 00:00:31.649 --> 00:00:35.409 taking as a church. The last number of years, 00:00:35.609 --> 00:00:38.850 we really feel like God has called us as a church 00:00:38.850 --> 00:00:42.649 to be kingdom people that truly put His kingdom 00:00:42.649 --> 00:00:45.590 first on the earth. And I'm so proud of you. 00:00:45.670 --> 00:00:48.530 I feel like as a church, you've really received 00:00:48.530 --> 00:00:52.609 that identity, that assignment of the Lord. In 00:00:52.609 --> 00:00:57.600 2024, we spent the entire year kind of building 00:00:57.600 --> 00:01:01.219 a foundation of loving each other deeply. I want 00:01:01.219 --> 00:01:03.939 to remind you of the unity covenants that we 00:01:03.939 --> 00:01:07.060 signed as a church that put one another above 00:01:07.060 --> 00:01:11.340 our own interest. If you have a desire to read 00:01:11.340 --> 00:01:13.859 over, pray, and sign a unity covenant and you 00:01:13.859 --> 00:01:16.480 weren't here for that, just let anybody on staff 00:01:16.480 --> 00:01:18.879 know. We'll get you a copy. You can look through 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:21.480 it, pray through it. It's really important. So 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:24.019 we built this foundation of unity and a commitment 00:01:24.019 --> 00:01:27.769 to maturity. Knowing the Word of God. Receiving 00:01:27.769 --> 00:01:30.510 maturity of the Spirit. And on that foundation, 00:01:30.569 --> 00:01:33.189 we feel like God has now put us in a season as 00:01:33.189 --> 00:01:36.430 a church in which He has called us to expand 00:01:36.430 --> 00:01:39.590 His kingdom supernaturally on the earth. And 00:01:39.590 --> 00:01:42.530 so we've been given this challenge to both go 00:01:42.530 --> 00:01:46.989 across the world and in your home and in your 00:01:46.989 --> 00:01:50.849 workplace. Everywhere that God sends us and places 00:01:50.849 --> 00:01:54.680 us. Our commitment is to expand the kingdom of 00:01:54.680 --> 00:01:58.359 heaven on the earth as Jesus taught us to. And 00:01:58.359 --> 00:02:04.519 so in Luke chapter 14 and 15 and 16, Jesus begins 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:10.020 to teach a series of parables based on this invitation 00:02:10.020 --> 00:02:13.000 to eat at the banquet table of the kingdom of 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:17.180 God. And in these parables, Jesus teaches some 00:02:17.180 --> 00:02:21.939 beautiful truths. about how to live in a kingdom 00:02:21.939 --> 00:02:25.460 expansion kind of mode and lifestyle. And so 00:02:25.460 --> 00:02:28.280 we're going to spend however long it takes for 00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:31.539 the next amount of time to kind of work through 00:02:31.539 --> 00:02:35.259 these, or until the Holy Spirit asks us to do 00:02:35.259 --> 00:02:37.620 something different. So today, could we look 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:40.979 at Luke chapter 14, and I'm going to read verse 00:02:40.979 --> 00:02:47.120 1 through 14. Luke chapter 14. verses 1 through 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:50.300 14, if you'll follow along with me as I read. 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:54.319 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:57.740 of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully 00:02:57.740 --> 00:03:01.039 watched. And there in front of him was a man 00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:05.080 suffering from dropsy. And Jesus asked the Pharisees 00:03:05.080 --> 00:03:08.219 and experts in the law, is it lawful to heal 00:03:08.219 --> 00:03:11.699 on the Sabbath or not? But they remained silent. 00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:15.319 So taking hold of the man, he healed him and 00:03:15.319 --> 00:03:18.460 sent him away. Then he asked them, if one of 00:03:18.460 --> 00:03:21.860 you has a son or an ox that falls into a well 00:03:21.860 --> 00:03:24.800 on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:29.259 pull him out? And they had nothing to say. And 00:03:29.259 --> 00:03:32.400 when he noticed how the guest picked the places 00:03:32.400 --> 00:03:35.860 of honor at the table, he told them this parable. 00:03:36.099 --> 00:03:38.960 When someone invites you to a wedding feast, 00:03:39.419 --> 00:03:42.740 Do not take the place of honor for a person more 00:03:42.740 --> 00:03:44.939 distinguished than you may have been invited. 00:03:45.259 --> 00:03:52.460 If so, the host who invited both of you will 00:03:52.460 --> 00:03:55.080 come and say to you, give this man your seat. 00:03:55.319 --> 00:03:58.120 Then humiliated, you will have to take the least 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:01.379 important place. But when you are invited, take 00:04:01.379 --> 00:04:04.360 the lowest place, so that when your host comes, 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:07.139 he will say to you, friend, move up to a better 00:04:07.139 --> 00:04:10.090 place. Then you will be honored in the presence 00:04:10.090 --> 00:04:13.689 of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts 00:04:13.689 --> 00:04:17.350 himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself 00:04:17.350 --> 00:04:21.430 will be exalted. Then Jesus said to his host, 00:04:21.670 --> 00:04:24.370 When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite 00:04:24.370 --> 00:04:27.269 your friends, your brothers or relatives, or 00:04:27.269 --> 00:04:30.149 your rich neighbors. If you do, they may invite 00:04:30.149 --> 00:04:33.750 you back, and so you will be repaid. But when 00:04:33.750 --> 00:04:37.160 you give a banquet, invite the poor. the cripple, 00:04:37.160 --> 00:04:40.579 the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. 00:04:40.779 --> 00:04:44.660 Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid 00:04:44.660 --> 00:04:49.639 at the resurrection of the righteous. So Jesus, 00:04:49.699 --> 00:04:53.180 we just humble our hearts before You and we are 00:04:53.180 --> 00:04:56.800 asking right now by faith for a demonstration 00:04:56.800 --> 00:05:00.620 of the Holy Spirit's power through these words 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:05.160 to create radical, permanent change in our life 00:05:05.160 --> 00:05:09.459 for Your glory. In Jesus' name, amen. Alright, 00:05:09.540 --> 00:05:12.759 so let's work our way through some, I believe, 00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:16.879 incredibly valuable kingdom truths from Jesus. 00:05:17.500 --> 00:05:20.319 Could I pause right now and just say happy birthday 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:24.040 to my son who's 20 today. He's watching from 00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:27.079 Camp Pendleton, California. Love you, son. I'm 00:05:27.079 --> 00:05:29.860 proud of you. Today's his birthday. Happy birthday. 00:05:30.019 --> 00:05:33.360 We love you. Alright? Just felt led to do that. 00:05:35.949 --> 00:05:38.370 I guess that's the perks of being the pastor. 00:05:38.550 --> 00:05:41.810 You get to just pause and say happy birthday. 00:05:42.069 --> 00:05:47.149 Alright, number one, kingdom truths. Number one, 00:05:47.170 --> 00:05:50.230 if you're taking notes, I encourage you to write 00:05:50.230 --> 00:05:51.810 these things down. They'll help you remember 00:05:51.810 --> 00:05:53.850 it and you'll have a record of it if somebody 00:05:53.850 --> 00:05:56.910 needs it this week. Number one, in the kingdom, 00:05:57.029 --> 00:06:02.050 love and compassion are more important than man 00:06:02.050 --> 00:06:06.759 -made religion or legalistic righteousness. In 00:06:06.759 --> 00:06:10.699 the kingdom, love and compassion are more important 00:06:10.699 --> 00:06:14.379 than man -made religion or legalistic righteousness. 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:19.879 When we read verses 1 -6, what we have is Jesus 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:26.180 at a Pharisee's house for a banquet. And He asked 00:06:26.180 --> 00:06:31.300 them, see this man here with dropsy? I had to 00:06:31.300 --> 00:06:35.810 look up what dropsy was. So it's basically an 00:06:35.810 --> 00:06:40.449 older medical term that talks about his body 00:06:40.449 --> 00:06:44.149 was retaining fluid in a way that was dangerous 00:06:44.149 --> 00:06:48.389 to him. Okay, so, which is interesting. It's 00:06:48.389 --> 00:06:50.410 the only time it's mentioned in the Bible, dropsy, 00:06:50.430 --> 00:06:54.709 right here in Luke chapter 14. So Jesus shows 00:06:54.709 --> 00:06:56.430 up at the Pharisees' house. There's a man with 00:06:56.430 --> 00:06:59.610 dropsy. And Jesus asked the Pharisees, who were 00:06:59.610 --> 00:07:03.500 watching him closely, why? To entrap him. We 00:07:03.500 --> 00:07:07.519 know this. So it says the religious people in 00:07:07.519 --> 00:07:09.819 the house are watching him closely to try to 00:07:09.819 --> 00:07:13.319 entrap him. Jesus sees this man who needs healing, 00:07:13.399 --> 00:07:16.160 but it's the Sabbath day. It's the day to be 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.300 set apart as holy. It's a day to have no work 00:07:19.300 --> 00:07:23.160 done. And so Jesus asks them, is it rightful 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:26.540 on this day of Sabbath no work should be done? 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:28.699 Is it right that I would heal this man? Of course, 00:07:28.699 --> 00:07:31.870 they're silent. So Jesus... in his love and compassion 00:07:31.870 --> 00:07:35.610 for the man, heals him right there. And then 00:07:35.610 --> 00:07:39.610 he asks them, if your son or your ox falls into 00:07:39.610 --> 00:07:41.610 a well on a Sabbath day, will you not pull him 00:07:41.610 --> 00:07:45.629 out? And I think Jesus is teaching an important 00:07:45.629 --> 00:07:50.149 spiritual lesson for us. And that if we're not 00:07:50.149 --> 00:07:54.850 careful in the church, we can become so wrapped 00:07:54.850 --> 00:07:58.370 up in the man -made part of religion. Now there 00:07:58.370 --> 00:08:02.029 is a religion, that the Bible speaks of in James, 00:08:02.149 --> 00:08:05.870 that honors God. And it has nothing to do with 00:08:05.870 --> 00:08:09.189 church buildings. It says, and the religion that 00:08:09.189 --> 00:08:12.269 honors God is that we take care of widows and 00:08:12.269 --> 00:08:15.889 orphans and refuse to be defiled by the ways 00:08:15.889 --> 00:08:19.470 of the world. That is the religion that God loves 00:08:19.470 --> 00:08:23.579 and approves of. However, man has this tendency 00:08:23.579 --> 00:08:27.699 to take the baseline of what God does and add 00:08:27.699 --> 00:08:31.959 on to it and add on to it until eventually it 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:36.519 doesn't even resemble the heart of God. And if 00:08:36.519 --> 00:08:40.360 we're not careful, our religion, our religious 00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:48.600 lives can be so consumed with being right and 00:08:48.600 --> 00:08:52.149 proving everyone wrong. that we walk right past 00:08:52.149 --> 00:08:58.629 hurting people and offer no solution. The same 00:08:58.629 --> 00:09:02.850 man that was in need of healing sat in a room 00:09:02.850 --> 00:09:07.009 with the most religious, holy people of the day 00:09:07.009 --> 00:09:11.629 with this incredible need, and instead of seeing 00:09:11.629 --> 00:09:14.710 with eyes of compassion a man in need, all they 00:09:14.710 --> 00:09:17.570 could see was a critical attitude of how we can 00:09:17.570 --> 00:09:22.480 prove Jesus wrong. We have to be right. This 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:25.659 man Jesus has to become wrong because he has 00:09:25.659 --> 00:09:28.600 tested the box of our religious understanding. 00:09:30.759 --> 00:09:34.440 They call him Messiah, but he does not fit our 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:37.039 religious picture of what Messiah should look 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:40.360 like. So instead of seeing the need of the man, 00:09:40.580 --> 00:09:42.940 they critically looked and said, we have to prove 00:09:42.940 --> 00:09:49.840 him wrong. Alright. Do you love me? I love you. 00:09:49.940 --> 00:09:54.039 I honestly do. I give my life for you in this 00:09:54.039 --> 00:09:56.860 church. I hope that you understand that this 00:09:56.860 --> 00:10:05.820 is out of love. If we put a fraction of the effort 00:10:05.820 --> 00:10:10.179 that we use to justify ourselves and make us 00:10:10.179 --> 00:10:12.860 right and win our battles against the people 00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:16.039 who are theologically incorrect or sinners in 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:19.490 the world, if we put a fraction of the effort 00:10:19.490 --> 00:10:22.970 into having a compassionate eye for the needs 00:10:22.970 --> 00:10:30.230 of broken people, it would be glorious. And I 00:10:30.230 --> 00:10:34.629 want to challenge us the way, because before 00:10:34.629 --> 00:10:38.850 you see yourself as the good guy in this story, 00:10:39.029 --> 00:10:43.929 I just want to challenge you that if you and 00:10:43.929 --> 00:10:46.379 I sitting in this... this church building right 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:49.679 now, if we were going to put ourselves in this 00:10:49.679 --> 00:10:59.399 story, where might we most likely fit in? So, 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:08.360 let's be careful that we don't become so concerned 00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:11.830 about being right. That we walk right past hurting 00:11:11.830 --> 00:11:15.950 people without providing a supernatural solution. 00:11:18.129 --> 00:11:22.549 In James chapter 2, if you want to turn there, 00:11:22.669 --> 00:11:26.970 it's this great passage. Are we okay? I mean, 00:11:26.990 --> 00:11:30.990 I think this is healthy. And listen, there's 00:11:30.990 --> 00:11:34.289 nobody more steeped in religion than the guy 00:11:34.289 --> 00:11:37.750 sitting up here receiving the conviction, right? 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:40.879 I mean, we're preaching through this together. 00:11:43.000 --> 00:11:50.000 Sometimes, our lives can be so focused on accomplishing 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:54.100 things for Jesus that we forget to be like Him 00:11:54.100 --> 00:12:00.279 with people who are in deep need. James 2, verses 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:06.039 12 -13. I think you'll be familiar with this 00:12:06.039 --> 00:12:11.090 passage. It says, Speak and act as though who 00:12:11.090 --> 00:12:13.970 are going to be judged by the law that gives 00:12:13.970 --> 00:12:16.049 freedom. What is the law that gives freedom? 00:12:16.549 --> 00:12:19.309 James is drawing a comparison between the law 00:12:19.309 --> 00:12:22.649 of condemnation and the law of freedom through 00:12:22.649 --> 00:12:25.049 the Spirit. If you back up to verse 8 in the 00:12:25.049 --> 00:12:28.230 context, it says, if you really keep the royal 00:12:28.230 --> 00:12:32.509 law found in Scripture, love your neighbor as 00:12:32.509 --> 00:12:35.440 yourself, you are doing right. So, back to 12. 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:38.320 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:41.320 by the law that gives freedom. Because judgment 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:45.820 without mercy will be shown to anyone who has 00:12:45.820 --> 00:12:50.759 not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:57.070 That's a good word for us. Yes? And Jesus teaching 00:12:57.070 --> 00:13:00.870 in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, verse 00:13:00.870 --> 00:13:04.129 2, He says, listen, be careful in your attitude 00:13:04.129 --> 00:13:07.690 to judge others because He says, the very measure 00:13:07.690 --> 00:13:11.029 that you use to judge others, that very same 00:13:11.029 --> 00:13:15.490 measuring stick will be used to judge you. Harsh 00:13:15.490 --> 00:13:25.740 words, right? In the kingdom, love and compassion 00:13:25.740 --> 00:13:29.179 are more important than religion and legalistic 00:13:29.179 --> 00:13:38.379 righteousness. Love is so important. Without 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:43.259 love, we have nothing. You can be right all day 00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:47.539 long, and if you don't have love, it's invaluable 00:13:47.539 --> 00:13:51.379 for the kingdom. Does that make sense? Alright, 00:13:51.460 --> 00:13:53.990 so let's just repent if we need to. Some of you 00:13:53.990 --> 00:13:57.269 don't need to. Some of you are the most loving 00:13:57.269 --> 00:14:00.730 person I've ever been around. But maybe some 00:14:00.730 --> 00:14:04.149 of us, we need an opportunity to repent. To repent 00:14:04.149 --> 00:14:06.669 just means to agree with the way God thinks. 00:14:06.789 --> 00:14:09.570 To change your thinking to agree with Him. So 00:14:09.570 --> 00:14:15.149 if you need to just come alongside God, mercy 00:14:15.149 --> 00:14:20.289 triumphs over judgment, just receive this lesson 00:14:20.289 --> 00:14:22.710 that He's teaching the Pharisees in this time. 00:14:31.690 --> 00:14:33.649 Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness, Your patience 00:14:33.649 --> 00:14:38.570 towards us. We commit to be people who look with 00:14:38.570 --> 00:14:42.909 mercy and compassion. Who love people and provide 00:14:42.909 --> 00:14:46.870 a kingdom solution to them in Jesus' name. Amen. 00:14:50.789 --> 00:14:55.629 This is my honest belief. When I look in this 00:14:55.629 --> 00:14:58.909 room, I see a lot of empty chairs. and I see 00:14:58.909 --> 00:15:01.230 a lot of space where more chairs could be in 00:15:01.230 --> 00:15:04.809 here. And you know I've never been about numbers 00:15:04.809 --> 00:15:06.870 or church growth or anything, but you know why 00:15:06.870 --> 00:15:10.529 these chairs are empty? Because we're not walking 00:15:10.529 --> 00:15:13.809 in the supernatural power of God. Because if 00:15:13.809 --> 00:15:16.789 we were walking in the fullness of God that Jesus 00:15:16.789 --> 00:15:19.350 has called us to, and we're going out to work, 00:15:19.509 --> 00:15:23.230 and everyone who's in depression, we... in the 00:15:23.230 --> 00:15:25.090 name of Jesus, put our hand on them and pray 00:15:25.090 --> 00:15:27.169 and they're complete free and everyone that we 00:15:27.169 --> 00:15:29.950 see that needs love and we're meeting every physical 00:15:29.950 --> 00:15:33.730 need and financial need and we're living a supernatural 00:15:33.730 --> 00:15:37.250 Jesus lifestyle, there's no way you could keep 00:15:37.250 --> 00:15:42.669 people out of this church. There's no way you 00:15:42.669 --> 00:15:44.889 could keep people out of this church. And so 00:15:44.889 --> 00:15:50.009 let's not lower the bar. We don't need more religion. 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:54.460 We need more Christ -like love and compassion. 00:15:55.279 --> 00:15:59.340 We need supernatural answers to worldly problems. 00:16:00.500 --> 00:16:07.399 Yes? Amen. Alright, number two. Kingdom truths 00:16:07.399 --> 00:16:11.600 from Jesus in this passage. I feel like today's 00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:14.100 a little rough, but I think you can handle it. 00:16:14.259 --> 00:16:16.039 I think you can handle it because I think these 00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:21.139 are good truths from the Lord. Number two. There 00:16:21.139 --> 00:16:23.580 is no room for self -promotion in the kingdom 00:16:23.580 --> 00:16:29.279 of heaven. God opposes the proud. There is no 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:33.200 room for self -promotion in the kingdom of heaven. 00:16:33.419 --> 00:16:38.919 God opposes the proud. When we look at this next 00:16:38.919 --> 00:16:41.080 portion of Jesus' teaching, He starts teaching 00:16:41.080 --> 00:16:44.379 a parable about a banquet and the seats of honor. 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:47.179 Verse 7, and when he noticed how the guests picked 00:16:47.179 --> 00:16:49.720 the places of honor at the table, he told them 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:52.100 this parable, when someone invites you to a wedding 00:16:52.100 --> 00:16:56.480 feast, do not take the place of honor. For a 00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:58.940 person more distinguished than you may have been 00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:01.539 invited. If so, the host who invited both of 00:17:01.539 --> 00:17:03.840 you will come to you and say, give this man your 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:06.619 seat. Then humiliated, you will have to take 00:17:06.619 --> 00:17:10.359 the least important place. But when you are invited, 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:12.960 and we all have been invited to the banquet of 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:18.380 the kingdom, Take the lowest place, so that when 00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:20.680 your host comes, he will say to you, Friend, 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:23.500 move up to a better place. Then you will be honored 00:17:23.500 --> 00:17:26.039 in the presence of all your fellow guests. For 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:29.700 everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, 00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:35.680 and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Self 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:39.769 -promotion is an epidemic in the culture. It 00:17:39.769 --> 00:17:42.809 has taken over the world by firestorm. And in 00:17:42.809 --> 00:17:45.910 my opinion, social media has played a huge hand 00:17:45.910 --> 00:17:49.670 in that. But we're consumed with a culture that's 00:17:49.670 --> 00:17:52.670 consumed with promoting ourselves to get what 00:17:52.670 --> 00:17:55.230 we feel like we deserve in the timing that we 00:17:55.230 --> 00:17:58.109 feel like we should get it. And it's the way 00:17:58.109 --> 00:18:00.430 of the world. We should look at the world who's 00:18:00.430 --> 00:18:03.410 always self -promoting, always self -advertising, 00:18:03.509 --> 00:18:06.049 and we should look at them and go, duh, yeah, 00:18:06.130 --> 00:18:09.480 of course you are. I mean, of course, because 00:18:09.480 --> 00:18:12.460 that's the way you get things done. But in the 00:18:12.460 --> 00:18:16.799 kingdom, his kingdom is upside down. In the kingdom 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:20.359 of heaven, we don't promote self to be exalted. 00:18:20.500 --> 00:18:23.759 We lower self and trust that when the timing 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:26.400 is right and the sovereignty of God is correct, 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:29.359 he will exalt us to the place that he wants us 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:34.299 exalted. And this concept of continually promoting 00:18:34.299 --> 00:18:37.859 ourselves, putting ourselves out there, you know, 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:40.779 bragging about the things that the Lord is doing 00:18:40.779 --> 00:18:44.119 us or giving us or being so focused on our gifts. 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:47.839 I'm telling you, it's crippling the kingdom of 00:18:47.839 --> 00:18:50.859 heaven on the earth in the church. And I believe 00:18:50.859 --> 00:18:54.259 that it's coming to an end as we usher in revival 00:18:54.259 --> 00:19:02.730 and the return of Jesus. Jesus... was the most 00:19:02.730 --> 00:19:05.910 popular man on the planet, the most successful 00:19:05.910 --> 00:19:09.670 ministry, healed the most people. I believe it 00:19:09.670 --> 00:19:12.690 was the Apostle John said, this is just a portion 00:19:12.690 --> 00:19:14.849 of what Jesus did. If we were to write down everything 00:19:14.849 --> 00:19:17.269 that Jesus did, the whole world couldn't hold 00:19:17.269 --> 00:19:19.750 the books of what was accomplished in Jesus. 00:19:19.849 --> 00:19:23.849 And what you never saw once was Jesus promote 00:19:23.849 --> 00:19:29.210 Himself. Instead, what you saw was the Son of 00:19:29.210 --> 00:19:33.329 the living God. Coming into the flesh of man 00:19:33.329 --> 00:19:38.630 in a feed trough, in a cattle barn, in a city 00:19:38.630 --> 00:19:42.549 that would later be called Nazareth. And people 00:19:42.549 --> 00:19:48.569 go, nothing good comes from Nazareth. Do you 00:19:48.569 --> 00:19:59.769 see? Do you still love me? I'm being hard in 00:19:59.769 --> 00:20:02.779 the Scripture today because I think we may have 00:20:02.779 --> 00:20:07.539 lost the fear and awe of what it means when God 00:20:07.539 --> 00:20:12.099 says, I oppose the proud. That ought to make 00:20:12.099 --> 00:20:19.039 us shudder a little bit. Our oldest daughter 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:25.619 has a boyfriend. It's glorious. I love it. I 00:20:25.619 --> 00:20:29.720 love him. He was over at our house last night 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:32.960 and he walks in. And he's got stitches on his 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:35.359 face right here. Like right in his forehead, 00:20:35.500 --> 00:20:38.380 right on the bridge of his nose. So we're like, 00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:40.960 tell us the story. He said, my friend and I, 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:43.259 we had shopping carts and we were at the store 00:20:43.259 --> 00:20:47.180 and my friend rammed my shopping cart and we 00:20:47.180 --> 00:20:50.680 kind of started this shopping cart jousting thing. 00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:54.740 And he said, I didn't think anything about it. 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:57.680 He said, because... I outweigh the guy by, he 00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:01.019 said like 35, 40 pounds. Like I'm a much bigger 00:21:01.019 --> 00:21:04.059 guy. And so we rammed our carts and he said, 00:21:04.099 --> 00:21:06.819 I wasn't even concerned about it. But that flap 00:21:06.819 --> 00:21:09.940 that lets the next cart go under, when he rammed, 00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:12.160 that thing came up and smacked him right in the 00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:15.099 face. It took a chunk out of his face right here. 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:17.720 And he came over last night with these stitches, 00:21:17.900 --> 00:21:19.940 you know, and we're just waiting for his eyes 00:21:19.940 --> 00:21:21.900 to turn black. And he's sitting there, you know, 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:24.660 hugging our daughter. And I just was thinking 00:21:24.660 --> 00:21:27.369 when we, come to this portion of the Scripture 00:21:27.369 --> 00:21:32.269 where Jesus is saying, you dodo, do not take 00:21:32.269 --> 00:21:35.329 the place of higher importance. Don't think more 00:21:35.329 --> 00:21:38.849 about yourself than you ought. Take the lower 00:21:38.849 --> 00:21:41.950 place. How many of you know when you come in, 00:21:42.109 --> 00:21:45.029 and I'm not saying anything against him, it wasn't 00:21:45.029 --> 00:21:47.009 like a pride issue, but I'm saying in the concept, 00:21:47.089 --> 00:21:51.220 when you come in thinking, I've got this. I have 00:21:51.220 --> 00:21:54.119 the ability. I have the upper hand. How many 00:21:54.119 --> 00:21:56.440 of you know you walk away with scars that stay 00:21:56.440 --> 00:22:00.299 for a long time? Why? Because God will always 00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:05.220 oppose the proud. God opposes the proud. But 00:22:05.220 --> 00:22:08.539 this is such a great opportunity for us because 00:22:08.539 --> 00:22:10.880 like the Scripture says, we have the opportunity 00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:14.940 to humble ourselves to purposely take the lowest 00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:23.210 place. Real briefly, these three things in self 00:22:23.210 --> 00:22:26.529 -promotion, these three truths. A, self -promotion 00:22:26.529 --> 00:22:29.269 demonstrates a lack of security in the love, 00:22:29.269 --> 00:22:32.990 acceptance, and favor of God. It says, I'm not 00:22:32.990 --> 00:22:36.049 secure in God's love for me, so I must get adoration 00:22:36.049 --> 00:22:41.170 and importance from my fellow man. This is where 00:22:41.170 --> 00:22:44.470 I feel like if you're not careful, social media 00:22:44.470 --> 00:22:56.279 can become disastrous. Self -promotion only should 00:22:56.279 --> 00:22:59.900 raise a red flag to say you are not secure in 00:22:59.900 --> 00:23:02.019 what God has already done for you in acceptance 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:05.140 and love. Because my friend, when you come to 00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:08.759 the place to which you are convinced and cannot 00:23:08.759 --> 00:23:13.099 be unconvinced that God accepts you, loves you, 00:23:13.220 --> 00:23:16.200 wants you, and cherishes you, not by your behavior, 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:20.299 but by the blood of Christ, and he becomes enough 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:23.779 for you, you will no longer need to self -promote 00:23:23.779 --> 00:23:26.279 yourself so that other people will accept you. 00:23:26.779 --> 00:23:31.420 In fact, it will so become not a part of your 00:23:31.420 --> 00:23:34.079 identity, and I'm praying this for you, that 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:36.920 it will become an absolute foreign thought for 00:23:36.920 --> 00:23:39.359 you to ever want to promote yourself because 00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:43.539 you know that you are so loved, so accepted, 00:23:43.720 --> 00:23:47.680 so blessed. So favored by God that you don't 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:50.619 want to pervert that by attempting to promote 00:23:50.619 --> 00:23:52.819 yourself so you would get it from somebody else. 00:23:54.440 --> 00:24:03.259 It will never work. It'll never work. It doesn't 00:24:03.259 --> 00:24:08.259 matter how many people adore you. You will still 00:24:08.259 --> 00:24:11.500 lay down your head at night with an empty soul. 00:24:11.930 --> 00:24:14.809 Because you were created to be accepted, adored, 00:24:14.869 --> 00:24:21.410 loved, and favored by one. By one. And He is 00:24:21.410 --> 00:24:24.450 enough. So if you struggle with self -promotion, 00:24:24.609 --> 00:24:26.869 don't be condemned about it, but let it raise 00:24:26.869 --> 00:24:29.589 a red flag that said, maybe you need to come 00:24:29.589 --> 00:24:32.349 into an encounter in which God pours out His 00:24:32.349 --> 00:24:34.869 love into your heart by the Holy Spirit. Romans 00:24:34.869 --> 00:24:41.380 5 .5 And seek after that. Pursue that. B, self 00:24:41.380 --> 00:24:43.740 -promotion is unbelief in the ability of God 00:24:43.740 --> 00:24:47.799 to correctly promote me. Self -promotion says, 00:24:47.859 --> 00:24:50.519 God is not promoting me in the way I deserve 00:24:50.519 --> 00:24:55.500 to be promoted, so I must promote myself. Are 00:24:55.500 --> 00:24:59.980 you with me? Self -promotion is unbelief in the 00:24:59.980 --> 00:25:02.460 ability of God to correctly promote me. Now, 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:04.640 we would never say that out loud. We would never 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:07.359 really put verbiage to it that way. But when 00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:10.529 we say, I need to promote myself. What we're 00:25:10.529 --> 00:25:13.890 saying is, I don't believe that God has the ability 00:25:13.890 --> 00:25:17.529 to promote me as I should be promoted. And so 00:25:17.529 --> 00:25:21.809 in my own effort, I will promote myself so that 00:25:21.809 --> 00:25:23.849 I get the promotion I deserve. Do you understand? 00:25:24.150 --> 00:25:27.150 Do you understand how manipulative that is toward 00:25:27.150 --> 00:25:30.450 God? And that's why we hear the Scripture say, 00:25:30.569 --> 00:25:36.569 God opposes that kind of pride. See, self -promotion 00:25:36.569 --> 00:25:40.269 is impatience. and a lack of trust in the perfect 00:25:40.269 --> 00:25:44.329 timing of God. Self -promotion says, I've worked 00:25:44.329 --> 00:25:47.529 too hard for too long. God is not promoting me 00:25:47.529 --> 00:25:50.269 quick enough, so I must promote myself so that 00:25:50.269 --> 00:25:53.990 I don't miss my opportunity. Does this sound 00:25:53.990 --> 00:25:57.869 familiar? Any lies you hear in your heart from 00:25:57.869 --> 00:26:00.009 time to time? Intrusive thoughts that come in 00:26:00.009 --> 00:26:03.349 from the enemy? If we look at the core of what 00:26:03.349 --> 00:26:07.190 it is, self -promotion is saying, God, I do not 00:26:07.190 --> 00:26:10.289 trust your timing. There's an opportunity. I 00:26:10.289 --> 00:26:12.170 don't want to miss it right now. So I need to 00:26:12.170 --> 00:26:16.150 promote myself so that I don't miss it. I've 00:26:16.150 --> 00:26:18.809 done too much. I've worked too hard. I have to 00:26:18.809 --> 00:26:20.849 put myself out there. I have to promote myself. 00:26:22.750 --> 00:26:27.490 When in reality, God has a perfect timing of 00:26:27.490 --> 00:26:32.549 perfect favor and perfect promotion. And He says 00:26:32.549 --> 00:26:38.630 to us, Son, Take the least place. Sit in the 00:26:38.630 --> 00:26:45.130 lowest place. Are you with me? Jesus said these 00:26:45.130 --> 00:26:51.289 words for everyone. Everyone. Is that you? It's 00:26:51.289 --> 00:26:54.970 certainly me. For everyone who exalts himself 00:26:54.970 --> 00:27:06.509 will be humbled. And he who humbles himself will 00:27:06.509 --> 00:27:13.049 be exalted. I hope you know this about you. I 00:27:13.049 --> 00:27:15.190 think you're the most incredible church on the 00:27:15.190 --> 00:27:17.170 face of the planet. And I've been to a lot of 00:27:17.170 --> 00:27:20.529 them. I wouldn't be investing my life if I didn't 00:27:20.529 --> 00:27:26.930 value you beyond measure. You are the most generous, 00:27:27.150 --> 00:27:30.569 serious, kingdom -minded group of people that 00:27:30.569 --> 00:27:34.019 I've ever been around. And you deserve to be 00:27:34.019 --> 00:27:36.640 promoted. And I believe God is going to promote. 00:27:36.779 --> 00:27:39.559 He has promoted you. He is promoting you. And 00:27:39.559 --> 00:27:41.900 He will promote you. If you're a business owner 00:27:41.900 --> 00:27:44.440 and you're seeking first His kingdom, you can 00:27:44.440 --> 00:27:47.599 guarantee favor in your business. Why? Because 00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:50.500 you're trusted with little to take the least 00:27:50.500 --> 00:27:55.279 place. Does that make sense? You deserve and 00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:58.579 you are going to be promoted. But hear me when 00:27:58.579 --> 00:28:01.700 Jesus says it will not be by your self -promotion. 00:28:02.160 --> 00:28:04.880 If you're going to choose self -promotion, you're 00:28:04.880 --> 00:28:07.960 short -circuiting the favor and promotion of 00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:10.480 God that He has for you. Because as long as you're 00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:13.119 operating in self -promotion, you're not prepared 00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:25.859 for God -promotion. And I get it. I struggle 00:28:25.859 --> 00:28:31.779 with it. I mean, to be honest, I've got people 00:28:31.779 --> 00:28:34.200 that I've discipled and sent out to churches 00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:36.900 and church plants, and their churches are bigger 00:28:36.900 --> 00:28:39.339 than mine, doing better than mine, doing crazy, 00:28:39.359 --> 00:28:41.980 glorious things, and at times I'm tempted to 00:28:41.980 --> 00:28:48.539 think, God, what about me? What about our church? 00:28:49.480 --> 00:28:53.819 Why can't we see those guys? God's just saying, 00:28:53.900 --> 00:28:57.740 son, you keep taking the least place. You don't 00:28:57.740 --> 00:29:00.950 worry about your promotion. You just wait on 00:29:00.950 --> 00:29:04.529 me and I'll do what I want to do with you. And 00:29:04.529 --> 00:29:06.509 I have to keep sacrificing things. I don't know 00:29:06.509 --> 00:29:08.970 about you. I have to keep sacrificing things 00:29:08.970 --> 00:29:12.450 on the altar of humility because God will humble 00:29:12.450 --> 00:29:18.009 you or you can humble yourself. It's much more 00:29:18.009 --> 00:29:21.289 enjoyable to humble yourself. Yes, would anybody 00:29:21.289 --> 00:29:25.730 testify? Much more enjoyable to humble yourself. 00:29:27.789 --> 00:29:32.710 Lord, I'm just asking that You would bring consuming 00:29:32.710 --> 00:29:36.670 fire on Your holy bride, starting with this heart, 00:29:36.750 --> 00:29:39.950 my heart right now. And I'm asking that You would 00:29:39.950 --> 00:29:44.930 burn up all self -promotion in us. I'm asking 00:29:44.930 --> 00:29:48.450 that You would so refine the church that the 00:29:48.450 --> 00:29:52.970 world no longer sees a hint of pride in us, but 00:29:52.970 --> 00:29:55.990 only humility to take the lowest place like our 00:29:55.990 --> 00:29:59.970 King did. Would You do that in us, Lord? We ask 00:29:59.970 --> 00:30:04.730 in Jesus' name, Amen. Number three, we'll close 00:30:04.730 --> 00:30:10.349 with this. Number three, there is no quid pro 00:30:10.349 --> 00:30:13.650 quo in the kingdom of God. The kingdom lifestyle 00:30:13.650 --> 00:30:16.690 is sacrificial living without expecting anything 00:30:16.690 --> 00:30:23.339 in return from man. Jesus, in verse 12, 13 and 00:30:23.339 --> 00:30:25.660 14 here. Then Jesus said to His host, when you 00:30:25.660 --> 00:30:27.740 give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your 00:30:27.740 --> 00:30:30.099 friends, your brothers or relatives, or your 00:30:30.099 --> 00:30:33.079 rich neighbors. If you do, they may invite you 00:30:33.079 --> 00:30:36.119 back and so you will be repaid. But when you 00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:38.660 give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, 00:30:38.680 --> 00:30:41.400 the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. 00:30:41.859 --> 00:30:46.099 Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid 00:30:46.099 --> 00:30:49.619 at the resurrection of the righteous. Do you 00:30:49.619 --> 00:30:52.000 know what quid pro quo means? It's a Latin phrase 00:30:52.000 --> 00:30:55.099 that means something for something. And it's 00:30:55.099 --> 00:30:57.200 the way of the world. It's the way of business. 00:30:57.299 --> 00:31:00.480 It's the way of promotion. It's the way of sports. 00:31:00.980 --> 00:31:04.339 It's just the way of the world is if you do something 00:31:04.339 --> 00:31:06.859 for me, I'll do something for you. Or if I do 00:31:06.859 --> 00:31:09.440 something for you, I expect that later I can 00:31:09.440 --> 00:31:11.700 put in that favor and get something from you. 00:31:11.799 --> 00:31:16.019 And it's become so subtle. And so pervasive in 00:31:16.019 --> 00:31:18.900 the culture that we don't even see anything wrong 00:31:18.900 --> 00:31:23.220 with it anymore. We just feel like it's just 00:31:23.220 --> 00:31:25.859 part of the way the world works. And so we have 00:31:25.859 --> 00:31:28.319 to submit ourselves to that system. If we're 00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:30.319 going to be successful, then we have to submit 00:31:30.319 --> 00:31:32.740 ourselves to that system. If we're going to be 00:31:32.740 --> 00:31:34.579 promoted, then we're going to have to do it the 00:31:34.579 --> 00:31:37.690 way that the world does it. And Jesus has this 00:31:37.690 --> 00:31:40.650 very interesting principle about the kingdom. 00:31:40.930 --> 00:31:46.029 And he says, in my kingdom, when you hold a banquet, 00:31:46.190 --> 00:31:48.789 do not invite anybody that would ever pay you 00:31:48.789 --> 00:31:52.630 back. Instead, intentionally invite the people 00:31:52.630 --> 00:31:55.289 that could never repay you. Because when you 00:31:55.289 --> 00:32:02.950 do that, you'll be truly blessed. I think this 00:32:02.950 --> 00:32:06.299 is so important. for the church to come to grips 00:32:06.299 --> 00:32:10.900 with. God is not a quid pro quo kind of kingdom 00:32:10.900 --> 00:32:15.700 guy. Can you imagine if Jesus treated us that 00:32:15.700 --> 00:32:18.700 way? I'm going to scratch your back with redemption. 00:32:19.720 --> 00:32:26.680 I expect you to do it for me. No, no. Jesus modeled 00:32:26.680 --> 00:32:30.559 a self -sacrificial lifestyle. I will lay down 00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:34.460 my life for you knowing. You could never do anything 00:32:34.460 --> 00:32:38.900 for me that I couldn't do for myself. Complete 00:32:38.900 --> 00:32:44.480 sacrifice. Complete laying it down. And if I 00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:47.359 can, I would like to probe into your life for 00:32:47.359 --> 00:32:50.400 a moment. And I want to challenge you, especially 00:32:50.400 --> 00:32:54.380 husbands and fathers. You need to begin to lead 00:32:54.380 --> 00:32:57.519 your kingdom families in this way. Quit operating 00:32:57.519 --> 00:33:02.259 in quid pro quo marriages. It says, as long as 00:33:02.259 --> 00:33:05.299 you bless me, I'll be a blessing. As long as 00:33:05.299 --> 00:33:08.259 you meet my needs, I'll meet yours. As long as 00:33:08.259 --> 00:33:11.059 you're kind to me, I'll be kind to you. That 00:33:11.059 --> 00:33:15.279 is immaturity, and that is not kingdom. True 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:18.859 men of God, true leaders, true husbands and fathers 00:33:18.859 --> 00:33:22.359 say, I will treat you in this way. I die to myself. 00:33:22.460 --> 00:33:25.119 I lift you up, and your response to me does not 00:33:25.119 --> 00:33:30.029 change my attitude or my action. How many of 00:33:30.029 --> 00:33:33.490 you know that's difficult? That's difficult. 00:33:35.309 --> 00:33:41.789 But it will radically change everything. When 00:33:41.789 --> 00:33:44.670 your action is based on the acceptance of God, 00:33:44.809 --> 00:33:48.289 I have the best wife in the world. If you think 00:33:48.289 --> 00:33:51.150 you've got a good one, she's nothing compared 00:33:51.150 --> 00:33:56.049 to Jill. She's nothing compared to Jill. I mean... 00:33:57.769 --> 00:34:00.730 Our marriage is a blast. Not that we don't want 00:34:00.730 --> 00:34:02.589 to throttle each other. Every once in a while 00:34:02.589 --> 00:34:06.109 we do. But our marriage is a blast. But I want 00:34:06.109 --> 00:34:10.650 you to know, if I were waiting to receive my 00:34:10.650 --> 00:34:16.769 acceptance and love and adoration and respect 00:34:16.769 --> 00:34:21.469 from Jill before I operated in my husband duties, 00:34:21.710 --> 00:34:26.010 in my attitude, it would never happen. Because 00:34:26.010 --> 00:34:29.789 she cannot fulfill what God has created to do 00:34:29.789 --> 00:34:34.309 in me. But now that I've understood that He fully 00:34:34.309 --> 00:34:37.969 accepts me, fully wants me, fully loves me, fully 00:34:37.969 --> 00:34:41.110 embraces me, then even when I feel like she's 00:34:41.110 --> 00:34:43.769 not being what she should be to me, I go to Him 00:34:43.769 --> 00:34:47.010 and say, I've received it fully. And He empowers 00:34:47.010 --> 00:34:50.929 me to be to her what my obedience is. And it's 00:34:50.929 --> 00:34:54.780 not based on hers. And that's the way we should 00:34:54.780 --> 00:35:03.639 live our lives. Does this make sense? Again, 00:35:03.780 --> 00:35:06.559 a failure to trust the sovereignty, goodness, 00:35:06.900 --> 00:35:11.699 and timing of God is when we live in this quid 00:35:11.699 --> 00:35:16.760 pro quo kind of lifestyle. And we often forfeit 00:35:16.760 --> 00:35:19.679 the blessings and favor of God by looking to 00:35:19.679 --> 00:35:30.050 men to return favors. or blessing. Could I just 00:35:30.050 --> 00:35:42.489 encourage you that... No. I'm going to be quiet 00:35:42.489 --> 00:35:45.150 right there. I feel like the Lord says to be 00:35:45.150 --> 00:35:51.340 quiet. At its root, the quid pro quo system is 00:35:51.340 --> 00:35:55.340 a manipulation of God and it's actually using 00:35:55.340 --> 00:35:58.719 His name in vain. When the Ten Commandments says, 00:35:58.820 --> 00:36:03.159 thou shalt not use My name in vain, it's a good 00:36:03.159 --> 00:36:10.519 idea not to drop the GD bombs. Right? It's good. 00:36:10.639 --> 00:36:13.699 I wouldn't recommend cursing using the name of 00:36:13.699 --> 00:36:17.480 God. But I want to tell you, I believe it is 00:36:17.480 --> 00:36:20.949 much, much, much deeper than that. When he says 00:36:20.949 --> 00:36:23.469 do not use my name in vain, he's not just talking 00:36:23.469 --> 00:36:28.309 about dropping GD bombs. He's talking about be 00:36:28.309 --> 00:36:33.010 careful that you do not use the Yahweh I am that 00:36:33.010 --> 00:36:43.630 I am name for your own gain. Yeah. So let me 00:36:43.630 --> 00:36:46.989 encourage you, business owners, husbands, people 00:36:46.989 --> 00:36:50.969 out there in the workforce. Stay -at -home parents, 00:36:51.110 --> 00:36:55.110 teachers, all of it. The world will want to put 00:36:55.110 --> 00:36:58.110 you into a system of quid pro quo, something 00:36:58.110 --> 00:37:01.650 for something. But Jesus says, if you will live 00:37:01.650 --> 00:37:04.489 your life in a way that no one would ever be 00:37:04.489 --> 00:37:07.250 able to repay you, then in that day when you 00:37:07.250 --> 00:37:11.730 see Me face to face, I Myself will repay you. 00:37:12.489 --> 00:37:15.570 And how many of you know that's going to be a 00:37:15.570 --> 00:37:22.730 much glorious payment? He's a God of stewardship. 00:37:24.289 --> 00:37:27.250 Alright, we're done. I feel like today was a 00:37:27.250 --> 00:37:32.170 little heavy. But I think every once in a while 00:37:32.170 --> 00:37:37.250 that's good. Anybody else? Every once in a while 00:37:37.250 --> 00:37:41.429 just need a little swat in the rear end? Hey, 00:37:42.969 --> 00:37:44.630 knucklehead, you've been thinking about this 00:37:44.630 --> 00:37:46.809 all wrong. That's what I feel like today is for 00:37:46.809 --> 00:37:51.980 me. But I hope it's productive for you. Just 00:37:51.980 --> 00:37:55.139 in review, love and compassion is more important 00:37:55.139 --> 00:37:58.880 than being right. There's no room for self -promotion. 00:37:59.059 --> 00:38:03.179 Take the lowest place. Let God promote you. And 00:38:03.179 --> 00:38:07.000 don't live in a quid pro quo system of the world. 00:38:07.079 --> 00:38:10.480 The kingdom of God says die to yourself and I'll 00:38:10.480 --> 00:38:13.019 make sure you have everything you need. Amen? 00:38:13.599 --> 00:38:16.739 Alright. If you're willing to just yield to those 00:38:16.739 --> 00:38:20.280 things, let's just stand this morning. If you're 00:38:20.280 --> 00:38:23.260 willing to say yes to those truths, live by those 00:38:23.260 --> 00:38:26.199 truths in the kingdom of heaven, just stand. 00:38:26.280 --> 00:38:29.719 I just want to pray for you in my own heart. 00:38:31.340 --> 00:38:33.940 Lord, thank you for my friends. We love each 00:38:33.940 --> 00:38:37.119 other. We love you. And we love your word, God. 00:38:37.639 --> 00:38:39.900 Jesus, thank you for pointing out these things 00:38:39.900 --> 00:38:43.639 that are tough, but they're good. They're holy. 00:38:43.760 --> 00:38:47.219 They're right. And we just lay our hearts before 00:38:47.219 --> 00:38:51.300 you. If there's any... any area in these areas 00:38:51.300 --> 00:38:59.480 that You've shown us today that are perverted 00:38:59.480 --> 00:39:05.039 in our thinking. Spirit of God, bring the mind 00:39:05.039 --> 00:39:07.780 of Christ. Correct our thinking. Lead us into 00:39:07.780 --> 00:39:13.460 repentance. And change us so that we could represent 00:39:13.460 --> 00:39:15.980 You well, Jesus, this week. For my friends, I 00:39:15.980 --> 00:39:18.750 pray that... This week will be filled with encounters 00:39:18.750 --> 00:39:22.510 with you, conversations with you, and that each 00:39:22.510 --> 00:39:25.070 of us would not miss one opportunity to release 00:39:25.070 --> 00:39:27.789 your kingdom in the places that you lead us. 00:39:27.889 --> 00:39:30.269 All for your glory, Jesus. Amen.