WEBVTT 00:00:00.110 --> 00:00:04.250 Good morning, church. How's everyone doing? Hi, 00:00:04.389 --> 00:00:07.389 guys. Doing good. A little tired. Thank you for 00:00:07.389 --> 00:00:12.250 the two that asked. But for those of you that 00:00:12.250 --> 00:00:15.830 don't know, I am, wow, this is, I just gotta, 00:00:15.849 --> 00:00:18.030 I gotta state it. This is really tall. I can, 00:00:18.109 --> 00:00:19.730 like, this is a perfect leanings point. Thank 00:00:19.730 --> 00:00:23.690 you. So, I am Pastor Rick Ice. I am one of the 00:00:23.690 --> 00:00:26.390 assistant pastors here. I actually run the youth 00:00:26.390 --> 00:00:28.410 ministry, so if you don't know who I am. That's 00:00:28.410 --> 00:00:30.190 who I am. If you're wondering why you never see 00:00:30.190 --> 00:00:31.969 me, it's because I'm down the street in the student 00:00:31.969 --> 00:00:35.250 ministry building. But one thing I like to say 00:00:35.250 --> 00:00:37.990 and want to say today is I have the pleasure 00:00:37.990 --> 00:00:42.350 to teach you guys on Star Wars Day. If you guys 00:00:42.350 --> 00:00:46.729 didn't know, it is May the 4th, so may the 4th 00:00:46.729 --> 00:00:53.490 be with you all. But with that, today I have 00:00:53.490 --> 00:00:56.799 a very... a close study to my heart because it's 00:00:56.799 --> 00:00:59.799 something God has been working in my life that 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:02.740 I have to share with you guys. And the title 00:01:02.740 --> 00:01:07.079 is a fun one. It's Being a Bond Servant, God's 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:12.340 Will vs. the American Dream. Today, I'm going 00:01:12.340 --> 00:01:14.920 to be comparing God's will with that, the American 00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:19.500 dream, or your American dream. Because not everyone 00:01:19.500 --> 00:01:22.459 has the same American dream. There is the stereotypical 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:24.400 idea of the American dream, right? The great 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:28.239 job, the house, family, pets, dream car, retire 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:31.439 early, making, you know, all your dreams come 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:33.780 true. That idea of the American dream. This was 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:35.459 the land where people could come and make dreams 00:01:35.459 --> 00:01:39.000 come true. In essence, the American dream is 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:42.620 just our desires. If we really boil it down, 00:01:42.760 --> 00:01:45.480 it's what we desire. That's what they desired 00:01:45.480 --> 00:01:47.219 back then. It's, oh, we can go and make a life 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:50.519 for ourselves. It's our desires. Which is not 00:01:50.519 --> 00:01:56.659 a bad thing. Please don't think it is. But it 00:01:56.659 --> 00:02:00.319 can be something that we idolize over God. It 00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:03.480 can get in the way of our relationship with Him. 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:11.139 I'm not saying that if you have an American dream 00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:14.139 and your desires, I'm not saying if you're following 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:18.069 those things, you're not in God's will. But I'm 00:02:18.069 --> 00:02:20.550 asking, have you ever thought that your American 00:02:20.550 --> 00:02:22.930 dream, your desires, might be getting in the 00:02:22.930 --> 00:02:25.370 way or you might be putting them above God's 00:02:25.370 --> 00:02:29.770 will? These are questions that I've gone through, 00:02:29.870 --> 00:02:32.370 you might have already gone through, or maybe 00:02:32.370 --> 00:02:35.990 you never have. And I feel like God has put this 00:02:35.990 --> 00:02:37.710 on my heart so that we can all go through it 00:02:37.710 --> 00:02:40.250 again. Because even if you've done this before, 00:02:40.430 --> 00:02:43.530 it's good to go through it again. So Christians, 00:02:44.909 --> 00:02:47.069 Remember some things before we get into this 00:02:47.069 --> 00:02:51.110 study. We are not our own anymore. We are bought 00:02:51.110 --> 00:02:54.430 with a price, and that price is Jesus' blood. 00:02:55.810 --> 00:02:59.270 We're looking at what it means to be a bondservant 00:02:59.270 --> 00:03:02.930 of Christ today. The attitude we should have 00:03:02.930 --> 00:03:06.889 towards God and his will for our lives, the understanding 00:03:06.889 --> 00:03:10.770 of who we are in God's kingdom, and pursuing 00:03:10.770 --> 00:03:14.719 God's will. even if it means not having our American 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:19.180 dream. So with that, we'll pray, and will you 00:03:19.180 --> 00:03:20.979 join us with worship? So dear Heavenly Father, 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:25.800 Lord, we pray that you just, you speak today, 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:30.699 Lord. You let your words be said, that you, Lord, 00:03:30.759 --> 00:03:34.500 would just enter into our hearts to poke and 00:03:34.500 --> 00:03:36.520 prod our hearts if we're callous to you, and 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:40.400 to reassure us that are living for your will, 00:03:40.500 --> 00:03:42.990 Lord. Lord, let us just be focused on you and 00:03:42.990 --> 00:03:45.330 your word today. We pray that we can bless you 00:03:45.330 --> 00:03:48.289 and worship you. In Jesus' name, amen. Today, 00:03:48.409 --> 00:03:51.169 we're looking at God's will versus the American 00:03:51.169 --> 00:03:54.849 dream, right? That American dream being our desires, 00:03:54.990 --> 00:03:58.909 our wants, and how unfortunately sometimes we 00:03:58.909 --> 00:04:04.409 can let our desires become idols. We can put 00:04:04.409 --> 00:04:07.550 it as more important or above God's will in our 00:04:07.550 --> 00:04:11.860 own life. But to address this and to see how 00:04:11.860 --> 00:04:14.280 to have the right heart when dealing with this, 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:17.899 with our desires and will versus God's will, 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:22.639 I like to actually look at the apostles and early 00:04:22.639 --> 00:04:24.839 Christians as examples. Because they were the 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:26.540 closest ones to Jesus. They walked with him, 00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:28.920 they talked with him, they knew him. Forewarning, 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:32.120 I'm going through a lot of scripture today. So 00:04:32.120 --> 00:04:34.079 it's just all going to be up there. I'm not going 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:36.180 to tell you to turn to a specific book or verse 00:04:36.180 --> 00:04:37.480 because we're just going to be running through 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:42.589 it all. Starting off, the early Christians, we 00:04:42.589 --> 00:04:46.189 notice, call themselves something specific. Servants 00:04:46.189 --> 00:04:51.970 and or bondservants of Jesus. Examples you find 00:04:51.970 --> 00:04:55.889 in Romans 1 .1, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, 00:04:55.990 --> 00:04:59.370 called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel 00:04:59.370 --> 00:05:03.759 of God. Philippians 1 .1. Paul and Timothy, servants 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:07.259 of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ 00:05:07.259 --> 00:05:10.420 Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers 00:05:10.420 --> 00:05:16.040 and deacons. 2 Peter 1 .1, Simon Peter, a servant 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:19.500 and apostle of Jesus Christ to those who have 00:05:19.500 --> 00:05:22.800 received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:27.579 of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. James 1 .1, 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:53.529 James, a servant Notice they're all calling themselves 00:05:53.529 --> 00:05:57.449 servants. That word servant can also be translated 00:05:57.449 --> 00:06:01.310 bondservant, and it The original word is doulos. 00:06:02.930 --> 00:06:05.829 This word doulos, this servant, bondservant, 00:06:05.850 --> 00:06:08.449 it really does mean that. A slave, a servant, 00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:10.550 or a bondservant. It can be translated one of 00:06:10.550 --> 00:06:14.829 those three ways. Now doulos being used in all 00:06:14.829 --> 00:06:17.649 of these sections is more of a positive sense. 00:06:18.310 --> 00:06:20.949 It literally means one who is solely committed 00:06:20.949 --> 00:06:25.449 to another, slavery as to salvation. Interesting 00:06:25.449 --> 00:06:28.810 word. Either way, this is a very humbling word, 00:06:28.889 --> 00:06:33.750 especially from these church fathers, these early 00:06:33.750 --> 00:06:36.810 church fathers, fellow Christians, apostles. 00:06:37.050 --> 00:06:39.610 They're proclaiming that God is their master 00:06:39.610 --> 00:06:42.370 and that they're giving God possession of their 00:06:42.370 --> 00:06:48.170 entire life. They are God's servant and or bondservant. 00:06:49.029 --> 00:06:51.769 This is very interesting and I think a vital 00:06:51.769 --> 00:06:55.550 attitude that we are to have towards God as Christians. 00:06:57.790 --> 00:07:00.430 Now, to understand this attitude, we need to 00:07:00.430 --> 00:07:04.850 answer some questions. First off, what is a slave 00:07:04.850 --> 00:07:06.670 servant or bond servant? What's this idea of 00:07:06.670 --> 00:07:10.730 this bond servant? Well, when we hear slavery, 00:07:10.930 --> 00:07:13.290 we normally think of American slavery. We think 00:07:13.290 --> 00:07:17.310 of what's called chattel slavery. It's interesting, 00:07:17.430 --> 00:07:19.269 it's called chattel. I always remember it because 00:07:19.269 --> 00:07:21.610 it sounds like cattle, and that's kind of how 00:07:21.610 --> 00:07:25.779 we treated people. It was horrible, right? That's 00:07:25.779 --> 00:07:27.319 what people think. People are treated horribly. 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:30.019 They're not seen as human. You guys know what 00:07:30.019 --> 00:07:32.379 that looks like because you've studied it. You've 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:36.959 had school, everything. But not all slavery looked 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:40.300 like this, especially back then. Back then, they 00:07:40.300 --> 00:07:42.240 had a different form of slavery called servitude 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:45.500 slavery. This could be including indentured or 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:51.120 penal servitude or even a debt bondage. This 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:55.639 idea is very different than chattel. For instance, 00:07:55.800 --> 00:07:57.800 you've got penal servitude, which is kind of 00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:00.180 like a punishment for a crime. So you did something 00:08:00.180 --> 00:08:03.100 wrong, cool, now you have to go be a slave, whether 00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:05.100 that's for the person you did the crime against 00:08:05.100 --> 00:08:08.100 or for the country itself, like you will go work 00:08:08.100 --> 00:08:11.439 in, well, I'll talk about that later. But you've 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:13.699 got penal servitude, and then you've got indentured 00:08:13.699 --> 00:08:16.360 servitude or debt bondage, which is like paying 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:19.079 off a debt. You owe someone money, and so instead 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:21.279 of, like, I can't make the money, you work for 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:25.500 them to pay that debt off. The idea, and a good 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:28.160 way that people say modern nowadays, is it's 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:31.660 like a modern job. Your boss is your master. 00:08:31.819 --> 00:08:34.299 You work for them and you get paid. Back then, 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:37.500 they were paying off a debt. We just get paid. 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:39.639 But that was more the idea. It's very similar 00:08:39.639 --> 00:08:42.179 to how jobs work nowadays. And what's interesting 00:08:42.179 --> 00:08:45.480 is slaves' jobs were varied back then. It's not 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:47.799 like how, again, we think when we think of slavery. 00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:49.679 It's like they're either working in the fields 00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:52.460 or they're working in the house. That's it, and 00:08:52.460 --> 00:08:54.860 they're treated horribly. But that's not what 00:08:54.860 --> 00:08:56.940 really happened. There was actually a lot of 00:08:56.940 --> 00:08:59.399 slaves back then that were physicians, like doctors, 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:01.679 because that's what they were before they became 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:05.500 slaves. Rome, when they went through and conquered 00:09:05.500 --> 00:09:07.980 different areas, they would just be like, all 00:09:07.980 --> 00:09:09.259 right, you're slaves now, but you're going to 00:09:09.259 --> 00:09:10.940 keep doing what you're doing. You're going to 00:09:10.940 --> 00:09:15.850 keep doing your specialization. Slaves could 00:09:15.850 --> 00:09:17.570 have jobs. They could even have their own businesses, 00:09:17.850 --> 00:09:20.649 evidence shows. And again, this is interesting 00:09:20.649 --> 00:09:24.230 because it all depended on the master's will. 00:09:25.830 --> 00:09:28.529 The job that a slave could have really depended 00:09:28.529 --> 00:09:31.289 on what the master wanted. And we need to remember, 00:09:31.409 --> 00:09:34.570 around Roman time, roughly one out of every three 00:09:34.570 --> 00:09:38.720 people were a slave. Again. Slavery wasn't this 00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:41.639 chattel, no one's a human idea. No, it's more 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:44.000 like work. You're paying off debt. Your country 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:47.259 got taken over by another country, and now you're 00:09:47.259 --> 00:09:51.379 their slaves. It's not, again, it's more like 00:09:51.379 --> 00:09:56.779 a job. But it still is slavery. We can't forget 00:09:56.779 --> 00:10:00.100 that. There still was similarities. For instance, 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:04.320 masters owned their slaves. They owned their 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:11.529 life. do the master's will and masters actually 00:10:11.529 --> 00:10:14.029 had enough power to where they could execute 00:10:14.029 --> 00:10:18.049 their slaves often with no repercussions because 00:10:18.049 --> 00:10:23.370 they owned them they were theirs some slaves 00:10:23.370 --> 00:10:26.149 obviously didn't have it as easy right you know 00:10:26.149 --> 00:10:28.990 you owed money to someone you could be sent to 00:10:28.990 --> 00:10:32.379 debtor's prison Like if I owed one of you money, 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:33.940 and you're like, I don't have a job for you. 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:36.220 Go to debtor's prison to pay it off. You're literally 00:10:36.220 --> 00:10:38.200 going to jail and working, doing whatever the 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:40.519 state or that place has for you until you pay 00:10:40.519 --> 00:10:45.879 off your debt. And that's not that easy. But 00:10:45.879 --> 00:10:52.059 not all slaves were forced into slavery. Some 00:10:52.059 --> 00:10:57.919 slaves actually choose slavery. Exodus chapter 00:10:57.919 --> 00:11:02.340 21, verse five through six says this. But if 00:11:02.340 --> 00:11:06.879 the slave declares, I love my master, my wife, 00:11:06.899 --> 00:11:10.159 and my children, I do not want to leave as a 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:13.620 free man. His master is to bring him to the judges 00:11:13.620 --> 00:11:17.419 and then bring him to the door or doorpost. His 00:11:17.419 --> 00:11:20.059 master will pierce his ear with an awl and he 00:11:20.059 --> 00:11:25.340 will serve his master for life. So, A willing 00:11:25.340 --> 00:11:28.340 slave, someone who chooses slavery, is known 00:11:28.340 --> 00:11:32.820 as a bond servant. And they serve them for life. 00:11:35.620 --> 00:11:38.700 This slave, they love their family and they love 00:11:38.700 --> 00:11:41.700 their master. They have a good master that cares 00:11:41.700 --> 00:11:44.559 for them. Because the truth is, slavery back 00:11:44.559 --> 00:11:48.149 then, when you were someone's slave, Often, the 00:11:48.149 --> 00:11:50.230 master was called to take care of you, to have 00:11:50.230 --> 00:11:52.129 a place for you to live. You're not just thrown 00:11:52.129 --> 00:11:54.529 in a broom closet like Harry Potter, right? You 00:11:54.529 --> 00:11:57.450 have a place to sleep. You work for them, and 00:11:57.450 --> 00:11:59.230 hopefully, if they're good, and you're like, 00:11:59.309 --> 00:12:01.450 hey, I don't want to go have my own business. 00:12:01.549 --> 00:12:03.870 I want to work for you. I love my family, and 00:12:03.870 --> 00:12:06.269 I love you. I want to work for you. Think of, 00:12:06.289 --> 00:12:09.250 like, a good example, a butler. You know, Batman's 00:12:09.250 --> 00:12:10.629 butler, always walking around, always doing everything 00:12:10.629 --> 00:12:13.190 for him. He lived in the house. He took care 00:12:13.190 --> 00:12:15.210 of the things, and then Batman would take care 00:12:15.210 --> 00:12:17.799 of him. Pay for his food, give him a place to 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:21.899 live, a great place to live. Think of that. But 00:12:21.899 --> 00:12:25.559 notice something that actually matters. They 00:12:25.559 --> 00:12:29.820 get their ear pierced. It's pierced open. And 00:12:29.820 --> 00:12:33.559 this is a mark to everyone that this person is 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:37.779 a bondservant or a slave to someone. It was an 00:12:37.779 --> 00:12:41.620 identifier. Kind of like a branding of a horse 00:12:41.620 --> 00:12:45.090 or a cow. It's like, hey. This one's mine. If 00:12:45.090 --> 00:12:46.470 you see them around, they're mine. Don't take 00:12:46.470 --> 00:12:51.490 them. So why do followers of Jesus then call 00:12:51.490 --> 00:12:55.870 themselves bondservants of Jesus? Well, I personally 00:12:55.870 --> 00:12:59.450 think they see the similarities of a bondservant 00:12:59.450 --> 00:13:03.129 relationship to their master as their relationship 00:13:03.129 --> 00:13:07.490 with Jesus. And I think we should too. For instance, 00:13:07.789 --> 00:13:10.690 we had a debt that we... Hold on. I'm going to 00:13:10.690 --> 00:13:13.669 try and fix this. There we go. No? Better? Yep. 00:13:14.059 --> 00:13:18.860 All right. We had a debt that we couldn't pay, 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:24.600 right? You've got Romans 6 .23. For the wages 00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:27.399 of sin is death. All humans are drowning in debt. 00:13:27.500 --> 00:13:29.539 We couldn't pay for it, never can, never will. 00:13:30.659 --> 00:13:33.860 But then Jesus did what? He bought us with a 00:13:33.860 --> 00:13:37.500 price. He paid for our life. 1 Corinthians 6 00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:40.960 .20. For you were bought at a price, so glorify 00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:44.659 God with your body. God not only made us, but 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:50.000 then he buys us back. He bought us with his blood. 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:55.740 He owns us, honestly, twice over. We also are 00:13:55.740 --> 00:14:01.960 marked as God's slave. Ephesians 1 .13 says, 00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:06.279 in him you also were sealed with the promised 00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:08.820 Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:13.799 the gospel of your salvation. and when you believed. 00:14:15.259 --> 00:14:18.440 It's not an ear piercing, but it is a sealing. 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:22.820 It is something that marks us as his and marks 00:14:22.820 --> 00:14:27.100 us as his forever. The Holy Spirit literally 00:14:27.100 --> 00:14:30.679 lives within us, sealing us until the fulfillment 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:36.139 of our salvation. And God is a good and loving 00:14:36.139 --> 00:14:42.090 master. 1 John 4, 16 says, and we have come to 00:14:42.090 --> 00:14:45.850 know and to believe the love that God has for 00:14:45.850 --> 00:14:49.870 us. God is love, and the one who remains in love 00:14:49.870 --> 00:14:53.309 remains in God, and God remains in him. Mark 00:14:53.309 --> 00:14:55.750 10, 18 also says, and this is Jesus speaking, 00:14:56.009 --> 00:14:59.230 why do you call me good? Jesus asked them, or 00:14:59.230 --> 00:15:04.399 him, no one is good except God alone. God is 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:07.879 the only truly good and loving being. He literally 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:11.980 is goodness and love itself. Did you guys know 00:15:11.980 --> 00:15:18.340 that technically darkness isn't a thing? Darkness 00:15:18.340 --> 00:15:22.600 is an absence of a thing. If light didn't exist, 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:26.120 technically darkness can't exist. Did you also 00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:30.360 know that applies to evil? When people ask the 00:15:30.360 --> 00:15:33.940 question, So God created everything, so he created 00:15:33.940 --> 00:15:37.720 evil then. And I'd say, no. Technically, if you 00:15:37.720 --> 00:15:41.960 take away goodness, evil doesn't exist. That's 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:44.299 why when you have someone who's an atheist and 00:15:44.299 --> 00:15:46.139 they try to claim a moral high ground and say, 00:15:46.179 --> 00:15:48.620 we have morality, I'd say, no. You're taking 00:15:48.620 --> 00:15:52.240 away goodness itself by getting rid of God, the 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:55.340 moral, the standard that's above us. So what 00:15:55.340 --> 00:15:58.799 you have left is just actions. Nothing's good 00:15:58.799 --> 00:16:04.820 or bad. But God himself is goodness, is love, 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:11.120 and he's our master. All these similarities, 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:15.240 I believe, formed the early Christians' attitude 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:18.620 towards God, formed this idea of why they kept 00:16:18.620 --> 00:16:22.440 saying, he's my master, I'm his slave, I'm his 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:28.340 bond servant, I'm his slave forever. They see 00:16:28.340 --> 00:16:31.559 and recognize and are thankful for who God is. 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:36.840 What's crazy is James and Jude, right? Some of 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:38.679 you probably know this. Some of you don't. They 00:16:38.679 --> 00:16:41.559 said they're bond servants. They are Jesus' half 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:45.860 -brother. They're his relative. How many of you 00:16:45.860 --> 00:16:49.080 would be like, yeah, I am the servant and bond 00:16:49.080 --> 00:16:52.200 servant of my siblings? Most of you are like, 00:16:52.320 --> 00:17:00.639 I tolerate my siblings. but that's how they see 00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:03.000 him. And what's crazy is they didn't even actually 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:06.240 believe that Jesus was the Messiah until his 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:10.059 death and resurrection. But afterwards, they 00:17:10.059 --> 00:17:13.339 realized who he was, more than just their half 00:17:13.339 --> 00:17:17.579 -brother, their master, their Lord, and they 00:17:17.579 --> 00:17:22.539 are his servant. So why would they lower themselves 00:17:22.539 --> 00:17:26.690 to this? Because they know who God is. They have 00:17:26.690 --> 00:17:30.430 the right idea. And in this, I see a problem 00:17:30.430 --> 00:17:33.069 that has crept into modern Christianity, and 00:17:33.069 --> 00:17:35.269 yes, I will say this, especially to American 00:17:35.269 --> 00:17:41.029 Christianity. Too many Christians and American 00:17:41.029 --> 00:17:44.089 Christians see God as a get -out -of -jail -free 00:17:44.089 --> 00:17:48.809 card for monopoly. Too many Christians see God 00:17:48.809 --> 00:17:51.569 as a vending machine for the things that they 00:17:51.569 --> 00:17:57.410 want. I'm not saying you are. And if you feel 00:17:57.410 --> 00:17:59.349 convicted, that's the Holy Spirit talking to 00:17:59.349 --> 00:18:01.490 you, whether you're online or here. Because guess 00:18:01.490 --> 00:18:03.509 what? I'm not going to say that we're all perfect. 00:18:03.589 --> 00:18:07.190 We've probably all done this. That's growth and 00:18:07.190 --> 00:18:08.890 maturity. I pray that you leave that. God is 00:18:08.890 --> 00:18:11.450 not just a get -out -of -jail -free card. But 00:18:11.450 --> 00:18:14.529 Paul talks about it in 1 Corinthians 3, where 00:18:14.529 --> 00:18:16.789 he talks about building a foundation in the Corinthians' 00:18:16.930 --> 00:18:19.329 lives, and that foundation is Jesus. And some 00:18:19.329 --> 00:18:22.490 of them never build upon it. And when their works 00:18:22.490 --> 00:18:25.480 are judged by God later on, they... make it into 00:18:25.480 --> 00:18:28.960 heaven just by salvation, just by the skin of 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:31.220 their teeth, meaning those Christians got saved 00:18:31.220 --> 00:18:33.940 and then live selfishly for themselves, not doing 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:35.420 God's work for the rest of their life until they 00:18:35.420 --> 00:18:40.859 die. That is a possibility, and I ask that you 00:18:40.859 --> 00:18:46.119 don't do that. I ask that we as Christians focus 00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:49.599 on living for God as his bondservant, doing his 00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:53.849 will, doing the works he's called us to do. Now, 00:18:53.869 --> 00:18:56.289 these early Christians, again, like I said, recognize 00:18:56.289 --> 00:19:01.470 who Jesus is. God and Lord of all. And they realize 00:19:01.470 --> 00:19:05.309 that God is creator of all. Colossians 1 .16 00:19:05.309 --> 00:19:09.509 says, For everything was created by him in heaven 00:19:09.509 --> 00:19:13.009 and on earth, the visible and invisible, whether 00:19:13.009 --> 00:19:15.690 thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. 00:19:15.789 --> 00:19:18.490 All the things have been created through him 00:19:18.490 --> 00:19:23.400 and for him. They recognize God is the master 00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:30.059 of all creation. We owe everything to him. Think 00:19:30.059 --> 00:19:34.299 about it, guys. God created the very air that 00:19:34.299 --> 00:19:39.579 we breathe. God, when he created the world, when 00:19:39.579 --> 00:19:42.559 Adam and Eve messed up and failed, he had every 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:45.000 right as creator to just go, done, start over. 00:19:46.359 --> 00:19:49.869 But he loves us so much that he didn't. He actually 00:19:49.869 --> 00:19:51.650 loves us so much that before he created anything, 00:19:51.970 --> 00:19:59.109 he already planned for Jesus to die for us. That's 00:19:59.109 --> 00:20:01.089 the God and creator of all things, and he loves 00:20:01.089 --> 00:20:04.930 us that much? That's mind -blowing. He is a good 00:20:04.930 --> 00:20:11.569 and loving master. So what does it mean for us 00:20:11.569 --> 00:20:14.809 to be a bondservant of Christ then? What does 00:20:14.809 --> 00:20:19.569 that mean? First, being a Christian. If you're 00:20:19.569 --> 00:20:22.230 a Christian, congratulations. You are a bondservant. 00:20:23.089 --> 00:20:27.250 You have seen your debt, seen that God paid for 00:20:27.250 --> 00:20:29.910 you, saw that he was a good master, and said, 00:20:29.970 --> 00:20:32.829 Lord, I want to serve you with my life for the 00:20:32.829 --> 00:20:37.769 rest of my life. Now, some Christians understand 00:20:37.769 --> 00:20:41.910 this. Some don't, unfortunately. Like I said 00:20:41.910 --> 00:20:44.190 earlier, some Christians just see God as that 00:20:44.190 --> 00:20:47.250 get -out -of -jail -free card. And that hurts. 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:50.680 That hurts my heart because there's been times 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:52.460 in my life I can even look back to my younger 00:20:52.460 --> 00:20:54.519 Christian days and go, I acted that way, didn't 00:20:54.519 --> 00:20:59.599 I? But I want to encourage you, if you're a Christian, 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:04.740 God is your Savior, Master, and Lord over your 00:21:04.740 --> 00:21:10.319 life. Yes, He is also our Father. Yes, we have 00:21:10.319 --> 00:21:13.019 a relationship with Him. But in that understanding 00:21:13.019 --> 00:21:15.720 of I have a relationship with God, don't forget 00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:18.000 that that relationship is master and servant, 00:21:18.140 --> 00:21:27.700 not vending machine and your life. All these 00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:32.640 things really are important to understand. Romans 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:40.519 6 .22. Oh, yep, Romans 6 .22. But now... Since 00:21:40.519 --> 00:21:43.420 you have been set free from sin and have become 00:21:43.420 --> 00:21:47.359 enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:49.740 in sanctification, and the outcome is eternal 00:21:49.740 --> 00:21:55.079 life. Christians, remember, we are bondservants. 00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:59.859 So, what is God's will for our life, then? If 00:21:59.859 --> 00:22:02.539 he is the master, and his will matters more than 00:22:02.539 --> 00:22:06.059 mine, what is his will? We've all thought this. 00:22:06.859 --> 00:22:09.160 And I'm going to give you a list of some things 00:22:09.160 --> 00:22:12.380 I believe God's will is. It's not an exhaustive 00:22:12.380 --> 00:22:14.880 list. There's more. But first thing, very first, 00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:20.700 salvation. John 3 .16 -17 says, For God loved 00:22:20.700 --> 00:22:23.819 the world in this way. He gave his one and only 00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:26.579 Son, so that everyone who believes in him will 00:22:26.579 --> 00:22:29.200 not perish but have eternal life. For God did 00:22:29.200 --> 00:22:31.160 not send his Son into the world to condemn the 00:22:31.160 --> 00:22:34.369 world, but to save the world through him. God 00:22:34.369 --> 00:22:37.369 wants everyone to be saved. That's his will for 00:22:37.369 --> 00:22:41.329 humanity. But he loves us so much, he gives us 00:22:41.329 --> 00:22:45.150 free will and lets us choose not to love him. 00:22:45.450 --> 00:22:49.269 He lets us choose to not choose him. But us Christians, 00:22:49.549 --> 00:22:52.369 if you believe, you have. You've responded and 00:22:52.369 --> 00:22:54.170 already done part of God's will for your life. 00:22:54.730 --> 00:22:58.269 You've already listened. And those of you that 00:22:58.269 --> 00:23:00.710 haven't, if you're in here or online and you 00:23:00.710 --> 00:23:05.759 haven't, please respond. God's will for you, 00:23:05.940 --> 00:23:08.660 his loving will, is that you get saved and have 00:23:08.660 --> 00:23:13.759 a relationship with him. God also desires, his 00:23:13.759 --> 00:23:18.140 will, fellowship with him and with other Christians. 00:23:19.640 --> 00:23:22.920 Ephesians 2, 18 through 19. For through him, 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:26.759 we both have access in one spirit to the Father. 00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:30.039 So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:33.259 but fellow citizens with the saints and members 00:23:33.259 --> 00:23:36.980 of God's household. Guys, we are now part of 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:40.440 the family of God. We say that a lot, and that 00:23:40.440 --> 00:23:42.980 might become numb over time, right? You're like, 00:23:43.059 --> 00:23:46.359 familiarity breeds content. Yeah, brother, whatever. 00:23:46.680 --> 00:23:51.160 No, we are. We are family members. We should 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:53.660 be spending time with each other. But most importantly, 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:57.680 we are family members with God. We still are 00:23:57.680 --> 00:24:00.480 his servant, but we are brought into his family. 00:24:01.640 --> 00:24:05.039 He loves us so much. We have direct access to 00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:07.140 the Father now. He wants to have a relationship 00:24:07.140 --> 00:24:09.980 where we talk with him in prayer, where he talks 00:24:09.980 --> 00:24:12.720 with us through his word, through prayer, and 00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:14.660 through his Holy Spirit, where we are guided 00:24:14.660 --> 00:24:18.279 by him. He wants that fellowship with us, and 00:24:18.279 --> 00:24:22.000 he wants us to fellowship with one another. Remember, 00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:24.299 like I said, we're brothers and sisters. Let's 00:24:24.299 --> 00:24:28.220 act like it. Hebrews 10, 24 through 25. And let 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:30.960 us consider one another in order to provoke love 00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:34.640 and good works, not neglecting to gather together, 00:24:34.779 --> 00:24:37.259 as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging 00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:40.480 each other, and all the more as you see the day 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:45.740 approaching. God wants fellowship with us and 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:48.319 for us to fellowship with each other. It's part 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:53.019 of his will, I believe, for us. Also, God wants 00:24:53.019 --> 00:24:57.440 obedience. He wants us to be obedient to him. 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:03.660 John 14, 15, Jesus speaking. If you love me, 00:25:03.819 --> 00:25:09.460 you will keep my commands. We say we love him. 00:25:09.859 --> 00:25:14.200 We Christians know that we love him. But then, 00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:18.539 do we keep his commands? Am I being a servant 00:25:18.539 --> 00:25:21.759 and lowering my will to do his and do his commands? 00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:24.700 Or am I like, ah, I want to do what I want today. 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:33.079 God wants us to do what he says. To live according 00:25:33.079 --> 00:25:36.420 to his word. Some of you guys are parents. And 00:25:36.420 --> 00:25:38.480 don't you love it when your kids listen to you 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:41.619 and do what you say without having to fight them 00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:44.700 over it and be like, hey, what did I say? Do 00:25:44.700 --> 00:25:47.460 it. right? I don't have kids, but working in 00:25:47.460 --> 00:25:49.720 youth ministry for 14 years, it's great when 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:51.539 they listen to me the first time. It's like, 00:25:51.559 --> 00:25:57.980 thank you, you do care. But that's the thing. 00:25:58.880 --> 00:26:04.039 That's what God wants. Hosea 6 .6 says, for I 00:26:04.039 --> 00:26:08.539 desire faithful love and not sacrifice. The knowledge 00:26:08.539 --> 00:26:12.680 of God rather than burnt offerings. What God 00:26:12.680 --> 00:26:15.230 is saying there is he desires Faithful love and 00:26:15.230 --> 00:26:19.329 obedience, not sorry. How many of you parents 00:26:19.329 --> 00:26:21.549 can relate with that? You're like, don't tell 00:26:21.549 --> 00:26:25.890 me sorry, kids. Just do what I say. Thank you 00:26:25.890 --> 00:26:28.470 for saying sorry. Thank you for turning back. 00:26:28.609 --> 00:26:32.009 But do what I say. Show me you love me that way. 00:26:32.109 --> 00:26:35.690 And if we say we love him, but we're not sacrificing, 00:26:36.049 --> 00:26:40.569 I feel like we're dropping the ball. God wants 00:26:40.569 --> 00:26:44.650 obedience. God also wants, his will for us, is 00:26:44.650 --> 00:26:50.609 to make and be disciples. Matthew 28, 19 through 00:26:50.609 --> 00:26:53.950 20 says, Go therefore and make disciples of all 00:26:53.950 --> 00:26:56.509 nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father 00:26:56.509 --> 00:26:59.250 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching 00:26:59.250 --> 00:27:01.930 them to observe everything I have commanded you. 00:27:02.069 --> 00:27:05.650 And remember, I am with you always to the end 00:27:05.650 --> 00:27:09.809 of the age. Guys, sharing the gospel with people 00:27:09.809 --> 00:27:12.819 is a command that God has given us. And if He 00:27:12.819 --> 00:27:15.400 loves us, we should be doing that. Teaching others 00:27:15.400 --> 00:27:21.319 what we know about Jesus. Helping others that 00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:24.619 maybe are already saved but are baby Christians. 00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:26.700 Teaching them what you know and helping them 00:27:26.700 --> 00:27:29.559 grow in their faith. Because that is what God 00:27:29.559 --> 00:27:33.440 calls us to. Not only to make converts. That's 00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:36.700 not what it says. It says make disciples. Disciples 00:27:36.700 --> 00:27:39.880 are students or followers. Don't just make someone 00:27:39.880 --> 00:27:41.880 that goes, I believe in Jesus. Okay, bye. See 00:27:41.880 --> 00:27:44.799 you later. It's like, nah. Spend time with them. 00:27:45.420 --> 00:27:49.960 Help them grow. But to teach others, we first 00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:54.500 must know God and know about him to be able to 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:58.200 teach him to others. We must be disciples, continually 00:27:58.200 --> 00:28:02.880 growing in our knowledge of God. We must know 00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:09.430 him so we can teach him to others. Another thing 00:28:09.430 --> 00:28:11.750 that I believe is God's will for us is to do 00:28:11.750 --> 00:28:16.630 good works. Ephesians 2 .10, for we are his workmanship, 00:28:16.789 --> 00:28:20.109 created in Christ Jesus for good works, which 00:28:20.109 --> 00:28:24.430 God prepared ahead of time for us to do. I can't 00:28:24.430 --> 00:28:26.769 tell you what those works are. God created us 00:28:26.769 --> 00:28:30.670 all with our own special abilities and the giftings 00:28:30.670 --> 00:28:33.069 he gives us. He has that planned, and that's 00:28:33.069 --> 00:28:35.559 between you and him. He has things for you to 00:28:35.559 --> 00:28:37.900 do. And it can range. Your good works can be 00:28:37.900 --> 00:28:41.259 from one day being a pastor and preaching or 00:28:41.259 --> 00:28:44.359 being an evangelist or being someone who goes 00:28:44.359 --> 00:28:46.599 and sets up churches. I'm not going to get into 00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:49.519 that debate if it's apostle or not. But it also 00:28:49.519 --> 00:28:52.500 could be as simple as buying someone food when 00:28:52.500 --> 00:28:56.000 they're hungry. I said this in first service, 00:28:56.059 --> 00:28:58.460 and it's not in my notes, but it's still one 00:28:58.460 --> 00:29:01.559 of my favorite examples of this is Rick Bromley. 00:29:01.680 --> 00:29:04.079 And he is Elder Rick Bromley. Right? Elder now? 00:29:04.200 --> 00:29:09.799 Yeah. Elder? Yep. Elder. Yes. But Elder Rick 00:29:09.799 --> 00:29:13.660 Bromley. I have an issue, and this is a personal 00:29:13.660 --> 00:29:16.559 issue in confession time, with the homelessness 00:29:16.559 --> 00:29:21.859 in California because my uncles were that. I 00:29:21.859 --> 00:29:25.259 saw my uncles take advantage of the system, beg 00:29:25.259 --> 00:29:27.240 for money so that they could go buy drugs instead 00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:28.619 of food, because then they'd come to my house 00:29:28.619 --> 00:29:32.059 and just eat our food. Like, I saw this happen. 00:29:32.220 --> 00:29:35.880 They chose to live this horrible life. And so 00:29:35.880 --> 00:29:37.960 I have a callousness personally to homeless because 00:29:37.960 --> 00:29:41.720 I remember buying a guy food at Taco Bell, and 00:29:41.720 --> 00:29:43.920 it wasn't planned. I walked out of Taco Bell 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:45.319 and handed this guy food because he was asking 00:29:45.319 --> 00:29:47.240 for it. I'm like, here you go. And then I get 00:29:47.240 --> 00:29:49.420 in my car to get into the drive -thru to buy 00:29:49.420 --> 00:29:52.000 myself more food, and I see him throw my food 00:29:52.000 --> 00:29:58.559 in the trash. That can create a callousness, 00:29:58.599 --> 00:30:01.420 but God doesn't say, hey, give it so that they 00:30:01.420 --> 00:30:04.039 can respond. He just says, help them. Do the 00:30:04.039 --> 00:30:06.940 good work. How they respond is on them. Now, 00:30:06.980 --> 00:30:09.200 I'm not just going to give people money, like 00:30:09.200 --> 00:30:12.480 homeless people money. I will do the thing of, 00:30:12.519 --> 00:30:14.720 I'll buy you food. What you do with it, that's 00:30:14.720 --> 00:30:18.359 on you. That's my personal conviction. I'll buy 00:30:18.359 --> 00:30:20.119 you groceries. I'll do these things for you. 00:30:20.200 --> 00:30:22.500 These are good works that you guys have probably 00:30:22.500 --> 00:30:25.859 done and can think of. You've also got things 00:30:25.859 --> 00:30:29.289 as, As simple as just helping one who's short 00:30:29.289 --> 00:30:32.490 on money, like a brother or sister. I've been 00:30:32.490 --> 00:30:35.690 there. I've needed help. You probably have too. 00:30:35.769 --> 00:30:38.390 Helping people move. That tends to be my gifting 00:30:38.390 --> 00:30:41.369 because I've moved 13 times before I turn 18. 00:30:41.529 --> 00:30:43.670 I've got the skills and I know what to do. So 00:30:43.670 --> 00:30:49.329 people always ask. As well as praying for others. 00:30:50.069 --> 00:30:53.180 That's a good work that we can do. Remembering 00:30:53.180 --> 00:30:55.039 our brothers and sisters or even those that don't 00:30:55.039 --> 00:30:57.420 know Jesus and taking the time to pray for them 00:30:57.420 --> 00:31:00.700 and ask God to bless them. Serving at church. 00:31:01.059 --> 00:31:03.140 That's definitely a good work that God can use 00:31:03.140 --> 00:31:06.099 you for. Counseling others. The list goes on. 00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:09.220 You can think about all of these different things 00:31:09.220 --> 00:31:13.079 that God has, but he has made us to do good works. 00:31:14.940 --> 00:31:18.380 We're literally made by him for that. And God 00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:22.390 is our master. Remember, his will matters above 00:31:22.390 --> 00:31:26.750 ours. Now, you might be thinking, okay, well, 00:31:26.829 --> 00:31:30.549 what is God's will for me specifically? What 00:31:30.549 --> 00:31:34.509 does God want me to do? And in all honesty, I 00:31:34.509 --> 00:31:36.289 don't think it's as complicated as we tend to 00:31:36.289 --> 00:31:38.829 make it out. We tend to make it out to be this, 00:31:38.890 --> 00:31:42.529 I'm not going to move or apply for any jobs. 00:31:42.650 --> 00:31:46.529 I'm going to let God give me a job, and that's 00:31:46.529 --> 00:31:48.109 how it's going to work. He'll just provide it. 00:31:49.450 --> 00:31:51.529 I only want to be in God's will. And I'm like, 00:31:51.589 --> 00:31:57.950 that's foolish. God could do that. I highly doubt 00:31:57.950 --> 00:32:04.250 he will. God might not have a specific job for 00:32:04.250 --> 00:32:07.990 you. Or he might. For instance, being an elder 00:32:07.990 --> 00:32:10.829 and being a pastor, that's a calling. The Bible 00:32:10.829 --> 00:32:12.549 talks about how that's a calling in your life. 00:32:13.089 --> 00:32:17.000 Not everyone can just do it. And it doesn't mean 00:32:17.000 --> 00:32:19.359 that we're special. It means that that's what 00:32:19.359 --> 00:32:22.839 God called us to do. It's funny because there's 00:32:22.839 --> 00:32:24.680 this interesting thing with seminaries nowadays 00:32:24.680 --> 00:32:26.279 where everyone goes to seminary because they're 00:32:26.279 --> 00:32:28.220 going to be a pastor. And I'm like, I'm glad 00:32:28.220 --> 00:32:29.799 you have the knowledge, but did God call you 00:32:29.799 --> 00:32:32.920 to do it? Because there's plenty of pastors that 00:32:32.920 --> 00:32:34.779 have been called before seminary ever existed. 00:32:36.700 --> 00:32:40.859 Apostles were fishermen, remember? It's a calling, 00:32:40.960 --> 00:32:45.660 not just information. So it can be true. God 00:32:45.660 --> 00:32:48.559 could have a specific job waiting for you or 00:32:48.559 --> 00:32:50.880 a specific thing to do. But he also could be 00:32:50.880 --> 00:32:54.660 like, hey, go apply to jobs, and then I'll guide 00:32:54.660 --> 00:32:58.440 your path. Just go. Go do it. And while you do 00:32:58.440 --> 00:33:02.420 it, love me. Be obedient to me. Do what I'm asking 00:33:02.420 --> 00:33:05.819 you to do. Be in fellowship with me. For instance, 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:10.079 a great example of this. Paul, in Acts 16, you 00:33:10.079 --> 00:33:12.440 can look this up. He's trying to go to Asia to 00:33:12.440 --> 00:33:15.250 spread the gospel. And as he's getting close, 00:33:15.430 --> 00:33:19.650 it literally says the Holy Spirit stops him and 00:33:19.650 --> 00:33:24.089 his group. And then later on, Paul has this dream 00:33:24.089 --> 00:33:26.809 or vision where he sees a Macedonian man asking 00:33:26.809 --> 00:33:30.230 for help. So what does Paul do? He listens to 00:33:30.230 --> 00:33:35.069 the will of God and goes to Macedonia. His desire, 00:33:35.289 --> 00:33:38.210 his American dream, was to go and spread the 00:33:38.210 --> 00:33:41.470 gospel in Asia. God said, hey, hold on, wait 00:33:41.470 --> 00:33:45.240 up. thank you for following me and doing my will 00:33:45.240 --> 00:33:47.160 up until this point, but my will is over here. 00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:50.519 My calling to you is over here. Now, it doesn't 00:33:50.519 --> 00:33:52.559 mean that God's going to always stop you. He 00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:56.119 can, right? Here, he literally did stop Paul. 00:33:56.339 --> 00:33:59.059 And it doesn't mean that Paul never went to Asia. 00:33:59.980 --> 00:34:02.539 He does, in a later mission trip, go to Asia 00:34:02.539 --> 00:34:06.380 and spread the gospel. We just have to be willing 00:34:06.380 --> 00:34:08.869 to go, hey, God, what's your will? I've said 00:34:08.869 --> 00:34:10.590 this plenty of times. Some of you might know 00:34:10.590 --> 00:34:12.409 this. Some of you might not. But growing up, 00:34:12.409 --> 00:34:15.030 I wanted to be in the military. I had a whole 00:34:15.030 --> 00:34:16.869 plan. My parents raised me. They wanted me to 00:34:16.869 --> 00:34:19.210 go military. They're like, yes, do it. It's either 00:34:19.210 --> 00:34:21.409 college, military, or you're out, right? That's 00:34:21.409 --> 00:34:26.150 the idea. But I had a plan. I wanted to go Marine, 00:34:26.349 --> 00:34:28.869 Scout, Sniper, 20 years, Special Forces. And 00:34:28.869 --> 00:34:31.010 then after, when I'm done serving, I would then 00:34:31.010 --> 00:34:33.530 apply to be an instructor at the sniping school. 00:34:33.730 --> 00:34:36.650 I wanted to be the guy that looked at the people 00:34:36.650 --> 00:34:41.530 I take out. Yeah, right? God had a different 00:34:41.530 --> 00:34:44.869 plan. Because all my friends were, well, not 00:34:44.869 --> 00:34:46.489 all my friends, like Will was a little nervous. 00:34:46.550 --> 00:34:48.070 I remember tricking him into thinking that I 00:34:48.070 --> 00:34:52.489 was going. That was fun. Love you, Will. But 00:34:52.489 --> 00:34:54.090 I listened to the Holy Spirit telling me no, 00:34:54.170 --> 00:34:55.710 because I had my parents supporting me, so many 00:34:55.710 --> 00:34:58.010 people supporting me. I had a close friend that 00:34:58.010 --> 00:35:00.510 had like this vision of me that was like, I can 00:35:00.510 --> 00:35:02.989 see you now as an adult later on. But I felt 00:35:02.989 --> 00:35:06.260 God say, no, don't go. And so I didn't. And now, 00:35:06.320 --> 00:35:08.880 instead of taking lives, God has me here sharing 00:35:08.880 --> 00:35:11.579 his life with others, and those people get saved. 00:35:13.420 --> 00:35:16.800 God has different plans for us. We have to be 00:35:16.800 --> 00:35:23.039 willing to let his will trump ours. I really 00:35:23.039 --> 00:35:26.599 think we are called to just live our lives in 00:35:26.599 --> 00:35:30.059 fellowship and relationship with God, loving 00:35:30.059 --> 00:35:33.840 him. Knowing him, growing in that knowledge of 00:35:33.840 --> 00:35:36.900 him. That's his will for us. And then as we go, 00:35:37.039 --> 00:35:39.800 as the Bible says, he'll direct our paths. He'll 00:35:39.800 --> 00:35:42.480 push us in the way he wants. He'll take us to 00:35:42.480 --> 00:35:44.840 where he wants. And he'll bring us to places 00:35:44.840 --> 00:35:47.460 to do the good works that he has already prepared 00:35:47.460 --> 00:35:53.400 us for. So whatever you do, do it for God. Whatever 00:35:53.400 --> 00:35:56.400 you are doing, whatever your American dream is, 00:35:56.639 --> 00:36:00.900 make those plans, have those desires. Have whatever 00:36:00.900 --> 00:36:03.340 job you have, whatever life you choose to live, 00:36:03.440 --> 00:36:05.920 but whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. 00:36:06.280 --> 00:36:09.440 Do it in fellowship with God. Do it in knowing 00:36:09.440 --> 00:36:11.820 and knowing God even more, in loving him, being 00:36:11.820 --> 00:36:16.460 obedient. Share your faith at your job, at your 00:36:16.460 --> 00:36:19.219 gym, at your place of your hobby, whatever you 00:36:19.219 --> 00:36:22.000 do. Like one of the favorite things that I have 00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:26.750 now is I... You'll find this out. I love what's 00:36:26.750 --> 00:36:28.170 called bouldering. I rock climb with a bunch 00:36:28.170 --> 00:36:31.570 of people. Hey, Paul. Bud and Will and Cedric 00:36:31.570 --> 00:36:32.889 and Emmanuel. Like, a bunch of people. We all 00:36:32.889 --> 00:36:35.750 go climbing, right? It's fun. But that world, 00:36:35.949 --> 00:36:38.269 the rock climbing world, is kind of inundated, 00:36:38.269 --> 00:36:42.030 I noticed, with a lot of, like, LGBTQ plus and 00:36:42.030 --> 00:36:43.889 trans plus. And all that, like, for some reason, 00:36:43.929 --> 00:36:47.309 that's... That's what they do. But Will had this 00:36:47.309 --> 00:36:50.610 great idea of, hey, if they can organize, like, 00:36:50.670 --> 00:36:53.610 these, like, you know, trans climb day and all 00:36:53.610 --> 00:36:55.610 these different climb days that go up on their 00:36:55.610 --> 00:36:59.489 calendar at the gym, Will's like, hey, let's 00:36:59.489 --> 00:37:01.130 see if we can do a Christian one. And he got 00:37:01.130 --> 00:37:03.750 it through. It's happening this month. Like, 00:37:03.750 --> 00:37:05.949 on their board, there's a, hey, if you're a Christian, 00:37:05.989 --> 00:37:10.489 come climb with us. Like, that's, be obedient 00:37:10.489 --> 00:37:13.889 in what you do. We're just climbing fake rocks. 00:37:15.320 --> 00:37:18.500 But we get to share the gospel with people. They 00:37:18.500 --> 00:37:21.460 get to see us interact. And we get to have fellowship 00:37:21.460 --> 00:37:29.320 with other Christians. We have all of these plans. 00:37:29.880 --> 00:37:33.460 But the thing we need to do is be willing to 00:37:33.460 --> 00:37:38.179 allow God to change them to his will. Don't be 00:37:38.179 --> 00:37:42.940 stubborn. Let him guide you. James 4, 13 through 00:37:42.940 --> 00:37:47.420 15 says this. Come now, you who say, today or 00:37:47.420 --> 00:37:50.039 tomorrow we travel to such and such a city and 00:37:50.039 --> 00:37:52.219 spend a year there to do business and to make 00:37:52.219 --> 00:37:55.480 profit. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will 00:37:55.480 --> 00:37:58.599 bring, what your life will be, for you are like 00:37:58.599 --> 00:38:02.159 vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. 00:38:03.000 --> 00:38:08.059 Instead, you should say, if the Lord wills, we 00:38:08.059 --> 00:38:13.510 will live and do this or that. That is the attitude 00:38:13.510 --> 00:38:15.989 we should have because God is our master and 00:38:15.989 --> 00:38:19.869 we are his bondservants. Lord, if you will, I 00:38:19.869 --> 00:38:24.469 will do this. This is my plan, Lord. Is that 00:38:24.469 --> 00:38:26.630 okay? You cool? Yeah, I'm going to go do it. 00:38:26.750 --> 00:38:30.250 And more often than not, it's like Paul. Most 00:38:30.250 --> 00:38:32.170 of my opportunities where God has blessed me 00:38:32.170 --> 00:38:34.869 and guided me was just me trying to walk through 00:38:34.869 --> 00:38:37.050 a door and either it was open or it was shut 00:38:37.050 --> 00:38:40.590 in my face. That's how, at least for me, it has 00:38:40.590 --> 00:38:45.539 worked. But what I love is even Jesus demonstrates 00:38:45.539 --> 00:38:49.739 this for us. When he was in the garden, he says 00:38:49.739 --> 00:38:53.280 this in Matthew 26, 39. Going a little further, 00:38:53.440 --> 00:38:58.159 he fell face down and prayed. My father, if it 00:38:58.159 --> 00:39:01.960 is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not 00:39:01.960 --> 00:39:07.539 as I will, but as you will. I've said this before. 00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:13.619 Jesus is the example for us. as Christians. He 00:39:13.619 --> 00:39:17.019 is the example of a human being living by the 00:39:17.019 --> 00:39:20.900 filling and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, doing 00:39:20.900 --> 00:39:26.079 the will of the Father. And even here, sweating 00:39:26.079 --> 00:39:28.320 blood from the stress of what he's about to go 00:39:28.320 --> 00:39:32.360 to, asking God, Lord, this is not my will. I 00:39:32.360 --> 00:39:34.659 don't really want to go through this. But he 00:39:34.659 --> 00:39:39.380 finishes with, your will be done. And that should 00:39:39.380 --> 00:39:43.500 be our heart and attitude towards our master. 00:39:44.139 --> 00:39:50.119 Lord, your will be done. So my question is, do 00:39:50.119 --> 00:39:54.119 you see yourself as a bondservant of Jesus? Like 00:39:54.119 --> 00:39:57.219 I said before, if you don't, you are. Like, if 00:39:57.219 --> 00:39:59.039 you chose Christianity and you're like, I'm not 00:39:59.039 --> 00:40:01.780 a bondservant, that's weird. You are. You chose 00:40:01.780 --> 00:40:07.289 him. You are his slave forever. But the best 00:40:07.289 --> 00:40:11.190 thing is, is he is a good and loving God. 1 Corinthians 00:40:11.190 --> 00:40:14.690 7 .22, for he who is called by the Lord as a 00:40:14.690 --> 00:40:19.510 slave is the Lord's freed man. Likewise, he who 00:40:19.510 --> 00:40:24.429 is called as a free man is Christ's slave. We 00:40:24.429 --> 00:40:28.849 are his. We have chosen him as our eternal master, 00:40:28.989 --> 00:40:32.730 and he is a good and loving God who has a goodwill 00:40:32.730 --> 00:40:37.519 for us, for our works to be done. Guys, look 00:40:37.519 --> 00:40:39.880 at the example of all the early Christians, all 00:40:39.880 --> 00:40:43.260 the apostles. Almost all of them died horrific 00:40:43.260 --> 00:40:47.659 deaths. Right? It's like, I wouldn't want to 00:40:47.659 --> 00:40:50.159 be skinned alive. I wouldn't want to be crucified 00:40:50.159 --> 00:40:52.260 upside down. I wouldn't want all these things 00:40:52.260 --> 00:40:55.139 that happened stoned to death. But you know what? 00:40:55.380 --> 00:40:59.880 They saw that God was their master. And he's 00:40:59.880 --> 00:41:08.389 worthy to die for. Because he owns my life. We 00:41:08.389 --> 00:41:10.289 need to see his will as more important than our 00:41:10.289 --> 00:41:15.590 own. So, are you living like God is your master? 00:41:16.070 --> 00:41:19.409 Or are you putting your will above God's? That's 00:41:19.409 --> 00:41:24.650 a question we should ask ourselves daily. Even 00:41:24.650 --> 00:41:26.989 momently, honestly. There's times where it's 00:41:26.989 --> 00:41:28.590 like, oh, here's this other decision. Oh, well, 00:41:28.610 --> 00:41:33.050 hold on. Am I just being selfish? But for those 00:41:33.050 --> 00:41:36.170 of us, if we want to be good servants, bond servants 00:41:36.170 --> 00:41:41.130 of God, My favorite two verses, Romans 12, 1 00:41:41.130 --> 00:41:44.590 through 2. Therefore, brothers and sisters, in 00:41:44.590 --> 00:41:48.130 view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present 00:41:48.130 --> 00:41:52.769 your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing 00:41:52.769 --> 00:41:56.650 to God. This is your true worship. Do not be 00:41:56.650 --> 00:41:59.610 conformed to this age, but be transformed by 00:41:59.610 --> 00:42:02.309 the renewing of your mind so that you may discern 00:42:02.309 --> 00:42:05.150 what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will 00:42:05.150 --> 00:42:10.219 of God. Don't do what the world says. Get money, 00:42:10.360 --> 00:42:13.460 accumulate money, fame, power. All those things 00:42:13.460 --> 00:42:17.320 pass away when we're dead. But if we do God's 00:42:17.320 --> 00:42:21.880 work and God's will, those things remain. The 00:42:21.880 --> 00:42:24.039 early apostles and Christians did God's work. 00:42:24.139 --> 00:42:26.739 They spread the gospel, and Christianity is still 00:42:26.739 --> 00:42:32.480 around 2 ,000 years later worldwide. God's work 00:42:32.480 --> 00:42:35.099 is eternal, and we're called to do that, to do 00:42:35.099 --> 00:42:39.090 his will. to love him, to be a slave for him. 00:42:39.449 --> 00:42:41.710 What I love about this is we're called to be 00:42:41.710 --> 00:42:44.489 living sacrifices, meaning as we live, the thing 00:42:44.489 --> 00:42:46.269 I want to do, I'm going to sacrifice that and 00:42:46.269 --> 00:42:50.050 do what God wants me to do. But we do that in 00:42:50.050 --> 00:42:53.550 view of God's mercy, not even talking about his 00:42:53.550 --> 00:42:56.590 grace yet. Mercy is the simple act that he doesn't 00:42:56.590 --> 00:42:58.550 destroy us because we're evil, horrible sinners. 00:42:59.989 --> 00:43:01.989 He's not even talking about, Paul's not even 00:43:01.989 --> 00:43:05.400 talking about the mercy. or the grace that God 00:43:05.400 --> 00:43:09.619 gives us in giving us salvation and loving us 00:43:09.619 --> 00:43:12.000 and doing so much for us. We should be living 00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:14.820 sacrifices simply because he does not kill us. 00:43:17.960 --> 00:43:22.099 And what's beautiful in doing that, that is true 00:43:22.099 --> 00:43:24.960 and genuine worship. That's what it says. Worship 00:43:24.960 --> 00:43:26.980 is great. I love singing in worship. But you 00:43:26.980 --> 00:43:34.269 know what is worship? Faithful obedience. Not 00:43:34.269 --> 00:43:36.449 conforming ourselves, but being transformed by 00:43:36.449 --> 00:43:40.530 renewing our mind. Knowing God more. Living and 00:43:40.530 --> 00:43:43.610 having a biblical mindset. Our entire life and 00:43:43.610 --> 00:43:48.610 worldview through the lens of God's word. Those 00:43:48.610 --> 00:43:50.289 things will help us to know his will for us. 00:43:53.309 --> 00:43:57.230 So, with that, I'm going to give you guys an 00:43:57.230 --> 00:44:01.110 opportunity to do God's will. I'm going to give 00:44:01.110 --> 00:44:02.719 us... the baptism instructions.