Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Almighty God, you welcome you. Hey, there.
[00:00:06] Speaker B: If you're new to Restored Church, we want to welcome you and thank you for tuning in. You're listening to a portion of our Sunday worship gathering. We believe the church is not an event, but a family you belong to, so we would love the opportunity to connect with you. If you want to learn more about our church or if we can help you in any way, please Visit our website, www.restoredtemecula.church, and click on Contact. With all that said, we, we hope you enjoy the message.
[00:00:35] Speaker A: Okay, so this morning, I'll say this. This has been one of the craziest.
[00:00:42] Speaker C: Weeks of my life.
Yeah, it's true. I am 40 today.
[00:00:49] Speaker A: That's heavy in many ways. My family moved houses today.
[00:00:53] Speaker C: Or not today, this week. That's my brain. You're going to have to keep up with me today. We're.
[00:00:57] Speaker A: We moved houses this week, and so all the, you know, just the logistics with that.
[00:01:01] Speaker C: Many of you were so helpful and kind.
[00:01:02] Speaker A: We've just experienced, like, God's generosity in just profound ways. Not just God's generosity, but people's generosity in cool ways.
[00:01:10] Speaker C: It's just been.
[00:01:10] Speaker A: It's been a wild, wild week. But like I said, we moved houses. And so the house that we were living in is the house that the church started in.
And so it was really trippy for me.
Me and the family went back yesterday.
[00:01:26] Speaker C: Just to kind of, like, get a.
[00:01:27] Speaker A: Handful of things out of the house. And it's totally empty. It's all cleaned and ready to go.
[00:01:31] Speaker C: You know, for the next tenant.
[00:01:33] Speaker A: And I'm looking at this empty room.
[00:01:38] Speaker C: Where God birthed this church.
[00:01:41] Speaker A: And it was just this, like, kind of heavy moment where you're, like, you're feeling kind of nostalgic and you're like, yeah, we're moving. And, like, you know that you just feel that, like, excitement, but also that, like, bittersweet. Not like God did so much, you know, like, he did so much in my family in that home. He did so much. Like I said, he birthed the church in that home. And so that I know I'm Gonna.
[00:02:00] Speaker C: You know, 40's coming this Sunday, which is today.
[00:02:02] Speaker A: And as busy as the week was.
[00:02:05] Speaker C: I was doing my best to just.
[00:02:07] Speaker A: Kind of give myself over to some.
[00:02:09] Speaker C: Reflection on just the grace of God and his goodness and the many ups and the many downs that we've experienced in light of, you know, living there and all the different things.
[00:02:21] Speaker A: And then I got to thinking just about my life story and about how God, like, has just Totally interrupted my life, like, intervened in dramatic ways and important ways and meaningful ways. And like, I just remember thinking back to me at like 18 years old.
And I don't know about you, but, like, I had plans. I had big plans, I had important plans. There's things that I wanted to do. I had these, like, goals and these ambitions and these dreams and these desires. I had these plans for my life and. And then God interrupted my plans.
He interrupted my plans with his gospel. He interrupted my plans with his grace. He interrupted my plans with his mission, with his kingdom. And it was just kind of this, like, whoa, everything's different. I feel like I'm becoming this new person and now I'm stepping into this different adventure of trying to discern what is God's will for my life. And it just was this, like, ah, so I'm thinking about all this stuff.
And this week I was like, my.
[00:03:22] Speaker C: Life is so different than I thought it was going to be.
[00:03:27] Speaker A: Like, it looks so different today than I thought it was going to look when I was 18 years old, beginning.
[00:03:36] Speaker C: To try to follow Jesus in meaningful ways.
And I just remember thinking, like, man, my life is so much better, I think, than the life that I would have chosen for myself.
Not easier, but better.
And what I want to talk to you guys about this morning is I.
[00:03:58] Speaker A: Want to talk to you about the.
[00:04:00] Speaker C: Plan that God has for all of his children.
That includes you.
So if you have your Bible, go ahead and grab it. We're going to be in Matthew chapter 16.
Matthew chapter 16. We're continuing on in our series the King and His Kingdom.
[00:04:14] Speaker A: We are going through Matthew with the agenda of. We want to learn as much as.
[00:04:18] Speaker C: We can, glean as much as we can about the King of the universe, Jesus and his kingdom.
[00:04:25] Speaker A: Right? What does it look like when God gets his way? God's rule, God's reign. That's the kingdom of God. That's the kingdom of heaven.
[00:04:32] Speaker C: That's what we're going to talk about this morning. And so I'm going to pray before we jump into today's passage. You can go ahead and put your.
[00:04:40] Speaker A: Finger on verse 21.
[00:04:41] Speaker C: That's where we're going to start this morning.
But before we read, I want to pray and I would invite you to join me.
Father, I genuinely love you and I'm thankful for the ways that you interrupted my plans with better plans.
And I just want to pray right now that you would give us a glimpse into your will for our life.
I pray for fresh revelation for each of us. This Morning.
As individuals, as a church, we want to echo Jesus prayer. He taught us to pray.
Lord, we want your will to be done, your kingdom to come. In us, through us, all around us.
And so I pray that you teach us this morning. Holy Spirit, God, you made me, and I pray that you would use me however you desire this morning. Bless us. We pray in Jesus name. Amen.
[00:05:42] Speaker A: All right, so a little context for you. So you're not just picking up into the story, not knowing what's going on. So Jesus, he's been teaching, he's been ministering in powerful ways in and around the region of Galilee. It's like a lake, a big lake. All right. And where we pick up here, Jesus just got done. If you remember, a couple weeks ago, Jesus just got done. He asked his disciples two questions.
The first question that he asks his disciples is, who do people say that I am?
[00:06:08] Speaker C: And they're like, some people say that.
[00:06:09] Speaker A: You'Re John the Baptist. Some people say that you're Elijah. They're giving a report to the people, the crowds, the multitudes that are tuning into Jesus, who they think Jesus is. And then he says, okay, cool. Who do you say that I am?
[00:06:21] Speaker C: Arguably the most important question a person can answer, right? Who do you say that Jesus is?
[00:06:26] Speaker A: And then, if you remember, Peter has this.
[00:06:28] Speaker C: He has this incredible moment.
[00:06:30] Speaker A: It's like one of Peter's shining moments. It's like if you do, like, the highlight reel of his life, you know, like the Sports center top 10. This is definitely, like, in the top. Okay, top three for sure. Jesus goes, who do you say they are?
[00:06:43] Speaker C: And Peter's like, you're the Messiah.
[00:06:47] Speaker A: You're the son of the living God.
And Jesus, in a beautiful way, he.
[00:06:52] Speaker C: Affirms Peter, he goes, blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah.
[00:06:57] Speaker A: He goes, a person didn't reveal this to you.
My heavenly father revealed this truth to you. And if you remember what happens, he renamed Simon into Peter.
[00:07:09] Speaker C: Peter.
[00:07:09] Speaker A: Peter, yes.
He once was Simon. And Jesus renames him. And a name is way more in the biblical times, it's way more than.
[00:07:16] Speaker C: Just what you call someone, right?
[00:07:18] Speaker A: It's the essence of who they are. And so Jesus, in that moment, he renamed Simon to Peter, which means rock, right? And Jesus says. He says this profound thing. He says, I will build my church. And he says this. He says, and not even the gates of hell will overpower it.
That isn't a remarkable statement. Okay, I'm not gonna preach on that passage, but I need you to understand the context here, okay? In the ancient Cities, they would have a wall built around the city for protection. And the only way you could get into the city is through a gate. Think, like a big door through the wall into the city. And Jesus says not even the gates of hell will overpower his church.
So I want you to get the picture of what Jesus is saying here. This is really important. He's saying that Hell's gates, if you will, they're not strong enough to stop the invasion that's happening.
So get the picture, the context. I'll build my church and the gates, the doors on the wall of hell, the strongholds of hell. It won't be able to overpower the invasion of my kingdom coming on the Earth.
We talk about the church being the family of God all the time.
[00:08:31] Speaker C: And it is. It's by far the most frequent metaphor used in the New Testament. But do you know what else the church is?
It's an army.
It's an army invading an army of.
[00:08:44] Speaker A: The kingdom of Heaven invading the strongholds of hell on the earth. And the gates of hell are not strong enough to stop that invasion. I need you to understand what Jesus is saying here.
[00:08:53] Speaker C: Okay, the church is also an army. Let's pick it up here in verse 21, Matthew, chapter 16.
Something tells me I'm going to pause our passage quite a bit.
[00:09:04] Speaker A: We're going to be 21 through 28.
[00:09:05] Speaker C: And I'm going to pause quite a bit while I read verse 21.
From then on, you know the context.
[00:09:12] Speaker A: Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary.
[00:09:17] Speaker C: Everybody say necessary.
[00:09:20] Speaker A: Underline that in your Bible. Necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests and scribes be killed and be raised on the third day.
[00:09:35] Speaker C: Okay, pause.
[00:09:35] Speaker A: What's Jesus referencing here?
[00:09:41] Speaker C: The cross.
[00:09:44] Speaker A: Go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders, chief priests and Israelites be killed and be raised on the third day. He's referencing the cross here. So if you're taking notes, here's my.
[00:09:53] Speaker C: First point for you. It's a big one. The cross was necessary.
The cross was necessary.
Now, have you ever thought, like, yes.
[00:10:07] Speaker A: We know Jesus was the sacrifice for mankind, right? He paid the ultimate price for our sins. He's the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world his life gives us.
You ever thought, like, why the cross though?
Like, why such a brutal execution? Why such a brutal, gruesome, awful, painful even sacrifice?
[00:10:31] Speaker C: Why?
[00:10:32] Speaker A: Why not something just a little more like, comfortable?
Not that like, you know, being executed is comfortable, but like, why not something like lethal Injection or something, you know, where it's like, hey, I'm just going.
[00:10:43] Speaker C: To kind of fall asleep in my.
[00:10:44] Speaker A: Sleep, or I'm going to pass away in my sleep. Like something just simple. He's still sacrifice, right? He still lived the perfect life. And then he's.
[00:10:52] Speaker C: Why the cross?
[00:10:54] Speaker A: Here's the answer.
[00:10:57] Speaker C: And brace yourself. This is a heavy one. Because God's just.
Because God's just. I want you to imagine with me.
Imagine we leave this gathering today, okay? You go out with loved ones, you grab some food, you're hungry, you go to lunch. After you have a good meal, you guys go home and you pull into your driveway and instantly you recognize that something's wrong.
Instantly you're like, oh, no.
And you walk up to your front door, you can see things are jacked up, windows are broken, the doors wide open. You walk into your home and things are a disaster.
[00:11:43] Speaker A: Like, there's not just damage, there's like damage beyond repair.
You know, someone has probably broken into your home and they've destroyed all of that, all of your precious material items. So maybe you run into the space where, you know, you have like some, some very sentimental things or some very valuable things hidden in your home or, or someplace that you keep safe, and you go, there, they're gone.
[00:12:03] Speaker C: And not only are they gone, they're.
[00:12:05] Speaker A: Somewhere else in the house and they're, they're, they're destroyed. So it's not just like damage, it's full blown destruction.
You feel violated. You feel like, what? What in the world?
[00:12:18] Speaker C: But they caught the person who did.
[00:12:22] Speaker A: It, and it wasn't like they're a suspect. It was like, they're obviously guilty. There's video footage from your neighbor's ring camera. There's like all this stuff that shows this person is doing it. There's eyewitnesses even that watch this person not just damage, but totally destroy that with which is precious to you materially.
And you, you know, they go to court, they stand before the judge, and the judge goes, okay, for these crimes that you are guilty of, I hereby.
[00:12:53] Speaker C: Sentence you to a $50 fine and four hours of community service.
I know that's silly, but, like, genuinely.
[00:13:05] Speaker A: If you can put yourself in that.
[00:13:06] Speaker C: Position, how would you respond to that?
You guys are quiet this morning.
[00:13:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I'd be angry, unfair, 100%.
Does anybody have the guts to be able to like, stand up in their courtroom and be like, no, no, like, you'd be there. I suspect I know some of you pretty well. I suspect there'd be A little bit of outrage at something that heinous and unjust.
It's not justice being served. It's totally unjust. This person is guilty. They made a choice. It's not an accident. It's not like a minor thing. This is a serious, significant crime.
And if the punishment for that crime is a $50 fine and four hours of community service, you'd be a little outraged. I guarantee you'd call people you care about and call people. You will not believe what just happened to me.
[00:14:02] Speaker C: Why?
Because it's unjust.
Why?
Listen, the punishment, it must fit the crime.
If it doesn't, it's not.
[00:14:15] Speaker A: Just.
[00:14:19] Speaker C: Listen.
God is a just judge.
He's not harsh.
He's just.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: He's not going to hand out $50.
[00:14:39] Speaker C: Fines for sinning against him and his belongings, right? The people he loves and the creation that he loves. And what Jesus is saying here, friends, is that the cross was necessary because our sin is serious.
The punishment must fit the crime. If he's going to be a just judge.
[00:15:06] Speaker A: If he's not going to be a.
[00:15:07] Speaker C: Corrupt judge, like, read the news, fill in the blank.
The punishment must fit the crime.
I'm starting really heavy this morning, so I'm gonna keep it rolling. Brace yourself. Do you guys know Diamond Valley Lake?
[00:15:23] Speaker A: Most of you. Okay, so just north and east of here is Diamond Valley Lake. It's technically a reservoir. And the reason it's technically a reservoir is because it has a dam.
And you know this dams, what they do is they store up water. And in this case, it turns it into a reservoir, into a lake, right?
Now, did you know this? Did you know that the Diamond Valley Dam is the largest dam in Southern California?
[00:15:44] Speaker C: Who knew that? Raise your hand.
Eric, I believe that you knew.
I believe you knew that one.
[00:15:50] Speaker A: No, but. So it's the largest dam in Southern California, so pretty significant. Okay. And so I wanted to learn a little bit about it.
[00:15:57] Speaker C: Here's some stats for you.
[00:16:02] Speaker A: The capacity of Diamond Valley Reservoir, the dam right there. Right.
990 million square meters.
[00:16:12] Speaker C: Okay?
[00:16:12] Speaker A: That's roughly 264 billion gallons of water.
[00:16:18] Speaker C: Okay, Is that me or is that somebody else? Not me.
[00:16:20] Speaker A: Okay, so 264 billion gallons of water.
I just want to. I wanted to get a sense of, like, how much water is that, practically speaking?
[00:16:30] Speaker C: So I did what any normal human being would do. I typed it into CHAT GPT and I said, hey, tell me what this means. Like, how much water would this be?
[00:16:36] Speaker A: This is some stats. According to ChatGPT, that's enough water. The 264 billion gallons of water, 990 million square meters.
That's enough to supply the population of Los Angeles.
[00:16:50] Speaker C: That's 4 million people with water, get.
[00:16:53] Speaker A: This, for 10 years.
I'll take it a little step further. ChatGPT also said that's enough for every person on earth. 8 billion people to take 125 showers each.
[00:17:12] Speaker C: Can we agree that's a lot of.
[00:17:14] Speaker A: Water right up the road. That's a lot of water.
[00:17:18] Speaker C: Question for you. What happens if that dam breaks?
[00:17:27] Speaker A: Like you're already thinking of like the movie, you know, the trailers playing in.
[00:17:32] Speaker C: Your head of like the jam Brooks breaks and all the things.
[00:17:37] Speaker A: Okay, so I wanted to know practically what would happen.
[00:17:39] Speaker C: So again I went to chat GPT.
[00:17:41] Speaker A: This is what chat GPD said. What happens if Diamond Valley Dam breaks?
[00:17:46] Speaker C: This is AI. The consequences would be disastrous.
[00:17:51] Speaker A: A failure of Diamond Valley Dam would unleash catastrophic flooding, posing severe risks to.
[00:17:58] Speaker C: Life, infrastructure and the economy.
In other words, if that dam breaks, I feel like I'm cussing.
If that dam breaks, it means destruction for everything in its path.
Let's keep the hypothetical situation going. If you knew, if you knew that the dam was going to break tomorrow.
[00:18:31] Speaker A: Like you knew.
[00:18:34] Speaker C: What would you do?
Would you be like, ah, that's not my deal. You know, whatever.
[00:18:40] Speaker A: That's up to other people. They can handle it.
I got a lot going on. Today's my 40th birthday. Sorry, I'm busy with plans.
I suspect.
[00:18:54] Speaker C: All of us, if not most of us.
[00:18:58] Speaker A: Would do everything we.
[00:18:59] Speaker C: Possibly can to warn the poor people that are in the flood path.
[00:19:07] Speaker A: As.
[00:19:07] Speaker C: Though their life depended on it.
Listen. So a dam stores up water.
What Jesus is getting at here, friends, and we're going to unpack this a little more unrepentant sin, hear me?
It stores up God's wrath.
Romans, chapter 2, verse 5.
The context Paul's writing to the church in Rome.
Listen to what he says.
Because of your hardened and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath when God's.
[00:19:58] Speaker A: Righteous judgment, not flippant, not unrighteous, not.
[00:20:04] Speaker C: Unjust, when his righteous judgment is revealed. Okay, so the Bible is super clear on this.
[00:20:11] Speaker A: The Bible tells us a day is.
[00:20:12] Speaker C: Coming when the dam of God's wrath will break.
And when it does, listen to me.
[00:20:22] Speaker A: It'S gonna be far worse than the.
[00:20:23] Speaker C: Hypothetical Diamond Valley dam breakage.
What you have to see here, friends. Jesus is telling his disciples, he's telling his disciples that the cross was necessary because our Sin is serious.
It's okay. Stuff happens. It's all good, girl.
I'm gonna say that again because I don't want anybody to miss it.
Jesus is telling his disciples the cross.
[00:20:49] Speaker A: Was necessary because our sin is that serious.
[00:20:53] Speaker C: Okay?
[00:20:53] Speaker A: Unrepentant sin. It stores up God's holy and just wrath. And the day is coming when that dam will break.
[00:21:01] Speaker C: It's a promise.
[00:21:02] Speaker A: Jesus says, I'm coming back, and I'm not coming back to save this time. I'm coming back to judge the earth.
[00:21:19] Speaker C: The good news of the gospel.
Please hear me. The good news of the gospel is that the cross, what it did is it redirected the wrath.
[00:21:30] Speaker A: It redirected the wrath away from the sinner and onto the Savior, Jesus.
This is why it's huge. Like, guys, you have to understand this. Like Jesus, God in the flesh, he willingly, knowingly absorbed the full flood, if you will, of the wrath of God for mankind. All of it. He absorbed it all. Every drop of the wrath of God. Every gallon, if you will, hear me. Oceans and oceans and oceans of the sins of people, of the sins of God's creation, of the sins of people that God loves. He willingly absorbed it all. He redirected the wrath onto himself.
Not just some of it.
Every drop.
[00:22:13] Speaker C: Do you hear me?
[00:22:15] Speaker A: Every drop.
Why?
[00:22:18] Speaker C: Because the punishment must fit the crime.
[00:22:21] Speaker A: Because God is just. And because our sin is that serious. We don't see it as serious all the time. Who am I hurting?
[00:22:30] Speaker C: It's just a little fib.
It's way more than that.
It's sinning against the holy God who.
[00:22:39] Speaker A: Made you, who loves you, who designed you, and who is the king of a kingdom that doesn't operate that way.
[00:22:49] Speaker C: But I'm here to tell you the.
[00:22:50] Speaker A: Reason why Christianity is so beautiful and the reason why there's nobody like Jesus, one of a million reasons, is because he redirected the wrath of God unto himself.
The cross was necessary because our sin is serious. And hear me.
[00:23:08] Speaker C: And God's love for you is that big.
[00:23:13] Speaker A: I pray that we all can get.
[00:23:15] Speaker C: To a place in our walk with.
[00:23:16] Speaker A: Jesus when we're confronted with these big.
[00:23:18] Speaker C: Things, like, whoa, the cross and our.
[00:23:21] Speaker A: Sin that we can see those and not go, oh, this is.
[00:23:23] Speaker C: And go, holy smokes.
[00:23:25] Speaker A: He loves me that much.
To where our hearts can rejoice with these heavy biblical truths about the weight.
[00:23:32] Speaker C: And the severity and the seriousness of our sin.
The cross was necessary because our sin.
[00:23:37] Speaker A: Is serious and God's love for you is big. Can I ask you a question? Have you received the sacrifice of Jesus.
I'm not talking just, like, conceptually. Like, have you personally gone. Holy smokes. He did that for me.
He redirected all of the wrath that I've stored up with my sin, my unrepentant sin.
He took it all. He absorbed all of it, past, present, and everything to come. Have you received Jesus sacrifice?
Not just intellectually, but practically?
[00:24:09] Speaker C: Or.
And I say this in love, or.
Are you living in the flood path of God's wrath?
I can't think of a more scary place to be, a more frightening place to be.
[00:24:26] Speaker A: More, like, serious, like, the dam's gonna break, man.
I know life's busy, but the dam's gonna break.
I know you got a full schedule and a lot of responsibilities and a lot of important things you're giving yourself to, but that dam's about to break.
Get out of the way.
That's why I have to start the sermon this way, because this is how.
[00:24:51] Speaker C: Jesus starts this passage. Have you received it? Have you received his sacrifice?
[00:24:55] Speaker A: Maybe you're here and you're like, I think so.
I hope so. Tom's yelling, and he's getting passionate, and what's going on? Like, if you're here and you're like, how do you know? I think I have, Tom. I hope I have. How do you know? How can I be sure?
[00:25:11] Speaker C: The answer biblically is you practice repentance.
[00:25:16] Speaker A: You practice repentance. That's how you know if you're living a lifestyle of practicing repentance. Repentance is, I'm headed this way, away from God's kingdom, his rule, his reign, his way. I'm going, no, I'm doing something else, and I'm turning around.
[00:25:29] Speaker C: That's repentance, right?
[00:25:31] Speaker A: It's a change of mind. It's a change of direction. I'm practicing ongoing in different ways. Oh, I'm recognizing I'm drifting away from the kingdom of God. I'm drifting away from God's rule. I'm drifting away from God's way, and I'm coming back. That's repentance. Okay, listen.
Being a Christian, it doesn't mean you don't sin.
It means you don't stay in it.
[00:25:51] Speaker C: You with me?
[00:25:52] Speaker A: So there's no condemnation. Everybody in this room, just take a look around. All these beautiful, amazing people, they're all.
[00:25:56] Speaker C: Sinners, just like you. They all blow it, just like you.
[00:25:59] Speaker A: What differentiates a Christian from a non Christian is a Christian is a person who lives a lifestyle of practicing repentance.
And that's how you know God? I hope I'm not in the flood path. You know, if the fruit of your life is a lifestyle, every day, as much as possible, identifying sin and turning away from it.
And if you do that, you can be sure, you can be sure that you have received Jesus sacrifice. Cause that's the fruit of it. It doesn't earn Jesus. You're not earning it. It's a response. It's a fruit, it's an outcome. It's a byproduct.
[00:26:32] Speaker C: You with me, it doesn't earn God's grace.
[00:26:37] Speaker A: Repentance is the outcome of receiving and it's the fruit.
So can I ask you, I know it's summertime and things are, you know, up and down for different folks in.
[00:26:46] Speaker C: Different households, but if you're honest, in.
[00:26:48] Speaker A: This stage of your life, in this season, are you.
[00:26:50] Speaker C: Are you living a lifestyle of repentance?
Again, Christianity doesn't mean you don't sin.
It means you don't stay in it.
[00:27:01] Speaker A: And you don't have to be ashamed.
[00:27:02] Speaker C: When you do sin.
[00:27:04] Speaker A: Because Jesus has already offered you his blood. He's already offered you forgiveness. He's already offered you the perfect sacrifice. He's already invited you to experience the reality of him redirecting God's wrath.
[00:27:20] Speaker C: Are you living a lifestyle of repentance or are you living in that flood path?
The Bible says, you know, a tree by its fruit.
The cross was necessary because our sin is serious and God's love for you is that big.
Let's keep going.
Verse 22.
[00:27:47] Speaker A: So Jesus, he says it was necessary for him to go to the cross.
[00:27:50] Speaker C: Hopefully you understand what he means by necessary by now. Because verse 22.
So Peter does something.
[00:27:56] Speaker A: Peter responds to this. Peter takes Jesus aside and it says.
[00:27:59] Speaker C: This, it says, and began to rebuke him really quickly.
[00:28:03] Speaker A: I don't think it's ever a good.
[00:28:04] Speaker C: Idea to rebuke the Lord of the Universe. I just, I think it's bad. I think it's bad form.
[00:28:10] Speaker A: Peter took him aside, began to rebuke him. Oh, no, Lord.
And in the reading here, it might look like, oh, no, it's a. It's a no, Lord, this will never happen to you. Verse 23. Jesus turned and told Peter, God, this is heavy.
[00:28:28] Speaker C: I'm so glad I get to preach this one on my birthday.
[00:28:30] Speaker A: Get behind me, Satan.
You are a hindrance to me because you're not thinking about God's concerns, but human concerns.
So again, get the picture of what's happening here. Jesus just got finished explaining the will of God.
This is what God's kingdom is, Peter. Guys, this is what the will of God practically looks like. This is what my rule, my reign, my way. This is what it looks like. He's explaining the will of God. He's clarified the kingdom.
[00:29:06] Speaker C: Side note, this is a whole nother sermon.
Jesus says the will of God includes the cross.
Hear me. Sometimes God's will involves pain.
But I need you to hear me say this. But that pain is never pointless.
It's never pointless.
It always serves an important purpose.
So if you're here and you are in kind of more of a painful season, I'm looking around the room and I'm seeing some of you that I know are.
If you're in a space where like I'm in a season, it's a painful season. Can I just encourage you, don't underestimate. Don't underestimate the good that God can bring even through that real pain.
It's what he does. It's who he is. He's remarkable.
[00:29:56] Speaker A: So Jesus, he just finished explaining the will of God.
[00:30:00] Speaker C: And how does Peter respond?
No, Lord.
That's heavy.
Guys. Here's my will.
[00:30:16] Speaker A: Here's the will of heaven specific.
No Lord.
[00:30:28] Speaker C: Guys, this isn't just some.
[00:30:30] Speaker A: This isn't some like tag along disciple, like, wait up for me, I want to be included. This is like, this is Peter man who used to be Simon, right? Jesus just renamed him Rock.
He was so close to Jesus. He was closer to Jesus than most people. He got like courtside seats to some of the most miraculous, spectacular aspects of Jesus life and ministry.
He's not ignorant to the way of Jesus, what he's seen him do, his power, his truth.
And yet here he literally says no.
[00:31:11] Speaker C: To the king and his kingdom.
Note takers. Second point is this. It's possible to be nearby while saying no.
It's possible to be nearby while saying no.
[00:31:29] Speaker A: In other words, it's possible to be in proximity to the king, right? While opting out of his kingdom.
[00:31:42] Speaker C: This one gets me.
This one freaks me out a little bit.
Jesus says that when he comes again to judge that people are going to come to him and say, lord, Lord.
[00:32:01] Speaker A: Didn'T we do all this awesome stuff in your name?
[00:32:04] Speaker C: And he's going to say, depart from me.
[00:32:05] Speaker A: I never knew you.
[00:32:12] Speaker C: You can be nearby while saying no.
[00:32:19] Speaker A: But being nearby is not the ultimate point.
[00:32:31] Speaker C: My discipleship to Jesus, if I'm totally honest with you, real as the youths would say, I'm going to keep it 100.
Thank you for the chuckles. I appreciate that.
I'm trying. I'm 40 now, okay?
I'm over the hool.
Being nearby while saying no. That's how my discipleship to Jesus started.
I thought highly of Jesus. Some of you were around for it.
[00:33:02] Speaker A: I thought highly of Jesus.
I went to church most weekends.
I enjoyed the community. I got involved even in some ways.
[00:33:10] Speaker C: But hear me, I was not yielding to God's will for my life.
[00:33:17] Speaker A: And I don't mean like the big stuff, like God, what career do you want me to have?
Who do you want me to marry?
Like, not.
[00:33:25] Speaker C: I'm talking the little day to day stuff, like forgive her, tell the truth, honor your body and theirs.
The small stuff, that is the important stuff.
That's how I was nearby while saying no. I was proximity to the king and his people at least. But I'm opting out of his kingdom.
[00:33:54] Speaker A: That's how my discipleship to Jesus started. I was like, Peter is here. I was nearby while saying no.
[00:34:01] Speaker C: Listen, Jesus isn't like that.
He doesn't like that. Look how he responds to Peter.
[00:34:10] Speaker A: Get behind me, Satan.
[00:34:14] Speaker C: That seems really harsh.
[00:34:15] Speaker A: You're a hindrance to me because you're not thinking about God's concerns, but human concerns.
[00:34:21] Speaker C: Okay, can we just talk about this for a second?
[00:34:24] Speaker A: Jesus just called Peter Satan.
That's heavy.
[00:34:32] Speaker C: You guys are popular this morning. This is good.
You're good, Heather.
[00:34:37] Speaker A: He just called Peter Satan.
Like, this is the guy. He just prayed, like, he just praised him. He just praised him because he claimed, he professed that Jesus was the Messiah. Called him. You're the rock, Peter. So this is the same guy.
Now, Bible commentators, they agree this is a strong rebuke.
But I still, like, I'm thinking about this and I'm like, but calling him Satan.
[00:35:12] Speaker C: Seems a little extreme.
[00:35:13] Speaker A: Jesus, like.
[00:35:16] Speaker C: I love not I love. That's the.
[00:35:18] Speaker A: I really appreciate.
[00:35:20] Speaker C: There's this theologian, William Barclay. I really appreciate his stuff on Matthew. You guys hear me in this series. I've quoted him a lot because I think his stuff's brilliant. This is what he says. Quote, Satan literally means the adversary.
[00:35:34] Speaker A: Satan is any force.
[00:35:35] Speaker C: Listen to this.
[00:35:36] Speaker A: Satan is any force which seeks to deflect us from the way of God.
Satan is any influence which seeks to make us turn back from the hard way that God has set before us.
Satan is any power which seeks to make human desires take the place of.
[00:35:56] Speaker C: The divine imperative directive, end quote. Listen to me, friends. Satan is fine with you being near Jesus.
He's cool with that.
[00:36:10] Speaker A: He's fine with you being near Jesus.
[00:36:12] Speaker C: As long as you will say no to his will, in love and in respect.
Are you in a space where you're nearby while saying no?
Like, are you in proximity to the king and maybe his people while opting out of his kingdom, his rule, his reign, his way?
Now, I don't want to leave you there because Jesus words to Peter, they're strong, dude.
Jesus doesn't mince his. He's pretty strong.
But they're so loaded with grace.
Did you catch it?
Please tell me you saw this.
[00:37:05] Speaker A: So strong, but so just drenched with grace.
[00:37:08] Speaker C: He says, get behind me.
[00:37:13] Speaker A: Now listen, do you remember Jesus? He gets baptized, right? His story. He gets baptized and then he goes where?
[00:37:20] Speaker C: Talk to me.
[00:37:21] Speaker A: Goes to the wilderness, right? 40 days of being tempted by who?
Satan, right? 40 days of being tempted by Satan. Do you remember what Jesus says to Satan?
He says, get away from me, Satan, be gone. Get away from me.
[00:37:39] Speaker C: Rightfully. So what does he say here?
Get behind me.
Even in a strong rebuke, there's still the invitation for Peter to follow him.
That wrecked me, dude.
[00:37:59] Speaker A: That's my life story right there.
Jesus has every right to be like to me. Get away from me.
Get out of here.
You are a hindrance to me, Tom. You will not yield to my will you fight me over so much. Get away from me.
[00:38:15] Speaker C: He doesn't say that.
He says, get behind me.
[00:38:20] Speaker A: William Barclay again for the win quote Origen of Alexandria. He's a third century church father suggested that Jesus was saying to Peter, peter.
[00:38:31] Speaker C: Your place is behind me, not in front of me.
[00:38:35] Speaker A: It is your place to follow me in the way I choose not to try to lead me in the way.
[00:38:41] Speaker C: You would like me to go.
[00:38:44] Speaker A: If the phrase can be interpreted in that way, something at least of its sting is removed. For it does not banish Peter from Christ's presence. Rather it recalls him to his proper place as the follower walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
[00:38:58] Speaker C: End quote. Mic drop. Boom.
[00:39:01] Speaker A: Oh, the grace of Jesus, man.
So again, can I just encourage you? I know this is heavy stuff there, but there's so much more. There's more grace in this passage than there is heavy stuff. Can I just encourage you?
[00:39:10] Speaker C: Maybe you're in a similar season.
[00:39:11] Speaker A: Maybe you hear me talking about being nearby while saying no.
Maybe the ways you're saying no aren't obvious to everybody else. Maybe they're the hidden stuff, maybe they're the small things, the stuff that you'd be ashamed of if people found out. Maybe you're in this space where you're nearby, but you're Saying no to the kingship, the lordship, the kingdom of God, his rule and his reign in specific areas of your life. If you're there, if that's you, can I just tell you something really, really good?
[00:39:37] Speaker C: There's grace for you.
[00:39:38] Speaker A: Just like there's for me. Just like there's for Peter. There's grace for you. Hear me? Jesus will never overlook your sin.
He'll never overlook your sin. Brush under the rug. Oh, let's keep moving. No, he doesn't work that way. Why? Because he loves you. He cares about your soul. He cares about your life. He will not overlook your sin. But my goodness, is he gracious.
[00:39:58] Speaker C: He doesn't say, get away from me.
[00:40:00] Speaker A: He says, get behind me. He says, follow me.
[00:40:10] Speaker C: If you're nearby. While saying no, you don't have to stay there.
I want to encourage you. Receive the grace and repent.
It's the lifestyle of every Christian.
Alright, let's finish the passage. I'm running out of time.
Verse 24.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, famous words, if anyone underline anyone.
I don't care how jacked up you are. I don't care how many times you've said no.
[00:40:42] Speaker A: I don't care how broken, how sinful, how wrong, how wicked, how dirty. All of it. Anyone means.
[00:40:49] Speaker C: I think it means what it says. The Greek there actually doesn't mean anyone.
If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it.
[00:41:05] Speaker A: But whoever loses his life because of.
[00:41:07] Speaker C: Me will find it.
[00:41:09] Speaker A: For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, yet loses his life? That word life. Most of the translations say soul, right? What it means what makes you alive? Like what gives you life, your soul, your life, right?
[00:41:25] Speaker C: Verse 26.
[00:41:26] Speaker A: For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world that yet loses his life, loses his soul? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life? For his soul, for the Son of Man?
[00:41:36] Speaker C: That's Jesus.
[00:41:38] Speaker A: Is going to come with his angels and the glory of His Father. And then he. Excuse me. And then he will reward each according to what he has done. In other words, the dam is going to break.
Jesus is coming. The dam is going to break. Verse 28.
[00:41:57] Speaker C: Truly, I tell you, there are some.
[00:42:00] Speaker A: Standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man.
[00:42:03] Speaker C: Coming in his kingdom really quickly. Precursor preview to the movie the next passage is the transfiguration of Jesus.
[00:42:09] Speaker A: That's what he's alluding to here in that last verse.
[00:42:11] Speaker C: 28 that some of those disciples aren't.
[00:42:14] Speaker A: Gonna die until they see Jesus coming in his kingdom. Is he saying he's coming in their generation?
[00:42:19] Speaker C: No, he's referring to his transfiguration.
[00:42:20] Speaker A: When the veil of his glory is lifted for a moment and they see it's coming.
[00:42:24] Speaker C: If you haven't read it, it's amazing.
[00:42:26] Speaker A: These select disciples, they see Jesus in his revealed heavenly glory.
[00:42:29] Speaker C: And it's crazy. It's powerful. That's what he's talking about. There's there.
But I want to finish up here in just a bit. But I want to focus on verse 24.
If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
There's like five sermons in this note. Takers point three.
Your cross is not the same as Jesus, but it is similar.
[00:43:05] Speaker A: Your cross is not the same as.
[00:43:07] Speaker C: Jesus, but it is similar.
Now listen, did you know that there's a personalized cross for every disciple of Jesus?
[00:43:17] Speaker A: Now I don't mean you're going to be physically nailed to two pieces of wood.
[00:43:21] Speaker C: I mean, maybe, but not certainly.
I mean, look what it says.
[00:43:29] Speaker A: If anyone wants to follow after me, me being Jesus, let him deny himself. That's the person, and take up his cross, not Jesus.
[00:43:41] Speaker C: His cross, it's personalized.
[00:43:45] Speaker A: Your cross isn't the same as Jesus.
[00:43:47] Speaker C: But it is similar. Now I think when most of us, when we think about the cross, I think the first thing that comes to our mind is just suffering.
The pain of it, the brutality of it is gruesome. It's gross, right?
[00:43:59] Speaker A: I think the first thing we think about is suffering.
[00:44:05] Speaker C: I believe, I believe this with every fiber of my being. I don't believe that's the first thing that came to Jesus mind.
[00:44:12] Speaker A: And the reason I think that is.
[00:44:14] Speaker C: Because of the Gospel of John.
[00:44:17] Speaker A: If you read John, we did a.
[00:44:18] Speaker C: Whole series through John. God, I want to go back. I would love to preach John again. It's just such a deep, beautiful book.
[00:44:23] Speaker A: But it talks about the life and the ministry of Jesus.
And all throughout John, Jesus, he keeps talking about his hour.
Many of you, you know what he's talking about.
But Jesus, he references, he kept saying, like, my hour has not yet come. My hour has not yet come. My hour has not yet come. And all Bible commentators, all the scholars, all the people, you know, generations of church history, they all agree. What Jesus is talking about when he's talking about his hour is the cross.
He's talking about the cross, his hour, right?
Did you know that? I think it's at least 10 times.
[00:45:00] Speaker C: Maybe more, in John where he refers.
[00:45:02] Speaker A: To his hour in every single time. There's not once where Jesus, in the Gospel of John where he's talking about his hour. Not once does he refer to it as my hour of suffering.
He references that he's going to suffer, but he doesn't refer to it as like, this is my hour of suffering.
John 12:23.
[00:45:19] Speaker C: This is Jesus.
[00:45:20] Speaker A: The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified, not suffer.
John 17, verse 1. He's God, literally, night before, he's about to go to the cross.
[00:45:34] Speaker C: Okay?
[00:45:34] Speaker A: Jesus is praying to God the Father. He says, father, the hour has come.
[00:45:38] Speaker C: You guys have it?
[00:45:39] Speaker A: Yeah, Father, the hour has come.
[00:45:42] Speaker C: Glorify your son so that the Son may glorify you.
[00:45:50] Speaker A: So I want you to see something here for Jesus. Yes, the cross obviously included suffering.
[00:45:55] Speaker C: I'm not trying to diminish that. Right?
[00:45:56] Speaker A: The cross included suffering, but it was about something much greater.
It was about glory.
New Testament writers agree.
[00:46:08] Speaker C: Look at Hebrews, chapter two, verses nine and ten.
[00:46:10] Speaker A: This should be the niv.
[00:46:11] Speaker C: Do you guys have the niv? Yes. You do. Well done.
Listen to what this says. This just reads a little better than csb. That's why I chose it.
[00:46:18] Speaker A: But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, right?
He descended and he took on flesh.
[00:46:27] Speaker C: Right.
[00:46:30] Speaker A: Now, crowned with what?
[00:46:32] Speaker C: Glory and honor.
Why?
Because he suffered death.
And there's a reason.
[00:46:40] Speaker A: So that the grace of God.
[00:46:42] Speaker C: So that by the grace of God.
[00:46:44] Speaker A: He might taste death for everyone.
[00:46:46] Speaker C: Listen to me.
[00:46:48] Speaker A: Your cross is not the same as.
[00:46:50] Speaker C: Jesus, but it is similar.
It is similar.
[00:46:54] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:46:54] Speaker C: It involves suffering.
[00:46:56] Speaker A: Yes. It involves denying your will for your life and embracing God's will instead. Yes. Hear me. Yes. It involves hard things. Yes. It involves painful things. But I said it earlier. None of it's pointless.
None of it's pointless.
[00:47:11] Speaker C: Hear me.
If you're a disciple of Jesus, you have a cross.
[00:47:19] Speaker A: Your cross, it includes suffering, but it's ultimately about something far greater. Friend.
[00:47:27] Speaker C: Glory, Moms in the room, will you raise your hands for me? I want people to look around. How many moms in the room? Mothers?
Yeah. Several. Right?
Can we all just agree on something?
[00:47:42] Speaker A: We can disagree about a lot of things.
We could disagree about, you know, some theology. We could disagree about politics. We could disagree about sports teams. We could disagree about all things. Can we all agree on one thing?
[00:47:52] Speaker C: Giving birth is hard.
[00:47:57] Speaker A: Hard.
[00:47:59] Speaker C: I've watched it.
[00:48:00] Speaker A: It's gnarly. It's hard.
[00:48:02] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:48:03] Speaker A: It's painful. Can we agree at least? Moms, I can't really speak for you.
[00:48:07] Speaker C: I've never actually physically given birth, but.
[00:48:09] Speaker A: I've heard the noises that come out.
[00:48:10] Speaker C: Of women who do.
[00:48:12] Speaker A: Can we just agree it's painful?
Can we agree it is in some ways the pinnacle of human suffering?
Or at least one of the hardest.
[00:48:23] Speaker C: Things that a person could ever go through and do.
[00:48:27] Speaker A: And I would argue.
[00:48:32] Speaker C: That moms, let me say this, they don't just endure it.
[00:48:41] Speaker A: They embrace it.
Mom does that because she knows that on the other side of her suffering.
[00:48:47] Speaker C: Is her baby in her arms.
[00:48:49] Speaker A: On the other side of that suffering is what? It's glory.
It's something absolutely glorious that when anybody sees it, goes unbelievable.
Whether they have a cone head, whether their face isn't formed properly. You're like, that's a miracle.
I know people have been doing it forever, but holy smokes, that baby is a miracle. It came out of another human.
[00:49:14] Speaker C: And it cost you something.
[00:49:17] Speaker A: It wasn't easy. It was painful. It was hard. There was suffering involved. Listen to me. There's not a mom in this room that regrets that suffering.
Not one.
[00:49:27] Speaker C: Why?
[00:49:27] Speaker A: Because on the other side of it.
[00:49:29] Speaker C: Is something profoundly glorious.
Now listen, at this point in Peter's life, he didn't get it.
[00:49:44] Speaker A: He thought the suffering of the cross was something to be avoided.
No, Lord, no way that should be avoided. That's suffering. That's not good.
[00:49:55] Speaker C: Uh, but Jesus saw it something differently, didn't he?
[00:50:01] Speaker A: Jesus didn't see it as something to be avoided. Jesus, he saw it as something to.
[00:50:05] Speaker C: Not only to endure, but embrace.
Now listen, your cross, if you're a disciple, is not the same as Jesus, but it is similar. Friends, please hear me. God made you.
[00:50:22] Speaker A: Yeah, he used your mom and dad, but he made you.
[00:50:26] Speaker C: The scriptures say he knit you together in your mother's womb. That means he paid attention.
[00:50:32] Speaker A: That means he wasn't making mistakes.
That means that no matter what kind of brokenness that a fallen world has had effect on you, it doesn't change the you that God made.
He made you friend.
[00:50:46] Speaker C: And hear me, he didn't make you to have a comfortable life.
I don't care what the Internet says. I don't care what TikTok says.
[00:50:53] Speaker A: I don't care what influencers.
God made you. And he did not make you have a comfortable life.
[00:50:59] Speaker C: Listen to me. He made you to glorify him.
Do you hear me?
[00:51:03] Speaker A: He made you. He made you for glory.
We could twist this and go down the kind of health, wealth route and the like, you're amazing. Like. But there's truth there, like a little bit. Not all.
He made you for glory.
He made you to produce and promote and give birth even to glorious kingdom of heaven, things, realities.
Now listen, you don't need me to tell you this, but we live in a broken, fallen world. Things are jacked up the way things are, not the way they're supposed to be. In a world that's infected with sin and the poison that it is, it means there's going to be suffering, man.
It means there's gonna be pain.
[00:51:41] Speaker C: But I need you to hear me say this.
[00:51:43] Speaker A: On the other side of suffering is glory. And not just pointless suffering. I'm talking about I'm picking up my cross, I'm taking up my cross and I'm following in the way of Jesus and I'm practicing repentance.
[00:51:55] Speaker C: When I don't.
If you do that, do you realize what's gonna happen?
The glory of heaven on the earth.
[00:52:06] Speaker A: Things more spectacular than you could ever imagine.
You being filled with the power of heaven in your life in ways that are so dramatic and so life altering.
[00:52:20] Speaker C: Not just for you, but for other people.
The God stuff, the stuff that we.
[00:52:25] Speaker A: Read about in acts, Ordinary uneducated men and women, young people, teenagers even, transforming.
[00:52:36] Speaker C: The world around them.
[00:52:38] Speaker A: Not cause they're super talented, but because.
[00:52:42] Speaker C: The spirit of the living God is in them and they're yielding to his lordship.
[00:52:48] Speaker A: Can I just. Can I make an appeal to you?
[00:52:49] Speaker C: Don't settle for anything less.
Don't waste your life.
It's fragile. I've been thinking about it, man.
[00:53:00] Speaker A: I'm like 40 and I'm like getting.
[00:53:01] Speaker C: All tender and eyes are leaking and stuff. It's weird.
Your life is so fragile.
On the other side of suffering is glory.
All right, I'm going to call the band up. I'm going to close with this.
The cross was necessary.
[00:53:41] Speaker A: It's possible to be nearby while saying no.
[00:53:46] Speaker C: And your cross is not the same as Jesus, but it's similar.
Now, Jesus makes a promise in this passage that's really important.
He says if you take up your.
[00:54:04] Speaker A: Cross, not somebody else's.
[00:54:08] Speaker C: Your cross, the will of God for your life.
If you embrace it, endure it, take it up.
[00:54:17] Speaker A: Jesus says there's a quote. He uses the language of reward.
[00:54:20] Speaker C: Did you catch it?
What's the reward?
He says it in the passage.
The reward is life.
You take up your cross, the reward is life.
Like hear me, actual life, Actual living.
[00:54:48] Speaker A: Life that isn't just expiring.
[00:54:52] Speaker C: No, no, no, no. No, life that's eternal.
Stay with me.
Life that's eternal.
[00:55:04] Speaker A: That means life that is forever increasing.
[00:55:10] Speaker C: Think about that for a second.
[00:55:13] Speaker A: That means life that's forever getting better.
That means life that's forever getting stronger.
That means life that's forever getting more beautiful.
[00:55:30] Speaker C: And hear me, it starts the moment you say yes.
The moment you say yes, Lord, to.
[00:55:39] Speaker A: His will for your life.
And the moments that you keep saying yes, you get to experience eternal life.
Not just after you die. You get to begin experiencing it now.
[00:55:51] Speaker C: Why? Because it's an increase.
[00:55:53] Speaker A: It's an increase. It's an increase.
[00:56:07] Speaker C: Today's my birthday.
I don't like. I mean, I've met. Referenced it like seven times. I'm not trying to draw attention to myself. However, if you want to give me a gift.
Seriously, though, if you want to give me a gift, say yes to God's kingdom, please.
[00:56:29] Speaker A: Say yes to his will for your life.
[00:56:35] Speaker C: You want to give me a gift? Say yes to your cross.
Jesus said to his disciples, if anybody wants to follow after me, let him deny himself.
Let him deny his plans for his life.
Let him take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it.
But whoever loses his life because of me will find it.
There's life for us.
Yeah, it's going to involve suffering, but man, oh, man, it's way more about glory.
And he made you for it. And he made us for it.
Will you stand with me if you're able. I want to pray.
Father in heaven, I thank you.
I thank you for your unending mercy and grace.
I thank you for your love.
I thank you, Jesus, that I thank.
[00:57:38] Speaker A: You that you came.
You came intentionally with the purpose to redirect the path, to redirect the flow, if you will, of the wrath of God, redirecting it onto yourself.
I think about Paul's prayer in Ephesians when he's like, I pray that you would know the height and the depth, the length, the width of God's love. And I just feel like in this.
[00:58:05] Speaker C: Moment, Jesus, you're like.
[00:58:06] Speaker A: You're drawing my mind back to that picture of all of that. The flood water.
What is it? The 264 billion gallons.
And Paul praying for these that we would understand the dimensions, the height, the depth, the width, the length of God's love.
And I think about 264 billion gallons.
[00:58:28] Speaker C: And I go, that's a drop in the bucket of the love of God for each one of us.
And I just thank you that that's true.
[00:58:39] Speaker A: And I pray right now by the.
[00:58:40] Speaker C: Power of your Holy Spirit, that you.
[00:58:42] Speaker A: Would redirect all of our attention onto.
[00:58:44] Speaker C: Jesus, the author, the perfecter of our faith, the Savior, the only one who.
[00:58:51] Speaker A: Can give our heart the peace and the rest that it desires, that it.
[00:58:54] Speaker C: Hungers for, that it thirsts for. And I thank you that you've created.
[00:58:57] Speaker A: Each one of us with profound kingdom purpose. And I pray for my brothers and sisters in this room right now who are going, like, I want to step into this, but I'm not sure what it is. I. I pray that you blow their mind with fresh revelation.
I pray that you begin to download to them your dreams and your desires to see your kingdom realized on the earth through their life. I pray that they would not settle for the comfortable suburban life. I pray they'd be able to enjoy some of the comforts of living here and be able to glorify you and praise you for them, but they would not be trapped by them.
I pray, Father, that you would release your people into the callings that you've called them to. I pray for parents to have open hands on the life of their children.
I pray that parents would spend as much energy praying that their child would say yes to the kingdom than they would anything else. And they would celebrate, even with tears in our eyes, when our kids take bold steps of faith to say yes, Lord, instead of no, Lord.
I pray that none of us would be nearby while saying no.
And I pray that if we are.
[00:59:57] Speaker C: We would embrace your grace, practice repentance.
Thank you, Jesus. You're so kind.
We want to be people who are behind you, following in your footsteps.
I love that you don't lead us places that you haven't gone yourself first.
That's who you are. You're wonderful, you're kind, you're faithful, you're good, you're trustworthy, you're rich in mercy, and you're filled with oceans and oceans and oceans of grace.
So we love you. We praise you. And I thank you for this morning.
Bless my church. Bless our church. Bless your church.
We love you, Jesus. It's your name that we pray. Amen.
Okay, I want to call the prayer team forward. If you wouldn't mind coming up and making yourself available.
We're going to spend the next 15 minutes responding to God's love.
[01:00:49] Speaker A: If you want prayer for any reason.
[01:00:51] Speaker C: And something sparked in your mind from.
[01:00:54] Speaker A: The sermon or something else is just going on with you, maybe your body's hurting and you want to experience God's power, you want him to heal you, whatever. Like, if you want to experience the.
[01:01:03] Speaker C: Kingdom of God increased in your life, I want to invite you come forward for prayer and let trusted, trained men and women pray over you. And let's fill this room with gratitude and praise. I love Scotty wrecked me this morning playing that song, Gratitude.
[01:01:15] Speaker A: I was just over there like, oh, Jesus, you've been so good to me.
[01:01:18] Speaker C: What if we filled this room with, huh? Out of adoration and thanksgiving and love for our maker, our Savior, our redeemer.
Let's do that. And then JB will pastor us and close us in a bit. Love you guys very much. Enjoy him.
