The King & His Kingdom: #91 - Blessings From Jesus | Matthew 19:13-15

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Almighty God. [00:00:03] Speaker A: You welcome you. [00:00:06] Speaker B: Hey there. 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. [00:00:34] Speaker A: All right, everybody. [00:00:39] Speaker A: I love you very much. I'm so looking forward to this morning. [00:00:45] Speaker A: The warfare this week has been intense, and what that means is God wants to do something special among us today. So I'm excited. [00:00:53] Speaker C: We are officially in Advent season, huh? That's pretty cool. If you're not familiar with Advent, Advent is the four Sundays that lead up to Christmas. And it's a season where the people of God, the church, have been practicing a couple different things for 2000 years. [00:01:11] Speaker A: Specifically, Advent. [00:01:12] Speaker C: If you're not familiar, it means arrival. [00:01:14] Speaker A: So when we talk about Advent, we're. [00:01:15] Speaker C: Talking about the arrival of Jesus to the earth. [00:01:19] Speaker A: The Messiah, the Savior, the King of. [00:01:21] Speaker C: Kings, the Lord of Lords. [00:01:24] Speaker C: And the church for 2000 years. [00:01:29] Speaker C: Has. [00:01:29] Speaker A: Been very intentional in this season and. [00:01:32] Speaker C: Specifically around two things. The first thing that the church is. [00:01:35] Speaker A: Intentional about is looking back at the. [00:01:37] Speaker C: First Advent, the first arrival of Jesus, and really kind of reflecting on all the implications and the realities and the. [00:01:44] Speaker A: Ripple effects of God putting on flesh in the person of Jesus to come and save us, intervening in our lives in such intentional, personal, powerful, incredible ways. And it changes everything for the believer. [00:02:00] Speaker C: It changes everything for the person who puts their faith in Jesus and what. [00:02:03] Speaker A: He'S done and what the triune God of the universe has done. [00:02:08] Speaker C: And not just a time of reflection back on the first Advent, but a time of, like, looking ahead to the second Advent, the second arrival, the second coming of Jesus Christ. And his second coming is gonna be very different than his first coming. [00:02:23] Speaker A: I don't have time to get into all the details, but if you've been. [00:02:26] Speaker C: Following Jesus, you know, he has promised to come back to eliminate evil out of his creation. Are you ready for that? [00:02:37] Speaker C: Ah, I'm so happy you said that. Part of the pastoral heart right there was like, are you ready for the. [00:02:42] Speaker A: Second coming of Jesus? [00:02:43] Speaker C: You know, like, get your heart right. But you guys were like, yes. And I'm like, oh, wow, that feels really great. Yeah, I am too, man. Like, I want him to come back, partially because things are so jacked up and so broken. [00:02:54] Speaker A: Things aren't the way they're supposed to be. [00:02:55] Speaker C: I want Jesus to come back. I want to see his face, man. I want to look him in the eye. I want to tell him face to face how much I love him when. [00:03:02] Speaker A: He'S in the flesh. [00:03:03] Speaker C: Like, I want him to come back. But this is a time where the church has been intentional about looking back at the first Advent and looking ahead. [00:03:10] Speaker A: To the second Advent. So I want to encourage you in. [00:03:13] Speaker C: Your household, with family and friends, like, over meals, like, begin to intentionally just. [00:03:19] Speaker A: Talk about the reality that God has come and he's coming again. [00:03:25] Speaker C: And that's what this season is all about. [00:03:27] Speaker A: So happy Advent season. [00:03:29] Speaker C: This morning we're gonna continue on in our series the King and His Kingdom. [00:03:32] Speaker A: We've been going through Matthew. [00:03:33] Speaker C: This is our 91st message throughout the book of Matthew. [00:03:37] Speaker A: I'm really looking forward to this morning. So if you have a Bible, go. [00:03:40] Speaker C: Ahead and grab it. [00:03:40] Speaker A: We're gonna be in Matthew, chapter 19. We're going to start in verse 13. [00:03:44] Speaker C: There's only a few verses today. [00:03:47] Speaker A: If you don't have a Bible, no sweat. We'll have the words on the screen for you. I will be in the Christian Standard. [00:03:56] Speaker C: Bible, the CSB translation, as I typically. [00:03:59] Speaker A: Am on Sunday mornings. So if you don't have that translation, it might be less distracting for you to just look on the screen. Thank you guys for doing that. Thanks, Jay. Thanks, Kevin, for serving us this morning, guys. We love you. All right, I want to pray before we get into God's word together. So I'm going to invite you to join me. [00:04:20] Speaker A: Holy Spirit. We are. [00:04:26] Speaker A: We're here for you, God. [00:04:31] Speaker A: Yeah. We have needs and we have desires, and all those are important. And you care about those deeply because you're our Father. [00:04:42] Speaker A: But you've made us a priesthood. [00:04:47] Speaker A: People whose lives are oriented around worshiping you, blessing you, not to get something from you, but just because you're so worthy. We're here for you. And we desire. We invite your word to have its way in us. [00:05:04] Speaker A: To change us, to instruct us, to empower us, to transform us. So we yield to you now in humility, but also in anticipation and excitement, knowing that you have an agenda in our lives. And it's a really good agenda. And so show us more of the beauty of Jesus. Teach us more about your kingdom and what our good and gracious and merciful and holy king is like. We love you, God. Teach us. We pray and all God's people said amen. So like I said, we're gonna pick. [00:05:35] Speaker C: Up in verse 13. [00:05:37] Speaker A: But I want you to know the context of what's happening here. [00:05:39] Speaker C: Jesus, he's just got done teaching on a handful of like really important topics. He just got done teaching on marriage, on singleness, on sexuality, on gender, because. [00:05:50] Speaker A: He cares deeply about those things. [00:05:53] Speaker C: And then here in verse 13, going to see this seemingly really short interaction. But this short interaction, it teaches us. [00:06:02] Speaker A: A ton about the king and his kingdom. Okay, so let's look at it. [00:06:04] Speaker C: Verse 13. [00:06:06] Speaker A: Says this. Then little children were brought to Jesus. [00:06:14] Speaker A: For him to place his hands on them and pray. Underline, place his hands on them and pray. If you have a pen in your Bible. [00:06:23] Speaker C: But the disciples rebuked them. [00:06:26] Speaker A: Verse 14. [00:06:27] Speaker C: Jesus said, Leave the little children alone and don't try to keep them from. [00:06:32] Speaker A: Coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. [00:06:39] Speaker C: After placing his hands on them, he. [00:06:43] Speaker A: Went on from there. Okay, that's our entire passage. I think it's what, three verses? Yeah, three verses. But there's a ton here. Okay, first thing I want to touch. [00:06:52] Speaker C: On is this whole idea of laying on of hands. [00:06:55] Speaker A: Okay. [00:06:56] Speaker C: It says that he placed his hands on them and they came seeking that he would place his hands on them. [00:07:01] Speaker A: And pray for them. What's happening here is in the Jewish. [00:07:05] Speaker C: Traditional sense, this idea of placing hands. [00:07:07] Speaker A: On them, it was a way of. [00:07:08] Speaker C: Giving and receiving blessing. Anybody in the room, like, receiving blessing? [00:07:13] Speaker A: Yeah, I think. Yeah, I do too. [00:07:15] Speaker C: But it's this concept of like when they would lay hands on that would be like almost like a transmission or a transfer of a blessing. Now this is kind of mysterious. It kind of sounds a little weird, right? [00:07:26] Speaker A: You just laying on of hands. [00:07:27] Speaker C: Some of you like to be touched, some of you don't like to be touched. And it's just kind of awkward in the church. [00:07:31] Speaker A: Cause some people go in for the. [00:07:32] Speaker C: Hug and you're like, don't hug me. And you force it, whatever. But this idea of laying on of. [00:07:37] Speaker A: Hands, it's all over the Bible. [00:07:42] Speaker A: Touch is a powerful thing. And what we see is that through. [00:07:47] Speaker C: The laying on of hands, all throughout. [00:07:49] Speaker A: Scripture, something good is transferred. Okay, this sounds weird, sounds a bit. [00:07:57] Speaker C: Mysterious, but let me give you some examples. Okay, I'm gonna give you a handful. [00:08:01] Speaker A: Of examples here from the scriptures of this taking place. And what I want you to do. [00:08:05] Speaker C: Is I want you to see if you can identify the very specific good thing, the blessing that is transferred through. [00:08:13] Speaker A: The laying on of hands. You with me Little game. Here we go. [00:08:17] Speaker C: Deuteronomy, chapter 34, verse nine. [00:08:19] Speaker A: You guys have that one. Deuteronomy 34. [00:08:23] Speaker C: Nine. [00:08:24] Speaker A: Wonderful. [00:08:25] Speaker C: Okay, so really quickly I'm going introduce two characters to you. You have Moses and you have his predecessor. Do you guys remember who his predecessor was? Joshua. Good answer. Yeah, awesome. So, so Joshua was Moses predecessor. Moses actually didn't take the Israelites into the promised land. Joshua ends up doing it. [00:08:41] Speaker A: He's Moses predecessor. Right. [00:08:43] Speaker C: Look what happens here in verse 9 of chapter 34. Joshua son of nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because. [00:08:54] Speaker C: Moses had. [00:08:55] Speaker A: Laid his hands on him. [00:08:58] Speaker C: So the Israelites obeyed him and did. [00:09:00] Speaker A: As the Lord commanded. Moses, did you catch it? [00:09:04] Speaker C: What's the blessing that's transferred through the. [00:09:06] Speaker A: Laying on of hands? Spirit of wisdom. Great. [00:09:09] Speaker C: Okay, let's look at Acts, chapter 8, verses 17 through 19. [00:09:17] Speaker A: Says this. [00:09:18] Speaker C: Then Peter and John laid their hands on them. [00:09:21] Speaker A: The them is just like a group of Samaritans. Okay. [00:09:24] Speaker C: Laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. [00:09:29] Speaker A: When Simon, Simon was like this magician guy in this story. [00:09:33] Speaker C: When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles hands, he offered them money saying give me this power also so that anyone I lay hands on may receive the Holy Spirit. What's the blessing here that's received through. [00:09:46] Speaker A: The laying on of hands? Holy Spirit. [00:09:48] Speaker C: Great Job. Acts chapter nine. [00:09:50] Speaker A: One more chapter later. [00:09:52] Speaker C: If you guys remember the apostle Paul, right? Previously Saul, he's persecuting Christians. He has this radical encounter with Jesus. Jesus basically strikes him blind, gives him directions. And then there's this other guy, Ananias, who God speaks to him and says, I want you to go meet up. [00:10:07] Speaker A: With Paul, Saul who would become Paul. And this is what happens here in. [00:10:12] Speaker C: Chapter nine, verse 17. [00:10:14] Speaker A: This guy Ananias, God tells him to go to Saul. [00:10:17] Speaker C: He went and entered the house. [00:10:20] Speaker A: He placed his hands on him and said, brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that. [00:10:31] Speaker C: You may regain your sight and be. [00:10:34] Speaker A: Filled with the Holy Spirit. [00:10:36] Speaker C: At once something like scales fell from Paul's eyes and he regained his sight. [00:10:42] Speaker A: Then he stood up and was baptized. And after taking some food, he regained his strength. What's the blessing that gets transferred through the laying on of hands from Ananias to Saul. [00:10:52] Speaker A: So miraculous healing and the Holy Spirit. [00:10:57] Speaker C: This is Paul's moment where he gets filled with the Holy Spirit. Pretty, pretty powerful encounter. [00:11:02] Speaker A: Okay. And it happened through the laying on of hands. One more for you. Second Timothy, chapter one, verse Six. [00:11:13] Speaker C: Now, I just told you Saul's experience. [00:11:15] Speaker A: Who would become the apostle? Paul. Right? Fast forward in his life, his spiritual son, if you will. [00:11:23] Speaker C: Timothy, he's writing him this letter and. [00:11:25] Speaker A: This is what he says. He's reminding Timothy of something. He says, therefore, Timothy, I, Paul, remind. [00:11:35] Speaker C: You to rekindle the gift of God that is in you. [00:11:39] Speaker A: Through what? The laying on of my hands. [00:11:46] Speaker C: So here Paul has received a miraculous healing. He has received the Holy Spirit. You fast forward several years into his life and in his ministry. And now he's laying on hands of Timothy and he's imparting. He's transferring a spiritual gift. [00:12:03] Speaker A: From whom? [00:12:06] Speaker C: From God, not from Paul. He's like a pipeline. [00:12:09] Speaker A: He's like a conduit. Right? But I want you to see that. [00:12:11] Speaker C: What'S happening here is this spiritual gift was given from God to Timothy through Paul. Laying hands on him. I know this is kind of mysterious. I know it's kind of like. Is there like a superpower happening here? But I want you to see something. [00:12:26] Speaker A: I want you to see that this happens all over the Bible. It happens all over the Bible. [00:12:31] Speaker C: A blessing is transferred through the laying on of hands. We saw the Spirit of wisdom get transferred. We saw the Holy Spirit get transferred. We saw healing and we saw spiritual gifts. That's just a handful of examples. [00:12:42] Speaker A: Okay, why am I telling you this? [00:12:44] Speaker C: Because these people in Matthew chapter 19. [00:12:48] Speaker C: What they're doing is they're coming to Jesus and they came for a reason. They came seeking a blessing from him. [00:12:58] Speaker C: For these kids. From Jesus. [00:13:00] Speaker A: Okay, how? [00:13:02] Speaker C: Through the laying. It says through the laying on of hands and starts with a P. What did it say? Prayer. [00:13:11] Speaker A: So I want you to see these people, they're bringing these kids to Jesus for a reason. They want a blessing from him through the laying on of his hands in prayer. Okay, now, side note, this is another kind of different thing, but this is literally what happens after the sermon every single Sunday. [00:13:31] Speaker A: You have our prayer team who makes themselves available. Right. Why? To lay hands on you and pray for you. [00:13:41] Speaker C: It's literally what we try to facilitate every single Sunday. And the reason we see this in. [00:13:46] Speaker A: The Scriptures. [00:13:48] Speaker A: And the goal for the prayer ministry on every Sunday and even. [00:13:52] Speaker C: In your Lord's Supper gatherings with your Gospel community. The goal here with all of this is so that we could position ourselves to be a pipeline of blessing from God to other people. [00:14:03] Speaker A: You with me in this great. How. How do we be that pipeline? [00:14:08] Speaker C: How do we position ourselves as like a pipeline, a conduit, to be a blessing from God to other people through. [00:14:13] Speaker A: The laying on of hands in prayer. [00:14:16] Speaker C: So it's. [00:14:17] Speaker A: It's. [00:14:19] Speaker A: I'm always shocked. [00:14:23] Speaker C: I'm always shocked in whether it's our gathering or another gathering, when someone positions themselves and goes, hey, I'm in humility and in faith. [00:14:31] Speaker A: I want to position myself to be. [00:14:34] Speaker C: A pipeline of blessing from God to people, and I'm making myself available for. [00:14:38] Speaker A: Prayer, and no one comes to receive from them. [00:14:42] Speaker C: I asked you earlier, I'm like, hey, who likes blessing? [00:14:45] Speaker A: And you guys are all like, yeah, yeah. [00:14:49] Speaker A: Really? [00:14:52] Speaker C: Do you? Do you really? [00:14:55] Speaker A: I'm always shocked when people don't come forward for prayer. [00:14:58] Speaker C: And I know that it's like they. [00:15:00] Speaker A: Don'T come forward for a lot of reasons. Like, I'm not trying to throw shade. Like, I get it. People don't come forward for lots of reasons. There's fears and worries and insecurities and all that stuff. [00:15:09] Speaker C: But whatever the reason, there's a blessing that's being declined. [00:15:13] Speaker A: And the blessing's from God, potentially. [00:15:23] Speaker A: Some of you. God's got so many blessings for you, man. [00:15:27] Speaker A: He's got so many blessings for you that you have not yet received. [00:15:32] Speaker A: Because you're declining the delivery mechanism. [00:15:39] Speaker A: So these people in our passage, they. [00:15:42] Speaker C: Believe that Jesus had a blessing for those kids. So what did they do? [00:15:47] Speaker A: They brought the kids to him. [00:15:50] Speaker C: They desired something good to be transferred to their kids. [00:15:55] Speaker C: Now something good, it doesn't always mean something new. [00:15:59] Speaker A: I'm gonna read you a quote from Tony Evans that's been sticking with me this week. He says this. [00:16:05] Speaker C: He's talking about the idea of how. [00:16:07] Speaker A: Do you define what blessing is? [00:16:09] Speaker C: He says the definition of blessing is the enjoyment of God's divine favor. [00:16:14] Speaker A: Favor and grace are almost the same thing. Scriptures. [00:16:18] Speaker C: So how you define blessing is it's the enjoyment of God's divine flavor. [00:16:22] Speaker A: Get this? [00:16:23] Speaker C: Blessing isn't just about having more stuff. [00:16:26] Speaker A: It's being able to enjoy the stuff you have. End quote. [00:16:32] Speaker C: That's why if you look at blessing in the Scriptures, oftentimes it will get translated as happy, right? You know, the Beatitudes of Jesus, Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are those who mourn, for they'll be comforted. Some translations say happy. Those words get interchanged in translations because blessing isn't just about having more stuff. It's being able to enjoy the stuff you do have. If you're looking for a definition of. [00:16:57] Speaker A: Blessing, here it is. [00:16:57] Speaker C: Blessing is the ability to enjoy God's grace. [00:17:03] Speaker C: It's the ability to enjoy it. You ever been, like, listening to a Song, and it's just kind of happening in the background. Maybe it's a song you've heard before, and you're like, okay, cool, I know that song. [00:17:13] Speaker A: I recognize it. Maybe you're humming along. Maybe you're singing along. Maybe whatever, your foot's tapping to it. [00:17:17] Speaker C: How many of you know there's a difference between listening to a song and enjoying that song? Vibing with that song. Gen Z, give me some more slang. [00:17:28] Speaker A: That can help capture your attention right now. [00:17:29] Speaker C: Like, give me something. But do you know what I'm talking about? There's a difference between just listening and enjoying that song. [00:17:36] Speaker A: Right? [00:17:37] Speaker C: Blessing is the ability to enjoy God's grace. Not just that you're aware of it, not just that you believe that it's true or recognize that it's real, but that you could actually have the ability to feel it, to actually enjoy it, to taste it. [00:18:00] Speaker A: You with me in this. [00:18:02] Speaker A: Blessing is the ability to enjoy God's grace. [00:18:10] Speaker A: And too often there's this disconnection. [00:18:14] Speaker A: Between knowing about God's grace in our lives and actually being able to feel it. [00:18:20] Speaker A: Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about. You've been following Jesus. [00:18:24] Speaker C: You know God's grace is in your. [00:18:25] Speaker A: Life, but you're like, I don't feel it. [00:18:32] Speaker C: The Bible says the person who feels it, the person who is able to enjoy it is blessed. [00:18:42] Speaker A: And. [00:18:46] Speaker A: I want you guys to see this because it's important. Not just conceptually, experientially. [00:18:54] Speaker C: Not to just acknowledge, like, oh, yeah, God is good. [00:18:57] Speaker A: Versus I'm experiencing his goodness. That's the biblical concept of being blessed, the ability to enjoy it. [00:19:09] Speaker A: Some of you, you're a disciple. [00:19:10] Speaker C: Yes. [00:19:11] Speaker A: You're a Christian. Yes. But are you blessed? [00:19:15] Speaker C: And not in a superficial way. How you doing? [00:19:16] Speaker A: Blessed. Hashtag blessed. I mean, are you able? Are you actually enjoying his grace? [00:19:28] Speaker A: Are you blessed? Are you happy? [00:19:34] Speaker A: And I know you know, like, there's good things in your life, really good things. And you know it. Your relationships, your family, the ways that God's provided for you, your home, your. Your experiences. [00:19:48] Speaker C: Like, there's so many good things in your life, but for some reason, your ability to enjoy God's grace is, like, hindered. [00:19:58] Speaker A: You know exactly what I'm talking about. [00:20:01] Speaker A: Sometimes God blesses us with new things. That's awesome. But sometimes something good doesn't always mean something new. These parents, they wanted their children to be blessed. So what did they do? [00:20:18] Speaker A: Yeah, they bring their kids to Jesus. [00:20:24] Speaker A: How many parents in the room? [00:20:25] Speaker C: Raise your hand. [00:20:27] Speaker A: Okay, Several. If you're not a parent in the room. You're not going to get bypassed here. You had parents, okay? There's a relationship, the dynamic there that you're aware of. [00:20:41] Speaker A: Parents, we bring our kids to a lot of stuff, don't we? [00:20:46] Speaker A: I had a good friend growing up, there were six kids in his family, and they used to joke around. They used to say, yeah, mom spent. [00:20:53] Speaker C: The 80s pregnant and the 90s driving. [00:20:57] Speaker C: And I was like, dude, I remember just kind of giggling about that as a kid. And now that I'm a parent, I only have two. And I'm like, we are driving everywhere. What happened to school buses? Come on. Yeah, give it to me. School buses were a thing to kind of help parents, give parents, throw parents a bone. Cause they can't just be driving all day. They have stuff they have to do too, you know? But this concept, like, I'm driving my kids everywhere. God bless my wife, she does more of the driving than I do. Some of you, you guys have more kids than we do. And we're constantly in the car driving them into all sorts of things. We bring our kids all over the place, right? We're driving our kids to school functions, we're driving our kids to practices. We're driving our kids to rehearsals, to athletics, to activities. We bring our kids to a lot of things, don't we? Can I get an amen? [00:21:42] Speaker A: Listen, if you're taking notes, write this down. [00:21:44] Speaker C: There is nothing that we bring our kids to of more value to them. [00:21:48] Speaker A: Than the presence of Jesus. [00:21:52] Speaker A: And the oxygen just got sucked out of the room. There's nothing, nothing that we bring our. [00:22:00] Speaker C: Kids to of more value to them. [00:22:01] Speaker A: Than the presence of Jesus. Parents, confrontational question. Do you believe that. [00:22:09] Speaker A: Like, really. [00:22:16] Speaker A: Your calendar will show the truth? [00:22:21] Speaker A: Do you believe that? [00:22:24] Speaker A: I want to take just a moment and affirm many of the parents in the room. The sacrifices you make on the regular joke around about driving. But I'm serious. Like the ways that you prioritize bringing your kids into God's presence. [00:22:43] Speaker A: Like, legitimately, bravo. [00:22:48] Speaker C: Bringing them into God's presence on Sundays, like, it's not an optional thing for your household. [00:22:53] Speaker A: Yes, and amen. [00:22:55] Speaker C: Bringing your kids to midweek youth with Dorian, like, like prioritizing. Getting your kids not just into a program, into God's presence. There's a difference. You can go to all sorts of, like, Christian program type things. I'm not talking about that. That's great. That's good. That's wonderful. I'm talking about bringing your kids into. [00:23:16] Speaker A: God's presence, like we see in this passage. [00:23:18] Speaker C: So whether it's Sundays or whether it's midweeks with youth or whether it's the. [00:23:22] Speaker A: Prayer room, that's my favorite. I love praying with the youth in the room. [00:23:25] Speaker C: It's my favorite thing. When you guys show up to the prayer, man, you guys know who you are. It's awesome. God meets with us in these just spectacular ways. Cause what's the result of when you bring your kids into God's presence? What's the result? The blessing. The blessing. You get it from him directly. And you don't have to just rely on, like, the mediator pastor or the mediator leader. It's like getting them in the presence of Jesus so Jesus himself can do the blessing. It's the best. [00:23:53] Speaker A: I live for it. I love it. You parents that are doing this, well done. I'm so, like, just honored and proud. I want to affirm you. [00:24:06] Speaker A: Because here's the thing, guys, and you don't need me to tell you this, but like. [00:24:11] Speaker A: The water that we swim in, the culture around us, it is consistently lying to us. [00:24:18] Speaker C: It's consistently propagating things that aren't true. I'll give you one example. [00:24:23] Speaker A: Here's one. [00:24:24] Speaker C: Your child will be blessed if your child will be blessed if they get that scholarship. [00:24:31] Speaker C: Your child will be blessed if they just forsake, just do whatever you gotta do to get the free ride. Your child will be blessed if they get that scholarship. Your child will be blessed if they go to that school. Your child will be blessed if they run with those friends. Your child will be blessed if they pursue that career. Your child will be blessed if they make that team or get that role or acquire that amount of many followers on social media or make that much money. [00:24:53] Speaker A: You guys know where I'm going with this. [00:24:55] Speaker C: That stuff comes at you hot and. [00:24:57] Speaker A: Heavy as a parent. [00:25:02] Speaker A: Listen, the Bible says if you want your child to live a blessed life, get them in the presence of Jesus. [00:25:14] Speaker A: So can I just talk to the parents in the room, please? Don't be deceived, man. [00:25:19] Speaker A: Don't be deceived. The lie is that blessing comes from worldly, temporary sources. [00:25:29] Speaker A: The truth is true. Blessing comes from the supreme source of goodness. [00:25:36] Speaker A: Jesus Christ. [00:25:41] Speaker A: So, young people, can I talk to you for just a second? [00:25:46] Speaker A: Here's my pastoral counsel to you. This is full. [00:25:54] Speaker A: Young people. My pastoral counsel to you is this. Do not settle. [00:26:00] Speaker A: Do not settle for anything less than. [00:26:02] Speaker C: A life of supreme blessing. [00:26:05] Speaker C: And those supreme blessings that I'm talking. [00:26:07] Speaker A: About, listen to me. [00:26:09] Speaker C: Those only come from being in the. [00:26:11] Speaker A: Presence of God. [00:26:14] Speaker A: Because he is the source of supreme goodness and glory. [00:26:21] Speaker A: Listen, some of you young people, you know what I'm talking about. [00:26:24] Speaker C: You've, like, tasted and seen. You've tasted enough to know, whoa, there's. [00:26:28] Speaker A: Something else going on here. [00:26:30] Speaker C: Like, you know, like, in the presence of God, he'll touch your life. [00:26:37] Speaker C: He'Ll touch your heart, he'll touch your mind, he'll touch your spirit. Hear me in ways that nothing else can. And you've tasted that enough. It's funny, I was talking to. [00:26:46] Speaker A: Talking about the prayer room. [00:26:47] Speaker C: I was talking to a colleague and we were talking about just, you know, he leads a church and a good friend of mine. [00:26:51] Speaker A: And we're like, talking about the prayer room. [00:26:54] Speaker C: And I said, dude, I go, I can't disciple people as good as God can in the prayer room because one encounter in his presence and it can transform people. We referenced the apostle Paul. I'm talking one encounter with Jesus completely changed the trajectory of the guy's life. He goes from persecuting and murdering Christians to literally being the greatest church planter of all time. How. [00:27:21] Speaker A: He encountered God in his presence. [00:27:25] Speaker A: Young people, don't settle for anything less. The world lies to you. But I just want to speak for every adult in this room, your parents included. We are so committed to supporting you and helping you step into everything that God has for you. [00:27:39] Speaker C: We are, like, rallying around you in your corner, cheering you on, saying, do. [00:27:44] Speaker A: Not settle for anything less. You with me? All right. [00:27:53] Speaker A: The goal, friends, of everything that we do as a church is to cultivate and to foster environments where people can experience God's presence. Whether you're an adult, whether you're a youth, whether you're a child in there. [00:28:07] Speaker C: Right now, the goal is not to just keep them safe. [00:28:12] Speaker A: Yes. We don't want them to get hurt. The goal was to help create and foster environments where they can experience God's presence. We want to be like the people in this passage that bring them to him to be blessed by him. [00:28:31] Speaker A: Alright, I want you to look back at verse 14 with me. [00:28:36] Speaker A: In verse 14, Jesus says this. He says, don't try to keep them from coming to me because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. [00:28:47] Speaker A: Consider what Jesus is saying here. [00:28:51] Speaker A: He's saying, the kingdom of heaven belongs to children. [00:28:55] Speaker C: Okay, so is he saying that, like. [00:28:57] Speaker A: Children own the kingdom, like, they're the owners? [00:29:00] Speaker C: Right. [00:29:01] Speaker A: That's not what he's saying. Okay. [00:29:03] Speaker C: What he's doing is he's repeating what. [00:29:04] Speaker A: He just said in the previous chapter. In Matthew chapter 18, he's saying that. [00:29:09] Speaker C: The kingdom of heaven, right? We're talking about the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God. What does it look like when God gets his way? We're talking about the rule and the reign of God. He says the kingdom of heaven is made up of people who are childlike. [00:29:26] Speaker A: How many of you know there's a difference between being childish and being childlike? [00:29:32] Speaker A: Yeah, being childish is different than being childlike. [00:29:36] Speaker C: If you spend time with kids for any length of time, you will discover. [00:29:40] Speaker A: Very quickly they are impulsive little guys and girls, aren't they? [00:29:46] Speaker C: Like, if someone has a toy that they want to play with, they have. [00:29:50] Speaker A: No problem walking up, hitting that other child and grabbing the toy and walking away. [00:29:54] Speaker C: They just, they act on impulse. If it was up to them, they would eat cookies and cake for breakfast. [00:30:02] Speaker A: And lunch and dinner. [00:30:07] Speaker C: They're impulsive. Kids, little kids, they can kind of be self centered. [00:30:11] Speaker A: Believe it or not, we tend to. [00:30:14] Speaker C: Think of kids as these little innocent angels. And like, yes, there's an innocence to. [00:30:18] Speaker A: The children for sure. [00:30:19] Speaker C: But like, spend an hour with a child and you'll be like, oh, their. [00:30:23] Speaker A: Whole world revolves around them. [00:30:25] Speaker C: They don't care how I feel. I mean, maybe sometimes they do, but they're impulsive, they're self centered. [00:30:33] Speaker A: I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but children, if they don't get. [00:30:35] Speaker C: Their way, they will throw a tantrum, they'll throw a fit. I can remember being in public places when my girls were younger and they'd ask for something, I'd be like, hey. [00:30:45] Speaker A: You know, we're not gonna do that. We're not gonna get a toy right now. We're not gonna get candy. [00:30:48] Speaker C: And like the, and all of the hands and the feet go flying. [00:30:55] Speaker A: Like you've been there. [00:30:57] Speaker C: Listen to me, even if you're not a parent, you've seen that happen to parents in public and you've been like. [00:31:03] Speaker A: Get your kid under control. [00:31:07] Speaker C: Meanwhile, that parent is just like, get. [00:31:09] Speaker A: In the car, get in the car, get in the car. [00:31:12] Speaker A: Kids are amazing. [00:31:13] Speaker C: They're beautiful. But they're impulsive, they're childish, they're impulsive, they're self centered, they throw tantrums. Being childish is different than being childlike. [00:31:24] Speaker A: Being childlike is the wonderful characteristics that. Hear me. Adults sadly grow out of. [00:31:33] Speaker C: Things like. [00:31:34] Speaker A: A sense of awe and wonder at the simplest of things. [00:31:41] Speaker C: Look at the moon. [00:31:45] Speaker C: I've been driving with my girls, when they're younger, they're just like, dad, look at the moon. And I'm like, stressed out about something. [00:31:52] Speaker A: Cool girls, you know? [00:31:55] Speaker A: Who's the one missing out? This guy. [00:32:02] Speaker A: Being childish is different than being childlike. Childlike, simple. Awe and wonder. [00:32:05] Speaker C: Simple things. How about this? Like a simple. Trust kids. They like kids, trust their parents for the most part. [00:32:11] Speaker A: They, like, trust that their mom and dad's going to take care of them. You know what's crazy? [00:32:17] Speaker C: They're unaware that their parents have no. [00:32:18] Speaker A: Idea what they're doing. [00:32:20] Speaker C: They're just doing the best they can. They're going, okay, here's what worked with my parents, or here's what worked growing up for me, and here's what didn't work. [00:32:26] Speaker A: And I'm trying to figure it out. [00:32:27] Speaker C: There's like no manual. That's the running joke. There's no parenting manual. You just like, try to care for and love your kid the best way you can. And yet these priceless little children are. [00:32:37] Speaker A: Like, yeah, okay, take care of me. It's beautiful. [00:32:44] Speaker C: Probably my favorite thing. [00:32:46] Speaker A: Ah. One of my favorite things about like, childlikeness, like children is they have like this humility about them. [00:32:56] Speaker C: Like, they know that they're needy and they're not trying to hide it. They're not like, projecting and putting on the mask. [00:33:05] Speaker A: Like, I have all my stuff together. I want everyone to think I'm amazing. [00:33:08] Speaker C: They're like, I'm hungry and I need food and you're the only one that can help me get it. [00:33:13] Speaker A: What about now? What about now? Now, now, now, now, now, now. [00:33:16] Speaker C: Like, there's this beauty. It can kind of get. [00:33:19] Speaker A: It can be a lot after a. [00:33:20] Speaker C: While, but there's this beautiful humility, this childlike humility. [00:33:28] Speaker A: They know that they're needy. There's like. [00:33:34] Speaker C: On the authority figures in their life. [00:33:37] Speaker A: We're there to care for them. They're not self reliant. [00:33:42] Speaker A: And this one is my favorite one. [00:33:46] Speaker A: Kids are so quick to forgive. [00:33:50] Speaker A: Like, really quick to forgive. How many times I've asked Amelia for forgiveness in her life? She'd be like a thousand. Because you blow it all the time, Dad. [00:34:02] Speaker C: I can't remember one time when either one of my kids or other kids that I. My nephews, other kids in my family, other kids that I'd like. [00:34:10] Speaker A: I'm like, hey, I blew it. I'm sorry. And like, I forgive you. Cool. Let's move forward. Love you. They're so quick to forgive. [00:34:22] Speaker A: William Barclay, commenting on this passage, he says this quote. [00:34:27] Speaker C: Jesus said of them. [00:34:28] Speaker A: The them is the children here in this passage, that they were nearer God than anyone else. There. [00:34:35] Speaker C: The child's simplicity is indeed closer to. [00:34:39] Speaker A: God than anything else. Listen to this. It is life's tragedy that as we grow older, we so often grow farther from God rather than nearer to Him. [00:34:49] Speaker A: End quote. [00:34:53] Speaker A: Many adults, they've left behind this, like. [00:34:56] Speaker C: Being childlike, these beautiful things that we seem to outgrow. They've left behind being childlike, but they. [00:35:03] Speaker A: Haven'T left behind being childish. [00:35:07] Speaker A: They're still impulsive. [00:35:10] Speaker A: Still react to things. [00:35:12] Speaker C: Still like, pretty self centered, still throw fits when they don't get their way. [00:35:21] Speaker A: This convicted me this week, man. I like to think that my faith is decently strong, like a childlike faith, you know. [00:35:30] Speaker A: And considering this passage, I'm like, oh. [00:35:36] Speaker A: Being childish is different than being childlike. [00:35:41] Speaker A: And there's more childishness in me. [00:35:47] Speaker A: Than I'd like to be there. [00:35:50] Speaker A: What about you? [00:35:57] Speaker A: My nephew, Shepherd Martin, Cassie's eldest boy, we went to his Christmas performance, he's in kindergarten, went to his Christmas performance this week. And it's like the classic, you know, little kid, cute Christmas performance. They put all the kids up on the risers on the stage, right? And he goes to a Christian school. [00:36:17] Speaker C: And so it's very much centered around Jesus. [00:36:19] Speaker A: It's beautiful. [00:36:20] Speaker C: It's not like Santa Claus is to come into town. [00:36:22] Speaker A: It's like, hark, the herald angel sings. [00:36:24] Speaker C: You know, it's like, it's like, yeah, like, here we go. But so it's really beautiful. So the kids are up there, they're super cute. They're like dressed all in the Christmas colors. And it's very much Jesus glorifying. Like, I mean, these kids, they're literally training these kids to praise God. And they're up there and they're, you know, they're singing the songs and they're doing the hand motions. [00:36:48] Speaker A: Do you know what I'm talking about? The cute little hand motions. [00:36:51] Speaker C: And here's what's crazy. I'm watching this and it's like, it's not just the little cute girls that are singing loud and doing the hand motions. It's the little boys too. [00:37:04] Speaker A: And I'm sitting there and I'm like, oh, my gosh. These young little boys, their praise to Jesus, their praise is more spiritually mature than some Christian men I know, like. [00:37:18] Speaker C: Grown Christian men who are like, just too. [00:37:23] Speaker A: They're just captured by fear. What are people gonna think? What? They hear my voice and doesn't sound good. [00:37:30] Speaker A: I'm cool. I'm just strong. Some of you are like, shut up, Tom. [00:37:36] Speaker C: Come at me, bro. I'm watching These little boys, I'm like, oh, they're childlike. Faith. They're praised to. Jesus is more spiritually mature than some grown Christian men I know. And it just boggles my mind. I'm like, what happened to us? [00:37:55] Speaker A: Why? [00:37:57] Speaker A: Many adults have left behind being childlike, but they haven't left behind being childish. It's sad, but it's true. [00:38:03] Speaker C: Look at what Paul says in First Corinthians 13:11. [00:38:05] Speaker A: He says this. [00:38:06] Speaker C: He says, when I was a child. [00:38:08] Speaker A: I spoke like a child. I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. [00:38:13] Speaker C: When I became a man, I put. [00:38:16] Speaker A: Aside, here's the word, childish things, not childlike. [00:38:23] Speaker A: Being childish is different than being childlike. Friends, don't believe the lie of your culture. [00:38:32] Speaker A: God calls you to leave behind childish behavior, but not the childlike behavior. This is my next point for you, if you're taking notes. Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven is made up of people that are childlike. [00:38:48] Speaker C: Childlike people who are humble. Like, genuinely humble. Not like you just won the super bowl and you're like, I'm so humbled. Like, I'm talking genuine humility, thinking of others more highly than you think of yourself. [00:39:02] Speaker C: People who know they need help. People who don't try to hide that they're needy. You wouldn't be in this room if you weren't needy. You wouldn't identify. For those of you that identify as a follower of Jesus, a disciple of Jesus, a Christian, you would not be in that camp if you weren't needy. How do I know? Because the whole gospel message is, hey, if you're really sick and broken and need a Savior, I will save you with my perfect life and my substitutionary death and my miraculous resurrection. So you're only in this room if you're needy. And what freaks me out sometimes is the effort that we put into communicating to others that, yeah, I have some needs, but I'm not as needy as you are, or I am not as needy as them. [00:39:48] Speaker A: We can't do that anymore. [00:39:49] Speaker C: The church has got to stop. Cause what it does is it affects our witness to the world. [00:39:55] Speaker C: There's a reason why people think that. [00:39:56] Speaker A: Christians are judgmental, hypocrites. [00:40:00] Speaker A: But we don't have to be. We don't have to live that way. [00:40:04] Speaker C: And I'm genuinely proud of the transparency. [00:40:07] Speaker A: And the honesty that I see happening in this beautiful community. Community. [00:40:11] Speaker A: The kingdom of heaven is made up of people that are childlike, people that. [00:40:15] Speaker C: Are humble, people that know they need help. People that don't try to hide that they're needy. Did you know this? [00:40:19] Speaker A: God loves it when you come to him, needy. [00:40:28] Speaker A: He loves it when you come to him with your needs. [00:40:33] Speaker A: You fathers in. [00:40:34] Speaker C: The room, you know exactly what I'm talking about. When your child, when you know they're in need, they need daddy's help, they're in need. [00:40:41] Speaker A: You're not like, get away from me. [00:40:43] Speaker C: The game's on. [00:40:45] Speaker A: You're like, what do you need? [00:40:47] Speaker C: It's in you. It's like you can't control. It's in you. How much more your father in heaven, he loves it when his children come to him, needy. [00:40:56] Speaker A: Why? Cause it's the real you. It's not the fake you. [00:41:02] Speaker A: It's not the polished version of you. It's the real you with your real concerns and your real needs and your. [00:41:12] Speaker C: Real worries and your real fears and your real anxieties. [00:41:17] Speaker A: He loves it when you come to him, needy. [00:41:21] Speaker A: And listen, if you're one of those people that are like, whatever, Tom, you. [00:41:27] Speaker C: Genuinely think you're not that needy, like. [00:41:29] Speaker A: The Bible would say you're blind to your true condition. [00:41:33] Speaker A: The Bible calls that pride. [00:41:37] Speaker A: And here's the thing about pride. Pride keeps you from the kingdom. [00:41:42] Speaker A: From. [00:41:42] Speaker C: The very thing, the very thing that we're going so in length and so. [00:41:46] Speaker A: In depth to talk about. [00:41:49] Speaker A: The kingdom of heaven is made up of people that are childlike, not those who in their pride or childish. [00:41:57] Speaker A: So listen, these three little verses. Do you realize what Jesus is inferring here? [00:42:03] Speaker C: And it's something that we kind of. [00:42:04] Speaker A: Talk about fairly often. [00:42:07] Speaker A: But it's. This is my next point. I'm almost done. What Jesus is inferring here is that the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of God is something you can enter or exit all throughout your life. [00:42:23] Speaker C: Some of you are in the kingdom. [00:42:24] Speaker A: Of God right now. [00:42:28] Speaker A: Some of you aren't. [00:42:30] Speaker C: And I don't mean like your eternity is secured. I don't mean that Jesus, that your salvation isn't secured. I mean, in this moment. [00:42:39] Speaker C: You'Ve exited from the kingdom, you've exited from God. [00:42:41] Speaker A: Getting his way in every area of your life. [00:42:44] Speaker C: Some of you are right smack dab in the middle of it. And it's beautiful, but it's hard. [00:42:47] Speaker A: And all the different things. [00:42:52] Speaker A: You ever, like, you ever been snorkeling? You ever just looked underwater and seen, like, wild. [00:42:59] Speaker C: Seen, like, fish, like marine life, dude, Those fish, that's their realm. They were made for that realm, were they not? What happens if they depart that realm? Like, if the fish leaves the water, what happens to. Begins to Suffocate. If you've ever gone fishing and you catch a fish and you take it out of the water and you take the hook out, you literally see them, like they can't breathe. They're suffocating because why? The fish was made for the water. Listen to me, friend, you were made for the kingdom of God. Not just after you die, you were made for the kingdom of God. Every millisecond of your life. [00:43:41] Speaker C: The fish was made for the water. [00:43:42] Speaker A: You were made for the kingdom. [00:43:44] Speaker C: And when the fish exits the water, they begin to suffocate. The same is true for people who. [00:43:49] Speaker A: Exit the kingdom of God. [00:43:51] Speaker C: Here, now, in this life. [00:43:56] Speaker C: And you felt this. You know what it feels like to. [00:43:58] Speaker A: Suffocate spiritually when that anxiety starts to kick in? [00:44:04] Speaker C: Am I the only person in the room who's ever felt anxiety? [00:44:07] Speaker A: No, I think we all have. You know what I'm talking about, man. [00:44:10] Speaker C: When it starts to rise up in. [00:44:12] Speaker A: You. [00:44:15] Speaker C: You'Re suffocating spiritually. When the anxiety starts to kick in, when the fear kicks in, all of the what ifs start going through your mind. [00:44:24] Speaker A: What if this happens? And what if this happens? And then that could happen and then you know what I'm talking about. [00:44:28] Speaker C: The fear, the anxiety, the worry. Let's get real. How about depression? Things are just dark. [00:44:34] Speaker A: I don't want to get out of bed. I just, I don't want to be around anybody. [00:44:43] Speaker C: Bitterness, it starts to sink in. You start to, like, harbor bitterness towards your brother or towards your sister. You start holding a grudge, you know. [00:44:50] Speaker A: Or how about this one? [00:44:51] Speaker C: You can't see it in yourself, but you can totally see in other people. [00:44:54] Speaker A: That arrogance starts to. [00:44:58] Speaker A: You know, it's puffed up chest just a little more. [00:45:01] Speaker C: I have to share every. I have to. Oh, you've been to Italy. Well, I've been to Italy too. [00:45:06] Speaker C: You've done this. I've done that too. Like, you know what I'm talking about. Sometimes you feel it rise up in you. [00:45:14] Speaker A: The selfishness starts to increase. I mean, I could go on and. [00:45:17] Speaker C: On and on and on and on and on. [00:45:19] Speaker A: You know exactly what I'm talking about. [00:45:22] Speaker C: You have felt that spiritual suffocation. [00:45:29] Speaker A: It's awful, isn't it? [00:45:33] Speaker A: Doesn't it? Can I say this word? Doesn't it suck? [00:45:39] Speaker C: Isn't it terrible, that feeling? [00:45:49] Speaker A: Yeah, the fish was made for water. You were made for the kingdom of God, friend. [00:45:55] Speaker A: And the kingdom of God is something you can enter or exit all throughout your life. [00:46:00] Speaker C: If being childlike is the entrance Being childish is the exit. If being humble and genuinely needy is. [00:46:10] Speaker A: The entrance, being prideful. [00:46:13] Speaker A: Is the exit. [00:46:18] Speaker A: Thank you. Fish were made for water. You were made for the kingdom of God. Do you believe that? [00:46:26] Speaker A: Dude, I feel it in my spirit. Some of you are, like, spiritually suffocating now. [00:46:32] Speaker A: Like, you're struggling with this. [00:46:35] Speaker A: And the. [00:46:36] Speaker C: Lie is it's somebody else's fault. If they would just get it together. If they would just stop treating me this way or stop doing that or start doing this. [00:46:46] Speaker A: And Satan's laughing. [00:46:49] Speaker A: And he's having his. [00:46:50] Speaker C: Way, and the kingdom of God is literally just the invitation. [00:46:55] Speaker A: Get back in the water and breathe. Get back in the water and breathe. [00:47:07] Speaker A: All right, I'm going to call the band up, and I'm going to close. [00:47:18] Speaker A: I'm going to close by sharing. My favorite thing that I see in this passage. [00:47:23] Speaker A: My favorite thing that I see in this passage is that Jesus wants the needy to come to him for blessing. [00:47:30] Speaker A: Like, he wants it. [00:47:34] Speaker A: Did you see what he said? [00:47:35] Speaker C: The disciples here, they rebuke the people that. That are bringing the kids to Jesus. [00:47:40] Speaker A: For blessing, and he's like, do not stop them. Yeah, those needy, humble, insignificant children. Do not stop them. I want them to come to me. [00:47:55] Speaker A: Do you realize what that means? [00:47:57] Speaker C: It's really good news. It's really awesome. Jesus wants the needy to come to him. [00:48:03] Speaker A: So listen to me. Maybe you're here this morning. [00:48:07] Speaker A: Maybe you're here this morning, and if you're honest, you're like, yeah, I feel like I'm kind of spiritually suffocating a bit. [00:48:15] Speaker C: I feel like this week I've just been kind of an anxious week. [00:48:19] Speaker A: Some things are. [00:48:20] Speaker C: I'm having difficulty getting things that cause me to feel a little unsettled out of my mind. [00:48:27] Speaker C: Do you ever lay in bed and. [00:48:29] Speaker A: You'Re trying to go to sleep and thoughts go through your brain playing out. [00:48:34] Speaker C: Scenarios or thinking, this person said this and I didn't like it and I should have responded with this. And, like, do you know what I'm talking about? [00:48:43] Speaker A: Okay, I guess I'm the only one that's fine. [00:48:49] Speaker A: Maybe here. Here. And if you're honest, you're needy. [00:48:55] Speaker A: Can I encourage you? [00:48:58] Speaker A: Be childlike and come to him. Come to him with your real needs. [00:49:03] Speaker C: Come to him with the things that are keeping you up at night. Come to him with the things that. [00:49:07] Speaker A: Are making you feel anxious. [00:49:09] Speaker C: Come to him with the things that. The ways that you can recognize. [00:49:12] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. [00:49:12] Speaker C: My spirit feels suffocating right now. Come to him. Why? Because he Wants the needy children to come to him. [00:49:21] Speaker A: Why? So he can touch you and bless you. [00:49:25] Speaker C: It's who he is. And some of you, you felt it before. [00:49:32] Speaker C: Today is about you feeling it again. [00:49:35] Speaker C: Today's about you in a fresh way, being blessed. [00:49:40] Speaker C: Being able to enjoy God's. [00:49:43] Speaker A: Grace on your life. [00:49:44] Speaker C: Maybe it's a new thing, maybe it's not. [00:49:52] Speaker A: Maybe you're here and you're needy. Come to him. How about this one? [00:49:55] Speaker C: Maybe you're here and you actually have. [00:49:56] Speaker A: Never entered into the kingdom. [00:49:58] Speaker C: You'd be like, yep, Jesus is real. I'm attaching truth to the reality and the existence of Jesus, his teachings, all of those things. You would be like, yes, Jesus is real. But you have not handed over your. [00:50:12] Speaker A: Life to his lordship. [00:50:13] Speaker C: You've not said, I'm going to. From this point forward, I'm no longer living for my kingdom, I'm now living for his kingdom. That the purpose of my life is to give God what God wants. [00:50:28] Speaker A: Why? [00:50:29] Speaker C: Because he's worth it. He's trustworthy. He demonstrated his trustworthiness to me by living in my place, willingly going to the cross, offering his life and then raising again, demonstrating his power over sin, over Satan, over death, over all of the obstacles that you will face in your life. If you're here by chance and you've not yet given your life to Jesus, if you've not yet entered in fully. [00:50:55] Speaker A: To the kingdom of God, you can. [00:50:59] Speaker A: You can. [00:51:00] Speaker C: Today, I would beg of you, don't. [00:51:02] Speaker A: Leave this place until you hand Jesus your life faith. [00:51:10] Speaker A: Or maybe you're here and if you're honest, you're like. [00:51:18] Speaker A: Yeah, I think I've been exiting more than I've been entering. [00:51:29] Speaker A: And you feel it suffocating your soul. [00:51:34] Speaker A: You feel the anxiety, you feel the worry, you feel the fear. God doesn't want that for you. [00:51:42] Speaker A: Please hear me. [00:51:45] Speaker A: Do you know what he wants? He wants to set you free. [00:51:50] Speaker A: He wants to lay his hands on you, little child, touch your life, touch your heart, touch your mind, touch your body. [00:52:01] Speaker A: And bless you. [00:52:14] Speaker A: There's more. [00:52:23] Speaker A: Maybe you're here and you. Actually, I read this story and it kind of bothers you a little bit. Maybe it triggers you a little bit because. [00:52:33] Speaker A: You wish that your parents would have been more supportive in bringing you to Jesus. [00:52:41] Speaker A: Listen, there's no perfect parents, man. There's not. But there is a perfect heavenly father. [00:52:51] Speaker A: Who'S parenting you. [00:52:54] Speaker A: You know, it's funny. Sometimes parents think that they're bringing their kids to Jesus, you know, And I've just seen it so many Times be the opposite. I've seen it so many times. It's actually the kids bringing the parents to Jesus. [00:53:10] Speaker A: So maybe you're here and you just genuinely want to pray for your parents. Love to pray for you this morning. You parents in the room. I'll end with this. I talk about we bring our kids to all sorts of things. [00:53:27] Speaker A: Maybe for some of you, you're like, man, you've been bringing your kids to. [00:53:32] Speaker C: All kinds of things, good things even. [00:53:36] Speaker A: But maybe your focus lately has been on the lesser things. [00:53:41] Speaker A: Maybe your focus lately has been on the temporary things at the expense of things, the eternal things. [00:53:47] Speaker A: Can I just remind you, there is nothing that we bring our kids to of more valuable to them than the presence of Jesus. [00:53:58] Speaker A: Who am I talking to this morning? [00:54:02] Speaker A: If I'm talking to you, I believe that God has blessings for you. My question is this. Will you come to him to receive them? [00:54:12] Speaker A: Stand with me if you're able. I want to pray for us. If you're on the prayer team, would you make your way to the front? [00:54:27] Speaker A: All right. [00:54:38] Speaker A: Holy Spirit, we invite you to have your way among us right now. [00:54:47] Speaker A: I'm asking you, spirit of the living God right now, to just start to begin to highlight the various needs in this room, all across this room. [00:54:55] Speaker A: Needs and desires, things that you want to draw attention to. [00:55:03] Speaker C: I'm asking you right now, God, that you would put every single one of. [00:55:06] Speaker A: Us at a fork in the road. [00:55:08] Speaker C: Here's what it looks like to step. [00:55:10] Speaker A: Into my kingdom more and more. [00:55:14] Speaker A: And here's what it looks like to opt out. [00:55:18] Speaker A: Begin to highlight things. Now I pray. Holy Spirit. [00:55:25] Speaker A: Waiting just a moment. [00:55:40] Speaker A: Yes. [00:55:48] Speaker A: What an incredible opportunity. [00:55:55] Speaker C: To cease to. [00:55:56] Speaker A: Take hold of the grace of God by practicing repentance. Jesus, we honor you and we bless you. [00:56:04] Speaker A: We invite you to have your way among us. [00:56:15] Speaker A: Amen. Okay, so for the remainder of our time, we have plenty of time. We're going to respond to God's goodness. I'm going to give you the opportunity to fill the room with praise Thanksgiving. Thank you, Jesus, for the ways that you poured out grace for me. [00:56:29] Speaker C: Thank you that you're with me. Thank you for the invitation. Thank you that you're not done with me. [00:56:35] Speaker A: We're going to praise him together. [00:56:37] Speaker C: And if you're who I'm talking to this morning, maybe there's only three of you, that's fine. [00:56:41] Speaker A: God will do. He'll move mountains for three people. [00:56:45] Speaker C: If I'm talking to you, come receive prayer. Come to him so that he can bless you through the laying on of hands in prayer. That's what we do. That's who we are as a church. We are a praying church, because a praying church is a collection of people, a worshiping family, who position themselves to go. We want to be a pipeline to the world, a pipeline to the planet, to where God can pour out his blessings through us, through the prayer, prayer. [00:57:11] Speaker A: And the laying on of hands. [00:57:15] Speaker A: You can come forward at any time. The rest of the gathering, it's your call. Let's fill this room with praise. Let's fill this room with prayer. And then we'll be up to close in, I don't know, 15 minutes. Okay? I love you guys very much. Enjoy him.