You Already Won: Living from Victory, Not for It

Glad you're here tonight. it's a privilege to always be together and before we get into the Word, I do want to just give you a little bit of vision, a little bit of business before we get into the Word. I'm speaking specifically to people that call this your home Church. If you're visiting with us, thanks for being here. but I just want, if you haven't heard, I know everybody has, but we are buying a building that will be our home Church and we've been a mobile Church for 3 years and so many of y'all have been here for the majority of these 3 years and so the goal is to close on that building this week. We're hoping so. The bank's doing everything they can to expedite the process. We've had a lot of favor and I appreciate all the effort that's been given to get that done. And if we can, this is going to be a spontaneous flow, people. You got to be ready for it, okay? If we can get it closed in time and be able to get electricity on, the first thing that I want to do in that building is go and pray and and just praise God and worship God. We're going to have a prayer service. And it would be really awesome. No pressure to the bank people, but it would be really awesome to do it on Good Friday morning. to think that the first time that we could be in there with the rights to call it our property for the kingdom of God, to get to pray and to praise God on Good Friday would be pretty cool to me. and then with that, we will do some cleaning and then we will have a party on there Sunday night. and just let people walk around and we have some fun ideas for that. If that doesn't work out, it's okay. It's okay. We're going to be here and we're going to celebrate.

And here's what I know, regardless of where we meet, you and I are going to be the ones that make it exciting and you or I are going to be the ones that help fill the room and you and I are the ones that are responsible to invite the people that don't have a home Church that want to be somewhere. And either way, whichever location we're at, Easter's happening. And so I would like to challenge you and encourage you to be inviting people, to be talking to people. and you'll find out as soon as we know, we'll post it to social, we'll probably send out some texts, and help get the Word out as much as you can. But, what I want to tell you is that, particularly if this is your home Church, to be praying and to be getting your heart ready as to how you can be part of what needs to happen over there. You guys know how the world works, turns east to west, and it takes money to make things happen. And so, I want you to be preparing your heart about how you're going to be involved and how you can be involved. I'll remind you there's three things you can spend in your life. Number one, you can spend time, you can spend energy, and you can spend money. And when God has your heart, which is the objective, that that does that he has all of my heart, my desire is him, then those three things that I spend have him at the front of it. And so, I spend my time in God's house. And when I spend time in God's house, there's going to be a great repercussion in my life. When I spend energy serving God's house, there's going to be a great repercussion in my life. There's a great return on that. And when I put God first in my finances regarding his house, there is a promise and attached to that and a return to that. And so, as, it's going to take extra expenses. We've had 3 years of mobile Church that has its limitations, but it's had a few pros. We haven't had a mortgage. We haven't had insurance bills. We haven't had to pay utilities.

We've had the grace and generosity of my Father and stepmom. We've had the grace and generosity of Chad and Crystal. And they have they have absorbed those costs for us. So, things like that will happen, but then there's also the obvious improvements that will need to happen at the building. We have ideas, we have some vision, we have goals, and let me tell you something, it's going to be it's going to happen, and it's going to be effective. The question is, what role do you want to play in that? It's how you want to be praying. It's going to happen either way. Do you want to be part of something great God's doing, and if so, how do you want to be a part of it? But then two, if what it's going to look like to do that. people are going to come from all over the country for ministry here. I feel confident about that. The more I say it, the more I believe it. And not only that, the more it resonates in my heart. I know this, that God called us to be a regional Church. And it's not about size and numbers. I'm not responsible for what other churches are doing, and we pray God's blessing on them. They're reaching people we're not reaching. But there are a lot of people that are not plugged into a Church. There are a lot of people that need a fresh introduction and Revelation of who Jesus is and the good news of the Gospel, and I believe we can reach a lot of people, and I believe we're designed and destined to be that.

And I believe that God has provided this opportunity for us. I told you most of the story when I was praying about whether this building was a distraction or there was something to go forward on. I felt like God dropped in my heart that he said to me, "I'm the one that makes the walls fall. " referring to him, of course. And I said, "I understand that. " I knew that means he can do the part I can't do. Well, let me tell you something. He did that in bringing it to us, but he's not done. It's not over. And so, in fact, it's not even official. We haven't even signed the papers. So, DON'T GET ALL WOUND UP, PEOPLE. I'M JUST KIDDING. OKAY? BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. He's still going to make the walls fall. He's going to accelerate. I was in Tulsa this week, and it's a it's a blur when I'm there. It's about 48 hours of just mayhem and seeing as many people as I can see. And a gentleman on the pastoral staff there at Guts walked up to me, and this is not like him at all.

I've never had a conversation like this with him at all. he's never done this at all. We walked up, and we exchanged hugs and whatever, and he said, "When I saw you tonight," he said, "I just heard in my heart acceleration, acceleration, acceleration. " And he said, "I'm somebody that wants to know words and definitions. " And he looked it up, and he sent it to me. And it was really amazing that he just went off for about 3 minutes just telling me what it is, what it means, and he said, "This is what I saw. " And so I'm just telling you God's ready to hit the gas. And I need you to buckle up. I need you to strap in and be ready for however that looks for you. There's going to be a Listen, this is not my message. I could go for a long time. Everybody gets excited when we talk about the harvest. Yes? Everybody likes the harvest. Can I help you with something? The harvest is ripe. It's ready. It's ready. Can I help you with something else? The harvest will not get in the basket by itself.

The Bible says to pray for laborers. Makes a difference when you have some laborers. Anybody ever done a job by yourself and went, "Well, I should have I wish I had some backup. " what I mean? Okay. Th- This is that opportunity. This is a lot more fun when we all show up and put the work in. You turn some music on and get some work in, and this is like this is this is where the Church Listen to me. The stability that God's wanting to do in your heart as an individual, the stability with us as a local Church for the strength of growth and opportunity in the future is what God's doing right now. And the Church is built on work nights. The Church is established for serving together and giving together and building together. This is where the strength of the family is resolved and built through those opportunities, okay? And so, I'm just letting there's going to be a lot of days coming. My tentative plan, without any real details, my tentative plan is to have a functional place to meet. Let me tell you something. Here's what's cool about us. We don't need a lot. I'll stand on a picnic table. I don't need a microphone. I don't really need lights.

We can just make it rain in there. We'll just get after it, okay? But to say we need a functional auditorium or a sanctuary and a functional place for kids to meet is the goal by the by summer. All right? And when I say functional, I really just mean safe. but functional. And then the big goal, the biggest goal that I have in my heart is by back to school. And so what I'm asking is that's when a lot of people return back to Church. That's when a lot of people start new seasons in their life. And so what I want to tell you is how I want you to be praying and believing God number one that we will accelerate and exceed expectations by back to school. That we will be prepared for new vision, new opportunities, and new beginnings with the academy, with the youth Church, with kids Church, with main service, with new families. That as we're building and going and working this summer, God's refining things. He's establishing things. He's setting things up so that we can launch, listen to me, into a new era, the next era of ministry through Covenant Church. That's what's happening. I've heard a lot in my time with ministry and ministry leaders that there are seasons for people. And a lot of people help launch a Church, and then people come along and help grow a Church, and some people are lifers, and all the different things, and they put names on it, and they try to do all that. Here's what I want to tell you is that for these first 3 years, we've been established God I say we God's been establishing culture. God's been God's been doing great work. There's great fruit in the hearts of people, in the lives of people here and from here.

Right? But those first 3 years are coming to an end. And it's been a remarkable start to a long plan of impacting people from around the country. You're going to look back and go, "Man, I remember when we met like this. I remember when we had to set up music and tear it down every time. I remember when we had to straighten up chairs and had the kitchen people cleaning up stuff to Church the next night, and I remember that. I remember when we met in the ranch house that's now the ranch mansion. what I mean? Cuz it's grown into something awesome. Right? We'll remember that. But I'm just telling you it's going to happen with your diligence, with your faithfulness, with your effort, with your generosity, with your time and your energy. And so be praying and believing God for that. I've taken longer than I intended to. We have a landing page that we're going to introduce next week at our Easter service, and it will have vision on there. It has more videos that we shot when Justin was here, and it will have a button for people to give. And I'm going to start with our Church. And there are more people that will want to give, and there are people outside of this room, and you have friends and family, and I have friends and family that we want to reach out to. But before we reach out to anybody else, it starts with us. Because we take ownership of what God's entrusted to us here and through here.

We take responsibility for it first. We're going to have seed in the ground here first. This is If you call this your Church home, you want to have seed in the ground. You want You want to be part of it. You want to take ownership of it. What can I do to help take care of the house? Just like your house at home. Man, everybody carries the responsibility of it. So, be praying for that, believing God for that. We'll have more information on how people can give and what they can do. and we'll have work days, and we'll have work days all summer long. And so be ready for that, okay? Are you guys excited about a new era of ministry in your life? Listen, not Listen, listen. Not just for this Church. It's not for the name of a Church. It's a new era of ministry for you and your life. It's a new It's a new season. It's a new level of living. It's a new opportunity of growth to see the impact in dozens and hundreds and thousands of people's lives because of your willingness and humility to say, "God, here I Here am I.

Use me. " I'm down ride or die with you, God. Let's go, all right? I started last week to try to prep leading up to Easter. And I think I've just have decided that I'm calling this little series Easter is coming. We know Easter is coming. And so when I think about Easter coming, obviously we it's resurrection. It's the celebration of the resurrection of Christ, which is the pivotal moment in all of history. It is the moment. There's been a been a lot of high points in American history, in world history. This is the most pivotal, most significant moment in all of human history is the resurrection of Jesus. So when I say the resurrection day is coming, Easter is coming, it's like, man, this is the day. This is This is what it's about. It's like every day we get to celebrate the resurrection. Every day, every Sunday we get to meet here. So it shouldn't be this one special day, but it is the one day that we choose to recognize it. And most people that have any degree of honor, curiosity, or question are willing to come and want to throw a bone to God, and we'll take it. We want them in the room. We want to give them an opportunity to hear the good news of God, to be in the presence of God, and perhaps stir something in them that brings them back into alignment with God to run and live restored to God. And last week what I touched on is what I want you to stand.

Why did he do it? Why did resurrection happen? Why did Easter happen? Why did he come? Why are we celebrating it? And what I want you to take away from last week is that it is God's will for you to live the goodness of God. People get real sloppy with what God's will is based on their surface attention. And the surface-y things. God is is He's omnipresent, but he is he is higher, he is deeper, he is bigger. You Listen to me. I want to read it to you. I have it in my notes. It is not what happens to you on the but who he is in the midst of whatever happens to us on the surface. Some days are harder than other days. It doesn't change who he is. Some days it's sunny, some days it's rainy, doesn't change who he is. Some things Sometimes the ball bounces your way and sometimes maybe it doesn't feel like it is. He doesn't change. His promise doesn't change. His Truth doesn't change.

This is why it's anchored in my soul, even though we see the sorrow, we see the tears, we see the pain all around us on the surface, the Bible says that I already have victory over that. This is where my focus goes. And we talked about things that are temporary on the surface and things that are eternal, which are of God. And so my focus, remember the verse from Corinthians says I fix my gaze, I fix my eyes, it's in 2 Corinthians, I fix my eyes on things I can't see. The irony in that statement is entertaining to me. I focus on what I can't see because that is more real than what I can see. It doesn't make sense to your natural mind. But everything in the natural, in this room collectively, we have seen enough, been enough, gone enough places, been in enough high places and low places, we know that there is nothing on the surface naturally that will satisfy or heal or give contentment or fulfillment in my heart like the things that I can't see. Like the message of the goodness of God. Like the fact that there is a God, he picked me, chose me, loves me, and saved me. That I'm valued. Not because of my surface success, but because of his generosity and love. It changes who I am. Now I deal with the things on the surface. Now I deal with the rainy day or a sunny day. Now I deal whatever the world throws me cuz the world's got no victory or no joy over me. That's why Jesus said, "Be of good cheer. I've already overcome the world. " This is where we live. In him.

So, our focus is on the things we cannot see. And we recognize in John 10:10 it says, "The purpose of the thief, the will of the thief, what the thief wants, that's what the will is. " When we say God's will, it's what God wants. So, when you say, "I will go to Church tonight. " There's resolve in that. I want to, I will go. Let me help you with something. If you didn't want to, you wouldn't be here. I promise. You really wouldn't. You say, "Well, I didn't want to come, but I came anyway. " You there was 60/40 you wanted to come. 51/49, we'll take it. You made it, okay? But, I promise you if it was 51/49 the other way, you wouldn't be here. You do what you want to do. You say, "I will be there. I will commit to being there on Sundays. I will commit to being a part of the growth of the Church. I will serve in an area.

I will be faith I will. " That's what I want to do. I want to do that. God's will for you is what God wants for you. So, when Jesus came and offered his life, it was for the purpose to give you a rich and satisfying life. That's why he came. This is why we celebrate Easter. This is why we celebrate Good Friday. It's the idea that yes, it's Good Friday. There's this kind of weight to it if you're paying attention at all, if you have any sensitivity in your heart. It's the idea that Jesus was brutally murdered on this day. But, the why reminds me it's like because this is what he wants. The thief's purpose and what he wants is to keep you from it. To steal, to kill, and to destroy. And the only tool, the only weapon he has is deception. That's it. He can't come up and grab you by the throat. He can't force you to do anything. He can simply lie to you and exhaust you and get you to want to give up and quit. To believe that it's not worth it.

To get you want to lay down. Whatever it is, he will lure you away from the fulfillment of walking with God every day to the point you just want to go, whatever. That's it. That's all he's got. And we have given into it for so long. We were born into sin. This is how David writes in Psalms. We were born into iniquity. We were born into this broken world. And so all we've known is growing up with sin in front of me. And so it's what I've seen. It's what I've experienced. It's what I've tasted. And so then the light comes on, the Gospel message comes to you and you realize you're loved and valued. All of a sudden and all of sudden that that hardness of heart cracks. It breaks. All of sudden it's tender and it's soft and it's moldable. And all of sudden it's like I like that message. I'd like more of that. I would I'll do that again.

And this is why the natural part of it on the surface is to create an atmosphere where people want to be in. Cuz if they come in, the Word will do the part that we cannot do. If you're not friendly, maybe they don't hear the Word and nothing changes. You have to be hospitable. We have to be kind. We have to be welcoming so that the Word, the message can work. And when I hear it, I taste it, I want more. And all of sudden as I begin to open my heart to more of his message and more of his presence and more of his Word and more of his character, my heart is being washed. IT'S CHANGING. AND when I was born into sin and I lived with this dark veil, it's illuminated. It's life. I can see now. I can see what I couldn't see before. And all of a sudden I live in the light. And it's one thing to know about the light. It's one thing to see the light in the distance. If you're in a dark tunnel and you can see the light up there, but you don't go, you're still living in the dark. Just cuz about the light doesn't mean you're living in the light. You run to the light and you live in the light. What are the all the animals you can think of that when you flip a light on they scurry back to the dark?

They're not animals we like. Think about it. None of them. And so here's what you have to understand. When Jesus was coming to the cross, listen to me. He was Jesus coming and Jesus being on the cross, listen, this was an eternal move by an eternal God. You hear what I'm saying? Listen to me. This was not something on the surface that's just in our history books. This was not a temporary thing. This was an eternal God making a move for all of eternity on your behalf. It had eternal consequences, an eternal weight. It was an eternal chess move by God. It wasn't just, "I got an idea. " It wasn't just serendipitous, "Well, here's what we're going to have to do. " He could have flicked us away, but he values you. And he endured suffering. The Bible says in Isaiah he was unrecognizable as a man. He endured the punishment for the sin that you were born into so that you could live in the light. And the way to live in the light is the confession of Jesus.

Not the confession of your sin. That's after we're believers. And if I'm struggling, I come to my brother and I say, "Hey Brad, man, I'm dealing with this. I'm feeling selfish. I'm whatever it is. " And I confess and we pray for one another and there's a lift and a healing in my life. Confess your sins one to another. Pray for one another that you may be healed. But salvation says believe in your heart that God raised you from the dead and confess with your mouth what? Jesus. That's salvation. That's him saving me. That's what he came to do. It's an eternal move by him. And so when I tell you that God has good plans for you in your life, it's because listen to me, you have already won. I'm going to circle back to our worship sesh where you already have won. You already Listen, your name is already written in the Lamb's Book of Life. YOU'RE ALREADY GOING TO Heaven. YOU'RE GOOD. LISTEN TO ME.

You're already in right standing with God. YOU ARE ALREADY living free cuz you can't lose. Already because of the Gospel solution. The solution to our sin problem. It was an eternal move so that you could live free with a confident expectation that you listen to me have already been restored back to God. You have already been made right with him. He has already come in and when you're confessing the lordship of Jesus in your life, then it is immediately washed over you. The blood of Jesus that we say and almost get casual about in Church, the blood that had to be shed, the blood of this man who hung on a cross and suffocated and died gasping for air, the blood that drained out of him is the blood of the sacrifice of the lamb of God, God's lamb for the washing of your sin. It's not just an old hymn about the blood of Jesus. It's the generosity of God's love for your foolishness. Are you hearing me? WE ARE IDIOTS. WERE. BUT NOW THE LIGHTS come on. Now we live in the Truth. Now we're the wise, the wisdom of God. I'm no longer a fool as Proverbs talks about. I'm wise with his wisdom operative in my life. The Gospel, listen to me, is your solution to your anxiety and to your depression. Anxiety is worried about things in the future.

What do YOU GOT TO WORRY ABOUT? YOU'RE GOING TO Heaven. YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT YOUR BILL? WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT. WHAT ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT? YOU WORRIED about a nuclear war? Sounds to me like a quick escape out of here. What Listen to me. What are we wanting to hang on to here? I've told you the story about Coach Trimble my this I was a chaplain for 13 years at Jenks and he's a Hall of Fame high school football coach. He got diagnosed with ALS. He's since passed. He was a man of God. He did amazing things and was amazing and he was asked to come speak at different places. They want to hear how to win championships and all he wanted to do was tell them to go home and be with their kids. To go be part of what God's doing in your Church. That's all he wanted to tell them and they were wanting to learn how to win football games. But he told me in the locker room we having this one-to-one and he said he quoted the Apostle Paul and Paul said it's better for you that I'm here. You're welcome. That's what Paul said.

It's better for you that I'm here. It's better for me that I go. That is so humble. That is so I'm here to serve the king. I'm here to serve the king by helping you. I'm here to deliver the message that he's put in my heart. I'm here to share with you what God's imparted to me. I'm here for your benefit. It's better for you that I'm here. It's better for me if I'm out. But then he said this, I don't know if I'm there yet. And I think that's how we all feel. I'm telling you, listen to me, your days are numbered and if Jesus hadn't come back at that point, you will experience the most vulnerable, the most humbling moment of your life. Where you're about to cross over. And either your heart is going to be tenderized to the things of God or you're going to be so hard-hearted that you're going to reject him. I can't imagine being in that most vulnerable moment where I'm about to be done and rejecting God. But as we all know, not everybody's going to have that opportunity. If a nuclear bomb does go off, I may not get time to pray. That's why we seize the moment. Hey, everybody lift your hands with me.

Hey, everybody say this with me. Hey, everybody pray. Hey, everybody get in front today. You don't have to live behind in your life. You get to slingshot OUT IN FRONT. THAT'S WHY I GET UP HERE EVERY SONG AND GO, "HEY, LET'S DO THIS. " WHY? I'M TRYING TO GET YOU OUT IN FRONT OF THE THINGS in your life. We get to live behind them and we're looking at them and that's what's in front of me. I don't want to look at the backside of that thing. I want to be out in front of with my eyes fixed on what I can't see. Yes, I have other people in this race, but I'm not going to run behind them. They're going to run behind me. And the way you get out in front of it is to be say, "I'm going to declare who Jesus is. " Dead things come alive. This thing doesn't have dominion in my heart. Jesus came to give me a richer, satisfying life. I'm the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. This is who I am. This is how we begin to win in our life.

And this is why he came, so you could live like that. It doesn't say that the things won't go away. They just don't get to have influence on your future anymore. We're not denying the things. We're denying their influence. Did you hear me? We're not living with a blind eye to stuff. I see them, and I walk in authority in spite of those things. And so, I want to talk to you about the significance, and more specifically about Jesus., we say things like, we say things like nobody's perfect. And God only God is perfect. God's more than perfect. Listen. God's Holy. And the way that Word is used in biblical history and biblical text, it literally just means he's set apart. What that means is he's not like you and me. And that's good news. Listen. He is Holy, w h o l y, Holy set apart. He is distinctly different.

He is the Creator of the heavens and the Creator of the earth. He created them. He is in a league of his own. He has no rival. He has no equal. He has no peers. Nobody competes with him. He is set apart and he alone is God. And this is how he introduced himself to us. He gave us his name. His name was Yahweh. And they revered it with so much esteem and respect that they wouldn't even pronounce it and they wouldn't spell it with the vowels in it. They had so much reverence even for how they wrote it for what it represented and who it was. And when we talk about the name, we're talking about the authority. We're talking about the distinction of who he is that set apart. He is The Bible says that God is not a man that he should lie. There's no shifting shadows in him. He never changes. So when we talk about the big man upstairs or we talk about or think that he's going to respond or change or do, he does not. You cannot think of him like you think of everybody else in the world.

Whoever you esteem the highest in your surface temporary life pales in comparison to the awesomeness of God. The Creator of galaxies. The Bible says the alpha and the omega. He's always been. He always will be. And he created us to walk with him as I said during worship. And then there was a death. Not a physical death, a spiritual separation from God. And the curse of sin took over. But there's a day coming where there'll be no more death. That means there's no more sin. So watch watch. So we're stuck in the middle right now. God who is the alpha created us to walk and walk with him and talk with him and have intimacy with him and benefit from him. And then we screwed it up. And now we're here. There's a day coming when Jesus returns and he's going to wipe away every tear and there'll be no more death and no more sorrow, no more separation from God. No separation from God? No separation from God. Me.

Heal. But Jesus came. Why? To give me confident and security about this. Which means while I'm here, this means nothing. This means nothing. He's made himself real and alive to me. This God who is set apart came in the likeness of his creation so that I could be restored back to him and have hope for tomorrow. So while I'm here, I don't have to get shook. I don't I don't get rattled. Yeah, we go to work. Yeah, we pay bills, whatever. It's temporary. Yeah. You got the sniffles, it's temporary. Yeah, somebody was rude to you, it's temporary. I'm not going to lock in on those things. While I'm doing those things, I'm going to live alive into God with the hope of tomorrow and bring life to the situation that I go into. That's who I want to be and what God did, God who is set apart, he was set apart, listen, and he he's when Jesus the Bible says on Palm Sunday, which is what today is, in Luke 9:51 will be on the TV, it says as the time drew near for him to ascend to Heaven. Jesus came for one objective.

Look how little that is. Jesus came. Sorry if you can't read that. Jesus came for a season and for a mission and for a purpose. And when it was about time for him to go back, HE KNEW WHY HE CAME. SO, WHAT did he do? He resolutely Everybody say resolutely. He resolutely set out for Jerusalem. Why? Cuz this is where he was going to accomplish what he came to do. So, when he knew it was about time to go back, HE COULD HAVE NOT HE COULD HAVE FOUND ANOTHER ESCAPE. AND THE CLOSER it got and the closer it got and the closer it got to this moment, it was getting more hard and more stressful. So, we're going into the Holy week where he's going into Jerusalem for Passover, and he had to resolutely set his face at Jerusalem cuz he knew it was about time to be done. THERE WAS A RESOLVE IN HIS HEART. And throughout that week, there was more resolve into the point of sweating drops of blood because of the intensity of in the last moments before he actually did it. And why did he do it? So that you can live free. So that you can live out in front. Watch. So that you COULD BE SET APART from everything else.

See, this is that PART I'M TALKING ABOUT WHERE we live in the world and all of a sudden I give my life to Jesus and I'm set apart from it. He lifts me out of it. I live in a different playing field now. I live on a different level. I live in a different a different stratosphere. I live with my gaze fixed on him. I live with a sense of purpose that's rich and satisfying cuz I know why I'm here. I'm not living in the minutia of the world. I'm not living in all the second-guessing and every wind of doctrine and every horse manure social post THAT COMES OUT. I'M OUT of that. I live here with the clarity of thought, peace of mind, and joy in my heart because I'm right with God and I know what my purpose and future is. God who is set apart, listen to me, Yahweh came down in the likeness of man and Jesus said, "I am Yahweh. " And that's why they wanted to kill him. We're going to talk about this next week for Easter. This is why they wanted to stone him. Because of who he claimed to be. But watch, when we recognize that Jesus is, we say I call upon Jesus. I'm calling on Yahweh. I'M CALLING ON the one true living God who has no rival, has no equal. I'm calling on the Truth.

I'm calling on his presence where there's no sickness, no sorrow, no pain. There's no NONE OF ALL THAT. When I proclaim him, Jesus, on my heart and my life, it's like putting the blood over the doorpost of my life. I'm good. If you don't know what I'm talking about, in Exodus when the death angel came by to release God's people out of Egypt, they put blood on the doorpost. The death angel came by. Death has no sting because I'm covered BY THE BLOOD. I'M GOOD. God WHO IS PERFECT AND Holy, YAHWEH, who came in the likeness of man, his name was Jesus, paid the wages of my sin which is death so that I could be set apart with him now. So now this is why the Bible says to sanctify us. Watch, he's Holy and set apart and now he's setting you apart. He's sanctifying you with his Truth. The more of his Word you learn, the more of his Truth you get in your heart, the more you surrender your heart to his presence and his Truth, the more you are set apart like him. The more you stay selfish and keep things closed off, the more you keep him at distance, the less you are set apart like him. It's not rocket science. The discipline is for you to humble yourself and say God, I'm here. I want all of you I can get. That's it. That's it. I want all of you I can get and he sets us apart for that very reason.

Look at John chapter 17 verse 11. It says Jesus is praying. He says, "Holy Father Holy Father Holy, set apart, no rival, no equal, Father, God of creation, you have given me your name. God has given me his name. Jesus prays, "Now protect them by the power of your name. The protect them by the power of your reputation. Protect them by the power of your Truth. Protect them by the power of your credibility. Protect them by the power of your authority. Protect them by the power of your victory. Protect them by the power of who you are. That you have given me your name. That I am you and you are I. And we're going to touch on this more next week, but he says, "Protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. " Now think about it. What makes us Church family? What has caused friendships to develop in here? What has caused brotherhood and sisterhood and and the fight of being together? What has unified us? It's Jesus.

It's him. It's that Jaylen bears the name of Yahweh on her life now because she bears the name of Jesus. It's because Greg bears the name of Jesus, and Brandon bears the name of Jesus, and Anthony bears the name of Jesus, and I bear the name of Jesus, and now all of a SUDDEN WE'RE LOCKED IN. WE'RE BROS and sisters. Sisters. We are the WE ARE LOCKED IN. WE'RE RIDE OR DIES. WE'RE WITH HIM NOW. And so now we take the story and the personality and the gifting of that one with Jesus, and the story and the gifting and the personality of this one with Jesus, and the story and the personality and the gifting of that man with Jesus, and we bring it together and we become the Church. Watch. And we're set apart. That's why I say all the time we're not the Lions Club. We're not the Kiwanis Club. We're not the student council. We're the Church. We're the body of Christ. Where every joint supplies. Because you bear the name of Jesus, it unifies us, it strengthens us, it brings us together. This is my final thought, and I know I'm probably going long. I want to champion, because I've tried to set this up, and we're going to take communion in a minute, and what I want to set up is listen, because he's Holy and because he's set apart, now I want to champion, listen, why we're here.

Why did he come? What was he coming for Easter for? The primary thing was he gave you mercy. Listen to me. He's Holy and set apart. He created you to walk with him, and you just threw your finger up to him. And he chose to have mercy on you. He didn't have to. He doesn't have to. He elected to come and become unrecognizable as a man, so that he could be invited back to him. That's why I can't say it enough times. I don't care where you were yesterday. You're invited back to him today to go forward with him, to be restored to him, to live there because of his mercy. He's Holy. He's set apart. He doesn't need us. We've talked about this the last few weeks. His love has nothing to elevate his status. It's strictly for your benefit. It's strictly because he values you.

It's strictly because he welcomes you and invites you to be with him. That's it. And so he has elected to have mercy on you. That's why the Bible champions David and different authors championed that God's mercy is new today. We're not going to get what we deserve. He's merciful to you. When he's Holy and set apart, he's merciful to you. And so people outside of these walls see on the surface, they see Church. They see a Church building. They see They see this place that we meet here. They see They see Church behavior, we'll call it. They see ceremonial behavior like communion. And they only see it on the surface. And they miss a group of people who are longing to connect with the Creator God who's Holy and set apart. THEY LONG FOR IT, TOO. They just haven't seen it yet. Maybe it hasn't been packaged in a way that they could hear it. Maybe their hearts have been hardened, whatever it might be. But let me tell you something. We're going to continue to invite him.

We're going to continue to tell him. We're going to continue to share him. We're going to invite to the goodness of God. Why? BECAUSE AT THE DEEPEST PART OF EVERY person is a longing to know God. Cuz that's the only place you're going to find the fulfillment. It's the only place you're going to find the contentment. It's the only place that is going to come alive for you. It's the longing of our hearts. The Creator of everything, the ultimate authority and power. And who is he that he be mindful of us? And yet he has shown us mercy. That's what I want you to recognize. His mercy tonight as we take communion. The holiness of God, listen to me, is unique because, listen, because his apartness Is that a Word? His separation, his holiness is defined by his mercy. You say, "What's God like? " He's merciful. We can fear him in a good way because he's capable of flicking us away. But I know him and he's defined by his mercy that was demonstrated with this week.

Are you tracking with me? We get to celebrate his mercy. So, I'm going to pass out communion. Crystal, would you mind to play for a little bit? And listen. You're going to get a Will you help me, Bobby? You're going to get the elements. Thank you, sir. And what I want you to do is this is the way I like to do it. So, I'm going to invite you to try it out. But I want you to hold it for just a minute. And if you want to open the lids and take the cracker out, don't take the juice out. But I want you to Listen to me. I want you to I want you to pause and I know you've been sitting for a while and I want to thank you for your patience every time. And I know there's kids in here tonight and kids I'll do better for you next time. But listen, I want you to I want you to take a moment as she begins to play and just meditate on what you're looking at. I want you to meditate on what you're looking at. Here what I'm about to tell you. Don't be distracted with what activity. Listen to me.

What with your eyes is on the surface. I want you to meditate on what you're really looking at. I know that on the surface it's a cracker. I know that on the surface it's grape juice. I know that on the surface this is a ceremonial part of what Church activity in the human eye. But I want you to look at those surface elements and I want you to see what it really is. I want you to see the resolve in Jesus' heart to go to Jerusalem for you. I want you to see the heart of a Holy God who has come to rescue you. I want you to see the love and the devotion and the commitment and the passion of the Creator for his creation. I want you to see the price that was paid for your restoration to him. I want you to see his forgiveness. Thank you. I want you to meditate on the Truth of what you're looking at. We're going to take a moment and just really have a solemn moment. And I understand there might be little noises and it's okay. It's okay. You have enough discipline, every person in the room has enough discipline to focus on the Truth of what you cannot see right now. Let the Holy Spirit begin to minister to your heart of what you're looking at. Once you decide before we go any further, the Bible says that Jesus took the bread and when he had given thanks, then it says when he took the cup and given thanks. Before we proceed, I want you to decide what are you the most thankful for with that cup?

What do you appreciate about God the most? What what in your heart do you want to celebrate about him? Tonight with a heart filled with celebration and appreciation I appreciate the mercy of a Holy God. And I appreciate and celebrate the gift the gift the gift you're holding the gift of his salvation. You're holding the gift of his rescue. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. The Word became flesh. You're holding his Word. You're holding his Truth. And it is what sanctifies you. It is what makes you Holy. It is what sets you apart. What you're holding is the distinguishing factor between you and everything else in the world. Recognize for what it's worth that you're holding in your hand. Man, if you're in here tonight and you've never gotten your life right with God this is it. If you need to get your life right with God again, get it. Get it. This is yours.

You say, "God, I receive this generosity. I receive this gift. I recognize your body was broken. I recognize your devotion, your love. And I see it. I see it. And I confess Jesus as the Lord of my life. With a heart filled with gratitude. In the name of Jesus, I bless these elements, both the bread and the blood, the wine, the juice. God, I thank you for your mercy. And I thank you for these your children, your creation, your people. Whom you love. And God, as we partake we say thank you. God, we see your heart. And we say thank you. Thank you for the gift of salvation. Thank you for choosing us. Thank you for being patient with us. Thank you for being faithful. Thank you for this gift.

This sacrifice that you gave. We take it with full gratitude in our hearts, knowing that this is the price that was paid that gives us a right relationship with you, and we receive it by faith tonight in Jesus name. And you may partake.