Why It Matters: Living Fully for God

I listen to Pastor Bill, you guys know, and why I make a big deal about Guts Church. It's my home church. Pastor Bill and Pastor Sander are my pastors. , and I watch Pastor Bill every week. And one thing that he said recently was talking about is is that these guys , one of y'all may have to help me. They're the worship leaders. Yes. But we're the worship team. We We to make it about that's the worship team. No, no, no. They're leading us in worship. We're the worship team and it's ours to worship and open our mouth and worship God. , I got a lot to say to you tonight. So, my goal is to get you out of here by 9ine. , and , [laughter] but it we'll see how it goes. I'm going to try to go through it and highlight a few things, but I really just want to highlight the journey that we call this. We call this where are you at on your journey? Your journey with the Lord and and and why. And my real question, if I had to title this, it's why does it matter? Why does this why does it matter? , I think everybody at some point goes, "Does it really matter if I don't or do do something? Does it really matter?" , God loves me, right? And absolutely, God loves you. And God was God's love for you is unconditional. You've heard me say that. But the promises of God are conditional. And so, we still ask ourselves, why does it matter? Why does it matter if I walk in the promises of God? Why does it matter if I live in the victory he's won for me? Why does it matter if I don't just settle in and go, "Let's just ride this thing out when Jesus comes back?" Why does it matter? And I want to challenge that and help you that it does matter. Number one, it matters just because he's he it's our reasonable service. He he's the creator God who loves you, saved your life, and and and has rescued you. He's the king of all kings. He's the master of all creation. He's the God of of all gods. There is no other god that competes or compares with him. He has no peer. He is the Lord. He has rescued you and saved you. And we have eternal life because of him. It is my reasonable service to give my life back to him. It is my reasonable service to take this gift and put it into play. It is my reasonable service is what Romans 12:1 says, right? That I would be a living and holy sacrifice for him. That I would be pleasing to him. It is my reasonable service that he has extended his love toward me and I will receive it and respond in kind with my love back. That I will love him with my life. Man, the Bible tells us clearly that everything we do now, we do it as under the Lord. And it's in context with husbands and wives and children. So it says, "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the church." That's in Ephesians. But this particular part says, "Husbands, love your wives. Wives, honor your husbands. Submit to your husbands. Children, obey your parents. Slaves, obey your your owners." Because in that culture, there were slavery. And he's talking not to slaves, children, parents. He's talking to Christians. And he's saying, "Everything you do, you do as under the Lord." Now, man, you're a kid. You be a kid as under the Lord to honor your parents. Your parents, honor the Lord is how you parent your kids. You're a wife, honor God by how you honor your husband. You're a slave, you're an employee. We don't have slavery anymore that. But if you're an employee, you honor your God. Honor God by how you honor your employer and how you work. If you're an employer, you honor God by how you lead your employees. Everything that we do now is under the Lord. And it's our reasonable service because he's the very breath in your lungs. That's the reason. That's the why. But secondly, why does it matter? Is because it expands our capacity for influence with the whole reason we're here. The greatest commission, the reason we're here is to know God and make him known. The reason that we exist and the reason we're on this side of the covenant is because God longed for relationship with us. We break it. He redeems it. He fixes it. And now we have the opportunity for eternal life with him. And so now it's , "Hey, look, man. If somebody's living in the dark, let's help them live in the light. Let's help them find some purpose. Let's help them find some hope. And that's great in and of itself. But then there's so much more to gain. There's eternal life. And if you say, "Well, I don't know that I believe in God." Great. Then I don't understand what we're here for, but I'll be patient with you and let's go get a coffee and talk about it. Because there's got to be something greater than just me going and getting a job and working and reproducing, having some children, and then I die. There's got to be some reason for me to want to do those things. There's got to be some benefit for me to want to walk in the promises of God. God's got something for me, but it's not just for me. God wants to expand your capacity. God wants to command his blessing on your life so he can elevate your life, but not just for your comfort so that you can influence more people for the kingdom, which is the great commission. That's why we're here. That's it. So you can you we we got to have money to pay the bills and we got to do the things and all that stuff, but through your job, through your hobbies, through your finances, through your health, whatever is to make him famous. Because in the end, your days are numbered. If Jesus hadn't come back yet, , you're out of here. And nobody wants to talk about it. Nobody wants to address it. But the bottom line is out of thousands of years, I don't know anybody that's beat it. And so the bottom line is, man, what is the purpose? Why does it matter? So I want to start with where does it start? This journey of faith, where does it start? It starts with the simple acknowledgement of God. I just believe that he is. And again, you're in this room and you say, "Well, I don't know that I believe he is." Great. Let's let's go get a coffee and chop it up one time. I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'd love to I'd love to visit about it. I really would. I'd love to hear your take on it. And I say it all the time when I'm in here. Look, you find me a better gospel. And all by that is, you find me a better reason that makes sense about life. Find me a better gospel message than there is a God, there is an authority, there is a creator, and he loves me so much that he takes responsibility for my life. And he redeems me and he loves me and he leads me and he's my salvation. He's my everything. But it starts with the simplicity of I just believe that he is. And so we start with logic and we go, well, it ain't gonna work because as soon as we go, well, when did God start? Our logic just goes right out the window. I can't explain that. God's outside of time. I can't explain that. My logic isn't going to get me to where I need to be. Only by faith believing that he is is I am I going to be able to have that pleasing relationship with God. I must believe that he is. And then when again, you've heard me say this if you're here a lot, man, when we see Jesus, we see the heart of God. We see the heart of this the person of God. We not just this creator, authority, higher power. We see the person that says, "Man, I'm committed to my creation. I'm committed to my kids. I've created them in my image and my likeness to have relationship with them." And he is committed to you because we see him rescuing us. We see his heart. We see his character. That gives me the opportunity to go, man, I can trust him. He's not just some ethereal higher power where it's , man, I can get on board. No, no, no. There's a there's a person. There's an intimacy. There's a relationship. There's a name that he has given us that we can have relationship with him. But it starts with the simple belief that he is. And with that, the second thing is a simple acknowledgement that I'm I'm sinful. And that's a church term. So if you're new to church, all that means is I'm not qualified to be in relationship with a holy God. He's the creator of all things. He's good. He's holy. I'm not. He's the savior of the world because he's the creator of the world. And so then he saved it that he saved his creation and I recognize myself as the creation that needs a savior. That's where the journey begins. And when that and and the reason I have to start there is because now we go into , okay, I'm there. I have a relationship with the Lord. The light has come on in my life. We talked about last week. I know and have a relationship with him. Now, why does it matter that I grow in the knowledge of God? Why does it matter that I mature in my faith? Why does it matter that I no longer be a baby in Christ that's drinking the milk of the word, but I become an adult that feasts on the meat of the word? Why does it matter that I mature in it? Why does it matter that I grow in it? Because we've got to expand our capacity for reach. We are more powerful together. I myself I can make impact in people's lives onesies and twzies but collectively we can impact Myanmar together we can impact this community together the resources and the giftings and the talents that come together is the body of Christ where every joint supplies and now we are effectively reaching more people but at the same time the leadership has to grow in the room everybody here has to mature if everybody here is growing in faith everybody here is growing in in the word. Everybody is is understanding who God is in their life. Everybody is learning how to deny their flesh. Everybody is is becoming stronger and not letting their emotions lead, but the spirit lead their life. Everybody is getting better. Everybody's speaking the same language. When people do come from all over the country, when people do walk in for the first time, it's not me being their leader. It's you being their leader. We are all leading people to Christ. Collectively, we're adding value. And so that's why we all have to grow is because it expands our capacity. We have to be a part of it. Here's what I want you to understand that people we said, well, why does it matter if somebody chooses a different alternative sexual lifestyle? Why does it matter if they have to change? Why does it matter if they have a natural tendency for certain things? And it's not just that topic. If somebody's naturally greedy, why does it matter if they're not greedy anymore? If somebody's if somebody's got anger issues and they just want to fist fight everybody to teach them a lesson, why does it matter if they have to discipline that? If someone is shy and doesn't want to talk much and doesn't want to be in front of people, why does it matter that you break out of that and get better and learn to overcome that? Not that you got to be somebody that's super vocal, extrovert, but how do you got to say, "Man, I got to learn to not let that be something that holds me back." Why does it matter? And the thing is, we've got to be better. But let me tell you something. You're not doing it to earn his love. Please understand this. It doesn't matter because you're earning his love. He's already you're already loved. You're already saved. You're already rescued. You're already valuable. So why does it matter? Right? You're not earning his love. Listen to me. You're honoring his preference. You're not earning his love and value of you. You're honoring who he is already in your life. You're honoring his preference for you as God. I'm I'm I've I've submitted my life to him. And so now because of it, I'm honoring him by stewarding what I have. Well, I'm honoring him by breaking out and not making excuses. Well, this is just me and my personality and this is my background and this is where I am. No, no. Well, I I don't really understand. I try to read the Bible. I don't understand it. That's that's manure. Horse hockey is what that is. Okay? Because you can. and you say, "Well, I don't know if I do." Great. Come, let's go get coffee. I'm all about the coffee life. Let's go get a coffee and I will help you. Let's start with some simple stuff. We'll we'll make it easy for you. The I acknowledgement that there is, listen to me, that there is a truth as the standard, the acceptance of that truth, and then the submission to that truth. We recognize that there is one true living God. That there is one truth. That there is one way. That Jesus is the answer for everyone. That the blood that shed on the cross is for all of humanity and all of the creation because he is God. He is Jehovah God. The one true living God. The w the God who made covenant with us and said, "Man, I'm here to redeem my creation." The submission to that truth. But you say, "Well, my circumstances are my circumstances." Listen to what I'm about to tell you. Okay? Here's your here's your next neck tat for everybody that likes to write it down. I hope everybody here's taking notes, too, by the way. You don't have to get it all tatted, but I think it'd be cool. We are subjected to the world. Listen to me. But we are not submitted to the world. We are subjected to the world. In other words, when I say the world, I'm not talking about the magnificence of creation. I'm talking about the world's mentality, the corruption that exists in the world. We have felt the shrapnel from the corruption in the world. Everybody here has, man, you might have felt it from a a previous relationship you had in your life where, man, they didn't know who God was. You might have felt it from you might have felt it whatever the bro from the from the brokenness in government, the brokenness in a leadership, a mentor you had. Listen to me. You might have felt it in the brokenness from some humanity in church who lost their way. I'm just here to tell you, we are subjected to the God of this world, but we are not submitted to the to the God of this world. We are not submitted to the world's plans. So when the world throws something at us, I feel it. The wind and the waves and the shrapnel, it hits me, but I don't just receive it and go, "Well," and then submit and give it it the authority of my life. Man, you you you get a little some sniffles and some cold and then some of y'all just want to snuggle up and cuddle with it for the next two weeks, man. You get you get you get a you get a bill in the mail and you just go embrace it and go, I'm never going to get ahead. Let me tell you something. You have what you say. That's what I'm telling you. When I say there's a mindset and a mentality, you have already been given the victory. I'm not telling you to deny the facts. I'm telling you not to submit to the facts. I'm telling you that the truth prevails over the facts. I'm telling you that the facts don't dictate your identity. Your identity is already set. So now you deal with the facts. I said it in the in the Guts X class and and Cody's in here and he's in that class and I said, , before we give our life to Jesus, what's going on in our world, man, we get bills in the mail, we've lost loved ones, things happen. And then we had this experience where I say, okay, I'm going to believe in God, , we come to church or somebody minister me or God knocks me off my horse or whatever happens and I and Jesus makes himself real in my life and I give my life to Jesus and now I'm right with God. There's a new heart in me and the lights come on and the veils come down and now I'm on this side when I gave my life to Jesus yesterday and guess what happens over here? I get bills in the mail. Lost loved ones pass things happen. I still live in the same world I lived in over here. The difference is the light of God's truth is alive in my heart. Now I deal with the circumstances differently because I'm a different person. I have a different word. I have a different message. I have a different truth. I have a different response. It's not because I gave my life to Jesus and all that went away. Why do we sing a song that? Because it's about you getting it in your mind and in your heart. It's about you understanding who you are and your identity in Christ. It's about you taking a hold of the keys that he's given you to exercise your authority that he's given you to say, "Man, I'm going to walk in victory in spite of the circumstances. They can take my life tonight and I win. I they they they can come in, man, if we didn't live in this great country that we take for granted, they could come in here and and make me kneel and deny Jesus and cut my head off. I'm going tell you, it's going to be hard. But I to check myself every now and then to see where I'm at with it. My daughters are in here. They're thinking, "My god, what is he talking about? It's my dad." And let me tell you something. It'd be hard because they're here. But I'm going to tell you I'm gonna have I'm going to go. I I don't I don't I'm there. I didn't say it was going to be easy. I'm just saying I'm there. There is no other hope. There is no other life. There is no other purpose. There is no other death. Let me tell you something. If I don't let him take my head tonight, I'm going to die 20 years from now or die on the truck ride on the way home tonight. So, I'm going to have something I stand for. And let me say it, that's where we begin to grow. We're subjected to the world, but we're not submitted to it. And so we say, "Well, what what's the point? Am I can't I just go on living my life and being who I am?" Look what Romans chapter 6 verse one says. It says, "Well, then should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?" Pause. Should we continue living apart from God even though we have the opportunity now to live with God and walk in victory? Does it matter that we don't walk in victory anymore? Does it matter if I really exercise my authority? Shouldn't I just go on and just keep doing what I do naturally? What are my tendencies? I have a tendency to be this way. So, does it really matter if I change it because it allows God's grace to flow in my life? That's the dumbest thing Paul's saying. That's if if I was writing if I was translating for Paul, he would say that's stupid. Right? Verse two. Of course not. Listen, since we have died to sin, since we have since we have died to live it apart from God, we have put our faith in Christ, how can we continue to live in it? I I if I've died to it, if if my sin was nailed on the cross and I was I I nailed it there on the cross with Christ, how can I then still live that way? If I've put it there, if I recognize that Jesus did that for me, that he he qualifies me. He makes me holy, he's the one that washes that sin and has redeemed me to be right with God, why would I continue to live apart from him if it's already been killed? Verse three, or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, that's the submersion of of Jesus' name, that we were sub submerged in him and his his who he is in our life. We join him in his death. See, in other words, when I was baptized in Jesus, I was baptized in his name. See, you think you're baptized in water. You're baptized in his name. You were baptized in his character. You were baptized in his redemption. You were baptized in his victory. You're baptized in his promise. You have a new identity. Your old man went in that water that symbolizes a grave. And you came out of there a new creation in Christ. You have a new name. You bear a new name now. You have a new reputation. You have a new character. You have a new promise. And when you did, that old man, that sinful man that was apart from God, stayed in the water. It died. It was buried. You joined him in death. Verse four, for we died and were buried with Christ by that baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the father, now we also may live new lives. See, you get to live a new mindset, a new vision, a new purpose. You get to live with a different outlook, with a DIFFERENT HOPE. EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED IN YOUR life if you let your old man die with Christ. If you can acknowledge and recognize the love of God that saved you, it's , "Wait a minute. Everything now is new for me. I'm alive under God. So now I get TO LIVE IT. BUT WHY DOES IT MATTER? BECAUSE I CAN'T live in unison with God and willfully practice evil Antichrist lifestyle. Willfully. Now, a couple weeks ago, we talked about being patient with one another as we learn and we grow. All that is very applicable. But for me and myself, if Jesus is, then how can I willfully live a life that's offensive to him and just say, "Well, this is my natural tendency." In other words, what you're saying is you're going to give your natural human carnal tendency more authority than the authority of what Jesus on the cross in your life. That's what you're saying. That's what you're acknowledging. I'm going to let the God of this world have more authority and more say. And he's and he's he's the one. This is where I live and this is my deal. We're going to get to it maybe tonight, but this is not who you are. This is not where you live. And you say, "Well, that's getting weird." I know. The whole thing is weird, isn't it? , we're talking about God who I've never seen, who's timeless and without without sin and blemish and perfect. I want you to understand something. And we see a story in I think John chapter 8 where this prostitute lady is she she's sleeping around and she's brought to the public square and they're trying to use her to trap Jesus. And I want you to recognize something very clearly that when Jesus sees her, there was grace extended to her. In other words, he saved her life. He protected her. He he he they were ready to throw rocks. The law says she's got to be stoned. She's got to be killed. And Jesus dips down. He's right in the sand. all the stuff that you probably know the story. And then he says, "Let he without sin cast the first stone." And they all start walking away. He protected her. He redeemed her. He saved her. He protected and saved her life. And then what did he tell her? Get up and stop doing that. That's what he said. I've saved you. I've redeemed you. I protected you. I kept him from killing you. The enemy's got no say in your life. Now get up and go do it different. Stop being that. stop living that. Not because Jesus was condemning him. Jesus just saved her. The grace was extended to her. And if she was to to come back in another chapter or another part of the story, let me tell you, the grace would have been there and he just said, "Hey, stop doing that. I'm here for you, but stop doing that." Right? There's a point when we go, man, let's get out of this way of thinking and let's get into this opportunity we have to live the life that God has for us that he's saved us to. We've got to be in alignment with God. Brad and Holly taught a class last year for disciplehip about alignment and they tied it in with some Old Testament just how how beautiful the Bible is written and they tied it in with some of the things that are in the Old Testament that are type and shadow of the New Testament. And so they be they begin to explain the alignment that we have that we submit our will to his will. That's the first thing we do and I'm I'm not going into the details that they did a beautiful job of but that's the first thing in our soul that we do our mind will and emotions. And the second thing after we've submitted and committed our will to his then my mind gets next in alignment with that and let me get my mind renewed then so that I can succeed at this because if God loves me and God has saved me and God has rescued me and God created me and God is God and he all the things then then I trust his way is better than my way. I trust that his will is better than my will. May not it. I didn't say you were going to it but I trust it's better. And so when I get my will in alignment with his will, then I get my mind in alignment. I have the mind of Christ and I begin to think God because the Bible says that I can because the spirit dwells in me. And then my emotions come into alignment. But most of us live with our emotionally led decisions. See, I've been I was having this conversation with Stella the other day about something and I'm going to use my example, not hers. and and and and and sometimes I can be frustrated in my life and my voice will have frustration in it. And so I'm frustrated about something over here. Maybe it's at work, maybe it's something in my health, myself, whatever. I got a bill and I'm feeling it. You guys ever felt stuff? I'm feeling it. And then my sweet little angelic kids who have never made a mistake in their life, that's not true. Have come to me and they say, "Dad, can we whatever?" And I respond with the frustration I felt from over here. It hurt them because that's the shrapnel of my humanity. And so we say, so now it's , well, you just need to stop talking frustrated. This is how we this is how we do church. You just need to stop doing that. It's I'm frustrated at you now, right? [laughter] now, now I'm frustrated at you telling me I got to stop doing it because it's I can't I just stop. Just stop. Stop. Well, I get angry. He said, "Stop being angry." I just I have a tendency to listen I I have tendencies of I don't but I'm saying of homosexuality. Okay. You don't get to give in to them. You don't get to give in anger. So we just say, "Well, stop feeling that way." Well, I don't know how to stop feeling that way. Well, stop getting angry. Well, I don't know how to stop getting Well, stop being frustrated and watch watch. God's the healer. And one of the primary ways he does is by giving wisdom. And maybe my frustration is because of a lack of organization in my life. And if God speaks to my heart and I find the solution that organization and it might be hiring somebody to be an administrative person in my life, but it's going to help with the organization that's going to help reduce my frustration so that I'm not fr that's causing her destiny and her destiny to be jacked. There's a solution to my heart that heals my active behavior. So it's not just stop being frustrated. No, no, no. God, why am I frustrated? What am I ? If you will pause for a minute and go, God, show me what's going on. God wants to heal your heart so the outpouring of your flesh is not anger and frustration and laziness and whatever it is. Why do I respond that way? Why am I crying about that? Why am I afraid to talk? Why won't I do that? Why Why am I worried? Why am I anxious? What is it? And God will show you something, illuminate something and say, "You're watching too much news." So you're anxious and worried. Turn the news off. You're , "Could it be that simple?" Probably. Man, I'm just You just, , I just get angry all the time. Well, stop hanging out at that place with that person or whatever it is. Could it be that simple? Probably, cuz it's already paid for. Your heart being healed is already paid for. And so now it's simple instruction, simple direction. And you say, "Well, do I really got to stop hanging out over here? I don't know. Do you want to honor God with your life? Do you want to expand your capacity for the kingdom? Have you bought into the vision of winning people to Jesus? Then let me make some changes in my life. Well, I don't have a right to tell my kids what they can watch and can't watch. Absolutely you do. You one million% do. Well, I don't have the authority to tell me who they can have with. Oh, yes you do. You can tell them who they can hang out with and who they can't hang out with. And you say, "Well, that's pretty controlling." Look, when they're older, they can pick and choose how they want. But as long as I'm leading them, I'm going to set them up for as many wins as I can give them. And then they can reject it if they want later. But they're going to hear the truth. They're going to hear love, etc., et away from my notes, but you're picking up what I'm laying down, right? , we've got to be intentional with it. Okay? But it's the alignment, being in alignment with God, that my will is first submitted and then and then my mind is in alignment and then and then my emotions become healthy and strong. Let me give you a couple verses. I have no idea, but here we go. One of the motives to say, well, why why do I want to be good at this? Why do I want to get better, expand our capacity, honor God, our reasonable service, and listen to me, and there is a reward. There is a reward. We do run this race to win. We run it with purpose in every step. We're not shadow boxing. There's purpose in it. What is it? Not only to win people to the cause of Christ. That's great. But then I'm going to stand before God for myself. And I hope that you're there and you can say, "Man, thanks for your effort. because I'm going to be there and I got other people to thank for their effort and I hope you can say, "Man, thanks for the effort. I'm glad I got I'm glad I'm here." Okay? But I'm going to stand before God and and I'm going to be accountable for my life. And the Bible says there's three different crowns that we're going to receive. And let me explain to you that crown is not just a royalty crown. In that day and in that culture, they would put a crown on you when you won a competition. You you you got the crown that recognized it was it was their trophy. You got the trophy. you got the crown. And so the Bible says in 2 Timothy 4:7 and 8, it says, Paul says, "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me, the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me, but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. for all who look forward to man. There's a crown of righteousness. There's a vic a victory crown for you when you make it. And here's the thing. I was talking to Chris who's here from Tulsa and we were talking about another gentleman that we both know and he's closer with and I said, "Man, how's he doing? How's his walk with the Lord?" And really, listen to me. It hit me for the first time. What am I really asking him? What I'm asking is how is he enduring? Because the Bible says to he who endures to the end is going to win. This is why in God's church and pastor Billy we say all the time if you don't quit you win right the only thing that got the devil's going to do is to get you to want to quit and so if you don't quit if you endure to the end if you can overcome and so how many things in your life are you overcoming I'm telling you it was the most tangible victory I've ever seen when my mom passed in 2018 because man she she her mom died when she was two and her husband had left her three little kids and she was diagnosed with Parkinson's and she was a family member of the church and she had a very low income because of teaching in kindergarten at this private school or little Christian school and all the things and all these challenges. I thought, man, she has devoted her life to this and it seems everything's against her. And then because she was diagnosed and then I could feel sorry for myself and I could feel guilty and say, man, she died too early and she didn't get to be a grandma and she didn't get to be this. And let me tell you something, it was not that. Man, I'm telling you, when I sat in that casket, it was , DUDE, SHE WON. WHY? Because she didn't quit. She overcame her mom died at 2 years old. She overcame a broken family. She overcame a diagnosis. She overcame a broken, a divided church. She overcame people pointing fingers for her. She overcame a low income. She overcame it all and didn't quit. And she wins. So my question to you when I say, man, how you doing? How's your walk with the Lord? What I'm asking you is, how are you enduring? Are you winning? Are you overcoming? Because he who fights the fight of faith and wins and overcomes in the end, there's a crown of righteousness for you because you won. Because the enemy is your opponent. And what's he want you to do? quit. That's all he's trying to do is get you to quit. He's trying to choke you out with the cares of life. When I say, "Is he enduring?" Why? Because there's different seeds of soil, man. Is the devil lying to him? Are the cares of life choking him out, man? Is he excited? But he was just emotional. Is there no roots going down, man? How's he doing? Is he connected? Is he staying around the right people? Is he in the word? Is he growing? Is he overcoming? Is he enduring? James chapter 1:12, God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward, they will receive the crown of life, eternal life that God has promised to those who love him. Listen to this. Who patiently endure testing and temptation. I've said it many, many times. People hear the word testing, they think, well, , cuz you were, you grew up in school hating tests. We don't tests. Some of us probably tests. Most people don't. that are normal don't tests, right? Because obviously it's the evil of a teacher to try to hold us down and keep us here forever. They're trying to dupe us, okay? But the reality is a test is designed to qualify you and promote you. And so, man, the world is constantly throwing things at us and tribulations and trials and and and and turbulence and temptation and testing. But afterward, when you've overcome it, when you've endured, when you dealt with it, when you patiently endured it, you will receive a crown of life that God has promised because you are subjected to the world, but you're not submitted to it. So, you're subjected to it, meaning you're going to experience testings and turbulence and temptation, but you're not submitted to it, so you overcome it. My focus was clear. You overcame and came a crown of life. Look at verse 13. Just so there's no confusion. And remember this, when you are being tempted, do not say that God is the one tempting me because God is never tempted to do wrong in himself and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own carnality. It comes from our own lust of the flesh. It comes from our own selfishness. It comes from our own desires to be recognized and to be whatever which entice us and then drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. In other words, pulls us away from God. Then there's actions. That's the sinful actions that that are then produced because we're apart from God. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. That's interesting poetry right there. That's interesting writing. But when sin is gone and had its its full run in your life, it's going to kill something in your life. Man, that temptation to look at images you shouldn't look at leads to behaviors that lead something that leads to something broken to death to that other relationship. Man, that that that one discipline to to not manage your emotions, to not stop hanging out with that person, to not obey the holy conviction in your heart about some active practice, man, it leads to some other behavior where I'm angry or I'm frustrated or I'm saying things. And then you wonder why your kids don't respect your honory because you've been talking frustrated to them your whole life. And you say, "Well, my kids just won't honor me." That's just And then we say stupid stuff this, , "Well, that's kids being kids." No, no, that's a crappy parent being a crappy parent. >> See, the word is true and the word is life. But I didn't want to take the time to acknowledge this part of my heart that was broken. So, I never fixed this behavior that was affecting their heart. It matters that we do it. Why? because I need to make sure they go to heaven. >> I need to make sure that they live a healthy, wonderful life on this earth. There's enough in the world to make it hard for them. >> So, I'm gonna set them up to overcome it and not be even though they're subjected to it, they're not going to be submitted to it because they know who they are. 1 Peter 5, Brad shared this verse with me, and I'm just going to cut short, but it talks about leadership and us growing in leadership. But those that provide leadership and provide oversight to people, there's a crown of neverending glory and honor, a crown of glory, a crown of righteousness, a crown of life. Man, that's a dogone great reward right there to those who endure to the end. to those who don't who don't abuse these opportunities and responsibilities we have. What time is it? Stupid time. God wants you to win in your life. I'm gonna save the others for later. God wants you to win in life. You're a citizen of heaven. You are Christ in you. This that lives in this earthly body. I am going to leave this verse. It's Galatians 2. We've said it the last few weeks. Listen, listen. You say, "Well, how do I go forward?" Verse 20 of chapter 2, Galatians. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ, the the anointing, the presence of God, the spirit of God lives in me. Watch this. So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. You say, "How do I how do I live? I'm I'm We're going to walk out of here in a minute. How do I live?" You live in this earthly body, a new creation. Your heart has been washed. Your sin has been forgiven. You are alive under God. Christ dwells and lives in you. You you you have the presence of the spirit of God in you. So now, how do we leave this building tonight? How do I live tomorrow? I live tomorrow by trusting in the son of God. Listen to me. If you don't have the spirit of God on the inside of you and you don't believe God is real, then you live tomorrow not trusting it because you don't believe it. If you're if you have put Jesus as the Lord of your life and you're a Christian and Christ lives in you, how do we live now? I live by trusting God's word. I don't live by my feelings and my emotions. I don't live by my intellect based on what some third grade bully said to me. I don't live based on my past failures. I don't live. That's not what dictates my life. What dictates my life and how I live is trusting him. That's how I wake up tomorrow. That's how I go to bed tomorrow night. That's how I That's how I talk to my kids. How do you talk to your kids? I talk to the kids I trust God with my life. I talk to I talk to you I trust God in my life. I work hard to try to create opportunities. Why? Because I trust God with my life. And I trust that he's doing something in your heart that I can't do. Dog got it. I'd love to ring next in here, but I can't. But all I can do is do all I got to give. And so many people give to create a moment for you tonight. Man, people in this room come to me with tears in their eyes saying, "Amen. Thank you." Because it makes sense for the first time ever. That's because some of you gave your effort and your time to create the moment. And now they have the privilege and the opportunity to know God, have the light in their life, and leave here saying, "Man, I'm going to wake tomorrow trusting God. Because over here, before I had Jesus, I was dealing with the same crap anyway. I just wasn't trusting God because I didn't know him. Now Jesus makes himself real. I see his heart. I see his word. I see his truth. I see his leadership. I see his love. I see HIS DEVOTION. I SEE MY HOPE IN HIM. BAM. Let's go live now by trusting God. That's the hope we have. That's the opportunity we have. It may not be easy, but I promise this. cuz you're going to win. There's a crown of righteousness waiting for you. There's a crown of life waiting for you. There's a crown of glory waiting for you if you endure to the end. It matters. It It absolutely matters because if I'm not willing to grow in this area of my life and be honest with myself, then it's going to affect them. And if they go crazy, it might be enough for me to quit. It's worth it. You're preventing things from taking you out. You're creating opportunities to be brought for people to be brought in. Your effort matters to the glory of God in their life and in your life.