November 3, 2025
Well, I do want to appreciate everybody for being here again tonight. , , there there are a lot of moving parts and there are a lot of people that that take responsibility and I just want you to know, I say it all the time. , this is not a one-man show and it's not a oneman party. We together are the church and collectively every every joint supplies with natural elements spiritual giftings, all the things that you bring, I just want you to know that you're loved and you're valued not just by God but in this group of people and you bring value. And so, , and if you play instruments, you play music, and you think, man, I'd to be involved with that, you're welcome to be part of that. If you to cook, and you want to be hospitable and help, man, there's a team for that. If you, if you have a heart for kids, or you see a need, you want to meet it, we want to find a place for you. , it happens because everybody takes ownership of it. And so, , I appreciate everything that everyone does. It's too many to even begin to start to acknowledge, but there's so many of you are just willing and ready to do whatever. I I was telling my friend Ricky there, I said, when it's here at this building, there's a little more for me because I'm looking around at property and I'm the only guy that knows where some things are. And he said, "Man, whatever you need, just let me know." And I said, "Man, that's my guy, right? That's what you want to hear." The problem is he doesn't know where anything is yet. I got to show I got to give him a tour so he knows when I then I can say, "Hey, will you go get that?" Because then he'll know. but I just appreciate y'all. And and so let's continue to take ownership. Do Do you understand? We can have as much of God as we want. we can make as big of an impact as we want. We can reach as many people as we want. As as much as we're willing to to get after, as much as we're willing to give, as much as we're willing to lay down, as much as we're willing, we can help a lot of people. but collectively, we are way stronger than we are individually. And when we come together, when we take the resources together, we can reach more families. We can reach more people. And that's that's what the church is. That's what the body of Christ is. , and on that I want to talk about how to my objective with the message tonight is how do we make this the body of Christ stronger and how do we make it bigger? Everybody I I I think most people bigger and stronger, faster, more power, right? All the things. It's Yes. Yes. All right. I don't want I don't want the little Mickey Mouse toy. I want the big I want the big dog. Okay. , and so when I say the body of Christ, if if that's if a new term for you for church or that's hard to understand, I want to take this group of people and make us collectively stronger. And I want people that are not in this group, and I don't mean plugged in another church. that aren't in the church yet in here with us, right? And so I want to talk about how can we do that looking at scripture tonight. , I there's a particular pastor who pastors a very very large church in Dallas that I to listen to. He's just a very good Bible teacher. And he he had a little clip that I to I to follow him. And he he he was talking about there's three things that we as believers have the privilege and the right to do. Number one is receive. Number two is reject. And number three is redeem. And and and as believers, we get to receive God's love. We get to receive God's mercy. We receive his salvation. We receive his hope. We receive his promise. We receive from him. and we are able to receive a lot of times gifts from one another that that that God puts it on people's hearts. We we can receive God's promise and God's blessing in our life. There are also things as believers that we just straight up reject. We reject what is evil. We we reject things that we know are are dishonorable, defiant, antirist in the sense of any behavior. We reject pornography. There's nothing healthy about that. We reject murder. We reject stealing and lying. Right? There's things that we as as believers, I reject the evil of that in my life. I I I I put a stiff arm to it. And here's what's crazy about that. You don't have to be in church very long. You don't have to be in church at all to know because that code that that morality, that standard's been written on your heart. That's why when I talk to people that that don't know God or atheist in nature, they just say, "Well, I just think, , we just be good. We just be people good." Listen, that that has been written on your hearts what the Bible says. You that taking a life is wrong. I don't need to tell you about Jesus for you to know that taking a life is wrong. I don't need to tell you about Jesus to know that some heinous degree of perversion is wrong. You just know this is not right. This is offensive. What we do as humans is we sear our conscience to things. We defile our conscience to things to where there's no more conviction about that particular topic or area in our life. And then we realize it's become this strangleold or stronghold in our life. And now we can't imagine how to get out of this situation because we allowed oursel to get into it a little bit. But that thing that we know to reject, we already know to reject. And then there are things that we get to redeem. As Christians, we have the privilege now to redeem things on this earth back the way God designed it. God created this. Here's what's amazing. Are you ready for your first gift tonight? God created everything for you. He created everything for him. You're in his likeness and image. It's no longer you to live Christ in you. It's for you. He said in Genesis 1:26, he said, "Let us make humans, mankind, both male and female, in our image and in our likeness, and give them dominion or have them to reign or govern over the fish of the water, the the birds of the air, the animals of the kingdom, all the things." See, we govern over that. I I have a dog that I've invested more money than I care to talk about, okay? And I'm not the guy that's lined up for surger. In fact, she's got some weird thing on her eye we got to get rid of, but she's going to have to live with it for a while because I'm not ready to pay for it, okay? But I feed her. I care for her. I take care of her. All the things. Here's what's crazy. She can never govern me. I govern her. She's never going to provide a house for me. SHE HAD DONE JACK to bring income into our house. Okay, [laughter] here's what I know. AFTER SEVEN YEARS, I still got to let her out the door to go to the bathroom cuz she don't know how to do that. Okay, here's my point. Does she have feelings? Sure. Does she care about me? Yes. Can she rescue Lincoln by grabbing by the shorts to fall in the fire? Yes. All the things. Can she can she her heard and govern? Yes. But can she govern me? No. You have a dominion and a reign. So here's my point. You're creating his likeness. When God created everything, he created us for us to govern and walk in that reign and that dominion. We gave it away. The devil tricked us out of it. However you want to say it. We relinquished that authority. God, who's the creator, could have wiped us away, but did not. He comes in the likeness of his creation, Jesus, and he redeems it. He repairs the breach. He restores it. He purchases back your authority to get to govern and walk in dominion. That's why we can say with confidence, fear is not my future. That's why I can say with confidence, sickness isn't my story. I'm not telling you that you're not going to experience a heartache. I'm not telling you're not going to experience a sickness. I'm telling you, it doesn't get to have dominion over you. You have dominion over life. You get to you're in the driver's seat now. And so, what we get to do is redeem things back to what God has for us. See, if you're if you come in and this is how most ministry happens in the church, man, if you're going through a struggle, if you're going through something, the reason that is because everybody's going through one, right? But God wants to heal your marriage. God wants to restore your relationship with your kids. God wants to God wants to create margin in your finances. God wants to heal your body. God wants to God wants to give you a future and a hope. God wants to be the lifter of your head. God wants to break that anxiety and depression off of your life. God wants to do these things. And we say, "Man, that's great." And and why? because that's the the redemption promise. If it's broken, he wants to redeem it. He wants to restore. He wants to heal it. And so what happens is he come in and he gives us a new heart. I was closed off to him. I was I was I was I was resistant to him. But when I opened my heart to this new message, when I opened my heart to his promise, to his truth, when I welcomed his presence into the situation, in through me, through into my heart, into my mind, into my mouth, it be to have his effect on the situation. That's how he heals things in our life because because I've allowed him into my heart, into my life, right? And so, we have the privilege to get to redeem. But then here's what happens. We have the greatest news in the world. We have the most strongest team in the world. We have the the greatest mission that we could have to build the kingdom and win. And and a lot of times we get the inside here. It gets different opinions on different topics that are not eternal topics. their their their obedience issues, their disciplines, their their their their practices of studying the word and growing to be everything God's called me to be. And a lot of times we'll have a differing opinion and let it derail us. Not because we have differing opinions, because we have arrogance in our heart because because I'm right and they don't know what I know yet. And so what happens is the attitude, the tone, the inflection, the the way I present things has an offensive element to it. And so it creates some division just within the ranks. Now we go outside of here where people feel condemned because of how we communicate to them or what we do because we're not communicating it in the same way we need to communicate it with because of where they're at in their life and because because we have some knowledge about some things. We we we sometimes create a separation to where they don't want to become part of this because we haven't presented it in the right way. I got choked up. The Lord's moving. I don't need I got the water. It's just a lot of slobber is all that was. It's hard to swallow and talk at the same time. Okay. Focus. so here's let's let's get in the word. Go to Well, it's on the TV. 1 Corinthians chapter 8. Most, listen to me, most of what is part of the process of growth are not eternal matters. They're just obedience matters in your life. And and God's doing a work in your life. See, listen to me real quick. God is the same God for every person in here. The promise is the same promise for everyone in here. Now, how it unfolds and how it looks in your life, everyone in here is uniquely different. The same truth for every unique fingerprint. The same truth for every personality. The same truth for every gifting in here. The truth comes into your heart. And the truth works through your personality. The truth works through your story. The truth works through your redemptive overcoming story. The truth works through your personality. The truth works through your willingness. That's who it is. And the truth is what brings life and healing and strength to one another. Look at the first verse of 1 Corinthians chapter 8. 1 Corinthians chapter 8 goes this. Now, regard Oh, well, let me put some context. Don't look yet. Most of the New Testament is written by the Apostle Paul. He's writing letters to churches in different cities. Here's what Paul is doing in these letters, just to give you a little context. When you're reading, most of what Paul is doing is he is number one encouraging and number two, he is coaching. He is talking to people e either a who are considered Gentiles, meaning they they have no real history of of of the lineage of Jesus and the the culture of growing up in a in a Jewish home and all the things that came with it. Or B, they're grew up in their Jewish home and in that culture and were taught all the things of the Torah and all of that and don't have the liberty to walk in. And so most of what he's writing are letters who's coaching them. this particular topic he's talking to them about. The Corinthians were very liberated and very free, man. They understood who they were in Christ. And so they're living the liberty and they're living in the freedom. But with it, they're becoming offensive a little bit to other people. And so Paul's writing them a letter. And in this particular chapter that wasn't chapters back when he was writing it, but he's writing this chapter and giving him them some instructions of how to interact and navigate with each other. So I feel we could learn from it. Yeah. Verse one, regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Now, pause. We don't really deal with this topic in 2025. Okay? There's I don't think I don't think there's been any idols formed that I know about as far as graven images, golden calves, or anything that. And I'm pretty sure nobody in here has sacrificed an animal lately toward that. Okay? So this is not a common cultural thing today, but it's the same principle on other topics that we're going to begin to get into. So on this topic, he's going to give a little coaching and we're going to learn from the principle regarding this topic. He says it this. Yes, we know that we all have knowledge about this issue. This is not a new topic. Okay? And we can address some of these different topics. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. I want to mic drop and walk out, but that I got a lot more to say. [laughter] Okay. Knowledge makes listen to this. Knowledge makes us feel important. Love strengthens the church. Knowledge about how much I know. I grew up in church. I was sleeping under the chairs. I was getting my diaper changed in the back nursery. All the things I've that's all I've known. I've grown up in church. I've been in church my whole life. And there's other people that haven't. I have a lot of knowledge about a lot of things and I can have a lot of knowledge and know love. I I I can have a lot of information because I've sat under a lot of great teaching, been in a lot of great rooms, been around a lot of awesome environments, and it's impacted my life. But now I still have to be able to use it in the form of love for where you are or where somebody else is. See, people aren't impressed with my knowledge. And what my knowledge will begin to do is to make people feel condemned a lot of times in their life because I have awareness of what I should or shouldn't be doing. And I make you feel guilty because you're not doing what you need to be doing. But the reality is you don't know yet. And if I don't bring some love with my knowledge, it's only going to be offensive to you. And now you want nothing to do with me. And we're not being very effective. There's no strength. See, the only way to strengthen each other is through the love for one another. And here's the deal. Everybody in here, we're we're all this. Some of some of us got a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience and others of us, , are barely housebroke and don't know what to do in church. And that's goes with the territory. And it's okay because listen to me, everybody belongs. THE GOSPEL IS FOR EVERYONE. The atonement is for everyone. The atonement is what makes us right with God. The atonement is what gets us to heaven. The atonement is what takes all of that and washes away our sin. Now we are practicing the disciplines of following Jesus. Now we are learning. And a lot of us can have knowledge and still not have any discipline to go with it. I say this a lot. I can know how to eat healthy and not do it. I can know I need to go to bed early and not do it. I can know I need to start saving money a little bit more and not do it. There's still the practice of doing the thing we know to do. But let's come back to this this this this chunk of scripture says, "But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much." This is fantastic scripture. Anyone who claims to know everything or have all the answers doesn't really know very much. In my little experience when I read that, I think of people that are elderly or older. Right? The older I hear this said a lot. The older we get, and I can experience some of this myself. The older I get, the more I realize I don't know. The older I get, the realize the more vulnerable I really am. The older I get, the more I realize I really don't have this thing figured out and I'm really not that much in control as I thought I was. And so what's what's happening is when we think we got it all figured out and we think we know it all, come to find out because you think it all, you really don't know that much after all. It's really interesting because Romans 12:3 says says, "Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought. Don't don't don't consider yourself don't think of yourself too too highly in that regard." Look at look at verse three. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes. What does that mean? Here's what that means. It's not that God loves you more. It's that you you your knowledge puffs up and it's what I know. There's no room for God to come in. But when my heart is surrendered to him, God, I don't know. You're you're the creator of galaxies. You're the you're the God of all creation. It's it's it's your word. It's your truth, God. My heart is open to you. There's now room for God to come in. there's room for God to dwell with me, but if I got it all figured out, I don't really need God. If anything, now I'm trying to put God to work for me. And so, and so now I want to control the people and I want to control the things and becomes it comes out of balance. It becomes unhealthy. I need God to move my life because here's the deal. You've heard me say it so many times. I would love to reach in your heart and grab your heart. I would love to I would love to just manhandle and manipulate and make it all better, but I can't. Only Jesus can do that. But but I'm the vessel that he's going to use. That's why it's his truth. It's the person of God in this person. It's now his words that are in my mouth. It's now it's now my hands being vessels for him when he moves on my heart to heal or serve or do whatever. it it it's my submission to his leadership that's going to create the opportunity for God to touch your life. And I don't know what it's going to look . It might be a simple offering. It might be an act of service. It might be a sacrifice. It might be getting up early. It might be whatever it's going to be. It might be turning off a TV. It might be guard your mouth. It might be whatever it's going to be. And that one little thing, for some of us, it might be opening our mouth. And that one little thing can have eternal ramifications in people's life. But at the end of the day, for that one person, it's about your obedience to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in your life. It's not about your perfection. It's not about your performance. It's not about you being perfect at every little thing. The disciplines matter, but only for expanding your capacity for greater influence with the thing that really matters, which is building his kingdom. It's hard to give a not forgotten offering if you don't have any money to give. It's hard to help your neighbor move if you can't pick up a couch and walk and what I'm saying there's a part where yes I want to take care of my physical body. I want to I want to be disciplined. But those disciplines have results. But it is not about those results. Only for the benefit of expanding your capacity, expanding your understanding, expanding your strength, expanding your resource so that you can be more effective as a leader, as a minister, as any outreach that God puts in your heart or brings across your path. We want to be intentional about it. Verse four. So what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one god. Been preaching this for the last several weeks. There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth. And some people actually worship many gods and many lords. Okay? Again, our culture, we don't see a lot of golden calfs in the middle of town, but but we know a lot of people that put a lot more attention, a lot more value, a lot more of their focus, a lot more of their heart, and give a lot more credence to certain things that are not God. It it's it's fairly common and everybody in here struggles with it. We we all get out of balance a little bit. That That's why we've got to be patient with one another. But the Bible says when when when a when a brother or a sister in Christ, I think this verse is up here at Colossians maybe. And it says it says when one of us gets caught up in sin, this is different than the little disciplines that we're practicing. you can bust my chops about not getting up in the morning if you want. You can bust my chops about having a second ice cream cone if you want. I'm not saying I should have to. I'm just simply saying you can. But that's not the real weight of things. If I get caught in sin, the Bible says for us to to come along. You got it's Col. It's whatever. I'll find it. I'll Hold on a minute. Yeah. No, it's up there, man. Come on now. Galatians. That's what I meant. Colossians. Galatians. HEY, I'M NOT PERFECT. ARE Y'ALL LISTENING TO THE MESSAGE OR NOT? Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, if another, listen to me, if another believer is overcome by something that's causing them to drift apart from God, you who are godly should gently, everybody say gently. >> Gently. >> And humbly, everybody say humbly. >> Help that person back onto the right path. And while you're doing it, be careful that you don't fall into the same trap in the same place. John, I forgot you're recording me. I'm going to walk all over this building. Okay. But it says, "When a brother or sister is caught in sin, they're they're they're playing with fire. They're getting into the things that we reject as believers. Let me gently and humbly come into them. I'm not coming with my knowledge and go, "What are you doing, you big idiot? Here's what the Bible says." No, let me come alongside. Hey, can we go get a coffee? Man, I'm just I'm noticing a trend here and I I want to make sure that we're all we're healthy and we're right. Let me gently and humbly get on the back on the right track as we go. Verse five, verse six. But for us, everybody say, "But for me, there is one God, the Father, by whom all things," we're back over in Corinthians, were created and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, God in the flesh, through whom all things were created and through whom we live. However, not all believers know this. What do you mean? How how do not all believers know that Jesus that's not what he's saying? Not all believers understand the distinction between the two. In other words, if we if we put it all in context, I'm breaking up every little scripture, but if you go back to verse five, there's so many so-called gods in heaven and earth. And some people actually worship many gods and many lords. Here's what it means. Not everybody understands or not everybody's at the place where they're fully totally submitted to the lordship of Jesus in their life and they're all in and they're they get it and they're running full speed and they're there. man, when you came to Christ, there's still stuff that's tied to you that's hanging on that that it doesn't just it sometimes creative miracles happen and sometimes addictions just break off your life and sometimes things just heal and sometimes things just lift. Sometimes creative miracles happen and I will champion it all day long and know that God can do it all day long. I believe that in his presence is fullness of joy and I believe that the power will take care of it. I'm confident of it. I will preach it and celebrate it and we will create opportunities for it. But let me tell you something. when you first came, there's all this old thinking and old stuff and old ties and things that you still, , you got your TV show. You got your you got your me time, whatever that is. You got your thing. And listen, your your me thing, your thing, that's great. If it's a healthy discipline, great. But here's the deal. If God's saying, "Yo, I need you to lay that down for a minute." That's where it comes in for every individual. Some people might have a conviction about certain things that other people don't. And it's not my place to come in and tell you what you should be convicted of. It's my place to sit down and say, "Man, let's talk and chop it up." Can you stand for a second? This is my friend Spencer, everybody. And here's the deal, Spencer. The Bible says that iron sharpens iron. Correct? It's an iron sharpening iron. He makes me better. He He who he is lifts my countenance is how the Bible says it. That iron sharpens iron. So, one man lifts the countenance of another man. Iron sharpens iron. Iron sharpening iron requires three things. Number one, it requires humility. I I got to have a humility that to let him speak into my life. Number two, it it it requires [laughter] ah it requires proximity. I I I've got to I've got to be with him. I've got to meet with him. I've got to I've got to be close to him. If iron's going to sharpen iron, it's got to be close. It's got it's I've got to I've got to listen to him. He's got to listen to me. And it's going to require some humility and vulnerability to communicate. And third, it's going to require some clarity. And here's what . He and I have the same clear vision what we're aiming for. What do we want? We want all of God we can get. We want to be the men of God God's called us to be. Man, I want to live every promise that God has for me. So now, man, let's let's sharpen each other with the word. Man, I was reading this the other day and this is what I heard, what I saw, whatever. Man, I don't know if that's right because then the word says this. And we sharpen one another and we're seeking truth. This is something Brad and I talked about years a couple years ago with different versions and translations. It's , look, man, we're seeking truth. I WANT TO KNOW GOD. HE'S THE TRUTH. I'M SEEKING HIM. I'm looking for him. I need you in my life. I need you in my life. I need the word in my life. I'm seeking to know him because if I know him, he's the healer. He's the reward. He's the answer. He's my creator. He's my redeemer. He's my hope in the end. He's my everything. And I'm seeking him. So now I've got to I've got to be in agreement look man help me grow. He's got to say help me grow and this is how we sharpen each other. But if we get a different opinion about something in the Bible and now we're well dude you're wrong. And he's you're wrong. You're an idiot. And now all of a sudden there's this division and it's he goes, "You want to get coffee next time?" I'm thinking heck no I don't get coffee with you. You big Right? it's that's what's in your heart and you would never say that. I'm a Christian. I would never say that. I know you just feel it and act on it. And so you separate yourself instead of bringing yourself in to say, "Talk to me some more about it. Why why do you think that? Why do you see it that way?" That's how we learn and grow. Thanks, brother. That's how we get better. So, we've got to be willing to to learn to gently help one another. And if he goes way off the rails, man, I'm going to I'm going to get in his kitchen in a little bit. I'm going say, "Bro, this this is dangerous ground. I can't. This is this is nowhere right or better. Okay. Some are accustomed verse 7 to thinking of idols as being real. So when they eat food that has been offered idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods and their weak consciences are violated. I if you have a conviction to do something and don't do it, then then your conscience feels violated. If you do something that is not right, you you feel the guilt of that. But when you have a sense of direction and counseling for you and God speaking to you to take action or to not take action, your obedience to that is how you go to bed with a clear conscience. And it's not going to be you making up the rules. It's going to be evident this lines up with God's character, God's word, God's promise. I I see it in the word. I I I know the truth, right? And so it's very clear now. It now it's me getting out of the way. What did John the Baptist say? I've got to decrease that he may increase. That principle applies here. The only thing that's hindering God from being God in your life is you and me. The arrogance of my own heart, the the the the I'll get it figured out. The the arrogance in my victimhood or the arrogance in my achievement, whatever it is, it's this it's the humility that has to say, "God, come into my heart." Verse eight, it's true. Watch this. Listen. It's true that we can't win God's approval by what we eat. We don't lose anything if we don't eat it, and we don't gain anything if we do. On this topic, Paul's saying, "Chill out. Some of you have a conviction about it, and some of you don't. Some of you, some of you feel a certain way and some of you don't." So, we could take some topics now. Here, here's one. How about alcohol? People ask me because we have a bar in the restaurant up here and I'm here. They'll say, 'Well, well, what what about you do you not do you drink? And I said, 'N no. And they assume because of their religious judgment of me that because I'm a preacher, I don't drink, right? Do you get that? That's what they assume that you you don't because you're a preacher. No. Let me tell you why I don't. I don't. Because I'm prone to excess. I'm an excitable individual. If one cookie is good, 12 are great. Okay? So that's fine with cookies, even though you get a belly ache. One shot of whiskey is good. 12 shots and I'm out of my mind. And here's the deal. You say, "Well, why don't you drink?" Because if I don't do it, I'll never have a problem with it. And some people would say, and they would argue with me over the last 20 years, people come and go, "Well, , they're they're how people are, how they want to justify their own behavior. You guys know people that. It's not you guys. I'm talking about other people." , and they say they they come to us and they say, "Well, I I don't think having a glass of wine with dinner is a big deal. I think it's okay." Hey, I'm great with that. I don't think that's such a big deal either. Unfortunately, what you're doing is taking body shots of tequila at 2 in the morning at the club and then coming home. See, that's different. The Bible says that drunk just while we're here, drunkenness leads to dissipation. what dissipation is? Cuz I didn't know because I don't read that much. It means foolish talk and foolish behavior. And what do we joke about now? Every good story starts with, well, we were drinking and then we got real stupid and stupid things happen. So why would I why would I dance with something that's tilting was stupid? Why would I dance there? I'm not going to. So I distance myself to it. That's a wisdom and a safety and a precaution for me. I'm not here telling you you find your own conviction with it, man. Rated our movies. Find your own conviction with it. Here's the deal. If you have a con don't have a conviction about it, okay, then I might come in and go, "Hey, you you shouldn't be watching this." At the same time, don't come in my house where I do have a standard and bring over a movie that's radar and say, "Hey, I got a movie for us to watch. Are you tracking with me?" LISTEN, IT'S NOT ABOUT MOVIES. I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU ABOUT MOVIES. I'm not talking to you about about wine. I'm talking to you about your obedience to Jesus in your life. Man, if God's asking you to lay something down, lay that joker down and don't hesitate because God's building something in your life. You say, "Well, I quit watching radar movies this week. Got nothing really's happened yet." Give it some time. I think it's going to prove healthy for you. I'm just saying. I'm not saying you can't watch one this week. Let it rip if that's your jam. Okay? But here's the deal. The only way that you're going to ever become better or stronger or healthier is only if you have your ear tuned to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in your life. Because when he puts a conviction in your heart, you got to act on it. And let me tell you something, you're not always going to want to. You're not going to feel it. Hey, I want you I want you to go to bed earlier. Ah, man. I got a lot going on. I need to stay I I don't want I want you to stop eating sugar this week. Wow. Why? What's the big point? And we get all religious , well, what did the Bible say? You're not going to get God's approval. Look what I'm gonna read it, right? Verse eight. We We don't win God's approval with your performance. You're not God's not going to love you more if you do. God's not going to love you less if you if you don't. It's not going to change God's heart. What it's going to change is the capacity or the benefit of you living in the promise of God. Not because he's withholding because there's limitations that I'm putting on myself from coming into what more of what God's got for me. And it's not about, listen to me, it's not about eliminating trials and tribulations. Let me help you. You're not going to arrive there, homie. It ain't going to happen. You're not going to get there. I don't care how old you are, when you are, whatever. The trials and tribulations are promised in the word in this life. You're going to have trials and tribulations, but you get to be of good cheer because Jesus already overcome it. You get to be of good cheer because whatever that trial is is the enemy trying to rob you and God's going to take it. He's going to turn it together for good. Why? Because my heart's surrendered to him. He's going to lead me in truth and it's going to come victory in my life. That's what's going to happen. That's my expectation. I don't fear a trial and tribulation. Fear is not my future. I don't fear that. Bring it on. Why? Because I'm going to go into it knowing who I am. I'm going to come out of it the other side for his glory. God's going to do a work in me. God's going to do a work through me. And everybody's going to benefit and God's going to win. That's the promise we get to live. So it's not about my performance. It's not whether I eat it or don't eat it. If if if we lived in that culture. Verse nine, but you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. This is where it's about to get real for you. Okay? Pay attention. You must be careful that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble because you can do something or because let's go the other direction and know that you shouldn't do something because you have revelation of it because you have knowledge of it because it's healthy. You got to be careful that you don't offend somebody else or mislead somebody else to a dangerous place. If somebody in here is struggling with alcohol, I'm not going to say, "Hey, let's have a glass of wine with dinner tonight." Number one, I don't do that. Number two, it's I wouldn't do that with somebody that's that that has an issue with it. Does that make sense? I'm going to be thoughtful and careful that I don't cause another believer to stumble. And I I wish I could think faster and have better topics for you. Pick a topic. Man, we're not scared of a day. I'm not scared of last Friday. It's It's not a day. I listen. Everything that I know has been redeemed because I say so. What does the Bible say? Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. I'm the redeemed of the Lord. So I'm not afraid of a day. I'm not afraid that there's a bar in the lobby of our church. [laughter] I'm not a I'm not afraid of of the news. I'm not afraid of it. In other words, in other words, I get I get to have say. You say, "Well, well, how you going to have church? There's a bar in the front." Well, easy. We walk past it. We come in here and we start praising Jesus. That's how you have church in here. >> It's not a big deal. You understand? You say, "Well, what do you what about, , Friday? What about what what do you mean? I I I don't know what everybody else is doing. I know that I'm the redeemed of the Lord. I know that I'm going to have a great time with my friends. I know that I'm going to be healthy, and I'm going to reject anything that is evil. I'm going to reject anything that's not of God, but I'm going to redeem everything that I can put my hand to and make it for God in the end." Verse verse 10. For if others see you, I this quote, "With your superior knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, won't they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol?" In other words, you need to understand and be careful that everything you do matters to everyone else. You need to be sensitive and thoughtful to the people that are in the room and the people that are outside this room. You need to understand that just because you grew up in church and got your diapers changed in the nursery that somebody else coming in has NO IDEA. I GOT 48 years of sitting in a room this and somebody comes in and then we're just , man, I don't know. They make me nervous. I know. Welcome. Welcome to the kingdom of heaven. Come on in. Would you some soup or whatever we're doing? Come on in. Because let me tell you something. Listen to me. Listen. The Bible says that where there's no oxen, the stalls are clean. That's great because we don't shoveling poo poo. Right. But the Bible says that where there is, there's much increase. What happens if everybody here who would raise their hand and say, "I know somebody that is not here that I wish was here." What if they were here and they brought their giftings and their personality and their strength and their their redemptive heart and their experience and their testimony and their and and brought it into this room. Then what happens is we increase our influence. We increase our power. We increase our strength. But they got to come in and listen, they're going to require some love. That's what strengthens it. Not your knowledge. Not my knowledge. They need our love to come in and say, "Man, you're loved. You're valued here. Let let let me show you. Let me show you a couple things. Just come on in. They they they don't know how to not talk that way yet. They don't know how to not think that way yet. They they never heard this message is new for them. So, their mind's getting renewed. And so, in the process of it, we can't be people that go, "When you get your mind renewed, hit me up." Hey, when you get it all figured out and you got this church thing down, holl at your boy. We'll go get a coffee. No, no, no. Right now, let's say, "Let's go get a coffee." Right now, let's have a conversation. right now, let's visit. Because here's what's different. If he gets puffed up in his arrogance, of his knowledge of things, we're not sharpening each other anymore. But if he's driven by love, and he says, "Hey man, , you want to get a coffee sometimes?" And he becomes a loving mentor for me, helping me learn, helping me grow, showing me things of scripture, and letting the scripture come alive in my heart, things begin to change for me. he didn't have. But if he doesn't humble himself and and be willing to change and welcome me in and love me where I'm at, how am I ever going to begin to get the knowledge I need? It's completely flipped around. We want to show everybody our knowledge. But we've got to love them where they are. And I pray and I hope that number one, myself, that I'm accountable for myself. I'm going to stand before the Lord for myself that I will be this man. But then secondly that I pray that we will be this group of people. And look, we're not going to be naive. We're not going to be foolish to things. The gospel is for everyone, but not everybody's going to receive it. And and and you're going to have to, , you may be barely housebroke, but you got to, , you're in here with us now. So come sit by me. Some of y'all, this is leadership. Some of you go, "Hey, you come sit by me. Come on, come sit." That's what I did with my friend Hogy right here. [laughter] Not because of anything other than I was , "Just come sit with me. I just want her to sit with me." But we were teasing about say she can't run off. But the point is, [laughter] and she might, and if she did, did it be very offensive. But anyway, okay. The point is it's just it's just come. Hey, come sit with me. Come on. You here for the first time? Come sit with me. I'm glad you're here. Let me keep going and get y'all out of here. Verse 11. So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer, notice the verbiage, not a not a non-believer, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. Wow. You talk about a responsibility we have to strengthen one another. Man, people are in new. They're checking it out. They've heard about the church. They've heard whatever they've heard. They're inquiring. They're looking to for a fresh start. whatever the thing is their life, whyever they came tonight. And it's , man, I want to be sensitive to where they are. Let me be thoughtful to where they are. Let me let me let me have dinner with them tonight and learn and visit with them and talk with them and make myself available. And man, if if I can help with anything, whatever it is, let us come alongside and get in your corner because if I am so foolish to think that I know and you just need to get on my page and jump with me, I'm going to lose you. You're going to be destroyed. Meaning, you're going to turn from the faith. And if what are we in this for other than to bring people into the faith, to bring people into the life of God, to bring into the goodness of God. And so we've got to be sensitive and thoughtful as we go forward with everybody. verse 12. And when you sin against other believers, oh my gosh, watch this. By encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. Shoot. The Please fill these last few verses. The responsibility we carry. We've got to be very thoughtful that that my lifestyle and my conduct. Listen to me. This is the summary. My lifestyle and my conduct is not a performance for God. It's an obedience to his leadership for the benefit of encouraging strengthening people around me. It's not for me. My disciplines are not for my comfort and my benefit. The disciplines required and asked of me. Number one, my whole life is as under the Lord, and number two, for the benefit of other people. It's crazy what Paul said when he was about to die. He said, "It's better for you that I stay. It's better for me that I go." He would rather go to heaven, but I need to be here for your benefit. What if you're here for somebody else's benefit, and maybe it's not all for your benefit? And what happens when we flip the switch in our heart and start serving and giving and sacrificing and making a commitment to volunteer, making a commitment to serve, making a commitment to give, making a commitment to love people where they're at. What might happen and be unlocked in your own life? Verse 13. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live. For I don't want to cause another believer to stumble. Can that mentality be in my own heart? Can that mentality be in us? That if my my preference where I don't have a conviction is going to cause another Christian to fall off the radar and and get lost and fall away, then if that's the case, then I will never do that again because my life is only for the cause of Christ and his kingdom and his glory. I will not eat meat the rest of my life. If you guys are offended by meat, let's talk about it after this first though before we get crazy. Okay? But listen, if that's what it needs, if that's what it means, then I'll do it. If I got to come here at 3:00 to start getting ready, we're going to do it. If I've got to get up a little bit earlier to get, I'm going to do it. If I need to take a phone call at 11 o'clock for me, I'm going to do it. I'm going to do my best to do that for you. I won't do that thing anymore if it's going to cause somebody to miss God. Are you tracking with me? And this is the privilege that we have to be patient with one another, remembering that God's been is patient with us. I don't know near as much as I think I do. I don't I don't I don't know near as much as I think I do. I'm pretty far along and I'm a I'm a Bible says my life is a vapor. God built galaxies. I'm trying to get all the moving parts in order for a service. He's a big God and I'm going to get on his page and it's for his glory and for his purposes that we serve. Okay. Father, we love you. We praise you for who you are. Thank you for your word, your truth. God, it is our privilege and our honor to know you and to serve you. And God, I start with right now with just saying thank you for being patient with us. Church, this is where I lead you in some prayer, but you got to be verbal for yourself. God, we say thank you for your patience with us. Thank you for for drawing us when we were living running the other direction from you. We wanted nothing to do with you. God, you have stayed faithful to us and we just say thank you for that. God, I pray that a holy conviction now would fill our hearts. Church, wherever you are, wherever you're sitting, I'm g ask you to just ask God to search your heart. Man, if there's anything in you that's not of God, you say, "God, I I I I repent of that." All that means is, , I was greedy in this area of my life. I'm not going to be greedy about that anymore. I was selfish about eating meat, but if I got to stop eating meat for your for the cause of Christ, I'll give it up, God. Whatever that thing is, God, I I've been selfish lately. I've been greedy about this. I I've been intentional or arrogant about this topic, that topic. Whatever it is, God, I'm I'm I'm going to repent of that, and I'm going to let you drive the train now. I'm going to let you lead and guide me in that area. It's it's our surrender. It's our sub. It's your submission to his leadership in your life. Okay? So, I'm asking you, I'm giving you this moment to do that. This is why we come to capitalize on this moment. God, I pray that you would touch our hearts. I pray, Father, that every time somebody begins to open up the word of God, that God, you just make yourself real and alive in our lives, God, that you would create companionship and friendship. That God, we would have a the listen that we would have the heart of God. That we would have your heart, God, for your people all around us. And God, the discipline to manage our time and manage our resource and be intentional to find windows to serve one another and those that aren't with us tonight. And may it be for your glory, God, for the glory of Jesus name in our life. We give you praise for it in Jesus name. Amen. Terrorist [music] attack.