Renewing Your Mind Against Worldly Drift

Well, I'm glad you're here. Obviously, the persecution of rain held a few people back. It's a real thing, people. It's a real thing. , and there is some safety involved and all the things, and I understand that. , but I'm glad you're here. We're going to get in the word for a little bit. And, , I I I'm just in this place in my life. Maybe I'm getting older. I don't know. , could be. I guess I am. But it just is getting so you're either in or out and and it's hard because that can come across judgmental. It can come across condemning and it can it can be hard for people to understand what you're saying. What I'm getting at is the reality that that listen to listen to statements this there is no other name that that that that's very that's very direct. There's one name. there's we preached a little series recently. There's no in between. You're either in or out. You can't turn right and left at the same time. You're either with Jesus or you're not. There's not a there's not a middle ground. And that doesn't mean that we're perfect. Doesn't mean we understand it all. Doesn't mean we're living flawlessly in every decision we make. We're learning. We're working out our salvation. But I'm either committed to him or I'm not. And so there's this resolve in my heart that I just I can't. It's just laced in all the messages. And you're going to get a little bit of both barrels tonight with it because I I don't know how to come off of it. I'm I want it to be challenging, but I also want it to be encouraging. the the thing is this. There's only one true living God. And you go, "Well, duh." Right? Everybody say, "Well, duh." Okay, but that's where it starts. This whole thing starts with that. Hebrews 11:6 says that it's impossible without faith. It's impossible to please God. And here's where it's bonkers. I can't see God. John 4, God is spirit. I just know that he is. I know that he exists. And when I believe that he is and he's a rewarder of those now I can have a pleasing relationship and walk with him. If I didn't believe you're here, I couldn't establish a friendship. We couldn't begin to enjoy the benefits of this relationship. I must believe that he is and is a rewarder. And we've addressed this that God's nature is good. God is not seeking to send people to hell. God is seeking to rescue people to hell. God God could have just done away with us as a people, but he has not done that. He has rescued us. He came in the likeness of his creation so that he could absorb the penalty and payment so that we could be invited back to relationship with him. >> He doesn't need us. He's eternal. He's outside of it. And so there's one God. There's one truth. There's one message. There's one gospel. There's one savior. And the Bible says this very clearly. We understand it. But here's the thing. There's there's only one. And so we don't get to make it all up and go from there. There are other gods. And you go, "What do you mean?" I had a conversation with a gentleman the other day and and and just arguing with me about it. It's , "I'm not I'm not going to argue about it because I can't debate you in the faith, but , we can talk about it." And he said, "I there's thousands of gods." And I go, "Sure." And he's , "What? Sure." And I said this to you last week. What's the first commandment? Thou shalt have no other gods before me. I'm not telling you because listen, what God created is the heavenlies. And he created the earthlys. You're the earthlings, right? Everything is spiritual, but you on earth are made in his image and his likeness. You have a spirit on the inside of you. And what happens is, man, that spirit was separated by sin. That's what sin is. It's living apart from God. And we don't have to be separated by sin anymore because Jesus absorbed the wages of the sin, which is death. But then he defeated it and he conquered it. That's the victory. That's why he has no rival. That's why we just sang death cannot hold you down. We say all that. recognize it. Listen, it's a big deal. The resurrection is a big deal. It's a real thing. And the fact that he conquered death is your victory. And it has to get down in you. Otherwise, we are attending services. This is all theater. It's just a great story about a resurrection. And we miss the liberty and the reality of walking in the power of the resurrection. There is a power that sin has that wants to take them in your life to suppress you and hold you down. But the Bible says that I would pray that you would know know him and the power of his resurrection, the victory that he's already overcome. So what does it do? It eliminates all the fear about the future. It eliminates the fear and worry about tomorrow because there's no judgment. We don't fear judgment. I don't fear judgment. Why not? Because the fear that I could have about the future is tied to judgment. I don't fear judgment because I've received his perfect love. And that's hard because now listen, this is where you can do a little litmus test in your life, man. Are you worried about the future? Are are you fearing death? Are you fearing what's on this? Are you fearing what the hol are we is there any degree of fear? Because it indicates that there's a part of you that has not received or understood the magnificence and fullness of his love. So God, help me. Make it more real. Show me more. And I'm hope to help with that tonight. I want you to understand this fact. God gave us his name, right? We talked about this a few weeks ago. I can't I don't want to rehash everything, but God introduced himself to us. God said, "I am who I am. I'm the one true living God." He came to Abraham. He made a covenant with Abraham. His descendants were sands on the seashore, stars in the sky. Generations later, they're in they're in bondage in Egypt. God comes to Moses, says, "Moses, I want you to go in there and I want you to say, let my people go." And he's , "Who am I supposed to say sent me?" Who am I supposed to tell them? He said, "You tell me the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and you tell them Jehovah, I am who I am." Jesus later in John chapter 8 tells them, he says, "Before Abraham was, I am." Jesus is God. Jesus came down. We talked about all this stuff. There's only one. Here's the point of why I want to tell you all that. God gave us his name. And in the name is the character, is the promise, is the truth, is everything. It's all one. It's all the same. So when we start singing about the name of Jesus, we're talking about the one true almighty Elohim creator God. That's who we're talking about. That's who was that's who Jesus was. We're talking about the one true living God. We're talking about Jehovah. We're talking about Yahweh. We're singing to the one true living God, the creator God. And here's what I want you to understand. There's a there's a there's a person of him, not not human. When I say person, I'm saying the the person of God. There's a relationship here. This isn't just some higher power, some light pole, some some some random deity with no character, no name. No, he's he's got a name. He's got a character. He's got a heart towards you. He He's the it's the person of God. And why am I telling you that? Because here's what happens when we say that Jesus lives in my heart is what you've been saying for some of you since you were four years old. Okay? We recognize that. Watch. When we put our faith in the finished work of Jesus and the victory that Jesus defeated over death, acknowledging it for the punishment of our sin, this then I am forgiven. My spirit is washed clean. I no longer have sin in my heart. And that's why I've told you before, we don't walk around saying, "Well, we're just sinners." We're not sinners anymore. >> We're righteous now. Or you say, "Well, I mess up." I know because you're working out this new salvation you have. You're working out this new identity you have. You're working out this this you're learning to think God now. You're learning to talk God. You're learning to act God and uproot and undo all your old thinking. But you are not that sinner anymore. There is nothing separating from your God. You're not apart from God anymore. You now walk with God. You now get to think God. to watch the person of God now lives and operates through the person of you. Oh man, Jeremy weird. I know. Listen, this young lady has a personality, has a gifting, has has was handpicked by God and formed by God. This man has a personality, has a gifting, was handpicked, was formed by God. And I could go around everybody. And the truth comes into her and works through her gifting. The truth comes into her and works through her personality. The truth comes into her and works through her relationships. Works through her past and heals her past and turns it into good to bring healing to other people. The truth comes into her and her hands become holy hands and healing hands. The truth comes into her and her tongue becomes salvation for people. Why? Because the word on her tongue is different now. The message of her heart is different now. The way she operates is different now. WHY? BECAUSE THE PERSON of God now dwells in her. And what happens is we have to practice the discipline of putting aside my old self, putting aside my preferences, putting aside my carnality. Watch. Putting aside, this is where it gets bonkers. What I can see and taste and feel that seems more real because I can see it and yet it's not as real as what I can't see. Let let me tell you how vulnerable we are as Christians. Are you ready for this? The Bible says in Psalm 20, it says that some trust in chariots and some trust in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. Some people put their trust in the resources they have because they see them. They know what they can do. And everybody in here knows the power of a chariot or horse. Let's put it in 2025. And the power of a F250, 4x4, DY, hunk of dunk, whatever they're all called, okay? the newest, biggest, baddest, all the things, all the stuff. And it's very easy to put it in there. Any weapon, any anything. and our trust will go into those things that are created things. This says some do that, but we don't. Do you want to trust in the thing that's created or the one who created the thing? This is where it's crazy. This is how vulnerable we are and how it looks to most people. You're telling me that I could hand you a chariot and a horse, but you're saying, "No, my trust is not that you can't have a chariot and a horse, but my hope and trust is not in that. it's going to be in in God. And so we are vulnerable in the sense that our trust, our confidence is anchored into something we've never seen. And our hope is in something that we're hoping will come to pass. Some trust in chariots and horses. That makes a lot of sense to everybody here. I I feel confident when I have those tools in my hand. But my hope and my real confidence is in the name and the character and the attributes of the one true living God. That's where all of my hope is. That's where all of my trust is. This is where it gets real crazy. Acts 4:12 says, "There's no other name under heaven by which man can be saved." Wow. Now we're very vulnerable and we're very narrow-minded. You're telling me there's only one name? Yes. Here's why. If God is and God created you and God formed you, only God can save you. Did you hear me? If God created you, only God can save you. Because here's the deal, he doesn't have to. He could just go, he doesn't need this. He doesn't need it, but he wants it. And because he created us and because we created separation, he came and absorbed it so that we could have that relationship with him again. Look at Galatians chapter 2 verse 19 says, "For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me." Has anybody here ever lived with a sense of condemnation? All that's simply saying in relevant terms today is, "Man, I can't get it all right all the time. I keep trying to be perfect. I keep trying to perform, but man, I keep messing up. Or I'm just not where I want to be, or I'm not as good as I want to be yet, or I don't have as much money as I want to have yet, or , we could sit here around the room and we all got goals, and we all got aspirations, and we all got disciplines, and we all got areas we can improve. And so, with that said, that pretty much explains that right there. We're condemned because we're not where we want to be or where we can be or where we could be or where we should be. So, if we live by that performance, we live by that law, we just live condemned all the time. Okay. So he says, "But I died to the law. I died to that. I stopped trying to meet all of its requirements. I stopped trying to be perfect for everybody else. I stopped trying to be perfect on the surface so that everybody saw that I had it all together. I stopped trying to hit the perfect standard so that I might live for God." Watch that. I stopped trying to meet all the requirements so I could live to God. Did you hear how that's written? I stopped trying to perform for you so I could live for him. I did I need to say again because some of y'all need to write that down. I've stopped trying to perform and prove something to you so that I could now live for him. That's that's where the liberty is. Look at verse 20. My old self has been crucified with Christ. that that that person that tries to perform for you that that is where I start to derive my identity and my satisfaction that carnality that thing that's gone that that's that's gone. It's no longer I who live but it's Christ that lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I live in this earthly body. Do you'all hear this verbiage? I live in this earthly body. I live by trusting in the son of God. Vulnerable the rest of the world that doesn't know Jesus. The veil has been removed. You're an idiot. Anybody ever had conversations with those people? that's how we appear to them because we but we're no dude you're missing it right because it's it's hidden to the to the human eye. It's this it's this mystery. It's this truth that starts with saying I believe I I believe this and it opens my heart to it. So then he comes in and begins to illuminate things. And what happens is the person the truth of God now lives in me. Listen, we now bear his name. This is the third commandment. I don't know if you guys know this, but the ten commandments were set up to show us a relationship with God and with each other, right? The first one is no other gods before me. The second one is don't go creating any false images 4x4 duly hunkadon trucks. Okay? Don't go and don't go and start creating images outside of it. This was this was common in those days. The third one is don't take my name in vain or vanity. In other words, you call yourself a Christian, then you're in, bro. What does that mean? That means I'm willing to get my head cut off for this. Are you? I don't know. I'm not You don't have to answer me. No pressure. I'm just asking that's that's what I that's my check. And I know I know this is heavy. [laughter] I'm gonna hear about this later. Okay. I know this is heavy, but it's , is it real or is it not real? BECAUSE IF IT'S NOT REAL, WHAT ARE WE DOING here for real? What are we doing? You say, "Well, I just the community." Great. Let's go get a pizza and hang out cuz what what what are we wrestling with here trying to right live as under the Lord. So, it says don't bear his name in vain. When I take his name, I'm not going to take it light-heartedly. I'm not going to take it with any degree of any vanity where it's it's empty. if I'm going to claim the name of Christ and put my hope in him, boy, I'm all in on it. Okay. But why why does it mean that Christ lives in me? Let's look at these verses and just let it let it begin to settle into your spirit. What what dwells on the inside of you? What is accessible to you? Colossians chapter 1, beginning in verse 15. You've heard me say this verse probably a thousand times. You've been here at this church. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and he is supreme over all creation. Pause. I'm going to read this slow and I want you to I want you to let this understand this is who we serve. The Bible says, you've heard me talk about this. In Genesis, in the beginning, God created the heavens, the earth, and on day one he created the light. He separated light from darkness. on on day three, he created the sun, the moon, the stars, all that. So what was the light? The light translates to the words Messiah, Christ. In other words, the first thing God put into the atmosphere is his presence and his anointing. The first thing he put in the atmosphere is Christ. The first thing he put in the atmosphere is his nature, his character, his truth, his word, his promise, himself. And it separated good and evil. It separated light and dark. is separated his anointing from not his anointing and then he created everything else. So Christ is him. Him is Christ. Okay, I I know that sounds so silly elementary. I just I just it baffles my mind sometimes to process it. Here we go. Verse 15 again. Christ is the visible image. Paul writing about Jesus the Christ. Christ not being his last name. He was the anointed one. He was God Almighty, eternal, Jehovah, Yahweh, Elohim in the likeness of mankind, his creation, coming into the creation to absorb the penalty for creation so that we could be right with the creator again and not be separated from him. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. For through him God created everything. That's what I just told you. And in the heavenly realms and on earth, watch. He made the things we can see and he made the things we can't see. We don't to talk about the things we can't see. We don't fully grasp and understand the things we can't see. It feels spooky to talk about the things we can't see. But that's why I've been driving it home the last few weeks. John chapter 4, God is spirit. There is a spiritual element. Everything is spiritual first. The spirit of Christ, the Christ. That's why Jesus was the anointed one. He was the Christ. He was God in the flesh. That's who he was. That's why he said, "My name is Jehovah. My name is Yahweh." and they picked up rocks to kill him because this dude claimed to be the one eternal living God. Okay? He made the things we can see and the things we can't see such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and everything was created for him. The whole spiritual realm was created through him and for him and by him, including every earthly realm. You are unique on this earth in that you were created in the image and likeness of the creator. He created you to govern and have dominion he does. And now that we are not apart from him anymore, now his truth can come in so that we can govern with the wisdom of the creator. We can govern with the truth of his word. We can govern with the character and nature of God. We can love God now. We we can we can bring deliverance into other people's lives now with the same anointing that rests on you because it's no longer you that live, but Christ that lives in you. We just read it. So this this Christ now that we're reading in Colossians 1 is the Christ that lives in you in Galatians 2:20. Now that doesn't now see we start going into all your sci-fi movie thoughts right now. We just do. This is how we read this. This is this natural thing. And it's , no, no, no. You have the authority and the power to change the atmosphere of your home. You have the the authority and the power to change the destiny of your children. You have the authority and the power to change the culture of your of your life that produces a whole different result that brings change and healing other people life. Your life is impacting the people around you in one way and by changing and allowing Christ to rule and reign in your heart will now change the effect and the impact you're having on the people around you. Did that make sense? You're impacting them anyway. Now, how are you impacting them? How are you eternally impacting that individual because of who you are? It is the person of God living in you and through you. Verse 17, he existed before anything else and he holds all of creation together. He existed before anything else and he holds all of creation together. In other words, this is why we say in him we live and move and have our being. You didn't pick being born. All the things I've said to you many, many times, he has breathed his life into you. The world, the earth is rotating and is going around the sun and all the things are happening because he holds it together. He is very, very, very powerful and magnificent. That's why whenever the Bible says that even the demons in hell believe there's a God and treble, I'm often convicted that because I I don't even know if I tremble. I take him for granted a lot of times. Do I live with the same reverence? See, that's why the Bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and the beginning of wisdom. Do I start with this reverence that man, I believe that he is and I believe he's good, but I also believe he is powerful with his self he created everything and with himself he restored and redeemed everything. He he has a tremendous power. He created everything and everything in him exists and he holds all creation together. Verse 18, watch how personal it gets. Christ, the anointing, the presence of God is also the head of the church. We're the church. And that anointing is the head or the brain or the operations of the church. It works in and through the nervous system of the church. It works through every joint supply. See, this is why I going to chiropractor. And I took Bubby with me the other day. It was really fun cuz he was nervous as a cat and he got his neck cracked and he thought it was hilarious and we had a good time. But here's why I going. Okay, you don't care if you go to the chiropractor or not. But here's why I it. Your spinal column protects your spinal cord that's attached to your brains, your nervous system. And so this is happening because my big old beautiful brain is telling my hand to do that, right? And what happens is when there's something that's not in alignment, it doesn't communicate the right way. And so there's there's a there's a what's the word I'm looking for? There's a there's a piece of fruit. There's an effect. you feel pain or it's not functioning right because it's not communicating right there's a there's a breach there's a break there's a there's a there's a misalignment and so when you get aligned properly and sometimes it takes a little bit of time it functions better see Christ is the head of the church and sometimes we need a little alignment check sometimes we sometimes we need a little better flow of the nervous system from the brain from the head of the church so that rather if you're this little fingertip you can do this to really make a point for people in church. You see what I'm saying? You you can help people if you're every joint supplies. If you're the elbow, if you're the knee, you need the you need the head of the church operating through whatever gifting you are, through whatever personality you are because it brings value to everybody else here. Christ in her brings healing to you. It's not going to be sitting here. Let me tell you something. God can come down and he can come in the form of a cloud and he can do all the things and he can descend upon us and we'd be stuck in here for the next seven days just staring at each other just amazed at how great God is. That could happen. If it does, it'll be a hoot. I'll love it. I think it'll be great. Okay. Most likely it's not going to happen that way. God can do that. He could do that. He might do that. That's what that outpouring of his presence where those revivals happen. Let me tell you something. the the spirit coming alive in you, your surrender to get out of the way and let Christ be Christ in you. It allows Christ to operate and bring healing to other people around you through your giftings, through your service, through your obedience, through your submission, through your actions. It makes impact in other people's life. All right? Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. That's us. He is the beginning supreme over all who rise from the dead. That's all of us. Victory over death. So he is first in everything. Watch this. Verse 19. For God in all of his fullness was pleased to live in Jesus the Christ. He He was pleased fully pleased in all of it in all of his deity. Jesus demonstrated his authority over creation. Jesus demonstrated his authority over physical elements and physical healings. Jesus demonstrated his authority over spiritual heavenly realms. Why? Because he created all of it. So God was pleased in his fullness to live in Christ. And Christ Jesus demonstrated that he is the Christ, the anointed one. He created it. That's why he said before Abraham was, I am. I was there in the beginning. I'm here now. I created all this stuff. That's why you see me bringing healing to things. That's why you see me driving out demons. That's why you see me talking to the sea and telling to be still because I'm the Christ. It all holds together because of me. Now, this same presence dwells in us. The person of God of Christ lives in you. You say, "Well, I don't feel the same way because you and your carnality and yourself and your pride want to use it Spider-Man." For real. You hear it that. You hear it you're gonna go out and just, , and it's the obedience of getting out of the way and letting the spirit of God lead you. It's going to be your obedience to to the spirit of God in you that's going to be difficult to your flesh. It's going to be very hard to start giving money. It's going to be very hard to extend forgiveness. It's going to be very hard to commit to showing up every week. It's going to be very hard to hold my tongue and not want the vindication that I rightfully deserve. It's going to be very hard to trust God. It's going to be hard to cast your cares on him because I can't see him, but I can see this and I get my hands on that guy, I can fix this thing. It's very hard to get out of the way and allow him to lead in our life. But when we allow him to lead in our life, he's the provision. He's the healing. He's the wisdom. He's the sanctification. He's the peace. He's the breakthrough. He's the reward. He's everything. But I've got to allow him to be that in my life to thereby produce it in my life for his glory and for the impact on other people. Verse 19, for God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ. Verse 20, and through him God reconciled everything back to himself. God made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. Watch what happens when we talk the Bible back that you have peace with God. This is where it gets bonkers. God made peace with you. Who are you? This again shows us and reminds of of his love, his devotion, his commitment to you. He made peace with this earth that he created when he didn't have to. He made peace with you not because you earned it, because you kept the law, because you were awesome in all your ways. He made peace of you by dipping in his own pocket, coming in the likeness of his creation, absorbing the penalty and punishment so that our sin which separates us could be paid for. Now we have the right and privilege to walk and talk with God. Now we have the access opportunity for Christ to live and dwell in me because you are holy. Say it. I'm a holy person. You're holy. That means you're without flaw. You're pure. Your heart is pure. It's holy. God's made you holy. You You're now in right standing with him. You have peace with God. God made peace with you. Here's the deal. Most people will never enter into peace with him. See, that's the invitation of the gospel. God is God loves you. God saved you. God paid for. God rescued you. He made peace with you. Come into peace with God and enjoy walking in peace with God. Come enjoy walking in peace with the one who has no rival and has no equal. Come enjoy being grafted into the family and life becoming taking on purpose and having value and now having clarity and direction and seeing the truth and the reality of what I really have been seeing my whole life and having clear understanding and insight that only Christ can give who created it and holds it all together. Look at verse 21. This is where it's crazy. He made peace with everything in heaven on earth. And then verse 21, this includes Yahoo. This includes you. He made peace with everything that he created that then became separated. Why? Because when we talk about it, what do we call the devil? What he's called? The god of this world. When we talk about the world, we're not talking about the beauty of creation. We're talking about the world mentality. We're talking about the god of this world. We're talking about a spiritual realm that is not of God. It is a world mentality that corrupts everything God has created. And so now God made peace with all of it. took the dominion back, took the authority back. So the God of this world is a defeated enemy, a defeated foe, and all he can do is manipulate you out of what God has given you and restored to you. So when it says in verse 21, this includes you who were once because of sin far away from God. You were his enemies because of that sin, separated from him by your own evil, selfish, greedy thoughts and actions. Verse 22. Yet now, everybody say now. >> Now, >> he has, that's past tense for all you English people in here, reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. He has reconciled you back to him. That means you get to live with him. And now Christ gets to live in you. But again, I got 48 years of some jacked up stuff thinking that I have in the way hindering my opportunities and the ability for God to really flow through me. So, this is where disciplines fasting come in and everybody here goes, "Oo, when can we do that?" Right? That's when prayer comes in and devoted time to turning our heart to God, changing the atmosphere of the car ride by changing the music or the work environment. This is where this comes in because why? I'm keeping I'm disciplining myself to keep my attention on him and I'm suppressing that carnal thing that says give me what I want. I'm suppressing it so that I can hear God's voice because I get to I get to hear God's voice. So, I need to shut up everything else that's in the way that's drowning it out. The TV is loud. I need to turn it off. Social media is loud. I might need to turn it off. I know there's good programming out there. You don't have to defend it. I know there's some good people out there helping people. I You don't have to defend it. I'm just saying it gets loud. Music gets loud. People get loud. Money gets loud. Aspirations and goals can get really loud. The gym gets loud. It's it's something that we've got to , wait, let me let me let me quiet that down for a minute so I can hear. I need wisdom and direction how to handle this situation and I'm not just randomly going through it and waiting for God to show up on it. Let me hear God's voice so I can follow his leadership on how to walk through this thing, how to navigate it. That's the privilege that you get to have because it's Christ in you. 22 Yet now he's reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ and his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence. I'm going to ask you again, who are you? Are you royalty or something you a big deal? I guess you are because the creator of heaven and earth has brought you into his presence. I would expect people to cheer at that point. [laughter] You have you no I know I know I know that was very I appreciate that. Okay but my your mind should be exploding. He has brought you into his own presence. Watch this. And you are holy and you are blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. Wow, that's liberating. That's why the Bible tells us in in Hebrews, it says that we can come boldly to the throne of grace. Grace, unmmerited favor, undeserved favor. We can come boldly to the throne of grace where we obtain mercy for all that and find more unmmerited favor and grace when in times of need. Does anybody here ever have moments of need for God's favor in your life? Well, guess what? You have access to the creator God who sits on a throne of unmmerited favor. And that's where you find it. You obtain mercy. And he says for us to come boldly. Verse 23, he's called you in his own presence. You are holy and blameless. Stand before him without a fault. Verse 23, watch. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Man, you you are positioned. You are planted. That's why we talk about being planted in God's house. I don't need your service attendance. I need your heart planted in the house of God under the authority of God's word. That's where you plant your life. I plant it here that I may flourish in the courts of our God. I I must continue to believe this truth to walk in it. I must continually believe it. There's temptations to go, is this is this crazy? Is is this too much? Is this This is wild, isn't it? And then you talk to people that make you feel goofy because you're vulnerable because you believe in something you've never seen. And you take a you take him at his word and you're hoping for something to happen in the future that's not physically here yet. The second coming of Christ. The second coming. He's already come once. There's physical evidence of that. But you must believe that he is who he said he was. Is Jesus who he said he was? If he is, that's the first coming. And there's a second coming. And we live with an expectation of the second coming of Christ, the return of Christ. When now he eliminates that which plagues us. Do not drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the good news. I that verbiage again. Do not drift away. Everybody here has been on the water and understands the concept of drifting. That's why anchors are a big deal. That's why he's the anchor to our soul. That's why the hope in him is an anchor. I've got to keep it anchored because naturally in the world you will naturally begin to drift away. You ever known people and most of us can relate to this, man. We just , well, I'm not going to go tonight. Well, it's not a big deal if I don't. It's okay if I we and then the next thing you just don't even really go anymore. You're not really reading your Bible anymore. You're not really doing anymore. Why? That's drifting. You drifted away. You you you took a casual out and then one becomes two. I I see this all the time in health and fitness. I joke all the time. I've lost 600 pounds, right? not all at once, just over the course of my life because I drifted on many occasions. It's not a big deal when I go, I'm pretty tired. Duh. Six weeks later, I'm , dude, where's that gym again? I forgot, right? Because there was a drifting that happened. But don't drift away from the assurance, the confidence, the guarantee that this is yours. Man, the moment you start doubting it, the moment you start questioning it, the moment you start, that's when we start losing. So, what do we do in here? Hey, man, I'm going to encourage you. You've already won. You're going to win. Why? I'm trying to reassure you of this. I'm bringing you back. So why does it matter if you're here? Because if you weren't here, you didn't get reassured of what the word says, right? So you say, "Man, you sure make a big deal about coming to church." I know because we all need reassurance. And if I lose sight of it, I'm going to begin to drift. And if I begin to drift, I'm going to get lost, and I'm not going to be able to find my way back. It's going to be a lot more difficult. So we must surrender to him. We must surrender to the lordship of Jesus. I can know something and never submit to it. And I'm just going to leave you with that because I'm sure I've gone long enough. You can know this and never surrender and submit to it. And I'm just telling you that's the key element. That's the part where I humble this carnal self of me to submit to his way and say his way is better. I say it all the casual ways we can say it. His way is better than my way. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. His thoughts are higher. Yes. Yes. Yes. His his ways are better. Yes. All the things. Now, let me get on his page. I can know they're better and never get on his page. I can know this is true and never surrender to it. I can know and never embrace it. I can know he made peace with me and never walk in peace with him. So, that's our response tonight is to say, man, I believe it. I'm not going to drift from it. I will continue to believe it and I will stand firmly in it. Christ in me, the hope of glory. The person of God dwells in the person of you. You're a big deal. Go ahead, say it. I'm a big deal. >> You're a big deal. You really are. You You're a big enough deal that God reconciled you, that God brought you into his presence, and that he dwells in you, and now it's Christ in you. But you and of yourself are not that big a deal. But Christ in you, it's a really big deal. All right. Father, we love you and we praise you for the truth of your word tonight. Your word has been communicated. Your word can never return to you void, which means it's unstoppable. Your word cannot be penetrated. It cannot be twisted. It cannot be contorted. It's eternal. It's perfect. It's holy. It's true. God, we anchor our soul to the truth of your word, to the truth of your character, to the truth of your name. And we exalt the name of Jesus in here. God, we thank you for victory over death. We don't fear death. We don't fear the future. We don't worry. We're not anxious because God, we are in right standing with you. And that's everything. God, I'm asking you now to move on every heart in this room. Church, I want you to just search your heart. It's very, very normal and very, very natural to know what we see and hear more than we know God's word. And all I want to tell you is between you and the Lord, if there's something that has been elevated to a higher status that you have an opportunity, it's not wrong. It's not a wrong thing in your life. It's not necessarily offensive to God. It just can't take a higher status than God in your life. We can't put a bigger hope in that thing. It's a tool that God's given you. I don't want to put my hope in the tool. I want to keep my hope in him. So I ask you to search your heart and just an opportunity to respond to God and say, "God, I trust you in this area. We've let the world and the perfection of our situations dictate our joy." That's a form of that elevation. Your situation may not be your preferred situation right now. It doesn't mean that God's any different for you. It doesn't mean that God's any less present. God goes with you and God is for you. He's the reward. The reward is not the outcome of your situation. It may not be your preferred outcome, but he's the reward. You already have him. He was the reward. God, I pray that you would make this real in our life. And we surrender and submit to the lordship of Jesus in here tonight. If you're in here tonight, never made Jesus Lord of your life, you do that right now. It's acknowledging the name that he's the one true living God. That he's the savior. That he's the one that paid for your p sins, paid for your penalty. Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and confess the lordship of Jesus. You confess him as Lord, as God. That is faith righteousness. That is you entering into the peace that God initiated with you so that you can leave and walk here in peace with God. If you're in here and you need to pray that prayer, you do it right where you're sitting. I believe it in my heart. And then you open your mouth and say, "Jesus, I believe that you are Lord." God, we give you praise for the things that you're doing in our hearts, in our lives, in our community. And Father, we surrender to the lordship of Jesus for the glory of Jesus name. And everybody says, >> "Amen. [music] [music] >> [music] >> Hey,