The Finding Sunday August 2nd, 2026

[music] Jesus. Lift up [music] the name of Jesus. [music] Lift up the name of Jesus tonight.

[music] Jesus. [music] Lift up the name Jesus tonight. We lift up the name of Jesus.

And I could sing your name for all my life and still [music] find more to love each time. Jesus be [music] the name ever on my lips. It's sweeter every [music] time that I call.

And I could [music] sing your name for all my life [music] and [singing] still find more to love each time. Jesus be [music] the name ever on my lips. Sweeter every [music] time that I call on it.

There's just something about your name. [music] There's just something about your name. There's just something about your name.

[music] Makes me cry. Holy. There is [music] no other name.

There is no other name. There is no other name. Jesus, you're worthy.

>> [music] >> There's just something about your name. There's just something about your name. There's [music] just something about your name.

Makes me cry. There is no other name. There is no other name.

There is no other name. [music] Jesus, you're worthy. Yeah.

[music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Oh, [singing] you have been [music] the friend who never [singing] left. I [music] won't forget your faithfulness.

Jesus be the [music] name ever on my lips. It's sweeter every time that [music] I call on it. And you have [singing] been the friend [music] who never left.

I won't [music] forget your faithfulness. Jesus [music] be the name ever on my lips. It's sweeter every time that I call [music] on it.

There's just something about your name. There's just something about your name. [music] There's just something about your name that makes me cry.

Holy. There is no [music] other name. There is no other name.

There is no [music] other name. Jesus, you're worthy. There's just [music] something about your name.

There's just something about your name. There's just [music] something about your name that makes me cry. There [music] is no other day.

There is no other day. There is no other [music] day. Jesus, you're worthy.

[music] Oh, [music] you're so worthy of this tonight. Of every [music] song, of every song, of every [music] melody. Let it rise like it.

[music] >> [music] >> Let your eyes like tonight [music] Jesus. >> [music] >> Your day is like the morning light. The one the darkness [music] can't deny.

The resurrection and the light. Jesus. Jesus.

Your [music] name can save your name. Can you Your name can make [music] the storm still. You never fail.

You never [music] will. [singing] Jesus. Jesus the bread of life broken for us.

[music] The wounded and the worthy one. The first and last is soon to come. Jesus.

Jesus [music] the king overwhelmed the great [music] forever. The name above the name Jesus. [music] Jesus [music] Jesus.

Jesus [music] Jesus. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Yeah.

Heat. [music] Yeah. Heat.

[music] Yeah. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] There is no other name.

There is [music] no other name. Jesus you Jesus [music] be the name. Jesus be the name.

[music] Jesus be the name [music] that gets all the glory. There is no [music] other name. There is no other name.

There is no [music] other name. Jesus, you're worthy. You're so worthy.

[music] Who else is worthy? Only [music] Jesus. You're so worth.

[music] You're so worthy of this tonight. [music] You're so worth [music] >> [music] >> Oh, the name of Jesus. [music] Oh, the name of Jesus.

[music] Oh, the name of Jesus. [music] Oh, [music] the name of Jesus, the name I can [music and singing] save. Oh, the name of Jesus.

Oh, [music] the name of Jesus. We sing his name. Oh, the name [music] of Jesus.

>> [music] >> Oh, the name of Jesus. [music] No other name. Oh, the name of Jesus.

[music] Oh, the name of Jesus. [music] Oh, the name of Jesus. and know the name of Jesus.

Yeah. Can we [music] begin to sing the name of Jesus tonight in this room? Jesus.

Oh, there [music] is no other name. We join it with heaven to sing the name of Jesus. [music] Oh, there's no other name.

It's the name [music] that will break every chain. [music] It's the name that will heal our disease. [music] Jesus.

It's the name that will save the city [music] of Heat. [music] Oh Jesus. [music] >> [music] >> Jesus your name is like the morning [music] tonight [music] and the life Jesus Jesus [music] your name your name your >> [music] >> You never fail.

You never will. Jesus. [music] Jesus.

[music] >> [music] >> Jesus. Jesus the king. [music] Yeah.

Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Jesus.

[music] Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy but him? None [music] but Jesus.

None [music] but Jesus. There's nobody else [music] but Jesus. There's nobody else but Jesus.

[music] Nobody else. You get all the glory. [music] There's no [singing] other name.

There's [music] no other name. There's no other day. Jesus, you're so worthy.

[music] Jesus [singing] be the name. Jesus be the [music] name. Jesus be the name that gets all the glory.

[music] >> There is no other [singing] name. >> There's no other name. >> No one but Jesus.

[music] Jesus so worthy. [music] >> Let's praise his name. [music] >> Let's praise his [singing] name tonight.

[music] >> Let's praise his name tonight. >> [music] >> Let everything [singing] that has [music] breath praise [music] praise the Lord. Let everything [music and singing] that has breath [music] praise [singing] praise the Lord.

Let everything [music] that has breath praise praise the Lord. Yeah. Let everything [music and singing] that has breath praise praise [music] the Lord everything.

Let [music] everything that has breath [music] praise praise the Lord. >> [music] >> and everything that has breath. Praise praise the Lord.

[music] Oh, we won't let the rocks [music] crown tonight. We won't let the rocks grow tonight. [music] Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Yeah. Heat.

[music] >> [music] >> Heat up [music] here. [music] Yeah. [music] Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Oh, praise praise for the name [music] of Jesus. Let everything [singing] that has praise everything.

[music] Let him [singing] that has [music] let us join with heaven to [singing] sing let [music] Christ [music] Jesus, [singing] your name is like Holy light. The world dark [music] can deny the resurrection and the life. [singing] Jesus.

Jesus. [music] Your name can save. Your name can heal.

Your name can make the storm [music and singing] still. You never fail. You never will.

Jesus. [music and singing] Jesus. The bread of life [music and singing] broken for us.

The wounded and the worthy one. The first, the last, [music and singing] and soon to come. Jesus.

Jesus the [singing] king who overwhelmed the great. [music] The Lord who will forever [singing] reign. The name above all other names.

Jesus. Jesus the king who will overwhelm [music] the great. The Lord who will forever.

[music] The name above the world is Jesus. [music] Jesus the king overwhelms the great [music] name Jesus [music] the king [music] Jesus Your name is like the morning [music] dark. Jesus.

[music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] There is [music] no [music] Jesus be the name. Jesus be the name.

Jesus [singing] be the name. [music] There is no [singing] other name. There is no [music] name.

Jesus, [music] you're worthy. [music] >> There's just something about your cry. There is no other.

There is no other. There is no other [music] name. Jesus, you're worthy.

Oh, there's just something about [music] you. There's something about you. [music] Sweeter [singing] than honey, [music] better than wine.

[singing] [music] Oh, your name. is [singing] above them. [music] It's sweeter than honey and better than wine.

Oh Jesus, [music] Jesus. [singing] Jesus. [music] Jes [music] and better than one.

the name you be. Oh, it's [music] sweeter than honey and better than [music] Jesus. Your name [music] is like all my name is [music] my soul.

Your word [music] is a lamp to my feet. [music] Jesus I love. I love you.

>> [music] >> Your name is like home on [singing] my lips. Your [music] name is like home to my soul. [music] Your [singing] word is the lamp [music] to my feet.

Jesus, I love you. I love you. [music] Your [singing] name is like home on my lips.

[music] Your name is like home to [music] my soul. Your [singing] word is a lamp to [music] my feet. Jesus, I love you.

[music] I love you, Jesus. [singing] I love you. I love you.

[music] Oh, Jesus. I love your name. [music] Your name.

Your name. Your name. [music] Your name.

Your name. Cheers. Cheese.

[music] Jesus [music] Christ. [music] >> [music] >> Show me. [music] and show [music] me your face, Lord.

Show me [singing] your [music] face. and then of my [music] legs that I might stand in this holy [singing] [music] place. [music] Show [singing] me your face, Lord.

your power [singing] and grace. [music] I can make [music] it to the end if I can just [music] see your face. [music] Christmas.

[music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Sing it out and show me your way. Oh, [music] show me [music] in the [music] last.

[music] Show me your way. [music] your power [music] [singing] and I [music] can make it to the end if I can just see [music] your face. Moses stood [music] on a mountain [music] waiting for you to pass by.

You [music] put your hand over his face [music] so in your presence he wouldn't die. [music] And all [singing] of Israel [music] saw the glory [singing] and it shines down [music] through the age. [singing] Now we've come here [music] to boldly seek your face.

[music] So show [music] me [singing] your face, Lord. Show me your face. [music and singing] And then good [music] on my legs.

Yet I might stand in [music] this holy place. >> [music] >> Show me your face, [music] Lord. Your power [singing] and grace.

[music] Just your grace. And I can make it to the end. [music] If I can just see [singing] your face.

face [music] and show me your face, Lord. [music and singing] Show me your face [music] and then good up my legs that I might stand [music] in this holy [singing] place. Show [singing] me your [music] face, Lord.

your power and grace [music] [singing] and I can make it to the end. [music] If I can just see your face [music] just to see [singing] [music] just to Right. [singing] [music] Just to see.

[music] Oh, just to see. [singing] Show us [music] your [music] heat. [music] Heat.

[music] >> [music] >> Sorry. Sorry. [music] Heat.

[music] Just to see. [music] Just to see. Just to see.

[music] Just to see. [music] Oh, it's so you [singing] want just to see [music] just [music] to see. [music] deser [music] just to see [music] >> [music] >> Just stay right to see.

Just gaze [music and singing] upon your face. Just get your eyes. [music] Just gaz your face.

Just [music] a look in your eyes. Just spend all my days with [music] you. Just to gaze upon [singing] your face, >> just [music] to look in your eyes, >> just to have you all [music] my days.

>> You and I. You and I. Just a gaze upon [music] your face.

>> Just a look in [singing] your eyes. >> Just to [music] have you all my day. >> You and I.

You and I. [singing] >> Just to gaze upon your face. [music] >> And just to look in your [singing] eyes.

>> Just to have you all [music] my days. >> You and I. You and I.

Just [music] to gaze upon your face, >> just to look in your eyes. [music] >> Just to have you all my day. >> You and I.

You and I. [music and singing] >> Just to gaze upon your face, >> just to [singing] look in your eyes, [music] >> just to have you all my day. >> You and I.

[music and singing] Just to gaze upon your face, [music] just to have you on my day. [music] Just to gaze upon your face. [music] You [music] [singing] [music] show me.

Show [music] me. Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Show me your [music] power. [music] Make it to the end.

If I could [music] just see your face [music] and I can make it to the end. If I can just see your face to see you arriving [music] and I can make it to the end. If I can just see [music] your face, [music] I can make it to the end.

[music] Just see [music] Jesus Christ. [music] They want to see. [music] Beautiful [music] Jesus, my glorious friend, the [music] one who never grows weary in till the end.

[music] Oh, [singing] how I love you. I cannot [music] begin to say all of [singing] the reasons [music] I love to sing your name. Beautiful [music] Jesus, my glorious friend.

The one [music] who never grows weary till the end. Oh, how [music] I love you. I cannot [singing] begin to say all of the reasons [music] that I love to sing your name.

Beautiful [music and singing] Jesus, my glorious friend, the [music] one who [singing] never grows we stay till the end. Oh, [singing] how I love you. I cannot [music] begin to say all of [singing] the reasons that I love to sing your name.

Beautiful [music] Jesus. Beautiful Jesus. [music] Beautiful [music] Jesus, I want to see your [music] beautiful [music] Jesus, my glorious friend, [music] the one who never grows weary, stays till the [music] Oh, how I [singing] love you.

[music] I cannot begin to say all of [singing] the reasons that I [music] love to sing your name. Oh, how I love [music] you. [music] Oh, how I love you, Jesus.

[music] Oh, how I love you. [music] Oh, how I love you, Jesus. [singing] Oh, how I love you, [music] oh Lord.

[music] Oh, how I love you, Jesus. [singing] [music] Oh, how I love you. Oh, how I love you, Jesus.

[music and singing] Oh, how I love [music] Oh, how I love you, [music] Jesus. Beautiful. Jesus, [music] you are the one.

All I've ever I [music] [singing] [singing and music] Jesus, [music] you are the [singing] one for me. All [singing] I've ever want I find in your affection. [music] And I'll spend my [singing] life telling you I love you, telling you I need [music] you more than the air I breathe.

Jesus, [music] you are the one for me. All I ever want, I find [music] in your affection. And I'll spend [music] my life, [singing] tell you I need you [music] more than the air.

I free. Jesus, [music and singing] you are the one for me. All I've ever [music and singing] wanted I find in your [music] affection.

And I'll spend my life [singing] I love [music] you [singing] I [music] brea >> [music] >> Jesus, [music] I think I I speak for all of us, Lord, when when I say thank [music] you for saving us. Thank you that really Lord for all of us. You saw us in the myery clay you saw us when when it seemed that we were without purpose, [music] without plan, without reason.

[music] And only you and that your mercies, Lord, can make something beautiful out of ashes, something beautiful out of broken things. And so my prayer for us tonight is that you would help us to see our need for you. We want to know Jesus who is our best friend.

We want to know our father. We want to know the one who is the best [music] dad. We want to know the one who is a compassionate, a compassionate master, a g a gentle lord, a loving shepherd, the one who is a generous provider.

We want to want we want to know the one who is a God, a steadfast protector, the holy one who doesn't compromise, the beautiful one who is fairest among thousands. [music] We want to know the Jesus of the Bible. The the one who in your wisdom, God, you became man.

an infant humbling yourself to to even death on a cross. We want to know the Jesus of the Bible, the the one who never leaves us. The one who is Emmanuel, God with us.

the Alpha and the Omega, the one who is beginning and the end. [music] We want to know Jesus who is our healer and Jesus who is our leader. Jesus who is our bridegroom [music] and Jesus who is our brother.

And so please Holy Spirit tonight in the room reveal Jesus to us. I know we say this a lot, God, but but I mean [music] it is I don't want us to leave this room remembering worship sets and songs and and profound phrases in a sermon. I I want us I'm asking Jesus, help us to leave tonight remembering your presence, remembering the glorious face of the Christ, [music] our beautiful, [music] beautiful Jesus.

Lord, you're you're wonderful in every way. >> [music] >> Your wisdom it confounds the wise. Your love, it never fails.

Like what a God, what a friend we [music] have in Jesus. And so thank you for your presence. [music] Thank you that you saved us.

Thank you that you you've shown this real love. I thank you that you've called us yours. And so Jesus, fill us tonight.

Fill us. [music] Consume us. Meet us.

encounter us. I pray for every soul in this room that there would be a touch of heaven, even just a seed, Lord, a seed that brings refreshing, [music] that brings that brings light and life, a refreshing of your [music] spirit. [snorts] So, we lay our light lives down at your feet.

We thank you for the good, good father that you are. You're the best dad, the [music] best dad. And >> so we give you all of the glory, Lord, all of the honor, all our oil, >> all our affection and adoration, all the praise for you're the only one found worthy.

>> We love you, Jesus. and in the most beautiful name we pray. Amen.

>> Amen. >> Amen. Amen.

>> Thank you, Lord. Amen. You may find your seats.

[snorts] >> [clears throat] >> Welcome everyone. We're we're so glad you're here with us tonight. Um if you're in the back and you need a seat, there's several scattered throughout the room.

Uh, [snorts] um, welcome. We're so glad you're here. here.

Is there anyone who's here for the first time? Like you've never been to Wow. Welcome.

We're so glad you're here. [applause] Um, we love Jesus. I feel like I have something to say, but it's in line with where we're at in scripture today.

So, I'm I want to hold it back and then we'll get to it eventually because I think it'll uh it'll make more sense in the context of scripture. And so, uh, for those of you who've been here the last several weeks, you know that we've been in, uh, in the book of First Peter. We've been going through chapter 1 over the last several, uh, several weeks.

I think it's probably been like two or three months now. And so, I want to continue today. I I said at the beginning of service, we're going to finish through fir we're going to finish first Peter chapter 1 today.

And then um and then next week, I just want to remind everyone, next week we're going to receive communion here. We're going to come to the Lord's table and um and partake of his body, his blood, declare his testimony the way the scriptures teach us to do that. And so I just I want to encourage you is is, you know, bring your family and friends and people who are in need of a miracle.

Maybe are sick. We're going to pray for the sick together. um and really contend and believe uh full of faith for the finished work of the cross to take place in this in this room.

So, I just I just want to remind you is next Sunday will be a a special Sunday and um and it's important that that we're in the room. Okay. Uh All right.

I want to I want to receive tonight's offering and then um so we'll receive the offering then we'll pray together and we'll jump into First Peter chapter 1 uh in just a little bit. Uh I'm going to touch on generosity a little bit more uh in in tonight's uh tonight's teaching. And so, um, we'll receive the offering, but then I'm going to hit on on offerings, tithes, generosity a little bit more, and I think you'll see where, uh, where we're headed with with this.

So, obedience to Jesus is not optional in the Christian life. Jesus never asks us to do something that does not in nature teach us and transform us to look more like him. In fact, the purpose of the cross, we you should I mean, if you've if you've been here before, you should know this because I say it all the time, is that the ultimate goal and purpose of the cross and of the Christian life is not to one day get to heaven.

The purpose and the goal of the Christian life, the purpose of the cross was that so that you and I are redeemed and restored back into the image and likeness of Jesus. just like it was in Eden in the Garden of Eden before man fell. And if my assignment and your assignment is to look like Jesus, if if our assignment is to be a mere reflection of who he is to the world around us, and that means when he instructs us to do something, what we can find confidence in is that Jesus will never ask us to do something that he himself has not demonstrated or he himself is in nature.

When he says turn the other cheek, it's not a suggestion in the Bible. It is who Jesus is in nature. When he says forgive those who persecute you, it is not a suggestion.

It is the declaration. It's an expression, a description of who he is in nature. When Jesus says, when he says to close the door and seek the Lord in secret, and he'll reward you in the open, seek the father in secret, and he'll reward you in the open.

It's not a suggestion. It is a reflection. It is a declaration of who he is in nature.

And when the scriptures teach us, when his instruction says that we are to bring our tithes and offerings onto the Lord, that as well is not a suggestion. It is God's instruction to look like Jesus. >> In other words, if you and I call ourselves Christians, then our what we declare with our Christianity is that we want to be Christlike ones.

But for us to look like Jesus, we we have to live the ways of Jesus. And part of the ways of Jesus is our demonstration of our of our generosity, our tithes and offerings, and our faith and our finances. In other words, you and I, it is impossible to look like Jesus without generosity.

You can make up any excuse in the book. You can what whatever it is you want to convince yourself of a lesser Christ, you can do that. But the true Christ, Jesus of Naz Nazareth of the Bible does not change.

And so when Jesus invites us, when he invites us in our tithes and offerings, in our giving, it's not because I, you know, I've shared this before and I just I think it's vital for us to understand this because we're often times taught that we're instructed to give because God is testing our hearts to see if money has a hold on our lives or not. You're talking about the God who knows every hair on your head. He knows end from beginning.

He knew the brokenness and the darkness of your life before you were informed in your mother's womb. He knows end from beginning. What you're not going to surprise him with is when it comes to tithes and offerings and you surprise him that the fact that your heart is captivated by money.

His invitation is not a test to see whether money has you or not. He knows that. He knows that from beginning.

His invitation is that in our generosity, in our giving, we look like the Christ. He asks that we give our lives, surrender, yield our lives, die to ourselves to love and serve him and honor him and walk with him. But he only asks for 10% when it comes to just when it comes to building a home for his presence.

You know, for a lot of us here, Uncle Sam asks for like 15 20 30%. You know, and we give, you know, he's asking more than God. This that's a problem personally, I think.

But but if God asks of us and gives us instruction so that in nature we look like him, then just like every other command in scripture, this one is not a mere suggestion. It is a it is the pathway. It is the direction to look like him.

Amen. And so when we give, we don't just give uh [snorts] to pay bills. We give to look like Jesus and to build something, a home, a place he can inhabit.

Amen. >> Amen. Awesome.

Well, we have every regular way of giving on the screen. If uh if you need an envelope, please raise your hand. Our our ushers are more than happy to do that.

Otherwise, you can use the QR code or the text. And um and I want to give you guys a few minutes to do that. and then um and then we're going to pray together and we're going to jump into the scriptures.

So, we will be right back. [music] [singing] [music] Cuz [singing] you [music] [singing] I can't I can [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Yeah. Heat.

[music] >> [music] >> Heat. [music] Yeah. Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat.

[music] >> [music] >> Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] Yeah. [music] Heat. [music] Yeah.

[music] Heat. [music] Okay, let's pray together. Jesus, uh, we love you and as a church, we we bless tonight's offering and we ask, God, that you would breathe upon it, you would multiply it and that in and through it, you would build for yourself a home here uh amongst amongst our church.

and that in this building and with these living stones, God, with these people, with us that you would find for yourself a place of habitation. And we ask, God, that in and through our church and uh through us, Lord, through us as [snorts] a people, you would use us to magnify the name of Jesus here in the Northwest and in Seattle. and that one day our city would be known as one after the heart of Jesus.

A city known for awakening and revival. A city known after a move of the spirit. Do it in us, God.

Do it in us. We yield our offering to you. And we thank you that you are faithful.

And I thank you, Jesus, that you see every need in this room, whether it's financial or any other. And we we thank you that you are a good father, that you always provide, that we have no need to worry cuz you will always take care. Thank you for your faithfulness, your kindness, your love towards us.

And thank you for all that you're going to do today. I ask Holy Spirit uh have mercy on my life and give me a grace tonight that I'd be a mouthpiece for your heart. Whatever it is you want to say and do tonight, we will follow you, Jesus.

We love you, Lord. And in your name we pray. Amen.

>> Amen. All right. Turn your Bibles to First Peter chapter 1, please.

I want to do a little recap. Uh, you know, I always say this if you're new, if you haven't heard me say this before, but I say it a lot is you always want to read the scriptures within context. Uh, in many ways, you're reading a conversation, especially within the letters.

You're reading a conversation. You're reading uh more than just the verse. it's it's speaking uh of the context in which it's in.

And so sometimes if we start kind of at a random verse without knowing what was written before, you can lose the purpose and the intention and the heart behind what's being communicated. And so last week when we read um through first Peter, we read 17 through 21 and and kind of the uh the point that Peter was making in this letter by the Holy Spirit was that there are measures of Jesus that we find in our committed devotion to him. In other words, if you call him as father, what we know is that uh the example I brought up last week is that if there's a father who owns a business and he has three kids, all three kids have access to the father and the inheritance in the same exact manner.

But if one child wants nothing to do with the dad, the other one is lazy and kind of doesn't want to take advantage of it. And the third one devotes their lives to learning how to steward the the the business, what will happen is the father still loves all three children, but all three children will experience different parts of his heart. And so those who want to be of the father's business are those who are, you know, the in the example I brought up are those who come and they they wake up early and they go to the father's business with him and they shadow him and they watch him.

They observe him. They learn from him. They read the books on the business.

They take small projects and try to practice through it and learn to one day take over the company, the business that their dad has. In a similar way, God has extended an invitation to all of us in our Christianity as all of us can be about and of our father's business. But you and I get to determine as individuals, we get to determine how much of his business we want to take ownership of.

You can either fully reject it, not walk with God, and miss out on all the purposes, the plans that he has for your life. You can you can call yourself a Christian and live a Christian lazy life. meaning like there's always something more interesting to do than to read the Bible or to pray.

And you may say, "I want what God has for me, but your life says everything other than." And then there's those who yield their lives over to Jesus, who seek him and are after his heart, and they experience the glories of the Christ that are promised in the scripture, which are the people that often times we look at and we're like, "Man, I want what they have." And often times it we we deem it that they got lucky or they have some profound call or they you know they were chosen by God, but it's not like that. It's that they yielded themselves over to the Lord when you weren't watching. And just like Jesus said, you close the door, you seek your father in secret, and he rewards you in the open.

The reward isn't position or money or stuff. The the reward is his presence. Like we all know, we've pro you've probably been in places or churches where like one speaker comes up and you're like it feels like it feels like listening to them is like running a marathon.

It's like when is this thing going to be over? And then other people when they talk you hear their history with God and you're like they talk for like an hour and you're like I need more. and they're like looking them up on YouTube and cuz you're like there's something about their words.

There's something on what they say that it cuts through the stuff in my heart. The difference is not the skill set of communication. The difference is the history with God.

>> You know, and if I'm one of those marathon ones, don't tell me. [laughter] >> [laughter] >> The example we have I think one of the clearest examples we have in scripture of this is again I brought this up last week but um one of the clearest examples of this that we have in the scriptures is is the disciples of Jesus. He had 12 disciples and there's four different versions of people that came forth from that.

There was John who g who who who knew he was the beloved who totally felt safe and comfortable like when they're just lounging out he kind of like comes in close lays on Jesus's you know chest and he's just there and he knows he knows who his shepherd is. He knows to the one whom he belongs. So you have John as the first example.

Then you have Peter and James who are with Jesus in significant moments like the mount of transfiguration. Then you have the other eight who they still ended up giving their lives for Jesus, for the gospel, and they're they're martyrs for the faith. It's it's amazing.

I don't mean to diminish uh what they've what they did the way they laid their lives down for the Christ, but when in that three and a half year period when they walked with Jesus, they didn't know him the way that John did or Peter and James did at that time. And the fourth example is Judas who walked with the other 11 and somehow for with the same amount of time, same amount proximity, the same Jesus walking with the same Christ and he becomes the one who betrayed him. All of them had the same exact access to Jesus.

All of them had the same exact Messiah to follow. And there was four different examples of disciplehip in between those 12. And it wasn't that Jesus didn't make himself available to the others.

It's just that something about John's heart posture, something about the hunger of Peter and James where they were just ready and willing. And so I say this is all of us are disciples of Jesus. We get to decide and you know if if John, James and Peter the other uh A and Judas become kind of examples of uh categories of disciplehip.

We can all have access to what John had had access to. But it also means that there is a life of surrender that was demonstrated in his life. So you hear what I'm saying?

This is and this is again I'm just doing a brief recap from last week. So to the measure we give ourselves to Jesus is the measure that we receive of him. He trusts himself to those who have demonstrated trustworthiness.

There are measures of God's glory only found in and surrender and yielded life to him. And then he says but you weren't bought with perishable things but with the precious blood of Christ. and he was fornown before the foundations of the world and made manifest in the last times for your sake.

Uh that your faith and hope are in God. In other words, he's saying the what I'm telling you is truth and this [snorts] is how God has proved it to you and I is that Jesus hung on that cross bleeding so that you and I would have faith and hope in God. So that's kind of this is the place we're reading from these next several verses.

So turn your Bibles 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 22. He says, "Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly with a pure heart. Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable through the living and abiding word of God.

For all flesh is like the grass and all its glory like the flowers of the grass. The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you. Okay, you're going to have to bear with me here tonight uh because I'm going to I'm going to talk kind of sharp.

I it it'll seem assertive, I think, um and very direct, but I think it's it's correction or something we need to we we must remember as the bride of Christ. Okay. So, uh yes, thank you, Lord.

We're going to be in James 4. Uh we're going to go to James 4 right now. And we're actually going to probably be here for most of the night.

And so I'm going to use another portion of scripture to explain the heart of what Peter's teaching or what he's talking about here in verse 22. So I want us to go to verse uh uh chapter 4 verse one of James. Peter says, "Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth." In other words, he's saying, "There's measures of purification that happen in my life and your life through obedience to Jesus, to the gospel." So, watch this.

James chapter [snorts] uh sorry, backtrack with me. James chapter 3:1 15. It says, James says, "This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but it is earthly, sensual, and demonic.

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder in every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open a reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is off is excuse me a right a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

So in James in the letter of James what he's doing is he's confronting churches on a lot of their uh uh behavior because they were they weren't living according to the truth of Jesus. And so what he what what he's doing here in chapter 3 is he starts breaking it down and he starts giving them two examples of wisdom. He's like, "There's the wisdom of the world, which is earthly, sensual, and demonic.

And there's the wisdom which is from from heaven, which is pure, peaceable, full of mercy, full of good fruit. It's gentle, it's impartial, and s it's sincere." So what James is saying is listen, [snorts] you are ch you get to choose one of these two wisdoms that you live in. He says the wisdom of the world is earthly, unspiritual or sensual and demonic.

When he says that when he says the wisdom of the world is is earthly, what he's saying is that the wisdom of man and the wisdom of heaven, it is rooted it is rooted to r to uh it is rooted in a place where logic is found in what is temporary. And I'll give you an example of what I mean. When somebody sins against me or hurts me, human wisdom says, "Well, they need to I need to demonstrate to them that I shouldn't have been hurt or that they wronged me or they need I need to make this situation right and therefore I'm going to show them how mad and upset I am and and I'm not and I'm going to not going to talk to them and I'm going to, you know, we have all these things that we do when somebody does something towards us." And the wisdom of the world says, "Yes, that's right.

you know, build your boundaries, keep yourself safe, protect yourself. And and that perspective comes from a way that thinks think it it thinks in the temporary, it thinks from the place of hurt, from the place of offense. And now somebody who has hurt me, my my earth wisdom that is from the world, that is earthly.

I look at a person who Jesus thought they were worth dying on a cross for, who he hopes he desires, his will is that they would spend eternity in heaven. And because of a mistake they made towards me, I have lost all sense of eternal value for them because they hurt me. And now when they try to talk to me or they try, you know, or they're around or I find out they're going somewhere, I'm not going to go because they hurt me or they said this thing about me.

And my wisdom, it shows that I'm it's it's grounded. It's rooted in the temporary things of the earth. And my vision has been has been blurred where I don't see past these two weeks of offense with this person.

Not realizing that on the other side of this person is their eternity. And instead of my heart breaking, that somebody doesn't know the Christ, somebody doesn't know Jesus, that they're willing to live in sin and hurt other people, instead of my heart breaking for them the way the Lord's heart breaks for them, I get mad and frustrated that somebody said something, they gossiped about me. And the wisdom of the world says it's logical.

It's logical to make use of something temporary and make decisions from that place. The wisdom of heaven says just because somebody sinned against you doesn't change their worth in Jesus. They're still worth his blood.

>> Amen. >> You hear what I'm saying? I I shared this I I've shared this before, but for something to be holy in the kingdom, it doesn't have to be about Jesus.

Meaning like you go to church, it's holy. You sing a worship song, it's holy. You, you know, you pray, it's holy.

For something to be sacred and holy in the kingdom, it has to be on to Jesus. And this is what I mean is your job outside of Jesus is a 9 to5. It's something uh you know you it's something to make ends meet to pay your bills all of that stuff.

And in usually in the context we kind of in the context of life we sell we separate things from like we have the sacred stuff and then we have the secular stuff. But the secular becomes sacred when it's on to Jesus. >> And in a place where before I knew Jesus and I worked, yes, my job was secular.

It had no eternal purpose, no eternal value. And I was giving 8 n 10 hours a day of my life, Monday through Friday to something that had no eternal purpose. And then when I got saved and I gave my life to Jesus and all of a sudden I start obeying the scriptures and I give generously.

I give to the poor. I give to the church. I serve the church.

I serve the community, the people. And all of a sudden now when I go to my work, my job 9 to5, those 8 hours, those 9 hours, 10 hours, however long you work, those hours that I give to God, all of a sudden they become sacred because every dollar I earn goes to support the uh uh the will, the desire of Jesus and his kingdom here on earth. And simply with my giving, with my generosity, a job that is 9 to5, that has no eternal value, it becomes sacred and and it generates again, that's the wrong word.

It it gives forth, it brings forth fruit that speaks of eternity. Earthly wisdom, it tells you like earthly wisdom tells you like, well, you know, I worked hard and and this and that and and you know, like 10% is kind of a lot. maybe maybe you know I'll here I'll do I'll do what I can and it takes the instruction of Jesus it it dumbs it down to to the temporary ways of life and then it says yeah that's right and it calls it wisdom when in the scriptures and the eternal perspect perspective wisdom that is eternal it says everything that I have belongs to Jesus and when he asks asks I give to him and in his request anything that I have automatically becomes sacred.

It becomes holy. So the wisdom of the world is earthly. It's sensual meaning.

Sensual meaning I make judgment based on how I feel. And so maybe maybe a week ago you were praying that the Lord the Lord provides money for rent and he does and you're like okay well today I I will give $100 because you know he gave to me and and then next week next week a check doesn't come in the mail and it's like well now I don't want to give because there wasn't that supernatural provision Or one day somebody might hurt me and I'm offended at them and then all of a sudden they have something I can benefit from you. They won the lottery.

All of a sudden everyone wants to be their best friend. It's like but didn't I hurt you? Yeah, but water under the bridge like and all of a sudden wisdom that is that is earthly, excuse me, wisdom that is worldly, it thinks from from what I feel, what I sense right now instead of the truth of who Jesus is.

And so one day, you know, one Sunday you might come in and you're like your your hands are lifted, you're worshiping, you're praying, and then the next Sunday you come and maybe somebody said something to you that that was felt mean or offensive. And now you come to church and you're like, and all heaven is magnifying, glorifying the name of Jesus, the people around you, but you in your wisdom, in in worldly wisdom, you've decided that today I don't feel like it. Today, Jesus is as not he's not as worthy of my adoration, of my affection as he was last week cuz I felt better.

And all of a sudden, instead of Jesus being God, it becomes your feelings. It becomes your senses. I don't feel like reading the Bible.

I don't feel like praying. You are not going to feel like being in hell one day if if you don't if you don't know him. You know, I'm not saying you're going to how like if you've given your life to Jesus, you'll I just mean that if we reject the Christ and we don't know him, there's there's other things more to be concerned about than I don't feel like praying.

[snorts] >> You know, I've said this I say this I've said this before is that God doesn't send people to hell who didn't believe in him. That's not how it works. God isn't like, "Okay, fine.

You didn't pray the prayer. Go burn. [laughter] That's not what he does." Sin has to be paid for.

Jesus came died on a cross to take the sin of those who said yes to him, who gave their lives over him, their sin over to him. And so Jesus paid for the sin of believers. Well, he paid the the sins for the sins of the world.

But those who said yes to him don't have to face the consequences of their sin. So hell is not a place God sends people who didn't pray a prayer. Hell is where you go where you've determined, I'm good without the sacrifice.

I want to pay for my own sin. It's a place you choose. It's not a place God sends people.

But sin sin has to be atoned for. And so when I don't know that Jesus who died and paid for my sin, what will happen is I'll make it to heaven. You know, like they say, I'll by by the skin on my teeth, like I'll just barely make it in because I prayed the prayer and the scandal of grace is his compassion and mercy.

But I do not want to just make it to heaven. I want to know the Jesus of the Bible. >> Amen.

>> I don't care if if I feel like not praying today, my life I have breath in my lungs. The very reason I breathe breath is so that I could talk with him. >> And if I don't feel like doing that, it's just because I've allowed myself to become distracted with something that is less than.

It's why the wisdom of the world is sensual. It lives by how I feel instead of what truth is. >> And we've all, you know, I think we've all experienced that before.

Somebody cuts you off and you're like so frustrated and mad and it's like, dude, you're going the same speed. you were driving under the speed limit in the left lane. Like that might actually be your fault.

[laughter] [snorts] And so the wisdom of the world, somebody does something to you, you stop seeing their eternity that Jesus paid a price for. You start responding according to the stuff in you that's coming out, the raging. You respond from that.

And then it says the wisdom of the world is demonic. Demonic not meaning that you have demons. That's not what he's saying.

Demonic means is that if the devil can convince you to be so concerned with yourself, he doesn't even need you to make him God in your life. All he needs is for you to make yourself God in your own eyes. And now when I'm my God, when I'm my own God in the wisdom of the world, what happens is I get to redefine who Jesus is.

Cuz there's only one God. And if I strip Jesus of of of his lordship in my life, what I determine is I am my own God. And so the wisdom of the world that is [sighs] that is demonic.

It says I know better than he does. Do you hear what I'm saying? >> And so now Jesus who is our Lord and Savior, when I live according to the wisdom of the world and I hear him say, "Turn the other cheek." I'm like, "I will when it makes sense to me.

When Jesus willingly holding on to a post as they tear his flesh apart for you had no problem turning the other cheek. And then he says, "Forgive those who persecute you." And the wisdom of the world says like, "Well, they hurt me. They deserve to know that they were wrong." And all of a sudden, I now get to determine that when Jesus said, "Forgive those who persecute you," it it wasn't true wisdom.

I know what true wisdom is. And when we live by the wisdom of the world, what happens is the Bible becomes mere suggestion, which a majority, a large a large part of the church lives with the scriptures as suggestion. And it's unacceptable in the Christian life.

And so now somebody hurts me or sins against me, I stop seeing their eternity at hand. Mad in the moment. I respond from what I feel.

And it becomes all about me. So now I need to prove that I'm right, that I'm better, that I'm bigger, that I'm stronger, that I'm And Jesus is like, you're like, who is that even? We may call ourselves Christians, but a Christlike life looks like something.

And you and I do not get to redefine what Christlikkeness looks like. It just doesn't matter what what you and I think in that regard. And so then when I become my own God, Jesus becomes a figure of my imagination that is there to serve me.

And so in a moment if it's convenient to forgive, I'll forgive. If it's inconvenient, then the figure of my imagination call, I call Jesus. He says it's good for this time not to forgive.

But the Jesus of the Bible never allows it. Okay? So you hear what I'm saying?

I told you it might be a little bit intense. Um so James describes so then he continues and he says but the wisdom from above the wisdom from heaven it's pure which means somebody hurts me and my affection for them remains pure and uncorruptible because it stems from the heart of Jesus. It's peaceable.

They hurt me I come back with peace. The Bible says in Romans 12 as long as it is up to up to you make peace with everybody. Again not a suggestion.

So, if you and I were to take Jesus at his word, if we were to take the scriptures for face value, if you're mad at anyone or anyone is mad at you, you would leave here tonight, you would send a text or give a call or tomorrow morning, whenever, and be like, "Hey, the Bible says as long as it is up to me to make peace with everyone." So, I'm calling to say that I forgive you or please forgive me. >> Amen. >> And that's not optional.

And right now for some of you, you're rationalizing all the reasons why you don't want to do that or why that person doesn't deserve it. Thank Jesus right now that he didn't think that way when he was hanging on a cross for you. >> That he didn't think rationally and think, well, you know what?

All the sin they committed, I came here. I I healed their sick. I raised their dead.

I fed them when they were hungry. I gave them living water. I taught them and they still sin against me.

You know what? I'm out of here. All of us would be in big trouble.

But when the scriptures say in Romans 12, as long as it is up to you, make peace with everyone, it means that you you have to humble yourself. for all of us. I'm not just talking to an individual.

Myself, too. If I've wronged someone or someone has wronged me, what the Bible teaches me is not a suggestion. If it is, then I don't believe in the in the Jesus of the Bible.

I believe in a Jesus of my imagination. And that Jesus has no power to save. So James says he he gives them these two explanations of wisdom.

You know, it's like uh he gives them detailed explanation of wisdom. And then he says this in chapter 4:1. He says, "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?

Is it not this that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.

You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?

Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. So, you know, imagine I I gave you two descriptions and I said I said there's one uh vehicle of transportation. It's got two wheels.

It's got a uh it's got handlebars. It's got pedals. Um it's got a little bell on it.

And then another form of transportation has four wheels. And it's made of metal. It's got an engine in it.

It can hit over 100 m an hour. It's intended to seat multiple people. If I show you a picture of a bike, you're like, "Yeah, that's the bike.

We know which one you were talking about with the two wheels and with the four wheels, right?" >> Okay. James is doing the same thing. He describes he describes earthly wisdom and then he describes heavenly wisdom.

And then he goes, "And here are your actions. And based on your actions, what wisdom are you living in?" It's more of a rhetorical question. He knows they're living in worldly wisdom.

So he's like, "You guys live within worldly wisdom." And this is this is kind of a this is the portion I want to get to for us to understand first Peter chapter 1. So watch. He says, "Or do you ver uh verse 5, chapter 4 of James.

Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the scriptures say he yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us? But he gives more grace. Therefore, it says God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

So watch this. So this this is a this is the point of of what I'm uh the point I'm trying to make here. James confronts people within the church for the twisted way of life that they were living.

And then real when he says when he says, "Do you suppose that it is for no purpose?" The scripture says he earns jealousy over the spirit he's made he has made to dwell us. What he's saying is when you and I gave our lives to Jesus, God sealed us with his promised Holy Spirit. That's what Ephesians 1 teaches.

which means that when you gave your life to to to Jesus, you were stamped for sal with salvation by the Holy Spirit. And so he's saying, listen, God, even though you're living in this place of brokenness and worldly wisdom, God yearns for you. He loves you.

He cares for you. And so why don't you come and submit yourselves to him? Why don't you come and humble yourselves before him?

Because if you come to him, what you will find is that there is grace available for you. Grace is the supernatural. You you'll find the definition, the biblical definition of grace in Titus 2:1.

It says, "The grace of God is the ability. It's the power that enables you to say no to unrighteousness, to brokenness, to the sins of the world, and yes to the righteousness truth of Jesus Christ." So grace is the power at work in you and I to make us look like Jesus. So he's saying when he's like you guys are living in this sin in worldly wisdom but come and repent and there's grace for those who repent.

So he says submit yourselves to God resist the devil and he will flee. This is it's not a a man named Dan Mohler says he says this is not a a two-step process. This is a one-step process.

You submit to God and in submission there's a resistance of the devil. But again, what I want to uh call it out a little bit here is submission to God looks like something. >> You and I don't get to define submission.

>> Submission is not a prayer prayed. Submission is a life devoted to his instruction. >> So watch this.

>> [sighs] >> If I take Jesus at his word and I obey, what I find is that if I told the lie, the way to repent for a lie and to submit myself to God is to go tell the truth and clear it up. If I went and I stole something from someone, I don't just say I'm sorry. Repentance isn't saying I'm sorry.

Sorry just means I feel sorrowful for what I did. If I took everything you have and I came back to you and I said, "Listen, I'm serious. I am so sorry." You'd be like, "I'm serious, too.

Where's my stuff?" [laughter] You wouldn't care about how bad I feel. You would want your stuff back. And so when you say, "I'm sorry," you're just saying, "I feel bad." Great.

Do something about it. And so if I steal something, for me to repent isn't just to say, "I'm sorry." I go back and I return what I stole and return it with interest if I have to. If I have an addiction and I'm struggling with an addiction, the scriptures teach that you confess your sins.

And so now, if I'm if I'm dealing with an addiction, I turn to leadership. I turn to people within the church and I'm like, "Hey, I'm struggling with this sin. I'm struggling with this addiction." Because we've probably all been there before.

You told the lie and you know you have to tell the truth now. You're like, and you're like, man, if I go and I tell them that I was lying and it's so embarrassing and they and I'm going to look so stupid and the pride thing comes up. You should have thought about that before you did what you did.

But when you realize, I want my life to look like Jesus. When there's a revelation of the Christ, you're like, man, I lied. I need to go and tell the truth.

And I'm going to look really silly and really dumb for a moment here, but I want to submit myself to the Christ. I want to submit myself to God. And all of a sudden, as I as I tell the truth and as I clear this part of my life up and I repent, naturally, what begins to happen is there's a resistance in my life to the lies of the enemy.

And if I'm dealing with an addiction, which there's probably many of you in the room who are, if I'm dealing with an addiction, you can use the wisdom of the world that says like, "Nah, nobody needs to know. I'll figure it out. I'll uh, you know, it's not that big of a deal." And you can make up all the excuses you want.

But in the scriptures, what you find is that is that it teaches us it it's later on in James in chapter 5 is confess your sin to one another. And so repentance looks like, hey, yeah, I'm bound to this thing and I want freedom. I'm I want it in Jesus and here's the way here's the places that I'm struggling and aching in my life.

And what happens is grace meets you. It it's it's a humbling thing to do to come to come to somebody and be like, "Hey, I'm addicted to XYZ. I struggle with XYZ." It's a humbling thing to do, but it it is submission to the scriptures because God says in the scriptures, the scriptures teach us that you confess your sins to one another.

And so now when I when I push past earthly wisdom that says it's embarrassing, it's awkward, and I step into heavenly wisdom, God's wisdom that confounds the wise. I turn to him. I repent for a sin I committed.

And then I come to a pastor or a leader, a close person in my life. And I'm like, "Hey, these are the things that I'm working through. Would you pray with me?" And grace meets you in humility.

It meets you there as you humbly posture yourself before God. And all of a sudden, you start building a resistance towards the enemy, towards the scheme of the enemy because you humbled yourself and submitted yourself to God. >> Is this making sense?

Okay. >> So he says, "Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee." So in my submission to God, I I build up resistance towards the devil.

And then he flees. In other words, then he tries to provoke me to my addiction and I'm like, I'm too far gone in Jesus, bro. Like But resistance of the devil is only built through submission with God.

But submission with God, you do not you and I do not get to decide what that looks like. And so when he says turn the other cheek, it doesn't you it doesn't matter what excuse you have. That's what the Bible says.

That's what Jesus says when he says to not go to bed angry at anyone. Again, you some of you, you probably have somebody something that comes to mind and you're making every excuse in your head right now for why it's all right to do that. And I would I would challenge you with show me a Bible verse.

The Christian life, the instruction of the Bible is not mere suggestion. When God gives us instruction, he says, "Submit, humble yourselves and submit." And when you submit, what you're doing is you're drawing, that's why he says, "Draw near to God and he will draw near you." He said, he's saying when you submit yourself to God humbly in humility, you are drawing near to God. And the promise of God is that anytime you draw near to him, he will always draw near to you.

Amen. >> You see that in the in the parable of the prodigal son. He made up his mind and he came running towards the father and not knowing if he's worthy to approach.

And the father was like, "Oh, I I will I will make sure we make contact." But the affection of the heart was geared in that direction. Okay. So, I just drew this like a point for you, a picture of a point.

And now I want to reread 1 Peter chapter 1:22. So you we're reading this with the with the we're reading with this principle in mind is that there there's a requirement of submission to Jesus to his instruction and his word and when I submit to him something happens. So he says, "You have purified or having purified your souls by obedience to the truth." In other words, there's some pure there's measures of purity in Jesus that you will only find when you obey his instruction and you cannot change it.

And so Peter is saying, listen, Jesus died for you. He's done. He accomplished the finished work of the cross is done.

He He laid his life down for you. He made himself available to you. And now you just purify yourself by obeying what he's instructed you to do.

Everything is done. You just obey what he's instructed you to do. And you purify, you purify your souls by the obedience of truth.

And you learn a sincere brotherly love. And so now my heart is purified where I no longer live in the worldly wisdom where it's earthly, sensual, and demonic and all about me. I now live in the wisdom where my life is devoted to serving the body of Christ because of my deep love for Jesus.

>> Amen. So for some of you, I would I would I would encourage you to to ponder, sit with the Lord, ask yourselves a question as some of the issues I'm struggling with when it comes to purity, not just sexual purity, but the motive of the heart, the the ways of life that you conduct, is it because is it because of the body, the blood, and his testimony? Is it enough?

Or is it because I've chosen to live a lesser way of life hoping that one day something will change? Because I want to remind you, it's like Jesus loves you so much. Like we're all in the we're all in this room because we had some touch of heaven where we realized how loved we are by him and how much we love him and how much we want to know him.

And I like and I'm like I don't want to live my life saying I love Jesus and then rejecting what he's called me into. Rejecting his instruction and his word and obedience to him. You can't call someone your Lord, Savior, and Master and then when they give you instruction, you decide whether they're worthy to follow it or not.

Like I I hope you hear my heart in this. Like I don't I don't I certainly don't mean to condemn. like I'm not I don't want anyone to leave here tonight and feel bad like, you know, condemned and like I'm a horrible person.

It's not that at all. But but sometimes when we live in perspectives that do not align with the scriptures, you can go your whole life giving yourself an excuse to not let something go or forgive someone or be honest about your sin and be stuck there until until your death. >> And I'm like, why?

The finished work is done. Let Jesus receive the reward of his suffering in you. >> Which looks like sometimes being like, "Hey, yeah, I struggle with addiction.

I struggle with sin. I struggle with whatever." And here's me in my my little life in my little mess. And what I know to be true is that God could with one breath with one breath, he breathes into a person and that person's life is transformed.

>> Amen. And then you realize like what a lie of the enemy it was to like you know live in this shame and like you know you like you're struggling with this addiction that like 90% of people struggle with and 90% of people remain there because they have the same issue is this fear and shame thing. But when you see Jesus, you're like, I may be struggling with a sin, but it's not who I am.

If somebody with cancer walked into the room, none of us would be like, there's cancer. Cancer just walked into the room. That person is cancer.

All of us would recognize there's a person who has cancer, but the person is separate from the disease. >> And the son or daughter of God in this room is separate from the sin that they're struggling with. >> Amen.

Okay, I I think I made my point. Scripture is not suggestion. And I hope you wake up tomorrow morning and if there's somebody you're angry at or you can't forgive or and that internally your spirit man is just like trying to get get out of that box that you've put him in and like, "Hey, forgive.

Let go. Repent. Call them.

Tell them you're sorry. Tell them you forgave them. Clean this thing up.

Let's look like Jesus. I hope that's what happens tomorrow. Having purified uh 1 Peter chapter 1:22.

Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love. In other words, that you can demonstrate the love of Jesus for your brothers and sisters. That that you can express the love of Christ.

Love one another another earnestly from a pure heart. In other words, I cannot love you if I do not know Jesus. Purity is found in the Christ.

>> I cannot even fully love you because excuse me, I cannot even fully demonstrate the love of Jesus to you if I'm not faithful in generosity and giving to our church. We're all gathered here because we've all contributed to what God is building in the room. And if I don't if if I don't honor, if I don't honor what God's doing in the room, if I don't give, what I what I remove myself is from the purity of who Jesus is, who he in nature is generosity.

He is he he's the greatest example of giving. Like to be really frank with you and real. And I'm well, I'm almost done here.

I could probably talk longer, but I I want to uh yeah, to be frank with you, there's many of you who are walking in here week in week out and you enjoy you you bask in what God's doing in the room and you have not done you have not lifted a finger to contribute to what God's doing in the room. And the faithful ones who are faithful in their tithing and their generosity, who are faithful, they come early to stack the chairs and make sure the room is clean. And they stay late, excuse me, they they come early to to set up the chairs.

They stay late to stack the chairs. They take out the trash that you throw your stuff into. They serve freely, willingly onto Jesus.

You come and you receive of what somebody else is putting their blood, sweat, and tears to build onto Jesus. like within in American like in America within the church there's actually within the church statistically there's only about 25% of people who faithfully tithe and then there's about uh it's like 40 45 to 50% who give anything at all and then the rest come and enjoy the fruit of what all the all the others are laboring for and in the moment right now, yeah, it's not fair. But one day when I stand before Jesus and he looks at my heart, I can reflect him right back because I forgave when when somebody hurt me.

I turned the other cheek in moments of pay. I I gave faithfully my generosity. I I served the Lord and I served his people at church and and I gave my life over to him and one day I'll stand before him and he'll look and he'll say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Faithful servant.

You meaning you did what I asked you to do. Not faithful servant. You prayed a prayer.

Christianity looks like something. What separates a Christian from someone in the world? It should be the way of life.

Okay. I So love one another earnestly from a pure heart. I cannot love the people around me with purity of heart if I don't know Jesus.

He is purity itself. since so he's saying love one another with pure heart because remember you've been born again and no now you no longer belong of a perishable seed in other words now you no longer are rooted in the wisdom of the world you are now born of the imperishable seed through the living and abiding word of God so he's like listen you ha you it's not that you have to you get to look like the Christ because you are born of his seed and you are born into this you look like him through the living and abiding word of God. So, in other words, you and I demonstrate the imperishable seed when somebody hurts you and you forgive them and you turn the other cheek and you're faithful in your giving and and you love the people around you and you serve the church.

You care for the lost. Your heart breaks for for those who are broken and addicted. So through the living and abiding word of God and then he's basically saying like because if you don't listen all flesh is like the grass in all its glory like the flowers of grass.

The grass withers and the flower falls but the word of the Lord remains forever. In other words, he's saying you can live the way that you want and one day you'll find is that everything you gave your life to was was for the temporary. None of it had eternal significance.

But if you follow the word of the Lord, but the word of the Lord remains forever. In other words, when I turn the other cheek for someone who hurt me, that that action will will echo for eternity of the testimony of the Christ. It will speak of the goodness of Jesus.

>> And so he's like, listen to this abiding and living word because when you obey him, you look like him and his word lives on for all eternity. It's not like the flowers of the grass that will wither and fall. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

So he's saying, "And the good news that I'm talking about is the cross." He points it right back to Jesus. Can you come help me? I'm almost done here.

>> [snorts] >> In other words, it's almost like he's tying he's he's sharing he's sharing a hard truth and then he ties it at the end to say, "But this is good." Is it hard to confess your sin? Is it embarrassing? Yeah.

Is it hard to forgive those who hurt you? Yeah. Is it hard to turn the other cheek sometimes?

Yes. Is it hard to go and apologize to someone that you hurt? Yes.

But if I don't do those things, my life is not onto anything eternal. But when I do those things, when I obey the scriptures the way that Jesus has asked us to, the way that he called us to, what happens is I come to look like him. I build a resistance towards the scheme of the devil, of the enemy.

And all of a sudden, everything that I do has eternal purpose. >> Does that make sense? You guys hear what I'm saying?

>> Like if there's anything you walk away with here tonight, I'm not saying you, you know, we all make mistakes. And even let's say you wake up tomorrow morning and you know exactly who you need to forgive or who you need to call and it you know and you sit on it for like 3 days and finally you break and you're like okay fine I'll do it God. I'm like that's something to rejoice over because yesterday you wouldn't even thought about it and today you remember the word of God the scriptures and you're like okay I I need to surrender to this thing.

And so again, I I I want to remind you is like, you know, I know it's kind of sharp or maybe aggressive or assertive, but Jesus loves you so much. And he teaches us what he teaches us not because he's trying to like be harsh with us or he's just saying there's there come come be of my business. Come partake of the kingdom.

come experience the finished work of why I hung on the cross. If I knew where of like an unlimited money tree somewhere and then you know you found out that I knew 30 years later you'd be like bro why don't you say anything and I'm like well it's like a hike to get there like and you're like dude it's worth [music] it in a similar way it's like it's like I don't want us to be ignorant of what exists obviously in the scriptures and we all come to God and we pray for breakthrough and we pray for miracles and we pray for stuff. But all of those things, they're not just like it's not magic.

It doesn't just like appear. It's a life surrendered to his truth. Healing is a is a is a nature of his truth who is the truth.

And so either I believe in the truth and I experience the truth or I pray a prayer, I say something that I don't believe in and my life is not devoted to and then I get upset as to why why I didn't see what I wanted to see. The benefits of the cross are available to anybody and everybody. Amen.

>> A life is of devotion determines the measure in which we experience his [music] the fruit of his spirit. And so instead of like in you know certainly instead of feeling uh like oh man there's so much I have to work on and this is so hard and whatever I would encourage you in the m stop and and remember that God isn't condemning you because of mistakes we've made. He's reminding us of what is available in him.

And so be encouraged even even today. Be encouraged that oh man that's right. These are truths that I get to live in.

I'm a Christian. This is a kingdom that I get to partake of. like you heard like change the perspective because sometimes we can kind of condemn ourselves into but remember that the Christ if you abide in him if you abide in Jesus he the nature of his fruit [music] becomes our nature it becomes natural to us so do not be led by the wisdom of the world which is earthly sensual and demonic may we be a people who are led by our devotion to Jesus Jesus.

>> Amen. >> Amen. >> Team, why don't you come up?

What I want to do is um I asked them to go into a specific song and and I want I I just want us to like you don't even have to necessarily worship meaning like sing along with the song but I do want you to turn your affection to Jesus. And for all of us, whether something comes to mind or not, what I want us to ask for in prayer as we worship is is Jesus, confront areas of my life that don't look like you yet. Especially if [music] if I've made excuses to validate a way of life that isn't in line with the scriptures.

I want like I I want all of us to to [music] think and to excuse me to engage the Lord from this perspective because if we're going to be a holy consecrated church onto Jesus, we we don't we we don't want to choose what portion of scriptures we obey. We we didn't [music] we didn't commit to following some instructions. We committed to following Jesus wherever he goes.

Amen. >> Amen. >> Okay.

So, I'm going to ask you to stand up. We're not going to take much longer. But I I do ask please, please.

This is a horrible time to disengage from the heart of the Lord. Set your affection on him. >> [music] >> I see it clear [singing] now.

You're all around me [music] and every little thing. Where [music] can I go now to flee your presence? [music] There's nohere [singing] you won't be.

Oh, I [music] see it clear [singing] now. You're all around me and [music] every little thing. Where [music and singing] can I go now?

To flee your [music] presence. There's nohere you won't be. To hear [music] your voice, to call you friend, to know [music and singing] your thoughts.

How rare, how beautiful. You're [music] with me here. I feel you breathing.

You're [music] closer [singing] than I thought was possible. So [music] I'll rest right here with [music] you. So [music] I'll rest right [singing] here with you.

Oh [music] with my father. So I'll [singing] rest right [music] with you. So always right [music and singing] with you right [music] with my father [music] with >> [music] >> Breathtaking wonder [singing] in every [music] color you're showing [singing] off to me.

You come like [music] thunder, then a gentle whisper. [music] You're found in [singing] everything. Breathtaking [music] color in every [music] color.

You're showing off to me. You come like [music] thunder, then a gentle whisper. You [music] found [singing] everything.

To hear [music and singing] your voice, to call you friend, to know your [singing] thoughts. [music] How rare, how beautiful [music] you're with me [singing] here. I feel you breathing.

You're closer than I thought was [music] possible. To hear [singing] your voice. To call you friend.

[music] To know your [singing] thoughts. How red, how beautiful you're with [music] me [singing] here. I feel you breathing.

You're closer than [singing] I [music] thought was possible. So I'll rest right [singing] [music] with you. >> [music] >> So I'll rest right [singing] here with you.

[music] So I'll rest right [music] here with you with my father. [music] So I'll rest right [music and singing] here with you. Who is my father?

Who is my father? [music] I [music] was seen and I know I'm loved by my father. Seen [music] I know I'm [singing] loved by my father.

I'm [music] seen. I'm [singing] loved by my father. God [music] my [singing] father God my father [music] I've seen I know I've loved [singing] by my father [music] seen I know I'm [singing] loved by my father I've seen [music] I know I'm [singing] loved by my father by [singing and music] my Father God my father I'm seen I know I'm love [singing] [music] by my father seen [singing] I know I'm loved by [music] my father I've seen I know I'm [music and singing] loved by my father by my >> [music and singing] >> Father God my father I see I know I'm love by my father [music] I know I'm love by my father [music] I'm love my mother by my Heat.

[music] My father [music] my father my [music] father my father [music] my father right [music] here So I [music] right here with you my father. [music] So I'll rest [music] right here with you. >> [music] >> So I with [music] you [music] and I see I see I >> [music] >> I love my father.

[music] Heat. [music] Heat. You are my father.

[music] >> [music] >> with [music] you. So I [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> I [singing] with you.

[music] Oh, so I right here [singing] with [music] you. And I won't ever leave your love. And >> so I [music] rise right here [singing] with [music] you.

>> And I will never leave your life. [music] I love you [music] with [singing] you. And I will never leave your love.

[music] I rest right here [music] with [singing] you and I will never leave your love. [music] So I'll rest [singing] right here [music] with you. I will never leave your love.

[music] >> You [singing] save me and I will [music] never leave your love. [music] >> Thank you, Jesus. >> You save me.

You save me. And I will never [music] leave your love. Oh, thank you, Lord.

[music] You save me. You [singing] save me. And I will [music] never leave your love.

Oh, thank you. Thank [music] you, Lord. Oh, you save [singing] me.

You save me. And I will never [music] leave your love. Thank you.

Thank you, Lord, [music] for you save [singing] me. You save me. [music] Now I will never leave your love.

[music] Oh, you [singing] save me. You save me. You save me.

Now I will never [music] leave your love. [singing] Oh, you saved me. You [music] saved me.

Now I will never [singing] leave your love. [music] And I'm in love. Now I'm in love.

I cannot [singing] remember what I was [music] doing before I met you. I've been captivated. >> [music] >> My love is save me.

I'm in love. I cannot remember [music] what I was doing before I met you. I captivated my [music and singing] [music] before you.

I capt [music] I cannot remember what I was doing before I met you. [music] I've been captivated. My love [music] save me.

Save me. You save me. You [music] save me.

Now I will never lose your love. >> [music] >> You save me. You save [music] me.

No. I will never leave your life. [music] You save me.

You save me. [music] You save [music] me. You [singing] save me.

You save your life. [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat.

[music] My love my father [music] my father my father [music] my father I see on [music] my father I see on My father [music] my father [music] [singing] my father by my father. So I'll [singing] rest [music] right here with you. [music] >> [music] >> So I'll rest right here [music] with you.

And >> so I'll rest >> Yeah. >> Right here with [singing] you. So I rest right here with [music] you, Jesus.

[music] We we thank you that we find our our [music] hope and our joy, our peace and our rest in you. And we thank you for the gift it is to be called children of God. But for a for us as a church, Lord, for us as a [music] church, we do not want to be treated as as as kids, God.

We want to grow to be mature, to be of our father's business. [music] And so I ask Lord for us this week, tomorrow morning, even tonight if there's [music] areas of our lives that need to be submitted to the instruction and direction of your word where we yield ourselves in obedience for the sake of [music] purity that you would give us deep conviction. We expose ourselves, God.

we open ourselves up to to your conviction, to your leadership, and purify [music] us as a church. Purge us, Lord, of lesser things. Prune us with the sword of your spirit and and [music] fill us, God, that with the seed of your spirit that what would grow in inside of us and through us would be the fruit of your spirit, God.

the the truth of the gospel. We want to know you. We want to know the living [music] Christ, the living word, the word that is eternal, the good news that our lives would [music] bear something, Lord, that would speak for eternity of your testimony.

Find for yourself a [music] people in our church. Find for yourself a church here, God, that is devoted to the [music] instruction of your word. Where we will not compromise the gospel [music] for our convenience.

Where we will not redefine truth because it's comfortable. [music] And we will where we will honor the living Christ, Jesus Christ of Nazareth of the Bible, above [music] our own understanding. Do that within us, God.

I thank you for keeping our hearts soft and tender, [music] that we are your children, that there is nothing to be condemned over. There's nothing to be upset over. In fact, we have a joy in this that everything you instruct us in the word, you [music] provide grace for us to step into.

And so we thank you for your mercies, your compassion, and your love for us. Have your way in us, Jesus. We love you.

We give you all of the glory and honor. And in your name [music] we pray. Amen.

>> Amen. Please, [applause] I hope you hear my heart in in the context of of what we're [music] teaching is discipline and correction is also part of God's love for us. And so if it came across really assertive or aggressive like it's because I I just I I want us to not have area room for compromise.

Amen. And well, we love you guys. We thank you for being with us tonight.

Please uh drive home safely. Uh our prayer team will be up here at the front. If you need prayer for anything, we're happy to stand with you.

Otherwise, drive safe. We will either see you on Thursday or next Sunday. Have a good night.