Raised To Life Starts Now (Not Later) - Heaven Part 12

0:00 Good morning, guys. You give up this fantastic worship team in Bay, Chile in here yet? Well, if you come this up, it was like 73 with heat on. It was like, let's turn it down a little bit. They turned down a little bit. So we're going to turn up a little bit. So anyway, yeah, if I'm cold, I know you're cold. So anyway, man, we're going to talk about heaven for all eternity. Amen. This is the 11th week in our series of heaven. And I'll be honest with you, I've never preached an 11 week series before. I'm loving it. So if you're not loving it, I'm sorry. We're going to keep preaching it. So it's going to happen, all right, But I want to celebrate a few things for a jump in one.

0:45 Last week was our Life group Community week and we had over 50 first time guests come to our community week. Is that awesome? It's awesome and they're in different groups, had different number of tents and everything, but it was just cool to see people that don't even normally come to our church. Just friends, family, grandparents, kids show up to groups and really get connected. There was really no agenda just to hang out and just just to feel the Spirit of God and get connected to God's people. I just know overtime usually works like this. Give it two months, six months, a year or whatever and they'll say, man, I, they'll visit, they'll visit again. They'll say, man, I came one time. It's just like life group thing. I was like community week. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I was at that thing. It's just how God works this through relationships.

1:25 So thank you guys for inviting out. Can you give it up for those who came out to this that aren't normally going to life groups? I want to say a huge thank you guys are inviting. I know you might have invited. And you're like, man, they didn't show up. Hey, it happened to me too. Amen But you, you know, we're not charging people coming in charge of just planting seed. Amen. So some plants, some water and God brings increase. It's just not about them getting to a thing, but just let you know, like that God is still moving. I mean, one week, all these different guests, I keep thinking like, what would happen if we got behind Easter just a little bit? It'd be crazy, right? I mean, last year we had just shy of 600. We, we didn't that's, that's insane. By the way, OK, we, we sent no Mailer. There's just an ad on, you know, just like a video online, right? Like we're, we're, it's just you guys bringing people. Amen.

2:10 Like some guys spend lots and lots of money on Facebook. We do not. And it's you guys, right? And so I will say thank you guys to our inviting and you know, it'll pay off. And so just keep inviting and just ultimately that they find Jesus, right? I mean, be praying for them. It's really not about coming here, but then getting to Christ. But also say thank you to our life group team and our life group of leaders. There's a lot of work that behind the scenes for this. It's our first time ever. So give it up for them as well. Lot of effort. My house was was something different. I usually run, I don't know, we had like 14 or 12 or something and there was 44 people that showed up and it was 31° high weather a last Monday. You guys remember that? It was great. And I was like, no, Nope, deflatables aren't going to come.

2:53 No, we're not going to do a backyard BBQ. We're out in the like we're going to cram my house. And I felt so bad. I don't know who it was, but there was a it was a grandma there and she's at the kitchen table and there's just you couldn't get through anywhere, you know, and she was at the table and she was like this. I was like, this is a bad representation of church in Jesus, but we'll do better. Lord give us better weather. Amen. It was crazy. So anyway, today is just going to be a good day. I've been inviting people to Easter. There's a lady that I'm working on we've mentioned before we keep praying for her names Heather and just come through huge burn church experience and I'm just praying she comes out just put another bug in here last week. And then there's some guys in my neighborhood, some some families that used to come that haven't come a while.

3:34 And I'm also working on a barbecue joint in more so getting them out as well. So anyway, just be inviting and see what God can do. Amen. Just don't know how like one relationship can change somebody's life. And it's just a simple, simple invite. I want to give a huge shout out real quick before we jump in. There's a family of church. I don't know if you familiar with the term like a shut in family, like there's health concerns. They really can't get out. They can't come here on Sundays, can't go to life groups. They have a lot of like they're small things, but big to them. And so a couple of our guys this week and, and if you ask them, they, they would tell you straight up, they did not do a whole lot, which they didn't. There was like 10 or 15 minutes, but they made time and showed up and they're committed to go there every single month. And they show up this lady's house and this is what she said. She said what a godsend. She was so excited and she really said this and I couldn't believe it.

4:17 I'm blessed beyond my wildest dreams. You guys make dreams come true last week, wildest dreams are like this. They showed up for for 10 or 15 minutes and hung out and then make commitment. I'm going to be here. Whatever it is, right, Moving things, picking up things. They're they're just not in that stage of life. They can do certain things. And so I want you to give a big shout out big real life. Thank you to Bruce Cornell and to Mike Baker. I know where he's at, but I see Bruce back here. So thank you guys for doing that. Feel like why you clapping man? I was there 10 minutes. But for Jesus, Amen. And it makes a big difference. She felt so the word is covered, right? You ever felt uncovered like nobody, nobody sees me, nobody knows I'm there, Nobody's praying for me.

4:57 And what you get to do is show up and just cover people with your love and and your grace and your servanthood. And we got to get really good at that. Amen. There's a church that just gets involved in people's lives. So thank you guys for that. It really means me a lot. Means a lot. Well, today we're jumping in. We're going to talk about heaven, but we're going to take a different spin on it. I've been praying all week. We're going to tive into this idea of baptism. And I'm praying that your baptism, you're so moved by what it truly means, will actually change how you live on earth, your baptism. So it's going to be a little different. You can be like, where are we going with this? And you're going to see it's going to be awesome. So this is dedicated to those you guys may be wondering about baptism. You may grew up in church and your whole life and going, I'm not sure what this really is. There's so many variations of it out there. Maybe didn't grow up in church, Like that's just weird. And be like that little weird. That was me growing up.

5:39 I didn't grow up in church. I was like, why would people do this weird thing, right? You may think it's just a symbol, the past. You may not know what to think of it. So we're going to dive into that. Maybe you're here today and you know what it is, but you're on the fence. Like, should I do this or shouldn't do this? Like, you know, is it gonna line out for some of you guys? You've been baptized and you're wondering like why you're still struggling. Like you're obedient to God. You're, you're faithfully fallen God. You're in the Bible. You do all the right things on the outside, but you just, there's just trials, right? There's things happening and you're wondering you might feel overwhelmed, you may feel like you're not enough. And these, these are all natural things. But I just want to give you today, like why it's happening. I'll give you a illustration of being overwhelmed, the tidbit of my life. We're a little behind anybody behind it. May got Christmas stuff up still. We're getting ready for next year. Amen.

6:24 Yeah, we're early. We're not late. Come on, somebody, you know, now the tree is down one of the trees. But I'll give you the why This is why this is. But if you go to my house, there's still a tree on the outside by my door. Anybody seen the tree by my door a little bit? OK, you know what I'm talking about. You're like, why is the Christmas thing still outside? Well, here's what happened. OK, we wait a little too long and it's a little birdies made a little nest in there and it was like eggs in the tree. I'm like, are you serious? Like Jesus put this bird to lay eggs in this tree. So I can't take this tree down, right? So it's just like committed to this tree. And yesterday there was bird poop all over my driveway and I was like, they have hatched. It is time.

7:06 It is time, right? The Lion King moment, right? There's just like, it was just so ironic. Like let's go take it down. It's like, oh, look, great, thank you. The Robin laid eggs and the Christmas decorations. That's a problem. Anybody like that little overwhelmed, little behind like that. Welcome to life. Amen. So we're talking about baptism. So how many guys have been baptized? Show hands real high show hands. How many baptized? Wow, dude, dude, nice dude. Give it up for a basement baptized. That's amazing. That's really good that wow, that's actually kind of impressive, right. And I got baptized. I was, I think I was 16 or 17 because I came to Christ at 15. It was not too long after, but I, I went to those churches. The, the pastor wore the black robe. You know what I'm talking about. And I must have like weight on the bottom because the thing would sink.

7:47 It wouldn't like float around like some weird thing. And he put waders on before he put the robe on. OK. And so he had like just hunter waders that went real high. It was really fun. If somebody was got him off kilter was leave it that way. And it'd fill up the water into the waders. You know what I'm talking about. So you'd be like, I was like, yeah, defeated, right. And he'd raise his hand. All right. And he'd say, because your faith and trust in the Lord, I'm not doing right, right. I baptize you, my brother. Come on, somebody. And then my father, son, the Holy Spirit buried lack of his death, right, just gets all into it, right. It's like because you're faith and trust, it's all this, raise your hand. And it's all very regiment. Anybody like that. It's just me, right, It's just me, it's just me. It's cool, right?

8:28 So so I was on staff. I got hired back on staff. I came to Christ, came back to the church, got hired staff. And of course, like first time baptizing, I get a youth pastor like, hey, baptized these youth kids, like, you know, whatever. And so I go up there and like by the power vested in me, by the way, that's how you finished the wedding, right? So I was like, we're doing a wedding right now, you know, And I was like, what? I was no recovery. I was like, Bruce getting baptized three times. You sent it, right? Oh, man, I'll hold down longer if I need to. Amen. You just tell me you going to baptize your family? Do lectures a couple seconds under? There it is. But anyway, so I know your experiences with baptism, but that was my experience. The black robe, right, Thank God. I mean, maybe you like that kind of thing, but thank God we're not into that. OK, Like we're we've retired the black robe, you know, I mean, now we have swim trunks.

9:15 It's great. But anyway, we used to say this all time baptism. We trampled that word. Baptism is an outward expression of an inward transformation. Have you heard that before? Most of us, I mean, some of y'all like that's the first time we heard that right. But we, we talk about this symbol like if something happened in your past, you can do it because Jesus got baptized because you followed his commands. And there's always reasons to get baptized. And I started thinking about this last week. I was like, man, this is a partial gospel. Remember last week we talked about a partial gospel. It's not the fullest of the gospel. That statement is only partially true. It is 100% true, but it actually leaves out the very best part of baptism. Like we don't get baptized just because, well, you came to Christ.

9:57 It's a symbol of you coming to Christ. It's just an outward symbol of an inward change. That's all we talk about, right? That's just the, I mean, it's just the Baptist world, right? But here's the reality of your baptism. It's actually actually a declaration that the resurrection life of Jesus lives in you. It's a declaration, so it's not looking back as like this happened then. It's a declaration now and where I'm going, that's what it says. You're buried likes of his death and you're raised to what newest life, right? It's you're going to live differently now. So I want to talk about what it is that heaven lived inside of you. Not this just this symbol, but a new identity in Christ that the resurrection isn't something that happened way back there or way out in the future actually happened in your life right here and right now. So if you got your Bible being in Colossians chapter 1 and we're going to start with Jesus, this what a great idea, Amen. We talk about Jesus at church.

10:49 And so Colossians chapter one, verse 15, it says this, the sun is the image of the what invisible God. You know, people kind of wonder what does God look like? What was what's his character? Who is he? And just look at Jesus, Amen. So I encourage you guys read the gospels, get in the book of John. If you wonder who God is, just look directly at Jesus. It says this. He is the first born of all creation. Now look at all these in hymns. For in Him all things were what things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, with their Thrones or powers or rulers or authority, all things have been created through Jesus. And for Jesus verse 17, He is before all things, there is again, and in Him all things hold together.

11:34 You guys heard of Laminin? It's a great message by Luke. You lamb and lacrosse holds everything together in your body. Look it up. It's Google it. OK, I'm not Louis. I'm not going to preach the message. OK, he's fantastic. But verse 18 and he is the head of the body, the church, and he's the beginning and the what says again, he's the first born from among the what among the dead. All right, just put that in your mind. We'll come back to it. This is an interesting statement. Here's the purpose. So that in everything he might have the supremacy, the supremacy of Christ. Brett sent me a video yesterday he saw on Facebook and it was a it was about Judas like betraying Jesus. And it says Satan ere and him at the, at the Lord's supper.

12:16 And then Jesus says to Judas, he says, whatever you do, do it quickly. But they made the point that he wasn't actually talking to Judas. He was actually talking to Satan inside of Judas that Satan himself had to get permission from Jesus to, to to betray him and put him on the cross. That's pretty good, isn't it? And I text Brett back. I said, Amen. This is the supremacy of Christ. He has all authority. Jesus is not even crucified without Jesus himself giving authority and permission to save himself to even do it. Amen. That's God. So it says this verse 19 for God was pleased to have been all his to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him to reconcile himself all things were things on earth or things in heaven by making peace through his blood shed on the cross. Can I get an Amen.

13:09 That's good. That's good news for all of us and that Jesus in charge of everything the creation. So verse 18 he's the beginning and the first born among the dead. Now this is this is really interesting thought. What does it mean? There's a first born among the dead? Because the natural answer is like, well, he rose again, but but he was not the first person to raise from the dead. Chronologically. There's other people. So you got to go all the way back to Old Testament, go first King 17, you got to go to Elijah, and Elijah raises the widow's son from the dead. Then you got to go as protege, you got to go Elijah, and he raises the woman's son, and then Elijah dies. And we sang this song, guys, no rattle. And you throw the dead man's body on the bones of Elijah, and he came back to life.

13:54 So there's three right there in the Old Testament. Then you have Jarius's daughter, that Jesus rose. OK. And then you have another woman, son, Those rose in Luke 7. And then you got to abort Lazarus. Come on, somebody. So. So now you've got six people that are raised from the dead. So it's not chronological. That's how we say it all. What? What it really is. Well, first of all, those other people, there's six people. They're actually raised to the same life. To the same life, they're in the same sin, the same brokenness, the same sin nature grave still has or death has a sting, grave has a claim. They're just raised back and go back. But Jesus is is something different. He's a prototype of heaven. He's the first person to actually be raised in the resurrection power.

14:37 And for him himself, the resurrection power of Jesus, Amen. He did something special on the cross. You know, we talked about Silent Saturday. We're going to get into this in a couple weeks, right? But Silent Saturday wasn't silent for Jesus. He he would, he was finding death, hell in the grave for us. And the Bible says in Revelation, he goes down to hell and he actually steals the keys of our salvation. So Jesus was busy, Amen. And so he roast the dead. He was the first type of a new family. He's a new origin, a new way of living. He's a leader of a resurrected humanity. And so it's a whole new kind of life where sin has no power, Amen, where death has no claim and grave has no future. He's the first crack of heaven into humanity. And so when Jesus rose from the dead, he's the first born from the dead.

15:24 And what's amazing about Jesus being the first born, wouldn't you think that there'd be a second born? Come on, somebody that Jesus started something. He was the very beginning of a resurrected life. Then there's a part of you that looks just like heaven. There's a part of you that is perfectly holy through Jesus. There's a part of you that was resurrected to life through Christ, Amen. So what this means is it means you're not who your mom and dad or your old friend, your ex says you were, Amen, That there's no nobody has power over you. Even sin doesn't have power over you, Amen. Now, I talked to a lot of Christians and it's like who can have the worst possible story by, you know, it's like you talk to him. It's like how you doing and you're like ready, like man, I love you brother, I'm praying for you, but I cannot sit here any longer than hear the saddest story in history, right, because you don't really want to step out and change. Just like moping.

16:22 And I'm like, man, as Christians, we should have the greatest story ever. The power of Jesus lives in US. Amen. And we're not defeated. So you know, you may take a a six month window of anybody's life when they're adult. And sadly, you can put it in any six months, the most of their life, and it looks very similar because they're not living under the power of Jesus or even through the power of Jesus. And so those old habits, even though they're dead to those habits, they're still living in the wrong way. So I'm about you, I'm excited. I'm maybe the like the, I don't know, make a number out five billionth person that you know what I mean? Like Jesus, the first born, I'm like the five billionth born. I have no idea, Amen. But I'm just glad I'm born. Amen. I mean, the Holy Spirit has changed my life. I'm resurrected to life just like Jesus. So what happened to us?

17:08 Let's dive through it. Romans chapter 6, this is probably the most prolific passage on baptism in the Bible. It says this as Paul speaking. He says, or do you not know that all of us, let me say all that's you and me, you know Jesus, OK, We're baptized into who? Christ Jesus. And we're baptized into his man. That sounds sexy, doesn't it? Baptized into his death. Like what? What does this even mean? And you know, it says then say you're baptized around Jesus or close to Jesus. We're actually baptized into Jesus. And it's so significant that we're united with Christ like this. The moment we called on Jesus as our Lord and Savior that we are actually baptized with Jesus.

17:50 That means that we are sharing in his life. We also share into his death and the the death the part of us that died with Jesus, we're crucified with Christ is no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives in US. We're joined in, we're connected to him. We're placed inside his life. We're also placed inside of his death. What's really cool is that his story is actually become our story. Now, if you, if you ever studied this, if you get a chance, you should and you can do it like real easily. You got Google chat, CPT all the different AIS, but you guys just go in and say, what are all the things that happened at the moment that I start a relationship with Jesus when I called Jesus when I got saved. What are all the things that changed? You guys would take a guess how many things changed the moment you called on Jesus.

18:31 There's, there's at least 25 major, major, major things that change. I mean, you're adopted as a son, you're forgiven, you're given a new identity. Your name is written in the Lamb's book of life. You're, you're made an heir to the throne. The Holy Spirit lives in you. The power of the Holy Spirit is on you. You're gifted in the church. You become part of the body of Christ. You're in the family believers. You're, you're a son or daughter of the king. I mean, just go on, on. Amen. And then thank you Jesus. And one of the things that happens is they're baptized into Jesus. We're united with Jesus fully. You know, some people think, well, Jesus is on the throne since the right hand, the Father, He's omnipresent, Amen. He's ever at all times, and he's in US.

19:12 You know, we think the Holy Spirit's not as well. Jesus is also in US. We're joined with him. So verse 4 says this. We therefore buried with him through the baptism into what? Into death in order that just as Jesus raised the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. That's when we get baptized. You said bury his death and resurrect your life, but that buried his death. Think about this. There's actually a part of you that died with Jesus. When you accepted Jesus, you got united with Christ and there's a sin nature. There's a authority over sin. There's a your spirit of God was buried by Jesus to death and was crucified and put to death. There's a part of you that no longer exists there. There's an old version of you that you no longer have. Amen.

20:02 You have a new identity. And this is so soul shaping because so many times I've been there that we live defeated or under a power that is no longer in charge of us. And I've seen so many conversations and and when people are full of anxiety and fear, we all have these these moments, but you have to look into it. And if something is making you fearful or have anxiety or you're worried or you're stressed, it has power over you. Amen. And I see so many grown men, they're still talking about something that happened 30-40 years ago and things they wish they were, and they're upset about all these things. I'm not saying it's right or like should happen that way, But the gospel truth is that your baptism and the resurrection power of God is far greater than anything else in your life. That that, that's the endless wall of God's grace. Amen.

20:49 And I think as a church, as men, as women of God, if we could just dive into the resurrected part of our life and the power of God through us, we can say, you know what, it wasn't right, it wasn't fair. But thank you, Jesus, that heaven lives in me. God, I'm living for the power of God that's through me. And that's a war we're going to talk about in a little bit. But just know positionally, you're forever changed. Your old identity is gone. You're no longer a slave to sin. There's a version of you that no longer exists. Verse 5 says this. For if we have been united with him and death like this, will we certainly be also united with him and the resurrection like his? For we know that our old self was crucified with him. Somebody say old self, dude, I'm so glad the old self is gone. Amen.

21:32 This old self that's buried, it's crucified, it's dead has no power over me. It's a memory of the past. And yes, we like to think it may still be there. And that old man that we have to say Jesus lives in your heart. But but grandpa lives in your bones, right? And we, we like to go back to the old man, but the old man is dead, Amen. He's gone. We, we sing so many great songs about this, by the way. But if we were to know that the old self was crucified with Jesus so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, anybody excited by ruled by sin is done away with. That mean you're absent from sin but has no power over you. It says that we should no longer be slaves of sin because anyone has died, has been set free from sin.

22:16 Can I get Amen. What it's saying is you're no longer a slave to sin. You're actually check this out. You're actually a slave to righteousness. Your dispensation has changed. That's how you know you know Jesus because when you sin, you actually feel conviction. It doesn't mean that you're not going to sin, but there's a conviction from God and it's not the conviction of you should do better and earn me. It is the conviction of son, I love you. Step into my grace, Amen. Step into the the the life I have for you. Quit choosing a path that's breaking you and breaking relationship. Step into the grace of God. I'll never leave you or forsake you. I've chosen you. You're my son or daughter and live in my power and strength. I have a far better life for you than you're putting out. Amen.

23:00 But so awful. We got our head down and Jesus said, no, I've already set you free. That's your baptism is a picture, It's a declaration. You're going to live from that cause. Verse 8 says this. Now if we've died with Christ, we believe that we'll also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again. Death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once and for all, but the life he lives, he lives to who Jesus is living to God. He died for our sin and he's choosing to live for God. Verse 11 in the same way, count yourselves what? Dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.

23:42 You didn't become a bad person becoming good, you're a dead person becoming alive. Don't forget it. Don't forget it because when you're, when you look in the mirror and you're like, oh, I'm too worried, I've got too much going on. I'm too afraid, like I'm not enough. And all these things we tell ourselves, all these inadequacies and all the shame. Hey, you got to look in the mirror and say, look, I'm dead to the old man and I'm living for Christ, not my power. Look, what was this say at the end of the verse? It says you're alive to God in Christ Jesus. It's Christ in you. Amen. Like I know we like to read self help books, you know, we've all done it. We read the books and like I'm going to become a better version of myself. Jesus made you a better version of yourself.

24:24 Amen. It's not that you have to be somebody different. You have to learn to walk in the ways of Jesus. You have to walk in the Spirit's power. You have to walk differently through Christ, knowing that sin's not your master, that you're dead, but the party is resurrected just like Christ. So you might ask the question like, why do we still battle, right? Anybody in the battle right now? Show of hands. Just one person. Just it. This should be called Victory Church. Amen. Victory Church. You show up on Easter side. We preach victory. Not nobody has battles in this church. We have won them all, baby. Thank you for your honesty, John. The rest of you need to pray. I probably just put you to sleep, But it's all right. We'll blame you guys.

25:06 I'm just kidding. Oh, man. So why do we still battle, right? We're all in a battle. We all have trials. I mean, it just you don't take very long to talk about somebody to see that, right? And may feel like you keep losing or you feel adequate, you even desire to do the right thing and then you mess up like you want to do it and then it doesn't work. And you might have been saved, baptized, gone to church, read the Bible in the disciple making groups. You might be on staff. You might all the things right. And then you're like, man, I just don't look like Jesus. Still, there's a pardon me and there's rule is just so heavy and you feel a little defeated. And so there's a verse you might know it, but Matthew 2641. It says this the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Man, I love that. You know, when you get a little more jacked up and you can't do something right and you're like, man, the spirit's willing, but the flesh is weak.

25:51 Like I just can't do what I used to do, right? But the reality, what's talking about is there's desire inside your soul, your spirit, it's resurrected, it's pure, it's holy. Think about this, for the Holy Spirit to live in you, you actually have to part of you that actually has to be perfectly holy. Think about it. The Holy Spirit cannot take up residence in something that's not set apart to him fully. And so the God of the universe, when he resurrected, when Jesus resurrected, he gave us a part of ourselves so the Holy Spirit can enter into the first time. That's what makes you different than all the rest of the Old Testament, all these rest of the people who raised from the dead, their body was raised, but Jesus raised our soul to life and the Holy Spirit now lives in it.

26:32 And that spirit is willing. It's calling us, it knows, but he's saying Sean don't, right? And he's speaking to us and he's drinking us. But the flesh is weak. And So what you have is a war, right? You, you, you, you got the, the Spirit of God and the flesh of man and they're warring to each other. And you might like wonder like man, why am I, why am I still struggling? It's because you're in a battle, Amen. You're in a real battle, like legit part of you is the Holy Spirit and looks perfect like Jesus. It will not be changed when you go to heaven because it's already been resurrected. Amen. What does heaven look like, right? Resurrected soul, resurrected body with a resurrected Jesus, with a resurrected earth. That's heaven, Amen. And there's a part of you that already looks just like heaven. Hallelujah.

27:17 Praise God like we're partly there and that part of us we have to let shine through the rest of us. The Spirit's resurrected, but the flesh is still being renewed. So you got the old man versus new man, right? But the good news is this, the resurrection power lives in you. So chapter 8, Romans 8, verse 11, it says the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is where living in you. There you go, there you go. It says He's living just in your pastor. The Holy Spirit is living just in the past. So many people put pastors on this pedestal, like, like they're the only Holy Spirit in the room, Amen. Like you're just like, oh, the pastor's professional pastor.

27:58 You have enough of God to look just like God. Amen. You. I get to encourage you. I get to shepherd you. I get to teach you. But ultimately you have the greatest teacher and shepherd and leader who lives in you, the Holy Spirit of God, Amen. They say the Holy Spirit lives in a church building or the Holy Spirit just lives in the Bible. Does it? Does it say that? I mean, we, we, we, but think about how we live though, right? Like we were like, OK, bitch, I just know enough of the Bible, which I'm all for knowing the Bible. You know me, right? Like I'm all for memorizing Scripture and hold close to your heart and open every day. But you know what? The power of God and the Holy Spirit doesn't live in the Bible. It lives in listen to you, listen to you, you, you have you have enough in you to wake up in the morning and say, God's put me here on purpose. I'm going to walk so fire my step like I'm going to radically change because Jesus radically changed my life. Like I'm not going to put myself under my past. You know, sometimes you think, oh, the Holy Spirit's reserved for those people who are really smart and have degrees in the Bible.

28:56 They just so they're so spiritual, these people. I'm going to tell you something. Just because you go to college doesn't make you more spiritual. Amen. Sometimes you get Dumber. Any parents out there sent their kids to college? Let's get nice. We've been to college and it's like the experience. You're like, oh, cool. You know, I used to walk with Jesus, but now it is do my thing, right? You might think, well, the Holy Spirit reserved just for mature Christians. The Holy Spirit just lives fully mature Christians. That is not true, Amen. Sometimes you show up the church like, Oh, these people, man, I'm I'm behind the a ball spiritually. I remember walking into to college and I met all sorts of guys. They're pastors, kids and they're fifth generation church planters, and I'm just do that a Raytown come on, somebody right. And I felt like I was behind the a ball spiritually for so long in my life because these guys had habits and they walk with God.

29:41 You can tell like they had God's presence and I was like, man, I'm just just got to do more together. I try things. I'm just not good enough. I can't get there. And I realized where time is like man, you are enough, Amen. Like I don't need to be them. I need to be what God's asking me to be like. I don't answer to nobody. I answer. I answer to Jesus himself, not to any man. Like I'm not looking for validation or approval. I'm not looking for your likes or your opinions. You will give them or not. Doesn't mean I care, right? I love you. But there's a voice I was listening to is the name of Jesus. Amen. And when you when you're baptized, you're making the decision that you're going to live and declare, I'm living every day by the power of God through me, I am crucified. I'm living a new life.

30:23 It's not just a symbol like, oh, it's just a symbol. What happened? No, no, it's a life I now live for Jesus. And that is very powerful. It's like it will. It just changes your whole dynamic, you know, think about my children and, and the future they have. And I'm just thank Jesus that there's parts of me look much more like Jesus than it did in the past. Amen. Because I look at my kids and they're just spitting image of me, good, bad and ugly. Amen. And, and, and I just get to like be more humble and say, no, Lord just changed my life and I get to see it in my kids. Now. I, I can't look back and say, well, you know, my dad didn't do this and this didn't work out and oh man, and duh, duh, duh. And the church I used to be at and all So what, like the power of God lives in me.

31:11 So I get to act like that, Amen. I, I, I get to say no to my flesh. I, I can't make excuses for bad behavior. Amen. Because the Holy Spirit, the Bible calls it when you sin and you're a Christian, you grieve the Holy Spirit of promise because the Holy Spirit wants a better life for you, not because he's trying to conform you, which a lot of churches somehow think that's their job. But he, he wants you, yeah, transform you. He want, he wants to shape you into the image of his son. So God gets glory. The best way to worship God, it's spelled OBEY is to obey. The best way to worship God is to humble yourself and say yes and Amen. And we, we don't know why we, we go through this stuff, right? Like y'all walking through some hard stuff, just John, but I know y'all working through hard stuff, right? Y'all walking through hard stuff and you're wondering like why to walk through all this stuff because God's trying to teach you like the if the power is in you, then the question is, are you walking to God's power?

32:12 Are are you choosing to say yes to the Spirit of God? Do you know what that even looks like? It's not like we're always trying to look for answers. Oh, it's out there and I'll become like this and I'll learn this skill and I'll do this thing. It's like what you need to do is look to God to humble yourself and say God used my life. I'm listening to your voice and we the way God shapes you. We're not going to like it, but you learn to like it is through trials. Somebody say trials. We don't like trials, but God gives us trials on purpose. And this is what you see. Like how does God teach us to walk in his power? And you know, you thought I was going to say go to church more. You thought I was going to say go to go to life group, right? You thought I was going to say memorize some scripture.

32:55 No, God knows exactly where to put the pressure. Amen. He he knows what makes you tick. And he knows how to squeeze. He knows how to pull. I call it the rub and hug, Right? He knows when to push on you. And he knows when to get something out of you. He knows and encourage you. She's laughing. Some people. Yeah. Somebody's. I don't know what they're over there. We're praying for you. I know. I saw Urania. I was like, must be guilty. But James 1-2 says this. Consider it pure. What joy? Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.

33:36 That's interesting. I mean, how many of us really enjoy trials? That's assigned maturity, though, isn't it? Because when you walk through something hard, it's not, oh man, God's chastising me. Or the stuff in the past, like if I was just better at this and this and this. And I can't believe we're here. And it's those people out there and we'd like to talk about everything else. We've been trying to solve the trial. Do you solve trials? What was the point of the trial? The point of the trial. Look what it says. Count all joy. Because you know that the testing of your faith produces what? Perseverance. This is the last word I'd used on the American church.

34:17 Perseverance. I don't know, man. I see a lot of people come and go in church. I see a lot of people come for a season, then it gets hard and somebody says something. Wow, Welcome the people, man. I love it. People expect everybody else to be more mature than them, and we judge others. As my wife came to this conclusion, she figured this out. We judge others by their actions and we judge ourself by our intentions. True. And we use like, it's like saying we use any excuse just to get you away from the things of God. And we get these trials and it's like, oh man, perseverance doesn't exist. What's perseverance? It's endurance. It's stamina. How many books in the New Testament are written with a theme?

35:01 Stand firm, pull in the armor of God, don't move. I mean, most every single book Paul writes and Peter writes is all about standing firm in your faith. How do you stand firm? You go through hard stuff. So he says let hard stuff, let perseverance finish its work so that you may be what? Mature and complete and lacking, not lacking anything. So, so trials are opportunities for the resurrection power of Jesus to shine through your life past your flesh. Just opportunities. It's an opportunity. So, so, so when your family dynamic is crazy and you get really hard news or finances are all messed up or relationships not where it should be, or somebody says something about you, they'll never happen, right? Or you're betrayed or there's people who are walking beside you that now are against you and never looked, then looked away. You go, God, what are you doing?

35:56 And what you need to do is say thank you, Jesus, that you've given me another trial because there's a part of me that you're trying to kill. Still. There's a part of me that doesn't look like you. And what an opportunity to be shaped. I came to the point in my Christian life, I was sharing this with a young man this week that began to thank God for my Saul's. Guess who your Saul was the first king of Israel, because everybody's got a king. We need a king too, right? They put him in charge and they got real prideful and real arrogant. And then he, he, he was going to all this witchcraft and crystals, all the things, right? These mediums, instead of going to the, the, the God of the universe who established him, he's trying everything else and God just strips him of his power and he gives it to a little boy named David.

36:43 He was leftover. His dad didn't even care. I was telling the young man he, there's seven brothers. He, he wasn't even in the room when Samuel showed up. Who can I anoint? Oh, here's my sons. Oh, yeah, I guess there's a 7th one. Get him out there from the sheep. Bring him in. That's just my leftover son. He really, he won't mount to anything. And the guy anoints him. And for 14 years he runs from Saul. Saul tried to kill him. And the opportunity that we talked about, but to, to, to kill him in a cave. Saul's relieving himself. Not going to go into details. And he cuts part of his cloak and he comes out after he goes out and he says he could have killed you today, but I only killed God's man, his anointed. And so here's a piece of your cloak back. And all the men that followed Saul are like stand up guy, man, integrity, God's guy's back. And they walked off.

37:28 And then David becomes the next king through trial. And so if you walk through a hard season, I was to encourage you, God has put your Saul there on purpose. Saul's not your problem. Saul reveals the problem. It's like an orange. We talk about a lot, right? If you take an orange, you squeeze it, what do you get? Who said apple juice? I'm scared, right? You get orange juice, right? And when trials come, they squeeze you. It does it look more like Jesus or does it look more like you? Because the pressure is not the problem, Amen. You can't, you can't change the circumstances, nor you're called to. Jesus can if you want to remove all your circumstances, He can remove all your circumstances. He could change them. But you know, what wouldn't happen is we wouldn't develop.

38:09 Amen. How many of us go to church and, and, and read books or do stuff and we're not living in the Holy Spirit's power? How many of us just show up and go through the motions, right? And Jesus like, well, I'm going to make it a little harder on you and make it a little more difficult on you. Like, you know, I think great Christians all walk with a limp. I don't know any Christian that goes well. My life was easy and turned out great. And I'm here because I'm such a great person. I'm obedient to God. I haven't found one yet. That's not me. Sorry. Right, all of us have to walk through the limp because Jesus is always trying to get our attention. And it goes back to our baptism. Think about our baptism. Your, your, your union with Christ. You're 9 with Christ and his death, and you're raised to new life.

38:53 This is really cool. This means that there's more Jesus in you than you think. Amen. There's more Jesus in you than you think. And if you wouldn't just give up on what God is doing, if you just stand a little perseverance and a little more stamina and you just go, you know what? I'm going to outlast this trial. Jesus. Jesus is changing me. Like I'm learning a lot of patience. Amen. Same here. I'll learn a lot of patience and a lot of hard things. But here's what's cool about your baptism. It's not a symbol. It's not just a tradition. There's all partial things, right? It's not even a good person getting better. It's not just because Christians get baptized. We don't get baptized because everybody gets baptized. You saw everybody get don't get baptized because the rest of the people raise their hand. Amen.

39:34 Get baptized because you're declaring that the victories are one in your life and you're going to choose as best you can with all of your being, you're going to live from victory in God. That's what your baptism is. So when you get up there, it's like, well, I'm just doing this because, you know, everybody wants it. No, no, you're doing it because a part of you died and you were celebrating a funeral of your old man, Amen. How many knew your bachelors was a funeral? That's pretty cool. You can use you just look at that moment and be like, that's when I died. I didn't live in it yet fully, but that's when I died. That's good news, Amen. Because you are you are accountable to God. You there's there's no limits to what the Holy Spirit can do. And you look at it like why?

40:17 I can't really change my family. Yes, you can. God can change your family through you. Amen. I've I've reread the I've rewritten the legacy through Jesus in my family, all to God's glory. Amen. It's not me, it's Christ in me. You think why? I can't really do a lot of stuff. You could do everything through Christ. If God's calling you to do it, he'll supply the way to do it. And if we just get our eyes off ourselves for a little bit, like off of our own dreams and own legacy and our own past and the sins around us and the sins in US. And since we've done it was look at the resurrection and power of Jesus. There is no limits to what God can do through your life. Have you heard that before? And you get to tell that to your kids. Amen. You get to share that with every person you meet this week. How many people need to hear that this week in your life? You may.

41:03 Yeah. Somebody needs to hear that this week. The Holy Spirit's power in you is greater than anything else in your life. If you just want to step into that man like I don't. I'm not perfect, but I can show you like he's done this in my life. He could do it for you. That's the greatest thing you could ever share. I once was a man living for myself and then God killed me. I live for him. What a great story, Amen? And we get to celebrate that on Easter. And I'm going to tell you what heaven is going to make it through Easter. I know that much, Amen. We're going to make it 13 weeks. We'll see what we're going to do. I want to encourage you guys. We're going to just pray your prayers, surrender, and that's about you guys. Put your hands out and to God. God will come before you got to pray your prayers. Surrender got our life not built on our old man God.

41:43 He is dead, He is gone, He is finished as far as the east is from the West. God, you removed the power of sin for my life and you've wiped out every sin that I do and I have done, God, and help me, Lord, to step into your fullness and to your grace. Not because I'm earning this, Lord, not because I deserve this, because you love me. Help me step in and know what it's like to be loved deeply, God. Help me to live from your power, God. Help me to remove anxiety and fear and worry. Take those things from me, God. Remind me, God, of your Holy Spirit's power. God, I declare today I want to live by your grace, got to live with your power, the Holy Spirit. God, thank you as a part of me that looks just like Jesus, the part that looks just like heaven, God, help me to tap into that. Help me to walk wisely, God, teach me, God, through trial, say thank you for my soul.

42:29 So God, I surrender my will, God, because I know my will is not your will. And so I trust you. I trust you. In this hard season, I trust you. It's difficult. I trust him, overwhelmed Lord, because now your good, You know your goodness to shine through me. And God, you want to use me for your glory so it could help me be a person that's marked by you, by your power and your strength. And when people look at my life, at the end of the day they'll know that only Jesus could have done what happened in his life because I was baptized into Christ. So thank you Jesus. I want to pray for one more group of people in the house. That's those of you. Let's say you know what, I need to be baptized into Christ today.

43:10 Like maybe you seem like I get baptized with water, sign the card. But some of you are like, man, I get baptized with Christ today. I've never been united with Christ. I don't have the Holy Spirit power in me. There's not a part that looks like heaven. I've just been playing church. I maybe just showed up. I don't really know what this is all about, but you recognize that Jesus died for you and that you're united as death and you can have new life in Christ today and the power of God live in you today. What greater promise is there that Jesus came and died for us and gave us the Father gave us one only son who should believeth him shall not perish, but everlasting life. And that's not a promise for tomorrow. That's a promise for right now. You can walk out of here with everlasting life through Jesus in literally in Christ forgiven.

43:50 And so Dave, you need Jesus, you need forgiven. You need new life. The mouth says it's open to anyone who calls the name of the Lord and today is the day that believe Jesus. The Holy Spirit's calling you to cry out and humble yourself and obey God and say yes to Jesus. If that's you, you need to call on Jesus, then I'd be looking around. Just raise your hand high and says to me, I need Jesus today. Not going to make it weird to call you out. I need Jesus. Come on, see your hands up all across the room. I need Christ today. The Spirit of God speaking to you, just humble yourself. Say Lord, I need you. This prayer does not save you, but your heart towards him. Say I believe in you. Jesus, I believe this book is true. These words are true. I feel you, Holy Spirit, calling me to yourself today. God, thank you that you sent Jesus to dine across my sins.

44:31 God, I ask for new life. God, I am now baptized. In this moment I feel the weight of my sin being lifted. God, I'm a new creation, creation. God, I can feel the oldest gone. God, I'm being crucified with you right now. Lord, I have a new identity in you. God shaped me. God call me into your path and your way. God enter into me. God thank you Holy Spirit for living in me. I'm a new creation. The old is gone. God thank you for new life in Jesus. God help me to walk in your power and I praise in Jesus name The church said Amen. Come on, give some glory to Jesus today. Amen. And what a reminder, this is the end of this podcast. We hope you've enjoyed it. If you have, be sure to hit the subscribe button so you don't miss another inspirational podcast.

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