WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:04.472 a brand new series called Make your Life Count. 00:00:04.472 --> 00:00:06.788 In fact, can we say those three words together already? 00:00:06.788 --> 00:00:09.348 Make your life count. 00:00:09.348 --> 00:00:10.804 Actually, that's four words. 00:00:10.804 --> 00:00:15.426 You know we're in Judge after 12 this morning. 00:00:15.445 --> 00:00:20.088 Here's what I know about you, even though I don't really know all of you, is I know this you don't wanna waste your life. 00:00:20.088 --> 00:00:24.445 And who wants to waste their life, who wants to go to the end of their life? 00:00:24.445 --> 00:00:30.033 And they're on their deathbed and they're like well, life was a waste and I'm totally okay with it. 00:00:30.033 --> 00:00:32.563 None of us want to do that. 00:00:32.563 --> 00:00:33.786 Here's what else about life. 00:00:34.247 --> 00:00:35.811 Life is so short, isn't it? 00:00:35.811 --> 00:00:39.689 You ever look back and you're like where in the world did the time go? 00:00:39.689 --> 00:00:51.603 I feel like we were just in May and I'm pulling up my social media apps and I'm seeing all your cute little back to school pictures and I'm like hold on, how are we, how am I already seeing back to school pictures? 00:00:51.603 --> 00:00:53.268 We just have a mortal day. 00:00:53.268 --> 00:00:54.811 You know, it's like time goes so fast. 00:00:54.811 --> 00:00:56.741 Maybe some of you, you you kind of like. 00:00:56.741 --> 00:00:58.685 You look at your bodies and you're like what in the world? 00:00:58.685 --> 00:01:00.326 Like where did time go, right? 00:01:00.326 --> 00:01:02.348 So your kids are all growing up. 00:01:02.348 --> 00:01:06.334 Time in life happens so fast. 00:01:06.334 --> 00:01:08.620 In fact, even James says this. 00:01:08.620 --> 00:01:09.542 In the book of James. 00:01:09.542 --> 00:01:20.561 He says for you are like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 00:01:20.561 --> 00:01:23.085 Isn't that so real? 00:01:23.085 --> 00:01:32.704 And if our life is short and we want to make our life count, how do we actually do that? 00:01:32.704 --> 00:01:39.242 What we're going to do over the next three weeks is we're going to look at three practices. 00:01:39.242 --> 00:01:52.953 It's going to be a very simple series, three practices of what you can do looking at the life of Jesus from the book of John and we always look to scripture here, because scripture is the source of all truth and all life. 00:01:52.953 --> 00:01:58.918 We're going to look here and we're going to look at how do we make our life count. 00:01:58.918 --> 00:02:01.284 Here's the first practice of people that make their life count. 00:02:01.284 --> 00:02:02.006 This is what they do. 00:02:02.006 --> 00:02:05.634 They live their life for eternal purposes. 00:02:05.634 --> 00:02:10.725 They live their life for eternal purposes. 00:02:11.807 --> 00:02:21.241 This takes us to the book of John, chapter number 12, and Jesus had to make a decision whether or not he was going to live his life for eternal purposes or not. 00:02:21.241 --> 00:02:26.145 Now you guys are thinking of course he did, because his name is Jesus and that's what he did. 00:02:26.145 --> 00:02:27.961 But did you know? 00:02:27.961 --> 00:02:34.170 Jesus wrestled with whether or not he was gonna actually do this. 00:02:34.170 --> 00:02:37.925 No, there's no way. 00:02:37.925 --> 00:02:40.326 He wrestled with this Like he's Jesus. 00:02:40.326 --> 00:02:42.344 Garden of Gethsemane. 00:02:42.344 --> 00:02:49.627 Jesus knew if he was gonna to live for eternal purposes, it was going to call him to be crucified. 00:02:49.627 --> 00:02:53.627 I don't know about you guys, but I'm not signing up to be crucified anytime soon. 00:02:55.281 --> 00:02:58.448 Jesus wrestles with this and this is what he says in Matthew, chapter 26. 00:02:58.448 --> 00:02:59.582 He says this. 00:02:59.582 --> 00:03:01.909 He says this there we go. 00:03:01.909 --> 00:03:03.866 He says, going a little further. 00:03:03.866 --> 00:03:07.829 He fell face down and prayed my father, if it is possible. 00:03:07.829 --> 00:03:09.686 What's the underlying phrase? 00:03:09.686 --> 00:03:16.145 Let this cup pass from me, if it's possible. 00:03:16.145 --> 00:03:22.570 Lord, I don't, father, I don't want to experience this. 00:03:22.570 --> 00:03:24.544 Can you blame him? 00:03:24.544 --> 00:03:28.983 Let this cup pass from me. 00:03:28.983 --> 00:03:34.294 Yet, not as I will, but your will be done. 00:03:34.294 --> 00:03:41.747 And Jesus made the decision to live for eternal purposes and were able to have salvation. 00:03:41.747 --> 00:03:47.182 Now, a few days before he prayed this prayer, he comes to Jerusalem. 00:03:47.905 --> 00:03:49.207 The day of the week is Sunday. 00:03:49.207 --> 00:03:52.313 It's an event called the triumphal entry. 00:03:52.313 --> 00:04:08.787 It begins something known as holy week, and what happens is the stage is being set and literally hundreds of thousands of people are converging onto the city because they're celebrating an event, and what they don't realize is this is going to be the week that changed the course of history. 00:04:08.787 --> 00:04:17.641 So we open up to John chapter 12, and we see the beginning of the week that changed everything, and if you're ready for it, would you say amen? 00:04:17.641 --> 00:04:30.824 John 12, verse number 12, it says this the next day when the large crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 00:04:30.824 --> 00:04:34.774 So there's a large crowd of people that are coming to a festival. 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:39.810 Now, the thing about the Jews is they celebrated seven different festivals every year. 00:04:39.810 --> 00:04:41.442 They had seven different celebrations. 00:04:41.442 --> 00:04:45.841 Here's what they were they had the Passover, they had the unleavened bread. 00:04:45.841 --> 00:04:54.666 Some of these were feasts the first fruits, pentecost, trumpet, day of atonement, and tabernacles, children of Israel. 00:04:54.666 --> 00:04:59.463 They knew how to partay, they knew how to get together and have a feast. 00:04:59.463 --> 00:05:12.634 And the reason why they would celebrate all these different things is because they were looking back in remembrance of something that God had done or something God had taught them, or something that they experienced in their nation's history. 00:05:12.634 --> 00:05:17.733 Now, in John chapter 12, what they're celebrating is they're celebrating the Passover. 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:20.824 The Passover had a very specific purpose. 00:05:20.824 --> 00:05:35.524 What the Passover did was they remembered what God had done when he had delivered them from the nation, the country of Egypt, the bondage of Egypt, and there was a lamb's blood that spared the Israelites firstborn. 00:05:35.524 --> 00:05:37.488 Now y'all are like lamb's blood. 00:05:37.488 --> 00:05:37.990 What is this all about? 00:05:37.990 --> 00:05:59.574 God had told the nation that if they would sacrifice a lamb and they would put the blood of the lamb on the doorpost, that the angel of death would watch this, would pass over the house and the firstborn would not die. 00:05:59.574 --> 00:06:13.389 God used this in the life of the nation of Israel and in the life of the Egyptians to allow the nation of Israel to be freed from the bondage of the Egyptians. 00:06:13.389 --> 00:06:25.889 And in John, chapter 12, what's happening is you have literally hundreds of thousands of Jews are converging onto the city of Jerusalem to remember this event that happened. 00:06:26.610 --> 00:06:45.036 But what they didn't realize is this event that happened in Exodus, chapter 12, the Passover lamb was just a foreshadowing of the lamb of God, jesus, who, through his blood on our life, our sins, would be washed away. 00:06:45.036 --> 00:06:52.170 In fact, in 1 Corinthians 5, paul writes this For Christ, our what are those two words? 00:06:52.170 --> 00:06:57.432 For Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. 00:06:57.432 --> 00:07:14.295 So, just like the blood on the door freed the Israelites, it's the blood of Jesus that frees us from the penalty of sin and the power of sin, when we put our trust in what Jesus Christ had done for us on the cross. 00:07:14.295 --> 00:07:18.406 It's the blood of Jesus that brings salvation to our souls. 00:07:18.406 --> 00:07:24.574 In fact, in Hebrews, chapter 9, it says without the shedding of blood there's no forgiveness of sin. 00:07:25.557 --> 00:07:32.386 What separates Christianity from every other religion and New Age teaching and all of these things that are out there, is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 00:07:32.386 --> 00:07:42.634 That happened because he died on the cross and shed his blood for us, because our sin needs to be paid for and Jesus paid for our sin. 00:07:42.634 --> 00:07:44.523 And Jesus paid for our sin. 00:07:44.523 --> 00:07:50.391 And this week, in John 12, this week Jesus is going the week of the Passover. 00:07:50.391 --> 00:08:00.665 He's going to Jerusalem the week they're celebrating what happened in the past to give his life for all of humanity, and the crowds were there to gather and welcome him. 00:08:00.665 --> 00:08:02.430 This is what it says in the next verse, verse number 13. 00:08:02.430 --> 00:08:15.927 It says they took palm branches and they went out to meet him and they kept shouting Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. 00:08:15.927 --> 00:08:21.684 Hosanna, hosanna, why Hosanna? 00:08:21.684 --> 00:08:22.968 Here's what the word Hosanna means. 00:08:22.968 --> 00:08:26.009 Hosanna means save us. 00:08:28.821 --> 00:08:33.072 But these people aren't wanting to be saved from their sin. 00:08:33.072 --> 00:08:38.347 They're wanting to be saved from the pesky Roman Empire that makes their life hard and difficult. 00:08:38.347 --> 00:08:44.371 Lord Jesus, would you save us from those Romans? 00:08:44.371 --> 00:08:46.186 We don't like those soldiers. 00:08:46.186 --> 00:09:02.048 They're like mean and tough and they tax us off the nose Like well, jesus, would you set up like your earthly kingdom right now and just take over and give us what we want and make our lives easier and more comfortable? 00:09:02.048 --> 00:09:03.205 This is what we want. 00:09:03.205 --> 00:09:05.767 We want you just to take over and power. 00:09:06.688 --> 00:09:07.572 But they missed something. 00:09:07.572 --> 00:09:11.190 What they missed is when Jesus came into Jerusalem. 00:09:11.190 --> 00:09:27.067 He didn't come in riding on a white horse, which is what military leaders and kings would come in on showing their majesty and their power, which one day, revelation 19 tells us, jesus will come in on a white horse. 00:09:27.067 --> 00:09:34.453 But this first time you know what he came in on A donkey, a donkey. 00:09:34.453 --> 00:09:36.457 They missed that. 00:09:36.457 --> 00:09:38.943 You know who rode on donkeys Servants. 00:09:38.943 --> 00:09:43.278 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it. 00:09:43.278 --> 00:09:44.364 Just as it is written. 00:09:44.364 --> 00:09:50.942 Do not be afraid, daughter Zion, look, your king is coming sitting on a donkey's colt. 00:09:52.791 --> 00:09:53.572 It says it is written. 00:09:53.572 --> 00:09:54.154 What does it mean? 00:09:54.154 --> 00:09:56.039 It is written there in verse number 14. 00:09:56.039 --> 00:10:05.783 What that's referring to is prophecy that had been written about in Zechariah, chapter nine, saying when Jesus, the Messiah, the son of God, comes, this is what's going to happen. 00:10:05.783 --> 00:10:10.360 Now maybe you're here and you're just like, what's all this whole Christianity thing about? 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:12.789 You're like the earlier part with all the music. 00:10:12.789 --> 00:10:15.153 That was kind of a lot Like I don't understand all this. 00:10:15.153 --> 00:10:15.995 What's going on here? 00:10:15.995 --> 00:10:18.399 Okay, here's what you owe to yourself. 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:19.663 Okay, I'm just a random guy. 00:10:19.663 --> 00:10:26.370 You don't owe nothing to me, but you owe this to yourself. 00:10:26.390 --> 00:10:31.222 So look at the pinpoint prophecies that were written hundreds of years before Jesus came and how Jesus fulfilled every single one of them to a T. 00:10:31.222 --> 00:10:36.394 The chances of those being fulfilled are mind boggling. 00:10:36.394 --> 00:10:39.557 Like it's crazy that he fulfilled them. 00:10:39.557 --> 00:10:52.096 And if he fulfilled all of these prophecies, it shows that he is the son of God, that he's the way, he's the truth, he's the life and he has only one place and that is to be the king of our hearts and the king of our lives. 00:10:52.096 --> 00:11:02.501 And he comes into Jerusalem this first time and he comes in on a donkey, because he comes in as a suffering servant to die. 00:11:03.850 --> 00:11:05.176 Now, not everybody understood this. 00:11:05.176 --> 00:11:08.438 In fact, his disciples didn't even understand it. 00:11:08.438 --> 00:11:11.038 Verse 16, the text tells us this. 00:11:11.038 --> 00:11:14.097 It says that his disciples. 00:11:14.097 --> 00:11:15.817 They didn't understand these things at first. 00:11:15.817 --> 00:11:18.654 They didn't understand like, okay, this prophecy? 00:11:18.654 --> 00:11:19.615 What happened here? 00:11:19.615 --> 00:11:36.740 However, when Jesus was glorified, then they remember that these things had been written about him glorified About 45 days later, jesus Acts, chapter one Jesus would ascend up to heaven. 00:11:36.740 --> 00:11:41.495 After he died, after he was resurrected, he would ascend up to heaven, he would be glorified. 00:11:41.495 --> 00:11:44.381 At that point it was like the aha came on. 00:11:44.381 --> 00:11:47.442 You ever have a time in your life where, like the light bulb comes on. 00:11:47.442 --> 00:11:49.331 You're like how come I didn't see that before? 00:11:49.331 --> 00:11:50.796 How come I didn't understand? 00:11:50.796 --> 00:11:53.062 It was at that time, when he had been glorified. 00:11:53.062 --> 00:11:54.514 That's when they remember these things. 00:11:54.514 --> 00:12:08.192 In verse number 17, it says meanwhile, the crowd which had been raised with him, when he had called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, they continued to testify. 00:12:08.192 --> 00:12:10.313 They were because they heard he had done this sign. 00:12:10.313 --> 00:12:26.312 This is why the people came. 00:12:26.312 --> 00:12:28.336 They want to see this guy. 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:46.307 And when we look at this text Romans, chapter 12, and we look at this context, this is what we can see, chapter 12, and we look at this context, this is what we can see when it comes to making our life count we can see that Jesus focused on his purpose when he went to Jerusalem. 00:12:46.307 --> 00:12:49.293 Here he didn't come for a weekend getaway with the boys. 00:12:49.293 --> 00:12:53.422 Jesus wasn't like man I just I need some R&R. 00:12:53.422 --> 00:12:56.416 Life has been stressful, I'm tired. 00:12:56.416 --> 00:13:01.917 I'm gonna go to Jerusalem because, hopefully, you know, they got some good restaurants and some good coffee shops. 00:13:01.917 --> 00:13:04.462 That's not why he came. 00:13:06.110 --> 00:13:17.261 He came because his purpose his purpose was to Luke 19, 10, was to seek and to save those who were lost. 00:13:17.261 --> 00:13:25.859 So he came to seek and save those of us who are lost in sin, which, by the way, apart from Jesus, that's all of us. 00:13:25.859 --> 00:13:28.443 None of us are perfect. 00:13:28.443 --> 00:13:32.674 None of us make measure up and meet the mark. 00:13:32.674 --> 00:13:40.712 We all come with our real selves and, by the way, that's what church is supposed to be, just as we are. 00:13:40.712 --> 00:13:47.404 And jesus came with this purpose, came with this purpose to save us. 00:13:48.591 --> 00:13:55.032 Now, when you think about the purpose of jesus, it kind of brings up a question for us what is our purpose? 00:13:55.032 --> 00:14:00.384 Ultimately, our purpose is this the purpose of humanity is to glorify god. 00:14:00.384 --> 00:14:02.693 That's our purpose. 00:14:02.693 --> 00:14:05.960 To know jesus and to make jesus known. 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:13.596 And within this bigger picture of our purpose of glorifying god, every one of you, you have. 00:14:13.596 --> 00:14:32.880 You have passions, you have certain roles, certain assignments from God for you to glorify God and live for eternal purposes within your gifts, your passions, your roles, your assignments from God. 00:14:32.880 --> 00:14:42.984 So the question that we really need to ask ourselves this morning is this how can I, how can we live for eternal purposes with my gifts, my passion and my roles? 00:14:42.984 --> 00:15:03.527 In my specific context, you're like, okay, what are like students, employees, spouses, friends. 00:15:03.527 --> 00:15:11.490 So, within our roles, within our roles, our gifts, our passions, how can we live for eternal purposes? 00:15:11.529 --> 00:15:26.436 And then I got to say, sometimes what we do is we make this false distinction, this false dichotomy between holy, spiritual things like going to church on Sunday morning and listen to Pastor Nate preach a sermon, serving on a serve team reading the Bible like these are so spiritual. 00:15:26.436 --> 00:15:30.618 And then we look at everything else in our life and we're like that's not really spiritual, that's just life stuff. 00:15:30.618 --> 00:15:43.457 Like I have to go to work on Monday, I gotta take the kids to school, and we create this false distinction between, like, what's holy and what's spiritual and what's sacred. 00:15:43.457 --> 00:15:47.679 And then this over here is like this isn't, this is just like secular, this isn't that big of a deal. 00:15:47.679 --> 00:15:48.644 But here's the reality. 00:15:49.246 --> 00:16:03.173 For the Jesus follower, there's no distinction between the sacred and the secular, because everything we do is sacred, because everything we do should be done for God's glory. 00:16:03.173 --> 00:16:10.032 You can work for God's glory. 00:16:10.032 --> 00:16:12.006 How can I work for God's glory? 00:16:12.006 --> 00:16:14.866 Work hard, have integrity, be a light. 00:16:14.866 --> 00:16:16.331 Do that for God's glory. 00:16:16.331 --> 00:16:22.107 You can parent for God's glory. 00:16:22.107 --> 00:16:23.625 How can you parent for God's glory? 00:16:23.625 --> 00:16:35.248 Spend as much time investing in your child's spiritual development as you do their academic development and their athletic development. 00:16:35.248 --> 00:16:39.575 You can be a friend for the glory of God. 00:16:39.575 --> 00:16:40.945 You say how do I even do this? 00:16:40.945 --> 00:16:42.875 Like this is just my boy, like I hang out with? 00:16:42.875 --> 00:16:44.421 When's the last time you prayed for them? 00:16:44.421 --> 00:16:48.029 How can you help them take steps of growth in their faith? 00:16:48.610 --> 00:17:04.948 And what happens is when we look at all of our entire life, instead of creating this false dichotomy of like this is spiritual, this is an unspiritual, this is just me on the lake, this is me here, when we see all of life is sacred and all of life is spiritual, what we can do is we can look to live for eternal purposes in every single area of our life. 00:17:04.948 --> 00:17:13.709 And when we live for eternal purposes in all the different areas of our life, this is what we're going to see. 00:17:13.709 --> 00:17:18.050 We're going to see that it will transform everything else about you. 00:17:18.050 --> 00:17:20.705 It's not trying to hurt anyone else about you. 00:17:20.705 --> 00:17:23.589 It's going to transform how you look at your time. 00:17:23.589 --> 00:17:26.328 It's going to transform how you look at your relationships. 00:17:26.328 --> 00:17:30.383 It's going to transform how you look at your weekends, how you look at your future. 00:17:30.784 --> 00:17:33.288 And here's what the enemy will do, guys. 00:17:33.288 --> 00:17:34.451 He's been doing this forever. 00:17:34.451 --> 00:17:41.493 He will do everything he can to get you to disengage from living for eternal purposes. 00:17:41.493 --> 00:17:54.689 Here's why Because the follower of Jesus that is focused on living for eternal purposes is a mighty weapon in the hand of God. 00:17:54.689 --> 00:18:06.131 It's a Testing one. 00:18:06.131 --> 00:18:07.093 Can you hear me now? 00:18:07.093 --> 00:18:11.425 Come on, the devil didn't like that. 00:18:11.425 --> 00:18:12.128 You know what I'm saying. 00:18:12.128 --> 00:18:27.713 It's a mighty weapon in the hand of God, and what it will often do is it'll use distraction and division to get people like you and like me to disengage from living for eternal purposes. 00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:34.243 He'll use a ton of distraction. 00:18:34.243 --> 00:18:35.107 Yeah, we just leave this slide right there. 00:18:35.107 --> 00:18:36.232 A ton of distraction right Now. 00:18:36.232 --> 00:18:39.604 Here's what he usually does too he distracts us with good things. 00:18:39.604 --> 00:18:42.531 He doesn't distract us with evil things. 00:18:42.531 --> 00:18:48.507 He'll distract us with things, and we might not use the word distraction. 00:18:48.507 --> 00:18:49.950 This is what I'll use the word. 00:18:49.950 --> 00:18:51.473 I'll use the word busy. 00:18:54.560 --> 00:18:58.644 And before we know it, we can't even remember the last time we opened up the Bible app. 00:18:58.644 --> 00:19:02.886 We can't remember the last time we, like, opened up scripture. 00:19:02.886 --> 00:19:05.404 And I'm not hating on anybody, I'm just saying this is life. 00:19:05.404 --> 00:19:07.843 We're like man. 00:19:07.843 --> 00:19:08.346 It's been like. 00:19:08.346 --> 00:19:12.563 When's the last time I went to a church service? 00:19:12.563 --> 00:19:32.603 I think I went a month ago and this is what's happened We've gotten so busy that we can get distracted, which literally means being pulled apart, and before we know it, we are disengaged from living for eternal purposes and our hearts can grow cold and apathetic and we're just out of place, for we're just on autopilot in our life. 00:19:33.944 --> 00:19:38.819 And if the enemy can't get us by distraction, a lot of times he'll get us by division. 00:19:38.819 --> 00:19:53.217 He'll try to create a wedge within families, within christ followers, within churches, and often it starts as something little, teeny, weeny and small. 00:19:53.217 --> 00:20:06.891 Somebody says something, or somebody did something, or they looked at us in such a way and we're just like, ah, and that little thought or that little thing took root in our heart. 00:20:06.891 --> 00:20:20.946 And, before we know it, that little thing that takes root in our heart starts telling us a narrative about this and this person hates me, and this person, that and this person, and then what happens is fruit starts germinating from that and we have the fruit of resentment and bitterness and anger. 00:20:21.910 --> 00:20:22.231 I had a. 00:20:22.231 --> 00:20:26.162 I had a pastor friend tell me we were talking a while ago and I was like how's things going? 00:20:26.162 --> 00:20:26.722 He's like things are good. 00:20:26.722 --> 00:20:26.923 He's like. 00:20:26.923 --> 00:20:27.743 He's like I don't know. 00:20:27.743 --> 00:20:28.265 Like how's things going? 00:20:28.265 --> 00:20:28.964 He's like, hey, things are good. 00:20:28.964 --> 00:20:29.205 He's like. 00:20:29.246 --> 00:20:31.469 But I had this weird, crazy thing that kind of happened to me. 00:20:31.469 --> 00:20:33.912 I was like what happened to you? 00:20:33.912 --> 00:20:46.113 I mean, if somebody says that you want to know what happened to them, right, like, give me the tea, as the kids say, that means like let me know what's going on. 00:20:46.113 --> 00:20:49.385 He said, yeah, he said so there was this family. 00:20:49.385 --> 00:20:53.026 They stopped coming to the church here and I said, man, I hate that. 00:20:53.026 --> 00:20:54.903 He's like yeah, it was like, it was weird. 00:20:54.903 --> 00:20:56.670 He's like don't laugh. 00:20:56.670 --> 00:20:57.845 Like I'm going to tell you the story. 00:20:57.845 --> 00:20:58.446 Like what happened. 00:20:58.446 --> 00:21:00.226 I was like, okay, why would I laugh? 00:21:00.226 --> 00:21:01.088 Like this is serious. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:12.775 He said, well, this family is really faithful and they sit in the same place, in the same row and you know, every Sunday and they missed a week and I was like, oh, they're probably sick and they missed two weeks in a row and I'm like that's really weird. 00:21:12.775 --> 00:21:14.477 So I hit them up and I like text them. 00:21:14.477 --> 00:21:15.616 I was like, hey, is everything okay? 00:21:15.616 --> 00:21:23.688 And they said, actually, pastor, we know that you're mad at us and we know that you don't like us, so we're not going to come back to the service, to the church. 00:21:23.688 --> 00:21:28.772 My it Like I pray for this family all the time. 00:21:28.772 --> 00:21:30.375 I love this family, I care about them. 00:21:30.375 --> 00:21:31.596 Like what's going on? 00:21:31.596 --> 00:21:33.226 So I said what happened? 00:21:33.226 --> 00:21:50.184 So I called and I talked to them and they said here's what happened pastor, two weeks ago I'm not making this up Two weeks ago you did not shake our hand and you shook the hands of the people in the row behind us, but you didn't shake our hand. 00:21:50.184 --> 00:21:53.422 So because of that, we will no longer be going to the church. 00:21:53.422 --> 00:22:01.782 And I thought, tell me you are petty and unhealthy, without telling me you are petty and unhealthy. 00:22:01.782 --> 00:22:06.571 I'm like, all right, hold on what happened here. 00:22:06.571 --> 00:22:07.273 What happened? 00:22:07.273 --> 00:22:08.481 Here's what happened. 00:22:09.163 --> 00:22:25.249 The enemy used something small and teeny like that to get good people, a good family that I'm sure love Jesus, to get them from disengaged from living for eternal purposes, with the family of God, with the people of God, because God works in and through his church. 00:22:25.249 --> 00:22:27.848 And what the enemy will do is he's gonna cause division. 00:22:27.848 --> 00:22:30.626 Yeah, he's gonna try to do anything he can. 00:22:30.626 --> 00:22:31.450 But here's what we know. 00:22:31.450 --> 00:22:41.044 We are better than me and here's what we know what God brings together, we're going to fight for unity and we're going to love and we're going to serve and we're going to pray for each other. 00:22:41.044 --> 00:22:41.707 That's what we're going to do. 00:22:41.707 --> 00:22:54.897 And sometimes the enemy will try to cause distraction, sometimes he'll try to cause division. 00:22:54.897 --> 00:22:59.625 And Jesus said no, no, no, I am focused on my purpose, I'm focused on eternal purposes. 00:22:59.625 --> 00:23:01.809 And then number two, and we're done is. 00:23:01.910 --> 00:23:09.770 Jesus was unmoved by the crowd In verse 13,. 00:23:09.770 --> 00:23:19.059 They said Hosanna, save us from these Romans, set something up, do something for us. 00:23:19.059 --> 00:23:23.201 Jesus said, nah, I have an eternal purpose to fulfill. 00:23:23.201 --> 00:23:24.123 I'm not here to set up my earthly kingdom yet. 00:23:24.123 --> 00:23:26.144 I'm here to come and die on the cross for your sin. 00:23:26.144 --> 00:23:30.951 And all these people did not understand. 00:23:32.012 --> 00:23:38.132 And, friend, you realize that if you're going to follow Jesus and live for eternal purposes, not everybody's going to understand. 00:23:38.132 --> 00:23:43.608 Some people are going to be like, hey, how come? 00:23:43.608 --> 00:23:44.570 You won't lie about that. 00:23:44.570 --> 00:23:48.126 For me, I mean like it's not that big a deal, like why don't you just lie? 00:23:48.126 --> 00:23:48.970 No, no, no, no, no. 00:23:48.970 --> 00:23:50.910 I'm living for eternal purposes. 00:23:50.910 --> 00:23:52.713 You're going to have some friends that are going to be like like it's not that big a deal, like why don't you just lie? 00:23:52.713 --> 00:23:52.790 No, no, no, no, no. 00:23:52.790 --> 00:23:53.347 I'm living for eternal purposes. 00:23:53.347 --> 00:23:53.873 You're going to have some friends. 00:23:53.873 --> 00:23:57.115 I'm going to be like hey, like let's just go get drunk, like that's what we used to do, it's fun. 00:23:57.115 --> 00:24:12.101 They're not going to understand, but it's like no, no, friend, like I love you, but man more. 00:24:12.101 --> 00:24:12.662 That's not who I am. 00:24:12.662 --> 00:24:13.743 People aren't always going to understand. 00:24:13.743 --> 00:24:16.869 They're not going to always understand when you stay focused on eternal purposes. 00:24:16.890 --> 00:24:23.893 But the only way you will be able to live for eternal purposes is if you aren't swayed by what everybody else thinks about you. 00:24:23.893 --> 00:24:33.153 Jesus wasn't swayed because he knew his purpose and he fulfilled his purpose because he wouldn't be swayed. 00:24:33.153 --> 00:24:42.048 Some of us in our lives right now we have these people telling us this over here. 00:24:42.048 --> 00:24:44.288 We got the world telling us this over here. 00:24:44.288 --> 00:24:52.587 We got our flesh telling us this over here and we're like over here and over here and over here, and we are distracted and we have all these things happening in us. 00:24:52.587 --> 00:24:53.471 And this is what we got to know. 00:24:53.471 --> 00:25:03.347 We got to know this that if we will live for eternal purposes, that if we will set our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, that we will make our life count. 00:25:03.347 --> 00:25:12.243 And we will not make our life count if we chase after a thousand lesser things and we do everything that everybody else tells us to do. 00:25:12.243 --> 00:25:14.912 We do everything that culture tells us to do, friend. 00:25:14.912 --> 00:25:21.192 We have to be people that are fixed and unmovable and are always abounding in the work of the Lord. 00:25:21.192 --> 00:25:23.644 Philippians, chapter 3, paul says this. 00:25:23.644 --> 00:25:27.501 Paul says that I may know him and the power of his resurrection. 00:25:27.501 --> 00:25:40.790 And if you are ever going to make your life count, friend, if you are ever going to make your life count for eternity, for the next generation, we have to be people that say I'm not going to be swayed by what everybody else thinks I should do. 00:25:40.790 --> 00:25:44.990 Can somebody in the room say amen, that's what we have to be. 00:25:46.461 --> 00:25:50.372 I was reading a book this past week and I got to wrap up with this and I've been going through it. 00:25:50.372 --> 00:25:54.367 It's a book by a guy named Mack Lake, who's going to be our speaker at our Grow Conference. 00:25:54.367 --> 00:26:10.326 It's a book called Leading Yourself, and the book is all about how do you lead yourself spiritually, emotionally, relationally, physically, so you can help other people know Jesus and you can make Jesus known. 00:26:10.326 --> 00:26:18.929 And he gave a quote in the book that really jumped out at me and I wanted to share it because I think it might be helpful to some of us. 00:26:18.929 --> 00:26:24.791 He said don't mistake being busy for being purposeful. 00:26:24.791 --> 00:26:53.165 A packed schedule doesn't mean that you live an impactful life, but aligning your life, aligning your daily activities with your mission will and this hit me because I'm busier now than I've ever been in my life as God's building his church, there's more needs and opportunities and it's just, it's just a lot right now. 00:26:53.165 --> 00:26:58.022 Also, I have a little life event coming up in November, so that kind of adds to it, right. 00:26:58.022 --> 00:27:05.144 And some weeks I don't know if this connects with you, but some weeks I'm just trying to keep my head above water. 00:27:05.144 --> 00:27:19.940 Some weeks I'm like, okay, I look at my calendar and I'm like I think I have time for sermon prep this week and it's a lot. 00:27:23.359 --> 00:27:34.545 And in this book he talks about putting together a personal mission statement that will be your center mass for everything else in your life, something that can center you when things are throwing you this way and things are throwing you that way that you can say no, no, like, like. 00:27:34.545 --> 00:27:38.133 This is what I'm about, and he gives us an. 00:27:38.133 --> 00:27:46.770 He gave an exercise about how you can look at your passions and your gifts and and, and what the impact you want to leave on the world and together put together this mission statement. 00:27:46.770 --> 00:27:48.442 And I put something together and this is what it is. 00:27:48.442 --> 00:28:01.940 If we get up the screen, it's this it's to love well, to lead well and develop others so Jesus is made known and his church is strengthened. 00:28:01.940 --> 00:28:05.809 And I share this with you. 00:28:06.913 --> 00:28:09.460 Not so you guys will think, oh, pastor Nate's so spiritual? 00:28:09.460 --> 00:28:13.604 No, or so you'll take a picture and try to make it your mission statement. 00:28:13.604 --> 00:28:14.486 Please don't do that. 00:28:14.486 --> 00:28:28.028 I say this to you because in my own life, I can get so distracted by all these other things that I have to remind myself what is front and center, that I want to make Jesus known. 00:28:28.028 --> 00:28:30.833 And if I'm not doing this, then what am I doing? 00:28:30.833 --> 00:28:36.901 And this is what I did. 00:28:36.901 --> 00:28:37.402 Josh is going to come up. 00:28:37.402 --> 00:28:37.942 We're going to play a song. 00:28:37.962 --> 00:28:50.932 I took out my journal and I just wrote in the front page of my journal my mission statement is right here and I look at it every single week of my life and it's like, lord, help me to stay in alignment with this and some values in my life. 00:28:50.952 --> 00:28:53.988 That kind of helps me stay along with that, live in line with that. 00:28:53.988 --> 00:29:03.267 And here's what I know, friend, if you will decide that you will live for eternal purposes, it will clarify a million other things and a million other decisions in your life. 00:29:03.267 --> 00:29:04.785 So two questions. 00:29:04.785 --> 00:29:11.647 One will you decide or will you rededicate yourself to live for eternal purposes? 00:29:11.647 --> 00:29:15.589 Have you ever made the decision in your life that I'm gonna live for eternity? 00:29:15.589 --> 00:29:18.228 I'm gonna make my life count? 00:29:22.701 --> 00:29:24.526 Maybe you have, but you've kind of drifted a little bit. 00:29:24.526 --> 00:29:26.411 Can we just reignite our heart? 00:29:26.411 --> 00:29:47.929 Number two what is your eternal purpose in your current season of whatever that is your current season of parenting, family, of work, of transition, of healing, whatever the season of life you're in right now? 00:29:47.929 --> 00:29:52.108 What is your eternal purpose in this season? 00:29:52.108 --> 00:29:57.771 And here's the thing when you clarify this and you get your mind around this, this is what's gonna happen. 00:29:57.771 --> 00:30:01.544 It's gonna give you clarity and focus and if we will do this. 00:30:01.544 --> 00:30:02.968 We'll answer these two questions. 00:30:02.968 --> 00:30:03.830 This is what can happen. 00:30:03.830 --> 00:30:11.025 All of us together will make our life count, and that's my prayer for you, and that's my prayer for us.