Speaker 1: And when we talk about sacred things, we're talking about things that are set apart, things that are special, things that are unique in their own way.
Speaker 1: And, and these are kind of the untouchable things, the, the unchangeable things, there are some things that God declares to be sacred.
Speaker 1: And then there's some things that we throughout our life determine are sacred to us or in our families as shared with you a few weeks ago, that I really struggled early in life and early in marriage, uh, early in fatherhood, uh, to, to recognize the value of setting apart and setting aside time for my family.
Speaker 1: I thought I was serving my family well because I was working all the time.
Speaker 1: And, uh, one day Christy said to me, um, I said, I do to you, I didn't say I do to you
Speaker 2: Work that cut.
Speaker 1: And, uh, and I, I started trying to think about what that actually meant.
Speaker 1: And, um, and so we, we determined that something would be sacred to us.
Speaker 1: This thing called family time.
Speaker 1: And so Mondays are my day off that's Christie's day off that's our family day.
Speaker 1: And so we, we really work hard.
Speaker 1: There are some things, and there are some times when that gets interrupted by other things, but we work really hard to keep that sacred to our family.
Speaker 1: And we make sure that we spend that time together.
Speaker 1: It's hard to teach others and lead others in strong families.
Speaker 1: If I don't ever spend time with mine.
Speaker 1: And so that is sacred to us.
Speaker 1: Now that may or may not be sacred to you.
Speaker 1: The Lord, didn't say, thou shalt have Monday as your family day.
Speaker 1: Me, didn't say that.
Speaker 1: So if that's sacred to us, it may not be sacred to you.
Speaker 1: You may do something different, but, but when God calls something sacred, that sacred to every one, the things that God calls sacred apply, no matter what time period, you're in, no matter what culture you come out of, no matter how you were raised, no matter what you like dislike.
Speaker 1: When God says something is sacred to him, that means it is sacred to all it applies to everyone.
Speaker 1: And so at the beginning of this series, we learned that every part of your life and mind if you're a believer today, if you're a child of God, every part of your life and mine is sacred to God, then we learned more specifically that your time is sacred to God that God cares about how you spend time, then your resources, my resources are sacred to God.
Speaker 1: And then last week, pastor Benton preached so powerfully that our places are sacred to God.
Speaker 1: The ones that I create and the ones that I enter into.
Speaker 1: In fact, this, this week I was, uh, someone shared with me.
Speaker 1: I've had a lot of feedback on the sermon last week from pastor Benton.
Speaker 1: And, and one person said
Speaker 3: That their, their area of,
Speaker 1: Uh, where they had always gone and they prayed there and they read there and they journaled there.
Speaker 1: It, they realized that it had kind of gotten overcrowded by, by everything else and other things, they would still go there, but it wasn't as uniquely special to them and God.
Speaker 1: And so this week they cleaned that all out and they rededicated that place in their home where they said, this is where I go and meet with God.
Speaker 1: It's a, it became a sacred place again to them.
Speaker 1: And I think it's important that sometimes we go reestablish those sacred things and I pray.
Speaker 1: That's what we've been doing throughout this series that we are, re-establishing the sacred,
Speaker 3: The thing.
Speaker 3: And today we're closing out the series with this big idea that your purpose is sacred to God.
Speaker 3: Your purpose is sacred to God.
Speaker 3: When we use
Speaker 1: Use the term purpose, what we're doing is we are expressing the
Speaker 3: Why behind the, what the, why we do the, what we do.
Speaker 3: There's a lot of things that are just the what's we, we say, okay, what?
Speaker 3: And
Speaker 1: Some personalities lend themselves
Speaker 3: To just saying, Hey, tell me what to do.
Speaker 1: I would say, yeah, that's kinda like me.
Speaker 1: Uh, I just, I like to know what to do.
Speaker 1: I don't need to know all the details behind it, just what to do.
Speaker 1: Uh, there was a lady years ago that, uh, that came to my father, my father pastored a church in Massachusetts, and she came to my father.
Speaker 1: She'd been to the church a few times
Speaker 3: And she said, Hey, I just,
Speaker 1: I just I'm hearing what you say.
Speaker 1: And I've been listening to sermons and stuff like that, but I just want clarity on this.
Speaker 1: I just want to know what do I need
Speaker 3: To do to be a Christian, to live a Holy life for Christ, give me a list of things to do.
Speaker 3: And I will do them.
Speaker 3: He had never had anything like that happen before.
Speaker 3: I have never had anything like that happen.
Speaker 3: And you might say, well, you know, that's kind of
Speaker 1: Weird.
Speaker 1: Somebody just asking it that direct and just give me a list and that's what I'm going to do.
Speaker 1: And I would say maybe, maybe it is kind of weird,
Speaker 3: But it's true to
Speaker 1: Form because that woman became my
Speaker 3: Mother-in-law.
Speaker 3: And I will say that that had Joanne not have the kind of desire to live for Christ, that she did raising a daughter by herself, putting herself through school, working hard.
Speaker 3: I'm proud that she's my mother-in-law.
Speaker 3: And I'm thankful that she had the kind of heart that said, what do I need to do in order to live for Christ?
Speaker 3: Because that heart
Speaker 1: That's what gave me an incredible woman that I call my wife
Speaker 3: Today in Christie.
Speaker 1: There's a, there are moments when it's just a, what do I need to do?
Speaker 1: But as we mature in life, the why behind the, what becomes more and more important.
Speaker 1: And today I would say that Joanne knows why as much as she knows what, that's a, that's a part of maturity.
Speaker 1: And I have three declarations for us today.
Speaker 1: As we dial in on our purpose, being sacred to God, you have, they know the why behind the what, but before you can, before you can get to where your, why is let's look at, let's look at a Y that's a little greater than our own declaration.
Speaker 1: Number one is this.
Speaker 1: God made me purpose for a purpose.
Speaker 1: He may be on purpose for a purpose.
Speaker 1: See, God does not act without consideration.
Speaker 1: He does not act on a whim and he does not make any mistakes.
Speaker 1: The writer of Psalms one 39 said you made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
Speaker 1: Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex.
Speaker 1: Your workmanship is marvelous.
Speaker 1: How well I knew it.
Speaker 1: God was it.
Speaker 1: Wasn't an accidental thing that you were born when you were born to whom you were born.
Speaker 1: God meet you in his, in your mother's womb.
Speaker 1: He, he put you together.
Speaker 1: He formed you.
Speaker 1: And this can kind of sound like a platitude just to kind of make you feel good.
Speaker 1: And I hope it does make you feel good to know that your, your heavenly father made you and created you on purpose.
Speaker 1: But sometimes we think, well, that's not really true.
Speaker 1: That doesn't, that doesn't really matter.
Speaker 1: I was raised in a good home.
Speaker 1: I was raised in a very supportive home, but there are many situations in our world today where that is not the case.
Speaker 1: It's important to know that God made you on purpose for purpose, because so many have been flooded with the messages that you are nothing.
Speaker 1: You can do.
Speaker 1: Nothing.
Speaker 1: You will never be anything that, that, that you are not enough who you are and what you are.
Speaker 1: And that's why all of these negative things have happened to you.
Speaker 1: Sometimes it's, it's your parents that have said those things.
Speaker 1: And for that, I'm sorry for you.
Speaker 1: And, and sometimes it's the world outside of your parents that have said that consistently driving you down.
Speaker 1: But can I say to you, and that will you hear today that your heavenly father, God almighty the one who is not bound by time space or earthly understanding has said, I have made you on purpose for purpose.
Speaker 1: And when you showed up, it was not by accident.
Speaker 1: You showed up and I, and God celebrated because he knew what you were created for and what you would accomplish in life.
Speaker 1: He knew that the reason why you were here knew the why behind the, what that he did.
Speaker 1: He had a purpose for you.
Speaker 1: And I think that those who believe that they have nothing to live for, usually live
Speaker 3: For nothing.
Speaker 3: And in
Speaker 1: Our world today, you see alcoholism, you see drug addiction, you see promiscuity, you see abuse, you see depression, you see all kinds of acting out.
Speaker 1: You see bullying, you see all kinds of things that I think are symptoms, symptoms of people feeling pointless.
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter what I do or how I do it.
Speaker 1: So I'm just going to do what I want when I want.
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter how I treat myself.
Speaker 1: And it doesn't matter how I treat you because nothing that I do matters anyway, I don't have a purpose.
Speaker 1: I don't have a point.
Speaker 1: And therefore I'm just going to be.
Speaker 1: Sometimes they can be at one level and sometimes at another level, but ultimately it all comes back down to pointlessness.
Speaker 1: But God doesn't say that about you or
Speaker 3: About me.
Speaker 3: In first, Peter,
Speaker 1: The writer, Peter is talking about how God has created the church and how he is building the church.
Speaker 1: And he calls you.
Speaker 1: And I Believer's.
Speaker 1: He says, we are living stones, we're stones that are making up the church, but we are living stones.
Speaker 1: We are not dead stones.
Speaker 1: We are not lifeless stones.
Speaker 1: We are living stones.
Speaker 1: And then he says, you are a chosen race, a droid priesthood, a Holy nation of people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous,
Speaker 3: This light.
Speaker 3: Now we preach
Speaker 1: About this and talk about this verse in the series.
Speaker 1: I am the, I am series.
Speaker 1: We talked about it in September of 2019, and we just broke this verse apart, broke it down piece by piece.
Speaker 1: And if you weren't able to be here, or if you've forgotten it, I encourage you to go back on the iTunes podcast and you can find it September of 2019, the[inaudible] M series.
Speaker 1: But today I would just say, God made you on purpose for purpose.
Speaker 1: He chose
Speaker 3: You, maybe your
Speaker 1: Mother or your father didn't plan to have you, maybe you were an accident or a mistake on their
Speaker 3: Part, but
Speaker 1: You are not an accident or a mistake
Speaker 3: On God's part.
Speaker 3: And
Speaker 1: He knew who you are and why you were, and he celebrates
Speaker 3: Your life today.
Speaker 3: There's a value and a purpose for you.
Speaker 3: And that
Speaker 1: That understanding brings us to a second decision or declaration today.
Speaker 1: And declaration number two is I will embrace my God given
Speaker 3: Purpose.
Speaker 3: You have it.
Speaker 1: It's there because your creator has given it to you.
Speaker 1: It's like a chair saying, you know what?
Speaker 1: I'm not really a chair and I have no purpose.
Speaker 1: No, the creator said, no, I've created you as a chair.
Speaker 1: And your purpose is as a chair.
Speaker 1: Aren't you thankful for chairs today?
Speaker 3: You know,
Speaker 1: Back in the days of Jesus, the person that was teaching with sit down and everybody that was hearing would stand up until the teaching was over.
Speaker 3: I like that idea.
Speaker 3: Thank God for chairs.
Speaker 1: You have a purpose, but you have to embrace your purpose.
Speaker 1: So think about all the good things that you're doing in your life.
Speaker 1: Good things that you're working hard for.
Speaker 1: You're building a good career.
Speaker 1: You're building a good business.
Speaker 1: You're building a good marriage.
Speaker 1: You're building good kids.
Speaker 1: You're doing your best to be a great spouse and great friend and, and a great parent.
Speaker 1: And you're, maybe you're doing your best to be a great kid to parents of your own.
Speaker 1: And, and so you're, uh, you're, you're doing everything that you can to do something good.
Speaker 1: But my question is in service
Speaker 3: Of what, why
Speaker 1: Are you doing what you are doing?
Speaker 1: And I think that believers often go way too far down the track of life without ever answering that question definitively
Speaker 3: And understanding why they do it.
Speaker 3: Why do you do what you do, but why ask?
Speaker 3: Why
Speaker 1: You think about when we ask why it's usually restricted to negative situations?
Speaker 1: When I would do something wonderful, my father would rarely say, why didn't you do that wonderful thing.
Speaker 1: But when I would do something that wasn't as wonderful, he would often say, what were you thinking?
Speaker 3: Why did you do that?
Speaker 1: And that's not an unusual question.
Speaker 1: If you've, if something negative has happened, people often say, why did that happen?
Speaker 1: But, but we could ask the same question about the positive things that are going on in our lives.
Speaker 1: Why are we pursuing these particular things?
Speaker 1: Why are we looking at that investment?
Speaker 1: Why are we building that business?
Speaker 1: But the reason why it seems odd or uncomfortable is that it really appears to be a self-evident answer while I'm building this business, because I'm able to make a good income and employ other people, or I'm I have this family because I, I found the perfect person in the whole world, the most perfect individual that's ever existed.
Speaker 1: And they, some, for some reason agreed to be my spouse.
Speaker 1: And so here we are living together happily and all, everything is wonderful all the time.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah.
Speaker 1: We have a little issues here and there, but we've been able to work through those things.
Speaker 1: And, and, and why, why?
Speaker 1: Because it's wonderful.
Speaker 1: It's good.
Speaker 1: It's
Speaker 3: I've
Speaker 1: Family have a great business.
Speaker 1: I have great friends.
Speaker 1: I have a great position.
Speaker 1: I have a great future.
Speaker 1: So it's self evident why I'm doing what I'm doing, because good things are coming out of that.
Speaker 1: But, but here's, my challenge
Speaker 3: Comes to us.
Speaker 3: My challenge is that could be
Speaker 1: Thinking too small, too earthly, too carnal, because the truth is salvation.
Speaker 1: Isn't necessary to do any of those
Speaker 3: Things, many
Speaker 1: Good and, and wonderful people who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and savior, who the father is, not their God who are not empowered by the Holy spirit.
Speaker 1: They are doing the exact same thing.
Speaker 3: They have
Speaker 1: Good families.
Speaker 1: They are good people.
Speaker 1: They're bringing value to our communities.
Speaker 1: Good stuff is happening in their life and from their life.
Speaker 1: And I truly believe that this is why many people struggle with being all in with Christ Jesus and all in with the church of God, because we see others accomplishing the dream.
Speaker 1: The same thing that we would dream about the same thing we would reach for while.
Speaker 1: I mean, if I can, if I can be the founder of Apple and be a somewhat Buddhist, but not really Buddhist, but, but not be a Christ follower.
Speaker 1: And yet I can, I can be a multi-billionaire and do good things for the world and the computer and the, and, and, and, and invent the iPhone.
Speaker 3: If I can
Speaker 1: Do those things that I don't need Jesus, then why is Jesus that really that important?
Speaker 3: I can have
Speaker 1: Earthly success without any heavenly responsibility.
Speaker 1: And it's an earthly focus, but you are built.
Speaker 1: I am built to accomplish more than what can be accomplished without Christ.
Speaker 3: And could it be that
Speaker 1: We are wasting divine blessing in our lives?
Speaker 3: What are you,
Speaker 1: God, declare your purpose in mind to be, this is what he said, proclaim the praises of God,
Speaker 3: Proclaim
Speaker 1: The praises of God, how you do that various,
Speaker 3: But what
Speaker 1: You are tasked to do the why behind the, what of your life that is consistent, the praise of your lips declares him.
Speaker 1: You honor him and worship with your body, through the decisions you make in your mind.
Speaker 1: You elevate him in this life and in this world.
Speaker 1: And with your stewardship of time and resource, you reveal him to the world around him.
Speaker 3: That's what, that's why you exist.
Speaker 1: Praises to Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior to honor God before the world and to bring their attention to him.
Speaker 1: Now, if you are a new believer or you're not a believer, and you're like, Hey, I'm just checking this out.
Speaker 1: And you're super-intense dude.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Speaker 1: What I'm about to say, doesn't apply to you.
Speaker 1: So I want you to hear what I'm saying, but, but recognize that I'm not talking to you, but if you've been a believer for a little while, if this isn't your first rodeo, then this absolutely is applicable to you.
Speaker 3: And to me, it's
Speaker 1: A critique of the church.
Speaker 1: It's a critique of the believers, because I would say to us that we are often guilty of wasting God's blessing because we're not accepting God's purpose re we waste his blessing because we're not accepting his purpose.
Speaker 1: What does that look like?
Speaker 1: When in practical terms, it could mean that we bought another thing.
Speaker 1: Instead of investing in another soul, it could mean that we've argued our point.
Speaker 1: Instead of revealing his gospel, it could be that we've prayed for greater ease on our part and in our lives, instead of a greater harvest of souls and people coming to Jesus and knowing heaven as their home, we've critiqued other churches, other believers we've critiqued them for being too shallow, too expressive, too quiet, too declarative, too loud to whatever twos you're to.
Speaker 1: We we've critiqued one another.
Speaker 1: I listen to podcasts quite often.
Speaker 1: And if 25, if 10% of the podcasts that are out there today that are simply telling all the believers, why other believers are not real believers, and they're all wrong about this thing or that thing, or the other thing, and picking apart stuff and, and wailing on one another, as, as Christ followers worked instead turned around to reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: I think we'd be making a better impact in the world right now,
Speaker 3: But we don't.
Speaker 3: We chew one another up.
Speaker 3: And
Speaker 1: Really what it comes down to is I'm better than
Speaker 3: You.
Speaker 3: I know more than you
Speaker 1: Now, you might say, well, wait a minute.
Speaker 1: Shouldn't we talk about shouldn't we talk about false teaching and shouldn't we let people know if there's a false doctrine out there.
Speaker 1: Abs.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1: But you want to know where the best place is to bring out a false doctrine or to help correct a brother.
Speaker 1: It is not on a podcast.
Speaker 1: It is in a relationship where two people sit down together.
Speaker 1: If I get done with this sermon today, and some dude named Sam does a podcast on 55 reasons why pastor Micah Sutton is a false doctrine, preaching, false prophet, saying false, all the other stuff.
Speaker 1: You don't know how much I care about that.
Speaker 1: Zippo.
Speaker 1: That's a big, I don't care.
Speaker 1: But if you think
Speaker 3: That,
Speaker 1: If somebody that I love that cares about me comes to me and says, Micah, this where I think you're off here.
Speaker 1: But here's where I think you need to tune it up in your doctrine, in your teaching and your theology and your understanding.
Speaker 1: Then my heart is open because I know that Tim is for me and I'm for Tim.
Speaker 1: And I know that he, that he's, I know where he's coming from.
Speaker 1: I don't know where Sam's coming from.
Speaker 1: And to argue with me in a, in a tweet,
Speaker 3: I think
Speaker 1: Our world deserves more than that from us.
Speaker 3: I think we have a greater purpose.
Speaker 1: Older, young, richer, poor, a new believer or an old Saint.
Speaker 1: Now this applies to everybody.
Speaker 1: You are not called to judge them.
Speaker 1: You are called to proclaim
Speaker 3: Him.
Speaker 3: And
Speaker 1: That is our job as a church, 100% to proclaim Jesus
Speaker 3: Christ to the world.
Speaker 1: So embrace your God.
Speaker 1: Given purpose, make an eternal difference in this temporary world.
Speaker 1: Stop focusing on who you are and who you aren't and what you are and what you aren't and start focusing on whom he is in your life and through your life.
Speaker 1: And that brings us to declaration number three, that I will not trade
Speaker 3: An eternal purpose for a temporary one.
Speaker 3: I will
Speaker 1: Not trade an eternal purpose for a temporary
Speaker 3: One.
Speaker 3: A young man went to a venture capital.
Speaker 1: Well from years ago to ask them if they would be interested in, uh, investing in his company.
Speaker 1: And he took a long time to get, to get the appointment in general.
Speaker 1: And, and he did a lot of work and he had, he had all this material to give them an and so they, they went and they had their meetings and it was a long set of meetings and series of meetings and callbacks and so on and so forth, lots of discussion.
Speaker 1: And finally, it all came down to the final, to the final meaning.
Speaker 1: And he was there and everything had gone so well, everything was so writing and the conversations were so free and it was beautiful, a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1: And he sits down and they, and they ask him the question.
Speaker 1: They say, how much of an investment do you want?
Speaker 3: And
Speaker 1: I was kind of surprised because then all of his writing and in all of his presentation and everything, he had been
Speaker 3: Clear on that.
Speaker 3: And he said, I'm looking
Speaker 1: For a$1 million investment in my
Speaker 3: Company.
Speaker 3: And the decision maker in this venture capital firm sat back and said, I'm afraid it's going to be a no, it's going to be a no
Speaker 1: Man walked away.
Speaker 1: And a little while later, he just, it just bugged him because everything had gone so well.
Speaker 1: And so he, he contacted them again.
Speaker 1: He's like, Hey, I, everything went well.
Speaker 1: And I really, I was really shocked by how this turned out.
Speaker 1: And I'm just, I'm just wondering, can you tell me why the answer was?
Speaker 1: No.
Speaker 1: And they said it was no, because you asked too little.
Speaker 1: And so we knew you were thinking too small and you say, well, wait a minute, ah, a million dollars you asked, I asked, he asked for a million dollars.
Speaker 1: That's, that's a lot of money.
Speaker 1: That's a lot of money.
Speaker 1: To me.
Speaker 1: That's a lot of money to you, but to a multi-billion dollar capital investment company, venture capital company, what they were saying is you're, you're not, you're not asking enough from us to where we're going to make enough from you.
Speaker 1: The way we see it is that you're asking too small, based on the relationship that you have right here, go work with a smaller company.
Speaker 1: Could it be, could it be that you and I are thinking too small in our relationship with Christ, you are a child of the King.
Speaker 1: You're your father is God almighty the resourcer of all things.
Speaker 1: Could it be that we're thinking too small?
Speaker 1: Are you charged with an eternal purpose and living with a temporary mentality?
Speaker 1: Second Corinthians says it this way.
Speaker 1: While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal for, we know that if our earthly house, this tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.
Speaker 1: Don't don't live this life based only on what you can see.
Speaker 1: It's not worth it.
Speaker 1: It's too small.
Speaker 1: Even science tells us that that's, that's a limited way to live for.
Speaker 1: How long did they not know about the Adam for how long did they not know, understand how oxygen works?
Speaker 1: And, and when it comes right down to it, how much more is out there to be discovered?
Speaker 1: How much more is yet to be seen that we still do not know that we still have not understood.
Speaker 1: The reality is that living for theme things seen leaves.
Speaker 1: You unprepared for a turnout, eternal realities, but it's not easy.
Speaker 1: It's not easy at all.
Speaker 1: Because when you start talking about eternal realities, it shuts that, Hey guys, Jesus is coming back.
Speaker 1: Hey, there's a return coming.
Speaker 1: People say, well, wait a minute.
Speaker 1: He they've been saying, he's coming back for years and he hasn't returned yet, but I'm going to say one more time.
Speaker 1: Jesus is coming back and maybe he's going to
Speaker 4: Come back for the entire church where the taking away of the church were those that are dead in Christ will rise first.
Speaker 4: Then we will draw alive and remain will be caught up together to be with him.
Speaker 4: And maybe it's going to be that, or maybe it's going to be, he's going to take you personally, as you step from time into eternity, but either way, one day, I'm going to stand before him and you are to he's coming back.
Speaker 4: Matthew 24 says heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
Speaker 4: Jesus points at the eternal reality of his words.
Speaker 4: And when everything else has done, his word remains, which means his direction for your life remains his purpose for your life remains your purpose, your why behind all, but what remains, whether you are lifting up the King of Kings here on this earth, or you are standing around the throne in heaven, worshiping for eternity.
Speaker 4: However it is wherever it is your why remains the same.
Speaker 4: Your why remains the same.
Speaker 4: Matthew 24 consistent continues.
Speaker 4: However, no one knows the day or the hour when these things will happen.
Speaker 4: Not even the angels in heaven or the son himself only the father knows when the son of man returns will be like it was and Noah's day.
Speaker 4: What was it like in those day?
Speaker 4: Well, let me tell you, in those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings.
Speaker 4: They didn't have COVID right up to the time Noah entered his boat.
Speaker 4: People didn't realize that it was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away.
Speaker 4: That is the way it will be when the son of man comes, that it will.
Speaker 4: That is how it will be in the life of men and women, boys, and girls that you and I know unless somebody is declaring Jesus to them, unless somebody is living for something greater than what we have here on this earth.
Speaker 4: But it's easy to let the sacred go.
Speaker 4: It's easy to let the sacred go.
Speaker 4: He said, well, what if he doesn't return in my lifetime?
Speaker 4: Here's a passage of scripture.
Speaker 4: We have read every single week during this series.
Speaker 4: Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy spirit who lives in you and was given to you by God.
Speaker 4: You do not belong to yourself for God bought you with a high price.
Speaker 4: So you must honor God with your body, regardless of when, regardless of how, regardless of where you don't belong to you, you are his, and he has a designed purpose for your life.
Speaker 4: You have a calling to make an eternal difference in a temporary place.
Speaker 4: Every one of us, I believe that we're at a turning point in our nation and in our world.
Speaker 4: It's not just because there are there's unrest in many different areas of life and culture and society, but it's not without the reality that those things are true.
Speaker 4: I don't know when Jesus is coming, whether he shows up pre or post tribulation, that's his business.
Speaker 4: My business is not to worry when he's coming.
Speaker 4: My business is to personally be ready.
Speaker 4: And secondly, to do the job to which I'm called, people have asked me, actually, I've gotten this question a lot.
Speaker 4: What are you going to do, pastor Micah, if they say that, um, with all the censorship that's going on right now and the different things that are happening, what are you, what are you going to do?
Speaker 4: If they say that preaching from the Bible is hate speech.
Speaker 4: And suddenly you've got a problem there on your hands.
Speaker 4: And my answers is we are going to have a kick in prison ministry.
Speaker 4: Now I pray that it doesn't come to them.
Speaker 4: I really do.
Speaker 4: I like where I live.
Speaker 4: I like, I like the house that I live in.
Speaker 4: I, I like the church that I get to preach to.
Speaker 4: I, I like our life as it is right now.
Speaker 4: Um, we're a blessed, blessed, blessed beyond measure, but pith, I can't just live for a house that I can't just live for this why it's bigger than that.
Speaker 4: I'm made for more than that.
Speaker 4: And so are you individually, Julie, I'm made for more than that.
Speaker 4: And collectively we are made for more than God has built something beautiful at five lakes church.
Speaker 4: And I'm also going to say McCord road, Christian Church, because I want to bring in the 50 plus year history of this congregation, we've only recently been five weeks.
Speaker 4: God has built something beautiful here.
Speaker 4: This faith family is, is filled with incredible people.
Speaker 4: We have people from every walk of life and are representative of this faith family.
Speaker 4: We have people that are in the service industries and we have stylists and we have truck drivers and we have construction workers.
Speaker 4: And we have people who are, who are in business and who are professionals on every kind of level.
Speaker 4: We have plant workers and we have doctors.
Speaker 4: We have attorneys and we have just people from every single walk of life.
Speaker 4: And in this congregation, we are blessed with amazing amounts of wisdom, with amazing amounts of resources.
Speaker 4: We are blessed with the ability to make a difference in our community.
Speaker 4: We are, we are blessed to do something greater than we are.
Speaker 4: As we look to a eternal impression on a temporary replace, are we willing to live out the purpose that God has set before us as individuals and as a collective whole, as a faith family, are we willing?
Speaker 4: I have a vision.
Speaker 4: I'm going to share that with you.
Speaker 4: I'm going to declare it to you.
Speaker 4: In short, I have a vision to be the healthiest and most effective faith family in the world.
Speaker 4: That's my vision.
Speaker 4: Now we love God.
Speaker 4: We do three things here.
Speaker 4: We love God.
Speaker 4: We love each other.
Speaker 4: And we get the message out.
Speaker 4: We're good at loving God.
Speaker 4: That's why all of you here made it through the blizzard to be here this morning.
Speaker 4: That's why you online have, have taken your time and intentionally quiet in your house and made the effort to focus in on a service that you could have just as easily skipped you're here because you love God.
Speaker 4: We love each other.
Speaker 4: I have been in many churches in my life.
Speaker 4: I've had the privilege of pastoring.
Speaker 4: Several.
Speaker 4: I have never known a church that loves each other better than five lakes.
Speaker 4: Church does from our member care teams to our life groups, to taking care of one another in all kinds of different scenarios.
Speaker 4: I have never been a part of a church.
Speaker 4: It's not because I'm standing right here because I, I, I don't, I'm not going to lie about something like this.
Speaker 4: I could have said it 50 other ways.
Speaker 4: We love each other well, but there's a third part to that.
Speaker 4: And that's get the message out.
Speaker 4: That's get the message out.
Speaker 4: So here's what I believe.
Speaker 4: I believe that we will expand the ministry and the Toledo Metro area.
Speaker 4: As we build a multicultural multi-generational faith family, I believe that we, we will grow into a church family that sees thousands, come to know Jesus Christ and take their next steps in their walk with him.
Speaker 4: I believe that from this place, we will see the gospel reach across the Toledo Metro area by seeing soul saved and partnering with like-minded believers.
Speaker 4: I believe that the gospel will be delivered around the world.
Speaker 4: As we deliver the message of hope, develop leaders in ministry and finance ministry far beyond ourselves.
Speaker 4: I believe that we will not only have a larger, more multi-purpose friendly and debt-free facility, but that we will help other churches and faith families do the same as we help expand the big C church around the world.
Speaker 4: It's not just about us.
Speaker 4: And I believe that if the Lord doesn't return soon, that we will set up the next generation to see even greater things that we have and do more than we could do any.
Speaker 4: You might say, aren't you thinking just a little bit too big.
Speaker 4: Do you know what's happening in the world?
Speaker 4: Have you read the newspaper, seeing the news reports lately?
Speaker 4: Do you understand what's going on?
Speaker 4: Why would you say you must just be saying stuff I'm saying stuff, but I'm saying the stuff that matters.
Speaker 4: Chapter three verse 20 says now all glory to God who is able through his mighty power at work within us to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think God is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or even think.
Speaker 4: And so if I can think these things, and if I can believe these things, then we can agree that we have not even come close to the limit of what God can do in this world or the next.
Speaker 4: And I would rather think huge and succeed in 75% of the dream, then reduce them dreamed of something that I alone can accomplish and hit bullseye.
Speaker 4: Every time we preached a series a couple of months ago, talking about Daniel and the scripture says that those who know their God will be strong and do excellent either.
Speaker 4: That is true, or it is not.
Speaker 4: And if it is true, if it is true, then what heavenly purpose are we called to pastor Benton taught us last week.
Speaker 4: That consistency is the greatest catalyst for expectancy.
Speaker 4: God has blown my mind with what he's done over and over again, every time I think this is where it stops, he takes it to another level.
Speaker 4: I don't know what he's going to do with us, but I absolutely do know that he can, cannot do through us, but we will not accept or allow.
Speaker 4: Our purpose is sacred to God.
Speaker 4: Let's not think too small father in the name of Jesus, expand our hearts and our minds, the resource that you've put within our lives, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, time, finance, experience, all the reasons courses that you've placed within our lives.
Speaker 4: I pray that you would give us the courage to put them at your disposal, that we would see the potential for what could be stopped, dreaming dreams that can be accomplished by anybody.
Speaker 4: Stop being satisfied with a vision that can be accomplished without you and attach ourselves completely and wholeheartedly to a vision without your empowering spirit, without your defined guidance, without your incredible grace would be completely impossible for anyone on this earth, but that's exactly what you've called the students.
Speaker 4: So we step in it today.
Speaker 4: We call your purpose for our life sacred untouchable, and we are set apart because that's what you've called us to in Jesus' name.
Speaker 4: Just stay at your feet this morning.
Speaker 4: We're going to close this service in song and in worship.
Speaker 4: And I encourage you.
Speaker 4: If this is it, this has connected with you in any way.
Speaker 4: Then I encourage you to lift up your heart and express that, receive that word into your life today.
Speaker 4: Prayer partners, would you come forward?
Speaker 4: If you're in the house, then you need prayer for anything at all.
Speaker 4: Please come forward and let us pray with you.
Speaker 4: If you're online on your screen, connect with us at that website and we will make sure somebody connects with you, but don't leave the house today.
Speaker 4: Don't leave this presence today.
Speaker 4: Wherever you're sitting, don't leave in this moment without connecting with God and his purpose in your life in Jesus' name.