WEBVTT 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:08.160 Hello and welcome to the FBC El Doredo Sermon Podcast. 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:13.359 My name is Taylor Guerrera and I have the privilege of being the pastor here at First Baptist. 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:16.800 And I want to thank you for listening into our sermon this week. 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:25.679 And I want to tell you this if you're in our area and you don't have a church home, we would love to see you any Sunday morning at First Baptist El Doredo. 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:30.000 Will you join me now in listening to our sermon from this week? 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:37.119 All right, man. 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:41.359 Hey, I am so excited to be with y'all this morning. 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:47.280 Uh it has been an honor and a privilege to be able to bring the word uh to these students. 00:00:47.359 --> 00:00:50.799 Uh man, Pastor Colby, man, y'all got a great student pastor. 00:00:50.960 --> 00:01:01.840 I don't know if y'all know that you probably do, but if you don't, I want you to know that he's a great student pastor who cares deeply about the next generation and cares deeply about them coming to know Jesus and being discipled and raised up. 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:11.200 So thank you for for extending the invitation uh to me and just letting me step in and link arms with you in ministry uh this weekend with these students and in this moment. 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:15.760 And then uh you'll have a great lead pastor, senior pastor, Pastor Taylor. 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:28.560 Man, I uh I've done ministry in Arkansas, and the reputation of this man of God on the front row up here uh it is one that is great, one that is God honoring. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:31.040 And so, man, the leadership of this church is incredible. 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:35.599 And so thank you for letting me take this moment with with this congregation. 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:36.719 So thank you so much. 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:39.040 Uh man, my name is Slayton Teague. 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:42.480 Uh I am a student pastor in San Antonio, Texas. 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:46.480 Uh I grew up uh in Longview, Texas, uh, which is East Texas. 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:48.560 If if you know where it is, uh, that's great. 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:51.200 If you don't, it's about an hour 45 east of Dallas. 00:01:51.359 --> 00:02:02.079 And so uh I grew up in Longview, uh, and then from there I felt a call to ministry around the age of 16, and I went to school at Washtaw Baptist University. 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:04.400 Anyone from Washington, just please, anyone? 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:05.120 Yeah, yeah. 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:05.680 Come on. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:06.719 I'm at home. 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:07.439 This is great. 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:17.599 And so I went I went to school at Washtau Baptist University, got a Christian studies degree uh with a triple emphasis in biblical studies, Christian ministry, and theology. 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:24.800 And then from there, uh I started pastoring a student ministry uh in Little Rock, Arkansas at First Baptist Church there. 00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:30.879 Uh, and then I started my master's at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in uh North Carolina. 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:33.039 I did it online because I was in ministry. 00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:34.960 My wife is in PA school at UAMS. 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:45.120 Uh, and then from there, the Lord called us to go to Jacksonville, Florida, uh, where I was a student pastor, was a part of the teaching team, uh, and did a lot of things, wore a lot of hats at this church. 00:02:45.199 --> 00:02:54.719 Uh, and uh, and just being able to be there, the Lord used that moment in that church so greatly to mold me to the man I am uh today. 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:59.039 Uh, and it was at Jacksonville, Florida, where my wife and I would have our first kid. 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:01.199 Her name is Elaine Ruth. 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:05.759 Uh, she's named after her grandma, uh, her, her, her great-grandma. 00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:13.520 Uh, and so we love Elainey, but from there, uh, the Lord called us to go to San Antonio, Texas, where we are now, uh, which is home. 00:03:13.599 --> 00:03:22.719 Uh, I remember growing up, I don't know if you've ever been to San Antonio, but I remember growing up and we would go to the Austin area for state basketball championship tournaments. 00:03:22.800 --> 00:03:31.120 My mom was a basketball coach, and so we'd go down there uh for that, and we'd always go to San Antonio, and I just remember as a kid thinking San Antonio is the greatest city in in all the world. 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:35.039 I understand the Alamo is a little underwhelming if you've ever been, you ever seen it? 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:38.240 Like everyone in San Antonio thinks the same exact thing. 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:42.960 Uh and so, but man, it's super, it's a it's a great city, and we love it. 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:48.159 Uh, but uh it was in San Antonio where we had our second son, uh, uh our second child. 00:03:48.240 --> 00:03:50.319 Uh his name is Nolan Michael. 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:54.400 Uh, and I have the pictures of my family uh up on the screen. 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:56.960 Uh this this is my this is my world. 00:03:57.039 --> 00:04:00.719 Uh there's nothing I'm more proud of than the people that are on this screen. 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:02.080 Uh this is my wife Allison. 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:05.759 We've been married seven years, uh, and those are our our two kids. 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:13.840 Laney, uh my daughter is about two and a half years old, and in about 10 days, uh my son will turn one. 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:19.839 So uh if you have any time on your schedule, we'll just ask you to pray for me and my family. 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:20.240 Okay. 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:22.319 It's two, it's two under two. 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:24.560 They're now that's whatever, but that's the age range. 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:25.839 They're 18 months apart. 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:28.959 Um, and so we're busy and being a student pastor and all the things. 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:33.759 So if you if you don't mind, uh would love for you to pray for me. 00:04:33.839 --> 00:04:35.279 Uh and I love them. 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:37.519 And so uh that's enough about me. 00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:41.120 Uh actually that's not because I've had the next the next slide, don't put it up yet. 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:42.480 That's actually about me as well. 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:44.720 Sorry, so sorry, so sorry. 00:04:44.959 --> 00:04:53.360 Um but uh to this morning's message is titled, if you're taking notes, it's titled Leaving Kingdom Legacy. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.000 It's Leaving Kingdom Legacy. 00:04:56.160 --> 00:05:01.199 Uh a big part of my story is that I hated the word legacy. 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:05.600 Uh I am a very stubborn, prideful man. 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:06.160 Okay. 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:18.000 Uh my entire life, if you told me what to do, if the tone was slightly off, what would end up happening is I, knowing that what you're telling me to do is right, I would do the exact opposite of it. 00:05:18.319 --> 00:05:20.160 I'm a fighter through and through. 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:20.720 All right. 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:23.199 I don't, in my opinion, is the right opinion. 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:24.560 It's actually truth sometimes. 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:26.560 And so that that's who I am. 00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:33.519 And so my entire life, I would hear this statement, oh, you're gonna be just like your dad. 00:05:34.000 --> 00:05:36.160 And I'm like, no, I'm not. 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:38.720 Like, I'm not gonna be like my dad. 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:41.360 He's like, oh, you're gonna be just like your grandpa. 00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:45.279 It's like, love my grandpa, but that's him, not me. 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:47.839 Oh man, you're gonna be just like your great-grandpa. 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:49.279 Absolutely not. 00:05:50.399 --> 00:06:00.399 And the reason I most people aren't compared to their great-grandpa or their grandpa, but for me, what you need to know is that I grew up in a very Christian home. 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:14.319 And when I say very Christian, like I know you're probably thinking, oh, you went to church, uh, your dad may have been a pastor if you're trying to connect the dots and and all these things, and that you're raised uh in in the church, all the things you're always there. 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:17.920 Anytime the doors are open, you were there, which is all true. 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:24.399 But my family was a family that when we would travel on vacation, Sunday was still the day for us to go to church. 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:26.160 And so I would still be in church. 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:35.519 But what was even more interesting about me going to church, even on vacation, was that most of the time it was at my grandpa's church because my grandpa was a pastor. 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:40.720 And then whenever my great-grandpa was still alive, we'd go to his church. 00:06:40.959 --> 00:06:45.680 You say, I'm a fourth generation pastor, and I don't say that in a boastful way. 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:52.319 I actually say it is this is the thing that I fought against my entire life was to do the very thing that I'm currently doing. 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:58.160 Being a fourth generation pastor, absolutely not, because that's not me being me. 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:01.120 That's me conforming to what my family did. 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:12.800 You see, in my life, the Lord began to soften my heart and break and break me down to the point where I would begin to surrender to call ministry whenever I was 16 years old. 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:14.879 And man, that that was a struggle. 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:16.000 I remember there was tears. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:22.319 Man, I was saying things to the Lord that I can't say from the pulpit because I just did not want to do what my dad did. 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:24.639 I did not want to be looked at as Mike's son. 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:27.040 I didn't want to be looked at as Harold's grandson. 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:28.800 I didn't want to, I didn't want that title. 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:30.720 I wanted to be Slatan. 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:38.399 You see, there is this moment in my life now that I look back on my life. 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:41.759 I look back on the legacy, my heritage. 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:56.560 And what I see is blessing, and what I see is honor, and what I see is a privilege to be able to be raised up by the next the first generation, the generation before me to become the man that I am today. 00:07:56.720 --> 00:08:03.759 You see on the screen there's a there's a picture uh of me, uh, and that's I'm the baby crying, in case anyone was confused. 00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:04.319 All right. 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:06.240 So I'm the baby that's crying. 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:07.839 I probably missed nap time. 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:10.800 Uh, and that's my dad who's holding me. 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:15.120 Uh, and to the right, that's my grandpa, and to the left, that's my great-grandpa. 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:20.879 Uh and and and you may notice that there's a Dallas Cowboys helmet signed by Tom Landry. 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:23.600 Come on, the America's team. 00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:26.639 Uh, you may have noticed the Longhorn baseball, okay. 00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:27.439 Please don't judge me. 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:28.480 I'm from Texas, okay? 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:29.600 I'm a Longhorn fan. 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:32.559 Okay, we don't need to go back to the Southwest Conference. 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:38.320 But in between those are four Bibles. 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:44.480 The the blue or gray Bible is actually my great-grandpa's Bible. 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:55.519 And one of the things that he did is he would, in his Bible, he would, he would write notes and highlight things and circle things, and he would write out prayers, and he would say, Man, this prayer was answered. 00:08:55.600 --> 00:09:01.360 And so one of the greatest joys of mine is to go back through my great-grandpa's Bible and I get to know my great-grandpa. 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:06.080 You see, the the orange Bible is my grandpa's Bible. 00:09:06.879 --> 00:09:08.879 That I actually thought was lost. 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:10.159 We couldn't find it. 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:15.440 And what actually happened is that a family member somehow had his Bible. 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:20.559 Uh, and he they actually sent it, mailed it back to me when they found out that I was in ministry. 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:26.639 And so that's one of the greatest unanswered like prayers that I never prayed was to get that Bible back, and he would do the same thing. 00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:28.080 He'd write in this Bible. 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:32.960 You see, prayers answered, people saved. 00:09:34.320 --> 00:09:36.720 The wrestle that he had with the Lord. 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:44.480 And the Bible next to it was my dad's and and I, my dad passed away in 2016. 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:46.799 So he passed away early. 00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:55.120 And so one of the greatest privileges of mine is to go back to that Bible and see the things that the Lord was doing in my dad's life. 00:09:56.000 --> 00:10:03.360 And the Bible next to it is one of my Bibles, it just happens to be the same size as those, so that's the one I use for this moment. 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:11.039 So I go back and I look at these and I have actual sermon notes from my great-grandpa. 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:23.519 And on the back of the bulletin that he would have handed out, he would write on the back of it, it'd say, Sally saved 1, 12, 43. 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:25.120 I made that number up. 00:10:25.200 --> 00:10:26.799 I don't know if it was 43. 00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:32.240 But I'd go back and see, and I have I have cassette recordings of my grandpa's sermons. 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:38.639 And I and I have sermons of of my dad's, and and it's these moments that I cherish dearly. 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:40.879 It's the heritage of my life. 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:46.080 And I'm so grateful that these men that are in this picture were men of God. 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:53.120 I'm so grateful that the day that they were born to the day they passed away, one thing that they had on their mind was to be found faithful. 00:10:53.360 --> 00:11:01.519 That they would leave a kingdom legacy, that even though I wanted to run away from the Lord so much that they would be praying for me. 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:08.720 Oh, what's not pictured as a grandma who would pray for me, what's not pictured as a mom who'd be praying for me and just asking the Lord to move in my life. 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:19.919 I'm so grateful that that first date when they were born, to the very last date that they died, that they took their last breath, that they invested the word of the Lord. 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:26.080 They invested the prayers of their hearts in me and in other people around me. 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:31.440 See, that dash in between those two dates is so important. 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:37.679 That dash between those two dates is what you do with your life. 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:41.759 You see, this church, I was walking around with Pastor Colby. 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:49.919 I have a friend who like wants a church plant one day and just loves loves churches with stained glasses, stained glass windows, and all the things. 00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:53.440 And and so I was just like, oh man, look at this church, and I was getting to know it. 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:55.919 And one of the things about me is I love history. 00:11:56.879 --> 00:12:02.159 Obviously, I have my family history, but but I just love history in general, especially church history. 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:08.480 And so being able to walk around this church, man, I'm just imagining all the stories that have happened in this place. 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:18.240 How there's a building built right here, right at this little tree that they would worship in while they were building the rest of it to make space for more people to come to know Jesus in El Dorado. 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:22.000 And then what was really cool is that I got to go downstairs. 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:24.639 I went down this bridal tunnel. 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:26.320 I didn't, that's incredible. 00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:28.559 I didn't even know that that was a thing. 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:31.200 And so I he took me down this tunnel. 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:34.000 Uh, and if you need to go to the bathroom, there's a bathroom back there. 00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:39.519 Um, but uh you go down this tunnel and and we get here, and I'm like, oh man, this is so cool. 00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:48.799 Like, like I'm just like geeking out uh about about this building, and we get to this moment where I'm like, what are these pictures on the wall? 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:54.080 And Pastor Colby's like, hey, these are the the pastors of this church. 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:56.399 I was like, man, how how old is this church? 00:12:56.559 --> 00:13:13.840 Oh, this church was founded in 1845, and on the other side are the founding leaders of the church, and then I got to see the heritage room and see all the history of this church and how God has moved, and then and then I get to be here and and get to be a small part of what God is doing in this church this weekend. 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:16.480 I'm humbled and honored to be here. 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:23.759 You see, God created you and me, he created us all with his image. 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:27.360 His breath breathed life into our lungs. 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:35.279 He gave us a start date, and there will be a day that we have an end date because sin and brokenness has messed everything up. 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:50.639 But there's a God who loves us, there's a God who loves you that would send his one and only Son named Jesus to this earth, this broken earth, to go and die on a cross, be buried in a tomb, rising after three days, defeating the two things that you and I will never be able to defeat, which is sin and death. 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:56.080 Because if we're all real this morning, you have sinned, and there's gonna be a day when we all die. 00:13:57.279 --> 00:14:01.120 You can't defeat those two things, and Jesus defeated both of them. 00:14:01.519 --> 00:14:09.200 By doing so, he demonstrates his love for us that while we're still sinners, that there's a way for us to be saved. 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:22.639 And then Jesus would rise again from the grave, and the thing that he would do before he would ascend back to heaven and be seated at the right hand of God, preparing a place for us so that when he comes back, he can bring us there. 00:14:22.799 --> 00:14:24.000 This is what I need you to see. 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:32.159 He instituted the plan A to reach lost people and disciple people and make them look more like Jesus, which was the church. 00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:37.200 This church start date 1845. 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:40.240 Dash. 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:50.080 We don't know what that other date is, but the Lord has every person in this room to make the dash count. 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:59.279 What we do with our life, what you do with this church, you leave the kingdom legacy. 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:02.320 So how do we make our life count? 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:13.440 How do we make our life count in such a way that doesn't just grow my name, doesn't just grow your name, doesn't just grow this church's name, but grows the king's name. 00:15:13.679 --> 00:15:15.200 His name is Jesus. 00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:25.440 So this morning we're gonna be in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1 and 2, and I'm gonna read it and then we're gonna jump in uh to the rest of the message. 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:34.399 So as you're turning there, it says this, it says in Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1 through 2. 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:39.360 This is great. 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:41.360 Just hear all these pages turning. 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:42.879 This is incredible. 00:15:44.080 --> 00:16:14.080 It says this, it says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:20.159 Lord Jesus, we come to you this morning and we just ask, Lord, that we would meet with you. 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:28.159 Lord, we believe that your word is inspired, Lord, that your word in Hebrews 4 12 says it's living and active, Lord. 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:31.440 It is your word that actually spoke and all things were created. 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:37.360 Lord, we believe that when we become people of this book, Lord, we get to see and encounter you. 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:41.440 And so, Lord, this morning I pray, Lord, that your word would go forth, Lord. 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:49.919 It would not come back void, but that we would be a humble servant, an empty vessel, ready to receive whatever you have for us today. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:53.200 And we ask you all this in your awesome and powerful name, the name of Jesus. 00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:54.080 Amen. 00:16:55.120 --> 00:17:01.600 All right, if you're taking notes, point one is this is that we need to remember the witnesses. 00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:03.679 Remember the witnesses. 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:10.319 You see, if we want to make the dash of our life count, it starts with remembering the witnesses. 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:13.839 You see, it in the text, it says therefore. 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:22.480 And anytime you're reading scripture on your own and you see the word therefore, you need to ask the question, what is it there for? 00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:25.039 I'm just a little play on words, okay? 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:28.240 I'm not an English teacher, but that sounds good. 00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:29.839 What is it there for? 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:31.359 So then you look back. 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:33.839 So so what is he saying, therefore? 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:38.720 In Hebrews chapter 11, this is called the the the hall of faith. 00:17:39.519 --> 00:17:42.799 I'm a big sports guy, super competitive, I always want to win. 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:46.319 And so I love seeing people that are in the hall of fame. 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:52.880 I love history, so I love learning about all these people and seeing what they did and how they led their teams and all the things. 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:57.599 But here in Hebrews chapter 11, we get the picture of Canton, Ohio, right? 00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:58.160 You're with me? 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:01.359 We get the picture of the Hall of Faith. 00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:19.119 These are faithful men and women that have followed Jesus to the very end, that they have lived a life worthy of the call of Christ on their life, that they would be faithful to the very end, and they would hear the words, Well done, my good and faithful servant. 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:31.680 So when the author of Hebrews transitions to this verse one where he says, Therefore, he's telling the reader, he's telling the audience to remember the people who have gone before you. 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:35.279 To remember those who are faithful. 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:36.000 Why? 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:58.640 Because this life that we live, trying to be in this world but not of this world, trying to look like Jesus to a bunch of people who don't want to have anything to do with Jesus, we need to find encouragement in the fact that we can actually be successful because there have been men and women who were successful before us, and that means that if I've got the same Holy Spirit with me that they had, then guess what I can do? 00:18:58.799 --> 00:19:00.559 I can be found faithful. 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:06.319 See, it says that there is a great cloud of witnesses. 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:11.599 We're surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:14.079 Great just means a lot. 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:14.640 Okay? 00:19:15.119 --> 00:19:18.000 There's a lot of people who have been found faithful. 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:25.519 The cloud here is just a common way to group people together, but witnesses, what do witnesses do? 00:19:25.759 --> 00:19:32.480 They tell, they proclaim, they share truth, and they share the experience of their life. 00:19:32.960 --> 00:20:03.119 So when we seek to follow Jesus, we need to look at the people who've gone before us because they are testifying to the fact that no matter what comes in your life, no matter what comes your way, no matter what the enemy has planned against you, no matter what goes on at work, no matter what goes on at school, no matter what goes on in your home life, that there have been people who have been found faithful, and this is encouraging. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:08.960 Because I don't know about you, but there's times that life is hard. 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:34.400 And the more that I'm living the life that I'm living, and I get married, and I have two kids, and I have a job, and we move across the country, all these things bring different weights and stressors, and all the things where I'm just trying to be found faithful in the midst of leading my family, in the midst of praying that my kids would know Jesus one day, in the midst of being a student pastor, looking at the next generation and calling them to be the generation of today that changes the world. 00:20:34.559 --> 00:20:44.240 It's this stress and this pressure that if I'm not careful will begin to actually discourage me instead of me finding encouragement in the fact that I'm loved by Jesus. 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:58.480 So we, if we want to run this race, if we want to make the dash of our life count, you have to remember the witnesses, which is why I go back to the Bibles all the time. 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:07.279 Because if if the person with the last name T could do it, then this guy with the last name T can do it. 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:12.880 And I can tell you this if they could do it, if I can do it, you can do it. 00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:26.960 So we remember the witnesses and this encouragement that people were found faithful should lead us to point two, which is this is that we remove the sin and the weight. 00:21:27.839 --> 00:21:30.640 We remove the sin and the weight. 00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:33.279 Look what it says in verse one. 00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:37.920 It says, let us also lay aside. 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:44.720 Another way you can translate this is remove to set apart, like you're setting yourself apart. 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:47.039 Remove yourself from these things. 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:53.839 Lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely. 00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:57.680 Let us also lay aside every weight. 00:21:58.720 --> 00:21:59.519 What is the weight? 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:03.279 It's what I've already talked about. 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:06.640 See, our life that we live is heavy. 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:13.519 See, I remember being a student, and I remember thinking, oh my gosh, like life can't get busier than this. 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:18.799 Oh man, my life is not gonna get harder than this. 00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:23.519 Algebra 2 is not gonna get it's not gonna get any better. 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:26.960 Like this is the worst thing in my life. 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:27.759 Physics. 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:31.039 I understood physics, but chemistry had no idea what was going on. 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:35.039 I I remember being like, oh man, I gotta wake up early for football practice. 00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:36.640 And then I gotta go to school. 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:45.039 And then, oh by the way, it it's basketball season, so now I gotta go, now I gotta get get ready and watch some film for basketball, but yet I'm on the football team, so now I feel this. 00:22:46.799 --> 00:22:50.400 I remember thinking life was so busy, so hard, so heavy. 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:52.319 And it was. 00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:54.240 I wasn't mature enough to handle it. 00:22:54.319 --> 00:23:02.400 But then as I grow, as I learn God's word, as I as I step into new things in life, what begins to happen is more responsibility comes. 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:05.440 I I go to college free. 00:23:05.680 --> 00:23:06.240 You with me? 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:09.680 I'd pay for my college, but I'm free from my parents. 00:23:10.079 --> 00:23:10.720 You with me? 00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:15.279 Okay, pray the provision of the Lord in my life. 00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:18.559 I felt independent. 00:23:18.640 --> 00:23:19.920 I can do whatever I want. 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:27.440 I remember being a horrible student in high school, but I winged it and I was smart enough to still pass and make my family happy of me. 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:29.680 Like, oh, he's making A's or whatever. 00:23:29.759 --> 00:23:34.880 I just won't wing that thing, maybe look at at a at a friend's homework every now and then. 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:36.079 Don't do that. 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:40.799 I regret it because what I'm about to tell you is I got to college, there's this thing called a syllabus. 00:23:40.960 --> 00:23:42.160 Had to read a syllabus. 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:45.759 Didn't read that, kept it in my backpack, never looked at it. 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:53.440 And what ended up happening is the first day of class, I go to school, I go there, I get the syllabus, and I'm like, man, we didn't do anything in this class. 00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:54.559 This is incredible. 00:23:54.720 --> 00:24:03.200 And then I go on on the Friday to this class and Thursday night, I'm hanging out with all these new friends that I made. 00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:09.920 Because I'm a freshman at Washita, and what ends up happening is a friend's like, hey, did you do the homework for this class, this class, this class, this class? 00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:11.519 Because we're all in these classes together. 00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:14.480 And I was like, homework week one? 00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:15.519 Like, you're crazy. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:16.880 He's like, Did you not read the syllabus? 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:18.640 No, I didn't read the syllabus. 00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:21.599 Like, shouldn't I shouldn't the teacher have told us something? 00:24:21.759 --> 00:24:22.480 I don't know. 00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:23.839 She probably did. 00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:41.519 But what ended up happening is I I thought I was about to I was about to drop out of school week one because I'm staying up late on the back deck of of the student center overlooking the Washita River, letting mosquitoes bite me. 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:46.000 Because I just got to stay awake and read Love Beyond Reason for Scott Duvall for Dr. 00:24:46.079 --> 00:24:48.319 Scott Duvall's spiritual formation class. 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:53.200 And then and then we get to to the class and we're like, hey, there's a quiz, and I'm like, oh, I'm done. 00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:56.079 Like this is my world was crumbling. 00:24:56.480 --> 00:25:02.319 And then I realized, wait a second, do your homework, read your syllabus, get a planner, schedule this thing out. 00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:05.599 And then then I get a job. 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:06.880 Oh my goodness. 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:10.880 I'm like, oh, I thought I had no time in college, and now I really don't have time. 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:15.200 And then I get married, and now I have kids and the weight of life. 00:25:16.079 --> 00:25:20.400 You start having influence over people, you start leading your home for the men in the room. 00:25:22.240 --> 00:25:25.359 You start caring about the soul of your children. 00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:27.440 You want to do well at work. 00:25:28.880 --> 00:25:30.400 And it gets heavy. 00:25:30.640 --> 00:25:33.680 And what the enemy wants you to do is he wants you to think you're doing this all alone. 00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:35.519 He wants you to be isolated. 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:39.519 But what the Lord wants you to do is to come to him with it. 00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:47.279 See, it says in in Matthew chapter 11, verse 28 and 30, it says, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden. 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:52.160 Students, I'm here to tell you in the room, one, you labor and there's heavy laden in your life. 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:57.279 But the older you get, the more it's going to get on your shoulders. 00:25:59.440 --> 00:26:01.920 So learn this verse now. 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:07.279 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:12.240 Take my yoke upon you, learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly. 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:19.519 This word lowly is humble, that the Lord Himself towards us, his heart towards us is one of gentleness and humility. 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:25.440 And it says, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy, my burden is light. 00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:27.839 I don't know how many agricultural people there are in here. 00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:42.799 You could probably give me a lesson on this, but from my understanding, a yoke is something that went over the shoulders of like a cow or a horse or a mule, and there's a younger horse, a younger cow, a younger mule that would be underneath this yoke. 00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:54.880 So so that the one that's trained to actually be able to plow, or the one that's trained to actually be able to pull, is training this younger one, this least experienced one, how to go. 00:26:54.960 --> 00:27:08.240 But but if there's an older mule and there's a younger mule, more than likely, the older one is carrying all the weight because his shoulders are bigger, he's a little taller. 00:27:09.279 --> 00:27:11.200 But the younger mule has no idea. 00:27:11.279 --> 00:27:18.079 He's just learning and going wherever the older trained mule is taking it. 00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:33.200 See, in in the story, when Jesus says, Take my yoke upon you, what he's saying is it's like, listen, when you come to learn from me, when you submit your life to me, when you choose to follow Jesus, my yoke goes over your shoulders. 00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:40.880 And what ends up happening is that Jesus Himself is carrying the weight, and he's leading you and guiding you every step of the way. 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:45.519 All you have to do is recognize that you're not the one carrying the weight, that it's him. 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:48.960 So as long as Jesus is with me, I'm gonna be okay. 00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:55.039 Remove the weight of this life by refocusing on who Jesus is. 00:27:56.480 --> 00:28:02.160 But then it says to remove sin that cleans so closely. 00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:09.839 If we're all honest in the room, we all have sin in our life, sin that people don't even know about because we're good at hiding it. 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:17.200 But but our job in following Jesus is to live a life of holiness, to live a life set apart for the work of Jesus. 00:28:17.920 --> 00:28:29.680 You see, Jesus wants to use you at your work, he wants to use you at your school, he wants to use you if you're a coach, he wants to use you as a teacher, he wants to use you if you're an oil, he wants to use you if you're a farmer, he wants to use you wherever you go. 00:28:31.759 --> 00:28:45.839 And so our job, not just as preachers or pastors, but as as followers of Jesus, is to live a life of holiness because one, we want to walk in the abundant life of Jesus, but we also want other people to experience it too. 00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:56.319 So we want to look different and act different and talk different, not because we are different, but because we want to give someone a better picture of what true joy looks like, what true peace looks like. 00:28:56.400 --> 00:28:57.920 And it's only found in Jesus. 00:28:58.079 --> 00:29:01.519 So when we follow Jesus, we remove sin. 00:29:03.440 --> 00:29:08.640 If you're a believer in the room, your life should be marked by a pattern of confession. 00:29:10.079 --> 00:29:17.359 It says in 1 John 1 9 that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness. 00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:19.200 It says that he cleanses us. 00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:21.680 See, how does this happen? 00:29:21.759 --> 00:29:24.880 Well, one, Jesus has already paid the price for your sin. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:32.640 So all you're doing is telling the Lord, hey, listen, Lord, I've been unfaithful, that I sinned against you. 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:34.240 And Lord, I'm sorry. 00:29:34.319 --> 00:29:41.599 I chased after the things of the world instead of chasing after what you want me to chase after, and I have failed, Lord, forgive me. 00:29:41.759 --> 00:29:48.319 And in that moment, the thing I want you to hear is the Father saying, I already, I already forgave you. 00:29:48.960 --> 00:29:53.920 All you have to do is come to me so I could remind you of the love I have for you. 00:29:54.160 --> 00:29:59.119 This everlasting, unconditional, steadfast love that I have for you. 00:29:59.599 --> 00:30:04.400 That there's nothing you did to earn my love, there's nothing you can do to make me remove my love. 00:30:04.559 --> 00:30:11.119 I love you, so come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:15.920 Take my yoke upon you, for it is easy, and my burden is light. 00:30:17.039 --> 00:30:21.599 When we confess, we claim the forgiveness that's already given to us. 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:25.119 So we keep a short record of sin in our life. 00:30:25.279 --> 00:30:29.680 So point one is we remember the witness, point two is we remove sin and wait. 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:32.720 Point three then is that you run your race. 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:36.880 You run your race. 00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:42.960 It says this, it says, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. 00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:45.920 See, currently I'm training to run a marathon. 00:30:46.400 --> 00:30:52.559 And I said I said I'm a competitive person, so I'm not in sports anymore, so I have to find ways to compete. 00:30:52.960 --> 00:31:00.960 And this one is a competition against myself because when I try to run and I'm competing against other people, I lose because I'm not the quickest guy, fastest guy. 00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:06.000 So I'm training for this marathon, and my goal is to just finish. 00:31:06.880 --> 00:31:07.680 Just to finish. 00:31:07.920 --> 00:31:12.559 The furthest I've run so far is 13 miles, and I thought I was dying at mile five. 00:31:12.640 --> 00:31:14.880 I have no idea how I got to mile 13. 00:31:16.880 --> 00:31:25.440 See, the Christian life is compared to running a marathon, and the whole goal is about finishing the marathon. 00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:26.160 What do you do? 00:31:26.240 --> 00:31:27.440 You train for a marathon. 00:31:27.680 --> 00:31:29.440 So you train for the Christian life. 00:31:30.160 --> 00:31:31.119 Spiritual disciplines. 00:31:31.200 --> 00:31:36.960 You read, you read your Bible, you pray, you come to church, you get in community, you tell other people about Jesus. 00:31:37.359 --> 00:31:41.359 Not because it's a checklist, but because the love of the Lord has changed your life. 00:31:41.519 --> 00:31:42.880 And so I want to know his word. 00:31:43.119 --> 00:31:48.240 I want to communicate with him, and I want other people to know how he has changed my life. 00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:52.079 See, you endure, hardships are gonna come, life is gonna life. 00:31:52.400 --> 00:31:54.799 The unexpected diagnosis is gonna come. 00:31:54.960 --> 00:32:00.240 That that bill that you thought you paid, like you didn't pay, and now and now you're like, oh gosh, I didn't expect that. 00:32:00.319 --> 00:32:03.839 I have to do this here, and that I'm managing my my money. 00:32:04.400 --> 00:32:15.440 I wasn't expecting this expense, I wasn't expecting this thing, I wasn't expecting my my child to come home and get caught out in the sin that they're doing, and I don't know how to respond to this, I don't know how to parent this moment. 00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:24.079 Life is going to life, but the one who's unfaithful is the one who endures. 00:32:26.799 --> 00:32:30.079 The Christian life is just a faithful finish. 00:32:31.119 --> 00:32:34.000 It's way more elementary than we make it out to be. 00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:39.279 We make it harder than it is, we make it think it's calculus when really we're just in kindergarten. 00:32:39.759 --> 00:32:40.640 One plus one is two. 00:32:40.880 --> 00:32:42.240 Yes, sir, I got it. 00:32:43.519 --> 00:32:46.319 I'm gonna read my Bible, I'm gonna pray, I'm gonna tell people about Jesus. 00:32:46.480 --> 00:32:49.680 I'm gonna go to church, I'm gonna be surrounded by godly community. 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:55.279 And whenever I sin, I tell the Lord because I know he's a good dad who loves me. 00:32:56.799 --> 00:32:58.480 So, how do we have a faithful finish? 00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:00.240 Ultimately, it's point four. 00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:02.480 It's we refocus on Jesus. 00:33:03.359 --> 00:33:05.200 We refocus on Jesus. 00:33:05.359 --> 00:33:12.400 It says looking to Jesus, the founder, meaning we can't be saved if it wasn't Jesus. 00:33:12.799 --> 00:33:14.640 We can't have faith if it wasn't for Jesus. 00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:16.799 We don't have everlasting life if it's not for Jesus. 00:33:16.960 --> 00:33:20.480 He's the founder and then the perfecter of our faith. 00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:26.720 This idea of being made perfect is one, we're going to be made perfect when Jesus comes back and we get to see him face to face. 00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:30.319 But until that moment, there's this thing called sanctification. 00:33:30.480 --> 00:33:34.400 It's the process of us looking more and more like Jesus each and every day. 00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:38.079 He helps us along that entire process. 00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:51.440 We look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy, listen, the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 00:33:51.680 --> 00:34:03.680 I need you to see this moment that the author of Hebrews wants us to see is that when he's telling us to run the race of life, to be found faithful. 00:34:03.839 --> 00:34:10.079 What I love about the Lord is that he doesn't just give us commands, he's actually modeling what he wants us to do. 00:34:10.800 --> 00:34:19.119 Jesus would leave heaven, enter into our mess, and run a race where he never sinned, he never did anything wrong, but yet he went through hardship. 00:34:19.440 --> 00:34:25.519 He knows what it's like when a loved one passes away, he knows what it's like when people stab him in the back, he knows what it's like. 00:34:26.239 --> 00:34:32.639 And yet he was found perfect, and he would go and die on the cross so that you could have life and an abundant life at that. 00:34:34.639 --> 00:34:45.760 He had a faithful finish, and if he's the founder of my faith, if he's the perfecter of my faith, then that means I can have a faithful finish, not because of what I do, but because of what he has done in me. 00:34:48.000 --> 00:34:53.920 We run this race, we leave Kingdom Legacy, and this is the takeaway that I want you to see. 00:34:55.519 --> 00:34:57.119 Is yes, you run, you erase. 00:34:57.280 --> 00:34:59.440