Cornerstone Christian Center
Cornerstone Christian Center
Friction | Future Family
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Friction sneaks into families through tiny moments—a sharp tone, a hurried shrug, a tired reply—and soon the gears that should move us forward feel jammed. We set out to change that. Drawing from Proverbs 27:17 and Ecclesiastes 4, we explore how spiritual sharpness, humble refinement, and a “same team” mindset can turn conflict into traction. Instead of fighting each other, we learn to fight for each other with grace, clarity, and courage.
We share honest stories, practical tools, and a few sports metaphors to make it real: how to pass purpose to the next generation like a clean handoff, why two are better than one when pressure piles up, and how a threefold cord keeps us standing when life hits hard. You’ll hear why a dull spirit demands force and causes damage, while a sharpened heart moves with precision and care. We also talk about life-giving rhythms—short prayers before hard talks, weekly check-ins, and simple phrases like “same team” that defuse tension and re-center your home on mission.
Underneath it all is purpose. Romans 8:28 reminds us God weaves even the rough threads for good when we align our hearts with Him. Whether you’re parenting littles, rebuilding trust in marriage, loving a prodigal, or carrying your family in prayer, this conversation offers a way forward: invite God to refine you first, speak life with intention, and link arms with your community. Ready to swap friction for focus and isolation for unity? Listen now, share with someone you love, and tell us: what’s one step you’ll take to fight for your family this week? If this helped you, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it on.
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Just want to start this morning actually with a prayer for every family. If you want to just be open to it, just have your hands out like this before the Lord this morning. Lord, we just thank you so much for this opportunity, Lord, to come before you. Lord, asking for a blessing upon every single family that's represented here in Cornerstone. Lord, everyone that's under the sound of my voice, that's out wherever they are, Lord, that they're listening to this message. Lord, we pray for an impartation of your spirit, Lord, be poured out in such a rich and a powerful way. Lord, that the power of the name of Jesus Christ, Lord, which has suffered so much for us on our behalf, Lord, that you by your power and spirit, Lord, we pray that you'd break the chains of bondage of every family in the name of Jesus Christ. Lord, we come against addiction. We come against any kind of thing that would try to have its way, Lord, in between us and you. Lord, we come against it asking, Lord, you would forgive us. Lord, asking, Lord, for your wisdom. Lord, we want to draw near to you today. Lord, we thank you, Lord, that it says that the gospel will go forward. Lord, that the seed of the gospel will be inside of the child. Lord, inside of their heart, Lord, and that it will not return void. So Lord, we pray for the parodical today, Lord, that they would return back to you. Lord, that the grandchild, the child, Lord, that they would return back to a relationship with a living God today. Lord, we thank you that you give us unity in our homes. Lord, that you bring us together. Lord, that you bind us together in your heart and in your presence. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ today. Amen. You say amen, church. Amen. Today we're talking about this idea of future family and speaking to the concept of friction in your family. Now, thankfully, I'm not talking about your family, I'm talking about some other family that has friction, not your family. And so, you know, as we think about it, each one of us that's in our family, how we come together and we work together, it's very much like gears or cogs together in a machine. And if we were to see ourselves as operating in this way, we might think about how we treat each other, how we communicate with each other a little bit differently. It might be something where we value people a little bit differently, because each one of us plays a role within the family. Each one of us is important for the whole thing to function. And whenever we have friction that starts to get there because we're gumming up our relationship with each other, because we allow other things to get into the mechanism that shouldn't be there, somebody, then we have problems. And so when we start asking these questions about our family and about what we'd want for our family, then the question with us is we are those who start to rub against each other and we start to get gummed up and start to get stuck, is how do we get unstuck? And a lot of times what happens if you were to take a mechanism to an engineer, to somebody, or something like maybe a watch and take it to a watchmaker, they're gonna take all the parts out, they're gonna clean it up, they're gonna sharpen up those edges so that everything moves together smoothly. So as we're looking today, talking about what it means for us to be more like Jesus and for us to draw near to him, and the question is, are you sharp spiritually? Friction is one of those things that happens in our lives naturally. How many people know what I'm talking about? It's gonna be an everyday thing. Maybe it's the way you said good morning. You know, it wasn't that you said good morning, is the way you said good morning. And they're like, Good morning. Anybody have a good morning singer in your house? I got a few. Can you tell I'm not one of them? I'm the one that's like, good evening. They're like, shh, we're going to sleep. Like, fine. No, but the good morning people are great, man. I love that. I love that the Lord has given them that. Um, that's not me naturally, so I have to kind of respond in turn. Because if you respond the way you feel, then you're gonna be like, they're like, good morning, and you're like, morning. And you know, that's that's not kind, you know, that's not what they're trying to, you know, get pumped up and you know, they have the energy for the day. And that's where some of that friction starts to happen is the way we communicate with each other, the way that we treat each other. And it's funny because we might not ever treat a colleague at work that way, but we will treat our family or our friend that way because they could take it. Whereas it should be the person who's more of a stranger to you should be the one that you're more this way, and that the person who's closest to you should be the one that you care the most about. And that the one that you give the most grace to because they're gonna give you the most grace. And so this friction thing, it starts to happen in our in our lives and in our families. And if we're not careful, it will start to grind against the very thing that we want to have happen, which is the function of our family. And and in a function of our family as a Christ follower is one that is functioning around the values that Christ gives us and living for him and that whole function that we don't want it to grind the gears because the whole thing starts to shut down. And we've seen that happen a lot. And so though those of us who are Christ followers in our families, then we give a choice. And our choice is that we're not gonna blame the person who's not a Christ follower, but instead, we are gonna take action for what we can take action on, which is our actions. And we're gonna say, Lord, as for me and my part in this family, I'm gonna help, I'm gonna ask you to help me to do my best part in this family, Lord, that you would refine me so that I can be someone who's working better together for my family. And I can tell you that this is not an easy prayer because the Lord will listen to you and then Holy Spirit will be like, you betcha. I can do that. And that's a scary prayer. And the reason it's a scary prayer is because if you are currently dull in your spiritual situation or you're currently someone who needs the to be refined, then he's gonna do the refining work on us. One of the ones that I always came across was a pencil sharpener. You ever really needed a pencil sharpener? Maybe you had a test come up, maybe you were like somebody, man, I need to sharpen this pencil, I need to be ready for what I need to do right here. And the thing is, a sharp pencil is so much better than a dull pencil. We know this. You can get in there, you can fill in the bubble all the way, you know what I mean? You can do all your cool signature the right way. And all of it comes back to that very difficult process of cutting away the extra. And I don't know about you guys, but man, I don't feel so great about a sharp object coming near me in any place, let alone spiritually speaking, to start refining and taking off that stuff so I can be sharp spiritually in what God wants me to do. You know, when we talk about a pencil sharpener, that was one of the first words I learned in Spanish. Like we treated it like a cuss word. We already was like, you know, it sounds crazy. You know what I mean? It's a crazy word. And so people are like, Yay, people are like, are you cussing? I'm like, sort of. In my heart I am, you know. But it's a refinement, and the reason is because it's painful. It's painful. Because we start to talk about it, it doesn't mean that the family that that otherwise is is also in the gears with us, the one that maybe isn't following Christ as much as where we want to be in our journey. We want them to, but we have to make decisions for us. And so if we're gonna be doing that, then we have to choose to be sharp. That means that we're gonna be open to what God wants to do in refining us. You know, if you get real serious, it talks about in scripture how we want to be used like a tool in his hands. Well, that means that he'll get out there and actually start to really sharpen you up. And if you were to think about the way that people make a blade or the way that they actually use it for work, what do they say? They say a dull knife is a dangerous knife. And the reason is because you have to put too much effort for what you're trying to cut through, and that's when it gets dangerous. If you have a sharp knife, then you know exactly how much friction you need to do the work. And so, in the hand of someone who wants to use a knife, they want to use a sharp knife, not a dull knife. So if the Lord is gonna choose someone to do some work on his behalf, then he's gonna want to use someone who's sharp spiritually. And that is somebody like you. Because, see, he has you in your sphere of influence on purpose so that you could be a light on purpose to them. Not, I'm not gonna be able to reach them. You are reaching them where you are. And so each one of us is called to be those that are spiritually sharp. And did you know that God will sometimes use another one of us who are brothers and sisters in Christ to help sharpen the other person? You guys aware of this concept? Let's look at the Bible together. Proverbs, it talks about here in Proverbs 27. In verse 17, it says, iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. And so, as we stay right here on this concept for just a moment, we start to think about how we interact with those around us and how the Lord will sometimes use another one of our brothers and sisters in Christ or someone in our family of faith or family itself to be the very refinement that he wants to do in our life. Doesn't feel that great sometimes, though, does it? Because what he's showing us is that listen, you're not perfect, and neither are they. And so the thing is, if we're those who want to take the decision-making process saying, Lord, I want to be one who's active and being refined into your image, then we have to be open to what God is doing. And whenever someone is like, good morning, and you don't feel like it, you have to align your attitude with the thing God wants you to do. Instead of being grumble, grumble, grumble. Be the one that is today is a day that the Lord has made. And I will rejoice and be glad in it. And it doesn't matter what's gonna come today because I'm walking in step with him, and so there's gonna be an alignment there, because I have chosen that I will hold on to what he's doing in me. And so we refine towards that idea. And friends, if there's multiple of us in our family that are Christ followers, then that's a collective thing where we're all in that journey, all of us being united, all of us giving grace to each other. And that question of what are you working towards, then that's what we want to be is sharp spiritually. And so today as we talk about what it means to be sharp spiritually, we come to this idea that it's all about the attention that you give to the process that God is talking to you about. So if we're gonna be intentional, that means to give attention to something, we're gonna be intentional to it, then whenever we look at other people in our family, we have to understand this concept. Friends, same team. Same team. Say it with me. Same team. And that's how we get to be a future family that is more like Jesus. Today, if we haven't met, my name is Jay. It's a blessing to be in the house with you today, to be ministering and worshiping with you today. So very thankful. Celeste and I have an opportunity to lead an amazing team here at Cornerstone. If you're a guest of ours, welcome home. We're so glad that we're getting a chance to be together in this way. We see ourselves as people that are following Jesus, that none of us have arrived anywhere, that all of us are on that journey following after Christ. And since that's true, then we want to be more like Jesus. And so that's how we see ourselves as people who love God and make disciples and reach the world. It's what we do, it's why we're we have a mission from God to live as this community of faith. And we live that out week to week, throughout the week, throughout the city and life groups. And that's how we connect with each other. It's how we grow, it's how we serve. Let me encourage you in this that we just now are starting a new semester of life groups. It's only been started for about a week or so. So let me encourage you to jump in and be a part of what God wants to do in and through your life. Amen. So future family. We come back to this idea of future family and talking about the concept last week of focus. We talked about last week how we said this out of Deuteronomy 6.5, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And we talked about how that's what we need to do is that we need to give everything to the Lord. Say everything, everything. And in doing so, today we're gonna continue on that concept and about the things that we've been focusing on with this idea of friction and the concept of what that means as we are those who are used by God. As we just talked about Proverbs 27, 27 or 27, 17, iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another. And so we go into today with this idea of future family by asking the Lord to reveal it to us. So, Lord, we pray over our word today, Lord, that you would breathe upon it, Holy Spirit, make it alive in us, through us, that it would be Rhema and it would challenge us in our character. We pray this name of Jesus Christ. Amen. So today is the big day. It is the Super Bowl Sunday, which is a really cool thing. It doesn't mean anything to me because I'm a Cardinals fan, but in theory, it's a big day for others. And I'm happy for them. Um, you know, one side I want the people who beat us to beat the other team, the other side I want the young guy to have his day. And so I don't really care who wins because my team didn't make it. So boo on you. So there you go. But that's how we feel with sports, right? It's this concept of us, it's our team versus their team. And so, you know, amongst us, one of my favorite things was doing fantasy football because it was mainly just about talking smack with people that you like. And that was a good time, you know. Just, man, you have such poor choice in sports teams, you know what I mean, or whatever's going on. And it makes for a really good time. But, you know, as we start talking about this and use this as a parallel, I actually asked my friend Daniel ahead of time if I could throw them this football. I'm just gonna underhand it to you and try not to hit Isaac in the meantime. But see, you won't look at that. Man has hands. Man has hands. Throw it back to me. So this whole concept, ooh, ooh, oof, I was a basketball player. I don't know. You guys acted like I was on the foul line, or I just barely dragged the toes or something. Like, oh, he dropped the ball. I'm not even staying for the rest of the sermon. Thank you, bro. My point is the idea is that you would never share the ball with someone who's not on your team. And so as we start to think about how we interact with those around us, as we think about how we live our life with others, as we give of our time and our talent, our testimony, our treasury, how we live our life as stewards of what God has given us, it's all about those we share it with. And see, that whenever we start start seeing ourselves as us versus them within our family, it really starts to mess things up. Because we're supposed to be the same team. Supposed to be the one that we're on the same side. And so that friction that starts to happen from us interacting with each other, it starts to take a different value because you know the idea is that we're supposed to do these handoffs. As parents, we're supposed to hand off to our children the values that God has, that has the values that we live out, the what it means to be led by the Spirit of God to teach the lesson, share our testimony of how God has helped us through this phase of life and through that situation, and we're supposed to hand those things off to them so that they can take that and they can move forward in their life. What I think is so sad is the parents who like they have this truth of this of what God has done for them, and they just don't include their kids at all. And they don't include their grandkids at all. They're like, oh, they'll make a decision. Friends, what? What are you talking about? This is the truth of the gospel, the thing that you hold on to that makes you part of the team with the most high God. If we would not include our family, if we would not include our child, if we would not include those around us, what are we doing? We're called to be those that include them that hand off the truth of the gospel, that it we are not the ones that don't do what I just did and fumble the football. But we hold on to it and then we pass it off to the next generation so they can be successful and being a part of God's team and living together as one. And see, we talked about it last week, but it comes back to that same concept. We're building on concepts, the idea of direction of where you're going with your mission as your family. And if you know where you're going, if you're trying to go down the field, so to speak, meaning you're gonna progress forward as a family and you're gonna say, hey, we're all doing this together. And as we do that, then everyone knows we're all in this together. We wanna make sure that we're walking in step together. Here's a powerful lesson when we start to think of ourselves as teammates, because then we will act differently on how we live for God. Now, if you have your Bible, your tablet, your phone, we're gonna look at Ecclesiastes. So we're moving forward from Proverbs to Ecclesiastes today. And we're gonna be jumping off there so you can go ahead and highlight it, looking at uh the first one in Ecclesiastes 4, verse 9. It picks up here and it says, two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. Somebody say two. You guys have done math, it's better than exactly. And the idea is that they have a good reward for their toil. It's interesting because as we're talking about that same analogy of team, which we've talked about already, is that we have to understand that when we're working alongside someone in our family, then we have to say, same team. Same team. And so instead of fighting each other, which happens to be a very popular thing within our culture in America, is that we fight with our family, we fight with our community. It's like, I thought you were friends. I thought, I thought you were family. And they're like, uh-huh, uh-huh-uh-and then they just fight and bicker and all these other things. Instead of fighting with them, we change the narrative to be alongside them. And that starts to change what it means because this idea of fighting each other becomes a big, big issue. You know, it's sad because as a pastor, you know, we we interact with people, we counsel often and do a lot of things. And by the time it gets to us, the problem is already pretty substantial. So they didn't go and look for counsel early or try to navigate that or get insight from friends. And so a lot of times the the impasse is pretty pretty significant, be it in a marriage or be it in a relationship from a parent and a child or a parent or a grandparent and a grandchild, whatever the narrative is there, brothers and sisters, and so on and so forth. Whenever we start to navigate these situations in family, so often it's something that started a long time ago and then festered. And now we're today and it's a disaster. And friends, the problem is by then, man, the whole thing is gummed up and locked up, and the family is not working together. But instead, what we want to do is be able to take that junk, that mess, and stop fighting each other and fight for each other. I want to look at the scripture here. It says this in Ecclesiastes 4 10, for if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up. It's so true. Lift him up. You know, we talked about the difference between fighting someone and fighting for someone. Fighting each other to fighting for each other. When we start to see that in our lives, in our relationships, it changes the narrative. So whenever we have an impasse with our husband or our wife, then the idea is that we start to see them as the enemy instead of this is the common goal that we're actually fighting for. So they are not the enemy. They are not the one I'm fighting. We are fighting for something and disagreeing on how it's gonna go. And similarly, if we are those who are fighting against our child or against uh someone else in our family in this way because we're having a disagreement, the idea is we are actually trying to move forward in the mission of God, what he has for us, an impartation of his vision and values for our family, what it means to be more like Jesus and not winning the argument against the other person in our family. So it means that we are fighting for them, not fighting for them. And it changes everything about our attitude because it goes in line with what the scripture just says that if you're alone, then it's no good because if you Phone, a hole, who's gonna help you up? I don't know as you got older. When I was young, I used to be able to do that thing where you could kick your feet and land back on your feet from when you're on your back. You guys know what I'm talking about? That was a long time ago. Some people lie, they're like, I don't believe you. They've known me too long. I did, I really did, I promise. I haven't been able to do that forever. You guys know what I'm talking about? There's no way I can kick and kick, I ain't gonna go anywhere. I need some help. I need to help. Whenever the football player falls down, what do they do? They they can flail. What are they doing? They're reaching out their hands. Why? They want someone to come and help them up. And it's the same thing with us nowadays, man. It's like we need someone to help us up. If you have your family member that's falling down or they're in distress, man, we're gonna need to help them up. That's why they're not alone. News flash. That's why you're not alone. That's why we live together in community. If in the family of faith, it's the exact same concept. As if we've fallen down, then we can have those around us who can help us up. We're not trying to kick ourselves back up onto our feet because we'll just sit there kicking and look like we're throwing a tantrum. But instead, we're helping another. But how can one keep warm alone? This is my whole early 20s, friends. I was alone. I was all by myself. You guys know what I'm talking about? And so the thing is, man, you're just out there in the cold. You're like, Lord, I just don't come back until I get a wife, Lord, please. Because I need to stay warm in the future. And this I know, I know she's there. Please don't come back until I get married. You guys and this whole concept was this idea is that it's it's because you're in working together. You're working together. And if you're out here and you're just now dating, then you need to stay by yourself and stay away from them. You know what I'm talking about? You can be warm in the future. Calm down. That's all I'm saying. You need to stay warm with the Holy Spirit. You can write that down. Continues, it says, and though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him. And a threefold cord is not easily broken. Friends, the whole point of being on in a family that is future focused is being those who will come alongside and fight for you. Not fight you, they will fight for you. And the idea is to walk in that same kind of community of faith in the family of faith that they will fight for you, that they're fighting on your side, that they are praying for you, they're in alignment with you because they want to see you thrive. See, they don't have to see themselves as more or better or more advanced than you. No, they're cheering for you because they want the best for you. And that's what it means to be those that are walking not in the friction of what's happening, but instead being those that become refined after the Spirit of God working in our life, so we can be those that are fighting for others. That we have the wherewithal to be able to step up whenever they are in need of assistance and help and serve and be compassionate and forgive as we want that same thing for us. You know, it talks about here that if you actually in unity in this way, it says the two will withstand the one who is trying to attack you. And that's why it's so important for us to talk about that from a spiritual perspective, because there is a real enemy of your soul that is attacking you. And that's why it's so good to have someone who can come alongside and you can be in unity with in your family nuclear or in your family of faith that can come alongside you and say, Listen, I'm gonna stand with you in this regard. I'm gonna pray with you about this situation. And then they actually pray for you. And then it makes a big, big difference because it changes everything for it. It changes everything. That's why it says, if two or more are gathered in my name, I am there with them. And that's who we are. That's what we want to be is those who are walking in alignment with what God has for us, those who are able to step up and fight the fight spiritually for someone else to walk in alignment with them. It says here also that uh, you know, a cord of three strands is not easily broken. And you've seen this winding of this, of this, why of this, uh, these ropes together. And it's so true. If you've ever done any kind of repelling, if you've done any kind of climbing, man, we saw Alex Honnold the other day climb up, you know, the outside of Taipei 101 with no rope. And I was like, somebody get that man a rope and a hug. I don't know what that man is doing. He is out there. I tell you this, man, when we started doing climbing all the time, your rope was a really important piece. Because if you fall, it's the only thing keeping you from being attracted to the ground. You know what I'm saying? And so as we start to walk in that way, you start to understand that it's that that thread that that woven together is what gives it strength. It's a multiplier. It's not even additional, it's a multiplier. And so as you start to have that coming together, it's interesting because it starts to be something where it's it's not fighting against us, it's fighting for us because of the strength that is there. And so that's why whenever we walk in unity with each other, that's why we become woven together. We talk about here how we as a community of God are a tapestry, meaning woven together of the narratives that He's brought us from to create something beautiful out of all of our different stories. And that's what we're talking about today, is that we want to be those that are united in that way. Why? So we can do the hard work and not be broken. I saw this nautically. If you've ever been on boats, you see how they use braided rope and they can even use it for anchors and tie it off to anchor chain. It's pretty amazing. But because it's braided, it will hold up even against salt water and friction and all the hard parts of that job because it's woven together. And as we talk about what it means to be those who are having a family that's united, we have to understand that we need to be woven together in our intentionality. We need to be woven together in our heart, in our the way we view our family. That it's not just me versus them. No, it's us. And then it's us, and then it's us. Same team. Say it with me. Same team. Now, the Lord's football, which is this round one that's played around the planet. Uh, this is uh this is pretty impressive. And you know, it's funny. I mean, I love American football, obviously grow up in America, but having lived abroad, you know, I've been a big soccer fan for a long time. And uh soccer comes from Association Football where they uh they narrowed that down in the Brits gave us that word of soccer, so that's how we call it instead of football, where you kick a ball with your foot. I'm gonna take this one opportunity to say I think American football should be called tackle ball because it's a better and cooler name. That's all I'm gonna say. But looking at soccer, you know, it's very much a team sport. It's like any of these things where you need to work together, you need to be collaborative in your efforts. Uh Celeste and I and in our girls, even uh, son Javin, we got a chance to go and support um our local high school boys soccer team that's Trivium Prep. And they, man, they crushed it. They did so awesome. And they, I was so impressed. Now, Javen played on this team previously before he was in university, and they did very, very well. But this team, man, they've taken that and even refined it further in how they were playing with one another, how they were playing in and off the ball. It was really impressive. And it really started to think about that gear set of how they were working together in alignment as gears that were functioning as one team. And so it started to be something impressive because you saw where it wasn't just one person trying to be the superstar. Everyone was going for the whole mission of the team, which was to score as a team. And so people were passing the ball and passing back and doing other things and covering people whenever something happened. And there was a very evident uh focus that they were working together. They were working together. And it's such a big difference between if you ever watch those who are trying to play for themselves where you're like, what are you doing? What are you doing? They're trying to get all the glory, they are misaligning the team from the very focus of the team. But if you work together, then what ended up happening is that lots of people ended up getting an opportunity to score. In fact, they kind of made it really embarrassing for the people they were playing. And Mercy ruled the people where they had to stop 20 minutes early because it would have been really, really bad. And it was impressive, and they ended up being the regional champs uh for the year because of this. And so, you know, I think about Liam, who's part of our church, he's on the team, and you know, Max and Pro who visited with us, and man, all of them doing such a great job to work together to accomplish something amazing. See, it's same team. Say it with me. Same team. We start to think this way and understand that that's who we are in our family, same team, it starts to change how we see what we're doing. Romans 8 talks about it like this in verse 28. It says, and we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. For those who are called according to his purpose. We come back to purpose. We come back to that idea of why are we doing what we're doing? Why are we in this situation here? Friends, it's working those things in alignment with what God has said for us to do. So it's not anything that is, you know, a cataclysmic revelation of an idea. No, it's the daily decision to be on the same team. It's the daily decision to have that focus, that mission, that drive, that destination in your heart. For me, what is it for me? I want to see my children know Jesus and thrive in Jesus. And I want to see if should Jesus tarry their children and their children's children, which I expect there to be lots, by the way. I'm just throwing that out there. I got one of the Frero. She's like, I want them all to thrive in Jesus. I don't want them to have the problems I had. I don't want them to have to go through the mess that I've had to go through. I want them to thrive in Jesus. Friends, and so when we read Romans, Romans 8 is tough. It's talking about denying yourself and picking up your cross and going after him, being dead to sin, alive in Christ, all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us first. Not nakedness or peril or danger or sword, none of these things can separate you from God's love. So if that's the case, then we can see that even these things that are difficult, God can use those things, though he didn't create them, he can use them to work together for good. And so what we want to do is be those that understand that we're on the same team walking forward in Him. As we talked about, it's that same purpose, that same team. We come back to that concept of that first scripture in Proverbs 27. Iron sharpens iron. So, friends, as we look at the gears of our family, we understand that the gears actually end up being a leverage to get us to an even better place because we're working together. We are those who are not easily broken. And that spiritually speaking, we're gonna step up in all these different facets. Remember the things we talked about last week in our heart, in our soul, in our mind, in all of these areas, we're gonna step up and give those over to God so that as we do, then we can be the one that fights for our family and doesn't fight our family. We can be in spiritual alignment with what God has for us. We can do like we talked about last week and focus on the things that He is speaking to us about. And as those things come into alignment, as they come into clarity, then we understand exactly what it is that we need to fix. So, friends, as we come to the altar today, our prayer is Lord, reveal to us the friction in our family so we can fix it. Lord, reveal to me my part in it so I can be someone that's not fighting my family, but fighting for my family. Lord, that we would have the same direction and goal and mission and vision for our family, so that in always in my heart, my soul, my mind, I can be in alignment with you. The takeaways from today, we'll review them real quick. First, family iron sharpens iron. The second idea is that we are on the same team. Say it with me. Same team. In the same way, we understand that team is more powerful than the individual. So we want to walk in alignment with and for our family. And the last is that as we walk in alignment, it's a multiplier. We actually have leverage in the spirit realm as we have another that will help us out as we can help them, and together we can be successful in living towards the future family God wants for us. Today, we have this opportunity to respond to the love of Christ. As we are those who have said yes to him and we draw near to him, there are those who have yet to say yes to Jesus. And maybe you're here and you're squeezing in a service because a friend invited you to come. Friends, you're not here by accident. Maybe you're listening to this wherever you are, you're not listening by accident. No, the Lord has a plan and a purpose for your life. He wants every person to have an active relationship with him. And so this question of have you embraced Jesus, every single person has to answer it. They have to answer it for themselves, not their parent can't decide for them or a friend. No, every single person has to make the decision for themselves of have you embraced Jesus. For us, the cross is the symbol of forgiveness and freedom. It's where Jesus took on all of our sin and brokenness and mistakes, and he is the one who paid for all of it with his life upon the cross. He becomes the holy sacrifice for all people, for all time. In doing so, then what we get to say is, Lord, I accept your your salvation, your work for me. Lord, that you are the only way to the Father. You're the only way to have a relationship. I can't earn my way in, I can't buy my way in, I can't do enough good things. Lord, it's only by your grace extended to me, by what you have done for me, that I can be made in right standing. So, because of that, that's why Jesus came to this earth. It's why he lived a sinless life the way he did. It's why at the end of his time here, he took on all of that for us, so that he could pay for it once and for all. And when Jesus died upon the cross, so too all that sin and all that shame and all that brokenness was paid for upon the cross by Jesus. And so what we get to do is say, Lord, I believe you are who you say you are. Lord, I ask you to into my life, Lord, that you be the Lord of my life, I ask you to forgive me of my sin. I want to be a new creation in you. We see the Apostle Paul, he writes to the church at Rome and says, Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. With the heart one believes and is justified when with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Friends, today, it's your opportunity to make a decision to live for Jesus, to invite him into your heart and life. I'm asking if you're here, if you just stand to your feet as Christians are praying, people are making decisions to follow Jesus today. You're online, wherever you are, just take a moment to respond to what God wants to do in this moment in your life. You're here. About what it means to live as a part of a family that's focused and living for God. But you've yet to make a decision for Jesus. Today is your opportunity. Or maybe you have made a decision for Jesus in the past, but you haven't been living for him. Today is an opportunity to recommit your heart and life back to Christ. As heads are bowed here in the room, if that's you and you'd say, Pastor, I just want to be included in that prayer today to invite Christ into my life. You just want to raise your hand right where you're at. See that you're here, saying, pray alongside you. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, as people making decisions to follow him today. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. I'm gonna ask if everyone would if they'd pray this prayer out loud after me. Lord, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending Jesus. I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe he rose again. Forgive me of my sins. I surrender my life to you. In Christ's name I pray. Amen. Amen. Friends, we rejoice with those making decisions today. But Jesus, praise the Lord. Hey, if that was you, take a moment and take a shot of our QR code. We want you to be able to put some resources into your hand to live for Christ, to be successful in living after him. Today, as we come to this altar, we do so with hearts that are open to Christ, saying, Lord, I need more of your help to become spiritually sharp, to be the one that is being refined more into your image. Lord, help take the junk out of the workings of our family so we can work together for the purposes you have for us. Lord, that we wouldn't fight each other but be fighting for each other. If that's you and that's your heart today, then I'm gonna ask that you would come and make an altar with God, draw near to him and see the Holy Spirit meet you in your time of need. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for your word. We thank you, Lord, how you speak to us with authority about how we can be those in alignment, Lord, in living this life united together. Lord, that we would understand that we're not fighting each other, but we're on the same team. And that friction you use, Lord, you can use it to refine us, Lord, so we can be more like your character. So, Lord, we help we ask that you would help us, Holy Spirit, that you would guide us and direct us. And as we come to this altar, pour out your spirit upon us. Lord, we ask for your empowerment to live this challenge, Lord, to be a family that's focused on you. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Celeste Brown:As you are heading out, I want to let you know about a fundraiser we're doing. We love missions, and we have some amazing people that are going on a short-term trip coming up in April and May. And so you can support them. We have um amazing burritos, different kinds, sides to go with it. I know it's Super Bowl today, but you still gotta eat before this afternoon. And so if you want to support them, you can. There'll be a line as you head out. They take Apple Pay and Cash, but support them. It's gonna be a great summer sending people all over the world for Jesus.
Jason Brown:Amen. We be those that fight for our family this week. Before we go, I want to pray his blessing over us. The Lord bless you and keep you. Lord, make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. We lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Lord, I pray a blessing upon your church, your people. We love you very much here at Cornerstone. God bless you and have a great week.