WEBVTT 00:00:00.281 --> 00:00:11.880 And actually, though, this has been on the calendar for a little while, and so you're going to see myself and my wife, selena, and my sister Claire, my brother-in-law James. 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:17.224 You're going to see us more, getting more into the pulpit this summer and, who knows, after that. 00:00:17.224 --> 00:00:29.233 So I, just as we, since we've prepared our hearts for the Word I thought I'd preach first, kind of like we do on a Sunday morning, and then we'll minister later. 00:00:29.233 --> 00:00:47.173 The Holy Spirit will move, and you know he showed me some specific things that will happen in the service through my eyes of faith, not because of who I am not having anything to do with me, but just out of being a yielded vessel. 00:00:47.173 --> 00:00:58.079 You know, I'm just the vessel and I'm willing for him to operate through me, and I've prayed for utterance and clarity tonight. 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:10.944 So if you'll open your Bible with me to the book of Philippians, chapter 3, we'll get started, and I won't preach long, we won't be here all night or anything, but how many of you know? 00:01:10.944 --> 00:01:15.325 You know it's got to be worth it to come to church If you don't preach for two hours. 00:01:15.325 --> 00:01:15.987 No, I'm just playing. 00:01:15.987 --> 00:01:23.900 I'm starting Genesis, no, philippians chapter3, and we'll start in verse 12. 00:01:23.900 --> 00:01:48.371 I'm reading out of the New King James version and it says the Apostle Paul is speaking to the church at Philippi and he's saying, not that I have already attained or am already perfected, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me, or for me, of me. 00:01:48.371 --> 00:01:50.034 He's laid hold of me. 00:01:50.034 --> 00:01:56.591 And before we read on, it just reminds me of Mark 11, 22. 00:01:56.591 --> 00:02:00.341 It says have faith in God or have the God kind of faith. 00:02:00.341 --> 00:02:16.628 But another translation says to lay hold on the faithfulness of God, and so to lay hold on something means that you have to let go of whatever you're holding on to, and so really that's what we're going to talk tonight about. 00:02:16.628 --> 00:02:20.000 And I don't know. 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:21.243 I was coming down the stairs. 00:02:21.243 --> 00:02:22.968 We were out of town this week. 00:02:22.968 --> 00:02:30.560 We went to Mark and Trina's Hankins' camp meeting in Alexandria, louisiana, for most of the week. 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:37.246 We didn't catch it on the opening day, but we were there as soon as we could be there and it was amazing and life changing. 00:02:37.246 --> 00:02:40.092 But I was packing and all of our houses kind of. 00:02:40.092 --> 00:02:45.603 We have some construction going on, some remodeling going on, so everything's in a different spot. 00:02:45.603 --> 00:02:55.111 And I'm coming down the stairs and my hands are full of everything that I was trying to pack and I couldn't hold on. 00:02:55.111 --> 00:02:56.977 So I almost fell, but I didn't. 00:02:56.977 --> 00:03:06.431 But just, it's hard to hold on to the faithfulness of God when you're weighted down with the cares of this world, and so we need to let go of that. 00:03:06.431 --> 00:03:08.076 We're going to talk a lot about that tonight. 00:03:08.318 --> 00:03:08.879 Verse 13,. 00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:13.050 It says brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended again. 00:03:13.050 --> 00:03:15.421 That word just means to lay a hold of. 00:03:15.421 --> 00:03:21.881 I thought I had it in the, I thought I had the Greek in here, but oh, there it is. 00:03:21.881 --> 00:03:25.169 To lay hold, yeah, anyways, to lay hold of something. 00:03:25.169 --> 00:03:33.032 But one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to the things which are ahead. 00:03:33.032 --> 00:03:39.570 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 00:03:39.570 --> 00:03:40.834 Amen. 00:03:40.834 --> 00:03:41.414 So he says. 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:47.853 But but one thing I do forgetting the past, forgetting those things which are behind. 00:03:47.853 --> 00:03:49.844 So one thing that I do. 00:03:49.844 --> 00:03:52.354 So he's not just saying hey, one random thing. 00:03:52.354 --> 00:04:03.104 You know, when I, when I approach, when I'm trying to have, when I'm trying to obtain and apprehend all that God has for me, they, you know this one random thing. 00:04:03.104 --> 00:04:03.645 No, he's saying. 00:04:03.645 --> 00:04:06.731 The first thing he does is forget the past. 00:04:06.731 --> 00:04:08.444 The past is behind you. 00:04:08.485 --> 00:04:11.515 I'm just preaching a message entitled moving forward. 00:04:12.078 --> 00:04:12.719 Moving forward. 00:04:12.719 --> 00:04:14.224 I know we talk about this a lot. 00:04:14.224 --> 00:04:17.375 I know my dad has preached this a lot. 00:04:17.375 --> 00:04:25.516 I think James, not that long ago, preached the message similar to this, and so we talk about that a lot. 00:04:25.516 --> 00:04:28.084 But we'll get into these things tonight. 00:04:28.084 --> 00:04:30.353 But I have a couple of stories of just. 00:04:30.353 --> 00:04:35.052 You think you're over something, you think you're past something, but you're really not. 00:04:35.052 --> 00:04:39.165 There's something deep, this, and you've got to just let let it go right. 00:04:39.165 --> 00:04:42.632 And so let's read it real quick out of the Passion Translation. 00:04:43.321 --> 00:04:58.826 It says in verse 12, I admit that I haven't yet acquired the absolute fullness that I'm pursuing, but I run with passion into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me to make me his own. 00:04:58.826 --> 00:05:00.769 We belong to him, amen. 00:05:00.769 --> 00:05:06.887 That prize, that what he obtained for us is a relationship with us, amen. 00:05:06.887 --> 00:05:10.300 I don't depend on my own strength to accomplish this. 00:05:10.300 --> 00:05:16.050 I myself have not taken possession of it. 00:05:16.050 --> 00:05:25.430 That means, however, I do have one compelling focus I forget all of the past as I fasten my heart to the future instead. 00:05:25.430 --> 00:05:31.812 So we're to fashion our heart, all of our attention, all of our focus, all of our goals. 00:05:31.812 --> 00:05:47.547 Obviously, we can't set goals in the past, but we're to set goals that look ahead, not of our own imagination, but in our calling that God's called us to do, to obtain all that God has for us. 00:05:47.627 --> 00:05:52.444 Amen, it says, to gaining the victory prize through the anointing of Jesus. 00:05:52.444 --> 00:05:55.230 So we can only obtain that through the anointing. 00:05:55.230 --> 00:05:56.632 We're anointed. 00:05:56.632 --> 00:05:57.663 God has called each. 00:05:57.663 --> 00:06:05.632 Every believer has a ministry, every believer has an anointing and we're anointed to do what God's called us to do. 00:06:05.632 --> 00:06:12.774 What God's called you to do is different from what God's called me to do and he needs you to accomplish that. 00:06:12.774 --> 00:06:15.062 It's a requirement, it's not optional. 00:06:15.382 --> 00:06:17.187 You say, but I've messed up and you don't. 00:06:17.187 --> 00:06:18.651 You're talking about your past. 00:06:18.651 --> 00:06:22.869 You don't know my past and I'm saying that your past doesn't matter. 00:06:22.869 --> 00:06:30.622 It's, once you get it under the blood, once you get it under the blood of Jesus, the power of the blood of Jesus, which is liquid, love man. 00:06:30.622 --> 00:06:32.266 It wipes all that. 00:06:32.266 --> 00:06:34.473 It wipes the slate completely clean. 00:06:34.473 --> 00:06:42.497 There's no evidence of your sin, there's no evidence of your past, and you're able to accomplish all God has for you. 00:06:42.497 --> 00:06:46.411 And it's really hard to put into words how God can redeem time. 00:06:46.411 --> 00:06:48.067 You think you've wasted time. 00:06:48.067 --> 00:06:49.579 You think you've wasted money. 00:06:49.579 --> 00:06:58.185 You, my dad, didn't get saved till he was 33, and he's accomplished a lot since then, and so I got saved when I was five. 00:06:58.185 --> 00:07:00.869 I'm still running to catch up, but anyways. 00:07:02.170 --> 00:07:13.564 And so it says, I run straight for the divine invitation of reaching the heavenly goal and gaining the victory prize through the anointing of Jesus. 00:07:13.564 --> 00:07:18.192 So let all who are fully mature say that's me. 00:07:18.192 --> 00:07:30.204 All that are fully mature have this same passion, and if anyone is not yet gripped by these desires, god will reveal it to them. 00:07:30.204 --> 00:07:31.187 Thank you, lord. 00:07:31.187 --> 00:07:40.110 Man, if you're not totally gripped by your future, if you're not totally gripped by what God has for you, man, allow God to reveal that to you. 00:07:40.110 --> 00:07:42.324 But he does that spirit to spirit. 00:07:42.324 --> 00:07:46.399 He doesn't reveal it to your brain cells, he reveals it to your spirit. 00:07:46.399 --> 00:07:49.928 So sometimes we have to get our brain out of the way. 00:07:49.928 --> 00:07:54.240 Smart people, right, and let us all advance. 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:56.545 Verse 16, you have it behind me. 00:07:56.545 --> 00:07:57.488 Oh, there we go. 00:07:57.488 --> 00:07:59.113 That's great, thank you, lee. 00:07:59.113 --> 00:08:07.156 And let us all advance together to reach this victory prize, following one path with one passion. 00:08:07.156 --> 00:08:11.190 Amen, there's that unity right, we have one path, we have one passion. 00:08:11.190 --> 00:08:12.677 We're advancing together. 00:08:12.716 --> 00:08:14.781 That's the title of my message is moving forward. 00:08:14.781 --> 00:08:18.267 We're leaving no man or no woman behind. 00:08:18.267 --> 00:08:33.730 You know, paul, he's writing this roughly, in the neighborhood of 30 years after his road to the maze, his conversion on the road to Damascus, sorry. 00:08:33.730 --> 00:08:44.403 And so he's still saying, hey, he hadn't obtained everything yet, but he's pressing as hard as he can, he's pressing that accelerator pedal. 00:08:44.403 --> 00:08:48.173 Amen, I like to do that in a natural, a little bit too much. 00:08:48.173 --> 00:08:52.706 But let's do it in the spirit realm, shall we? 00:08:52.706 --> 00:08:56.419 Let's move forward, let's leave our past in the dust. 00:08:56.419 --> 00:09:01.346 And so he's running after what God's called him to do. 00:09:01.346 --> 00:09:03.190 Yet he gets. 00:09:03.190 --> 00:09:08.403 He has trial and tribulation after trial and tribulation. 00:09:08.403 --> 00:09:12.712 He's beaten, he's whipped, he's shipwrecked, but he keeps going. 00:09:12.712 --> 00:09:15.306 There's no quit inside of him. 00:09:15.306 --> 00:09:21.080 And so what is the importance of moving forward? 00:09:21.100 --> 00:09:42.684 You know I don't relate to all none of us in this church really relate to all of the whole COVID thing, the fakeness of how this country handled that, but all these people on social media and talking about being not doing anything for weeks at a time in their houses like we were working, like literally seven days a week. 00:09:42.684 --> 00:09:44.631 We pressed the accelerator pedal. 00:09:44.631 --> 00:09:49.912 We were busy, right, we were busy proclaiming the truth around here and we didn't have time to. 00:09:49.912 --> 00:09:57.100 I would have to get Netflix in order to watch Netflix, but that whole like, but you know, after a while, what did they tell you to do? 00:09:57.201 --> 00:10:04.602 If they tell you a depressed person, you know who's facing depression, get outside, walk outside. 00:10:04.602 --> 00:10:05.385 And it's not. 00:10:05.385 --> 00:10:11.783 But it's not just the wind in your hair, what's left of it, it's not just the vitamin D and the. 00:10:11.783 --> 00:10:28.951 You know that's good for you, it's the point that you're moving forward, you're leaving the past behind, and so even psychology tells us that that's a healthy thing to move forward, to move away from the past, to get out in the sun. 00:10:28.951 --> 00:10:32.984 And so you know, that's my point number. 00:10:33.124 --> 00:10:37.461 We're going to talk about three things tonight that are holding you back from a painting. 00:10:37.461 --> 00:10:44.432 All God has for you, and number one is your past mistakes and your past hurts. 00:10:44.432 --> 00:10:54.033 And so I just believe that this church body as a whole and individually, that God is not through with us. 00:10:54.033 --> 00:10:57.224 God has way more for us to accomplish. 00:10:57.224 --> 00:10:59.768 Amen, and we have. 00:10:59.768 --> 00:11:08.369 Obviously we have a huge span of generations in this, in this building, even now. 00:11:09.351 --> 00:11:12.220 And so I look at Mr Tom and Ms Teresa over there. 00:11:12.220 --> 00:11:15.846 God's not done, god's not finished with Brother Tom. 00:11:15.846 --> 00:11:35.673 I don't mean to make you feel older, sir, but I was thinking about you earlier today when I was preparing, and man about 10 or 11, maybe 12 years ago, he was battling cancer and it didn't look good there for a while. 00:11:35.673 --> 00:11:41.385 But God and he is healed, he is strong and man. 00:11:41.385 --> 00:11:52.553 I'm telling you, god has wonderful things in store for him, yet still His best days are ahead, amen, and so our best days are ahead. 00:11:52.594 --> 00:12:06.307 You know, oral Roberts would always say that not to part by your failures, but also not to part by your successes, and I see that statement lived out in 26 years of church history. 00:12:06.307 --> 00:12:15.854 I've seen us where it seemed like we did part by some successes along the way and but thank God, we didn't part by our failures. 00:12:15.854 --> 00:12:18.591 You know that's what the devil's trying to get you to do to be stuck. 00:12:18.591 --> 00:12:19.495 Have you ever been stuck? 00:12:19.495 --> 00:12:22.063 I mean, we're in the south, so we, you know. 00:12:22.063 --> 00:12:25.293 Have you ever been stuck in the mud somewhere, stuck in the sand? 00:12:25.293 --> 00:12:39.722 I have so many stuck in the mud stories of rescuing people and I usually tell the one about the lady who fell asleep at the at the beach until the tide had come in and I had to jump out and go rescue her. 00:12:39.722 --> 00:12:41.971 But but I'll tell you a different one. 00:12:42.011 --> 00:12:45.363 So this one happened on the motorcycle about a year and a half ago. 00:12:45.363 --> 00:12:58.672 It was that small window when the government was shut down and I had the bright idea to go out to the Sam Houston National Forest in the middle of nowhere on the motorcycle, and I wasn't really dressed for it or prepared for it. 00:12:58.672 --> 00:13:00.360 I did the whole typical motorcycle thing. 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:08.365 I went out to eat first, so I'm full, and then I decide I'm going to ride out by the north side of Lake Conroe and read my Bible. 00:13:08.365 --> 00:13:11.813 So my intentions were good, right, had my Bible with me. 00:13:13.238 --> 00:13:19.942 But because of that shutdown, all the roads, all the trails were closed and it technically was not something I should have been doing. 00:13:19.942 --> 00:13:25.964 So what did I do is when it, when the first gate was closed, I was like no problem, I'm on a motorcycle. 00:13:25.964 --> 00:13:36.241 So I made a little trail through the woods and I come back around and I get down and the next gate is closed and I'm really deep in the woods and I but this is a better trail. 00:13:36.241 --> 00:13:45.129 So I just I'm zooming along this trail and then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this huge mud pit was right there and I couldn't go around it. 00:13:45.129 --> 00:13:56.610 And I just had to go through it and I made it a pretty good amount of ways and then, all of a sudden, it was just more than I could take and ended up dropping the bike in the mud, and it really. 00:13:56.610 --> 00:14:01.913 I had cowboy boots on and mud was in my boots, so that's how thick and deep the mud is, I'm not kidding. 00:14:03.216 --> 00:14:06.207 So, man, I was really disappointed and panicky a little bit. 00:14:06.207 --> 00:14:21.323 Look down at the cell phone no service, out in the middle of nowhere, and I took all my gear off and just rested for a second, got it, you know, and then tried my best to get that out and it just wouldn't happen. 00:14:21.323 --> 00:14:22.383 It's 600 pounds. 00:14:22.383 --> 00:14:25.504 It's down on its side in the mud, it's not coming up. 00:14:25.504 --> 00:14:30.607 And so I began to pray, right Panic prayer, like who am I gonna call? 00:14:30.607 --> 00:14:33.025 I gotta walk back to the road first. 00:14:33.025 --> 00:14:34.884 Where's a bottle of water? 00:14:34.884 --> 00:14:37.024 And I don't know. 00:14:37.164 --> 00:15:10.389 I can't describe to you why I started walking deeper in the woods, but I just I laid all my gear down and I just started walking through deeper into the woods and all of a sudden, it wasn't two minutes and a humongous guy, 400 pounds probably, six foot six, hunter, with his orange vest on and a shotgun over his shoulder, comes walking out of the woods, right down the trail my way, and I put my hands up in a surrender and I said excuse me, sir, please, I'm in a bind. 00:15:10.389 --> 00:15:12.826 And I explained to him what happened. 00:15:12.826 --> 00:15:15.183 I would have thought he was an angel, but he sure could cuss. 00:15:15.183 --> 00:15:21.595 And he got the bike upright, no problem. 00:15:21.595 --> 00:15:26.546 In fact I wasn't even really helping him at that point, he just jumped right in there and wasn't afraid of anything. 00:15:26.546 --> 00:15:27.802 But it still took. 00:15:27.802 --> 00:15:29.604 You know, he's like man, see if it'll start. 00:15:29.604 --> 00:15:34.908 And then I kind of feathered the clutch and I got mud like all over him. 00:15:34.908 --> 00:15:39.347 You know it was like a rookie mistake and so I just thought he was gonna be really mad at me. 00:15:39.347 --> 00:15:42.721 But he was so gentle and so kind I tried to pay him. 00:15:42.721 --> 00:15:44.086 He wouldn't accept any money. 00:15:44.086 --> 00:15:48.087 And then so he gets me out. 00:15:48.128 --> 00:15:48.870 I'm back on the trail. 00:15:48.870 --> 00:15:58.370 Obviously I can't go back the way I came and he's like you see that little opening down there and he pointed out a better way to get out of where I was. 00:15:58.370 --> 00:16:01.407 After he told me you know, the trails are closed, right? 00:16:01.407 --> 00:16:09.168 I said yeah, of course, but the government shut down so nobody's gonna say anything, right? 00:16:09.168 --> 00:16:15.932 Anyways, sometimes we get ourselves in a bind, we break the rules. 00:16:15.932 --> 00:16:17.184 I won't say that I broke the law. 00:16:17.184 --> 00:16:20.505 There's probably a law that says I was trespassing or something. 00:16:20.505 --> 00:16:21.623 It is a national forest. 00:16:21.682 --> 00:16:35.985 But sometimes God is trying to shut every door in your way and you keep inventing a way to go around it and ignoring every single opportunity to not go the wrong way. 00:16:35.985 --> 00:16:37.385 The Holy Spirit's on the inside. 00:16:37.385 --> 00:16:38.604 He was on the inside of me. 00:16:38.604 --> 00:16:39.225 Don't do it. 00:16:39.225 --> 00:16:40.705 My intentions were good. 00:16:40.705 --> 00:16:43.928 I was just trying to get more things from God, out of God. 00:16:43.928 --> 00:16:53.225 Like, had my Bible with me the whole nine yards, I was gonna go out to the edge of the lake and watch the boats go by and just for like that quick minute. 00:16:53.225 --> 00:16:55.125 But no, the gates were closed. 00:16:55.125 --> 00:16:56.144 I should have turned around. 00:16:56.144 --> 00:17:00.585 I could have done that on anywhere else that wasn't closed. 00:17:00.585 --> 00:17:12.391 Like for that trail being closed, there was a million other areas open, just natural dirt roads that lead down to the same lake, and so why was I trying so hard to go the wrong direction. 00:17:12.460 --> 00:17:20.025 You know, sometimes we do that we press really hard to go in the wrong direction and we ignore the Holy Spirit. 00:17:20.025 --> 00:17:22.049 But God, there's always mercy. 00:17:22.049 --> 00:17:32.450 But how many of you realize that it's time to stop just relying on the mercy of God and be a leader in your home and be a leader that people want to follow? 00:17:32.450 --> 00:17:34.426 Hey, he's going the right way. 00:17:34.426 --> 00:17:37.846 We're not gonna try to beat our heads against the closed door. 00:17:37.846 --> 00:17:40.768 We're gonna go down here and there's an easier way. 00:17:40.768 --> 00:17:43.645 Amen, there's an ease for us. 00:17:43.645 --> 00:17:48.833 And so tonight's a great night to get unstuck. 00:17:48.833 --> 00:17:49.422 Amen. 00:17:49.422 --> 00:17:55.068 If you feel stuck right now, I'm telling you the Holy Spirit is not afraid of any mess. 00:17:55.068 --> 00:17:58.808 He gets down there with us and he pushes us. 00:17:58.808 --> 00:18:01.367 But he also can pull us in a direction. 00:18:01.367 --> 00:18:08.825 He can push us in a direction, in a good direction, in a direction you didn't even know that you were supposed to take. 00:18:08.825 --> 00:18:16.127 Yes, he lights our way, yes, and he speaks to us through his word and, yes, we're led by the Holy Spirit. 00:18:16.127 --> 00:18:19.029 But sometimes you just need a little push, don't you? 00:18:19.029 --> 00:18:25.126 I know that I've been like that in times past where I just needed a little push. 00:18:25.126 --> 00:18:29.871 You know I it's not in my notes, but just doing this. 00:18:29.871 --> 00:18:32.107 This is a really big push for me. 00:18:32.601 --> 00:18:45.266 I grew up working for Joel Osteen in the television department at Lakewood and he was very, very behind the scenes and didn't like to go to prayer meetings, didn't like to speak in front of people. 00:18:45.266 --> 00:18:51.468 That the stories that he tells about the start of his ministry are very real. 00:18:51.468 --> 00:18:54.367 I witnessed that he was very nervous around people. 00:18:54.367 --> 00:18:56.626 In fact he didn't even go to the staff prayer meetings. 00:18:56.626 --> 00:18:59.448 He would send all of us to the staff prayer meeting. 00:18:59.448 --> 00:19:11.800 So, like at 13, there I was at staff prayer, just, and they so one morning they asked me to pray and I was like I can pray, right, anyways. 00:19:13.945 --> 00:19:20.528 But but God, like you know, just God just had to nudge me all along the way. 00:19:20.528 --> 00:19:30.866 I remember when the church first started being in prayer meetings and praying and then my dad asked me to receive the offering and I really messed that up. 00:19:30.866 --> 00:19:32.946 But nobody even remembers that, right? 00:19:32.946 --> 00:19:35.805 I mean, duane was probably there, but you don't even remember that, right. 00:19:35.805 --> 00:19:50.108 So it's a process, just little nudges along the way to get me to be in front of people and because in my comfort zone I would have just been behind the scenes, right. 00:19:50.108 --> 00:20:00.146 But God wants bigger things out of me and more things for me and wants to shine His faithfulness through me to a greater level. 00:20:00.146 --> 00:20:02.227 So I'm obeying that amen. 00:20:02.980 --> 00:20:17.625 And so we all have our story of what we're called to do and how we're going about obtaining to grab ahold of the call of God and have Him pull us in the direction that we need to go, amen. 00:20:17.625 --> 00:20:24.275 So you know, with God there's always a way forward, always. 00:20:24.275 --> 00:20:26.786 Jesus really is the waymaker. 00:20:26.786 --> 00:20:31.768 He's provided a way for us and we're walking down that pathway. 00:20:31.768 --> 00:20:35.724 And so I'll just quote you don't have to turn there but Jeremiah 29, 11,. 00:20:35.765 --> 00:20:49.328 We all know what it says, for I know the thoughts that I have, that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope, that there's always hope, there's always reason for hope. 00:20:49.328 --> 00:20:51.748 But he has wonderful thoughts towards you. 00:20:51.748 --> 00:20:55.346 He hadn't forgotten about you, he hadn't forgotten about your circumstances. 00:20:55.346 --> 00:21:01.228 He said He'd never leave us nor forsake us, and so it's up to us to draw near to God. 00:21:01.228 --> 00:21:34.106 And then God draws near to us and as you grow in your relationship with Him, you forget about the past, you forget about those hurts, you get those under the blood and he reveals to you the thoughts that he does have towards us, the wonderful future that he has for us, man, and so I pray if that's you tonight, if you feel stuck, if you feel like you're holding on to the past too much, I pray this message hits you right where it needs to hit you, right in the center of your heart, amen. 00:21:34.720 --> 00:21:36.807 You know, I remember my son, ethan. 00:21:36.807 --> 00:21:40.287 He grew up playing baseball and we would always play catch. 00:21:40.287 --> 00:21:48.424 But when he got to about 14 or 15, especially after that 16, I started taking my life in my own hands because he was a pitcher. 00:21:48.424 --> 00:21:54.765 And I remember, like his freshman year at college, he came to me and he's like Dad, can we play catch? 00:21:54.765 --> 00:21:59.230 And I was like no, no, I'm sorry. 00:21:59.230 --> 00:22:03.407 Oh, come on, dad, I really I need to throw the coaches really on, you know? 00:22:03.407 --> 00:22:07.450 Okay, well, man whoo, I don't. 00:22:07.450 --> 00:22:16.133 I somehow was able to protect my face, and so I hope it's not like that tonight. 00:22:16.133 --> 00:22:17.925 I hope it's really controlled right where you. 00:22:18.859 --> 00:22:21.749 This message is hitting you right where it needs to hit you, amen. 00:22:21.749 --> 00:22:23.645 So God has a future for us. 00:22:23.645 --> 00:22:24.441 Amen. 00:22:24.441 --> 00:22:27.426 He's not finished with us, he's not done with us, amen. 00:22:27.426 --> 00:22:33.587 But don't focus on the circumstance, don't focus on where you're. 00:22:33.587 --> 00:22:40.488 You know, like Even right in the motorcycle, if I look down, if I looked right in front of me, I'm gonna hit whatever it is. 00:22:40.488 --> 00:22:41.234 That's in my way. 00:22:41.234 --> 00:22:48.648 But if I look all the way down the road, I can maneuver around that obstacle, and that's what we're to do in our rock of faith. 00:22:48.648 --> 00:22:49.009 Amen. 00:22:50.635 --> 00:22:52.443 Keep our eyes focused on the finisher. 00:22:52.443 --> 00:23:02.786 Jesus is the author and the finisher of our faith, according to Hebrews 12, right, we all know that scripture and and we need to keep our eyes focused on him. 00:23:02.786 --> 00:23:04.131 He is the finisher. 00:23:04.131 --> 00:23:05.315 He's finishing some things. 00:23:05.315 --> 00:23:07.463 Allow him to finish, amen. 00:23:07.463 --> 00:23:14.560 So number two things that are holding you back Is a lack of honor. 00:23:14.560 --> 00:23:30.671 You know there's a huge lack of honor in our society today and there was a lack of honor in the ministry of Jesus wasn't there and Jesus said you know it says the word, says that he could do no mighty work because of their unbelief. 00:23:30.671 --> 00:23:47.242 And so you know, part of one of those stories I want to read out of John, chapter 6, and it's a story that we don't read very often, but you know he was great at drawing a crowd at the first part of of John. 00:23:47.242 --> 00:23:50.588 Chapter 6 is where Jesus fed the 5,000, right. 00:23:51.856 --> 00:23:54.326 But then later on in the chapter, the Pharisees. 00:23:54.326 --> 00:24:04.214 They start arguing with him and Jesus is able to win that argument right and their, their idea of him winning the argument is to go away. 00:24:04.214 --> 00:24:06.223 They were, they were so offended they didn't have. 00:24:06.223 --> 00:24:13.654 They tried a few times to have come back, so they had nothing and they just left and a few of the followers of Jesus left. 00:24:13.896 --> 00:24:23.651 And so, if we pick it up in verse 67, it says Jesus said to the 12, his 12 disciples, the one that's, that he went specifically and chose those 12. 00:24:23.651 --> 00:24:27.105 And he says Do you also want to go away? 00:24:27.105 --> 00:24:31.356 And Simon Peter answered him and said Lord, to whom? 00:24:31.356 --> 00:24:34.383 Where, where in the world would we go, man? 00:24:34.383 --> 00:24:37.689 We left everything, we dropped everything to follow you. 00:24:37.689 --> 00:24:40.983 You have the words to eternal life. 00:24:40.983 --> 00:24:48.854 Also, we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the son of the living God. 00:24:48.874 --> 00:24:52.854 And Jesus answered them did I not choose you, the 12? 00:24:52.854 --> 00:24:55.624 And One of you is the devil. 00:24:55.624 --> 00:24:57.637 He already knew right. 00:24:57.637 --> 00:25:05.882 He spoke to Judas, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray him, being one of the 12. 00:25:05.882 --> 00:25:07.499 So he asked him. 00:25:07.499 --> 00:25:09.044 You know, hey, are you gonna go away too? 00:25:09.044 --> 00:25:10.659 All these other people are leaving me. 00:25:10.659 --> 00:25:12.844 And he, why was he doing that? 00:25:12.844 --> 00:25:14.468 Why was he was pressing them? 00:25:14.468 --> 00:25:20.082 He was being a little bit forceful so that he would know that. 00:25:20.082 --> 00:25:24.474 I mean, he already knew that they were with them, but they needed to know that he was with them. 00:25:24.474 --> 00:25:30.579 You know that, that they were in covenant, and so they didn't hey where out. 00:25:30.839 --> 00:25:32.364 Man, we've left everything behind. 00:25:32.364 --> 00:25:33.406 Where else are we gonna go? 00:25:33.406 --> 00:25:39.380 So I don't, no matter what you're going through, stick with Jesus, stick with his plan for your life. 00:25:39.380 --> 00:25:41.445 Have enough honor in your life. 00:25:41.445 --> 00:25:50.541 They had enough honor to recognize who Jesus was and is and and to follow him and to be disciplined to follow him. 00:25:50.541 --> 00:25:54.209 And you say, well, jay, if you keep reading, that was Peter answering him. 00:25:54.209 --> 00:25:55.561 Peter goes on to the night. 00:25:55.561 --> 00:25:56.666 Jesus, three times. 00:25:56.666 --> 00:25:59.759 Yeah, that was a little rough, but have you read the book of Acts? 00:25:59.759 --> 00:26:06.137 The Holy Spirit turned that around right, and so when is our honor? 00:26:06.137 --> 00:26:07.902 Where is our honor as a society? 00:26:07.902 --> 00:26:09.965 Where is our honor towards the Lord? 00:26:09.965 --> 00:26:11.228 I think so. 00:26:11.228 --> 00:26:14.310 So Obviously, we're gonna honor God in our lives. 00:26:14.310 --> 00:26:19.299 We're gonna honor, honor, honor, the doctrine that we've been given. 00:26:19.340 --> 00:26:25.959 You know, growing up, I just remember all, all of the generals of faith that we had at the time. 00:26:25.959 --> 00:26:31.902 They were all still alive then and and you know, john Osteen, I hate to name them. 00:26:31.902 --> 00:26:46.884 I'm gonna leave somebody out Kenneth Hagan, t L Osborne, norville Hayes, did I say, or Roberts, but uh, anyways, whoever I'm leaving out, but those were just People that I walked, that I listened to as well. 00:26:46.884 --> 00:27:05.628 I was a little kid riding around in the van, you know, with my dad building houses, going from house to house and listening to those preachers on cassette tape and and and and watching him mature in his faith and watching his ability to pray mature as well, and so. 00:27:05.628 --> 00:27:19.026 But as an adult, I've seen a lot of people get way far away From that doctrine and this church, I mean, it's cost us a lot of people. 00:27:19.026 --> 00:27:24.439 You know You'll have to trust me if you're new here, you'll have to just trust me on this. 00:27:24.439 --> 00:27:32.756 But a lot of people that used to go to the old Lakewood way back when I was growing up, they'll come to this church After not coming here. 00:27:32.816 --> 00:27:35.718 For you and man, it feels just like the old Lakewood. 00:27:35.718 --> 00:27:36.699 Why is that? 00:27:36.699 --> 00:27:43.916 We have a spiritual DNA from our father in the faith, john Osteen, and we haven't walked away from that. 00:27:43.916 --> 00:27:46.767 But, man, I'm telling you, we've had staff members. 00:27:46.767 --> 00:27:51.101 We had, you know, another church full of Whole. 00:27:51.101 --> 00:28:09.450 You know we could fill this place up ten times over with the people that have left, leaving the, the, the word of faith, and leaving this doctrine that we preach, and so and not all of them, but a lot of them have their lives, have ended in shipwreck because of that. 00:28:09.450 --> 00:28:17.834 And so I honor our spiritual inheritance and it's it's, it's just as much yours as it is mine. 00:28:17.834 --> 00:28:30.973 I mean, we're all one body, we're all receiving from the same pastor, from the same anointing, and there's food here for us, there's meat here in mine house, in your house, in this church for us. 00:28:30.973 --> 00:28:38.853 That, you know, is quoting a scripture, but but it's up to us to digest it spiritually and to listen to it first. 00:28:38.893 --> 00:28:43.183 You know I'm guilty occasionally. 00:28:43.183 --> 00:28:46.690 If not, we miss a lot of Sunday nights because we'll go. 00:28:46.690 --> 00:28:55.171 We're, selina and I, back in the youth and I'm not always faithful to go back and listen to what happened in this service, but I need to. 00:28:55.171 --> 00:28:59.036 So just saying this is kind of hey, that's an area that I need to check up on. 00:28:59.036 --> 00:29:03.194 Am I really Following the same thing that I'm preaching, but man it. 00:29:03.194 --> 00:29:07.105 When you miss a service, it's really easy to catch up on that service. 00:29:07.105 --> 00:29:11.704 It's a Sunday morning, you obviously you can hear our live stream, but we have a podcast. 00:29:11.704 --> 00:29:12.868 It's also on our website. 00:29:12.868 --> 00:29:16.146 It's really easy to go back and listen to the audio from services. 00:29:16.528 --> 00:29:19.053 But feed the bottom line, feed in this pasture. 00:29:19.053 --> 00:29:25.326 There's some other great ministries out there that are anointed, but are they anointed for you to feed on? 00:29:25.326 --> 00:29:36.983 Are they the appointed word that God has, gods and now God and Now faith is, faith is now, and is that word what you need now, right now? 00:29:36.983 --> 00:29:38.626 So honor that word. 00:29:38.626 --> 00:29:42.273 And then another thing is just honoring your pastor. 00:29:42.273 --> 00:29:57.750 So if you're driving here on your way to church with your family in the car and you start griping about your pastor I know this is really easy for me to say because he's my dad, but oh man, I hate when he gets all political and I just don't like that man. 00:29:57.750 --> 00:30:01.900 Your kids are hearing you and you're setting something in the atmosphere. 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:15.913 You really think you can come show up at church and God's gonna reveal something to you through your pastor, when you just Spewed out all of these negative, negative and terrible things about them and how you don't believe in no, to keep your mouth shut. 00:30:15.913 --> 00:30:31.147 And I, just I was so blessed was that last Sunday, when we had commitment Sunday and the late the I'm sorry I forgot her name and she might even be right here in front of me, but the, but the one that you know she had. 00:30:31.147 --> 00:30:33.741 She had to mature through that, you know. 00:30:33.741 --> 00:30:45.861 She started coming so started hearing some things that she didn't really agree with, but, man, she stuck it out and she matured through that and now she's happy and now she knows that this is where God is, planet Earth. 00:30:45.861 --> 00:30:47.324 That's what I'm talking about. 00:30:47.765 --> 00:30:56.923 So you know, even down to the littlest degree, using myself as an example here, not like, but just man that praise and worship. 00:30:56.923 --> 00:30:58.067 It is just so loud. 00:30:58.067 --> 00:31:00.233 I wish they'd turn the stupid guitar down. 00:31:00.233 --> 00:31:01.805 He doesn't know what he's doing. 00:31:01.805 --> 00:31:03.009 He always misses a note. 00:31:03.009 --> 00:31:08.031 You really think you're gonna get something from praise and worship when you're so critical? 00:31:08.031 --> 00:31:11.298 Just come in and enjoy the presence of God. 00:31:11.298 --> 00:31:11.640 Amen. 00:31:11.640 --> 00:31:13.724 Heaven is gonna be loud. 00:31:13.724 --> 00:31:15.790 Heaven is gonna be boisterous. 00:31:15.790 --> 00:31:16.661 Worship I. 00:31:16.661 --> 00:31:20.832 There's gonna be even louder clanging symbols than these things can even claim. 00:31:20.832 --> 00:31:25.388 I'm grateful that my son is the drummer and we can tell him to calm down a little bit. 00:31:25.388 --> 00:31:34.792 A lot, a lot of churches, you know Whoo anyways, but on, have that level of honor, amen, that's the level of honor I'm talking about. 00:31:34.792 --> 00:31:41.888 Anyways, where you're not critical, then you can get a critical spirit really easy. 00:31:41.888 --> 00:31:46.586 I mean, it's just so easy to Once you start giving into that. 00:31:46.586 --> 00:31:48.444 Again, it's not on my notes. 00:31:48.444 --> 00:31:49.248 I better be careful. 00:31:49.307 --> 00:32:04.279 But Growing up back at Lakewood had one guy who was really Really was patient with me early on and poured into me and I really am very respectful for that. 00:32:04.279 --> 00:32:14.406 But he also was really critical and I was kind of wondering why he was more on the outside and Everybody else was on the inside and I would. 00:32:14.406 --> 00:32:19.305 I worked at Lakewood, starting when I was about 13. 00:32:19.305 --> 00:32:37.968 I would go almost every day in the summer Like God worked that out and they liked that and you know they allowed me to do that and I was helpful and so almost I'm not exaggerating you know the majority of every week in the summer I spent, if it wasn't football camp or whatever, I spent working up at Lakewood. 00:32:38.449 --> 00:32:43.787 So I was around Pastor Joel a much longer time than this gentleman was. 00:32:43.787 --> 00:32:49.726 He just came in to run camera on Sundays and special events and do Some editing on the side and stuff. 00:32:49.726 --> 00:33:02.920 But I was always I knew he had been a former employee of Lakewood and I just I all but man being around him, I kind of you know it was pretty obvious he was critical about everything, about everything, joel. 00:33:02.920 --> 00:33:37.390 I was looking up to Joel, I wanted to be just like him and he and he was critical of every decision, going back in the past and Always talking about it Well, you weren't around, but then a da, da, da, da and I think we, you know, and always had a better idea and it just it really started to pollute me and I was on the fence there for a long time until I just saw the fruit of people's lives around me and you can see the fruit of Lakewood Church and John Osteen in late and in the church today. 00:33:37.390 --> 00:33:48.930 You really can and we could all be critical about all kind of things in life, but let's not forget that we're all part of the same body, amen. 00:33:50.141 --> 00:34:09.199 So I was talking to a pastor from Missouri this this week and we were kind of on the same subject and and I just began to explain, I was using the example of Craig Hagan same thing, grandson of Kenneth Hagan, lots of people in life for critical man They've been through a whole lot of mess. 00:34:09.199 --> 00:34:13.688 They really have the Hagan family and me not being around the Hagan's at all. 00:34:13.688 --> 00:34:18.179 I'm kind of late to the party and I trust their ministry with my daughter and so on, so forth. 00:34:18.179 --> 00:34:30.728 But he's a grandson and I'm a son and I can recognize just in the two years that we've been around Rama Craig Hagen. 00:34:30.728 --> 00:34:45.686 His anointing has gone through the roof, his confidence and everybody makes fun of him because he has a sense of humor and he takes forever to make the announcements and they're like selling potpourri and all this other stuff. 00:34:46.034 --> 00:34:53.422 If you've never been to like a Rama Camp meeting or tuned in online, I'm not being critical of that, I'm just saying you know what everybody else is critical of. 00:34:53.422 --> 00:35:03.061 I think it's great Like Lynette Hagen goes to Dallas and buys all these trinkets and different things for them to sell and it makes money and it helps the ministry and so on. 00:35:03.061 --> 00:35:06.280 But man, just why would you be critical? 00:35:06.280 --> 00:35:12.934 It's the same anointing and just Pastor Craig makes me laugh. 00:35:12.934 --> 00:35:25.400 So anyway, I was talking to this other pastor from Missouri and he's like I have a very unique point of view, because I'm a son, because I get it, because we're a family ministry, and I do think it's true. 00:35:25.400 --> 00:35:29.934 But just, man, if I'm critical, I know people can be critical of me. 00:35:30.034 --> 00:35:31.097 Maybe you walked in tonight. 00:35:31.097 --> 00:35:36.335 Maybe you're genuinely disappointed that your pastor is not preaching and I am, but I'm, you know. 00:35:36.335 --> 00:35:37.519 So what? 00:35:37.519 --> 00:35:57.329 Here I am, like, get over it and just if you'll honor, if you'll show respect I'm not, you know, I say that with all humility, but I'm telling you God can open up a floodgate of revelation to you. 00:35:57.329 --> 00:35:57.750 Amen. 00:35:57.750 --> 00:36:02.333 But, man, when you're critical, it affects your whole, entire prayer life. 00:36:02.333 --> 00:36:02.894 It really does. 00:36:02.894 --> 00:36:07.934 I know there's scriptures in the Bible that I could be quoting on that, but it really does. 00:36:08.456 --> 00:36:13.907 Okay, point number three and we'll wrap it up here is refusing to change. 00:36:13.907 --> 00:36:18.934 Things that stand in your way of moving forward are refusal to change. 00:36:18.934 --> 00:36:29.875 You know we need to be ready and willing and able and looking for and welcoming the new things, the fresh things from God. 00:36:29.875 --> 00:36:31.059 Amen. 00:36:31.059 --> 00:36:35.914 I'm telling you this church is about to enter in a new season, into a new season. 00:36:35.914 --> 00:36:39.507 I know that, you know that our pastor knows that. 00:36:39.507 --> 00:36:41.934 We've prayed about it, we can see it. 00:36:41.934 --> 00:36:53.614 And, man, I'm telling you we're right on the precipice of just entering into that and I don't want us to be to lose anybody, being stuck and hung up. 00:36:53.634 --> 00:37:07.905 In the past, you know, I remember being in my maybe 24, 25 years old in the church and just starting to have a little bit of leadership here and there, and like going to Claire and saying what in the world is wrong? 00:37:07.905 --> 00:37:08.768 These people don't. 00:37:08.768 --> 00:37:10.914 It's just such a simple idea. 00:37:10.914 --> 00:37:13.844 Why can't we just implement this one thing? 00:37:13.844 --> 00:37:18.934 And Claire's, like you know, they just don't want to change, they're afraid of change. 00:37:18.934 --> 00:37:31.028 And then you know I'm 45 years old now and I look in the mirror and you know, or you go to a restaurant and that your favorite meal, they've changed the whole menu and they don't, they no longer serve it. 00:37:31.028 --> 00:37:34.833 I know that's a really simple thing and it's like what did the cook forget how to cook it? 00:37:34.833 --> 00:37:38.487 Like, can I talk to him or her? 00:37:38.487 --> 00:37:40.875 Can you get it back on the menu? 00:37:40.875 --> 00:37:45.751 No, sir, but would you like to try our new special? 00:37:45.751 --> 00:37:46.934 No, I wouldn't. 00:37:49.360 --> 00:37:58.119 And I have to realize that maybe the older that I get, the more I fight that same attitude, but refusing to change. 00:37:58.119 --> 00:38:04.489 I was going to read out of Isaiah 42, but I'm going to save that for Selena, so I don't steal her scripture. 00:38:04.489 --> 00:38:05.516 And? 00:38:05.516 --> 00:38:08.862 But we cannot be stuck in the past. 00:38:08.862 --> 00:38:11.929 We cannot be stuck in our old way of doing things. 00:38:11.929 --> 00:38:17.023 God has a new way, a fresh way and a fresh direction to go. 00:38:17.023 --> 00:38:18.885 It's really just a new season. 00:38:18.885 --> 00:38:25.110 You know, we need to always look forward to the next season, amen. 00:38:25.110 --> 00:38:25.914