WEBVTT 00:00:06.820 --> 00:00:21.996 Good morning everybody. 00:00:21.996 --> 00:00:22.896 My fault there. 00:00:22.896 --> 00:00:24.365 My name is Randy. 00:00:24.365 --> 00:00:26.487 I'm so glad that you're here today. 00:00:26.487 --> 00:00:28.643 We appreciate you being here. 00:00:28.643 --> 00:00:30.326 Some of you are first-time guests. 00:00:30.725 --> 00:00:37.036 We hope you'll come back next week because we do this every single Sunday right on schedule. 00:00:37.036 --> 00:00:43.707 And starting next Sunday, we will stay with this schedule of the three morning services, starting a series next week. 00:00:43.707 --> 00:00:45.325 It may interest you. 00:00:45.325 --> 00:00:48.850 It's like in these days and times we need to look at some current events. 00:00:48.850 --> 00:00:55.646 So we're going to do a series on what Jesus would say to a lot of things like this. 00:00:55.746 --> 00:01:00.361 Coming Sunday, lord willing, will be Jesus on politics. 00:01:00.361 --> 00:01:01.203 How about that? 00:01:01.203 --> 00:01:09.614 And then we're going to have Jesus on marriage, jesus and other religions. 00:01:09.614 --> 00:01:15.402 Marriage, jesus and other religions. 00:01:15.402 --> 00:01:16.744 Are there several ways to heaven or are there just one way? 00:01:16.744 --> 00:01:19.652 And if we are the only way, what's wrong with the other religions, possibly? 00:01:19.652 --> 00:01:24.826 And then we are going to talk about Jesus and sexuality. 00:01:24.826 --> 00:01:25.607 How about that? 00:01:25.607 --> 00:01:29.194 Yeah, and it will be G-rated enough to. 00:01:29.194 --> 00:01:35.808 I plan to have the flu that day and Pastor Bert will be giving the message. 00:01:40.521 --> 00:01:43.009 Before we get rolling, let's go to the Lord in prayer. 00:01:43.009 --> 00:02:01.668 Father, just grateful to be in your house, among your, celebrating your truth and also observing your baptism, because you actually modeled it as the way to go. 00:02:01.668 --> 00:02:12.158 So, lord, would you quiet our hearts and steel us and just allow us the focus to lay everything else down for a few minutes? 00:02:12.158 --> 00:02:25.546 That would distract us and give us the clear ability to see Jesus Not just any Jesus, but the real Jesus today, and we'll be richer for it. 00:02:25.546 --> 00:02:29.072 So we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. 00:02:29.072 --> 00:02:30.800 Question for you. 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:37.246 It's going to seem silly and contrite on this day Are you happy If you're happy or whether you're not happy? 00:02:37.306 --> 00:02:38.430 What causes happiness? 00:02:38.430 --> 00:02:40.528 What is at the base of your happiness? 00:02:40.528 --> 00:02:48.254 Well, we had an event yesterday, this giant egg hunt, over at Somerville High School on their football field. 00:02:48.254 --> 00:02:50.889 Can you put that picture up there, christian? 00:02:50.889 --> 00:02:59.122 Now, you know, I learn something every day. 00:02:59.122 --> 00:03:01.727 I learned that the Easter bunny is real because she was there. 00:03:01.747 --> 00:03:23.606 This little girl her name is Christabal and I know her mom and dad, and I know that I probably should have taken the picture of mom and dad rather than her, because the look on their face was pure happiness and contentment, watching their little girl scurry around picking up eggs right, but here's the rest of the story. 00:03:23.606 --> 00:03:29.973 Their happiness is not just based on an emotion as a parent, it goes deeper. 00:03:29.973 --> 00:03:32.528 I know this because they're my friends. 00:03:32.528 --> 00:03:48.567 Brian and Mercy have this relationship with Jesus, so happiness becomes joy in their world, and joy is not conditional on circumstances, and many of you are the same way. 00:03:48.567 --> 00:03:56.076 You experience a joy, or shall I say, at least contentment, no matter what the circumstances are. 00:03:56.076 --> 00:04:16.346 I also know this that in the Kenyan tradition in Africa, when you assign a name to a child, that name means something, and so, according to that tradition, cristobal is Latin for beautiful Christian, and there she is. 00:04:16.346 --> 00:04:21.911 One day that name will fit in every sense of the word. 00:04:21.911 --> 00:04:25.930 So that's one expression of happiness. 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:37.415 But I think you know there's a lot of attempts that we are confronted with every single day that are portrayed as happiness, but they have really nothing to do with happiness. 00:04:37.415 --> 00:04:45.513 Did you know that there's another state in our union that recently appointed a select committee on happiness? 00:04:45.513 --> 00:04:50.049 I kid you not, truth is funnier than fiction sometimes. 00:04:50.049 --> 00:04:52.961 Kid you not? 00:04:52.961 --> 00:05:00.346 Truth is funnier than fiction sometimes, and one of the quotes from one of the committee members the legislators on the committee was simply this it's the government's role to make our citizens happy. 00:05:00.346 --> 00:05:04.514 Really, now, I've been around a long time. 00:05:04.514 --> 00:05:07.384 I didn't know that till the other day that I read that. 00:05:07.384 --> 00:05:12.355 Now we kind of laugh at that because we all you're thinking what I'm thinking. 00:05:12.355 --> 00:05:14.484 I wonder how they're defining happiness. 00:05:14.484 --> 00:05:21.403 I guess you know, if we tell our people long enough that they're happy, maybe they'll be happy. 00:05:21.403 --> 00:05:33.494 It doesn't work like that and some of the and the other ironic thing is this state is like has some of the worst ordinances for the family ever. 00:05:33.494 --> 00:05:37.427 They have the second highest tax rate in the whole place, in the whole country. 00:05:37.427 --> 00:05:45.809 Some of their judgments on morality are abysmal, but yet we're all supposed to be happy. 00:05:47.031 --> 00:05:49.723 We all go through a period and some of y'all are there today. 00:05:49.723 --> 00:05:51.730 Some of you watching online are there today. 00:05:51.730 --> 00:05:54.588 Is this all there is to my life? 00:05:54.588 --> 00:06:03.706 Is there a deeper meaning to me being here on this earth than I'm currently experiencing, or is this all there is? 00:06:03.706 --> 00:06:12.495 If there is a deeper level, a higher meaning, a bigger cause to live by, how do I get there? 00:06:12.495 --> 00:06:17.247 We all struggle with that because we are wired to need that. 00:06:17.247 --> 00:06:23.704 We are wired to need to know our identity and where that places us in the world. 00:06:24.206 --> 00:06:27.151 Now, in this world, thankfully, we have the Scripture. 00:06:27.151 --> 00:06:29.608 We believe that points us to the one who will answer those questions. 00:06:29.608 --> 00:06:32.079 So my point today from the Scripture we believe that points us to the one who will answer those questions. 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:38.586 So my point today from the Scripture in the book of Matthew is simply this Jesus holds the key to your life. 00:06:38.586 --> 00:06:41.595 Many of you believe that already. 00:06:42.177 --> 00:06:54.283 Some of you are still weighing that, and I'm especially glad that you're either viewing or you're in the room, because I want this y'all to be a safe place to ask some dangerous questions. 00:06:54.283 --> 00:07:08.847 I want you to ask all the questions you can as the days go by, and all because that's the only way you're going to settle some things in your heart, because my goal for you is to have a faith in Jesus Christ. 00:07:08.847 --> 00:07:13.283 That's not your uncle's faith or your parents or your grandparents, it's yours. 00:07:13.283 --> 00:07:15.307 It's yours. 00:07:15.307 --> 00:07:20.483 It's been tested, it's been validated and now you're sure You're convinced. 00:07:20.483 --> 00:07:22.870 So that just needs to happen. 00:07:22.870 --> 00:07:28.345 So the statement I'll stand on, based on Jesus' own words he holds the key to your life. 00:07:28.345 --> 00:07:36.411 And John 10 that's on the screen behind me, basically was a promise of Jesus too I've come to give you life, but not any kind of old life, just existing. 00:07:36.411 --> 00:07:39.725 I've come to give you the abundant life. 00:07:40.026 --> 00:07:46.564 Okay, so we're going to be looking at Matthew, because I want to tell you three reasons why this is a true statement. 00:07:46.564 --> 00:07:53.254 He holds the key to your life, and it's true because of what he said, not what I said. 00:07:53.254 --> 00:07:55.644 So thanks for bringing your Bible, if you have it. 00:07:55.644 --> 00:07:56.526 How about Matthew? 00:07:56.526 --> 00:07:59.540 First gospel, first book of the New Testament? 00:07:59.540 --> 00:08:05.293 There's some pew Bibles there too, on the pew rack in front of you or behind you. 00:08:05.293 --> 00:08:06.542 Just grab one of those. 00:08:06.542 --> 00:08:07.905 We're in the book of Matthew. 00:08:07.905 --> 00:08:10.430 It's better to see it in print. 00:08:10.430 --> 00:08:11.834 So why is this true? 00:08:11.834 --> 00:08:15.711 The first reason is Jesus is fully God. 00:08:15.711 --> 00:08:18.579 So let's deal with the real Jesus here today. 00:08:18.579 --> 00:08:21.064 I'm going to read verses 13 through 16. 00:08:21.064 --> 00:08:21.785 Y'all with me? 00:08:23.388 --> 00:08:31.870 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples who do people say the Son of man is? 00:08:31.870 --> 00:08:34.021 So let me just kind of stop right there. 00:08:34.021 --> 00:08:37.413 Caesarea Philippi is way north of Israel. 00:08:37.413 --> 00:08:42.004 You can still go there to some remnants of what used to be there in Jesus' day. 00:08:42.004 --> 00:09:16.691 It was a place that one of the Herods, philip, created, built up the city to be a political strength, but also a religious hotspot, and he built, had temples, built to pagan gods, and then the story got circulating that Pan, the god Pan, was born there, and so it's thought that maybe this conversation happened in front of the rock mountainside where those temples were actually hewn into that rock. 00:09:16.691 --> 00:09:25.749 It would be like Jesus to go right into the teeth of the most pagan place in the whole country to have this conversation, would it not? 00:09:25.749 --> 00:09:27.524 That's who Jesus is. 00:09:27.524 --> 00:09:30.629 He's not scared of anybody or anything. 00:09:30.629 --> 00:09:36.032 And so, within that backdrop, he says hey, who do people say that I am? 00:09:36.032 --> 00:09:37.647 He's talking to his 12 disciples. 00:09:37.647 --> 00:09:40.825 So verse 16, they replied. 00:09:40.906 --> 00:09:47.779 Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, still others Jeremiah are one of the prophets. 00:09:47.779 --> 00:09:51.211 Some of you are pretty familiar with the word. 00:09:51.211 --> 00:09:56.128 What do all of those names have in common at this point? 00:09:56.128 --> 00:09:59.514 They're all dead as a hammer. 00:09:59.514 --> 00:10:00.980 They really are. 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:06.105 They're dead prophets right, either recently or hundreds of years earlier. 00:10:06.105 --> 00:10:06.586 Earlier. 00:10:06.586 --> 00:10:10.250 Why Think about it? 00:10:10.250 --> 00:10:26.403 If people don't believe Jesus was who he really was, why are they attributing Him to be the comeback of dead people? 00:10:26.403 --> 00:10:27.784 That's because they believe in supernatural. 00:10:27.784 --> 00:10:29.908 They just didn't believe necessarily in Jesus. 00:10:29.908 --> 00:10:31.130 That's not an odd thing. 00:10:31.130 --> 00:10:33.115 That's where we are in our world today. 00:10:34.301 --> 00:10:40.187 People overwhelmingly will say this oh, I'm spiritual, I'm a spiritual person. 00:10:40.187 --> 00:10:48.220 Well, do you have a church affiliation or a religion you belong to oh no, oh no, and I hear it every day. 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:50.788 I'm spiritual, but I'm not religious. 00:10:50.788 --> 00:10:52.225 Have you ever said that? 00:10:52.225 --> 00:10:55.187 You might've said that, or you might've had people say that. 00:10:55.187 --> 00:10:58.061 I tend to say, well, good, I'm not either. 00:10:58.061 --> 00:11:08.325 Religion is not going to save anybody's soul, but let me tell you this spirituality as it's defined by the world will not either. 00:11:09.267 --> 00:11:12.392 Spirituality is a vague concept. 00:11:12.392 --> 00:11:17.666 It is a hope, so not a belief, conviction, truth. 00:11:17.666 --> 00:11:19.028 It is a. 00:11:19.028 --> 00:11:27.633 I'm going to choose this path because I believe that there are things I cannot explain and there are supernatural things that do line up. 00:11:27.633 --> 00:11:30.705 That's what they believed in this day. 00:11:30.705 --> 00:11:33.913 They created gods and worshiped them. 00:11:33.913 --> 00:11:37.368 Don't laugh, we do the same thing today, don't we? 00:11:37.368 --> 00:11:49.230 We create gods and we worship those gods, and then we say, well, I'd prefer to be spiritual and not religious, but we also don't want to be just religious. 00:11:49.230 --> 00:11:58.806 That's just going by some earthly routines and calling it sacred when there's no power or authority behind it. 00:11:59.259 --> 00:12:04.993 Jesus went to church every Sabbath because he knew who he was worshiping. 00:12:04.993 --> 00:12:12.128 Some of you are in church, either here or somewhere, every single Sunday, and it's not because you have to. 00:12:12.128 --> 00:12:19.051 It's why Because you want to, and you want to because you know who you're going to see. 00:12:19.051 --> 00:12:25.113 You know you're going to worship the true God, the real Jesus as we're calling him. 00:12:25.113 --> 00:12:27.426 So we don't want to be like that either. 00:12:27.546 --> 00:12:31.408 Let's read on Verse 15, but what about you? 00:12:31.408 --> 00:12:34.508 Jesus said who do you say that I am? 00:12:34.508 --> 00:12:35.884 He puts him on the spot, doesn't he? 00:12:35.884 --> 00:12:37.269 It's truth time. 00:12:37.269 --> 00:12:41.860 It's pop quiz time Now. 00:12:41.860 --> 00:12:43.003 I know in the Greek that you, who do you say that I am? 00:12:43.003 --> 00:12:43.663 Is plural. 00:12:43.663 --> 00:12:46.831 He's talking to the whole group of his 12 disciples. 00:12:47.512 --> 00:12:52.108 In the South we would say who do y'all say that I am right? 00:12:52.108 --> 00:12:57.599 And then, in verse 16, simon Peter answers. 00:12:57.599 --> 00:13:05.067 Those of you that read your Bible a lot, is there anybody surprised that Simon Peter is the one who speaks up? 00:13:05.067 --> 00:13:06.811 Absolutely not. 00:13:06.811 --> 00:13:12.547 Simon Peter answered you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. 00:13:12.547 --> 00:13:16.053 Also, just one word from the Greek. 00:13:16.053 --> 00:13:21.231 They emphasize one word in almost every sentence, above all the others. 00:13:21.231 --> 00:13:25.025 Peter emphasized the word you believe it or not. 00:13:25.025 --> 00:13:27.831 So inflection is everything. 00:13:27.831 --> 00:13:34.332 He didn't say you are the Christ, the son of the living God, as if he's announcing a new concept. 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:38.204 Everybody in that country believed there was a Messiah coming. 00:13:38.204 --> 00:13:41.347 Everybody believed there was the great king coming out of heaven. 00:13:41.347 --> 00:13:42.188 One of these days. 00:13:42.188 --> 00:13:46.974 He's emphasizing Jesus as King. 00:13:46.974 --> 00:13:50.163 Jesus the Christ, which meant anointed one. 00:13:50.163 --> 00:13:55.234 He's saying you are the Christ, the son of the living God. 00:13:55.234 --> 00:13:59.427 And he was exactly right, he got it right. 00:14:00.428 --> 00:14:03.313 There's a word, fancy church word, called incarnation. 00:14:03.313 --> 00:14:15.187 The incarnation simply means Jesus came to this earth fully God, son of God, therefore equal with God, therefore God. 00:14:15.187 --> 00:14:18.826 He's always been around, he always will be around. 00:14:18.826 --> 00:14:22.930 When he walked down the street, that's God walking by. 00:14:22.930 --> 00:14:27.071 When he came and engaged somebody you're talking to God. 00:14:27.071 --> 00:14:34.975 When Mary had him and raised him up, she literally raised a perfect child. 00:14:34.975 --> 00:14:46.489 When his grandparents said I have the perfect grandchild, that's the one time in history they were right, right, my grandchild can do no wrong. 00:14:46.509 --> 00:14:51.341 Well, yeah, he's Jesus, you're right, but also he's fully human. 00:14:51.341 --> 00:14:56.288 Why he needed to be able to relate to us and us to him. 00:14:56.288 --> 00:15:01.313 He needed to be able to emphasize with us in our plight. 00:15:01.313 --> 00:15:03.355 He was tempted, as we are. 00:15:03.355 --> 00:15:05.344 He got tired, like we do. 00:15:05.344 --> 00:15:09.253 He had his patience tested like we do. 00:15:09.253 --> 00:15:13.409 He went through hardships, he grieved. 00:15:13.409 --> 00:15:21.354 All the things you and I experienced he experienced even harder, even more intensely. 00:15:21.354 --> 00:15:34.404 So here we've got the perfect weapon against evil to overcome evil and overcome death fully God fully human, fully human, though. 00:15:34.404 --> 00:15:39.329 He never sinned, he never blew it, so he had the ability to be the incarnate. 00:15:39.460 --> 00:15:45.139 John 1, 14, another one of the followers who was there that day for this conversation. 00:15:45.139 --> 00:15:48.847 John said the Word, which is Jesus. 00:15:48.847 --> 00:16:00.613 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. 00:16:00.613 --> 00:16:02.095 It's an amazing thing. 00:16:02.095 --> 00:16:06.610 I'd love to show you a quick video of one of my friends here. 00:16:06.610 --> 00:16:17.947 Valerie is her name, had some adversity, because the reason I want you to hear this now is just because we're a Christ follower, we don't get to expect a smooth ride. 00:16:17.947 --> 00:16:24.927 We're still going to suffer, we're still going to see pain, we're still going to grieve, we're still going to have setbacks. 00:16:24.927 --> 00:16:32.413 It's how you respond to that that shapes who the real Jesus is. 00:16:32.472 --> 00:16:41.028 Let's see that it was 7.30 am that my mom called me and she was frantic and she just said you need to pray, pray, pray. 00:16:41.028 --> 00:16:45.230 Beverly was in an accident and Beverly is one of my three sisters. 00:16:45.230 --> 00:17:17.093 I just fell to my knees and was praying, as mom had asked me to do, and crying a lot just because of the uncertainty, and then all of a sudden I could just feel God just hug me, and it was the most real I have ever felt the Lord in my life, Even growing up in church and hearing about who he is and all the miraculous things that he's done. 00:17:17.093 --> 00:17:24.753 And unfortunately, it took tragedy to wake me up. 00:17:24.753 --> 00:17:34.450 That's when I knew that this thing called the Trinity, god and Son, holy Spirit, like that's, like it's real. 00:17:35.300 --> 00:17:48.906 My sister did pass away in that car accident and for the three and a half hours that I didn't know, god was with me, jesus was with me and the Spirit was holding me. 00:17:48.906 --> 00:18:19.347 Even though we had to endure that tragedy, god still brought people to Him and Beverly had finished her time here on earth and so it's time for her to go home, and so we just had to rest in that, knowing that God is sovereign so Valerie and her family are still here, serving faithfully every Sunday. 00:18:19.969 --> 00:18:24.915 Beverly's parents are here today and they're serving faithfully every Sunday. 00:18:24.915 --> 00:18:28.288 They still are men and women of faith. 00:18:28.288 --> 00:18:43.828 They still believe because they know there is a power stronger than death who has the ability to give them an experience coming up one day when they will literally see her again. 00:18:43.828 --> 00:18:47.770 They'll see their sister, their daughter again. 00:18:47.770 --> 00:18:51.109 Can you put that quote up there, christian? 00:18:51.109 --> 00:18:55.145 The quote in front of that one? 00:18:55.145 --> 00:18:56.871 There you go. 00:18:58.941 --> 00:19:16.726 This comes from, actually, one of the Batman movies where Bruce Wayne runs into a girl that he likes and he's trying hard to project the image of the rich playboy, you know, to keep people off the scent of the fact that he's really Batman. 00:19:16.726 --> 00:19:19.589 My question is always be was always with him? 00:19:19.589 --> 00:19:24.281 Was he really Bruce Wayne or was he really Batman? 00:19:24.281 --> 00:19:34.365 And so in this point he's kind of caught acting up in public and the girl that he likes, rachel, is not impressed whatsoever. 00:19:34.365 --> 00:19:44.323 And so, as you can see that quote there where he says you know, that's not really me, there's more, I'm not it. 00:19:44.323 --> 00:19:48.976 And he's trying to back out of the image of Bruce Wayne into that. 00:19:48.976 --> 00:19:55.150 We all go through that period where we're just like that we ask those questions Is there more? 00:19:55.150 --> 00:20:01.751 Is there more to me than I'm offering right now, or is this as good as it gets? 00:20:01.751 --> 00:20:04.326 Well, let's move on. 00:20:04.326 --> 00:20:08.771 There's another reason why he holds the key to your life. 00:20:08.771 --> 00:20:13.671 What he builds will last like last how long? 00:20:13.671 --> 00:20:14.252 Forever. 00:20:14.252 --> 00:20:17.145 That's the way he works. 00:20:17.820 --> 00:20:20.429 Let's look back at Scripture, verse 17 and 18. 00:20:20.429 --> 00:20:30.064 Jesus replied blessed are you, simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man or flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 00:20:30.064 --> 00:20:34.661 He said basically y'all, he's saying you're not smart enough to know this. 00:20:34.661 --> 00:20:39.048 So I know that had to be God telling you this, because you got it right. 00:20:39.048 --> 00:20:42.674 Verse 18, and I tell you that you are Peter. 00:20:42.674 --> 00:20:44.660 He nicknamed him Peter. 00:20:44.660 --> 00:20:50.813 He was Simon bar Jonah, simon's son of Jonah, or what we would say today. 00:20:50.813 --> 00:20:57.932 John Peter says I mean Jesus says at some point you're Peter, which means the rock. 00:20:57.932 --> 00:21:05.930 Point you're Peter, which means the rock, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell or Hades will not overcome it. 00:21:05.930 --> 00:21:07.576 So let's unpack this just for a second. 00:21:07.576 --> 00:21:09.540 He builds things to last. 00:21:09.540 --> 00:21:12.948 He's announcing I'm going to build my church. 00:21:13.930 --> 00:21:14.652 Ekklesia. 00:21:14.652 --> 00:21:18.085 In the Greek, it was like a gathering place with a special purpose. 00:21:18.085 --> 00:21:19.367 That's what this is. 00:21:19.367 --> 00:21:21.333 We gather for a special purpose. 00:21:21.333 --> 00:21:24.008 I'm going to build my church on this rock. 00:21:24.008 --> 00:21:27.230 So he's talking to a guy he's named Rock. 00:21:27.230 --> 00:21:39.372 Here's the interesting thing the word rock in his application, the word rock in the Greek, when he refers to the church, are two different words. 00:21:39.372 --> 00:21:44.461 The rock for Peter was like a stone, a pebble. 00:21:44.461 --> 00:21:49.268 The rock he says that I'm going to build my church on was a boulder. 00:21:49.268 --> 00:21:52.093 So I think it's possible too. 00:21:52.093 --> 00:22:00.757 He says you're Peter, but on this rock I'm going to build my church because he is the head of the church. 00:22:00.856 --> 00:22:03.322 Right, why is church a big deal? 00:22:03.322 --> 00:22:04.891 Why do I need to go to church? 00:22:04.891 --> 00:22:07.958 Why can't I just be a Christian without a church? 00:22:07.958 --> 00:22:11.171 You can be, you just can't be a good one. 00:22:11.171 --> 00:22:15.582 Because none of us have all the spiritual gifts. 00:22:15.582 --> 00:22:20.842 None of us have the correct doctrine on every point of the Scripture. 00:22:20.842 --> 00:22:35.838 None of us is so good, so talented, so smart that we can pull off what a well-designed spiritual life in a growth mode is by ourselves. 00:22:35.838 --> 00:22:39.911 God deliberately conditioned it to be within a community. 00:22:39.911 --> 00:22:45.500 He put something in us that makes us want to have a community. 00:22:45.500 --> 00:22:48.411 The beauty of it is by His design. 00:22:48.411 --> 00:22:52.757 It doesn't matter how big a church is or how small a church is. 00:22:52.757 --> 00:23:03.116 If you're connected to a group within the church, that becomes your family, that becomes the point of context. 00:23:03.116 --> 00:23:08.833 Then what goes on in the bigger areas is not as big of a factor on you. 00:23:08.833 --> 00:23:12.580 I've got another friend I'd like to introduce to tell his quick story. 00:23:12.580 --> 00:23:13.835 Eli's his name. 00:23:14.520 --> 00:23:24.140 I guess I would say, like, the reason why I'm so glad that God brought me here is because I met so many of my friends and my you know, people who I've also like have a fellowship with Christ with here. 00:23:24.140 --> 00:23:27.856 You hear so many things from the world telling you to live your life one way. 00:23:27.856 --> 00:23:35.123 You go that path and you're going to find yourself very just unsatisfied and just like you're missing something you know. 00:23:35.123 --> 00:23:54.395 And then one day in my life I decided, you know, I think I need to take that step and just you know, trust in God and just trust, you know, to walk with Jesus more and do the best I can and I'm just so thankful I took that step and to have so many good friends and to have like a fellowship with other Christ followers my age. 00:23:54.455 --> 00:24:03.942 There's people that are there to help back you up, but it's a good feeling to know you're just not alone, to have that support, to have people that you can come to and ask questions about. 00:24:03.942 --> 00:24:05.716 It just changes everything. 00:24:05.716 --> 00:24:11.439 But the thing that brings everyone together is that you know everybody's all looking for a relationship with Christ. 00:24:11.439 --> 00:24:13.798 You just, basically, you just got to take a step of faith. 00:24:13.798 --> 00:24:23.954 I've seen people take the step of faith or stay with it and God doesn't let anyone down. 00:24:23.974 --> 00:24:24.978 I think that's something we always got to remember. 00:24:24.978 --> 00:24:28.406 Appreciate Eli, because Eli didn't grow up here, he moved here. 00:24:28.406 --> 00:24:37.730 He didn't grow up in this church but he came here and he realized as a young man, church. 00:24:37.730 --> 00:24:43.227 But he came here and he realized as a young man I need to be in a group for fellowship because I'm away from home, but also for accountability and also for discipleship. 00:24:43.227 --> 00:24:53.096 My spiritual growth is at stake and he's taken full advantage of that and that's the encouragement because there is more to the life with Christ. 00:24:53.096 --> 00:24:58.805 But much of those lessons and learnings happen within groups. 00:24:58.805 --> 00:25:01.598 So we'll go back to Peter in Matthew. 00:25:01.598 --> 00:25:03.056 He was part of a group. 00:25:03.056 --> 00:25:15.874 He lived with his group for three years and coming out of that he's much more refined and knowledgeable and strong than he even realized he was. 00:25:15.874 --> 00:25:22.018 He's still broken, he's still a sinner, as we all are, but we are redeemed. 00:25:22.057 --> 00:25:27.997 The church has taken some hard shots over past months and years, and many times rightly so. 00:25:27.997 --> 00:25:32.973 I'm talking about the universal church, the Christian churches in general. 00:25:32.973 --> 00:25:49.678 Much of it has been well earned, but sometimes it's just so easy to throw out a stereotype Well, I'm spiritual, I don't believe in the church because the church has so many hypocrites or fakers or whatnot in it, and that's also y'all a true statement. 00:25:49.678 --> 00:25:57.257 But name me one organization on the face of the earth that does not have sinful people and hypocrites and fakers in it. 00:25:57.257 --> 00:25:58.401 There is none. 00:25:58.401 --> 00:26:03.922 This is the creation of God to get us there. 00:26:03.922 --> 00:26:09.122 When he redeems people, we all tend to flock together. 00:26:09.122 --> 00:26:13.341 I'll tell you what makes the church operate like the church is supposed to. 00:26:13.341 --> 00:26:18.913 It's when the people who are sinful are not in charge. 00:26:18.913 --> 00:26:21.457 It's when Jesus is in charge. 00:26:21.457 --> 00:26:26.891 Now, that's easy to say, but it really can be accomplished. 00:26:26.891 --> 00:26:39.594 He puts Jesus I mean Jesus puts people around to be managers, to be stewards, puts people around to be managers, to be stewards. 00:26:39.594 --> 00:26:48.301 But when people decide I'm going to be the boss and I'm going to take ownership of the place, that's when it jumps the tracks and that's when people get hurt and that's when other people are misled. 00:26:48.301 --> 00:26:53.156 So the main job, it's not hard, it's not rocket science. 00:26:53.156 --> 00:27:06.153 The main thing about a good church that God uses to transform other lives is the people who are put at the top just need to stay out of Jesus' way well enough to let Jesus be Jesus. 00:27:07.477 --> 00:27:12.065 And when Jesus is still in charge, man, you see miracles. 00:27:12.065 --> 00:27:29.947 You see people like Eli who come in at a young age, serious about his relationship, and saying God's preparing me for the rest of my life and I'm going to figure out who I am because that's going to matter, because Jesus can't use me if I don't know who I am. 00:27:29.947 --> 00:27:35.172 Same with Peter when he tells Peter you got it right, but let me tell you that wasn't you, that was God. 00:27:35.172 --> 00:27:40.874 With Peter when he tells Peter you got it right, but let me tell you that wasn't you, that was God. 00:27:40.874 --> 00:27:42.535 He's locating Peter's identity for Peter. 00:27:42.535 --> 00:27:43.414 That's why I'm calling you to rock. 00:27:43.414 --> 00:27:49.377 You're not a big rock yet, you're like a little pebble, but just hang in there. 00:27:49.377 --> 00:27:50.439 Your day's coming. 00:27:50.439 --> 00:27:52.098 And he was, it was. 00:27:52.439 --> 00:27:53.460 There's a third reason. 00:27:53.460 --> 00:27:54.480 This is true. 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:57.181 He builds to last, but he also calls you. 00:27:57.181 --> 00:28:02.403 He calls you to himself, but then he calls you to a mission also. 00:28:02.403 --> 00:28:06.384 So let's read verses 19 and 20. 00:28:06.384 --> 00:28:10.007 I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. 00:28:10.007 --> 00:28:23.458 Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 00:28:23.458 --> 00:28:25.870 Then he warned the disciples not to tell anybody that he was the Christ. 00:28:25.870 --> 00:28:29.691 Let's look at verse 21. 00:28:29.691 --> 00:28:30.031 Why in the world. 00:28:30.031 --> 00:28:32.837 You know, in a few days, he's going to give them a command to go tell the whole world who he is. 00:28:32.837 --> 00:28:32.918 Why? 00:28:32.918 --> 00:28:41.580 At this point, though, he said you're right, I am him, I am the Messiah, I'm the anointed one, I'm out of heaven, I came here, but hey, don't tell anybody. 00:28:41.580 --> 00:28:43.310 Why in the world would? 00:28:43.351 --> 00:28:45.978 he do this Because they don't understand it yet. 00:28:45.978 --> 00:28:56.970 Peter got the answer right and he didn't even understand it yet, because he had not been convicted and arrested, he had not been crucified yet and resurrected yet. 00:28:57.269 --> 00:29:07.045 So they had an incomplete picture of the gospel because they still were looking for an earthly ruler that would sit on a throne and just boss everybody around. 00:29:07.045 --> 00:29:08.234 That's not him. 00:29:08.234 --> 00:29:19.270 So that's why he's telling he's just trying to not make it so hard on himself later, but he reveals himself first to call you to himself. 00:29:19.270 --> 00:29:21.675 So hey, I'm a simple thinker. 00:29:21.675 --> 00:29:25.544 You want a linear, step-by-step thing of what you need to do. 00:29:25.544 --> 00:29:35.382 The first thing that we all have to do is confess Jesus is Lord of my life, not somebody else's life, but my life. 00:29:35.382 --> 00:29:38.846 You tracking he's got to be personal. 00:29:38.846 --> 00:29:43.497 It's not a religion, it's not a formality, it's not a ritual. 00:29:43.497 --> 00:29:49.453 Jesus, as fully God, fully man, has to be your boss. 00:29:49.453 --> 00:29:55.425 He's got to get permission from you to walk into your life and clean house. 00:29:55.886 --> 00:29:58.151 In my life that meant several years ago. 00:29:58.151 --> 00:30:07.849 He had to break me down to the most basic element and humble me, and it so needed to happen. 00:30:07.849 --> 00:30:10.913 And that's where we all start. 00:30:10.913 --> 00:30:12.596 Well, that doesn't sound like much fun. 00:30:12.596 --> 00:30:17.981 Well, it might not be fun in the moment, but you'll live off of it the rest of your life. 00:30:17.981 --> 00:30:27.380 And once you do that, you invite him into your life by faith, and that's what he is setting the stage for here too. 00:30:27.380 --> 00:30:30.311 That's where the power comes for your life. 00:30:30.311 --> 00:30:32.756 That's where the power for the church comes. 00:30:33.718 --> 00:30:37.704 Then, at that moment you don't know it, I didn't know it. 00:30:37.704 --> 00:30:41.421 At that moment he's preparing you for your life mission. 00:30:41.421 --> 00:30:42.855 You may have more than one. 00:30:42.855 --> 00:30:48.150 Some of them are kind of complicated, some of them are very simple, but all of them are important. 00:30:48.150 --> 00:30:53.363 What he has for you is just as important as what he has for me. 00:30:53.363 --> 00:30:56.460 He does not distinguish between importance. 00:30:56.460 --> 00:30:57.935 You know what he grades us on. 00:30:57.935 --> 00:31:00.870 He doesn't grade us on the power of our calling. 00:31:00.870 --> 00:31:05.020 He grades us on our faithfulness to it. 00:31:05.020 --> 00:31:22.057 You could be sweeping the floor at the back of a production plant, but if you do it to the glory of God and you're faithful to it and you treat people like Jesus would in the process, you're going to be celebrated in heaven. 00:31:22.057 --> 00:31:28.598 One day, you'll have a reward greater than people who have immense power. 00:31:28.598 --> 00:31:32.499 That's what the calling is all about. 00:31:32.750 --> 00:31:36.320 So, randy, god is a God of love, isn't he? 00:31:36.320 --> 00:31:37.694 Jesus loves everybody. 00:31:37.694 --> 00:31:38.197 He does. 00:31:38.197 --> 00:31:43.397 Then all people will eventually go to heaven, right? 00:31:43.397 --> 00:31:50.277 No, not everybody, sadly, we will make that decision. 00:31:50.277 --> 00:31:53.155 Not Him, because here's the other side. 00:31:53.155 --> 00:31:54.234 He is a God of love. 00:31:54.234 --> 00:31:56.228 He loves everybody the same, but he is a God of love. 00:31:56.228 --> 00:31:59.394 He loves everybody the same, but he's also a God of justice. 00:31:59.394 --> 00:32:08.653 And justice says I have to be fair, I have to be just, I have to deal with sin. 00:32:08.653 --> 00:32:19.056 What pardons you is when you ask me to save you, to heal you, to forgive you on this earth and then you live for me. 00:32:19.056 --> 00:32:25.563 If you don't do that, you could be like you can cure cancer and you're not going to heaven. 00:32:25.563 --> 00:32:32.303 That was a place originally prepared for the demons and the devil and all like that. 00:32:32.303 --> 00:32:41.339 But humans now feel it too, because we started sinning and we all sin, and so no, not everyone, sadly, not everyone will go. 00:32:41.339 --> 00:32:43.497 I've got one more friend I want to introduce you to. 00:32:43.497 --> 00:32:45.436 Eric's had that experience. 00:32:45.971 --> 00:32:55.344 I remember my first time coming to Somerville Baptist was to witness a baptism of our dear friends Alex and Aaron Smith and their son Milo. 00:32:55.344 --> 00:32:57.457 We wanted to be there to support them for that. 00:32:57.457 --> 00:33:02.521 I remember leaving being really spiritually uplifted and emotional. 00:33:02.521 --> 00:33:08.471 That evening me and my wife made a pact that we would start to attend church more regularly and we did. 00:33:08.471 --> 00:33:11.520 And we started attending every week, every Sunday. 00:33:12.911 --> 00:33:26.916 I remember Randy preaching one day about being a lukewarm Christian and went home that night and I remember just sitting in bed thinking about it and I believed and I just wasn't sure why I was holding back. 00:33:26.916 --> 00:33:33.455 I made the decision that evening that I was going to devote myself to Christ and be baptized. 00:33:33.455 --> 00:33:38.153 After being baptized, you know I felt like my life was changed forever. 00:33:38.153 --> 00:33:40.940 You know I felt like I became a better husband, a better father. 00:33:40.940 --> 00:33:43.941 You know I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of me. 00:33:43.941 --> 00:33:46.211 I felt like I'd, you know, made a commitment to God. 00:33:46.211 --> 00:33:52.770 I was, you know, promoting the gospel at work, in my job, and it was really resonating with people. 00:33:52.770 --> 00:33:56.561 I felt, you know, it changed me forever in a positive way. 00:33:59.711 --> 00:34:08.298 So the real Jesus is not looking for religious people, he's looking for righteous people and it's a righteousness that he gives you. 00:34:08.298 --> 00:34:11.150 I can't even get that right. 00:34:11.150 --> 00:34:22.236 I can't even be righteous, but I can accept His, and then when he sees me, he sees His own righteousness in Him. 00:34:22.236 --> 00:34:29.175 That's what a Christ follower lives by, and it's the greatest life in the world. 00:34:29.175 --> 00:34:39.092 It is a hard, challenging life, but it is the greatest because then you know who you are, you know who he is, you know where you're headed. 00:34:39.092 --> 00:34:41.276 The pressure is off. 00:34:41.276 --> 00:34:44.043 You just got to live every day to the fullest. 00:34:44.043 --> 00:34:45.993 Live it like it's your last. 00:34:45.993 --> 00:34:48.781 That's all you're accountable for at this point. 00:34:48.781 --> 00:34:52.996 So tell me one more time how it happens you got to confess. 00:34:52.996 --> 00:34:54.078 Jesus is Lord. 00:34:54.078 --> 00:34:56.783 He is who he says he is. 00:34:56.783 --> 00:34:57.430 He's real. 00:34:57.430 --> 00:34:59.554 He came to love you. 00:34:59.554 --> 00:35:01.659 He came to love you into his kingdom. 00:35:01.659 --> 00:35:03.082 He wants you. 00:35:03.082 --> 00:35:05.917 He'll love you into his kingdom right now, as you are. 00:35:05.917 --> 00:35:08.125 He'll change you on the other side. 00:35:08.125 --> 00:35:09.930 That's why he created the church. 00:35:09.930 --> 00:35:20.947 The church is not perfect, but the church is the bride of Jesus and the church is beautiful when it can love someone and allow them the freedom to grow in their faith. 00:35:20.947 --> 00:35:24.715 How do I do that the Bible says confess with your mouth, that's pray. 00:35:24.715 --> 00:35:26.721 Believe in your heart, that's trust Him. 00:35:26.721 --> 00:35:29.935 If you're willing to trust Him to be who he is. 00:35:29.935 --> 00:35:31.721 You just said Jesus. 00:35:31.721 --> 00:35:32.772 Well, I tell you what. 00:35:32.772 --> 00:35:33.817 I got a better idea. 00:35:33.817 --> 00:35:38.561 Why don't I pray to Him and you pray silently as I pray out loud? 00:35:38.561 --> 00:35:46.830 And then, if you've prayed that prayer for the very first time, take one of those contact cards and just check on the back there's check. 00:35:46.830 --> 00:35:57.234 It on the top says I asked Jesus into my life today and just let us know We'd like to send you some stuff to start reading and fellowship with you and maybe talk about baptism. 00:35:57.234 --> 00:36:00.275 If you need to do that, we'll be here to pray with you. 00:36:00.275 --> 00:36:03.719 We'll be here to accept membership into this church. 00:36:03.719 --> 00:36:08.894 We'll be here to lead you and guide you to Jesus too, if you need to do that. 00:36:08.894 --> 00:36:10.329