SPEAKER_00: Well, good morning, church.
SPEAKER_00: Everyone say hey, Caleb.
SPEAKER_00: Everyone account of three, say hey, Caleb.
SPEAKER_00: One, two, three.
SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, well, uh, as we've been saying, my name is Caleb Wallace.
SPEAKER_00: I'm the youth pastor here at Christian Life Church, and I have one thing to say, um, and some people are not gonna like me for this, but roll tide roll.
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: Roll tide roll.
SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm sorry, everybody, if you're said I was an Auburn fan, I'm just picking sides today.
SPEAKER_00: Um uh, but listen, if we all have a good Thanksgiving, yes, I know we've been alluding to it a lot, um, but one thing I have learned, um uh I I I actually just learned this this past Thursday, is that I'm not from Alabama, okay?
SPEAKER_00: I'm from the Midwest, I'm a Midwestern boy, all right.
SPEAKER_00: And we say stuffing, okay?
SPEAKER_00: We say stuffing.
SPEAKER_00: I have just recently learned, I don't know how, I've lived here for three years, that you say dressing, all right.
SPEAKER_00: There's no G at the end, it's IN, alright?
SPEAKER_00: It's dressing.
SPEAKER_00: Is that right?
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: Are we we on the right track there?
SPEAKER_00: Oh good.
SPEAKER_00: Well, isn't it a great day to be in the house of the Lord church?
SPEAKER_00: Listen, you endured the rain, enduring the cold.
SPEAKER_00: Um uh, but I'm I believe this morning that God has a word for you today.
SPEAKER_00: Um I believe he's gonna speak to you.
SPEAKER_00: I believe God still speaks to us.
SPEAKER_00: We just have to open our ears and listen to him.
SPEAKER_00: And so I believe God has something for you this morning.
SPEAKER_00: But before we get into the word today, I always um uh I never want to miss out on the opportunity to honor.
SPEAKER_00: Um and so can we stand to our feet this morning and honor our pastors this morning?
SPEAKER_00: Can you guys give it up for Pastor Jeremy and Pastor Meg?
SPEAKER_00: Give it up for them.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, they're doing a whole building project just so we can reach more people.
SPEAKER_00: And listen, there's so much that they go through that um that we honestly they probably have to deal with a lot of you, all right?
SPEAKER_00: And so, um, but we're so grateful for you, Pastor Jeremy and Pastor Meg.
SPEAKER_00: You guys can be seated, you guys can be seated.
SPEAKER_00: Um and so, but in Ascend Youth Ministry, we're seeing God do tremendous, tremendous things.
SPEAKER_00: Um we're seeing a lot a lot of salvations, baptisms this past um uh uh the beginning of November, we had our week and fall retreat, but we had almost 10 to 11 students uh take the next step in their faith and get baptized, um, which is really, really awesome.
SPEAKER_00: But we're seeing God do awesome things, but there's a few things we like to say at Ascend.
SPEAKER_00: But our first thing that we say at Ascend is our Ascend Youth Pledge.
SPEAKER_00: All right, our youth pledge are like, yo, what the heck is this?
SPEAKER_00: Listen, there's a lot of things that are attacking um uh the next generation.
SPEAKER_00: They're saying, You're this, you're that.
SPEAKER_00: Believe this about yourself.
SPEAKER_00: But I believe God says three things about us.
SPEAKER_00: Alright, we we need to say this over ourselves, we need to identify ourselves with this.
SPEAKER_00: And so the first one is I am a champion.
SPEAKER_00: Everyone say I'm a champion.
SPEAKER_00: Everyone say I'm loved, and say I'm God's number one.
SPEAKER_00: Alright, let's say that again.
SPEAKER_00: Let's say it with some power.
SPEAKER_00: Let's say it's a mumph, all right?
SPEAKER_00: Say I am a champion.
SPEAKER_00: Say I'm loved.
SPEAKER_00: Let's say I'm God's number one.
SPEAKER_00: Did you guys know you're a champion because God died on the cross for you?
SPEAKER_00: But why do we forget that a lot of the times?
SPEAKER_00: Why do we have a hard time remembering that?
SPEAKER_00: Did you guys know you're loved by God?
SPEAKER_00: Did you know you're loved by God?
SPEAKER_00: Even when in moments where we feel lost, or maybe um did you guys know you're God's number one?
SPEAKER_00: God made you because He desires you and He loves you so much.
SPEAKER_00: So this is what we're speaking over our students each and every Wednesday to say this is what God says about you.
SPEAKER_00: So we're not wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.
SPEAKER_00: And so we don't want to believe that.
SPEAKER_00: Another thing we say at Ascend, we believe that note takers are saying it again.
SPEAKER_00: We believe that note takers are what?
SPEAKER_00: History makers.
SPEAKER_00: We believe I believe today is history in the making, but us, we have to write it down to remember it.
SPEAKER_00: Alright?
SPEAKER_00: We have to write some things down to remember it.
SPEAKER_00: Alright, so from what I say today, from the fastness that I speak or whatever, um, or maybe just to keep you awake this morning, okay?
SPEAKER_00: That I just want to encourage you to write one thing down this morning, what God is speaking to you today.
SPEAKER_00: And so, but today we are gonna be taking a break um uh from messy church, uh a little bit from a messy church series, and um, PJ is gonna be closing on it next week, but we're gonna be talking about what it means to be for the one.
SPEAKER_00: Everyone say for the one.
SPEAKER_00: But instead of doing the same old Matthew 18, 12 through 14 passage, yes, we are going to read that, but we're gonna be taking a look on the out on the um um on the inside of our own heart.
SPEAKER_00: And what we need to do to have the heart of Jesus, have the mindset of Jesus, have the attitude of Jesus, to go before the one, to take this next season as a church, as PJ mentioned at the beginning of the year, of us crossing over, of us saying, I'm ready to cross over, I'm ready to take this next step.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not I'm not gonna retreat back, I'm going to move forward now.
SPEAKER_00: And so, but if everyone can stand and honor a reading of the word of the Lord this morning, we're gonna be reading from Matthew um 18, 12 through 14 to start up this passage, all right.
SPEAKER_00: And it says this, I'm gonna read from my computer, you can read from the screen.
SPEAKER_00: Says this, if a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do?
SPEAKER_00: Won't he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?
SPEAKER_00: And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn't wander away.
SPEAKER_00: In the same way, it is not my heavenly father's will that will that even one of these little ones should perish, should die.
SPEAKER_00: So the title of the message this morning, you can write this in your notes, is lost but found.
SPEAKER_00: Turn your neighbor and saying, Lost, turn to your other neighbor and say, but found.
SPEAKER_00: See, but before I uh before I pray as in, maybe we're not, maybe we're not lost.
SPEAKER_00: We were here to say lost, but found, I'm found.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe we're like not lost, but maybe we've lost a a state that we first said Jesus, uh said yes to Jesus in.
SPEAKER_00: And the state we said yes to Jesus in in the first place was what it was surrender.
SPEAKER_00: All right, and all of us need to stay in this state of surrender, but maybe we've lost the surrender mentality instead of saying, and and we've said instead, I'm going to do this myself.
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to do this walk of Jesus by myself.
SPEAKER_00: And so this is what we're going to be talking about this morning.
SPEAKER_00: But let me pray.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, God, thank you so much for today, God.
SPEAKER_00: Um, Lord, help me.
SPEAKER_00: In your name we pray, amen.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: All right, you can be seated, you can be seated, you can be seated.
SPEAKER_00: So, what I ask from my students all the time, all right, is to kind of just help me walk along an illustration in a story.
SPEAKER_00: So, I'm gonna ask from you of that from you this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Is that okay?
SPEAKER_00: Yes, can everyone nod with me?
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, that's right, that's right.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, perfect.
SPEAKER_00: So I need your help with a dilemma, uh, a dilemma I'm having right now.
SPEAKER_00: All right.
SPEAKER_00: Let me paint this picture for you.
SPEAKER_00: Can I tell you a little story real quick?
SPEAKER_00: Can I yeah?
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, perfect.
SPEAKER_00: All right, so if you are in a marriage or are currently in a relationship, you know there are two types of people.
SPEAKER_00: There are only two types of people in a relationship in a marriage when you like to clean.
SPEAKER_00: All right, only two.
SPEAKER_00: There's one that throws everything away, okay?
SPEAKER_00: There's one that throws everything away, and there's another that keeps every little thing because it has a sentimental moment to it.
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: Does this relate to anybody this morning?
SPEAKER_00: We got the people who just like to say, um, I'm downsizing, and we got to let the other people that like to say, you know what, this has so much mo so much value to me, I'm keeping it, I'm hiding it away so no one can take it.
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: So here's this dilemma that I'm having this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: The other day, me and my wife were cleaning out the house.
SPEAKER_00: All right, we recently moved into a brand new house in July.
SPEAKER_00: Love it, it's great.
SPEAKER_00: But we realize when you know when you move and when you're throwing things away, you realize how much stuff you have.
SPEAKER_00: And it's like, this isn't reasonable.
SPEAKER_00: All right, but my wife, alright, loves cleaning, all right, loves throwing everything out, and we're gonna go buy everything brand new from home goods, hobby lobby, or TJ Maxx.
SPEAKER_00: Okay?
SPEAKER_00: That's who she is.
SPEAKER_00: I love that about her, but I am the sentimental dad, all right, that has somewhat of a heart when it comes to things, okay?
SPEAKER_00: That is somewhat of like, oh, that has value to me.
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry, Ash, I'm not making fun of you right now, my bad.
SPEAKER_00: All right.
SPEAKER_00: So we were, she was cleaning out a closet the other day, and I was putting my daughter down for a nap, all right.
SPEAKER_00: And then I walked down the steps, all right.
SPEAKER_00: And in this closet, there was all these, it's just random stuff in this closet.
SPEAKER_00: In this closet was her one-year-old birthday sign.
SPEAKER_00: All right, one-year-old birthday sign.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, I walk down, she's like, Caleb, look at this.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, oh my gosh.
SPEAKER_00: All these pictures are running through my mind of me holding her from her from her time of a little baby in the hospital.
SPEAKER_00: And I just start getting a little teary and I start remembering her birthday.
SPEAKER_00: That was just in August.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, Ash, we have to keep this.
SPEAKER_00: We have to keep this.
SPEAKER_00: And she has the audacity to ask me, Caleb, do you think we should throw this?
SPEAKER_00: I think we should throw this away.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, what this is our daughter's birthday sign.
SPEAKER_00: What are you talking about?
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, and I'm like, I have these teary eyes, having these moments, and I like it all goes to a pause right there for a second.
SPEAKER_00: And I switch into like, I'm protecting this sign, I'm making sure I'm keeping this, I'm putting this away, like no one's touching this.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, I'm the type of person that would keep a like one-month baby cloth that she clothes that she and my daughter wore just so because it had a moment to it.
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe a baby cup that she's like, oh man, that's who I am.
SPEAKER_00: All right, that's my personality.
SPEAKER_00: So now that you know a little bit more about me, so behind me to my left, your right, I have these clothes here.
SPEAKER_00: All right, and you may be like, Pastor Caleb, why do you have all these clothes here?
SPEAKER_00: Why do you have all these things here?
SPEAKER_00: So, all of these clothes I have kept through my throughout my entire life.
SPEAKER_00: All right, from fifth grade, I still have clothes since fifth grade, guys.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know why.
SPEAKER_00: I don't look good in them, it doesn't fit me.
SPEAKER_00: It's a little tight, all right?
SPEAKER_00: It's a little uncomfortable, okay?
SPEAKER_00: And so if I have all of these clothes right here, and each one of these pieces of clothing has a memory, has a moment, has a something attached to it for me.
SPEAKER_00: Something attached to it for me.
SPEAKER_00: So this football jersey, all right, I've had since sixth grade.
SPEAKER_00: All right.
SPEAKER_00: It is a kid's extra large.
SPEAKER_00: Does it fit?
SPEAKER_00: Kinda, all right.
SPEAKER_00: Doesn't fit very well.
SPEAKER_00: I've gained a little bit of holiday weight since then.
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: And then I have a shirt, uh, a crew neck from our very first fall retreat here that has a lot of value to me.
SPEAKER_00: I have a I have a lot of crew necks, actually.
SPEAKER_00: I need to go through my closet.
SPEAKER_00: And then I have a college when I when I was in college, and I have my Christmas team hoodie from all the from our Sen U team that we made, and then I have um uh then I have a church, then I have uh then I have a t-shirt from my moments um uh in California that has all of these values, has all of these moments to me that means something to me.
SPEAKER_00: All right, but maybe the majority of us would be like Pastor Caleb.
SPEAKER_00: Why are you keeping these?
SPEAKER_00: Take it somewhere, get rid of it.
SPEAKER_00: You don't need a jersey that's actually an extra small on you, that looks tight.
SPEAKER_00: You don't need any of that.
SPEAKER_00: Any normal person would take it to wear goodwill, Plato's closet, the dump.
SPEAKER_00: They would not they would take it to places who knew what to do with it, right?
SPEAKER_00: You would take it somewhere that would have value for somebody else.
SPEAKER_00: But I keep them because it has something to me, or it meant something to me, or it had an impact on my life back then.
SPEAKER_00: All right, I have pictures and videos of me in that jersey when I was like in fifth grade.
SPEAKER_00: It's terrible, okay.
SPEAKER_00: But I believe a lot of us actually do this with our faith and our and our relationship with Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: We keep things that are meant to be given back to God.
SPEAKER_00: We keep these things that were comfortable to us in one season, but for us to go into the next season, God's asking us, give that to me.
SPEAKER_00: Give this to me.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, maybe when we're scared of this next season in our lives, or maybe we're scared of what the what the next moment may be in our church, work environment, your faith, we have instead, as believers, surrendered to comfortability instead of surrendering to the one who promises comfort in times of discomfort.
SPEAKER_00: So we we retreat back.
SPEAKER_00: We go back to the things that were comfortable to us.
SPEAKER_00: But God, when you said yes to Jesus, you said yes to surrendering to him.
SPEAKER_00: You said yes to the state of surrender to him, and we need to stay in that state of surrender to do what?
SPEAKER_00: To cross over and to move forward.
SPEAKER_00: You may be like, How are we getting to four of the one here?
SPEAKER_00: We'll get there.
SPEAKER_00: But the more we keep our idol, the more we keep these things hanging and uh allowed in our hearts and our minds.
SPEAKER_00: Um what we do is we try to fix it when it comes back up, or we try to fix it when a bad moment comes back up that we're allowing to stay hanging in our in our hearts and our minds, or whatever that be, we try to fix it.
SPEAKER_00: And what we do instantly in that moment, we say no to God and yes to ourselves.
SPEAKER_00: We say no to him and yes to us, and when we do that, it only leads to destruction.
SPEAKER_00: So let me ask you this question this morning, church.
SPEAKER_00: What are you allowing to stay in your life?
SPEAKER_00: What are you allowing?
SPEAKER_00: Are you allowing that moment when someone said to you, when you're in fifth grade, that painful thing, and then you're just holding that and now you're identifying yourself as that?
SPEAKER_00: What are you allowing to stay in your life?
SPEAKER_00: And I believe there's a passage in scripture that helps us understand this a little bit more.
SPEAKER_00: And it's Exodus 14, 10 through 14.
SPEAKER_00: Exodus 14, 10 through 14.
SPEAKER_00: This is a passage of scripture where we see the Israelites complaining and not being good people to Moses about going to the next thing.
SPEAKER_00: All right, but let me read it here for you.
SPEAKER_00: Um, it says, As Pharaoh approached the people of Israel, uh the peop as Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them.
SPEAKER_00: They cried out to the Lord and they said to Moses, Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness?
SPEAKER_00: Weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt?
SPEAKER_00: What have you done to us?
SPEAKER_00: Why did you make us leave Egypt?
SPEAKER_00: And pay attention to verse 12 here for me for a second.
SPEAKER_00: Didn't we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt?
SPEAKER_00: We said, Leave us alone, let us be slaves to the Egyptians.
SPEAKER_00: It's better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness.
SPEAKER_00: Has God ever told you to do something?
SPEAKER_00: And then you question it before you actually do it?
SPEAKER_00: You question it as the voice of God because we're so we're so um we have accepted the lifestyle of living comfortably.
SPEAKER_00: So when God says to go out in discomfort, we start to question, but didn't we didn't we tell you this would happen with Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: I would fail, that it would be a mistake?
SPEAKER_00: We start to question it sometimes.
SPEAKER_00: And so, but uh, and then Moses said, Moses told the people, don't be afraid, just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today.
SPEAKER_00: The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again, and the Lord Himself will what?
SPEAKER_00: Will fight for you.
SPEAKER_00: Just stay calm.
SPEAKER_00: Could you imagine someone just saying, hey, just chill out, like just chill.
SPEAKER_00: I would fight them, you know.
SPEAKER_00: See, we have all had things happen in our life.
SPEAKER_00: We've all had moments where we've had to be uncomfortable with our faith.
SPEAKER_00: We've all had moments where we've heard the voice of the Lord, but we doubted it was the voice of the Lord, and we retreated back to what was comfortable to us.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not perfect, I've done it, I'm only 25, but I've had a lot of moments where God said it was not great.
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: But what we need to do, what we need to begin to go back to is surrendering to Him, is sort of saying yes to Him, but most importantly, being obedient to the voice of the Lord instead of questioning the voice of God.
SPEAKER_00: And so when we had all these things happen in our life, all the things we are allowing to say hanging up, what we are doing, we were so putting it on a shelf and saying, I will deal with this later, not take and and not care about it, and saying, I it doesn't, it's not that big of a deal to God.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, guess what, church?
SPEAKER_00: You are a champion.
SPEAKER_00: You are a champion as God has called you for more.
SPEAKER_00: God has said yes to you.
SPEAKER_00: And it says this in Isaiah 43, verse 2.
SPEAKER_00: In Isaiah 43, verse 2.
SPEAKER_00: It says, when you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
SPEAKER_00: When you throw go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.
SPEAKER_00: When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up.
SPEAKER_00: The flames will not consume you.
SPEAKER_00: So this morning, church, I want to speak life to dry bones into the room.
SPEAKER_00: Any deserts that there will be rivers in the desert.
SPEAKER_00: Any places where there's no hope, there's gonna be hope in your life this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Because the promise of Jesus, this will speak the promise of Jesus to your hearts and minds this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Because we're wherever um, there's deep waters or difficulty or oppression, guess what, church?
SPEAKER_00: When you say yes to Jesus, God is with you through it.
SPEAKER_00: Listen, we're almost to the end of 2025.
SPEAKER_00: Almost to the end.
SPEAKER_00: It feels like January just started yesterday, honestly.
SPEAKER_00: And now it's cold outside again.
SPEAKER_00: Yuck.
SPEAKER_00: Don't waste the rest of 2025 retreating back to comfortability and saying I'm scared.
SPEAKER_00: It's time to step out and saying, God, what do you have for me?
SPEAKER_00: Holy Spirit, where do you want to guide me?
SPEAKER_00: So the first point that I want to make to you this morning is that God keeps his promises.
SPEAKER_00: God keeps his promises, whether you've heard that thousands of times or you're hearing it for the first time, God chose you, and God loves you.
SPEAKER_00: So he's gonna keep his promise to you.
SPEAKER_00: So to give context of this verse, I want to build this up a little bit for us, for maybe for some of us who don't know.
SPEAKER_00: This was originally written to the people of Israel, where they were going through really hard times, where they had been exiled, they messed up a lot, and felt far from God.
SPEAKER_00: All right.
SPEAKER_00: But God wanted them to know He hadn't given up on them yet.
SPEAKER_00: He was still their protector, still with them in the middle of danger.
SPEAKER_00: God doesn't promise that life will be easy for us people who have been in the faith for a long time.
SPEAKER_00: Do you say amen?
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Yes, but Notice, he says, when you go through waters, rivers, and fire, not if.
SPEAKER_00: Hard times are part of life.
SPEAKER_00: Life isn't great.
SPEAKER_00: Life isn't life isn't the best all the time.
SPEAKER_00: But when we do it with Jesus, it's a life full of abundancy.
SPEAKER_00: It's a life full of joy.
SPEAKER_00: It's a life full of gratitude.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe we have a hard time being grateful this morning because we've been doing life without Jesus and retreating back to comfortability.
SPEAKER_00: But the promise is this to you you won't face those challenges alone because guess what?
SPEAKER_00: God is with you.
SPEAKER_00: And he won't let those things destroy you.
SPEAKER_00: So I want to speak to the parents in the room.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe your children aren't doing great right now.
SPEAKER_00: Guess what?
SPEAKER_00: God's with you.
SPEAKER_00: I want to speak to the the students in the room, and maybe you're like, life is hard right now.
SPEAKER_00: Guess what?
SPEAKER_00: God is with you.
SPEAKER_00: I want to speak to everyone in the room right now that God is with you through it all.
SPEAKER_00: Because guess what?
SPEAKER_00: What does he do?
SPEAKER_00: He keeps his promises.
SPEAKER_00: So why is this important to us?
SPEAKER_00: Why is it?
SPEAKER_00: This passage is a passage about God's presence more than your perfection.
SPEAKER_00: Because even if you failed, God hasn't abandoned you.
SPEAKER_00: There's a quote by C.S.
SPEAKER_00: Lewis.
SPEAKER_00: Everyone knows who C.S.
SPEAKER_00: Lewis is, right?
SPEAKER_00: Lion Witch in the Wardrobe, great movie.
SPEAKER_00: Didn't read the book.
SPEAKER_00: Great movie.
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: Any movie people before book people?
SPEAKER_00: Yeah?
SPEAKER_00: Anyone just loves to read and forget the movie?
SPEAKER_00: The context isn't the same.
SPEAKER_00: Doesn't mean it's he says this.
SPEAKER_00: We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God.
SPEAKER_00: The world is crowded with him.
SPEAKER_00: He walks everywhere incognito.
SPEAKER_00: And the incognito is not always hard to penetrate.
SPEAKER_00: The real labor is to remember and to attend.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, this is this this like wrecked me while I was preparing this message.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, to come awake.
SPEAKER_00: Still more to remain awake.
SPEAKER_00: How many of us are asleep to the voice of the Lord?
SPEAKER_00: How many of us are asleep to what God is calling you to do?
SPEAKER_00: It may not be a big calling.
SPEAKER_00: It may just be a great mom.
SPEAKER_00: It may just be a great father.
SPEAKER_00: Or it may be taking that next step and saying, Holy Spirit, who do I need to pray for in my workplace?
SPEAKER_00: Holy Spirit, who do I need to bring to church that I've just been like so resistant because they keep saying no?
SPEAKER_00: What we need to remind ourselves is that Jesus is everywhere and he wants you and your heart.
SPEAKER_00: It doesn't matter how old, it doesn't matter how young, but it's time for us to wake up and recognize his heart.
SPEAKER_00: And I believe we see his heart really, really well in Matthew 18, 12 through 14 in our main passage, and we can apply this in our lives today.
SPEAKER_00: I want us to read it again.
SPEAKER_00: It says, If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do?
SPEAKER_00: Won't he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?
SPEAKER_00: And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn't wander away.
SPEAKER_00: In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish, should die.
SPEAKER_00: Do we see the heart of Jesus in here, church?
SPEAKER_00: Do we see the compassion that Jesus has for us?
SPEAKER_00: He's not just talking about the He's talking not just talking about the always the lost, but maybe us that have just strayed away from listening to him.
SPEAKER_00: We see compassion here from Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: We see care, we see intentionality, we see servanthood.
SPEAKER_00: But maybe we need this a little bit more in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: We see celebration when they come to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Instead of just like, yeah, Jesus, yeah, he came in the church.
SPEAKER_00: No, hallelujah, they are in church.
SPEAKER_00: Hallelujah, that they've made it, hallelujah, that they are here, hallelujah, that God, that you are for them and for me.
SPEAKER_00: But we have to take on the mentality and the heart to have a heart like Him, church.
SPEAKER_00: This is not just a pastor job.
SPEAKER_00: This is a church job.
SPEAKER_00: This is a church thing that we have to take on the heart of our pastor and begin to cross over to the next season and not just say, Oh yeah, I'll let him do it.
SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm cool with being sitting here, you know?
SPEAKER_00: No, no, no, no.
SPEAKER_00: God has called you, guess what?
SPEAKER_00: For such a time as this church.
SPEAKER_00: Because it says in Psalm 23, verse 1.
SPEAKER_00: I won't read the whole thing.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 1, it says, The Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe growing up, alright, I was preparing for this.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe when we grow up, we hear the word shepherd, alright?
SPEAKER_00: And we grew up saying, sheep are the dumbest animals alive.
SPEAKER_00: All right, all right.
SPEAKER_00: I I used to say that all the time.
SPEAKER_00: Um, but sheep are kind of not the smartest people, but or the animals, they're not people.
SPEAKER_00: What am I talking about?
SPEAKER_00: But I would say, and sheep are like represented of us, but I would say this we aren't done, dumb animals, so we need God, so we're desperate for God.
SPEAKER_00: But more so, we are in need of a good shepherd.
SPEAKER_00: We are in need that someone to guide us that has the heart, that has someone that's like, no, no, no, this is the right path.
SPEAKER_00: Because all of us follow something.
SPEAKER_00: All of us said yes to following something.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe we instantly wake up and we see who's follow who's following us, or maybe we instantly wake up and we check our emails, or we instantly, whatever.
SPEAKER_00: We're all following something.
SPEAKER_00: Why not follow the good shepherd?
SPEAKER_00: Why not follow the good shepherd who want that has the right path for you, that has the that has your heart and mind, that has your mind in his heart.
SPEAKER_00: See, from all the worldly things that are trying to distract us, we need a good shepherd church.
SPEAKER_00: We need a good shepherd.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not just talk, we're not just talking about someone who just knows what they're talking about.
SPEAKER_00: We need to say yes to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: We need a good shepherd that will what?
SPEAKER_00: That will guide us, that will direct us, that will protect us, that will lead us, heal us, save us, redeem us, restore us, give us life, because he is the good shepherd, because he has always been good, church.
SPEAKER_00: It was good in gen, he was good in Genesis, and he's great, and he's really good in Revelation.
SPEAKER_00: He has always been good, and guess what?
SPEAKER_00: He has you in mind because he made you, because you are his what?
SPEAKER_00: His number one.
SPEAKER_00: Because it says in Psalm 23, verse 1, the Lord is my shepherd, I have all that I need.
SPEAKER_00: Point two I want to make to you this morning is that Jesus is all that I need.
SPEAKER_00: I don't need the money.
SPEAKER_00: I don't need the house.
SPEAKER_00: I don't need the car.
SPEAKER_00: I don't need the job status.
SPEAKER_00: I don't need the promotion.
SPEAKER_00: Because you know why?
SPEAKER_00: Because Jesus is all that I want.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus is all that I desire.
SPEAKER_00: His voice, his guidance, his patience, his grace, and his mercy for me to help me in this life.
SPEAKER_00: Because without Jesus I am nothing, but with him I am everything.
SPEAKER_00: So whether you have retreated back to comfortability, I want to encourage you this morning.
SPEAKER_00: How are you obeying the voice of the Lord today?
SPEAKER_00: It says in Philippians 2, 5 through 8, for us to adopt this attitude, this mindset of Christ, of being for the one, of loving the one, but having the mentality and a heart like him, it says this Philippians 2.5.
SPEAKER_00: Pause it right there.
SPEAKER_00: Perfect.
SPEAKER_00: You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
SPEAKER_00: Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
SPEAKER_00: Instead, he gave up his divine privileges.
SPEAKER_00: He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
SPEAKER_00: When he appeared in human form, what did he do?
SPEAKER_00: He humbled himself.
SPEAKER_00: In what?
SPEAKER_00: In obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.
SPEAKER_00: I think obedience to God looks crazy to the world.
SPEAKER_00: If he asked Moses to split a scene half, like, what the heck?
SPEAKER_00: Throw down your staff and it will come a snake.
SPEAKER_00: Yo, what you talking about?
SPEAKER_00: But for us as a church, as an individual, guess what?
SPEAKER_00: We have to have.
SPEAKER_00: We have to have a heart for the one.
SPEAKER_00: There are people out there that need to know who Jesus is.
SPEAKER_00: There's people, guess what, in your backyard that need to know Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And you know these people because they're coming up in your mind and your heart right now.
SPEAKER_00: And I believe that's the Holy Spirit igniting you to say, that's who I'm going after.
SPEAKER_00: That's who I'm inviting.
SPEAKER_00: That's whom I'm bringing.
SPEAKER_00: That's who I'm caring for.
SPEAKER_00: That's who I'm showing compassion and celebration for.
SPEAKER_00: We have to have a heart for the one.
SPEAKER_00: So my bottom line this morning, and we'll be reiterating this all the time, is that we need to be for the one.
SPEAKER_00: We need to be for the one.
SPEAKER_00: I think there's a lot of people, a lot of believers in the world that the world looks at them and says, I know what you're against.
SPEAKER_00: But we need to be believers and say, No, I know what I'm for.
SPEAKER_00: And I'm for people, I'm for the one, I'm for people to know who Jesus is.
SPEAKER_00: We need to be for the one.
SPEAKER_00: So, where do we go from here?
SPEAKER_00: I want to go back to the clothes here.
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
SPEAKER_00: So, as we said in the beginning, all of these clothes had moments.
SPEAKER_00: All of these pieces of clothing had sentimental value to me.
SPEAKER_00: But I honestly, what I didn't tell you is that all of these places, all these times, all these things hidden behind these shirts honestly kind of damaged me.
SPEAKER_00: Honestly, kind of made my identity who I am today.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe past sins, when I was struggling, when I was in middle school, all right.
SPEAKER_00: Middle school was a crazy time, all right.
SPEAKER_00: But maybe in middle school when I was alone, when I moved from house to house to house, and I didn't have a place all the time, I didn't have great friends, and so I just decided to do whatever I wanted.
SPEAKER_00: And that made me, but now I'm like, oh shoot.
SPEAKER_00: Like I kind of just operate on an island sometimes, or maybe in in college when I was just like, you know, I'm gonna go live for Jesus, but I didn't know anything, so I retreated to maybe I'm dumb and starting calling myself all these names, or maybe here when I'm like, God, what are you calling me to do?
SPEAKER_00: I have no idea how to be a pastor.
SPEAKER_00: But guess what?
SPEAKER_00: When we say yes to him, when we stay in a state of surrender to him, what begins to happen is we begin to take this, and we begin to take all of these things that have labeled us, that have identified us in the past, and we say yes to Jesus, and we remembered not just the cross, but the power of the cross, and we throw it at the feet of Jesus, and he says, Good job, well done, faithful servant.
SPEAKER_00: But then what else is hanging?
SPEAKER_00: There's a I left this hanger there on purpose, I didn't forget a t-shirt.
SPEAKER_00: Okay, I didn't.
SPEAKER_00: Alright, I have a lot of the same clothes anyway, all right.
SPEAKER_00: But we have this left hanging, and God, here's the awesome thing about Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And he's no matter how many times we sin, no matter how many times we mess up, no matter how many times we feel like I'm a failure as a parent, I'm a failure as a grandparent, I'm not a good servant in the church.
SPEAKER_00: I'd always like, God says, you have an opportunity, son, daughter, to put on something and to hang it back up, and then that's who you are.
SPEAKER_00: You are a son to me, you are a daughter to me.
SPEAKER_00: Guess what?
SPEAKER_00: You're peaceful.
SPEAKER_00: Guess what?
SPEAKER_00: You're not an addict.
SPEAKER_00: Guess what?
SPEAKER_00: You're not, you're you're joyful.
SPEAKER_00: Whatever all of the things, God wipes it out and He gives you an opportunity to have Him in your life.
SPEAKER_00: But what we have to do when we adopt the attitude and heart of Jesus, we begin to walk in confidence and boldness.
SPEAKER_00: So all of the things left hanging, like I was saying, all of the things left hanging in the closet, he wipes them out when you say yes to him, when we remind ourselves, when we go back to the state of surrender, when we first said yes to him.
SPEAKER_00: Because Jesus reminds us that he is with us, and most importantly, he is for us.
SPEAKER_00: And it says this in Joshua 1.9 this is my command.
SPEAKER_00: Be strong and courageous.
SPEAKER_00: Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
SPEAKER_00: It's the end, it's almost the end of 2025.
SPEAKER_00: I'm I'll say it again.
SPEAKER_00: Where is your heart at, church?
SPEAKER_00: Is your heart aligned with Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: Are you following the good shepherd?
SPEAKER_00: Or are you retreating back to the things that were spoken over to you years ago?
SPEAKER_00: All of the baggage, the pain, fear, scarcity, stepping into the unknown.
SPEAKER_00: Guess what?
SPEAKER_00: God is calling you for such a time as this.
SPEAKER_00: Guess what, parents?
SPEAKER_00: He's calling you to lead your family to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: He's calling you to lead your co-workers to Jesus in the workplace.
SPEAKER_00: He's calling you to serve people, the church, like you have never served before.
SPEAKER_00: Because if Jesus is for us, who can be against us?
SPEAKER_00: So I want everyone to stand their feet with me this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Let's begin to close out here.
SPEAKER_00: I want everyone to close their eyes with me today.
SPEAKER_00: And I want this moment to be between you and Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Alright?
SPEAKER_00: Not to the person on your left, not to the person on your right, but between you and Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: How are you going to respond this morning?
SPEAKER_00: If I can invite the prayer team up, how are you going to respond this morning?
SPEAKER_00: Are you going to sit back and be comfortable?
SPEAKER_00: Or are you going to go?
SPEAKER_00: Are you going to take this next step?
SPEAKER_00: Are you going to say, Jesus, I'm with you?
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, because you're for me, I'm ready to listen to you again.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, because you're for me, I'm ready to give my life to you again.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus, I'm ready to let go of all the baggage, all the words, all the pain, and saying, God, even though it hurts, I'm still ready to go.
SPEAKER_00: Because if you took 39 lashes to your back and still rose up from the grave for me, I can take a step in faith towards you, Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: So with every head bowed, every eye closed this morning, I'm not gonna ask you to raise your hand, I'm not gonna, but I do want to encourage you to come to the front this morning if you need prayer.
SPEAKER_00: If there's something in your life this morning where you're like, man, I there's so much weight, I don't know what to do.
SPEAKER_00: I want to encourage you to give it to the feet of Jesus, to give it to the the feet of the to give it to the cross and see what God can do.
SPEAKER_00: So let me pray this morning that I want to invite you to come up to receive prayer.
SPEAKER_00: God, thank you so much for today.
SPEAKER_00: That God, that throughout all the pain, throughout all the hurt, that throughout all the baggage, that gl that God, you, that you have made a place in our in our hearts, and that is for you, Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: That Jesus, that throughout all of history, you have always been good, you have always been kind, you have always been humble, but now, God, I'm ready to obey you again.
SPEAKER_00: I've lost my state of surrender, but now I'm ready to find a new state of surrender and say yes to you, Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: God, thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, in your name we pray, amen.
SPEAKER_00: If you need prayer for anything, I want to invite you to come up to pray this morning.