Come on, y'all, put your hands together for Jesus. He loves you. He's with us. He's for us. He's the best. Easter is coming next weekend. I just want to thank all of you for praying, participating and everyone invite one. We are planning, by God's grace, just to have an amazing weekend celebrating the greatest event in human history, Jesus Christ risen from the dead. And I want to take a minute and greet everybody out of Alamance Campus. Hey Alamance, we love you here and put your hands together for Alamance. Y'all are the best pastor John Mark and the whole team. And I want to make one comment for the Chapel Hill campus for just a moment. Um, one. Well, this is for everyone. Everyone invite one. Two if you are, if it's convenient and you are able to attend a non-prime time, non-prime time is not 930 or 1115 on Sunday morning. But we have services here in Chapel Hill Thursday night Friday night Saturday night 8 a.m.
1230. A lot of options besides our 930 1115 that will help us. Um, we are looking forward to proclaiming Christ, but we also need seats and parking. So, um, anyway, if that does work for you, that will have help if we can kind of spread out and, uh, on Friday night, we're going to have communion on Good Friday. And so we're going to add that into the Easter service and make that a special event for you. So, um, that's the what's going on today.
We're going to wrap up this series we've been doing called Make a Difference. And uh, uh, you know, as I was looking at this last week, I kind of had this pastoral, fatherly moment of, okay, if I got one more shot to kind of share my heart, I can go make a difference. What would be helpful? What would be life giving? How could it be encouraging? And here's my prayer is one. You get a little spark of faith from the Lord about making a difference, but two, you get a next step.
As we look into God's Word today, I really pray that you would walk away from today with got my next step. I know something that I can do to really be part of going to make a difference.
And so today's message title is Go mad, go make a difference, go mad. Now I need to give credit where this came from. Look at Pastor John Mark here. He wears a hat that says go mad. Isn't that cool? Go mad. And maybe it's his football background or something, but when he drops off his kids each morning at school, they do their little mantra go mad. So y'all got to check this out.
Go mad. What does that mean? Go make a difference. All right. Have a great day, girls. Love you. Come on, y'all, isn't that cute? Isn't that good? I love that, so I said, Pastor Jeremiah said, you gotta send me a video of that. That. That's just adorable. So, hey, if you want to go mad, if you want to make a difference, here's the first place where you need to make a difference is make a difference in me. Make a difference in me. If you want to make a difference in the world, the first place to focus is in me. Let me just say this.
That's really God's heart. That's really God's heart. God loves the world. He wants to use you to make a difference. But let me just tell you this he loves you, cares for you, and he loves you enough to prioritize working in you. Like, sometimes I think we feel responsible for the world. And again, God wants to use us to make a positive impact in the world. But the world is in good hands. God's got it. And what I find is this, and I'm sure you've experienced this is God can be very patient and take his time to work in thee. God doesn't want something from you. God wants something for you. He wants to work in you and he will take his time. Sometimes we put our identity into what we do and God says, hey, actually, I want to work on who you are. And in fact, if we want to make the biggest impact out there, we first need to make the biggest impact in here inside of us. Lord, in my heart, changing my character, helping me become more like Christ. John Maxwell, is this the hardest person that you'll ever lead is yourself. It's really the hardest person you'll ever lead is yourself. Its first and more important than anything else, but it's also the hardest. Why is it the hardest? Number one, you are always with yourself. Have you ever noticed that? Like, if you ever get somebody difficult in your life, you can walk away from that person. You can't walk away from yourself And our difficulties and our problems and our issues follow us. And leading ourselves is difficult because self-deception is easy. Like, we can make excuses for ourselves. We tend to judge others according to their actions, but ourselves according to our intentions. And we can allow things to stay in our lives and kind of make excuses a little bit. And that's real. Discipline is harder than direction. It's easy to know what to do, what direction to go in, but actually following through and doing it consistently for ourselves is not always that easy. And emotions can get in the way. Like when you lead others, it's easier to be objective.
But when you lead yourself, your emotions get involved a little bit more in terms of your pride or your insecurities or whatever. And and that makes it more challenging. Also, there's no external accountability Unless you put it in yourself. Like when you're leading others. You can put in, you know, accountability, but not for yourself. You're going to have to do that yourself.
And growth requires confronting yourself. You got to face the tough stuff. You got to look inside.
You've got to be open, honest and real, and you get to set the ceiling. You get to determine how far you grow and how much you grow. And it also sets the ceiling for those around you, like like the team you lead or in your family or in your relationships. So leading yourself is not easy.
Here's the good news you have someone to help you. God. God. God's in your court to help you grow and change. Look at this. He who began a good work in you. In you. Philippians one six will carry it on. There's a promise to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. What does that mean? As long as you're here on planet Earth. God's going to keep working in you. God's going to keep growing you. Changing you.
Transforming you. Helping you become more like Christ. And that puts should put you and me in this growth mentality of Lord. Hey Lord, I want to keep getting better. I want to keep learning. I want to keep becoming more like Christ in my heart, in my life. So how do we cooperate with what God is doing in us? I tend to think of it in two ways. Very simply two ways. One. Lord, first of all, remove the things that hinder. Remove the things from my life that hinder growth, that help me hold me back from doing what you've called me to do, or being who you've called me to be. The things that don't please you, Lord. Get the negative out. Get the negative out. The in order that you can pour in the positive. And then secondly, strengthen the things that build me. If there's things that build me, Lord, I need more of that. I need more of the positive. Pour that in. I need to walk in the spirit that I wouldn't fulfill the desires of the flesh. Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pleasing, think on these things. Fill my mind.
Fill my heart with the positive, with, with, with your perspective, with your heart. And let me just say this. These two play off of each other, getting the things out that hinder and getting the good stuff in. Like sometimes what we do is this we get rid of the bad in order that we're empty and God can put in the good. Sometimes we put in the good and it just gets rid of the bad.
It's a little bit like we live out in the country and I don't know about once a year we end up with mice in our garage. And if you go out there and flip on the light at night, it was like, woosh, there, they're gone, you know? And I think that's a little bit like in our lives, sometimes when God puts fills you with the spirit, when he shines his light, the negative whoosh goes and it dissipates. You work it both ways. You work it both ways. Let me give you two biblical examples of kind of working it both ways, out with the bad and with the good. Ephesians 518 says, and do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation. But here's the opposite. Be filled with the spirit. See the juxtaposition of those two? Don't drink too much. You're going to end up with a hole in your boat. You're going to end up with a leak and it's going to dissipate the spirit rather be filled with the spirit. Sometimes we're empty because we haven't put the good stuff in. We haven't been filled with the spirit. Sometimes we're empty because we got a leak. We got a hole. And when the good gets poured in, it just dismay those. So it says, don't, don't do this drink. Get drunk with wine because it's going to dissipate.
You rather be filled. Here, let me give you one more example. In Hebrews says, therefore, since we're surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. Here, here it is. Let us throw off everything that hinders. Get rid of the things that hinder. Look at that. Throw off.
Get rid of. Toss it as something that hinders, which seems like everything. And it adds something to it. And the sin that so easily entangles. Well, it doesn't say what the sin is. I think the point is it's different for all of us, and it may be different in different seasons. Right. That there tends to be something that will dissipate you, drain you, be a temptation to take control, be a temptation to find your own comfort.
And in what the writer of Hebrews is saying is get rid of everything that hinders and the sin.
Whatever that may be, that's so easily entangles. And then next verse, let us run. Here's the positive. With perseverance, the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes upon Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Now take this out. Run the race marked out for us that that God. This is having vision, clarity. You go. God's got a a a race for you to run. Run that race. It's been marked out for you by God. But this is interesting. Here's the positive. Fixing our eyes on Jesus.
We don't run our race by fixing our eyes on the race or even the end goal. We run our race by fixing our eyes on Jesus because he's the source of your hope, of grace, of love, of encouragement, of patience, of forgiveness. Like it all flows from me. So, so fix your eyes on Jesus. Get rid of everything that hinders. So easily entangles. Get clarity on where the race marked out for you by God. The path that God has for you. Get clarity on that path. And then how do you run that race? How do you stay on that path? You fix your eyes on Jesus. He's the author. He. He gave you faith and the perfector. He's going to keep growing your faith. He's going to keep growing you. And actually, as you're walking your race, running your race, as you're fixing your eyes on Jesus, he's going to build your faith. He's going to build you. He's going to change you. He's going to make a difference in you. So here's my question. What one thing, if you removed it from your life, would produce the greatest flow of God's grace and blessing in your life. Like if you thought for a moment and just just get get specific. Get personal, just in your own mind. We're not going to raise our hands or write it down or.
Yeah, I got that one. No, I'm just kidding. No, no, no, just between you and the Lord. Like. Like what? One thing would you love to get out that might be hindering you, that might be causing dissipation or a leak? And then in the positive. What one thing if added to your life, which often, by the way they play off of each other, you remove a negative and you replace it with something better. With God's version, it's always an upgrade. And that's the way they often again, play against you. What one thing you've added to your life would produce the greatest flow of God's grace and blessing in your life. Let me tell you this it takes intentionality. We don't drift into spiritual strength. We drift into spiritual weakness. Drift happens when we wander through life hoping things get better. Instead of having an intentional, clear vision of the race marked out for me and fixing my eyes on Jesus, I get a clear picture of a preferred future. Like, what's your personal preferred future?
I don't know. You know, for some people like birthdays and numbers kind of matter. And other people I don't care. It's just another year, you know? Well, this past December. Yeah. At the end of December is my birthday. So it's kind of new year and it's another, you know, I'm a year older and and I hit 59 this year. Okay. 59. And I'm like I can't believe how. Old I am, you know. And then I realized, like, next year I'm turning 60 and I'm just going to process personally with you. But like I was like, Lord, I've never so enjoyed ministry and life and what I can't believe I get to do what I get to do.
I can't believe I get paid to do what I get to do. It's such a blessing. It's such an honor from you.
You know, and I said, Lord, this I want the next decade of my life to be the most influential, impactful, world changing. I feel like, you know, as a church, we've got some wins, we've got some trust.
We got to get better, we got issues. But we're in a healthy, strong place and we're not here to maintain. We're here to go to make a difference and I want to go for it. And so I said, I'm 59, I'm going to be turned 16 here. And I said, I want to be ready to go. I see the race, I can see it, but I want to I want you to work in me. And so I said, Lord, by God's grace, I want to be in the best physical shape of my life, the best Spiritual shape of my life and the best shape of my life. Leadership in leadership of my life. And over this next year, I want to go for it. I want to dig in, I want to I want to grow because I realize what what you do, bit by bit, day by day, is how you really change. Leaders are not made in a day. They're made daily. It's true with your physical health, right? I mean, y'all know this. You can't fix your physical health today. You ever go, like, get healthy for a day? Like what happened? I'm not better. No no no no no no. You got to stack up a whole bunch of little wins day after day in your health or, you know, whatever. It's true. Spiritually. You can't spiritually, just in one day fix everything. You just get daily. Ting ting ting ting ting. You just keep taking steps. And I just thought I'd share this with you to show that, like. Like this is where I'm living. This is what I need in the back of my journals and my journal, in the back of my journal. I've written down what do I want to do every day that, by God's grace, is going to help me physically, spiritually in my leadership. And I know if I can keep just moving a little bit. And this is just me, y'all. You know, but I gotta look at this every day. I just got my little check marks and x's and and I set this up. Not because I'm an example of of what to do, but like I need this. This is like, because I realize I can know the right direction in what to do, but being consistent and doing it and having like, how am I really doing moving the ball down the field? Am I making progress? Am I growing? Am I getting better? Am I just every day I'm getting a little bit better?
Let me ask you this. How are you doing with your personal development with the Lord God? Make a difference in me. I want to keep growing. I want to keep getting better. I want to be specific. I want to know what needs to get out, what needs to get in. I want to keep taking steps.
Listen, I so want you to win in life and make a difference. And it starts with making a difference in me. Secondly, make a difference in us. Make a difference in us. This is so important because your personal growth is tied to other people. You will not become the person God has called you to be without other people. You want to accomplish all that God has called you to do without other people. God designed us for community, for relationships. We're healthiest and strongest when we have strong relationships. Now, I think sometimes we kind of imagine in our head what is strong relationships or what does community look like? And I want to speak to this because I think maybe this could help us. What does walking in community look like? What does it really look like? Let me give you a couple of thoughts. This is my experience. It will be different than you expect.
It'll be different than you expect, I think. In our heads, we. Have. This vision. Or maybe we've never super consciously, but I think we we imagine that church friends and I go to work, and everyone high fives me on the way in, and we all get along and we're great together and my family and and Christmas is awesome. And we all get a little extended and we get this picture of what strong relationships. But let me tell you this, it's almost always like, not like the ideal in your head. And God will put surprising people in relationships into your life.
Some of the people you expected to be there will disappoint you, or a relationship will fall apart. And it's hard. It's heartbreaking. It was unexpected. Kicking the god. Didn't see that coming. Broken hearted. And what could happen is that because we experience that, we withdraw. But let me tell you this. God will give you some unexpected relationships that will appear. It will be different than you expect. And it's the real deal. It's the real deal also. It will be imperfect. Like I think in some sense, we we imagine, like the perfect friend, the perfect family, the whatever. Like this. You know, it's going to be imperfect. It just is like God sets us up so that we need him and other people. And you can never be fully satisfied and happy and fulfilled and accomplish all you're supposed to do just with other people and not the Lord. That's the way I look at it. Is that like like I need God and I need people and I. You won't be able to live just with people without God. So God sets you up so that your relationships are never perfect or we wouldn't need the Lord. We just walk away from God because like, all my relationships are broken. I think it's healthy. To realize this because again, if we have this ideal in our head, then I think we get disappointed and we kind of withdraw and we and we're not fully engaged. So it will be different than you expect. It will be imperfect, and you're going to have miscommunications and hurt feelings and walls. And sometimes it's going great and sometimes maybe not as well. That's just part of the deal. And it'll be a little bit inconvenient. It'll be inconvenient because let me tell you, what's generally not written down in your to do list in your journal is is build healthy relationships. What it does say is, okay, I got to get my oil change and get my car inspection. And like we got to do's and there's a lot of life that's calling you like tomorrow morning. Monday morning. Let's go. You got lists and to do's and stuff to knock out and responsibilities. And there's hard work and and there's a lot going on. And so it will be inconvenient to prioritize that which is important over that which is urgent. And relationships and people are important, but they're never urgent. And so we have to make it a priority. Here's the good news, though it may be different than you expect. Imperfect. Inconvenient. It will be exactly what you need. God will use the beauty of these relationships through his body of Christ. It's like the ragtag disciples, 12 disciples. He threw them together. It's that's us. That's that's us. He puts us together. This crazy mix of people. And he goes, watch me breathe on it and do something. I'm going to do something in you, and I'm going to do something in the community. And as you give to others, often you'll grow most as you make a difference in someone else's life. Several years ago, Nana and I were talking one evening and we're kind of processing, and, um, I got a permission to share the story. But basically, I'll just say this. It's not always easy being a pastor's wife.
Is that an understatement? Um, and Nana was like, well, where do I process? And we were talking through all this and we're not, you know, and and I was like, I just had never had this thought before, but I had this little ding. I said, sweetheart, here's a little why don't you do this? Why don't you give away what you wish you had? I mean, I think you should try to get like she'd been reaching or whatever, but. But give away what you wish you had. And you know what? That's exactly what she did. God bless my sweet wife. She's like, ding! Got it? She found three pastor's wives and she set up monthly phone calls And she listened and she cared and she encouraged and she gave wisdom and feedback. She was transparent. She was life giving. And she just was to this day, super there for the amazing. And this is what Jesus said Matthew 712. Whatever you wish that others would do to you. Do also to them. For this is the law and the prophets. Isn't that interesting? Give away what you wish you had. Like I wish I had better friends. Give away what you wish you had. Go be that friend to someone who needs. I wish I had a mentor at work.
Give away what you wish you had. Go be that mentor to someone else. The principle of sowing and reaping kicks in. It was amazing what God did for Nana as she gave away what she wished she had. God just. It was. It was like amazing how God begins to work as you give away what you wish you had. So make a difference in us, Lord, be the initiator.
Prioritize that which is important over that which is a is urgent. Get in a small group. It may be different than you expect. Maybe imperfect may not. You might so in one direction and reap in another. But I'll tell you, it will be exactly what you need. Make a difference in us. Now. Here's the next one. Lord, make a difference through me. Make a difference in me. Make a difference in us. But then God begins to not just work in us, but also then through us. God making a difference through you. I believe what is often the greatest hindrance is our spiritual eyes to see ourselves and others the way God sees. I believe that if you really want God to make a difference through you. The most helpful thing to do would be say, Lord, open my eyes to see myself the way you see me.
I really believe that's so important because how you see yourself defines your identity, and what you do flows out of that identity of who you are. And I want to say some things from Scripture that I believe would be really healthy for you to say this. Here's an identity thing. Wake up in the morning. Look in the mirror. I am the salt of the earth. I go make things better. Wherever I go, Christ is in me. And I go to make things better. I am the light of the world and I am the Jesus that people get. So I'm going to bring his light, his love, his power, his grace. Wherever I go, I make things brighter.
Number three, I am an ambassador for Christ. I'm his ambassador. Crazy thought, but God chose me to represent him to other people. And I'm going to be imperfect. And I'm going to make mistakes. But I'm the imperfect one that he chose, and I'm going to be an ambassador for Christ. Let me give you one more. Maybe you haven't thought of this one. I am a sent one. I am a sent one now sent one. The reason I put that in quotes that's sent one is actually the definition of the word apostle. Like, you know, the 12 apostles. They they're the 12 sent ones. And we're not all apostles, but we are sent ones, and we are on mission, commissioned by God. I want you to catch this. This is Paul and Barnabas in Antioch. They were at the church in Antioch, which says while they were there worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said this. Take this out. Set apart for me.
Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them. Now check this out. First of all, it says this set apart for me. I don't know if that connects with anything, but actually the word holy means set apart. Like back in the Old Testament.
You know, in the tabernacle, the temple, they'd have things that were used for worship for the Lord.
They were holy. It was holy, you know, candlestick, holy basin, like there'd be a bowl, it'll be holy. And you go like, wow, why is that bowl holy? And that one not because here's the deal. There was two bowls just sitting there. And you go. I'll take that one.
And what you do is you set it apart and you say, now this is going to be used for the Lord for worship. And I want to say this, this is what God does. He goes set apart for me, Bob and Diane. I just made up some two names.
Put your name in there and I'm going to I'm going to set them apart for me, for the work that I've called them to. Psalm uh, chapter four says, know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself. That's you. God sets you apart. You're holy, set apart for him, for the work to which he's called you. And it's so good to know I'm set apart for the Lord.
Now look at this. Then the next verse says so after they fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. They became sent ones that they laid hands. They prayed for them as a church. There was a prayer for them and they said, Hey, God set you apart. Go and do what God's called you to do. We're praying over you blessing. We're sending you.
There's a phrase some were sent. Some just went. And I think this sometimes when we go into our week, we just go through life. Some were sent, some just went. We just go to work, go to school, go through life. And we don't realize that we're set apart and we're sent ones. And actually, I just want to say this at the end of the service, I shout out in Alabama, I was going to do the same thing. Uh, I want to pray for all of you that you be sent, that you would have a sense that I must sent one. To my world, I'm commissioned by God for the mission, the calling to which he's called me. I am sent by God. I am the salt of the earth. I am the light of the world. I am an ambassador for Christ, and God is sending you into your mission field. Y'all know you have a mission field, and you're you're you're you're on mission. In that sense. You're missionaries sent by God to be salt, light, and an ambassador for Christ. You don't have to go look for a mission field. You got one. Your world is your mission field now your your mission field. Your world may change. You change jobs. You move, you graduate from school, whatever, whatever, whatever. But let me just tell you this. You got one right now. You don't have to go look for one. It's right there. And how you see yourself and how you see those around you that your salt light ambassador scent one makes all the difference in the world, makes all the difference in the world. Lord, make a difference in me. Make a difference in us. Make a difference through me. Can you all guess the last one? Make a difference through us, through us.
We live in an individualistic society. We tend to focus on me. Not we on ourselves, not the community. And we tend to isolate. But let me tell you this it's both and not either or, right? God makes a difference through me. God makes a difference through us.
There 59 verses in the Bible of one another. Love one another. Serve one another. Be compassionate to one another. Encourage one another. You know it goes on and on and on and on.
Forgive one another. 59 times We do live together one another. But let me say this. We also make a difference together one another, and what we can accomplish together is exponentially greater than what we could ever do alone.
100% true. And let me say this I so believe that we underestimate the power of unity.
The power of unity. That when a people come together with one heart, one voice, one language, one like the. And they can be beautifully diverse from all kinds of backgrounds and perspectives and whatever, but they come together. There's a power that's amazing. God says he commands his blessing right there. Tower of Babel was all about the fact that they were like, God says, man, these people can do anything. Like if they if they're unified, watch out. And it is so true. And we underestimate our part in the big part.
We tend to think it's my small part and we feel insignificant or like what we're doing isn't a big deal. But I want to tell you this there are no small roles in the kingdom.
There's only small perspectives. And your part is a big part to what God's doing. It's all about perspective. And when you realize my part matters, what I bring to the table makes a difference.
And let me tell you this God keeps score. Sometimes we think of that in God's keeping a story. Let me tell you. Can I tell you in a positive way? God sees. God keeps score.
And God rewards. There's a power and unity. Your part matters and that applies to you. It applies to your your your family, your relationships, your workplace school. Let me tell you this. It applies to the body of Christ. One part can't say to the other part, the hand can say to the foot, I don't need you. Every part matters.
Have you ever had, like, some small part of your body? Like you stub your big toe and the next day you're walking around going dying? Didn't know that toe is such a big deal. You get a tennis elbow and like this little tendon right here. Like, one little thing can throw off the whole thing.
And we underestimate that. Every part. I can't say to the ears, I don't need like we all need. Every part matters. Now, I want to say it's true in the body of Christ. When you open the door for someone coming to Grace church for the first time and smile. That's a big deal.
When you serve a cup of coffee, when you teach children the ways of God, the heart of God, and reinforce what's being taught. No, that's the big deal. When you lead other people into worship on the worship team, I just think we underestimate it. Someone's running the camera.
And by God's grace, it's getting broadcasted not only in Alamance online. And like, you hear stories like, whoa, like, like like when you give when you do a serve project, God sees, God keeps score. And let me tell you this, every once in a while, God will give you a little glimpse on how your life is making a difference. I would say this every one of you have had this experience. At some point, someone said something to the to you along this line, along these lines where they said to you, you, you know what you said to me last week or last month? Made such a big difference in my life.
Changed everything. Like it really impacted me. And.
And I believe this. I believe this so much that when we get to heaven. Let me, let me let me tell you something. This is going to happen. You're going to be stunned. You're going to be amazed.
You're going to be shocked. You're going to. Go, oh. I have no idea how significant I was and how God was using me. And I believe this. God will give you a small glimpse now, from time to time, to give you faith, to keep loving and caring and serving and making a difference.
Nana and I had been married, I don't know, 5 or 6 years, something like that. And this was like ten years before that, something like that. And I gave my life to the Lord in college. Um, and seniors could do chapel, but there was only like once a month or something like that, and I applied and, um, you know, like you had to write what you're going to be your chapel on. And somehow I got picked, you know, and I'd only been following the Lord for, like, a year and a half or something, you know. And so, anyway, they picked, you know, my thing night before. Not recommended.
Probably wasn't. I mean, this thing's like was, you know, on the radio and whatever, and you're supposed to, like, do your script. I rewrote the whole thing the night before I got up there and just shared my story about how I came to know Christ. And, um, fast forward, this would have been, what, seven one or maybe more like 8 to 10 years later. Anyway, uh, we were at this event. This person comes up to me and says, hey, I went to Saint Olaf College like you. In fact, you know, you wouldn't know this, but I was there the day that at chapel you spoke. And I just want you to know, that day I gave my life to Jesus Christ. I'm plugged into it. I'm like. No way. Like when you know. And here's the point. I feel like God gave me a little glimpse. The the difference we're making. Let me tell you this. Hundred percent true for your life. If you could see it, we would all like so more seeds.
We cast out more kindness, encouragement, love. We'd share the good news. We would just weed so more seed. If we could glimpse and believe and see how God sees you. How he's keeping score. How you're making a difference. There are no small roles in the kingdom, only a small perspective. There is a kid one time that showed up to hear Jesus preach. A lot of people there that day. Jesus gets done speaking, he says. All right, everyone's hungry. Feed him. Disciples are like, ah, we don't have any food. And there's one little kid there, and he brought his lunch. He had five loaves and two fish, one kid, a lot of people. It said there was 5000 men, ten, probably 10 to 15,000 people there. And that kid gave his lunch to Jesus. Jesus blessed it and multiplied it and fed everyone. His small lunch made a big impact. Stunning impact. In fact, at the end there were 12 baskets left, over 12 baskets of food left over. Can you imagine? That's amazing to me. And I had this thought this week for the first time. Who got the leftovers?
You know, I'm a big leftovers guy. You know, I made dinner last. Night, and. Yeah, I don't make two. You know, for hamburgers, I made, like, nine of them. You know, because I want leftovers. You know, I got burgers sitting in my friend who got the leftovers. This is not in the Bible. Just Kendrick thinking. Did that kid get one of those baskets? Did that kid walk home? He brought his lunch.
Hey, mom. And came walking home. I don't know, but I do know this. That when you give your lunch, your five loaves, you're two fish when you do your small part. God's going to bless it. God's going to multiply it, and you'll never be lacking.
He'll abundantly bless you. He'll refreshes others. Will himself be refreshed? God will restore refreshed. Like, one of the healthiest things you can do is give away what you wish you had. Like, it changes you on the inside. It helps you. It grows you. You won't be lacking. So I want to ask you this question. What's God speaking to you today? Like, what step could you take for God to make a difference in you? Maybe there's something that you want to remove from your life that's hindering you. You go, yeah, pastors, you were talking. It was like, dang, I know it. I know what it would be. I love it out.
Two. Maybe, maybe there's something you want to add that could make the greatest impact in your life, your goal. You know what? If I could add this in. I need more of the spirit of his word, of his love pouring into my heart. I feel like I'm running on empty a little bit. I want to plug the hole, the leak, But I gotta get more coming in. Maybe you're feeling like you're lacking community, strong relationships, and maybe just a helpful thought to go. It's going to be different than you expect. It's not going to be perfect. Might be a little inconvenient, but it's going to be exactly what you need. And what step could you take to help build those important relationships that are not necessarily urgent?
Do you need to see yourself differently? I am the salt of the earth. I am the light of the world. I am an ambassador. I, I am a sent one. Is God calling you to step into spiritual family, to make a difference together in a stronger way? Have you underestimated what you bring to the table and thinking like, well, I don't know. Grace church probably doesn't need my little part. Like, what is it any big deal if I just get on the dream team and do something? Aha! It is a big deal. It's a big deal. It makes a difference. It's his body. It's his body.
Maybe today you need to make a decision to put Jesus Christ first in your heart, in your life. Jesus gives us all an invitation to follow him. And maybe today, your decision is I need to decide to put Christ first. I need to surrender my heart. In my heart of hearts, I know God's not looking to kind of negotiate my lead. His lead. He wants me to follow him. And today, I want this. I want God to make a difference in me. I want God. I want God's plan, not my plan.
But you gotta surrender. You gotta put him first. So I'd like to ask everyone here in Chapel Hill, everyone out of Alamance, to do something little different. I want to go ahead and stand. I want to I want to pray over you. And I'm going to pray a pray blessing, but also commissioning that you'd be a sent one, just like they prayed in Antioch. I want to pray just a blessing from the Lord over you and for your world. So let's go ahead and pray together, everybody. Lord, thank you today. This is the day you've made. We can rejoice and be glad in it. And I thank you, Lord, that your mercies are new every morning. Your steadfast love, it never ceases. Lord, we can tend to beat ourselves up or look in the past. But I want to speak grace. The Lord. Our lives are not maybe what we expected. Our lives are imperfect. Our lives and taking steps is not always convenient or easy. And often, Lord, the hardest person to lead is ourselves. And I pray today that we can make a decision and just surrender afresh that all of us could surrender. Maybe you're surrendering for the first time, but we can all surrender and say, Lord, make a difference in me. Lord, remove the things that hinder. Maybe you want to get real specific. Lord, Lord, take away the addiction. Take away the pain. Take away the anger. Take away the unforgiveness and bitterness. Lord, today take away my struggle. Lord, I pray you to replace it with something that would build and strengthen me. That your river of grace, of love and encouragement, your power would flow. Lord, I need to flow in my heart spiritually. Feeling a little empty, a little dry. Lord, I need you. I need you, Lord. Maybe you need to step into community relationships. Maybe you need to see yourself differently. I am a sent one. I do want to pray a blessing right now, in Jesus name. Over every person set apart for me.
Fill in your name. Kendrick. Belle. Susie.
For the work to which I have called them, I want to say you're set apart for the Lord.
And I pray God's presence. God's anointing. God sending you to your world, to your workplace, to your mission field. To be salt, light and ambassador. And we're sending you off into your sphere, into your world. Lord, I pray you'd work through us at Grace church that we would see far beyond all we could ask or think. The impact of our lives make a difference for the glory of God and for your Kingdom. In Jesus name, Amen. Come on church, put our hands together for.