The Way Week 2 "The Kingdom Way"

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

You are the only one deserving all the praise in the glory of Father. Praise right now for this presentation. Thank you. For your presence that is here today. Just worship you. We thank you for the blood today in Jesus' name. Can we give the Lord a hand clap of praise? Amen. Thank you, church. You may be seated if you can in the presence of the Lord. And we just want to say good morning to you. We hope that you're doing well. We had a lot of people who have called in sick today with that stomach flu that's going around and different things, and a few that just maybe high blood pressure, different things going on. And so we want to let them know if they're watching online that we're praying for them and uh we're missing them this morning. Can we put our hands together for those who are watching online and and maybe they're not able to be with us physically, but we're they're still part of our church. Amen. And so we're just so thankful that they're able to still uh if maybe watch this later or whatever they need to do to still be fed and and and encouraged spiritually. And the word says, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Are you glad that you're able to be in the house of the Lord today? Amen. If it's your first time, if it's your first time in a long time, we want to say welcome to you. The first time you're a guest, the second time you're family. Amen. And so we're just glad that you are here today. I've got uh an exciting announcement to kind of add on to uh our service announcements that we had earlier, and then we're gonna get right into this word because I've got a lot of ground to cover today, but um, we are excited to announce Sunday, April 12th, which is the Sunday after Easter. Everybody say after Easter. We are going to be hosting in concert uh the group The Sound right here at Family Worship Test. Amen. Uh if you don't know who they are, look them up and check them out. But they've won a Dove Award last year. Uh they've also sang with different groups, uh including the Gaithers. Uh, they're really awesome. If you like country, if you like uh Southern gospel, if you just like Christian music, you're going to uh get something uh that will be encouraging to you. You're gonna love that. And we also want to say thank you to uh brother Brian Mace, who helped us with that connection to get them up here, and so we appreciate him. And uh this is going to be one of those things you want to invite your friends, your family, if they've been to church recently or they haven't, um, just like Easter, you know, uh that you're gonna want to get them here. Uh it's gonna be a great opportunity for them to enjoy music, but also to be ministered to. And so uh it's gonna be just a fantastic opportunity to follow up Easter with another just amazing way to reach the lost and to encourage the saints. And we want to encourage you to be here that week. And uh it's going to be free because they've agreed to come for a love offering, and so that makes it even better. Normally, groups like that cost quite a bit to bring in, and because they're already in the area and we have these connections, they're coming for just a love offering. So be praying about uh what you can maybe uh donate to them and bless them for making it up here to Little Versailles, Missouri to minister to us, amen. And so we're excited about that. You'll hear more about that in the coming weeks or even on social media and banners and different uh flyers that we'll have out, and so we're really excited about that. Um, I'm excited because last week we kicked off this brand new series that we are calling the way, and uh, we are on a six-week journey um following Christ through scripture, and we're going to follow him all the way to the cross and all the way to the resurrection on Easter Sunday. And if you missed us last week, we started this whole process by talking about follow me. And our series is based around that famous verse. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me in John 14, 6. And last week we talked about the difference between being a fan of Jesus or being a follower of Jesus. And if I can just recap that really quick, we talked about following Jesus begins with accepting an invitation. Then we talked about how following Jesus requires us to leave something behind, and how following Jesus is about movement, not membership. And we wrap the whole thing up by talking about following Jesus transforms you. And can I encourage you if you weren't able to be here to find a way to go online on your phone or on a computer, listen, watch that service. Um, the Lord was really blessing us. It's on Facebook, it's on YouTube, it's on Spotify, it's on Apple Music, and so you can find it on there. And so today is week two of this series that we're calling the way. And we're gonna challenge, uh, we're gonna follow where Jesus is going in scripture here, and we're going to challenge you. Take notes, dive in deep with this. Um, there's gonna be a lot of encouraging to hey, there's so much scripture we're going to cover today. Take the sermon notes with you, but also study these chapters this week and see maybe what else God is trying to reveal to you through his word. How many of y'all think that's a good idea to study God's word and ask him to reveal? Amen. And so when we're following Jesus, last week he was calling his disciples to follow him, and we talked about that in depth. This week, we're covering this portion of scripture where Jesus puts on his teacher hat, if you will. This is really where they begin to call him teacher and rabbi, because the knowledge and the way that he would challenge them with scripture really comes out here. And so we're going to be looking at what is called and referred to as a Sermon on the Mount. It's Matthew chapter 5, 6 and 7, okay? And so those are the scriptures. If I could challenge you to read through those chapters this week, Matthew 5, Matthew chapter 6, and Matthew chapter 7. That's what we're gonna kind of be covering today. And we don't have time to go through every little detail in it because if we did, it would be a six-week series all by itself, okay? And so we're going to kind of just touch on the things the Lord has revealed to me to share on. But I want to encourage you, if you want more of this, to read it throughout the week, okay? And so that would be my challenge for you. And so before we get into this, let's just open up in prayer because I like to make sure I'm getting out of the way and I'm asking God to step into the pulpit this morning. And so if you'll pray with me, let's just ask the Lord to speak to our hearts today. God, I thank you for your mercy and your grace. God, we ask for you to teach us today. Help us learn, God, and as we open up your word, God, I know that we are ready for more of you. And so you are ready for us to serve you and to hear you and to put action behind our faith. God, speak to your people today. And if there's one um here that's under the sound of my voice, and maybe they don't know you or they're far from you today, God, we pray that before we leave this place, they would put their trust in you and they would ask you to be the Lord and Savior of their life. God, we thank you and we praise you in Jesus' name. And the church said, Amen. So today's message is going to be titled The Kingdom Way. Look at your neighbor and say, The Kingdom Way. Following Jesus isn't just believing differently, it's living differently. The kingdom of God has a different way. Can I get an amen right there? If you amen me this morning, we'll get through this a little faster and we'll get to lunch quicker. How does that sound to anybody? Amen. And so you might be thinking, well, what is this all about? Here's the big idea for you today. Jesus didn't just come to save us. Let me repeat that. Okay. Jesus didn't just come to save us, but he also came to show us a better way to live. Amen. And before Jesus performed all of his miracles, which we're going to be talking about next week, and I'm so excited to cover that. One commentary said that he starts performing a cluster of miracles. But before he really started doing this, he he climbs up and goes up on the hillside, the mountain, and and uh he goes into teacher mode. He climbs the hillside, he begins to teach his followers how the kingdom of God works and operates, how Jesus sees things. And to say that he rocked their world would be an understatement. If you didn't know these portions of scripture, Matthew 5, 6, and 7, they're called and referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. And these chapters, Jesus explains, if you follow me, this is what you need to know. This is how you should live. And the problem was, most people wanted kingdom blessings, and they thought they had it all figured out, their interpretation of the law and how everything was supposed to be. And to some extent, they were only doing what was set as a tradition and that that was religious, but God was trying to do something new, and Jesus would teach them just that. And so this is where Jesus kind of flips everything upside down. This is where he really gets everyone's attention because the things he says are quite controversial. He starts this phrase and he repeats it several times. You have heard it said, but I tell you this I want you to not be on the side. I want you to not be on the side of the religious people here, but I want you to understand them and where they're coming from. Because as humans, we can easily do this. The Torah, the laws, this is where a lot of Jews they spent their whole life or at least the start of their life in their schooling studying this Torah and the laws and scriptures. In some instances, they were memorizing it. And this was their duty as God's people, and they took it very serious. And if you were a teacher or a rabbi or a Pharisee or a Sodice, that would make you really angry because Jesus is challenging and interpreting Scripture in a brand new way. It's very interesting to read it and think about that perspective from it. It helps us understand a little bit of the situation behind the scenes. And so we're going to go there. We're going to read Matthew chapter 5, verses 1 through 12. So stick with me here because uh we've got a little bit of ground to cover. And I also want to let you know that I'm reading out of the New Living Translation, so you might see some things maybe worded a little different than what you're used to. And we're going to get into why uh I chose to read it this way, because it brings out some really interesting things. So it's the New Living Translation, it'll be up on the screens for you. We're going to read Matthew 5 and start off on verse number one. So this is what it says one day, as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. And his disciples gathered around him and he began to teach them. God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. And God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it, be very glad, for a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way. And so we're gonna start this message off with point number one being this it starts with humility. It starts with humility, and we're talking about living the kingdom way, and humility is such an important thing. We're gonna go back to verse 3 there. It says, God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. See, the kingdom life, blessings, the kingdom way begins when we realize I can't save myself and I need God. See, poor in spirit doesn't necessarily mean weak, it means spiritually dependent on God. The word tells us the world that we live in tells us to believe in yourself. But Jesus says, Blessed are those who realize they need God. How many of y'all need God today? Amen. And it's kind of like learning to tie your shoes as a child. When you are young, when you are a child, you think you can figure it out by yourself, but usually one of two things will happen. You will either get frustrated and ask for help, or you're going to create a big old knot. Someone is gonna have to help teach you how to tie your shoes. Okay. The kingdom way says you'll be blessed when you realize you need God. You see, there's a there's a God humility that is needed there. There's that we all need God and we can't do it on our own. Amen. That we need him to teach us, that we need him to show us the way. And I believe that we will all find out if we like it or not. And this might sound maybe a little brutal to someone this morning, but I'm sorry if it's a little straightforward. But how many of you know that sometimes you just have to hear the truth? Sometimes you have to tell people the truth, amen. And at some point, hopefully, you know, here during this life, but if not here in this life, the next, we will all realize that we need Jesus, either on this side of heaven or that side of heaven, every soul one day will realize their need for a savior whose name is Jesus Christ. Philippians chapter 2 says this that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. See, there's a God humility that we all need. If we think that we can figure it out all on our own, well, we have a really hard awakening ahead of us. Now it's important for you to realize if you know we were to take time to break down these three chapters from the Sermon on the Mount, it would, like I said earlier, it would easily take six weeks by itself, but we have to keep moving here. And so just recapping this first point that we talked about. It starts with humility. The kingdom way, living the kingdom life, it starts with humility. And so, point number two is this the kingdom way changes your heart. Matthew 5, verse 6. We'll go back and look at that again. It says, God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice or righteousness, for they will be satisfied or filled, depending on what translation you're looking at there. Now, I want to try to break this down because different translations use some different words there, but you are probably used to the word righteousness. But in the Hebrew language, the word justice and righteousness are closely related. And I want to talk to you about the difference there. The reason they appear together so often is because they're describing how God's goodness is expressed. You see, righteousness is living in right relationship with God. And justice is making sure what is right is actually carried out. Righteousness is the standard of what is right. Justice is the action that enforces what is right. If a judge is righteous, he loves what is right. If a judge practices justice, he enforces what is right in his courtroom. You see, God is both. Righteousness is loving what is right, and justice is doing what is right. Righteousness is the heart of God, and justice is the hand of God. And so, what does this mean? Blessed are those who hunger for God's way of living and doing what is right, for they will be satisfied. Isn't that good? Can we give the Lord a hand clap of praise? You see, living the kingdom way, God's way, your desires change. Can I get an amen? You begin to crave righteousness, you should begin to crave holiness, and you should begin to crave the presence of God. Amen. Just like being physically hungry drives you towards food. And if you're out doing errands and driving around, the next thing you know, if you're hungry, you're gonna be going through McDonald's because you're hungry, right? Physically, that's what we deal with. Spiritual hunger drives you toward God. If you skip meals long enough, your body begins craving food. But if you snack constantly on junk food, you lose your appetite for a real meal. Spiritually, the same thing happens. Listen to this. If we constantly feed on culture, social media, entertainment, self-help books, celebrities' opinions, books that are not in the Bible, conspiracy theories, all this other stuff, what happens is we lose our hunger for God. But when you start pursuing God, your appetite for God's way grows. So if you're looking for purpose, if you're looking to fill the void in your life, if you're spiritually hungry this morning, can I testify to you that you can be filled? That God's desire for your life is that you would have everything that you need and that you will find your purpose living for Him. Amen. If you can testify with me on that, can you just give the Lord a hand clap of praise? Amen. You've experienced that kind of fulfillment. You know what I'm talking about this morning. And so we're gonna keep moving here because, like I said, we have a lot of ground to cover, but I believe the Lord is gonna speak some special things over us today. And so, point number three is this the kingdom way seems crazy to people. Have you ever had someone tell you you're crazy because you believe in God? You're crazy because you're a Christian. Okay, this is uh kind of a verse that God was showing me. Maybe, maybe people struggle with this, okay? And so we're gonna go back to verse 7, Matthew chapter 5. And Jesus says, Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Okay, to go along with that, Matthew 5. We're gonna skip up just to reference this real quick, all the way to verse 44. It says, But I say to you, this is Jesus, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. See, this was revolutionary. This might have been one of the reasons why they wanted to arrest him and beat him and throw him on the cross. Because the world teaches, and and they were used to, you know, hate your enemies. And Jesus says, pray for them. The world says, get revenge, and Jesus says, show mercy. Matthew 5, 38 and 39. Jesus said, You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, but I tell you not to resist an evil person, but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. This was crazy talk then. And I think most people would think it's probably crazy talk today. Like someone slaps me, I'm never having anything to do with that person ever again. Anybody agree with that? Right? You're gonna get away from that person, and you're probably gonna slap back. Let's just be honest. I know how people are in Verse's, we're spunky, right? But this was crazy talk then, and you know, we want to defend ourselves as people, we want to get even, we want to defend others, we want to come to the rescue. And Jesus breaks down all of that and says, turn the other cheek. One of the greatest testimonies of Christianity, and maybe you've never heard this before, but one of the greatest testimonies of Christianity in history was the early church, and you can research this and look it up, and it'll be quite intriguing for you. But when plagues hit the Roman Empire, people abandoned the sick and left them for dead. But Christians stayed behind to care for them. They cared for the sick until they took their last breath. Even though they were putting themselves at risk to catch different plagues that were going on, even when it meant risking their own lives. Why? Because they followed after a loving, compassionate, merciful Savior, Jesus Christ. It makes me think how Jesus helped lepers and who were outcasts of society because of what they were dealing with. And it makes me think about how he would take time to cast out demons and to help those who who people were scared of and they stayed away from them. Why? Because the Jesus way is a compassionate way. It makes me think about the good Samaritan who refused to pass by the person down on their luck in the ditch, struggling to survive. And Jesus teaches that lesson. It comes down to this. If we want God to show us mercy, we should be willing to extend that mercy to others. Not people who we, you know, agree with or we look alike or get along with. Just people. I know that's not always what we want to do. I get that, just like you do. I know it's hard to be nice at Walmart sometimes. Come on, somebody. I know it's hard to put up with the roundabout sometimes, right? And people who know how to drive through there and people who don't. People who might still be learning, right? Just trying to break it down to an everyday thing. I know it's hard to deal with people who only care about themselves, and the world is full of people like that today. But the merciful will be shown mercy. Love thy neighbor. Look at your neighbor and say, Love thy neighbor. It's easy to say here in church. But what about your real neighbor? Listen, I used to I used to live in a cul-de-sac in Jeff City. I had neighbors all around me. I know that sometimes that could be a struggle. And I know this isn't going to be popular this morning, but I hope it challenged us to think about it, to pray about it, to look at this scripture. It's important you know that I'm not saying to accept sin. I'm not saying, you know, I need you to hear my heart this morning. What God's word says is right. What God's word says, you know, is wrong is wrong. What he says is right is right. What he says it brings blessings, it brings blessings. What he says brings curses, brings curses, and and our lives living in the wrong way. My heart is to love my neighbor the best that I can, like Christ wants us to, and and leave the judgment, leave the hard stuff up to God. Because I don't know if you know this or not, but we are not the judge or the jury or the prosecutor. The merciful will be shown mercy. So love thy neighbor. That means your homeless neighbor, your loud neighbor, love your neighbor who doesn't believe the same as you do. Love your neighbor who doesn't live the way you think they should live. Love your neighbor who deals with addiction. Love your neighbor who deals with lying, cheating, stealing. Love your neighbor, even if they hate you. Love thy neighbor. Love thy Republican neighbor. Love thy Democrat neighbor. Love them. That's what we're called to do. Can I get an amen? Now, I'm gonna get back to scripture before I get in trouble. So I haven't up to this point, I don't think I've been in trouble. And if I have, then someone probably should let me know. But Matthew chapter 5, we're gonna go to verse 8 through 10. We're gonna hit this real quick because then we have another chapter we want to start on. Verses 8 through 10 says, God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. Amen. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Then Jesus shifts from kingdom character to kingdom practices in Matthew 6. He talks about giving and fasting and prayer. But he w warns us about something dangerous. And point number four is this the kingdom way is not about performance. Matthew 6, 1, the very first verse, watch out. Don't do your good deeds publicly to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your father in heaven. You see, religion performs, disciples serve. Jesus says, Don't give to impress people, don't pray to impress people, don't fast to impress people. The kingdom way is about relationship with the Father. Dallas Willard says this the greatest issue facing the world today is whether those who identify as Christians will become disciples. There's a difference there. And it's so important because we all want someone to tell us that we're doing the right thing. We want to get approval. We want to get that pat on the back. How many of y'all enjoy a good pat on the back? Amen. The scripture says, watch out. If you do those things for approval, if you do those things for applause, if you do those things to make yourself look good, you're losing your reward. Why? Because God wants your heart to be in a line with his. The perfect example is Jesus. I think maybe I shared this last week, who left his heavenly throne to become baby Jesus. For us. When you give, it's not selfish. It's not about you. When God gave his only begotten son for us, it wasn't selfish, it was for us. We have to make sure we are careful with why we do things, and it's all for his glory, not for ours. And so here's the thing that I'm most excited to get to today in today's sermon. Point number five. How to live the kingdom way. This leads Jesus to one of the most powerful teachings ever given. And can I just be honest with you today? Besides teaching us how to pray, he's showing us how to live the kingdom way. I want us to, if we can, and if you're able to, and and and if you're not, that's okay. We understand. We are a family church, we are a family worship center. So if you're not able to, it's okay. But if you are able to, would you stand to your feet? Because I would like for us to read this next scripture together. We did this here a while back, and surprisingly, we had a lot of people who just really enjoyed this. But I would love for us to read through the Lord's Prayer together out loud. Don't rush through it, but just read it loud and read it together. And I want us to, while we're doing this, to be thinking about what we're saying, thinking about what's on the screens. And we're gonna break this down and let you sit back down in just a minute. But here we go. Is it up on the screens? Here we go. Our Father, who art in heaven, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debts, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and thy power and the glory forever.

unknown 30:10

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

Give the Lord a hand clap of praise. You may be seated. This prayer isn't just words, it is a kingdom blueprint for life.

SPEAKER_00 30:31

God isn't distant. Somebody needs to hear that this morning. God isn't distant. He is our Father. The kingdom begins with relationship with Him.

SPEAKER_01 30:45

Your life exists to honor God. God's will, His plans come before anyone else. And this is the heart of following Jesus. Not my will be done, but your will be done. Following Jesus means surrender. The kingdom way trusts God daily. Not talking about trusting anxiety or depression, not trusting addiction, not any kind of sin or hang up or hurt. We trust God daily. The kingdom requires forgiveness. One of the hardest parts of the whole prayer. You cannot receive grace and refuse to give it. The kingdom way looks different. It is humility instead of pride, mercy instead of revenge, righteousness instead of compromise, prayer instead of performance, surrender instead of control. But the beauty of the kingdom way is this: when we surrender our life, we finally find it. When we surrender our life, we finally find it. Jesus didn't give us this prayer to repeat it and just go through emotion. He gave it to us to show us how to live. Here's what it comes down to in the context of this teaching, the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is laying it all out there for us as He's teaching us the way, the truth, and the life. This is the way. It's not like your way of life. It's not what you're used to. It's the kingdom way. This is how the kingdom of God operates. And so the question this morning is this as we're bringing this all kind of together, and as we're starting to think about the end of this message today, the question is this: how are you living your life? Are you following another person? Your family's always done it a certain way, and that's just what you know. Are you making up your own rules? Maybe you are like the people Jesus was talking to, and you are just following the religious way. This is what we're talking about today, is the Jesus way. This is how you live for him. This is how you live for the kingdom of God. This is what will lead you to a blessed life. This is the narrow way that leads you to life everlasting. The kingdom way leads to the kingdom of God and the greatness of heaven where God Himself resides, and where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, and he is interceding for us with the Father. Romans chapter 8, verse 34 says that. Maybe it's been a struggle for you, but what is God saying to somebody today? And this is what God is saying. Heaven looks like this. The kingdom of God is like this. This is the kingdom way, this is the Jesus way. Sure, it's hard. Sure, it's challenging. We're human, we're sinful, we're constantly falling short of the glory of God. And that's why our need for Him should continue to grow. Amen. That's why we should continue to look in the mirror and ask ourselves Am I following Jesus? Am I making choices that honor and serve God? I challenge you today to go deeper in these three chapters. Look and search and read until a certain area just really challenges you throughout the week. I want to go back to Matthew 5, verse 6. It says, God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. I want us to bow our heads and close our eyes, and we're gonna ask the worship team to come back. And as they begin to play something softly, I want you to reflect on these questions. I want you to ask yourself quietly and intimately, privately, between you and God, these questions, and I want you to figure out where you stand with Him today. I want you to ask these questions.

SPEAKER_00 35:21

Am I truly following Jesus? You'd be surprised how many people are just going through the motions of church.

SPEAKER_01 35:33

Am I truly following Jesus?

SPEAKER_00 35:38

Am I living my way or God's way? Is my heart hungry for righteousness? Am I performing for people or serving God?

SPEAKER_01 35:57

And then the last question I want you to think about before we pray is this where is God calling me to surrender? We've covered a lot of ground today. As we begin to pray, I want you to just get real with the Lord. And and I want you to know that our expectation isn't always that we have to have an altar that is full with people praying. It's nice because it's like, hey, you said something right, you did something right, and God moved. But if you go home and pray to him and surrender your life to him, it's just as important there as it is here. But here we can encourage you, here we can pray for you and lift you up and be there for you as brothers and sisters in Christ. And so I just want you to examine your heart this morning, and I want you to figure out where you stand. Are you living the kingdom way? Father, I thank you for our amazing church. Thank you for those watching online who watch this later in the week. Listen to it. Father, I thank you for those who are here in person. God, I'm so grateful that I get to do this. I'm so unworthy, but still, you allow me to speak your word. Allow me to share what it is you put on my heart. And so, God, I just pray that we would glorify you, and at the end of this service, that's what it would be for us honoring you. Father, with every head bowed and every eye closed, I pray for the one who might be here this morning that is awesome. Feels like they're far from you, they're needing to ask you into their heart as Lord and Savior. Maybe they're needing to make a rededication in their life, God, to you because they've been far from you for a while and they need to come back to you like the prodigal son. God, I pray for those who maybe have just been going through the motions, haven't realized that you have shown us the way. You have shown us the truth and the life, and there's a way we should be living, there's a way we should be treating others, there's a way we should be praying. Every single day we should be making these choices based off of your word, based off of what you've shown us. As we follow this kingdom way of living, it will lead us to life everlasting. Maybe there's someone here today that hasn't been living that way, God. We pray that you would help us make choices and make decisions and maybe even have to remove some things out of our life so that we can truly live for you, God. Finally, God, I pray for the one who might be here this morning. That really spoke to them when we said, following Jesus means surrender. Maybe in our minds, in our hearts, we serve you, we go to church, we we we believe in you, and and we know that you're real, but we haven't fully surrendered, we haven't fully chose to give you our lives. We're holding back. God, I pray this morning that you can speak to our hearts. Father, that we would surrender to you with every head bowed, every eye closed, if you feel today. You need to ask Jesus into your heart. We can pray for you, we can encourage you. Nobody looking around, just between you and the Father. Would you just slip up your hand and say, Pastor, that's me. I need you to ask Jesus into my heart, my life. I need him to be the Lord and Savior of my life. I need him to transform me and to change me from the inside out. Would you just slip up your hands so God can save me today? Thank you for those hands. Thank you for those hands. Maybe you're here. It's been a long time since you have remembered that, hey, there's a way that I should be living, and this scripture has met you right where you are at. This kingdom way that we're talking about is a choice that you need to make because maybe you've been living your own way. You've been sitting in the driver's seat of your life, and this morning God's showing you, hey, it's time for you to try my way. You've been trying to do it your own way. This morning it's time for you to do it my way. If that's you, nobody looking around would you just slip up your hand and say, That's me, I choose the kingdom way. That's me, I choose God's way. That's me, I need to make some changes in my life because I want to be blessed. I want to live a better life. If that's you, just slip up your hands so God can see you. It's okay, no one's looking around. Thank you for those hands. God's gonna meet you right where you're at today. You just have to have faith. You just have to trust him. And finally, maybe you're here this morning and you need to surrender some things. Nobody even knows about it. But you, God knows. You need to surrender, you need us to give him complete control. If that's you, would you just slip up and say, God, that's me. I need to let go and let God. God, I need you to be in control of my life. Thank you for those multiple hands all over the room. Here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna begin to sing and pray and I'm gonna challenge you to, if you're able to, to come up and to find a place to pray. Come up and allow God to begin to work in your life. I'm gonna go ahead and say a prayer and they're gonna start to sing, and we're just gonna open up this altar time for the next few minutes. I don't want you to get in a rush. We're a little early to compare to the moment, so I want you to just trust God and just let Him move in your life. Maybe you just need to pray right in your seat where you're at. That's okay. But just use this time to connect with God, Father. I thank you for all those who raise their hands, those who are asking you into their heart as Lord and Savior. I pray that they would put their trust in you, that they would call out the name of Jesus, the name above all names. God, your word says all we have to do is confess that you are our Lord and Savior and ask you to forgive us, God, that you will forgive us. So, Father, we do that today, God. We we just surrender to you. God, I pray for those who are needing help choosing the kingdom way, those who are needing help surrendering to you, God. I pray for them that they would have boldness, they would have the strength to live for you, God, that they would just know that they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them, God. Even though it's not easy, even though the path sometimes is hard, sometimes the path and the road is narrow. God, it's not the popular thing to do, but God, we choose to surrender and to serve you and to live the kingdom way. We surrender these things to you right now. In Jesus' name, we pray in the church. Amen. They're gonna begin to sing it if you need prayer at this time. Please come to the front, we'll pray with you. If you want to find a place to pray on the altars, you can do that as well. Let's just take the next three or four minutes to worship God and surrender to him.