Mission Sent
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Mission Sent
Overcoming Anxiety with Grace and Faith
This episode explores the themes of trust, vulnerability, and the steadfastness of God’s promises. Through personal anecdotes and biblical reflections, we discuss the importance of being open in our faith communities, the irrevocable nature of God’s calling, and how worship reflects our relationship with Him.
• Importance of 90s trivia in setting a fun atmosphere
• Starting with a prayer for guidance and reflection
• Discussion on Israel’s partial hardening and its implications
• God’s promises as a source of unwavering hope
• Vulnerability in relationships, especially among men
• The significance of community support and encouragement
• God’s gifts are irrevocable regardless of personal failure
• Depth of God’s wisdom and knowledge in our lives
• Worship as a joyful expression of our relationship with God
• Challenge to invest in our relationship with Jesus actively
So, for those of you that do not realize, this Friday is January 31st, so I've been brushing up on some 90s trivia. In fact, me and Debbie were doing it last night on YouTube. Hey, you guys can go on YouTube and look up 90s trivia. I will tell you, though, I've only missed like one question and I don't have a team yet. So if you are sitting here going, hey, like I want to be on the winning team this time, I'm more than welcome to joining your team for the right price. All right, now I will tell you. There's a lot in the 90s and I'm not building this trivia. It's not a card thing, so I don't know what the questions will be, because Debbie is the one actually building it, and I did it that way because I went I can either build it and then I have to present it, because I can't build it and then play it right that would be unfair or I can play it, but then someone else has to build it right. So I think it's going to be a little hard, since that's her goal.
Speaker 1:Now. That being said, like I said, I don't have a team yet. I'm going to be nomad, all right. Okay, josh is like I got you. It could be Josh cubed. If JT wants to play, all right, so I'm just going to jump into prayer because, like, I don't really have an intro for today, so I'm just going to jump into prayer and then we're going to jump back in and finish out Romans 11 this morning. So, father, I ask and I pray that, as I preach through your word, that, father, you just speak through me, that I am just a tool you use and, even though I know I am just going to screw up so many times, I pray through the power of your spirit that, father, your message goes to your people and that we are cut into the heart and changed from the inside out. Father, I pray this all in Jesus' name, amen. All right, we're going to pick it up in verse 25. It says this lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery. Brothers, a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way, all Israel will be saved. As it is written, the deliverer will come from Zion. He will banish ungodliness from Jacob, and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins. As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake, but as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.
Speaker 1:As we jump into this this week, paul is continuing what he was talking about last week, right Last week. His big thrust was this Do what Israel did and get what Israel got. So you guys get haughty in your own sight, you get prideful in your own sight. You think that you're up here and just as Jesus cut off Israel, so too he will cut you off. All right, and as he is continuing in this, what he is saying is this don't get it twisted. Yes, there was a partial hardening that came over Israel. Yes, there were some Israelites that God cut off and said nope, we are not doing this Because you chose to reject the Messiah. You will not be saved. But don't get it twisted, because God will always fulfill his promises. And what was his promise to Abraham? That I will bless you and make you a great nation, that your descendants will be as numerous as the stars. See.
Speaker 1:And what Paul is really driving at in this is God cannot fail to keep a promise. See, it's not like us, right? Not only can we not keep our promises to others. Let's be honest. We're at the end of January.
Speaker 1:Most of us didn't keep our promise to ourself that we were going to we're at the end of January. Most of us didn't keep our promise to ourselves that we were going to make this year the year of me, where everything was just going to be great and I was going to hit the gym and I was going to diet and I was going to do all of these things. Most of us couldn't even handle a month of that. And yet God, from eternity past, has never failed to keep a promise. And isn't this a truth that most of us in this room should grab more a hold of and hold on to that fact that God has never failed to keep his promises? I mean, think about it. Why can we trust God? Because God is trustworthy. Now, if you were in an apologetic debate with someone, they would go well, that's a circular argument. In other words, you can't make the statement you can trust God because God is trustworthy when I go. Why? How do I know I can trust Debbie? Because Debbie's trustworthy. How do I know I can trust Debbie Because Debbie's trustworthy? How do I know I can trust anyone? Because they have shown me time and time again hey, you can trust me.
Speaker 1:You know what we call this Intimacy. This is how you build intimacy in a relationship. You have to be vulnerable to see that that person is worthy of being trusted. Because if you're never vulnerable and, let's be honest, we're talking to men right now right, women have no problem being vulnerable. I understand there are exceptions to that, but it's us, right? It's us men that sit here and go hey, man, how you doing, I'm good Boy. You've been struggling all week with this or that or this. And instead of going, hey, like I'm not good right now, we're like, no, because I can't show weakness. Because if I show weakness, that makes me less manly. And then, if I feel less manly, what's that going to cause me to do All them little boy things I used to do to feel more manly? Because this is what it means to be a man.
Speaker 1:And see, and what Paul is sitting here driving at is he's sitting here, going. Hey, we can be vulnerable Because, guess what? Jesus knows it anyway. He knows all those thoughts that were going through your head. He knows all those thoughts that were going through your head. He knows all those feelings that were welling up in your heart. So why are you trying to hide all of that from him? To begin with, you're like, well, no, no, no, you don't get it. Like. I talked to Jesus about it, right, but what about his bride? What about the church? Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing here? Iron, just as one man sharpened, or just as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Like, isn't that our role here? To sit here and go, hey, like, can you help build me up on this, can you help walk me through this and see?
Speaker 1:And what happens is is we don't hold on to the fact that God has always kept his promises. Think about it how many times in your life has God failed you? Like, how many times in your life has God let you down? And here's what I want us to not think immediately when I ask that question Well, my life has gotten pretty crappy, because this is how we see this right, god must have failed me because I had to walk through some stuff, because my life kind of fell apart, because God allowed my significant other to not be here anymore, whether it was through divorce or death or something of that nature divorce or death or something of that nature. God failed me because my job just told me hey, you know what, we don't need you anymore. God failed me because my job told me that I no longer have a house. God failed me because I'm fighting with my child. God failed me because of all of these different things. That's not what I'm saying, though I'm not saying has your life ever been crappy?
Speaker 1:See, most of us have the tendency to live our lives this way. When everything's going good, when everything is just like as it should be, except for you know, a little bit of things, we're tight with Jesus, right, we walk with Jesus during those times, we say our prayers during those times, we show up to service. During those times, see, when everything is going good, we're good, but then we have that dreaded bad day. And what does that bad day turn into? A bad week, which is part of a bad month, and for some of us, we've had a bad year. In fact, for a lot of people like, I don't know about you, but I heard from a lot of people how bad 2020 was, but 2021 was going to be better, and you know what they said at the end of 2021? 2022 is going to be better, and you know what they said at the end of 2021? 2022 is going to be better. And you know what they said at the end of 2022? 2023 is my year, 2024,. I hope everything's going to change in 2025. And it does right.
Speaker 1:We just keep this downward trajectory, and when everything starts falling apart, when crap starts hitting the fan, what's the question we ask? Why God? Where's God in all this? God must have left me, because my life is turned to complete chaos and crap. God must not care about me, and I don't understand it. I do all the right things. I go to church, I say my prayers, I give. You know what I was even mulling back and forth about. Hey, maybe you know Nana needs help in children's church. I was thinking about doing it. Some of you like are like super religious too, and you even show up on Wednesdays. I mean, you took it a step further and you're still sitting here going, but God, things still aren't panning out. What did I do so bad that God has left me?
Speaker 1:Well, first of all, you're basing everything in your life off of a moment, which I'll go ahead and tell you. All of us in here have had really good moments in life, right, like I'll tell you right now, december 12, 2007 at 10 49 am was one of the greatest moments of my life. The only one that can like compete with that would be February 23rd 2010, at like 6 53 in the morning. You know why? Because those are the days the doctors went here. Here's this little bundle of joy, and we trust you enough that, with no training, no test, no certification and no licensing, you get another human being that you get to raise I go. You do realize that it's harder to drive a car than it is to have a kid, but yet those moments changed my life and they were great moments. And you know what? I've had some really terrible moments too, like I've had moments that just beat me down.
Speaker 1:But my question is this why live in a moment? Because what happens after that moment's gone, it's gone. You can do absolutely nothing to change that moment. In fact, jesus says in Matthew 6.33, well, that's, seek first the kingdom of God. Right before that he talks about being anxious. And most of us, we live our lives like gazelle.
Speaker 1:And for those of you that don't watch enough nature TV here, I'll use a deer. I'll use turkeys, okay, because turkey hunting is coming up in March, right, we got our family camp out and turkey hunt. You want to know? Use turkeys. Okay, because turkey hunting is coming up in March. Right, we got our family camp out and turkey hunt. You want to know how turkeys live their life, anxious. You ever seen a flock of turkey? Like, if you're driving down we have, like if you live out in the Osteen area, if you drive down Doyle, there is like this huge flock of turkey that right there at the the temple baptist church, I think it's called there is like a 50 bird flock of turkey up there. I've asked them to let me hunt before. You know, pastor to pastor, they said no. That being said, though, if you stop and you watch a flock of turkey, do they ever sit still? No, like, their heads are always like moving around. They're always like they can't sit still, deer are the same way, in fact, any animal is. Why? Because they're anxious, because there's always something trying to kill and eat them. So they sit here and go. I can't just rest.
Speaker 1:Why do you think Psalm 4610 is so important? Be still and know that I am God. Be still. I got this.
Speaker 1:Look at JT. Does he look very anxious about life? No, why? Because he has no responsibility. He's going to eat today. You know how he's going to eat Because his parents are going to make sure that he eats. He has a place eat today. You know how he's going to eat Because his parents are going to make sure that he eats. He has a place to live. You know why? Because his parents have a job. Nothing in JT's life depends on JT. All he has to do is be born. That was it.
Speaker 1:God is trustworthy, just how JT trusts his parents. And look at him. You can tell he ain't missed many meals right Now. That being said, just as he trusts us, he ain't anxious. Why are we? You want to know why? Because we don't trust God. Because we sit here and go God's let me down. So many times I had to go through this and I had to go through this and I had to go through this and I had to go through this. Look at all these times God's failed me. I can't trust him. This all depends on me. And then you wonder why your life looks the way your life looks, because when it depends on me, guess what I do fail every single time, like every single time. I can look through my life, at the big moments. You know those moments like when you're like all eyes are on you. Like anyone, I don't like.
Speaker 1:I weight lifted growing up. All right, it's an individual, I played football too but, like, weightlifting is an individual sport. See, for football, any one of the 11 guys on the field could mess up and that can cost you. But in weightlifting, when you mess up, it's just you, like everyone is looking at you. So you get up there and I remember my junior year of high school.
Speaker 1:I was like I qualified for states and I was like super excited, right, I'd done it every year so far and you got to have a certain total to be able to make it there. And I get there. Well, the week before I lifted in 199 weight class and then my coaches came to me and they were like, hey, you got to drop some weight. You got to drop back down to 183 for state. And I was like okay, cool. So like I starved myself for two weeks to be able to drop enough weight to get down there. So we're driving on the bus and I'm like man, I feel like really woozy, but I can't eat until after I weigh in.
Speaker 1:And it's not like the UFC, where you get to like weigh in and then you have like a couple of days to get like your strength back. This is you weigh in at like 9 o'clock. The meat starts at 10 o'clock. So I weigh in, I make weight and I had all these snacks in my bag, right? Well, if you've ever like starved yourself for like two weeks where all you ate was like salad and you're not used to that, and then you like just gorge yourself on like all these snacks in your bag, plus like four Mountain Dews because you needed the energy, so I get done and like my insides are literally shaking, but do you know how much strength it added? Apparently, snickers and Mountain Dew are not like the breakfast of champions, and although I felt energetic, my body just would not respond.
Speaker 1:So they call my weight out and I go up and I get ready to bench and like my spotter lifts it off and as soon as all the weight is on me, all the eyes are on me. You want another thought going through my head? This is heavy, Like why on earth would anyone try to do this? And I brought it down to my chest, as I had done thousands and thousands of times before and I heard him go press, but the weight would not get off of me. And finally I looked at my spotter and I was like get it. Like I really thought I'm going to die. So I sit up and I'm like what just happened? This is a warm-up set for me. This should be light for me.
Speaker 1:See, most of us, that is our problems in life. We finally get the chance to show, we finally get to step up, right, like, some of us sit here all day and we're like man, I can't wait for that atheist to come up and ask me a question, like I can't wait. And then they come up and they're like well, you know, how do you know that God is real? And you're like, and your mind just like, completely goes blank. And you're like man. I had 15 answers for this question three seconds before you walked over here. But now that you've put me on the spot, it's just like.
Speaker 1:See, some of us were like that sin that we've been struggling with us. We're like next time I got this, like, next time the devil comes up to tempt me with this sin, I'm going to look at him, just like Jesus looked at Peter, and I'm going to be like get behind me, satan. And then it comes up again and you're like next time why? Because we don't trust God, because we sit here and we go. I can't, because of this moment and that moment, see the same guy that wrote this, paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians. He writes this in 2 Corinthians 1.8,. He says this in 2 Corinthians 1.8. It says this For we do not want you to be aware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia, for we were so utterly burdened, beyond our strength, that we despaired of life itself.
Speaker 1:Anyone in here ever been in that position when you're like I can't do this anymore, it would be easier for me to just die? Debbie said it to me before and I'm not talking about a long time ago either, like I'm talking about recently when she's like it'd just be easier if I just wasn't here. I'm tired of dealing with this and I went. First of all, deb, as a mandatory reporter, if you say stuff like that, I will make phone calls I have to make. Second of all, what is wrong with you? Why? Because it sucks right now. What about later? See some of us like have we ever been here going? It would be better if I was just dead. Then we sit here and go. I guess Jesus ain't got me, I guess he can't be there for me.
Speaker 1:Well, if you would have just read the next verse and, mind you, when Paul writes this, the passages that come before this. Do you know what he's talking about, anyone in here? He's talking about the God of hope and comfort. Like God is this God that is comforting, that gives you hope, that gives you something to hold on to. And then he follows it up with that right and he goes.
Speaker 1:I was so burdened beyond my own strength that I wish I would just die, that I wish I just would not be here anymore. And see, most of us can relate to that. But if you would have read one more verse, listen to how he follows that up. Starting in verse 9, he says this Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. Like he's just reiterating that right. But here's why that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril and he will deliver us On him. We have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
Speaker 1:See, paul can say this that it was so hard that I was so afflicted that I would rather just be dead. But see, and any time you see a but, you look at it, right? Yeah, I said it and it got all your attention because I wanted to make sure you didn't zone out what I'm about to say. Anytime there's a but, you look at it. What was that? But for See, god gives you mountains that you can't climb. Why, to show you you can't climb them, but that he is trustworthy and will walk with you through it. He will be your Sherpa. And for those of you that just looked at me like weird, those are the people that help you mountain climb, like Everest, like they're the experts on it. They're the ones that go hey, step here. Okay, now, step here. You don't even have to carry your own stuff. We put it on the donkeys or the yaks and they're going to bring it up with us.
Speaker 1:See, and that's what Paul is sitting here saying. This is what God does. He's trustworthy. Here's the problem. We don't go to God, though we go. I got this. How's that been working out for us Going? No, no, no, no, no. Put the donkey away, I'll carry my own bag. I got this. No, no, no, no, no. You don't need to tell me where to step, don't tell me which ice hook to hold on to next this 35,000-foot mountain. I got this. And God's like, okay, cool, you got it, have at it, hoss.
Speaker 1:But what Paul is sitting here saying is that this is our promise. Our promise is not that life will not be hard. Our promise is that things will not be difficult. We live in a sinful, fallen, broken world. Things will go bad. Things will sometimes suck. You want to know how. We know that? John 16, 33.
Speaker 1:Jesus has already told us this. I've said these things to you that you may have peace. Why? Because in this world, you will have tribulation. But take heart, I've overcome the world. Here's what Jesus just promised you. Things will go wrong in your life. You will have it didn't say you might have. You will have tribulation. People will leave you, jobs will fail you, your idols will destroy you. In this world, things will go wrong. Why can we have peace? Because Jesus overcame the world. See, this world is nothing for him. See, this world is nothing for him. He's trustworthy. We can look at him, we can go to him. We can sit here and go god, I ain't got this, we can throw our hands up and surrender and go god, I ain't got this, I'm not strong enough for this. And god will sit here and go hey, I've already promised you in matthew 28 that I will never leave you. I will be with you until the end of the age.
Speaker 1:So then Paul starts up again In verse 29,. It starts like this he says for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable, for just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too now have been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they also may receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobed that he may have mercy on all. See, paul is sitting here, going. The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable, they can't be taken away. Why? Because he's God.
Speaker 1:And this is a foreign concept to us, this whole idea of irrevocable right. You know how? I know this? Because most of us, the person that we are sitting with is not the person you went hey, you want to go to prom with. It's not that person that you looked at and you went like no baby, I love you and I will always be like we're going to get married, like that's the role we play, right, because the things we say and the things we do are very irrevocable. Like, think about it, they stopped keeping statistics here in America for divorces because they went look, chances are you're going to wind up divorced, but didn't you stand in front of all your family and friends and hopefully in front of god, and go, for better or worse, till death? Do us part.
Speaker 1:But yet nowadays, in the culture we live in, that means nothing, because our words mean nothing, because they're very irrevocable. Like Debbie hates it, we get into arguments and I'm like, look, I don't care what you have to say, because your words mean nothing. And I expect the same from her. Like, I don't care, you can tell me whatever you want, but what will you show me? See, love isn't something I say, love is what I do. You can sit here all day, but they love me. Do you know how many calls I went to as a cop where you're arresting someone for putting their hands on someone else? And they went? But but you know, when he's not like this, he loves me. So you're telling me in this moment he stopped loving you. No See, so this idea of God's gifts being irrevocable.
Speaker 1:You know what that means. That means, even when you aren't following after God, where are his gifts and calling? Still there, because they don't depend on what you. They don't depend on you. I mean, I've sat in a lot of churches throughout my life and one of the biggest misconceptions I've ever heard is this there are multiple wills of God. You have a permissive will things he's allowing to happen and then you have his perfect will things he's designed to happen. So what you're telling me by saying this is God is not strong enough to bring about his perfect will Like that's what you're telling me. By saying this is God is not strong enough to bring about his perfect will Like that's what you're telling me, then what kind of God is he? See? Understand this. Everything is God's will, because his gifts and his calling are irrevocable.
Speaker 1:So when I was 13 and went to my youth pastor and went hey, you know what I really feel like God's calling me into ministry. What are my next steps? At 13. And nothing was taken serious about that. And then, at 23, to be in a bar drunker than Cooter Brown, like trying to console the guy in front of me who I'd never met before because he's just bawling. And I went that is not cool, dude. Like you are bringing down the whole place right here. Hey man, what's wrongling? And I went that is not cool, dude. Like you are bringing down the whole place right here. Hey man, what's wrong? And next thing, I know I'm like giving the gospel presentation and going look, no man, it's not like that, see, and all of us have failed. All of us fall short. All of us are sitting in this bar right now, like this is where we are. But God in this bar right now, like this is where we are.
Speaker 1:But God, being rich in mercy, with a great love, for which he loves us, makes us alive together in Christ, for by grace we have been saved. It's not what we did, man, so God loves you even though you're sitting in here. Why? Because God's gifting and calling are irrevocable, regardless of my dumb decisions. See, my life is where my life is based, on decisions I have made throughout my life.
Speaker 1:Think about it. If you're a parent in here, that's why you tell your kids the things you tell them right? Why? So that you don't make the same mistakes I did. You know how many times I'm like JT. Look, I know the choices you're making in life and I know the road that leads down. How do I know that road? Because I've been down it.
Speaker 1:So I'm not telling you this because I want to keep you from having fun. I'm telling you this because I want you to have fun later in your life. I'm telling you this because I want there to have fun later in your life. I'm telling you this because I want there to be a later in your life, because the decisions you are making could cause death or great bodily harm. See, this whole idea of irrevocable it means this God is unchanging. It means this God is unchanging. Hebrews 13, 8 says it perfectly Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He doesn't change. See, when I follow Jesus, I don't have to worry about. All of a sudden, there's a new chapter in the Bible that just like throws me for a loop. It's not like oh, all of a sudden here's a new revelation to you. Now you can only wear black T-shirts if you want to make me happy. Like. That's not how God works.
Speaker 1:See again, when we look at anxiety and things of that nature, what causes anxiety? Honestly, it's a fear of what the unknown Like, and we're so chaotic so we want to overcompensate on that and we want to control everything. Why? Because then I know everything. So then I drive myself crazy, sitting here going no, no, no, no, no, that's not where that piece goes, that has to go here. And then I have no rest, I have no relaxation, my mind is just constantly at war. Why? Because if I don't control it, who will?
Speaker 1:Well, if you'd have looked at my life 10 years ago no longer than that, way longer than that, 20 years ago, man see, like age ain't nothing. Right Like I still think I'm 23,. Right Like way longer than that. Feels like just yesterday, 25 years ago, you wouldn't have been like oh, god's callings are irrevocable. You've been like man. That boy is wayward Like he, he has lost it. Like man, like I've. I seriously I've heard adults in my life go, man, you, you just fell off the path Like you were doing so good.
Speaker 1:And then, yeah, because I went, god can't control this, he doesn't know what's best for me. I know what's best for me. I live my life and so I have to hold it like this, and when things happen, it causes fights with everybody. Why? Because I'm sitting here going. I don't trust God enough to be in control of this. I have to be in control of this because God like he's good and he could do anything, but he just he's not doing what I think he needs to do. And if he would just listen to me, I got some ideas to really make America great again.
Speaker 1:And yet God can look at me the same way I look at any one of my children or any one of my students and go you're an idiot. Why? Not because you're stupid, but because you do not have the wisdom and discernment that I do the same reason. I'm going to be honest because my mom's not in here. The way my mom looks at me and goes you're an idiot. Why? Because you don't have the wisdom and discernment that I do. Because I've been where you are already. I've done that already. Like there was a point in time where I was like you know what? I'm just buying my mom shirts for Christmas that just say been there, done that because I heard it so many times. But on the flip side of that, why didn't I ever stop and realize she has she's raised kids before?
Speaker 1:And although technology is different, our kids not at all, like we have been the same since Cain and Abel. Don't believe me. Leave two siblings in a room by themselves and only put like one like PlayStation or Switch or something in there. Go, hey, whoever gets it gets to play with it. You will hear like straight World War III going on in there. Because it's my turn, because, see, we haven't changed.
Speaker 1:But God, god's good, see, jesus is sitting here going. You can be at peace while you're watching the world burn down around you. Why? Because I'm in control of it, because I got it the same way. My kids are at peace. We should be at peace. We shouldn't be sitting here struggling with but God, because here's the deal God doesn't need our help. He really doesn't. God did not create you because he went. You know what? Without who haven't I picked on Kayla? This world's just going to fall apart. Because I really need Kayla. You know why? Because the world was turning long before Kayla got here and, barring Jesus coming back, the world's going to continue to turn long after Kayla's not here. Because God doesn't need us. Like when I asked JT for help at the house. Chances are I don't need him, I just want to spend time with him.
Speaker 1:This is just an illustration. How many of us, though, look at God and go. You know what he might be right. Like he designed all of this. He may know how this works better than me Like. So you know what I'm going to do, what he told me to do, and I'm going to stop trying to do it all on my own. See, god is trustworthy. God is unchanging.
Speaker 1:And then we're going to look at this last part. In verse 32, it starts with for God has consigned all to disobedience that he may have mercy on all. Now watch what happens in verse 33. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and how unscrutable his ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, or who has given him a gift to him that he might be repaid For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.
Speaker 1:You know what Paul just did. Paul just broke into song. Like that's what Paul did. Like it hit him as he is sitting here writing this out. He's writing all this stuff down and he goes how great is our God? And then just starts singing it Tell me how, like that's what he's doing. That's why Josh sings not me Like that's what he's doing. He came to this conclusion like he is writing this letter to the church in Rome. And in the middle of writing this letter, paul goes you don't understand how good our God is. Now, those of you that still sit here and go. I don't understand why we sing before service and at the end of service. This is why, because the Apostle Paul, upon writing a letter, breaks into song because he realizes how good our God is, and he's not the only one.
Speaker 1:Go all the way back to Genesis. God makes man. It is not good Our first, it is not good in scripture. It is not good for man to be alone. Causes man to go to sleep, pulls a rib out from him, creates woman, wakes Adam back up, brings the woman to Adam. And what does Adam do? At last, flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone. You know what he's doing. That's a Hebrew song. He starts singing, why? Because Adam has been naming all of these animals and he's like ain't none of them pretty? And then Eve comes along. See, like God's been bringing all the animals to Adam. He's been naming them. And then he brings in Eve and he's like and our first R&B song is written Yep. And then we? What's the next thing we see, right, right after the fall, cain and Abel when do you think they came from? Adam sang to his wife and then we go on, right, david brings the Ark of the Covenant back into Jerusalem, puts it in the temple. What's David doing? Boy is getting down, singing and praising, making a joyful noise unto the Lord. Bro, doesn't even have clothes on, is going throughout the city singing and dancing with no clothes on. All I'm saying is Josh might be letting us down, right, he might be too subdued up here. What I'm saying is there's singing, there's dancing. Bring it into the New Testament, because for those of you that well, this is an old covenant thing.
Speaker 1:Luke 2, mary finds out that she's pregnant with the Messiah. Everyone's coming in and worshiping her baby. They're going hey, this is the king of his people. But mary, pondering these things in her heart, what she start doing? It's called mary's song in your bible. She starts singing. Why? Because how good is our god, how great is our god, how great is the faithfulness of Jesus.
Speaker 1:But yet, most of us, we will mumble through, we will watermelon, watermelon, watermelon, watermelon, watermelon during the whole song. It makes it look like you're singing the words. We will clench up, hold the seat in front of us, because sometimes even us white people, our bodies tend to start swaying. We don't want that. That's way too celebratory, because, heaven forbid, in a room full of people who claim to believe exactly what we believe. People who claim to believe exactly what we believe, heaven forbid someone.
Speaker 1:See, you are excited about Jesus. Paul is writing a letter. Paul is writing a letter. This would be like you going home, right, you're writing your blog out and all of a sudden, you just are so overwhelmed by the awesomeness of Jesus that in your letter, next thing you know, you have a full song written and most of us are like, well, the only one in here that's going to do that is Josh, not me, the other one, right? Why? Because, heaven forbid. People know we're excited about Jesus. Heaven forbid. People know like, hey, I love God.
Speaker 1:See, do we not understand and this is a very, very important point, I hate to like put it in right here at the end Do we not understand this you get out of a relationship, get out of a relationship. What you put into that relationship Don't believe me. Cool, how's your marriage working? You get out of it what you put into it. I will tell you right now I am very happily married, even with Debbie not listening to me on how to catch shrimp. We worked on it, we moved through it. We grew closer that night because I went look, you are joining in on what I love in life. And when the kids move out, we move onto the boat. Babe, like this is how you're gonna eat. I'm still going on land because I don't need anything from the water, but we're only gonna have enough to feed one of us, okay.
Speaker 1:So if you don't work for your food, the Bible tells us right, let he who not work not eat. But I sit here and I go. You get out of a relationship what you put into it. So if all you're putting into your relationship with Jesus is the bare minimum, you want to know what you're going to get out of it. The bare minimum, that's it. See, and for so many of us we grew up in a church that that was the thing, right. Just get saved, go to heaven, that's the goal. You want to know why Jesus ain't working in your heart? Because you're not putting into the relationship. James 4.8 says it very clearly Draw near to me and I will draw near to you. That's a conditional statement. In other words, if you don't do the first part, I'm not going to do the second part.
Speaker 1:The best example I can give you of this is this Almost every night, almost every night, gabby will come into my room after she's taken her shower and everything and go hey, daddy, can I lay down in bed with you and watch TV? And I go absolutely, baby, and we'll lay down and we'll watch. You know different things here and there and I'll kind of just hold her and you know we'll have little conversations and stuff like that Pushes Debbie right out of the bed. It was cute when she was little and she fit, but now she's still little, but she's bigger than what she was Now. Here's the correlation and here's why this is a great example.
Speaker 1:Who do you think my favorite child is? Why? Because she puts in this. One can't even have planned that. Why Because God's gifts are irrevocable. God went, I us have a sad marriage. Why? Because you don't pour into your marriage. That's why it's sad. You don't want to sit and talk. You don't want to go on dates, you don't want to do any of the things that you should be doing as a married couple.
Speaker 1:Some of us have kids that are complete strangers to us. Why? Because when was the last time you sat down and talked to your kid? When was the last time you took your kid out and went, hey, we're going to go do something fun. Some of us, like, I'm going to go ahead and tell you you're a bad friend. Your friends won't tell you this, but I'm telling you right now some of us in here you're a bad friend. Why? Because you're only worried about what you get out of the relationship. You don't ever call to go. Hey, how are you doing? You don't ever text and go. Hey, I hope you're having a good day. But, man, you love it when someone else calls and texts you, right, you're like I'm so important, they love me so much.
Speaker 1:What about the other way around, though? See, you get out what you put in, and when you don't put anything in, stop being mad that you're not getting anything out, like when you don't put into your relationship with Jesus. Stop looking at Jesus and going where's Jesus, because he's probably sitting here looking at you. Going where were you? You didn't need me until everything went to crap. Now, all of a sudden, you want me to step in and be like okay, here, let me fix it. Now that everything's fixed, you want to put me back up on the shelf and go okay, I got it from here, I'll call you again when I need you.
Speaker 1:Like, understand, that's how most of us, in some way, shape or form, are treating our relationship with Jesus. And I go, and then we wonder why this whole church thing doesn't work out, because you only show up once every six months. That's why, because you have no dedication to that, because you're sitting here and going hey, I love Jesus, I just hate his bride. Here's the thing. If you came to me and you were like hey, josh, you're super cool, I really like hanging out with you, but I can't stand, debbie, do you think you're gonna hang out with me? No, not, unless you have like a really cool tool, like a toy that I want to play with. Right, because at that point I'm like whatever, like this ain't a real relationship to begin with, so might as well get it out when I can. Right, like if you had a 32-foot like you know boat that we could go offshore fishing and get some mahi in. I might be like, hey look, deb, here's what they said about you all. Right, that being said, I'm gonna go get you some mahi baby, which she would be fine. Right, I'm not to take any of it, she'll be good. But see, that's what most of us do. We don't take this thing serious. We're not sitting here. You know, at the end of the service, when Josh comes up to sing and you're like you know what? I'm going to give it all to Jesus now, because heaven forbid the people in front of me hear me sing. Here's the deal. If you are not up here singing, chances are you can't sing that. Well, that goes for all of us, because at the end of service, do you see me go? Okay, now everyone stand up. No, you know why? Because I can't sing, Because that wasn't my gifting, and calling that doesn't still mean. Look, I'm going to tell you.
Speaker 1:Our girls were little. They had this thing called the three singing Sisters. It was Kayla Gabby and their cousin Peanut Mackenzie, you know, and we would be sitting at my mom's house and we'd all be talking, and they would run in in mismatched outfits, like plastic, high-heeled shoes, hair, just a mess, and I'm like, hey, we have a show for you and they would start singing and I'm to go ahead and tell you it was bad. I have some recordings of it. I'll play them for you guys if you guys want. Like I'm good for it, it was bad, nothing harmonizing. Two of them didn't even know the words to the song they were singing.
Speaker 1:They're trying to make the song up at the same time. What'd they do every time? What did we do every time? They got done, though? That was beautiful baby, did I mean it? Yes, a hundred percent, because I wasn't listening to. Oh well, hold on, you're kind of off pitch, bring it down. Like choreograph them moves, girl. Like that's not what we were worried about, right, we were like, look what my children did for me. God looks at you the same way. He ain't sitting here going, hey, kevin, you hit it perfect. He's just sitting here going hey, kevin, how about you pour into our relationship? How about you? Just come along with me. You're my child, I'm gonna love whatever you do.
Speaker 1:Here's the thing. Some of y'all have put up some ugly pictures on your fridge, right, because your kids made them. You have no idea what it is. They've told you 14 times and you're like I still don't see it in that picture Looks like the thing at the psychiatrist's office where you're trying to guess what it is the ink blots. But yet where did they find their way To your fridge? Why, because they were your kids.
Speaker 1:God does the same thing. That's why the Bible says make a joyful noise unto the Lord. That's why Paul, in the middle of writing this letter, went. You know what? I'm just going to break out in praise and worship. Why? Because the same reason is, if I put friends in low places up, everyone except this row would be belting that out Sweet Home Alabama. You play that at any southern party. What's everyone doing? We love it.
Speaker 1:But, man, I put up how Great Thou Art, and all of a sudden everyone is mute and we're like, hmm, hmm, great, right, and for you, pick your own song. I'll tell you right now. We did the parade parade and they wanted to see if the speaker worked and they were like, hey, play hell's bells, man. They were. They loved it. Like the speaker gets loud, man, you put a christian song. We used to have a joke at our house like if you wanted company to leave, all you had to do was put christian music on and all of a sudden, all of a sudden, all of a sudden, you notice everyone. All right, so we got to head out and I'm like, dude, you're a Christian, like you should know this song, see.
Speaker 1:And Paul, in the middle of his writing, comes to that realization of how great God is and just dumps into song. So I know I went a little longer, but I was trying to finish out the chapter. But as we close this morning, I'm going to tell you give into it, stop worrying about who sees you, stop thinking about what others are thinking about you, because you have bad thoughts about them too and start focusing on what Jesus thinks about you. You want to know the number one thing you can do to help your children in life Tell them you love them. Why? Because that instills, see, like everyone used to, like my dad especially, drove me insane. See, boys are easy. You only got to worry about one. But when you have girls, you got to worry about all of them. And you got two girls.
Speaker 1:I went dad, here's the thing. I ain't worried about that at all. You know why? Because if I tell my child I love them, if I show my child that relationship, here's where I set that bar. What happens to all these little boys down here? I ain't worried about that. Why? Because my daughter has confidence in who she is. Why Because her daddy told her so. So I ain't worried about all that dad Now, of course he would follow it up with a lot of things that we shouldn't be talking about right now, but it's the same thing.
Speaker 1:Your dad is sitting here going hey, do it for me. Think about it. You're a boy in here. What was the biggest fear you had growing up? That I was going to do something in front of my dad if your dad was around and disappoint him. It's the same fear we had now. And if you're sitting here and going like I don't know, maybe it's because you don't have that relationship with your dad to begin with. I'll tell you right now you want to get. You want to see JT nervous, like make him do something technical in front of me, like he falls apart. He has straight told me before hey, daddy, I'm going to start doing this sport, but I don't want anyone to come watch me, because I don't want to fail in front of people.
Speaker 1:And what's Jesus saying? Pour into me, give me everything you got. I am worthy of all your worship and praise. So this morning, start focusing not on what others think about you, but what Jesus thinks about you. Understand that the God most high, who always keeps his promises, who never changes or falters, who is worthy of all of our praise and worship, is sitting here going hey, I'm here for you. Give Jesus your everything and see what he does with your heart.
Speaker 1:So, father, I ask and I pray God that as we close this morning, that, father, we just resonate in your truths. Father, I pray that we are changed from the inside out. I pray those of us in here that are sitting here and going. You know what? I was afraid because I didn't know, but, god, I'm only worried about how you look at me. Father, I ask and I pray that you be with each and every one of us and allow us to give into that to worship you as you deserve to be worshiped, for you are the one who is worthy of all praise. Father, I ask and I pray all of this in Jesus' name, amen.