February 10, 2025 • 49 mins
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, what's up?
Free Church.
Hey, before we jump in thismorning, I just wanna like I
love church in a way that churchis not.
Church is not a spectatororganization, it's a
participatory one, that we jumpin, that they're not just
leading us in worship Like we'regoing there with them.
(00:22):
So I wanna say thanks to ourentire team for taking us
somewhere today.
That was refreshing, that wasencouraging, and worship Like
we're going there with them.
So I want to say thanks to ourentire team for taking us
somewhere today.
That was refreshing, that wasencouraging, that was helpful,
and I hope you felt that.
I hope you know how importantthat is.
And again, I'm going to talk alittle bit about what this day
is, and we've been declaring awhole lot over the past several
weeks and I want you to continueto declare things in your life,
(00:45):
especially the words that we'vebeen using and speaking about,
because they're important,they're vital to your tenets of
faith.
My best friend growing up he'sfrom the South and so his family
came up to Michigan.
They started the church andwhen I was just a baby, my
(01:05):
parents started going to thatchurch and he was about my age
and so we ended up becoming theclosest friends ever, and so he
had grandparents, right, and buthe didn't call them.
We call my grandparents and mykids call my parents.
They call them Nana and Papa,right, that's kind of like a
Midwest thing, right, papa, anyPapas in the room, any Papas?
Or?
Or?
Or grandma and papa, right,that's kind of like a Midwest
thing, right, papa, any papas inthe room, any papas?
Or grandma and grandpa, right,that's what we say.
(01:29):
But there, because they're fromthe South, it's a mamaw and
papaw, mamaw and papaw.
And so because I was just hisbest friend and always around
him, they were my mamaw andpapaw, my mamaw and papaw, my
mamaw and papaw.
And so his grandparents werereally old and so by the time I
(01:49):
really hang out with them theywere in their late 80s and so
they're kind of on the latterpart of their life.
But we would, as, unfortunately,as little kids kind of like,
pick on them a little bit.
And so mamaw, who we lovedMamaw, was great.
She would always make us sweettea, because you didn't get
sweet tea in Michigan unless youwent to Mamaw's house.
And so we would go to Mamaw'shouse and we would just be
(02:13):
playing out in Mamaw's yard andwe'd walk in because we'd have
BB guns and Mamaw, we killed thesquirrel, right?
And she would respond with theword well, I declare, right.
She would say, well, I declare.
And then we'd say, mamaw, mamaw, we had a great time at church
(02:35):
last night.
She says, well, I declare.
It was her response to everyaha moment she was having.
It was like I declare Well, Ilearned something that I don't
need to give you kids BB gunsbecause you're going to kill the
animals in the yard.
Well, I realize that when you goto church, you're actually
experiencing something andyou're willing enough to share
it with mamaw when you get home.
Well, I declare.
How about we allow that to bein our narrative?
That when we have an aha momentof wow, this is awesome, well,
(02:56):
I declare, that was just a moveof God in a worship service?
Well, I declare that thenegative and dishonor and
discord that's in our world, Ideclare that that's not good and
we're going to try to remedythat everywhere that we go see,
I declare, is something that weall need to allow to be in our
(03:17):
lives.
God has called us to be agentsof change.
We're, we're expected to be,agents of change.
We're expected to be agents ofchange and he called us to be
salt and light, and weunderstand this.
Growing up in the Midwest andChicago and Detroit areas, we
(03:38):
know that man salt is important.
This time of year, when therest of the world had to shut
down for a few days because theygot a half an inch of snow, we
were like what in the world areyou doing?
We're going to work, we'regoing to church.
Put your big girl pants on andget out your business.
But the way that salt works issalt has to come in contact with
(04:02):
what it wants to change.
Salt in a shaker on your tablewill never change the flavor of
your food.
As Christians, if we're to besalt, if we want to actually
change the world or change thepeople that we're involved with,
we have to come in contact withthem.
We can't do this from adistance.
We can't make declaratives forour lives and expect to change
(04:22):
the world.
We have to get out into theworld and grab them by the hand,
touch them in their heart, movethem to places where they've
never been before, encouragethem every step of the way.
That's the way it works.
If we're to be truly salt, thenwe're going to have to do those
things, silas.
Hurry up here.
Silas, let me see your phone.
Thank you, it's my son's phone.
(04:46):
Parents, let me just say thisIf you don't know your son's
passcode, I'm just saying I wasjust a little into it, like I
know it.
Also, a little trick when youget it opened up, go to the
settings and have your face putin it, because those little
sneaky kids, they may change iton you, but your face.
(05:07):
Go to the settings and haveyour face put in it, because
those little sneaky kids, theymay change it on you, but your
face that's in there.
Here's what I want you to do.
If you have an iPhone sorry,samsung Galaxy, you can't do
this Get your iPhones out.
Everyone in here.
Get your iPhones out.
Here's what I want you to do.
I want you to.
I want you to swipe down.
I want you to turn your cameraon.
(05:30):
Got it, silas?
You have too many apps open,son, all right, turn your camera
on Camera.
Everyone in the room.
Just go ahead and put it onselfie mode.
Make sure you're looking atyourself.
You have a selfie.
You know how to do it.
Don't act like you don't.
Don't act like you don't.
Everyone in the room.
People in the back.
You're not doing it.
I can tell your phone's not out.
You've been on your phone allday until I asked you to do it.
(05:51):
All right now, go ahead andclose out the camera.
Just swipe it and close it out.
You close it out.
Make sure it's closed.
All right now.
Here I want you flashlight,flashlight, flashlight.
Look at it, look at it.
Turn around past the ship, lookat the lights on.
Look at the lights on.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
All right now, in the same way,someone's snapping you, son.
(06:11):
In the same way, I want you toswipe back down.
So now the flashlight's on,swipe back down.
I want you to turn on thecamera that you just had on
selfie mode mode.
(06:33):
What?
What's happening?
You see, even the brilliance ofApple lets us know that as long
as we're in selfie mode, wecan't shine a light, and so, as
long as we're so focused onRobbie, so focused on what I'm
doing, I can't shine the lightthat God has called me to shine.
And so when we declare God, Ideclare I'm out of selfie mode.
(06:54):
God, this is not about me.
This is all about you andshining the light that you put
in me so I can make a differencein this world.
And let me tell everyone inthis room when you do shine your
light, don't shine intosomeone's eyes, because the
first thing they do is they'regoing to turn their head, but
you shine on a path that gets tohim.
Silas, well, it is Super BowlSunday and, just like you in
(07:22):
Chicago, we have no dog in thefight.
We have some people we cancheer for, but on this day, the
reports say that more money willexchange hands on this weekend
than a good day on the stockmarket.
They say that people who do notgamble will gamble on the Super
(07:42):
Bowl.
In fact, some of the largestamounts of money are won or lost
before the game even begins.
How long will they sing thenational anthem?
Millions of dollars are won andlost on this one bet, though
Heads or tails.
Millions of dollars are gonnaexchange hands worldwide on the
(08:05):
flip of a coin Heads or tails.
I'm so thankful that, when itcomes to the promises of God,
it's not a gamble, it's not50-50 whether or not we will win
.
In fact, I'm going to prove itto you.
You ready.
Luke, chapter 10, 19.
(08:25):
Behold, I give you theauthority to trample on serpents
and scorpions and over all thepower of the enemy, and nothing,
everyone say nothing shall byany means hurt you.
Did you get the word of Godthere?
Did you get what he said?
You're going to trample onserpents and scorpions.
(08:48):
Serpents bite with their headand scorpions sting with their
tail Heads you win, tails youwin.
It's not 50-50.
There's not a flip of a coinwhether or not you're going to
be able to defeat the enemies inyour life.
You declare, I declare I willwin the victory through the
(09:09):
power of Jesus Christ working inme.
Not a gamble.
It's not a gamble.
Today I'm going to talk aboutwhat I feel is extremely
important to our Christian faith, but maybe something that we
forget about, something that wedon't realize that we need, so
(09:33):
important in our lives.
I'm gonna talk a little bitabout grit and how grit is found
in the Bible.
Maybe not that exact word, butthe word is there in the word of
God.
Now, I enjoy working out, but Ican't stand running.
I do cardio because I wannalive right.
(09:55):
I hate it.
You can tell people who runthough yeah, they have runner's
face.
It's the same to a lot of otherfaces you may know about in
this world, but they do theyhave runner's face?
They don't smile when they'rerunning.
I've never seen them.
And then they run so long andso hard that that face is what
(10:18):
you see every day.
You don't have to say do yourun Like you're a runner, aren't
you?
I can tell by your face.
Next time someone tells youthey run, you're gonna find out.
Well, yeah, I can tell.
Pastor Robbie was absolutelyright.
Running's hard, especially whenyou have to run uphill.
Now it's proven that people whoare trying to break their
(10:42):
records whether it's a marathon,they're marathon runners,
they're long distance runners.
They will go to a course,whether it's a marathon here in
Chicago, one in Detroit, one inBoston, wherever they're going,
and they're gonna find a coursethat is less hilly than other
courses because they wanna breaktheir record, because they even
(11:02):
understand that I'm not goingto be my best or break my record
running uphill.
No one likes to go uphill, andthis is a picture of a problem
most of us have in our lives.
We live in an uphill world, butwe also just want a downhill
life.
(11:23):
So let me ask you what's onereally good thing in your life
that hasn't required you to gouphill to get to it?
What's one really good thing inyour life that hasn't been hard
to do.
That degree you went afterthose long nights of studying.
I've been married 25 years.
(11:44):
Pastor Chuck and Pastor Ursh injust a few weeks on February
27th, am I right are going tocelebrate another anniversary.
I think they're on 40 now 40thanniversary, just kidding.
But you know that anything worthit, anything, it's uphill, it's
(12:08):
uphill, and sometimes we thinkin our lives, man, I'm living
for God, it's gonna be adownhill, I'm living for God,
everything's gonna be perfectand right and everything's gonna
be okay.
And that's not the case.
Having a newborn is that easy,priscilla, parenting, toddlers,
(12:32):
teenagers, college kids I meanit doesn't get easy.
But here's the question I asktoday, when life gets hard, how
easy is it for you to give up?
I ask today, when life getshard, how easy is it for you to
give up?
Almost one year ago to this day,we were here in Chicago and got
(12:54):
some horrible news and it madeus want to give up.
But that news didn't cause usto give up.
Let me just pause here.
You may think it, but you don'thave to do it.
I'm just being reality.
You may think it.
You may think, man, I'm justgonna throw in the towel.
It didn't cause us to give up.
(13:15):
It was discouraging andheartbreaking and we had a lot
of questions, but we didn't giveup.
And let me say this Just becauseyou change your pace, don't
give up.
See, if you know anything aboutrunning and I don't like to run
, but I have run and there'stimes when you're running where
maybe you have a quicker pacethan you do before, maybe you're
(13:37):
clipping at a higher rate ofspeed than you were previously.
You're still running, you'rejust at a different pace.
Don't stop, I know, maybeyou're just at a different pace.
Don't stop.
I know, maybe you gotta slowdown a little bit.
I know, man, the pace of lifeis causing you to maybe take a
step back a little bit, butdon't stop.
We get stuck when we stop.
Keep going, keep moving.
(13:59):
You're not stuck unless youstop.
You're not stuck unless youstop.
How many times you could look inyour life the times you quit
piano lessons at 12, how goodwould you be today.
(14:20):
Classes you've dropped, Thoughtabout getting your passport to
travel the world but just nevertook the time to do it.
How many times have you startedout like a rocket but flamed
out and not finished, as I said.
John Maxwell said this mostpeople have uphill hopes but
downhill habits.
We're encouraged all throughoutscripture to persevere.
(14:45):
The mindset of perseverance anddetermination has coined these
days, these this day, as grit.
Perseverance is a good word,but I like grit.
We're just going to talk aboutgrit today.
Perseverance and grit, they'rethe same.
I'm going to about grit.
Some of us need to get somegrit in our gut.
I always say this and we let mejust put this into your
(15:10):
vocabulary it's Super BowlSunday.
I'm gonna talk a little aboutfootball At the University of
Michigan, where I had theprivilege of being able to be on
staff and work with thefootball team as the director of
character development, and thisis my 10th season with the team
and one of the things I'velearned over the years is that
we don't talk about losing thegame, we talk about keys to
(15:30):
victory.
What we don't say is if wefumble the ball, we'll lose the
game.
We say the key to victory isball control.
So our language is so importantto how we communicate, and so I
will say this and throw this upthere.
I think we got the word grit uphere.
Let's throw the grit up there.
(15:50):
So we have grit, but here's whatthe center of grit is, or the
center of this word.
You can't have grit withoutthis word right here, this
integrity.
You see, grit is integrity,that is what it is.
Gr.
Grit is integrity, that is whatit is.
(16:11):
Great is integrity, you knowintegrity is is.
I'm a man of my word.
Do you know how, how hard it isto be a person of your word?
You have to have grit, and thereason why a lot of us don't
speak about our visions or ourdreams is because we're afraid
that we'll have to fulfill them,that if I tell somebody in my
world, then they're gonna holdme accountable to it and I'll
actually have to follow throughwith it, and so I just keep it
to myself.
And so integrity is soimportant.
(16:32):
And so I don't say this to sayanything about me, but I say
this to tell you this reason.
I make my bed everywhere I go.
I sit in a hotel room.
Last night, got up this morning, made my bed.
I know my wife wouldn't have tomake it.
I know that someone who'semployed by the hotel later on
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today will come in and do thatexact job for me, but I make my
bed every day at home.
I make my bed everywhere I go,because I believe circumstances
don't change yourresponsibilities.
A few weeks ago we were sitting,we were watching a football
game with my daughters and itwas a teaching moment.
Guess what?
If you live in my house everychance I get, I might teach
something to you, especially ifyou're 18-year-old girls at
(17:16):
college.
And we're watching a footballgame and they're playing, and it
is snowing.
They're in Buffalo and there issnow everywhere and they're
playing and it is snowing.
They're in Buffalo and there issnow everywhere and they're
playing the game of football.
And just because it's snowing,just because the climate's not
right, just because theenvironment's not perfect, just
because the scenario's not great, doesn't mean they stop doing
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their job.
And the same for us asfollowers of Christ.
Just because our circumstanceschange doesn't mean our
responsibilities do.
I'm just going to go here.
Over the holidays we weretalking about different things
and again you can have your ideaabout it.
You have to tip everywhere yougo.
(18:00):
Now, right, I'm tipping at the.
I'm like you just took my orderat McDonald's.
Oh, here's, they're going toask you a question, sir.
I'm like I know what you'regoing to ask.
I'm not what.
Where's this tip?
It's a $5 cheeseburger thatyou're pulling off.
It's cold, you know, but you'retipping.
Everywhere you go, everywhereyou go, you're tipping, you're
(18:21):
tipping, you're tipping.
And I understand you go, you'retipping, you're tipping, you're
tipping, and I understand yougo to a restaurant, you're gonna
be served and you're gonna tip.
Whether, whatever that tip is,you're gonna tip.
And so we're discussing like hey, do you always tip 20?
I said, yeah, I always tip 20,always tip 20.
They're like even if theservice is bad, you tip 20.
Yeah, I 20%, even if they'rehaving a bad day and they
(18:45):
treated you bad.
Yeah, I said because I'm notgoing to allow someone else's
bad day or someone else'scharacter to any way affect mine
.
And see, we live in a culturethat we allow, that we allow
someone else's problems, someoneelse's issues, someone else's
bad day to change who you are.
Don't allow it.
(19:08):
Say I declare I am a follower ofJesus Christ.
I declare I am salt and light.
I declare I'm going to be anagent of change.
Some of you are like oh man, Igot a tip again.
Do we have any servers in theroom?
Any waitresses and waiters?
Come on, give me amen.
So today's declaration is foryou.
Like every week, we give you adeclaration, we look at it
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biblically and give you a chanceto commit at the end, not only
make this declaration, but atthe end we're gonna cement this
all right.
So this year this is gonna beour declaration.
I'm gonna say it right here andthen we're gonna do it at the
end.
This year, with God's help andthe power of the Holy Spirit, I
declare I will develop godlygrit.
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Most people give up when lifegets hard.
I'm, not most people.
If I commit, I don't quit.
Now I'm gonna preach for thenext few minutes.
I wish I could say I don'tstruggle with this declaration.
It's not true.
So many times I've wanted toquit.
(20:15):
I'm gonna be real.
In 25 years of ministry, therehave been a few times in
ministry that I wanted to quit,especially in 2016 and 2017 when
we started our church and wewere struggling financially.
The government had to assist usin food and insurance.
It was demoralizing.
It's hard.
(20:36):
We wanted to quit and someonesent us a check.
Someone had us come preach.
Someone cared enough to checkin on us.
See, god has you here becauseyou have no idea what hangs in
the balance of you learning notto give up.
You don't know what's on theother side of your ability to
(20:57):
say, hey, I'm gonna keep goingafter this.
You don't know how many peopleneed you.
You might be the answer tosomeone else's prayer and if you
give up, you will never be thebe that for that person.
God has you here because youhave no idea what hangs in the
balance of you learning to havea grit.
Galatians 6 and 9 says let usnot be weary in doing good For
(21:22):
the proper time.
We will reap a harvest if we donot give up.
I said this before but do notpull up in fear what you planted
in faith.
One man seemed to have the deckstacked against him in a lot of
ways, a stuttering politicalenthusiast with a lisp, and not
to mention an unforeseenaccident that was about to
(21:43):
happen on a very normal day,this man was struck down by a
car, mangled, crippled andknocking on death's door.
Some had written him off, bornwith a speech impediment, born
with everything stacked againsthim.
And then, on a normal day, youget hit by a car, mangled,
(22:07):
crippled and knocking on death'sdoor.
But this man, it's told that heknew he had a calling far
greater than his currentsituation.
This man understood that.
I know this situation is notperfect, but I have a
responsibility that's on theinside of me.
I've got this grit in my gutthat's not going to keep me in
(22:27):
the hospital and, thank God, sirWinston Churchill got out of
the hospital.
Can you imagine the landscapeof our world if he decided to
give up?
Can you imagine what our worldwould look like today if Sir
Winston Churchill said I wasborn with problems, I faced
major problems.
He didn't give up.
Sir Winston Churchill, whereare you?
(22:49):
Where is that grid inside ofyou to get you down the road to
where you need to be?
God has given us so much onthis topic and science has
finally caught up to this ideaof grit.
Angela Duckworth, studiedneurobiology at Harvard.
Now has a PhD Foremostresearchers on this, on the idea
(23:14):
of grit Shown scientifically.
Grit is the number one traitthat separates successful and
unsuccessful people, not IQ, notupbringing.
Aw, hey, where's my Bears?
Fans at your greatest runningback of all time, shout it out,
(23:37):
come on, walter Payton.
Walter Payton is known.
He's not the biggest, not thefastest and not the strongest.
You go look it up, he's quoted.
I'm not the biggest, I'm notthe fastest, I'm not the
strongest.
What made you one of the mostsuccessful running backs in the
history of NFL?
To where now there's awardsgiving out by your name, the
Walter Payton man of the Year?
What makes you great?
(23:58):
He says I wanted it more thanthey did.
You know what that's called?
That's called perseverance.
You know what we call that in2025?
That's called grit.
I know my kids are not inchurch yet, but they coming.
I've been coming to church bymyself for a long time, but
they're coming.
(24:18):
That's grit.
That's grit.
Angela Duckworth said that it'sgrit.
What if I told you?
Scripture says something similarabout grit.
The Bible says in James 2, inverse 2, now, this is the
brother of Jesus.
He says consider it pure joy,my brothers and sisters,
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whenever you face trials of manykind, I mean, james is walking
through the tough times of lifeand he's just shouting and
jumping for joy.
James is just doing his thing.
When I face a trial, man, thelast thing I do is man, I want
to be excited about it.
But James says, hey, when youface trials of many kinds, he's
(25:05):
joyful through this.
Verse 3 goes on because you knowthat the testing of your faith,
you push through hard things,the testing of your faith, what
it does?
It produces perseverance.
It goes on to say letperseverance finish its work so
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that you may be mature andcomplete, not lacking anything.
That grit, that grit that Iwake up with every day, that
grit that I go to work withevery day, that grit that I
drive in traffic with every day,that grit that I have to be
around people that are negativeand they're opposing to
(25:54):
everything that we have, thatgrit that I'm not giving up
people that are negative andthey're opposing to everything
that we have.
That grit that I'm not givingup and that I'm going through it
, it's working in me, it'smaking me mature, it's making me
complete, so that I lacknothing.
Why is grit so important?
Because some of us are still inthe elementary stage of our
maturity.
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You've been dodging all thetough sayings, you've been
dodging the testing of yourtrials, but God said no, I got
to put you through this becauseI need you to have that
perseverance, because you ain'tget on the other side.
You're going to graduate with aPhD, in fact, in the greek
(26:44):
words for mature and completeand implied, gradual process to
finish its work.
People aren't born with grit.
You must develop it.
Sure, upbringing impacts grit.
I grew up in the 80s.
Not everybody got a trophy whenwe played sports.
(27:09):
I think, culturally, we may bedeveloping a lack of grit.
Unfortunately, it seems likeeveryone wins and no one gets
corrected when something is donewrong.
When the world world hits, it'sgoing to hit harder and you
can't be out there like Ithought everyone got a trophy.
I showed up.
So how can we develop moreperseverance in a world that
(27:31):
says it should be easy?
Let me give you three pointsand I'm gonna get out of your
way Principles for developingperseverance.
Number one is set your mindset.
Set your mind.
Everything worthwhile in lifeis uphill.
Consider it pure joy, mybrothers and sisters, when you
face trials of many kinds.
(27:51):
Consider it as a Greek wordthat has to do with our thinking
, our mind, our mindset.
What's our mindset going to be?
What are we gonna do?
It doesn't say if things happen, it's when things happen.
Whenever you face trials ofmany kinds, it's gonna happen.
So I gotta have the mindset I'mgonna go through this, I'm
(28:12):
gonna get through this.
I'm gonna have the grit to beable to finish what's ahead of
me.
Life is going to happen.
It's gonna be uphill and thislife is broken.
It's simple the world's nevergonna be easy.
Jesus told us this in thisworld in John 16, 33, you will
have trouble, but take heart.
(28:33):
I've overcome the world With me.
You can overcome anything hesays.
But this world will never beeasy.
It will always be uphill.
The problem for us is we seekease through others, but ease in
life is only found when weovercome the world.
When I say ease, I mean thisway Living in Houston, we
(29:00):
understand this.
We used to live in Houston andwe understand the concept.
In this world, we have trouble,but take heart and overcome the
world.
So in Houston we would go tochurch and we had like 87
services on Sunday, waking upbefore Jesus, even up on Sunday,
and they're all day Familymembers.
(29:21):
In Houston.
They have season tickets to theTexans.
Can you come to the footballgame?
No, I'll be in church becauseJesus loves me and I love him.
But you would always be thereIn our church.
You'd see, on Sunday, especiallyif the texans so happen to be
playing the cowboys, they'd be.
They'd be divided, they'd bedallas fans and houston fans,
(29:43):
but on any given sunday when thetexans are playing and my son
was born on february 25th 2011.
He's he's born on good, he'sborn on texans day, so he is a
huge texas fan, texans fan.
And even though cj stroudplayed for the howell buck guys,
he is a huge Texas fan, texansfan.
And even though CJ Stroudplayed for the Ohio Buckeyes,
he's a fan of CJ Stroud.
No, don't clap, anyways.
(30:03):
And but on any given Sunday, anygiven Sunday, you know, all of
us, we wanna go home and watchthe game because we would record
it.
Right.
We either get there by thethird quarter, maybe the fourth
quarter, we would wanna watchthe entire game, but always,
pastor Chuck, someone would tellus about a play oh man, they're
watching in church.
They would tell us about a playthat happened.
(30:28):
They'd say, oh man, the Texansare down 25 to nothing.
And by the end they're like,hey, the Texans came back, it's
32-25 and all this stuff, andyou would go home, but you still
wanted to watch the game.
Still want to watch it, don't?
You know when I sit and watchthat game and they told me that
the final score was 32-24?
You know when they fumble inthe first quarter and they just
(30:54):
run it back for a touchdown?
I'm not nervous at all.
You know, in halftime, whenthey're down by two touchdowns,
they're just.
How come we live our lives in somuch fear and trepidation when
he says, hey, I've overcome theworld, I've got this.
(31:16):
And we sit back and we're sonervous each and every day.
I don't know what tomorrowholds, but I do know who holds
my tomorrow, and that is mySavior, jesus Christ.
You got to have that mindset.
Number two surround yourselfwith a no-quit team.
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I mean, it is the best time tosign up for a team, to be a part
of a team.
We're doing groups right now.
If you don't find a group, I'mtelling you life is hard when
you try to do it alone, but lifeis a lot easier when you have
people around you who aretelling you not to quit.
Perseverance comes when youhave people around you who are
telling you not to quit.
Perseverance comes when youhave people around you as
(31:59):
witnesses to what can happen ifyou do push through.
Let me give you some tips onbuilding a great team.
People who know you you'veheard me do this people who know
you and people who know you.
People who know you and peoplewho tell you no, that's not good
for you.
People with a message.
You want to build a great team.
Get someone with a message.
(32:23):
They've been through mess andit's aged People who've been
through something.
Give me somebody who is a tourguide, not a travel agent.
A travel agent tells you whereto go.
A tour guide takes you wherethey've been.
Come on, build your team.
(32:45):
People with a testimony, someonewho's been tested.
People with scars, someone whohas been through it but they've
healed.
Some of you are around peoplewho've been cut but they've not
been healed and they're justbleeding all over you.
Find you somebody who has foundhealing healing in their life.
I've got scars, but this scarsdoesn't represent a time of
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brokenness, no, the time ofblessing.
I made it through and so canyou.
You can do this.
Jesus inhabited in his life.
He didn't give up.
Some of you need to fire somefriends.
You think people on socialmedia know you definitively.
They don't know you.
You have people who talk to youbut have never done anything.
(33:30):
They're giving you advice basedon what they watched on TV the
night before, what they found insocial media people talking
about what they've done.
Get some guides in your life.
People who are still bleeding.
Get rid of those people.
Find some people in your livesthat have been healed.
(33:52):
I broke my finger when I was inhigh school.
I don't know if you've everbroken a finger or anything, but
I broke my finger when I was inhigh school.
I don't know if you ever brokena finger or anything, but I
broke it playing footballbecause I'm not very good.
People who get injured playingsports are the people who are
not good at it.
All of you like pullinghamstrings playing pickleball.
Sorry, but I broke my finger.
(34:19):
That hit too close to home, Iguess, and they did as they.
They went and I went to thedoctor and he set the finger
back.
And then what he did with thebroken finger he simply taped it
and put a splint and he tied itto the finger that wasn't
broken.
The only way I could thatfinger would get back to the
(34:42):
wholeness was connected tosomebody that was and said so.
If you're bleeding today, it'sbecause you've not connected
yourself with somebody who'swhole.
And I'm telling you, if youdon't get in a group, you'll
still be broken.
Why?
Because you're not connected tosomebody who's whole.
And guess what?
(35:03):
Yeah, once you get whole, otherthings are gonna fracture,
other things are gonna break,but you have to be connected to
something that's whole for it toheal.
I've gotta get in a group.
Pastor Matthew, jump up herereal quick.
How many pushups can you do,like right now?
(35:28):
Can you do 20?
Yeah, do 20.
All right, get down, yep, do 20.
All right, you can do 20, 20pushups.
Yep, right down, yep, do 20.
All right, you can do 20, 20pushups, yep, right now.
Yep.
One, two, three.
He said he can do 20.
Five, six, seven, eight, nine,10.
Let's go 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
(35:54):
Stop right there.
Do one more, do 20.
20,.
Can you do five more?
All right, five more.
Go One, two, three, four, five.
Yeah, you can do five more.
Let's go five more.
Let's go One, two, three, four,five.
Give me five more.
Let's go One, two, three, four,five, five more.
(36:18):
Let's go one, two, three, four,five.
Give me five more.
Come on, keep going five.
One, two, come on five more.
Five more, five more.
You got it five more.
Let's go five, five.
One, two, three, two more, twomore.
You got it four.
One more, one more.
You got it one more.
Let's go, come on one more, onemore, one more, one more, one
more, one, you got it.
One more, let's go.
Come on, one more, one more,one more, one more, one more,
one more, you got it, let's go.
(36:39):
Yeah, who do you have in yourlife that, when you say you can
do 20, now give me five more.
Give me, no, give me five more,give me five more, give me five
more.
(36:59):
I'm telling you, that takessome grit and if you got the
wrong team with you, you'll quitat 20 when you can actually do
30 more.
Oh, don't make me preach on youand prove this.
The Bible says that there was aman who was sick and he was lame
(37:20):
and that he could not get towhere Jesus was on his own.
So he got four friends.
These four friends began tocarry him, one on each end, one
on each end.
They got to the house whereJesus was.
And the Bible says because thedoor of the house was open, it
was filled, because Jewishcustom says anytime my door is
open, anyone can come in and eatand sit with us.
(37:42):
And so it was packed.
Jesus is in there teaching.
They get to the door and theydon't give up just because they
couldn't get to Jesus throughthe front door, just because his
adversity was in front of them,they door just because his
adversity was in front of them.
They had some grit.
Four guys had some grit.
They said we're not giving upbecause we got a friend that
needs to be in touch with Jesus.
(38:03):
So they make their way to theroof and I don't know why
they're on the roof or what theythought, but they begin to lift
the roof.
Somebody needs some people inyour life that will simply raise
the roof for you.
Who's cheering you on, who'slifting you up?
Who's supporting you?
We don't give enough high fivesout.
(38:25):
We don't celebrate enough.
Let me tell you, your abilityto celebrate someone else
doesn't in any way take anythingaway from you.
Raise the roof for somebodyelse.
They took them to the roof andthey begin to remove the roof
part and they begin they gotsome rope.
I don't know where they gotrope from.
The Bible says they lowered theman down to Jesus and Jesus
(38:49):
healed the man.
He forgave him of his sins andhealed the man.
And he said this.
He said because of your faith.
He wasn't talking to the guy onthe stretcher, he was talking
to the four friends that broughthim there.
That day, I'm telling you,you're going to need some people
in your life that, when youcan't walk and you can't make it
, say I got you, we're going tochurch.
(39:10):
I got you, we're going to getprayer.
I got you, we're going to getto Jesus.
Got you, we're going to get toJesus.
And it's going to be your faiththat's going to bring about
their healing.
The keys can come.
You know what the people saidthat day.
(39:33):
They said we've never seenanything like this before.
The people that were watchingJesus heal that man, lower him
down.
We've never seen anything likethis before.
And I'm ready.
I'm ready on Sundays for us towalk out of this place and be
like I've never seen anythinglike this before, I've never
experienced anything like thisbefore.
And that's gonna take a churchthat has grit.
(40:00):
In Exodus, chapter 17, theitesare in a fierce battle with
their arch, arch enemies, theamalekites.
Moses is a leader on a hill.
Nexus 17 says as long as mosesheld his staff above his head,
the army was winning.
Dropped his, they would beginto lose.
Have you ever held somethingheavy above your head for a long
(40:21):
period of time?
I mean just in your hands?
It gets heavy really fast.
It also gets to a place whereit's ultimately impossible.
And even those around Mosesunderstood that he could not
hold his hands up on his own byhimself.
Let me just just be real andhonest.
(40:42):
Whether it's the men in theroom with the ladies in the room
, that man, you're locked in,you have it all together.
There's gonna come a time inyour life that, yeah, as
important as it is for you tohold your hands up and to win
the battles, that your hands aregoing to fall, you're gonna get
tired.
It's going to happen, and ifyou're not in the right place
(41:07):
and you're not around the rightpeople, they'll just let you
drop your hands and lose thebattle.
I hold my hands up for my18-year-old daughters at college
, but I'm telling you what thesehands I'm their dad these hands
(41:31):
get heavy and I need to come toChicago with my wife and son
and I get to preach, but I needto be around Pastor Chuck and
Urs to just hold up our handsBecause they get heavy.
Why?
Because it's life it just getheavy.
Why?
Because it's life, it just getsheavy.
(41:52):
And if I'm not in the rightgroup, if I'm not around the
right people, don't just let medrop my hands and those that I
have my hands up for are gonnalose the battle.
So they came to Moses and theycome here, moses, I'm gonna get
(42:17):
to do this this afternoon.
Come on, robbie, I'll watchsome football.
Come sit down on the couch andjust rest for a minute and don't
worry about your hands beingheld up, because Aaron and her,
we said, we said we got this,and so they went around Moses
and they understood that Mosesphysically cannot do it, but we
(42:38):
can do it for him.
Robbie, what do you need me topray with you about?
What do you need me to partnerwith in your life?
How can I hold up your hand?
What can I do for you?
I'm telling you church, I'velost.
I've seen too many battles lostbecause I didn't have the right
(43:00):
people around me to hold myhands up when they got heavy.
I'm sorry, we're related.
One of the most beautifulpictures of perseverance.
(43:25):
You want to quit, got peopleholding you up Marriage,
finances, kids, job, faith.
Sometimes you wanna walk away,but you need a no-quit team.
You need to make sure to sayno-quit team.
These have to be godly people,otherwise they'll tell you to
quit when you shouldn't.
You gotta have a godly no-quitteam when you're in the dark
(43:51):
valley, david, even though youwalk through, you're not gonna
fear Paul, when you feel shamefrom your past, your mistakes
don't disqualify you.
Let me see.
You need people to remind youof that, joseph.
I know they betrayed you.
What Satan intended for evil,god used for good.
You need people to remind you.
Remind you of the word of God.
Remind you of the word of God.
(44:11):
Remind you of the scripturesthat he's put in your heart.
Do you have a no-quit teamaround you?
If you don't, you will not beable to persevere.
But there's one more importantprinciple, maybe the most
important Acts 20 and 24,.
But my life is worth nothing tome unless I use it for
finishing the work assigned meby the Lord Jesus, the work of
telling the good news about thewonderful grace of God.
(44:34):
Shipwrecked, betrayed byfriends, sick, bit by a snake,
talk about grit.
That's the apostle Paul In 2Timothy 4, right before he dies,
I fought the good fight.
I finished the race.
Paul finished his race.
(44:54):
You haven't finished yours.
So how do we do it?
How do we finish this race?
We run for something biggerthan us.
I run for something bigger thanme.
I know you're ready to quit.
You're out.
But if you find somethingbigger than you, run for
something bigger than you.
(45:14):
Life has to be lived forsomething bigger than you.
Set our mindset uphill,surround yourself with a no-quit
team and run for somethingbigger than you.
I'll tell you, this place,right here, free church, is
bigger than you.
That which we're a part of isgreater than the part we play,
pastor Chuck, it's bigger thanme.
(45:40):
The researchers that I talkedabout.
They begin to do a study foralmost 80 years following people
who are just young men, now 80years old.
Some of the people they lookedafter and researched, that were
in this group, became presidents, became business leaders, and
some flamed out in terrible ways.
(46:00):
And you know what they did.
There was a test, the same testI did to Matthew.
They put him on a treadmill andthey told him to run.
Some ran for a minute and ahalf, some ran for three minutes
, some ran for four, some ranfor over five minutes.
And because they continued tohave grit and persevere the
longest, those people, thefive-minute people, were the
(46:22):
ones who became the worldleaders, were the ones who
became the business leaders,were the ones who became people
of impact.
I'm telling you, grit has theability to change your world and
our world around us.
I've got to have a mindset, Igot to have the right team
around me and I have to go aftersomething bigger than myself.
(46:46):
Start living for somethingthat's bigger than you.
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
He endured the cross.
The Bible says in Hebrews heendured the cross for the joy
(47:06):
that was set before him.
The joy is not the cross.
For the joy that was set beforehim.
The joy is not the cross.
The joy no, the joy was you andI was here today.
This is the joy of Jesus Christ.
How can you go throughsomething like the cross?
It's because of you sitting onthe third row, it's because of
(47:27):
you who made their way to churchon Sunday.
How can you go through thehorrible crucifixion of the
cross?
And because the joy that wasset before him.
It was something bigger thanhim the salvation for humanity.
So bow your heads all over thisroom today.
If you've never given your lifeto Christ and you wanna say yes
to Jesus this morning for thefirst time or maybe it's the
(47:48):
first time in a long time Maybeyou've given up in some areas,
maybe you've stopped, maybe yourhands have become heavy and
you're ready to lean into thethings of God.
Maybe you're just ready to sayyes to him for the first time.
When I count to three, justraise your hand and we'll pray a
prayer together.
One, two, three hands up.
(48:11):
Thank you for the hand.
Thank you for the hand.
Thank you for the hand.
Thank you for the hand.
Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,amen.
Go ahead, pull those hands backdown now, all over this room.
Say this prayer with me, repeatit after me, say it out loud.
Heavenly Father, I realizetoday that I'm a sinner and I
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need a savior.
Jesus, forgive me of my sins.
Jesus, I repent of my sins andI turn to you.
Today I confess with my mouthand I believe in my heart that
Jesus Christ is Lord and Godraised him from the dead.
Today I say yes to Jesus ChristIn Jesus' name, amen, amen,
(48:59):
amen.
Come on, stand to your feet andclap your hands today.
So here's what I wanna do.
It's on the screen and we'regoing to say this loud and we're
going to say this proud, andwe're going to say this together
.
You ready, you're not ready.
(49:21):
You got to say it like apreacher.
You ready From your gut, ready,ready.
This year, in the power of theHoly Spirit, I declare I will
develop godly grit.
Most people give up when lifegets hard.
(49:41):
I'm not most people.
If I commit, I don't quit.
Hey, what's up?
Free Church.
Hey, before we jump in thismorning, I just wanna like I
love church in a way that churchis not.
Church is not a spectatororganization, it's a
participatory one, that we jumpin, that they're not just
leading us in worship Like we'regoing there with them.
(00:22):
So I wanna say thanks to ourentire team for taking us
somewhere today.
That was refreshing, that wasencouraging, and worship Like
we're going there with them.
So I want to say thanks to ourentire team for taking us
somewhere today.
That was refreshing, that wasencouraging, that was helpful,
and I hope you felt that.
I hope you know how importantthat is.
And again, I'm going to talk alittle bit about what this day
is, and we've been declaring awhole lot over the past several
weeks and I want you to continueto declare things in your life,
(00:45):
especially the words that we'vebeen using and speaking about,
because they're important,they're vital to your tenets of
faith.
My best friend growing up he'sfrom the South and so his family
came up to Michigan.
They started the church andwhen I was just a baby, my
(01:05):
parents started going to thatchurch and he was about my age
and so we ended up becoming theclosest friends ever, and so he
had grandparents, right, and buthe didn't call them.
We call my grandparents and mykids call my parents.
They call them Nana and Papa,right, that's kind of like a
Midwest thing, right, papa, anyPapas in the room, any Papas?
Or?
Or?
Or grandma and papa, right,that's kind of like a Midwest
thing, right, papa, any papas inthe room, any papas?
Or grandma and grandpa, right,that's what we say.
(01:29):
But there, because they're fromthe South, it's a mamaw and
papaw, mamaw and papaw.
And so because I was just hisbest friend and always around
him, they were my mamaw andpapaw, my mamaw and papaw, my
mamaw and papaw.
And so his grandparents werereally old and so by the time I
(01:49):
really hang out with them theywere in their late 80s and so
they're kind of on the latterpart of their life.
But we would, as, unfortunately,as little kids kind of like,
pick on them a little bit.
And so mamaw, who we lovedMamaw, was great.
She would always make us sweettea, because you didn't get
sweet tea in Michigan unless youwent to Mamaw's house.
And so we would go to Mamaw'shouse and we would just be
(02:13):
playing out in Mamaw's yard andwe'd walk in because we'd have
BB guns and Mamaw, we killed thesquirrel, right?
And she would respond with theword well, I declare, right.
She would say, well, I declare.
And then we'd say, mamaw, mamaw, we had a great time at church
(02:35):
last night.
She says, well, I declare.
It was her response to everyaha moment she was having.
It was like I declare Well, Ilearned something that I don't
need to give you kids BB gunsbecause you're going to kill the
animals in the yard.
Well, I realize that when you goto church, you're actually
experiencing something andyou're willing enough to share
it with mamaw when you get home.
Well, I declare.
How about we allow that to bein our narrative?
That when we have an aha momentof wow, this is awesome, well,
(02:56):
I declare, that was just a moveof God in a worship service?
Well, I declare that thenegative and dishonor and
discord that's in our world, Ideclare that that's not good and
we're going to try to remedythat everywhere that we go see,
I declare, is something that weall need to allow to be in our
(03:17):
lives.
God has called us to be agentsof change.
We're, we're expected to be,agents of change.
We're expected to be agents ofchange and he called us to be
salt and light, and weunderstand this.
Growing up in the Midwest andChicago and Detroit areas, we
(03:38):
know that man salt is important.
This time of year, when therest of the world had to shut
down for a few days because theygot a half an inch of snow, we
were like what in the world areyou doing?
We're going to work, we'regoing to church.
Put your big girl pants on andget out your business.
But the way that salt works issalt has to come in contact with
(04:02):
what it wants to change.
Salt in a shaker on your tablewill never change the flavor of
your food.
As Christians, if we're to besalt, if we want to actually
change the world or change thepeople that we're involved with,
we have to come in contact withthem.
We can't do this from adistance.
We can't make declaratives forour lives and expect to change
(04:22):
the world.
We have to get out into theworld and grab them by the hand,
touch them in their heart, movethem to places where they've
never been before, encouragethem every step of the way.
That's the way it works.
If we're to be truly salt, thenwe're going to have to do those
things, silas.
Hurry up here.
Silas, let me see your phone.
Thank you, it's my son's phone.
(04:46):
Parents, let me just say thisIf you don't know your son's
passcode, I'm just saying I wasjust a little into it, like I
know it.
Also, a little trick when youget it opened up, go to the
settings and have your face putin it, because those little
sneaky kids, they may change iton you, but your face.
(05:07):
Go to the settings and haveyour face put in it, because
those little sneaky kids, theymay change it on you, but your
face that's in there.
Here's what I want you to do.
If you have an iPhone sorry,samsung Galaxy, you can't do
this Get your iPhones out.
Everyone in here.
Get your iPhones out.
Here's what I want you to do.
I want you to.
I want you to swipe down.
I want you to turn your cameraon.
(05:30):
Got it, silas?
You have too many apps open,son, all right, turn your camera
on Camera.
Everyone in the room.
Just go ahead and put it onselfie mode.
Make sure you're looking atyourself.
You have a selfie.
You know how to do it.
Don't act like you don't.
Don't act like you don't.
Everyone in the room.
People in the back.
You're not doing it.
I can tell your phone's not out.
You've been on your phone allday until I asked you to do it.
(05:51):
All right now, go ahead andclose out the camera.
Just swipe it and close it out.
You close it out.
Make sure it's closed.
All right now.
Here I want you flashlight,flashlight, flashlight.
Look at it, look at it.
Turn around past the ship, lookat the lights on.
Look at the lights on.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
All right now, in the same way,someone's snapping you, son.
(06:11):
In the same way, I want you toswipe back down.
So now the flashlight's on,swipe back down.
I want you to turn on thecamera that you just had on
selfie mode mode.
(06:33):
What?
What's happening?
You see, even the brilliance ofApple lets us know that as long
as we're in selfie mode, wecan't shine a light, and so, as
long as we're so focused onRobbie, so focused on what I'm
doing, I can't shine the lightthat God has called me to shine.
And so when we declare God, Ideclare I'm out of selfie mode.
(06:54):
God, this is not about me.
This is all about you andshining the light that you put
in me so I can make a differencein this world.
And let me tell everyone inthis room when you do shine your
light, don't shine intosomeone's eyes, because the
first thing they do is they'regoing to turn their head, but
you shine on a path that gets tohim.
Silas, well, it is Super BowlSunday and, just like you in
(07:22):
Chicago, we have no dog in thefight.
We have some people we cancheer for, but on this day, the
reports say that more money willexchange hands on this weekend
than a good day on the stockmarket.
They say that people who do notgamble will gamble on the Super
(07:42):
Bowl.
In fact, some of the largestamounts of money are won or lost
before the game even begins.
How long will they sing thenational anthem?
Millions of dollars are won andlost on this one bet, though
Heads or tails.
Millions of dollars are gonnaexchange hands worldwide on the
(08:05):
flip of a coin Heads or tails.
I'm so thankful that, when itcomes to the promises of God,
it's not a gamble, it's not50-50 whether or not we will win
.
In fact, I'm going to prove itto you.
You ready.
Luke, chapter 10, 19.
(08:25):
Behold, I give you theauthority to trample on serpents
and scorpions and over all thepower of the enemy, and nothing,
everyone say nothing shall byany means hurt you.
Did you get the word of Godthere?
Did you get what he said?
You're going to trample onserpents and scorpions.
(08:48):
Serpents bite with their headand scorpions sting with their
tail Heads you win, tails youwin.
It's not 50-50.
There's not a flip of a coinwhether or not you're going to
be able to defeat the enemies inyour life.
You declare, I declare I willwin the victory through the
(09:09):
power of Jesus Christ working inme.
Not a gamble.
It's not a gamble.
Today I'm going to talk aboutwhat I feel is extremely
important to our Christian faith, but maybe something that we
forget about, something that wedon't realize that we need, so
(09:33):
important in our lives.
I'm gonna talk a little bitabout grit and how grit is found
in the Bible.
Maybe not that exact word, butthe word is there in the word of
God.
Now, I enjoy working out, but Ican't stand running.
I do cardio because I wannalive right.
(09:55):
I hate it.
You can tell people who runthough yeah, they have runner's
face.
It's the same to a lot of otherfaces you may know about in
this world, but they do theyhave runner's face?
They don't smile when they'rerunning.
I've never seen them.
And then they run so long andso hard that that face is what
(10:18):
you see every day.
You don't have to say do yourun Like you're a runner, aren't
you?
I can tell by your face.
Next time someone tells youthey run, you're gonna find out.
Well, yeah, I can tell.
Pastor Robbie was absolutelyright.
Running's hard, especially whenyou have to run uphill.
Now it's proven that people whoare trying to break their
(10:42):
records whether it's a marathon,they're marathon runners,
they're long distance runners.
They will go to a course,whether it's a marathon here in
Chicago, one in Detroit, one inBoston, wherever they're going,
and they're gonna find a coursethat is less hilly than other
courses because they wanna breaktheir record, because they even
(11:02):
understand that I'm not goingto be my best or break my record
running uphill.
No one likes to go uphill, andthis is a picture of a problem
most of us have in our lives.
We live in an uphill world, butwe also just want a downhill
life.
(11:23):
So let me ask you what's onereally good thing in your life
that hasn't required you to gouphill to get to it?
What's one really good thing inyour life that hasn't been hard
to do.
That degree you went afterthose long nights of studying.
I've been married 25 years.
(11:44):
Pastor Chuck and Pastor Ursh injust a few weeks on February
27th, am I right are going tocelebrate another anniversary.
I think they're on 40 now 40thanniversary, just kidding.
But you know that anything worthit, anything, it's uphill, it's
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uphill, and sometimes we thinkin our lives, man, I'm living
for God, it's gonna be adownhill, I'm living for God,
everything's gonna be perfectand right and everything's gonna
be okay.
And that's not the case.
Having a newborn is that easy,priscilla, parenting, toddlers,
(12:32):
teenagers, college kids I meanit doesn't get easy.
But here's the question I asktoday, when life gets hard, how
easy is it for you to give up?
I ask today, when life getshard, how easy is it for you to
give up?
Almost one year ago to this day,we were here in Chicago and got
(12:54):
some horrible news and it madeus want to give up.
But that news didn't cause usto give up.
Let me just pause here.
You may think it, but you don'thave to do it.
I'm just being reality.
You may think it.
You may think, man, I'm justgonna throw in the towel.
It didn't cause us to give up.
(13:15):
It was discouraging andheartbreaking and we had a lot
of questions, but we didn't giveup.
And let me say this Just becauseyou change your pace, don't
give up.
See, if you know anything aboutrunning and I don't like to run
, but I have run and there'stimes when you're running where
maybe you have a quicker pacethan you do before, maybe you're
(13:37):
clipping at a higher rate ofspeed than you were previously.
You're still running, you'rejust at a different pace.
Don't stop, I know, maybeyou're just at a different pace.
Don't stop.
I know, maybe you gotta slowdown a little bit.
I know, man, the pace of lifeis causing you to maybe take a
step back a little bit, butdon't stop.
We get stuck when we stop.
Keep going, keep moving.
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You're not stuck unless youstop.
You're not stuck unless youstop.
How many times you could look inyour life the times you quit
piano lessons at 12, how goodwould you be today.
(14:20):
Classes you've dropped, Thoughtabout getting your passport to
travel the world but just nevertook the time to do it.
How many times have you startedout like a rocket but flamed
out and not finished, as I said.
John Maxwell said this mostpeople have uphill hopes but
downhill habits.
We're encouraged all throughoutscripture to persevere.
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The mindset of perseverance anddetermination has coined these
days, these this day, as grit.
Perseverance is a good word,but I like grit.
We're just going to talk aboutgrit today.
Perseverance and grit, they'rethe same.
I'm going to about grit.
Some of us need to get somegrit in our gut.
I always say this and we let mejust put this into your
(15:10):
vocabulary it's Super BowlSunday.
I'm gonna talk a little aboutfootball At the University of
Michigan, where I had theprivilege of being able to be on
staff and work with thefootball team as the director of
character development, and thisis my 10th season with the team
and one of the things I'velearned over the years is that
we don't talk about losing thegame, we talk about keys to
(15:30):
victory.
What we don't say is if wefumble the ball, we'll lose the
game.
We say the key to victory isball control.
So our language is so importantto how we communicate, and so I
will say this and throw this upthere.
I think we got the word grit uphere.
Let's throw the grit up there.
(15:50):
So we have grit, but here's whatthe center of grit is, or the
center of this word.
You can't have grit withoutthis word right here, this
integrity.
You see, grit is integrity,that is what it is.
Gr.
Grit is integrity, that is whatit is.
(16:11):
Great is integrity, you knowintegrity is is.
I'm a man of my word.
Do you know how, how hard it isto be a person of your word?
You have to have grit, and thereason why a lot of us don't
speak about our visions or ourdreams is because we're afraid
that we'll have to fulfill them,that if I tell somebody in my
world, then they're gonna holdme accountable to it and I'll
actually have to follow throughwith it, and so I just keep it
to myself.
And so integrity is soimportant.
(16:32):
And so I don't say this to sayanything about me, but I say
this to tell you this reason.
I make my bed everywhere I go.
I sit in a hotel room.
Last night, got up this morning, made my bed.
I know my wife wouldn't have tomake it.
I know that someone who'semployed by the hotel later on
(16:53):
today will come in and do thatexact job for me, but I make my
bed every day at home.
I make my bed everywhere I go,because I believe circumstances
don't change yourresponsibilities.
A few weeks ago we were sitting,we were watching a football
game with my daughters and itwas a teaching moment.
Guess what?
If you live in my house everychance I get, I might teach
something to you, especially ifyou're 18-year-old girls at
(17:16):
college.
And we're watching a footballgame and they're playing, and it
is snowing.
They're in Buffalo and there issnow everywhere and they're
playing and it is snowing.
They're in Buffalo and there issnow everywhere and they're
playing the game of football.
And just because it's snowing,just because the climate's not
right, just because theenvironment's not perfect, just
because the scenario's not great, doesn't mean they stop doing
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their job.
And the same for us asfollowers of Christ.
Just because our circumstanceschange doesn't mean our
responsibilities do.
I'm just going to go here.
Over the holidays we weretalking about different things
and again you can have your ideaabout it.
You have to tip everywhere yougo.
(18:00):
Now, right, I'm tipping at the.
I'm like you just took my orderat McDonald's.
Oh, here's, they're going toask you a question, sir.
I'm like I know what you'regoing to ask.
I'm not what.
Where's this tip?
It's a $5 cheeseburger thatyou're pulling off.
It's cold, you know, but you'retipping.
Everywhere you go, everywhereyou go, you're tipping, you're
(18:21):
tipping, you're tipping.
And I understand you go, you'retipping, you're tipping, you're
tipping, and I understand yougo to a restaurant, you're gonna
be served and you're gonna tip.
Whether, whatever that tip is,you're gonna tip.
And so we're discussing like hey, do you always tip 20?
I said, yeah, I always tip 20,always tip 20.
They're like even if theservice is bad, you tip 20.
Yeah, I 20%, even if they'rehaving a bad day and they
(18:45):
treated you bad.
Yeah, I said because I'm notgoing to allow someone else's
bad day or someone else'scharacter to any way affect mine
.
And see, we live in a culturethat we allow, that we allow
someone else's problems, someoneelse's issues, someone else's
bad day to change who you are.
Don't allow it.
(19:08):
Say I declare I am a follower ofJesus Christ.
I declare I am salt and light.
I declare I'm going to be anagent of change.
Some of you are like oh man, Igot a tip again.
Do we have any servers in theroom?
Any waitresses and waiters?
Come on, give me amen.
So today's declaration is foryou.
Like every week, we give you adeclaration, we look at it
(19:29):
biblically and give you a chanceto commit at the end, not only
make this declaration, but atthe end we're gonna cement this
all right.
So this year this is gonna beour declaration.
I'm gonna say it right here andthen we're gonna do it at the
end.
This year, with God's help andthe power of the Holy Spirit, I
declare I will develop godlygrit.
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Most people give up when lifegets hard.
I'm, not most people.
If I commit, I don't quit.
Now I'm gonna preach for thenext few minutes.
I wish I could say I don'tstruggle with this declaration.
It's not true.
So many times I've wanted toquit.
(20:15):
I'm gonna be real.
In 25 years of ministry, therehave been a few times in
ministry that I wanted to quit,especially in 2016 and 2017 when
we started our church and wewere struggling financially.
The government had to assist usin food and insurance.
It was demoralizing.
It's hard.
(20:36):
We wanted to quit and someonesent us a check.
Someone had us come preach.
Someone cared enough to checkin on us.
See, god has you here becauseyou have no idea what hangs in
the balance of you learning notto give up.
You don't know what's on theother side of your ability to
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say, hey, I'm gonna keep goingafter this.
You don't know how many peopleneed you.
You might be the answer tosomeone else's prayer and if you
give up, you will never be thebe that for that person.
God has you here because youhave no idea what hangs in the
balance of you learning to havea grit.
Galatians 6 and 9 says let usnot be weary in doing good For
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the proper time.
We will reap a harvest if we donot give up.
I said this before but do notpull up in fear what you planted
in faith.
One man seemed to have the deckstacked against him in a lot of
ways, a stuttering politicalenthusiast with a lisp, and not
to mention an unforeseenaccident that was about to
(21:43):
happen on a very normal day,this man was struck down by a
car, mangled, crippled andknocking on death's door.
Some had written him off, bornwith a speech impediment, born
with everything stacked againsthim.
And then, on a normal day, youget hit by a car, mangled,
(22:07):
crippled and knocking on death'sdoor.
But this man, it's told that heknew he had a calling far
greater than his currentsituation.
This man understood that.
I know this situation is notperfect, but I have a
responsibility that's on theinside of me.
I've got this grit in my gutthat's not going to keep me in
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the hospital and, thank God, sirWinston Churchill got out of
the hospital.
Can you imagine the landscapeof our world if he decided to
give up?
Can you imagine what our worldwould look like today if Sir
Winston Churchill said I wasborn with problems, I faced
major problems.
He didn't give up.
Sir Winston Churchill, whereare you?
(22:49):
Where is that grid inside ofyou to get you down the road to
where you need to be?
God has given us so much onthis topic and science has
finally caught up to this ideaof grit.
Angela Duckworth, studiedneurobiology at Harvard.
Now has a PhD Foremostresearchers on this, on the idea
(23:14):
of grit Shown scientifically.
Grit is the number one traitthat separates successful and
unsuccessful people, not IQ, notupbringing.
Aw, hey, where's my Bears?
Fans at your greatest runningback of all time, shout it out,
(23:37):
come on, walter Payton.
Walter Payton is known.
He's not the biggest, not thefastest and not the strongest.
You go look it up, he's quoted.
I'm not the biggest, I'm notthe fastest, I'm not the
strongest.
What made you one of the mostsuccessful running backs in the
history of NFL?
To where now there's awardsgiving out by your name, the
Walter Payton man of the Year?
What makes you great?
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He says I wanted it more thanthey did.
You know what that's called?
That's called perseverance.
You know what we call that in2025?
That's called grit.
I know my kids are not inchurch yet, but they coming.
I've been coming to church bymyself for a long time, but
they're coming.
(24:18):
That's grit.
That's grit.
Angela Duckworth said that it'sgrit.
What if I told you?
Scripture says something similarabout grit.
The Bible says in James 2, inverse 2, now, this is the
brother of Jesus.
He says consider it pure joy,my brothers and sisters,
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whenever you face trials of manykind, I mean, james is walking
through the tough times of lifeand he's just shouting and
jumping for joy.
James is just doing his thing.
When I face a trial, man, thelast thing I do is man, I want
to be excited about it.
But James says, hey, when youface trials of many kinds, he's
(25:05):
joyful through this.
Verse 3 goes on because you knowthat the testing of your faith,
you push through hard things,the testing of your faith, what
it does?
It produces perseverance.
It goes on to say letperseverance finish its work so
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that you may be mature andcomplete, not lacking anything.
That grit, that grit that Iwake up with every day, that
grit that I go to work withevery day, that grit that I
drive in traffic with every day,that grit that I have to be
around people that are negativeand they're opposing to
(25:54):
everything that we have, thatgrit that I'm not giving up
people that are negative andthey're opposing to everything
that we have.
That grit that I'm not givingup and that I'm going through it
, it's working in me, it'smaking me mature, it's making me
complete, so that I lacknothing.
Why is grit so important?
Because some of us are still inthe elementary stage of our
maturity.
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You've been dodging all thetough sayings, you've been
dodging the testing of yourtrials, but God said no, I got
to put you through this becauseI need you to have that
perseverance, because you ain'tget on the other side.
You're going to graduate with aPhD, in fact, in the greek
(26:44):
words for mature and completeand implied, gradual process to
finish its work.
People aren't born with grit.
You must develop it.
Sure, upbringing impacts grit.
I grew up in the 80s.
Not everybody got a trophy whenwe played sports.
(27:09):
I think, culturally, we may bedeveloping a lack of grit.
Unfortunately, it seems likeeveryone wins and no one gets
corrected when something is donewrong.
When the world world hits, it'sgoing to hit harder and you
can't be out there like Ithought everyone got a trophy.
I showed up.
So how can we develop moreperseverance in a world that
(27:31):
says it should be easy?
Let me give you three pointsand I'm gonna get out of your
way Principles for developingperseverance.
Number one is set your mindset.
Set your mind.
Everything worthwhile in lifeis uphill.
Consider it pure joy, mybrothers and sisters, when you
face trials of many kinds.
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Consider it as a Greek wordthat has to do with our thinking
, our mind, our mindset.
What's our mindset going to be?
What are we gonna do?
It doesn't say if things happen, it's when things happen.
Whenever you face trials ofmany kinds, it's gonna happen.
So I gotta have the mindset I'mgonna go through this, I'm
(28:12):
gonna get through this.
I'm gonna have the grit to beable to finish what's ahead of
me.
Life is going to happen.
It's gonna be uphill and thislife is broken.
It's simple the world's nevergonna be easy.
Jesus told us this in thisworld in John 16, 33, you will
have trouble, but take heart.
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I've overcome the world With me.
You can overcome anything hesays.
But this world will never beeasy.
It will always be uphill.
The problem for us is we seekease through others, but ease in
life is only found when weovercome the world.
When I say ease, I mean thisway Living in Houston, we
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understand this.
We used to live in Houston andwe understand the concept.
In this world, we have trouble,but take heart and overcome the
world.
So in Houston we would go tochurch and we had like 87
services on Sunday, waking upbefore Jesus, even up on Sunday,
and they're all day Familymembers.
(29:21):
In Houston.
They have season tickets to theTexans.
Can you come to the footballgame?
No, I'll be in church becauseJesus loves me and I love him.
But you would always be thereIn our church.
You'd see, on Sunday, especiallyif the texans so happen to be
playing the cowboys, they'd be.
They'd be divided, they'd bedallas fans and houston fans,
(29:43):
but on any given sunday when thetexans are playing and my son
was born on february 25th 2011.
He's he's born on good, he'sborn on texans day, so he is a
huge texas fan, texans fan.
And even though cj stroudplayed for the howell buck guys,
he is a huge Texas fan, texansfan.
And even though CJ Stroudplayed for the Ohio Buckeyes,
he's a fan of CJ Stroud.
No, don't clap, anyways.
(30:03):
And but on any given Sunday, anygiven Sunday, you know, all of
us, we wanna go home and watchthe game because we would record
it.
Right.
We either get there by thethird quarter, maybe the fourth
quarter, we would wanna watchthe entire game, but always,
pastor Chuck, someone would tellus about a play oh man, they're
watching in church.
They would tell us about a playthat happened.
(30:28):
They'd say, oh man, the Texansare down 25 to nothing.
And by the end they're like,hey, the Texans came back, it's
32-25 and all this stuff, andyou would go home, but you still
wanted to watch the game.
Still want to watch it, don't?
You know when I sit and watchthat game and they told me that
the final score was 32-24?
You know when they fumble inthe first quarter and they just
(30:54):
run it back for a touchdown?
I'm not nervous at all.
You know, in halftime, whenthey're down by two touchdowns,
they're just.
How come we live our lives in somuch fear and trepidation when
he says, hey, I've overcome theworld, I've got this.
(31:16):
And we sit back and we're sonervous each and every day.
I don't know what tomorrowholds, but I do know who holds
my tomorrow, and that is mySavior, jesus Christ.
You got to have that mindset.
Number two surround yourselfwith a no-quit team.
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I mean, it is the best time tosign up for a team, to be a part
of a team.
We're doing groups right now.
If you don't find a group, I'mtelling you life is hard when
you try to do it alone, but lifeis a lot easier when you have
people around you who aretelling you not to quit.
Perseverance comes when youhave people around you who are
telling you not to quit.
Perseverance comes when youhave people around you as
(31:59):
witnesses to what can happen ifyou do push through.
Let me give you some tips onbuilding a great team.
People who know you you'veheard me do this people who know
you and people who know you.
People who know you and peoplewho tell you no, that's not good
for you.
People with a message.
You want to build a great team.
Get someone with a message.
(32:23):
They've been through mess andit's aged People who've been
through something.
Give me somebody who is a tourguide, not a travel agent.
A travel agent tells you whereto go.
A tour guide takes you wherethey've been.
Come on, build your team.
(32:45):
People with a testimony, someonewho's been tested.
People with scars, someone whohas been through it but they've
healed.
Some of you are around peoplewho've been cut but they've not
been healed and they're justbleeding all over you.
Find you somebody who has foundhealing healing in their life.
I've got scars, but this scarsdoesn't represent a time of
(33:06):
brokenness, no, the time ofblessing.
I made it through and so canyou.
You can do this.
Jesus inhabited in his life.
He didn't give up.
Some of you need to fire somefriends.
You think people on socialmedia know you definitively.
They don't know you.
You have people who talk to youbut have never done anything.
(33:30):
They're giving you advice basedon what they watched on TV the
night before, what they found insocial media people talking
about what they've done.
Get some guides in your life.
People who are still bleeding.
Get rid of those people.
Find some people in your livesthat have been healed.
(33:52):
I broke my finger when I was inhigh school.
I don't know if you've everbroken a finger or anything, but
I broke my finger when I was inhigh school.
I don't know if you ever brokena finger or anything, but I
broke it playing footballbecause I'm not very good.
People who get injured playingsports are the people who are
not good at it.
All of you like pullinghamstrings playing pickleball.
Sorry, but I broke my finger.
(34:19):
That hit too close to home, Iguess, and they did as they.
They went and I went to thedoctor and he set the finger
back.
And then what he did with thebroken finger he simply taped it
and put a splint and he tied itto the finger that wasn't
broken.
The only way I could thatfinger would get back to the
(34:42):
wholeness was connected tosomebody that was and said so.
If you're bleeding today, it'sbecause you've not connected
yourself with somebody who'swhole.
And I'm telling you, if youdon't get in a group, you'll
still be broken.
Why?
Because you're not connected tosomebody who's whole.
And guess what?
(35:03):
Yeah, once you get whole, otherthings are gonna fracture,
other things are gonna break,but you have to be connected to
something that's whole for it toheal.
I've gotta get in a group.
Pastor Matthew, jump up herereal quick.
How many pushups can you do,like right now?
(35:28):
Can you do 20?
Yeah, do 20.
All right, get down, yep, do 20.
All right, you can do 20, 20pushups.
Yep, right down, yep, do 20.
All right, you can do 20, 20pushups, yep, right now.
Yep.
One, two, three.
He said he can do 20.
Five, six, seven, eight, nine,10.
Let's go 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.
(35:54):
Stop right there.
Do one more, do 20.
20,.
Can you do five more?
All right, five more.
Go One, two, three, four, five.
Yeah, you can do five more.
Let's go five more.
Let's go One, two, three, four,five.
Give me five more.
Let's go One, two, three, four,five, five more.
(36:18):
Let's go one, two, three, four,five.
Give me five more.
Come on, keep going five.
One, two, come on five more.
Five more, five more.
You got it five more.
Let's go five, five.
One, two, three, two more, twomore.
You got it four.
One more, one more.
You got it one more.
Let's go, come on one more, onemore, one more, one more, one
more, one, you got it.
One more, let's go.
Come on, one more, one more,one more, one more, one more,
one more, you got it, let's go.
(36:39):
Yeah, who do you have in yourlife that, when you say you can
do 20, now give me five more.
Give me, no, give me five more,give me five more, give me five
more.
(36:59):
I'm telling you, that takessome grit and if you got the
wrong team with you, you'll quitat 20 when you can actually do
30 more.
Oh, don't make me preach on youand prove this.
The Bible says that there was aman who was sick and he was lame
(37:20):
and that he could not get towhere Jesus was on his own.
So he got four friends.
These four friends began tocarry him, one on each end, one
on each end.
They got to the house whereJesus was.
And the Bible says because thedoor of the house was open, it
was filled, because Jewishcustom says anytime my door is
open, anyone can come in and eatand sit with us.
(37:42):
And so it was packed.
Jesus is in there teaching.
They get to the door and theydon't give up just because they
couldn't get to Jesus throughthe front door, just because his
adversity was in front of them,they door just because his
adversity was in front of them.
They had some grit.
Four guys had some grit.
They said we're not giving upbecause we got a friend that
needs to be in touch with Jesus.
(38:03):
So they make their way to theroof and I don't know why
they're on the roof or what theythought, but they begin to lift
the roof.
Somebody needs some people inyour life that will simply raise
the roof for you.
Who's cheering you on, who'slifting you up?
Who's supporting you?
We don't give enough high fivesout.
(38:25):
We don't celebrate enough.
Let me tell you, your abilityto celebrate someone else
doesn't in any way take anythingaway from you.
Raise the roof for somebodyelse.
They took them to the roof andthey begin to remove the roof
part and they begin they gotsome rope.
I don't know where they gotrope from.
The Bible says they lowered theman down to Jesus and Jesus
(38:49):
healed the man.
He forgave him of his sins andhealed the man.
And he said this.
He said because of your faith.
He wasn't talking to the guy onthe stretcher, he was talking
to the four friends that broughthim there.
That day, I'm telling you,you're going to need some people
in your life that, when youcan't walk and you can't make it
, say I got you, we're going tochurch.
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I got you, we're going to getprayer.
I got you, we're going to getto Jesus.
Got you, we're going to get toJesus.
And it's going to be your faiththat's going to bring about
their healing.
The keys can come.
You know what the people saidthat day.
(39:33):
They said we've never seenanything like this before.
The people that were watchingJesus heal that man, lower him
down.
We've never seen anything likethis before.
And I'm ready.
I'm ready on Sundays for us towalk out of this place and be
like I've never seen anythinglike this before, I've never
experienced anything like thisbefore.
And that's gonna take a churchthat has grit.
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In Exodus, chapter 17, theitesare in a fierce battle with
their arch, arch enemies, theamalekites.
Moses is a leader on a hill.
Nexus 17 says as long as mosesheld his staff above his head,
the army was winning.
Dropped his, they would beginto lose.
Have you ever held somethingheavy above your head for a long
(40:21):
period of time?
I mean just in your hands?
It gets heavy really fast.
It also gets to a place whereit's ultimately impossible.
And even those around Mosesunderstood that he could not
hold his hands up on his own byhimself.
Let me just just be real andhonest.
(40:42):
Whether it's the men in theroom with the ladies in the room
, that man, you're locked in,you have it all together.
There's gonna come a time inyour life that, yeah, as
important as it is for you tohold your hands up and to win
the battles, that your hands aregoing to fall, you're gonna get
tired.
It's going to happen, and ifyou're not in the right place
(41:07):
and you're not around the rightpeople, they'll just let you
drop your hands and lose thebattle.
I hold my hands up for my18-year-old daughters at college
, but I'm telling you what thesehands I'm their dad these hands
(41:31):
get heavy and I need to come toChicago with my wife and son
and I get to preach, but I needto be around Pastor Chuck and
Urs to just hold up our handsBecause they get heavy.
Why?
Because it's life it just getheavy.
Why?
Because it's life, it just getsheavy.
(41:52):
And if I'm not in the rightgroup, if I'm not around the
right people, don't just let medrop my hands and those that I
have my hands up for are gonnalose the battle.
So they came to Moses and theycome here, moses, I'm gonna get
(42:17):
to do this this afternoon.
Come on, robbie, I'll watchsome football.
Come sit down on the couch andjust rest for a minute and don't
worry about your hands beingheld up, because Aaron and her,
we said, we said we got this,and so they went around Moses
and they understood that Mosesphysically cannot do it, but we
(42:38):
can do it for him.
Robbie, what do you need me topray with you about?
What do you need me to partnerwith in your life?
How can I hold up your hand?
What can I do for you?
I'm telling you church, I'velost.
I've seen too many battles lostbecause I didn't have the right
(43:00):
people around me to hold myhands up when they got heavy.
I'm sorry, we're related.
One of the most beautifulpictures of perseverance.
(43:25):
You want to quit, got peopleholding you up Marriage,
finances, kids, job, faith.
Sometimes you wanna walk away,but you need a no-quit team.
You need to make sure to sayno-quit team.
These have to be godly people,otherwise they'll tell you to
quit when you shouldn't.
You gotta have a godly no-quitteam when you're in the dark
(43:51):
valley, david, even though youwalk through, you're not gonna
fear Paul, when you feel shamefrom your past, your mistakes
don't disqualify you.
Let me see.
You need people to remind youof that, joseph.
I know they betrayed you.
What Satan intended for evil,god used for good.
You need people to remind you.
Remind you of the word of God.
Remind you of the word of God.
(44:11):
Remind you of the scripturesthat he's put in your heart.
Do you have a no-quit teamaround you?
If you don't, you will not beable to persevere.
But there's one more importantprinciple, maybe the most
important Acts 20 and 24,.
But my life is worth nothing tome unless I use it for
finishing the work assigned meby the Lord Jesus, the work of
telling the good news about thewonderful grace of God.
(44:34):
Shipwrecked, betrayed byfriends, sick, bit by a snake,
talk about grit.
That's the apostle Paul In 2Timothy 4, right before he dies,
I fought the good fight.
I finished the race.
Paul finished his race.
(44:54):
You haven't finished yours.
So how do we do it?
How do we finish this race?
We run for something biggerthan us.
I run for something bigger thanme.
I know you're ready to quit.
You're out.
But if you find somethingbigger than you, run for
something bigger than you.
(45:14):
Life has to be lived forsomething bigger than you.
Set our mindset uphill,surround yourself with a no-quit
team and run for somethingbigger than you.
I'll tell you, this place,right here, free church, is
bigger than you.
That which we're a part of isgreater than the part we play,
pastor Chuck, it's bigger thanme.
(45:40):
The researchers that I talkedabout.
They begin to do a study foralmost 80 years following people
who are just young men, now 80years old.
Some of the people they lookedafter and researched, that were
in this group, became presidents, became business leaders, and
some flamed out in terrible ways.
(46:00):
And you know what they did.
There was a test, the same testI did to Matthew.
They put him on a treadmill andthey told him to run.
Some ran for a minute and ahalf, some ran for three minutes
, some ran for four, some ranfor over five minutes.
And because they continued tohave grit and persevere the
longest, those people, thefive-minute people, were the
(46:22):
ones who became the worldleaders, were the ones who
became the business leaders,were the ones who became people
of impact.
I'm telling you, grit has theability to change your world and
our world around us.
I've got to have a mindset, Igot to have the right team
around me and I have to go aftersomething bigger than myself.
(46:46):
Start living for somethingthat's bigger than you.
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
He endured the cross.
The Bible says in Hebrews heendured the cross for the joy
(47:06):
that was set before him.
The joy is not the cross.
For the joy that was set beforehim.
The joy is not the cross.
The joy no, the joy was you andI was here today.
This is the joy of Jesus Christ.
How can you go throughsomething like the cross?
It's because of you sitting onthe third row, it's because of
(47:27):
you who made their way to churchon Sunday.
How can you go through thehorrible crucifixion of the
cross?
And because the joy that wasset before him.
It was something bigger thanhim the salvation for humanity.
So bow your heads all over thisroom today.
If you've never given your lifeto Christ and you wanna say yes
to Jesus this morning for thefirst time or maybe it's the
(47:48):
first time in a long time Maybeyou've given up in some areas,
maybe you've stopped, maybe yourhands have become heavy and
you're ready to lean into thethings of God.
Maybe you're just ready to sayyes to him for the first time.
When I count to three, justraise your hand and we'll pray a
prayer together.
One, two, three hands up.
(48:11):
Thank you for the hand.
Thank you for the hand.
Thank you for the hand.
Thank you for the hand.
Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,amen.
Go ahead, pull those hands backdown now, all over this room.
Say this prayer with me, repeatit after me, say it out loud.
Heavenly Father, I realizetoday that I'm a sinner and I
(48:31):
need a savior.
Jesus, forgive me of my sins.
Jesus, I repent of my sins andI turn to you.
Today I confess with my mouthand I believe in my heart that
Jesus Christ is Lord and Godraised him from the dead.
Today I say yes to Jesus ChristIn Jesus' name, amen, amen,
(48:59):
amen.
Come on, stand to your feet andclap your hands today.
So here's what I wanna do.
It's on the screen and we'regoing to say this loud and we're
going to say this proud, andwe're going to say this together
.
You ready, you're not ready.
(49:21):
You got to say it like apreacher.
You ready From your gut, ready,ready.
This year, in the power of theHoly Spirit, I declare I will
develop godly grit.
Most people give up when lifegets hard.
(49:41):
I'm not most people.
If I commit, I don't quit.
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