Pentecost Sunday // Pastor Robby Emery // June 8th, 2025

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Church, like I don't even know why I'm up here, like,
can we just have the choir justsing for the next 30 minutes?
Wow, man, I can't wait forheaven.
Right, all of us together doingthat forever.

(00:26):
Man, I don't have to go to worktomorrow, right?
No school, man, come on.
That's my idea of heaven.
I don't have to punch a clock.
I don't have to punch a clock,I don't have to set an alarm,
I'm just there.

(00:48):
Man, what an incredible day thatwe get to just be in church
today, on this beautifulPentecost Sunday.
Pentecost, it wasn't the birthof a religion, it was the
ignition of a revolution.
So the Spirit didn't fall so wecould sit.

(01:12):
He fell so we could stand,speak and serve.
And so the Holy Spirit powerwithin you.
He didn't give that to you toimpress people, he gave it to us
to impact them.
Same spirit that raised Jesusfrom the dead didn't come to be

(01:34):
your roommate, he came to beyour resurrection.
So we know that today, day ofPentecost, that the Holy Spirit
fell and tongues was theevidence, but transformation was
the point.
So if I could tell the 120 thatbegan the revival that day,

(02:03):
your weight wasn't wastedbecause we're here today.
That began the revival that day.
Your weight wasn't wastedBecause we're here today,
because 120 chose to stick itout for those 10 days.
500 saw him but 120 says, no,we're in this, we're locked in.
And what they began toexperience would something be
amazing is that the Holy Spiritfell.

(02:24):
And you gotta get this.
I didn't see this until earlierin this week that they began to
hear their own language and thelanguage began to match the
listener.
And sometimes we glaze over thefact that they could hear what
they were praying.
They could hear their languageto God.
And I would say this to youthat the language does match the

(02:47):
listener, that God speaks tothe housewife.
God speaks to the stay-at-homemom.
God speaks to the dad.
God speaks to the broken.
God speaks to the burden.
You gotta hear that If you'lllisten, he speaks to you where
you are.
He's gonna speak to yourlanguage.
You're not gonna have to learnRobbie's language or Pastor

(03:09):
Chuck's language.
No, god speaks to you, hespeaks to you.
And I think from the beginningof time, the enemy has always
wanted us to listen to adifferent voice.
So on this Pentecost Sunday, Iwant to encourage you to listen

(03:32):
to the right voice, because thatvoice.
That voice is everything.
Inspire your heads in thismoment, just bow your heads in
this moment.
On this glorious PentecostSunday, 50 days after the awful

(03:58):
strain of Calvary and thebeautiful revelation of your
resurrection, we're here today.
We just want to lean into yourspirit.
God, you walk.
God, you walk with Adam and Evein the cool of the day, and God

(04:19):
in the Old Testament, that wasyou.
And then Jesus.
Jesus, he walked for over 30years, made impact, changed
lives, but as God didn't walkwithout him in even the cool of
day anymore, told him to go, befruitful and multiply.
And Jesus told his disciplesI've got to go too.
I want you to go, be fruitfuland multiply, and with the help

(04:41):
of the Holy Spirit.
Over a few thousand years we'vebeen fruitful, we've been
trying to multiply it, but aslong as there's breath in our
lungs, your breath in our lungs,then you're not done with us,
that we have more to reach andmore to see.

(05:03):
Follow you, jesus.
And so we have a responsibilityand opportunity that when we
leave the church, when we leavethe place of energy and
excitement and the place ofcommunity, that we go to other
places and we share our faith,tell others about you, the
resurrected savior in our lives,and that the same power that
raised you from the dead livesin all of us.

(05:24):
So, god, I pray for our churchtoday.
I pray for what you're going todo in this service.
Help me to preach what you'veput on my heart for today.
Help me preach it the way Ifeel it in this moment, because,
god, there's destiny, there'smiracles on the other side of
hearing you speak to us, andit's in Jesus' name.

(05:46):
We pray Amen, Amen and God.
One more thing Help the DetroitTigers beat the Chicago Cubs.
In Jesus' name, amen, amen.

(06:11):
I was like I didn't get the ideauntil I went to the sound booth
and there's this big red cubshirt on in the sound booth.
Amen, hey, if you're notcareful, I'll preach till 1240,
you know, oh man.

(06:33):
Thank you, pastor Matthew.
I'm just gonna.
I'm gonna throw this in here.
I'm just going to talk a littlebit and we're going to take a
journey and again, I'm just aholler back preacher, so please
don't leave me up here alone.
As you do know, I get just ahollerback preacher, so please
don't leave me up here alone.
As you do know, I get to be thedirector of character
development for the Universityof Michigan and this is one of
the slides we have.
Over the past few years, we havebeen able to achieve some great

(06:55):
things.
When you win a nationalchampionship, you get four
trophies.
I didn't know that, but you getfour trophies.
And in those four trophies inthose time I've been with
Michigan I have seven rings.
Seven rings, three big 10championship rings a national
championship ring, collegefootball playoff ring, a Rose
Bowl ring and we just got theReliant Quest Bowl ring.

(07:15):
I don't even know why they givea ring for that, but they do so
.
Seven rings and honestly, Idon't even know why, why I get a
ring.
Like I don't know.
There's these men stepping onthat field, risking their bodies
and playing a game and goingout there getting injured, and I
get a ring.
I don't even know why, but alltogether, that was the national
championship I did take that.
They're on a podium.

(07:36):
I'm on the ground taking apicture of my boss right there
holding the trophy, and that'sBlake Corum, a great guy, mikey
Sanristill incredible men offaith in the NFL currently, but
outside the trophies and outsidethe rings.
This is what matters to me,this picture right here.

(07:59):
This is what matters most, andthis right here in the
background.
This is December of 2021.
And that's in the Gulf ofMexico or America, whatever you
want to call it, I don't know.
I don't know anymore.
So that's in Miami, we're inthe Gulf there, and that was

(08:20):
earlier in the day.
That night we went and playedour first college football
playoff game ever and we playedGeorgia and we got the brakes
beat off of us.
We lost bad.
We literally were leaving thegame on a bus and it turns you
know, it was Happy New Year,like it was New Year's Eve.
We played the game and we'reliterally on a bus watching
fireworks go off as we enter inthe new year.
It was sad after we lost thegame.

(08:47):
This was earlier in the day.
We lost the game, but heavenwon, heaven won, and so we have
this thing where we want topopulate heaven and plunder hell
.
Right, that's our goal and it'swhat we want to do.
And so, over my time at theUniversity of Michigan, I've
shared a lot of stories with ourfootball program.
I've shared a lot of storiesthrough recruiting.

(09:08):
I've shared a lot of storiesjust through my experiences
there.
And so what I did is I wrote abook.
This book is not for people whojust like sports.
This book is for everybody.
It's a story of belonging andthe book is entitled Pick Me,
because I believe we live in apick me culture.

(09:29):
We do Because you watchtelevision shows and you hope
the chair turns around so youcan be selected to be on that
person's team, so you can win asinging show.
You hope you get a rose at theend of the night.
Pick me Right, because here'swhat I believe.
I believe we're all theproverbial middle schooler

(09:49):
Walking through the lunchroomholding our tray, hoping someone
invites us to sit down withthem, to sit next with them.
We all have a longing to belongand so in this book it helps
you realize, helps you gothrough the path to feel like
one.
For you to value other people,you first have to value yourself
, so that's in here.
And then, when you startvaluing yourself, then you start

(10:11):
valuing other people.
Because, truly, how can I lovea God I've never seen and treat
the person next to me horribly,and so this navigates that.
It helps us through that, andthere's some amazing stories in
here of what my journey's beenat the University of Michigan,
and so you can grab these onyour way out today.
I believe they're $20, but pickthose up.
If you can't afford it, youjust take it.

(10:32):
I don't care, I just hope ithelps you.
Like, please buy it though.
I got kids in college and I'mtrying to Like I ain't kidding
bro.
Someone was like did you have aghost writer to write this book?
I said the Holy Ghost, yeah.
Like why'd you write a book?
Because I'm trying to pay thebills.

(10:55):
Can I read something from thebook real quick?
Go, this is in the book.
To the entire Colgrove family,and especially Chuck Colgrove
your wisdom and love haveenriched my life immeasurably,

(11:17):
chuck.
Your guidance is a beacon thatcontinues to light my way and
for this I'm eternally grateful.
Your support has been.
I can't even read it.
I need your glasses.
Your support has been acornerstone for my journey and I

(11:38):
cannot thank you enough.
I love you.

(11:59):
People are confused.
They're like he's your uncle.
I'm like, yep, he's my uncle.
True story.
I mean, we got the same dancemoves, y'all.
You see this.
Got the same dance moves, y'allyou see this.
Am I right, sean?
Am I on?
Come on, I love our pastor man.

(12:23):
You gonna help me preach.
No, you gonna buy my book.
Coach Jim Harbaugh and JJMcCarthy wrote the foreword for
the book.
If you buy it for anything, buyit for that.
Some incredible, incrediblewords they share.
I'm gonna ask you a question.
Anyone in this room have scars.
Anyone have scars.
You have scars, physical scars.
You have scars, emotional scars.
Throw those up there too.
Let me ask you a question what'sthe reason for your scars?

(12:45):
I think you had a slide forthat.
What's the reason?
What's the reason for your scar?
Here's what I know.
Every scar is a story.
Every scar is a story.
Even last night we're sittingand celebrating Evan and Eli's
graduation and they were talkingto my daughter Bree, who's here

(13:05):
with us today my daughter Breeand my son Silas and my wife
Danielle and they asked Breeshe's had surgery twice, one on
each knee and ACL surgery.
She tore those and so those ACLsurgeries they leave a scar on
that knee and she showed thosescars and those scars.

(13:27):
Bree is one of the toughestmost.
She's one of the strongestindividuals that I know, my
daughter Bree, and if you'veever had to go through something
like that, you understand theseverity of it.
You understand what you have tophysically walk through and go
through, and the scar is a signthat you have overcome a
specific circumstance.
That's what a scar is.
You do know that, right?

(13:48):
A scar is a sign that it didn'ttake me out, that I'm still
here today.
A scar is a sign that I stillam able to overcome, I'm still
able to do this, and here's why.
Let me just tell the churchhere today people connect more
to your scars than they do, moreto your scar stories than they
do your success stories, and toomany times we're giving our

(14:09):
success stories and people needto hear your scar story.
They need to know that aboutyou.
They need to know what youovercome, that it didn't take
you out.
Man, I made this mistake.
I messed up.
I went through this situation.
I have this scar in my life,but I'm here today.
I'm still a husband.
I I have this scar in my life,but I'm here today.
I'm still a husband, I'm stilla father, I'm still leading a
home.
I'm still the mom that I needto be.

(14:30):
I'm still the young person thatI need to be.
Next week, dads, next week isFather's Day and I celebrate you
and I honor you, dads.
Here's what we need to do.
We need to remove some of thoselayers of our life and we call
it ego, e-g-o, edging God out.
And we need to remove some ofthose layers in our life and
speak to our children and tellthem the scars we have Now.
Wait till they're mature enoughto be able to understand that

(14:52):
that was a mistake and you'renot given permission to do what
you did, but that this is what Iwent through and I overcome it
and this I'm a better man for it.
I know not to walk down thatpath and you shouldn't either.
We, I know not to walk downthat path, and you shouldn't
either.
We need to share more of thosestories.
Those stories get covered up.
Those stories get pushed away.
Those stories go somewhere else.
So here's what scars are.
You can throw that next slideup.

(15:13):
Stories change and restore souls.
Getting it we catching that?
Stories create authenticrelational souls.
Stories cultivate a resilientsoul.
You see it there.
Do you see scars?
So I'm asking you this what areyou?
What story are you not tellingbecause you think it
disqualifies you, when itactually may define your purpose

(15:37):
?
Stories care and restore souls.
Every relationship that we havein this life is built on
intimacy.
Every relationship, whetherit's spouse relationship,
whether it's co-workingrelationship, whether it's a
friendship.
It's all built on intimacy, itis Everything, because intimacy
is that deep thing that I'mwilling to reveal.

(15:58):
It's that deep thing that I'mwilling to share, that I'm
willing to show that here'swhere my brokenness is, here's
where my problem is, here'swhere my burden is.
It's that deep thing that I'mwilling to reveal.
And if I reveal that to my wife, if I reveal that to my friends
, if I reveal that to PastorChuck, then he knows where to
protect me at.
My wife knows where to protectme at.

(16:20):
My wife knows that words ofaffirmation is what I need.
She also understands that thecontrary of that, or the
antithesis of that, is someonein any way rejecting me.
It's like I'm defeated if Ifeel like you don't like me and
so she has to over like hey,you're good babe, all this stuff
because she's protecting me.
And the reason why we don't havestrong relationship is you've

(16:41):
not revealed that scar, thatpain or that wound in your life.
Strong relationship is you'venot revealed that scar, that
pain or that wound in your life.
And the reason why is you don'twant to look inside yourself.
Because you know yourselfbetter than anyone else.
I know where I'm at, I knowwhat I've done, I know what I've
been through.
I know all these things.
I know the story, and sointimacy is this we learned this
from our pastors back inHouston.

(17:02):
Intimacy is this, it's this.
It simply is this next slide no, maybe they missed it.
Intimacy is this, it's into me.
I see that's what it is.
That's what intimacy is.
I've got to look inside myself.
I've got to look into where Iam Before I can ever connect.
I've got to open up, and sotoday I'm going to challenge you

(17:26):
.
We have to open up, we have toreveal, we have to expose, we
have to open up, we have toshare.
Here's this.
I don't know if they have this,but we do this all the time
Hashtag gains, hashtag gains.
I work out the gym Hashtag gains.
Posing Instagram Hashtag gains.
I think that's the mostdiscouraging thing ever, because

(17:52):
you don't have gains withoutpains.
It should be hashtag pains,because no one ever got to the
size they are muscular withoutany pain.
No one ever got to the place ofsuccess without some pain.
Gains equals grief.
In my mind, pain equalspossibility.
So here's what we have to do asa people, as believers we have
to start showing our scars.
We have to start showing thethings in our lives that are

(18:16):
painful, that we've overcome, tobe able to see the revival that
we want to see beyond.
Why would I have to do that?
You remember the Bible, right?
There's a guy who followedJesus for years, who was there
at the time of his crucifixion,and the guys were like hey, hey,

(18:39):
tommy, hey, jesus is alive,he's resurrected.
Tommy was like I not, until Isee the scars and I touch them.
Have you ever thought of this?
That Jesus resurrected from thedead, that he could have been

(19:05):
made whole, but yet he still hadscars that were visible,
because people will believe thatthey may never read the Bible.
But, man, I've got some storiesto tell you about my
deliverance and what God hasdone in my life and where I've

(19:25):
come from and what I've gonethrough.
I'm telling you, quit hidingyour scars because on the other
side of you, exposing those andshowing those might be the place
where someone starts theirbelief.
So Psalms 139.
So Psalms 139.

(19:51):
For the next few minutes, I'mgoing to talk about the idea
when confidence becomescontamination.
The Bible says search me, god,know my heart, test me, know my
anxious thoughts, see if there'sany offensive way in me, know
my anxious thoughts, see ifthere's any offensive way in me

(20:16):
and lead me in the way.
Everlasting no-transcript.
I said it earlier that there'sthis ego thing that I believe
that we have to overcome and egois simply just edging God out.
Ego, I think ego keeps us fromtaking the next steps to be

(20:38):
water baptized.
I think ego keeps us fromtaking the steps to an altar.
I think ego keeps us fromturning away from sin and
turning towards Jesus Christ.
I think ego keeps us fromserving God with our whole heart
.
It's ego, it's that hubrismindset.

(21:01):
And so to not acknowledge sin inour lives is like to ignore a
life-threatening disease whenthe cure is available.
You've heard us talk about thisin church, and Pastor Chuck and
I have talked about this overthe past few months that sin.
Sin means to miss the mark.
I say it this way sin is anillegitimate way to fulfill a

(21:22):
legitimate need.
Right, you have a legitimateneed when you're lonely, that's
a legitimate need.
You fulfill it in anillegitimate way, in a wrong
relationship, that's sin.
You're depressed that's alegitimate need.
You fulfill it in anillegitimate way by going to the

(21:44):
bottle instead of the Bible.
Sin, you understand.
So that's what the enemy triesto trick us.
Sin means to miss my mark.
It means I go to another sourcethan my savior.
That's what it is.
So the attack of the enemy isalways trying to get us away

(22:05):
from God the Father.
He's always trying to get usaway from God the Father.
Sin is not just a problem.
It's often a pattern.
But here's the truth.
Jesus didn't just forgive you,he freed you Romans 6 and 11.
In the same way, countyourselves dead to sin, but
alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, do not let sin reignin your mortal body so that you

(22:32):
obey its evil desires.
Got to get this.
Apparently, sin's got a voice Toobey.
That means it's talking to me.
I have to respond.
Do not offer any part ofyourself to sin as an instrument
of wickedness, but rather offeryourselves to God as those who
have been brought from death tolife, and offer your part of
yourself to him as an instrumentof righteousness, for sin shall

(22:55):
no longer be your masterbecause you are not under the
law but under grace and remember, grace is not grease.
On the other side of this,freedom and empowerment in the
Holy Spirit to live out a lifein abundance and be effective in
all God has called us to be andto do so.

(23:16):
The plan of God is the plan ofthe enemy, is always gonna be
the opposite plan of God.
If God has a plan, the enemyhas a plan and ultimately, the
enemy what he wants to do is getyou away from God the Father.
That's what he wants to do isget you away from God the Father
.
That's what he wants to do.
So the reason why sin he wantsyou to sin is because sin
creates shame and shame keeps usaway from those.

(23:38):
I tell our kids all the timeyou know what the trick of the
enemy is Is to get those thatlove you the least to make them
think you love you the most andthose that love you the most
make them think you love you theleast.
That's the enemy's trick,because what he wants to do Is
he understands If I can keep youaway from God, that's good

(23:59):
enough.
If you're going to sin, fine,but I want you away from God.
I want you away from the father.
I did a lot of stupid thingswhen I was a teenager, a lot of
dumb stuff.
I never did dumb things aroundmy dad.
So what the enemy tries to dois get you away from God, the
father, get you away from him.

(24:21):
If I can pull you away, thenyou do dumb things.
But if you're close, if you'relocked in, if you're in church,
if you're in youth group, ifyou're in a group, if you're
close, if you're locked in, ifyou're in church, if you're in
youth group, if you're in agroup, if you're serving, if
you're connected, if you'repraying, you're reading your
Bible, you don't do dumb things,because it's not our mistakes
that keep us away from God.
It's our misconceptions.
That's our understanding of whohe is.

(24:44):
Maybe you think he's the coparound the corner waiting to
slap the cuffs on when you dosomething bad, haul you away to
prison.
That's not God.
Maybe your view of God was myview of God.
He was a great and powerful Oz.
That's what I thought God was.
That the only way he'll ever doanything for me is I got to do
something for him.
That's not God, that's amisconception.
Our misconceptions keep us awayfrom him.

(25:06):
And the enemy doesn't want us tobe close to God, because when
we're close to God, we hear thevoice of God and get direction
for our lives, and he doesn'twant us to move on.
He doesn't want us to goforward, he wants us to stop.
He wants us to cease.
He doesn't want us to go.
Even Jesus tells a story aboutthe sower and the seed in Mark 4
.
This is the farmerower and theseed.

(25:28):
In Mark 4, this is the farmersows the seed.
And as soon as they hear thisis the Bible.
Satan comes and takes away theword.
He doesn't take away the seed,he takes away the word.
I'm gonna take away the word.
I'm gonna take away the voiceof God.
I'm gonna take away God'sinfluence on your life.
I'm gonna take away all that.
You know what I'm gonna place.
I'm gonna take away the word.

(25:48):
I'm gonna take away the voiceof God.
I'm gonna take away God'sinfluence on your life.
I'm gonna take away all that.
You know what I'm gonna place.
I'm gonna place ego there.
You can be in church and stillnot be changed by the word, not
because the word isn't powerful,but because the soil is full of

(26:08):
ego.
David's prayer.
That's why David prays inPsalms 139, it's poetic and it's
necessary Search me, oh God,david's, like I got to be close
to you, god.
I need to be in conversationwith you.
I need to be next to you.
I need to be where you are,search me.

(26:30):
Oh God, someone asked not toolong ago and I'm going to just
throw this out there.
I kind of call him incognitoJesus.
I shared this with Pastor Chuckand I told it with a bunch of
guys who were trying to sharethe gospel in different areas
where you can't really just beopen and honest with the gospel

(26:51):
because of the sectors thatthey're in and so you have to do
it differently.
And they're like, oh, I justfeel frustrated, I can't do it
differently.
I said let me give you anexample.
In the word of God when Jesusresurrected, two guys on the
road to Emmaus go read it, it'sthere.
It's an amazing story.
On the road to Emmaus, jesusshows up.
I don't know if he just likeappeared or what, or just kind
of like snuck in.
It's after the resurrection.

(27:12):
Jesus shows up and the Biblesays that he hid his face from
them, like they didn't know itwas Jesus and he walked with
them and talked with them.
He walked the road with themincognito Jesus they didn't know
it was him walked the road withhim and they you know what they
did they invited Jesus to gosit down and eat with them.
And it was in the sitting andeating and the breaking of bread

(27:32):
that their hearts began to turnand they said this is Jesus and
he was gone.
You see, a lot of us we're going.
We're going to the gospel thewrong way.
We need to be a little bitincognito, jesus at work.
Sometimes we just need to walkthe road with some people and
eventually walk in the road longenough with them.
They'll invite us to come sitdown with them and as we sit
down with them and spend timewith them, then their eyes will

(27:52):
open up and say there'ssomething different about you.
What is that?
Well, let me tell you.
Thank you for asking.
Jesus Christ died for my sins.
I was a sinner, far from him,and he gave his life incognito
Jesus.
So I'm like that's good, goodstuff.
So that takes the pressure offright.

(28:12):
Come on, just walk with themdown the road, spend some time
with them, have some time withthem, because here's what I know
a few years ago we gonna say,oh, 20 years.

(28:34):
I was like I got enamored withher a little bit.
I was like, yeah, that's mygirl.
So, 20 years, our 20th weddinganniversary went to uh, went to
atlantis, the bahamas, and, uh,we wanted to go there, want to
try it out.
You, it was a big thing.
So we went there and it was allright.
I mean, it was great, weenjoyed it and we get there,
it's our 20th anniversary and Igot her a gift, as I should,

(28:57):
right, guys, I got her a giftand I had to plan it, though.
I get there, get ahead of time.
I just didn't trust it.
So I had it with me and so I gofind.
I said, hey, babe, I'm going togo over here and use the
restroom.
I went and found the conciergeand I said, hey, will you put
this in our room?
And I said I'll give you time,we'll go walk with the resort
before we go in there.
And finally he puts in the room, goes in the room, opens up the

(29:19):
door, she looks and they putthe gift and she is losing her
mind.
What, what, what.
She didn't know what was.
She had no idea what it was.

(29:39):
It was just a light blue bag, alight blue box.
See, we need to package Jesuslike they do Tiffany's.
We need people to be like,because some of you, some of you

(30:04):
, they're not excited about thepackaging that you're giving.
They don't like Jesus the wayyou're packaging them.
It's not the content, it's whatwe're sharing, it's how we're
sharing it.
Let me end with this.

(30:25):
In Revelation, chapter two,verse 19.
It says I know your deeds.
Do we have this?
Yeah, I like to read it.
I know your deeds.
This is a church at Thyatira.
I know your deeds, your loveand faith, your service and
perseverance, and that you arenow doing more than you did at
first.

(30:45):
Nevertheless, I have thisagainst you.
You tolerate that woman,jezebel.
This is Jesus speaking to amessenger.
This is Jesus talking.
I know your deeds, talking tohis church.
I know everything that you'vedone.
You've done great things.
You've got love.
That's man.
Your faith is good.
You're strong, you persevere,you're growing.

(31:06):
In fact, now you're doingbetter than when you started.
It's about this one thing.
There's this one thing You'relistening to this voice.
Still, you're listening to thisfalse prophet.
You're listening to the voicethat's contaminating everything.

(31:28):
You're so confident in yourgrowth that you're allowing this
contamination to still be apart of it.
Let me exegete this for you,make you understand it.
I used to work out a whole lotmore than I do now, and I'd have

(31:51):
to take protein supplements.
I'd make protein shakes.
My kids were younger.
They loved the protein shakes.
I don't know if it's good forthem or not, but I would give
them protein shakes.
My 14-year-old son is biggerthan most 14-year-olds so it's
probably working.
But one day, as a father, Ineeded to teach them a lesson.

(32:12):
So I made them their proteinshake just the way they like it
the bananas in it, blueberries,strawberries, protein powder
make.
Make it with vanilla milk alittle sweet.
It's really good.
It tastes.
It tastes.
It doesn't taste like it's goodfor you, it tastes good.
So I gave him the shakes, allthree of them, and I said before

(32:34):
you drink that shake, let mejust tell you something.
You know the dog neighbor's dogthat likes to go to the
bathroom in our yard.
I just went out there and Ijust got a that likes to go to
the bathroom in our yard.
I just went out there and Ijust got a just a little bit of

(32:54):
her droppings and I put just alittle bit in those protein
shakes.
That's what Jesus did when helooked at the church.
He said you got all the goodingredients, but that one
ingredient is messing upeverything.
That one, that ego, that hubris, that confidence that leads to

(33:21):
contamination, that voice inyour life is messing up
everything else.
You know, it wasn't the icebergthat sank the Titanic right, it
was three million substandardrivets.
They went cheap on building theTitanic to lower cost Three

(33:46):
million rivets, just a littlething.
The Bible says in Proverbs thatit's the little foxes that spoil
the vine.
What did Jesus say?
He said I am the vine.
So if the little things, whatare they chewing at?
They're chewing at yourrelationship with God.
Those little things that hubris, that pride, that ego, all the

(34:12):
things that keep you away fromGod that says I got this, I'm
good on my own, I don't need youGod, that begins to eat away at
your relationship with God.
And that's what the enemy wants.
He wants you away from God, theFather, he wants you separate
from him.
Thyatira was a church incontradiction, growing in works

(34:33):
but tolerating wickedness.
This is not a church in AsiaMinor.
No, this is a letter to ourgeneration, because we're living
in Thyatira, days where graceis misused, truth is optional
and Jezebel is tolerated.
So Jezebel's being tolerated.

(34:54):
I'm closing with this Jezebel'sbeing tolerated in the church.
Sean, why don't you come?
Yeah, make everyone feel better.
So Jezebel, thyatira, book ofRevelation.
Probably the first time you'vehad someone preach in Revelation
Book of Revelation.
Now we gotta go back to Jezebel, thyatira, book of Revelation.
Probably the first time you'vehad someone preach in Revelation
Book of Revelation.
Now we gotta go back to Jezebelin the Old Testament.
So it's Jezebel and Elijah.

(35:15):
You have to understand this.
Jezebel and Elijah.
So there's this competition thathappens.
So there's 450 prophets of Baal, which Jezebel leads she's over
them and then one prophet ofGod.
His name is Elijah.
So to have this competition,what they're going to do is

(35:35):
they're going to call down firefrom heaven that's going to
consume sacrifice.
And so, whichever side, fireconsumes sacrifice.
That is the true God.
Elijah is so confident he'sgoing to let them go first.
So the 450 prophets of Baalbegin to pray.
Nothing's happening.
They begin to cut themselves.
Nothing's happening.

(35:56):
Most pastors are probably alittle too sarcastic.
So was Elijah.
He was like maybe your God'ssleeping, maybe he's on vacation
.
They give up.
Now it's Elijah's turn.
It hasn't rained for threeyears Yet Elijah digs trenches

(36:19):
all around the sacrifice, hasthem fill the trenches with
water and then begins to prayFor fire to come down from
heaven and consume the sacrificeand lap up all the water.
And that's exactly whathappened.
Fire falls, consumes, sacrificelaps up all the water.

(36:40):
450 prophets of Baal begin torun.
They destroy them, they killthem.
Elijah has this incrediblevictory, amazing victory.
Jezebel hears of the news.
She writes a letter.
I wish I had my Bible, physicalBible, up here.
Give me a Bible, my God man.

(37:04):
How come this is so much biggerthan my Bible?
There's like four of them inhere.
It's heavy too.
You use this to beat people up,don't you?
But she writes a letter andElijah reads it.

(37:27):
I'm gonna chase you, I'm gonnacome after you, I'm gonna
destroy you, I'm gonna kill you.
And Elijah, he goes.
He goes, finds a tree and hesays this.

(37:52):
He says I'm not fit for thisworld.
Take me out.
I'm the only one living for God, I'm the only one doing
anything right.
I'm the only one.
Take me out.
I just don't want to be hereanymore.
One moment he's caught fire downfrom heaven.
The next he listens to thewrong voice and he's depressed,
living under a juniper tree.
Don't tell me who you listen todoesn't matter.

(38:21):
And you know what?
Put Elijah underneath a tree.
His ego, his hubris, put himunderneath a tree Because he
thought the results was allabout him.
He's underneath that tree andGod comes and knocks on the door

(38:45):
.
Elijah, wake up.
Wake up, elijah.
I've made you some food.
There's literally a cakewaiting for him there.
He falls back asleep, elijah,you gotta get up.
Man, I've got something for youto do.
I need you to wake up.
You ever heard of HALT, h-a-l-t.

(39:06):
Never make a decision hungry,angry, lonely or tired.
Don't you see that in Elijah?
Hungry, god made him food.
Angry, 100% lonely, yeah, tired, yes, he was sleeping.
Probably most of our mistakes,our decisions, bad decisions,
have come when we've been hungry, angry, lonely, tired.

(39:28):
Why don't you just halt for aminute?
Why don't you listen to thevoice of God?
Now you get this.
I say this all the time.
This is my sermon.
I had a three minute sermon,but you guys would be like, well
, I ain't even gonna buy hisbook.
He only preached three minutes.
Elijah, I need to get up.
Elijah finally gets up and he'sjust on a journey for 40 days,

(39:51):
pastor Chuck.
40 days, pastor Chuck, 40 dayswalking for 40 days.
And God begins to speak to him.
But it wasn't in the earthquake, it wasn't in the wind, it
wasn't a whisper.
And he says Elijah, I need youto go back.
I need you to go back what Ijust got here.

(40:16):
I need you to go back Becausewhen you go back, you're gonna
find a young man.
His name's gonna be Elisha.
It was in his journey back.
It was when he I'm gonna goback, go back on your assignment
.
Go back where I've called you,go back.
And it was on his way back thathe found a young man named
Elisha.
Go back where I've called you,go back.
And it was on his way back thathe found a young man named
Elisha.
Elisha would be his protege.
Elisha would end up doing twiceas many miracles as Elijah did.

(40:40):
Let me just say this to everyonein this room On the other side
of you, listening to the voiceof God.
On the other side of you,getting over your ego is more
miracles than you've everexperienced.
Twice as many in your life ismore miracles than you've ever
experienced twice as many inyour life.
On the other side of me,getting over that, my family can
get baptized.
On the other side of me, I tellpeople they said one of the

(41:02):
reasons why'd you write a book?
I said one of the reasons why Iwrote a book is that I believe
my daughter, ava, will write 100books and some of you, some of
you are that.
Hinge on that big door, thatsmall hinge on that big door,
that if you step into that waterof baptism then maybe a hundred
people will follow you.
But I first have to get overthat, elijah.

(41:25):
You have to get over that.
You have to get out of thisjuniper tree and you have to go
and hear the voice of God.
Quit listening to Jezebel, quitlistening to her voice.
Listen to my voice.
Let me speak to you because Ispeak hope and life and strength

(41:46):
and power.
You know, the mark of the enemyis not three numbers.
That's not the mark of theenemy.
No, the mark of the enemy is aquestion mark.
He wants you to question thevoice of God.
He wants you to question hisauthority in your life.
He wants you to questioneverything he's spoken over you.
He got Adam and Eve to questionthe word of God in the garden

(42:07):
and if he can get you toquestion what God has said to
you, he can get you to questionyour whole existence and get you
separated from the creator.
Why did God put a tree in thegarden and say you can't eat of
this one tree.
Could it be that he wanted youto choose the father and not the
fruit?
No dumb things when I'm withthe Father.

(42:31):
But you know the other thing Ididn't do dumb things when I was
with my dad, but I also neverpaid for anything when I was

(42:53):
with my dad.
See, he has everything you need, guys.
Everything you're looking foras a teenager, it's in him.
Everything you're trying tofind as a father, those
resources are in him.
Everything you're trying to doas a mom, those resources are in
him.
You won't do dumb things, buthe has all the dollars too.
He has the destiny.
He has everything that you need.
He's a good, big father.

(43:18):
You know what the answer isCloseness is the cure.
Don't forget it.
Closeness is the cure.
Closeness is the cure.
Closeness is the cure.
Closeness is the cure.
I've shared this story before,but I'm gonna close with it.
There's a story that kind ofexplains the love of a father

(43:39):
that there's an earthquake inArmenia and this earthquake
killed a lot of people when ithappened, prior to the
earthquake, there was thisgentleman who was taking his son
to school.
Just a little guy Dropped himoff at school.
As he's driving away from theschool.
He looked in the rear viewmirror and began to see the
building sway back and forth,knew a earthquake was happening.
He turned the car around andmade his way back to the school

(44:02):
and began to look for his sonunderneath the rubble.
That had already happened.
He began to tear away thebricks and the rubble.
Hours went by.
The emergency workers are theretelling him to leave.
No, he's there.
He's determined to find his son.
24 hours go by.
His hands are bloody.
He's exhausted.
There's a gate, there's a,there's a gap that he seems.

(44:24):
He calls for more help to comeremove the stone.
As he removed the stone there'slike it went down into this area
, this open area where there's abunch of kids in there.
This little boy is pointing upand he's simply stating I told
you my dad would come.
He's a good, good father.
Guys, if that's what an earthlyfather would do for his son,

(44:49):
how much more would a heavenlyfather?
If we ask for an egg, does hegive us a?
A serpent?
Does he ask for bread?
Does he give us stone?
But he gives the Holy Spirit,liberally, to those who ask.
That's our God.
I'm not listening to Jezebelanymore.
My ego, my hubris, my pride.

(45:09):
Just you, god, hubris, my pride, just you, god.
There's a miracle on anotherside of me, listening to your
voice, if you would stand withme in this room.
All over this place, egobelieves it's the source of the

(45:45):
results.
Hubris isolates when thingsfall apart.
And can I say this?
Ego confuses assignment withidentity.
I had to get over that,thinking that my position is who

(46:10):
I am, that my assignment is whoI am, that my assignment is who
I am.
Because if that's who I am,then when that assignment is no
longer available or no longerthere, then I don't know who I
am.
God said it was never about anassignment, it was always about
the Almighty.
It was never about a stage.

(46:30):
It was always about a stage, itwas always about a savior.
Hubris says it's all on me.
Humility says it's all from him.
The juniper tree isn't the endof your calling.
It's where ego dies and purposebegins.

(46:51):
All over this room, just liftyour hands.
Some of you, you're trying toget over your ego right now.
Just to lift your hands.
I'm telling you it's there.
We don't do things.
We think it's like ah, it'sjust who I am.
No, no, that's ego, that'shubris, it's pride.
Come on, lift those hands up.
Lift those hands up.
It's a sign of surrender.

(47:14):
Put those hands up.
My kids, when they're little,they would lift their hands up
like this.
They wanted me to hold them,but, more importantly, they
wanted to be able to see what Icould see.
They wanted to be able to reachwhat I could reach.
And so, god, I want you to takeme in your arms.
I want to see what you see.
I want to be able to reach whatyou reach.
God, pull me close to you.
Jesus, come on, lift those handsup, begin to talk to him.
Begin to talk to him, god,remove those things.

(47:39):
Remove those unnecessaryingredients in my life, god,
that end up contaminating thewhole thing.
Remove that leaven, god, thathurts the whole loaf.
God, remove those things, god.
If there's any little foxes,let those go away, because I
don't want them to nibble at thevine.
God, because that is the sourceof my life, that is the source
of who I am, god.
God, don't let me live asubstandard life, but let me
fully go in to you, jesus.

(48:01):
Jesus, come on, god.
I need all of you today.
I need all of you today.
I need all of you.
Today, god, I pray for ourgreat church today, god, that on

(48:21):
the other side of this there ismiracles, more than we can ask
or imagine.
God, god that you would go withus each and every day to be
able to live out this life in away that we can make a
difference in the lives ofothers.
God, we can't do this withoutyou.
God, I pray right now thatyou'd be in us and that you'd
work through us to truly make animpact in this world and that,

(48:44):
when we listen to your voice,god, we truly, truly will live
out our calling In Jesus' name.