September 21, 2025 • 51 mins
When did opinion become truth? In a world where confusion reigns and moral relativism has become the default position, Pastor Michael delivers a bold wake-up call that challenges both the church and culture.
This message cuts through the noise of our information-saturated society to address a critical question: How do believers maintain clarity when everyone claims to have "their truth"? Drawing from Scripture and personal experience, Pastor Michael establishes that truth isn't subjective—it's embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.
"If it is not in line with the Word of God, it is not the truth," he declares, establishing a firm foundation for believers struggling to navigate an increasingly hostile cultural landscape. With references to Isaiah 5:20, he highlights how our society has flipped moral understanding upside down: "What sorrow for those who say evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark."
The message balances compassion with conviction, explaining how believers can love sinners without accepting sin. "We can embrace the sinner, but the idea is that when the sinner comes to the church, the sinner changes, not the church." This principle offers a refreshing alternative to both harsh judgment and moral compromise.
Pastor Michael doesn't shy away from addressing prosperity gospel teachings that promise wealth simply for proclaiming Jesus' name. Instead, he reminds listeners that true riches come from building treasures in heaven, not accumulating possessions on earth. With candor and occasional humor, he challenges believers to examine whether they're spiritually fit or merely focused on external appearances.
The message culminates in a powerful call to speak truth in love—not through argumentative tactics or condescension, but with genuine humility. Drawing from Acts 4:31, Pastor Michael encourages boldness in proclaiming Christ, reminding us that until the gospel reaches every corner of the world, Christ's return awaits.
Whether you're feeling confused by cultural shifts, uncertain about standing firm in your faith, or simply seeking clarity in chaotic times, this message offers biblical wisdom that transcends the noise of our age. Listen now and discover how to anchor your life on the unchanging truth of God's Word.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Be seated Now while the kids are leaving.
I wanted to share a couple ofthings, and I want to start with
this.
This morning when I woke up Isaw on my phone that there was
motion in the church, thatsomebody was in the church, and
I looked at the camera and I sawPastor Holly coming in the
(00:22):
building at like 6 am and I waslike that's not good.
So I sent her a text hey, whatare you doing up so early?
And she texted me back and shesaid Jane might have the baby
today.
Dave and I may not be there Now.
With everything that I couldmuster I tried to maintain
composure, because Pastor Rogerwasn't supposed to be here this
(00:47):
morning because he was at awedding this weekend.
Pastor Holly wasn't going to behere.
I didn't have a soundtechnician and Tina Newman,
who's normally running the cafe,was not going to be here and I
thought it's a one-man show.
So I got here at about 10minutes to seven and I started
making coffee and putting donutsout and getting all of the tech
(01:09):
stuff ready, because I was likeI'm not gonna have time to do
it all once everybody gets here,amen.
And then Pastor Holly sends mea text and says, hey, no, baby
yet we'll see you.
In a little bit Big sigh ofrelief, right, because you guys
understand, pastor Holly runsthe prayer room, I can't be
there, but I can't do it all.
So I was relieved.
(01:30):
And then I was back in the gymworking and here comes Pastor
Roger walking through the doorand I was like, oh, thank you
Jesus, thank you Jesus.
But I realized that I wasn'ttrusting God to do what God was
going to do.
Amen, right, that's easy to doand that was something simple.
But I realized it in thatmoment.
But the other thing that Iwanted to share was when Pastor
Holly told me she might not behere.
(01:51):
I was really disappointed andhere's why I learned a fun fact
yesterday and I felt like I hadto share it.
But I was only going to shareit if Pastor Holly was here.
You guys, ready Fun fact.
This is a fact about animals.
It's important.
So remember this.
Did you know that koi fish swimin groups of four?
Did you know that?
(02:12):
Here's the reason If they'reattacked koi?
A, I think I got it.
I think I got it.
She'll text me this evening andbe like that was a pretty good
(02:34):
joke.
I read that yesterday and Isaid I can only tell that if I'm
going to get to tell it infront of Pastor Holly Like that
was that was the mark for thatjoke.
That was a good one, wasn't it?
That was like that was prettyclever.
Anyhow, I felt like I needed tofollow up on last week's message
, mainly because I know thatthere was some confusion and
some frustration with lastweek's message.
(02:54):
For those of you who weren'there and maybe didn't hear it,
go back and listen to thepodcast.
This is going to enlighten youjust a little bit more.
But the title that I gave thismessage and this was not my
message for today All of the menwho are at my house on Thursday
night will attest that this isnot the message I'd planned to
preach.
The title for today's messageis the Truth in an Age of
Confusion Truth in an Age ofConfusion, and here's what I
(03:18):
want to highlight.
Can we agree as a church thatwe're living in a very confused
time, that the world doesn'tknow right from wrong and wrong
from right?
Amen.
So I was thinking about it andI was realizing that part of
what's happening to us is thatwe're starting to get
information in every angle ofour lives, right.
You wake up in the morning andyou grab your phone.
(03:38):
No matter what you open on yourphone, if it's social media or
a news app, you're getting news.
Right.
If something is coming at you,whether it's good, bad or
indifferent.
Those of us who followcelebrities online that is not
me, but some of us do they'regiving you their opinion all the
time.
Right.
If you follow politics, you'realways getting somebody's
opinion, good, bad orindifferent.
Amen.
(03:59):
Tv podcasts, it doesn't reallymatter what you're listening to,
everybody's got an opinion.
The trouble is, everyone claimsthat their opinion is the truth
, right?
So the more the world talks,the more confused the world
becomes.
Amen, and you see this everyday, where today this is
(04:19):
acceptable and tomorrow, ifsomebody else is doing it, it's
no longer acceptable, right?
And I just I think about thechurch as a whole and how
quickly we become confused.
And I want to tell you something.
I don't always know the exactanswer, right?
All I know is what the word ofGod says, and I believe that
this is the truth.
And so when I preach that, Ibelieve that that is the truth.
(04:41):
I'm not saying that I am alwaysright on everything that I say,
but if it is in the word of God, I believe that it is the truth
, because if this book iswritten by people who are
anointed through the Holy Spirit, then there is no reason for me
to doubt what I'm reading.
Amen, and so I want to.
Just, I want to elaborate onthat today, because I think
what's happened is we havebecome so confused about what is
(05:04):
acceptable and what's notacceptable that the church has
lost focus on what it means tojust be nice and be kind and be
polite to one another.
Amen, because we can't agreewith one another, and so we get
angry and then we start to sayhateful things to one another
Maybe not to one another, butabout one another.
Right, because sometimes we'renot brave enough to say it to
(05:24):
the person, but we'll say it tosomebody else, right?
So I want to start with thisJohn 8, 31 and 32.
It says Jesus said to thepeople who believed in him you
are truly my disciples If youremain faithful to my teachings,
and if you remain faithful tomy teachings and you will know
(05:47):
the truth and the truth will setyou free.
Now go back to that first slidefor me.
Jesus said to the people whobelieved in him, you are truly
my disciples.
If you remain faithful to myteachings, all right.
Here's the thing.
It's important to understandthat the truth is not just an
opinion, it's a person.
(06:10):
Jesus is the truth.
It doesn't matter what youthink.
If it is not the word of God,then it is not the truth.
Amen.
If it is not the word of God,then it is not the truth.
Amen.
If it is not the word of God,then it is not the truth.
And I think we have become soaccustomed to our opinion being
(06:31):
louder and being stronger.
Can I just tell you somethingthat I've learned over the years
?
Social media has this thingcalled an algorithm, right?
Do we know what algorithms are?
Do we understand algorithms?
Because I don't, but here'swhat I know If you watch clips
from CNN, fox, abc, it doesn'tmatter you will see more of
those things, right, and so ifyou tend to be tend to believe
(06:55):
one set of values and that's thevideos that you watch and the
things that you see you will seemore of that, and what you see
less of is conflicting opinion,right, and so then you live in
your truth, whether it is thetruth in the word of God or not
Amen.
And then you're convinced that,because it's all I see on
social media or it's all I hearin the news, that I have to be
(07:17):
right.
But let me tell you, if it isnot in line with the word of God
, it is not the truth.
Amen, it is not the truth.
Amen, it is not the truth.
We have to understand that thechurch cannot be lost.
Look, I was in a group textwith the podcast group and they
were talking about a topic thatthey want to cover and I said
this to them now is the time forthe church to be bold.
(07:39):
Right, we can no longer besheepish and sit on our hands
and pretend like, oh well, wecan just love the world.
We have to love the world,right, but we don't have to
accept the sins of the world.
Right, we can embrace thesinner, but the idea is that
when the sinner comes to thechurch, the sinner changes, not
the church.
The church cannot change forthe world.
(08:01):
The world has to becomeaccustomed to who Jesus Christ
truly is.
Amen.
Listen, I have never knownJesus to lie.
I've never known Jesus to liewhen Jesus speaks.
Listen, pastor Holly came up tome during worship and she
leaned in and she said she wastelling me about.
Can you just tell me again whatyou said?
It was specific Birth of thespirit of truth.
(08:23):
Okay, okay.
And then I turn my tablet toher and I have her.
Look at the title the Truth inan Age of Confusion.
Today is a day for us to be setfree in the truth of God, amen.
(08:43):
It is not a day for us to holdon to the world.
So if you're sitting there withyour arms crossed and you're
angry and you're like I'malready not listening to this
guy because I think he's gonnaget political, I promise you
this I'm not gonna get politicalon you, that's not what I do,
but I am going to encourage youto not be political and be
spiritual.
I am going to convince youtoday to let go of the flesh and
(09:05):
take a hold of your spirit.
Man Right, because that's whatwe should be living in.
Because when we live in theflesh, we only live for the
flesh.
And when we live for the flesh,we do stupid stuff, we treat
people poorly, we act ignorant,we don't really know who it is
or what it is to live in ChristJesus.
And today I want to set thechurch free from that.
(09:26):
Amen.
Today I want to set the churchfree from that.
Isaiah warned us in Isaiah 5.20.
What sorrow for those who sayevil is good and good is evil.
That dark is light and light isdark.
That bitter is sweet and sweetis evil.
(09:47):
That dark is light and light isdark.
That bitter is sweet and sweetis bitter.
Hear that again.
What sorrow for those who sayevil, good.
Evil is good and good is evil.
That's what we're seeing in theworld today, amen.
Now here's the thing.
We may not have all of theanswers, right, we may not have
it all figured out, but I'lltell you when the word of God
tells me that something is notacceptable in the world, then it
(10:09):
is not acceptable in the world.
Remind you today that the Biblesays whatever we allow on earth
will be allowed in heaven.
Right?
I don't want hate in heaven.
I want heaven to be the mostbeautiful place for each and
every one of you.
But I want heaven to be themost beautiful place for each
and every one of you, but I wantheaven to be beautiful for me,
amen.
Listen, we can no longer sit onour hands and hope that the
(10:35):
world finds Jesus.
We have to take Jesus to theworld.
It is the only way that theworld is going to understand who
Jesus truly, truly is.
So let me ask you, when we talkabout that passage of scripture
, what sorrow.
What sorrow for those who saythat evil is good and good is
evil, that dark is light andlight is dark, that bitter is
sweet and sweet is bitter.
(10:56):
Is that the world we're livingin today?
I almost tried to drink thatwith the cap on it.
I'd ended up spilling it allover myself.
Today, darkness is celebratedand righteousness is mocked, but
I have come to tell you todaythat God's word still stands
unchanged.
God's word still stands today,unchanged.
(11:23):
All right, kobe.
The world is confused becauseit has rejected God's truth.
Am I the only one with thatrevelation?
Right now, the world isconfused because it has rejected
(11:46):
God's truth.
We live in an age of moralrelativism.
Like we want to be related, wewant to be able to relate more
morally to one another, right?
So when we look at people's sin, we're like oh well, you know,
it's really not that bad.
Listen, we're all going to fallshort of the glory of God, amen
(12:07):
.
But do we have to accept it andbe okay with it.
And so what do we do as asociety that changes, that move?
We become more like Jesus.
The only way for us to takemorality into the world is to
become more like Jesus, becauseif we go into the world acting
(12:28):
like heathens, what's the worldgonna do?
Act like heathens even more,and I promise you this the world
can do it better than we can doit.
Amen.
We will never out love, the hatethat's in this world, but we
will try our best.
Right, because we have toremember that the enemy controls
the environment that we'reliving in today.
But darkness cannot drive outlight.
(12:50):
Darkness cannot.
If we are standing as a beaconfor Jesus Christ, any darkness
that comes against us cannotoverpower our light.
Amen, listen, I stand a beaconof light as often as humanly
possible, don't get me wrong.
Sometimes I put that lightunder a basket because I want to
(13:12):
say or I'm thinking some thingsright.
But when I realize that I amnot doing anybody any favors by
doing that, I have to lift thatbasket and I have to let that
light shine and I have to bewilling to stand on the truth of
God.
We say things like you've gotyour truth, I've got mine.
I don't have my truth.
(13:34):
I have God's truth.
I have the truth of God, whichis far more superior than any
truth that I can come up with.
Amen.
Listen, I can think a lot ofthings and I can pretend to be
right about a lot of things and,trust me, I'm really good at
that but if it is not groundedin the word, then I cannot call
it truth.
Amen, okay, if it is not, or ifit contradicts the word of God,
(14:02):
then it cannot be true.
If it contradicts the word ofGod, then it cannot be true.
If it contradicts the word ofGod, it cannot be true.
Romans 1.25,.
It says they traded the truthabout God for a lie, so they
worshiped and served the thingsGod created instead of the
creator himself, who is worthyof eternal praise.
(14:22):
Amen.
Leave that up there for just asecond.
I'm sure some of you have seenthis.
I love sometimes, when I get onsocial media, there's this
video that'll like really wreckyou on the inside.
And it was this lady and shewas sitting there and somebody
asked her if she was afraid ofthe devil and she takes a sip of
her drink and she goes hmm,tell me how you can be afraid of
the created, but not fear thecreator.
(14:49):
Whoa, whoa.
Right, you've got to remember.
Satan was an angel to God.
Right, he was created, he wasput into this position of power
and he chose to abuse that powerand when he did it, he was cast
out of heaven.
Power, and when he did it, hewas cast out of heaven.
(15:09):
We are afraid of the enemy, wefear what he might do in our
lives, but we have no reverencefor who God is.
Right, we want to fight thedevil, we want to chase the
devil, but we don't even knowwho God really is in our lives.
Can I tell you that if you gointo spiritual warfare
unprepared, you will not bevictorious.
Right, you go in thinking ohwell, I've got this handled
because you know what PastorHolly told me or I prayed about,
(15:30):
and I just know.
But you've never practicedreading your Bible or being in
relationship with Christ ever.
Right, and you think?
I'm just going to listen.
The devil's a lot stronger thanwe give him credit for unless
you are prepared through theword of God, through
relationship with Christ Jesus,amen.
(15:50):
See, the problem is is we alllike to think that we can handle
all of the things that come ourway, you can handle nothing.
You handle absolutely nothingon your own.
I can do all things throughChrist, who gives me strength.
I cannot do all things throughMichael, right?
I don't do all things through atitle.
(16:12):
I do all things through Christ,and that is the difference
maker.
See, we go to battle thinkingthat, well, I'm spiritually
prepared.
I've been.
I read a book, but you didn'tread the book, right.
I picked up a self-help bookover in the target book section
(16:35):
and it told me that if I justpray, I can do anything.
Let me tell you something youneed to be in relationship with
Jesus.
You need to understand the word.
The word needs to be etchedupon your heart, amen.
You need to be able to stand inthe truth of who God is before
you can do anything victorious.
Now God can overcome anythingin any situation.
(16:56):
And again we go back to thethief on the cross.
He's hanging there.
He enters into salvation.
He enters into paradise withJesus because he believed who
Jesus said he was, amen.
So I know that God can doanything, but he was willing to
believe.
Some of us are sitting in ourseats today not really sure who
(17:17):
Jesus actually is.
We know the story.
We understand that Jesus wasborn of a virgin and that, you
know, he had this life and thisministry and he did all of these
things and then they crucifiedhim.
And when they crucified him,they buried him.
And when they buried him, hecame back to life.
And after he came back to life,he ascended into heaven and now
he sits at the right hand andwe understand the story.
(17:39):
But we don't understand thatwithout him and that story that
we are nothing.
But we don't understand thatwithout him and that story that
we are nothing.
See, we can't humble ourselvesbefore him.
We want to stand tall above him.
We want to pretend like we knowwhat God is doing.
Can I tell you something thateven today, standing here, I
(17:59):
don't know what God's about todo in my life, but I know it's
gonna be great, I know it'sgonna be big, I know it's going
to be big, it's going to bebigger than anything I could
have ever imagined.
And God is going to do thatbecause I am in relationship
with him and I believe him.
For those things, amen, amen,okay, so in the world today, we
(18:21):
see people who are bowing downto careers.
We see people who are givinginto money and pleasure, into
politics, into identity, andthey give into anything but God,
amen.
See, we get into this mindsetwhere, well, I go to church on
Sunday, I go to Wednesday nightBible study, I go to men's group
(18:43):
, I help around the church, I dothings right and therefore I am
good.
I need nothing else.
However, you don't think aboutthe church outside of the times
that you are physically in it,right?
You don't think about Jesusoutside of the physical times
that you are.
Some people come here and theyhear me preach and if I read
(19:05):
scripture that I just made upand put them up on the screen,
you'd believe me, because you'venever read your word, you don't
know anything about the Bible,amen.
And we sit here and we pretendand we go.
You guys would go and tell yourfriends, right?
Oh, my pastor, read thispassage of scripture and it was
really.
It gave me something, but it'snot true.
(19:27):
Most of you wouldn't know.
There's probably a handful thatwould actually be able to say
Pastor Michael, I don't thinkyou got that right.
Maybe I'll do that to you oneSunday.
That'd be mean, wouldn't it?
That'd be mean.
My point is we get so wrapped upin our careers and in money and
in pleasure, and in ouridentities and in the things
around us, that we forget tofocus on God, who Jesus is and
(19:50):
what he's doing inside of ourlives.
Amen, because we become soobsessed with all of those other
things.
And the more that we getobsessed with those other things
, the more that we reject whoJesus is in our lives.
The more that we reject whoJesus is, the more confused we
become in the world.
And when we get confused in theworld, we start to treat people
poorly.
We treat ourselves poorly,right?
(20:11):
Many of us can't forgiveourselves for things that we've
done wrong.
Amen, hallelujah, thank youJesus.
Any of us ever feeling that way,we get down on ourselves
because we can't just let it go.
Let me tell you something.
Elsa said it best Let it go,let it go.
I'm telling you there is noreason to hold on to that
because Jesus has forgiven it.
So why can't you?
You drag yourself, dragyourself into these pits of
(20:35):
despair.
We pull ourselves into theseplaces where we can't get back
out.
Jesus has pulled us from themiry clay.
Jesus has formed us into who hehas called us to be.
He has not formed you into theflesh person that you are, but
the spiritual person that youare.
And so often we only focus, someof us go on diets because we
(20:59):
want to look better, right?
I tried that once and I didn'tlike it, so I gave up on it and
I'm like you know what.
You can either die healthy ordie happy.
I'm going with happy, right,mcdonald's Coke, baby.
It ain't good for you, but it'sgood.
Listen, lord, help me, oh Lordhelp me, oh Lord, help me.
(21:24):
The problem is, when we becomeobsessed with the way that our
bodies look, or the physicalappearance or the fleshly part
of our lives, we miss out on thespiritual part of our lives,
right?
So I don't know if you guysknow this, and maybe I'm telling
news that I ought not tell, butI learned a while ago that the
gym that's over in MacaulayDrive recently bought part of
this field.
(21:44):
That's right over here next tous, and I said, the minute they
build that new gym, you knowwhat I'm going to do.
I'm going to put up a billboardthat says but are you
spiritually fit?
And we're going to face itright at that building.
Because here's the thing youcan be physically fit all day
long, but I need to know thatyou're spiritually fit right.
Amen, listen, it's not a dig onpeople who like to go to the gym
(22:07):
.
Like, listen, blaze, you liketo go to the gym?
Right, buddy, good for you.
Here's the thing I said to mywife.
I said to her I said maybe Ican go to the gym with Blaze
sometime.
I said maybe I can get in shape.
And then I said no, I'm notgoing to do that.
I might say it, right, like Imight say it, but I'm not going
to actually do it.
Because, well, let's be honest,I eat three or four Little
(22:28):
Debbie snack cakes every evening, although I hear you can put
away a large pizza by yourself.
My wife told me that I was likethere ain't no way.
But it's apparently true.
Jeez, dude eats a large pizzaby himself, then just goes to
the gym and works it out.
I don't know, man.
Anyhow, sometimes we get soworked up on the physical that
we miss the spiritual.
(22:50):
2 Timothy, 4, 3 and 4, it says,for a time is coming when people
will no longer listen to soundand wholesome teaching.
They will follow their owndesires and will look for
teachers who will tell themwhatever their itching ears want
to hear.
They will reject the truth andchase after myths.
Amen, that is the world we'reliving in right Now.
(23:14):
Listen, I love a good conspiracytheory.
Right, it's fun, like, I'mstill convinced that Elvis is on
a UFO with Bigfoot.
Right Now, my grandpa fullybelieves in Bigfoot.
Like, has he ever gone to?
Like, look for Bigfoot?
Yes, she's shaking her head.
Yes, my grandpa has gone tohunt Bigfoot.
(23:35):
I'm not making fun of anybodythat believes in Bigfoot.
I wanna be clear.
But there is no proof thatBigfoot is real.
Right, we have proof that Jesusis real, but we ain't chasing
Jesus.
Right, we're out here lookingfor UFOs.
Listen, there will come a timeand I believe we are living in
it when people will desire achurch who will teach them the
(23:58):
prosperity gospel and tell themthat all they have to do is
proclaim the name of Jesus andthey will be millionaires.
Do you know who becomes amillionaire?
That pastor, right, that pastor.
Listen, if I ever get enoughmoney to get a private jet, you
should all leave this church.
Okay, seriously, like, justbail on me if I ever get a
private jet, because that'scrazy, right?
(24:21):
In what world?
In what world Do you thinkJesus?
I mean, they didn't have jetsback then.
But do you think Jesus wouldhave had a private jet?
No, he would have been spendingthat money to feed the hungry.
He would have been spendingthat money to take care of the
poor, the widows.
Amen, amen.
Listen, I'm not saying there'sanything wrong with having money
.
I'm saying there's a problemwith the love of money.
(24:42):
And when you start to see thatin the church that there's a
love of money, and then we havethat money, money, money, money,
money.
Mr Krabs style, you know what Imean Scrooge McDuck swimming in
the piles of gold.
We have a problem in the church, but the problem is nobody's
willing to fight it.
Amen.
Those people who go to thosemega churches that have millions
(25:02):
and millions of dollars andthey just sit on these stacks of
cash, they don't ever askquestions.
They believe that someday allof that will be theirs Right?
Can I promise you something?
It ain't gonna be.
It ain't gonna be theprosperity gospel.
You cannot get rich justbecause you think you're going
(25:22):
to get rich.
See, I am rich in the spirit.
I am not building up thingshere on earth.
I remember Pastor Florence usedto say all the time I'm rich,
I'm very rich, and I used to.
She drove a Lincoln Town car.
For those of you who know me, Ilove Lincoln Town cars, like
the old school big, great bigones.
She drove that car for yearsand I loved it and I thought she
was really rich rich, like youknow what I mean.
(25:48):
And one day she said to me it'snot about money, it's about my
spiritual being.
And I thought, well, dang itRight.
I was so excited and then, whenI finally grew up enough and I
matured enough in Christ, Irealized that it's not about the
money, that it's not abouthaving things.
It's not about it's more aboutwhere am I at spiritually and am
(26:11):
I gaining riches in heaven?
Am I building up treasure inheaven?
Amen, how many of us arepreparing to build up treasure
in heaven?
How many of us are activelybuilding up treasure in heaven?
I am doing that right now.
In the mighty name of Jesus.
I will give everything I've gotin this world because I know
that everything that I need isin heaven.
Amen, everything that I need isin heaven.
(26:35):
All right, that time that wejust referred to is not coming.
It is already here.
We're walking in those times.
We are walking in times whenpeople will search for people
who will just tell them whatthey want to hear and not what
they need to hear.
We will chase after myths andwe will not chase after truth.
In an age of shifting opinions,god's word has got to be your
(26:57):
anchor.
Amen, god's word has got to beyour anchor.
Amen, god's word has got to beyour anchor.
Psalms 119, 105.
It says your word is a lamp toguide my feet and a light for my
path.
When the world is dark andconfusing, we have to use the
word to light the way.
Amen, the word to light.
(27:19):
I don't mean set your Bible onfire and hope that it.
What I'm saying to you is thatyou have to read it and
understand it, that you have toallow your heart to be prepared
to absorb whatever it is thatGod might give to you, because
there are times that I just sayyou know what?
I have a devotion that I do athome, but I'm not gonna open it
today because I'm at work.
I'm just gonna grab my Bibleand I'm just gonna grab a
scripture and I'm gonna read onit, I'm gonna meditate on it and
(27:41):
I'm gonna let God speak to meand every time he has come back
with something I've never onceread the word and not walked
away with something.
But so many of us, when we doread it, we check in the box to
say that we've done the thingright.
We're not looking forrevelation, we're not looking
for change, we're looking tojust say that we did All right.
(28:07):
Hebrews 13.8.
This is our bedrock, this isour foundation, right.
This is what four square standson.
Jesus Christ is the sameyesterday, today and forever.
Do you know what that means?
He's never changed and he'snever gonna.
If Jesus has never changed, whyshould the gospel change?
(28:27):
See, here's the problem.
My grandma makes really greatfish.
My grandpa loves to go outfishing.
How old's grandpa?
102?
I was kidding 82.
I heard what you said.
I was kidding 82, and this manwill go floating down the Ohio
River in a belly boat to catchfish.
And I am not kidding you.
(28:47):
It used to be that he wouldtake his electric bike, drop it
off, chain it to a tree, drivedown the road and float back to
the bike.
Then he'd leave his belly boat.
He'd ride the bike back to histruck and float back to the bike
.
Then he'd leave his belly boat,he'd ride the bike back to his
truck, put it in the bed of thetruck, drive back and pick up
his.
That's a lot of work to gofishing, right?
You know you can get fishsticks at Walmart, right?
(29:09):
I'm just saying they might notbe as good, but they're a whole
lot easier to catch Anyhow.
My grandma makes really greatfish, so my grandpa catches it,
brings it home and my grandmawill make fish.
Now the problem is she nevercalls me and tells me when she
makes fish.
They eat it all and then I justhave to hear about it later.
But when she does tell me and Iget to have fish fresh, it is
(29:30):
the best thing in the world tome, right?
There are a few things in theworld I like better than when my
grandma fries fish.
Now here's the thing.
Sometimes she won't tell me shemade fish right and she'll
bring it to me the next day.
Can I tell you that that fishthe next day isn't nearly as
good as that fish is when it'sfresh.
Here's the problem.
(29:51):
It's not that the fish isn'tgood, it's that sometimes we
just need a fresh batch, right.
So listen, it's not that thegospel isn't good, it's just
that sometimes we need a freshbatch, right.
This doesn't change the fishshe cooked was the same fish,
(30:12):
but when she ate it on the firstday, it was warm and it was
crispy and there was somethingabout it that just made you feel
good when you ate it.
Right?
How many of us, when we gotsaved, we were on fire for Jesus
.
Right, we were on fire forJesus and we just shouted and we
whooped and we did all thethings.
I show up to the church and I'mgoing to do this and I want to
(30:32):
just give everything to Jesusand about six months in, you're
like I might get there this week, I might be able to.
Oh, you know what?
I don't think I can.
Let me tell you something.
You need a fresh batch of theHoly Ghost.
Because I'm gonna tell yousomething Jesus didn't change.
I had somebody text me and theysaid I just feel like I'm out
(30:56):
of touch with God and I'm justnot.
I don't know who he is anymoreand I don't know what to do with
myself.
And my answer was this and it'sharsh, but my answer was this
Then you need to figure that out, because Jesus didn't change.
Jesus didn't change.
If he is the same yesterday,today and forever, jesus isn't
the problem.
You are the problem.
Your heart, your mind, whateverit may be, you need to focus on
(31:21):
that and figure that out,because once you figure that out
, that relationship with Jesuswill flourish.
My wife and I well, I, byassociation have to plant
flowers every spring.
Okay, I don't particularly careto garden, but my wife loves to
garden and she prints dahliasevery year.
And every year when she plantsthem, we always start them out
in these little tiny cups.
(31:42):
Okay, I mean just these littletiny cups.
And for anybody who's everdriven past the backside of my
house, these dahlias, the bushesare this big at this point,
right, huge, right, flowers ofevery color coming up.
We got to the point to wherethey were growing out into the
yard and we had to cut them off,right?
(32:03):
But see, when they were tiny,alyssa would always tell me you
have to deadhead them.
When that first bloom comes up,you have to cut that bloom off
so that it can continue to grownew blooms.
I thought that was the dumbestthing I ever heard.
Why would you cut off aperfectly good flower?
Can I tell you that when youcut off that first flower, it
gets bigger, and when you cutoff that next group of flowers,
it gets even bigger, to thepoint to where it takes over
your entire yard.
Right, I'm serious.
(32:26):
Sometimes, as Christians, wehave to know when to prune
things off.
Right, so that we can continueto grow and become greater.
Right, how many of us know thethings in our lives that we need
to prune off today?
Because, I'll tell you, god hasprobably already showed you
today, because that's what hedoes, and you're fighting him,
(32:46):
because if you prune it andsomething bigger grows,
accountability starts to takeover, and then you have to be
accountable to your peers andyour friends.
There are going to be somepeople that look at you and go
you're not doing that fun thinganymore.
Yep, you're right, I'm not, butyou know what I am doing Living
for Jesus.
I am living for Jesus and thereis nothing in this world that
(33:09):
will give me more joy thanliving for him.
Jesus doesn't change.
His word doesn't bend toculture.
The truth isn't up for a vote.
The truth is eternal becauseJesus is the truth Matthew 7, 24
and 25.
(33:29):
Anyone who listens to myteaching and follows is wise,
like a person who builds a houseon solid rock.
Though the rain comes intorrents and floodwaters rise,
the winds beat up against thathouse.
It won't collapse because it isbuilt on the bedrock.
Jesus Christ is the foundationof everything in your life.
(33:51):
I had somebody ask me the otherday do you really talk to your
wife about every decision thatyou make?
And I said, yep, I do.
I do, because the foundation ofour marriage is trust.
Right, and if trust is thefoundation, that means that
Jesus is the foundation, and wecannot do anything without
(34:13):
consulting one another andconsulting Christ.
Right, we have never made adecision haphazardly.
That's not entirely true.
It's not entirely true.
The last house that we bought,we opened the door and we went,
yep, this is the one.
And we both looked at eachother and said, yep, this is the
one.
We didn't pray about it, but weknew that God had called us to
that place.
Right, we had fought the HolySpirit.
(34:34):
Beth probably told us a hundredtimes to go look at that house.
She kept sending me the link.
I'm like Beth, no, she actuallysaid to me at one point come
off that moldy money and justbuy the house.
And I was like I am not movingto Jenatan, alyssa doesn't like
that, we're not doing it.
And then we walked into thehouse and my wife immediately
fell in love with it.
We knew that God had called usto that place, amen.
(34:57):
Now I tell you that because ifwe don't believe that Jesus is
the truth, if we don't build ourhouses on solid rock, we will
not be successful in life.
Right, the world willeventually wash away every bit
of Jesus that we have.
Right, some of you experiencethat on the regular.
(35:17):
You rebuild the house.
It's like living in a hurricanezone.
You know what I mean.
You rebuild the house just intime for the next hurricane to
come and knock it over.
Right?
We feel like, oh, I got it thistime, lord, jesus, I've got it
this time.
Lord, I am focused on you.
Lord, I am going to be at everymeeting.
I'm going to be it.
Lord, I just want you tocontinue to bless me.
(35:44):
And then the next thing, youknow you're at home on a Sunday
morning and you say you knowwhat the Chiefs play this
morning.
I could have said the Browns,but we all know where that's
going to go.
I was giving us a little bit ofhope, although I guess the
Chiefs haven't been much betterthis season anyway.
So I guess I should be carefulon how I do this.
Anyhow, we find a reason tostay at home in bed.
Right, you know what?
(36:04):
I'm a week behind on laundry.
I better just stay at home.
You know what?
I haven't been feeling realgood this week and you know I
might still have a bit of ascratchy throat, so I think I'm
just gonna.
No, I'm telling you, the enemywill work overtime to keep those
who are called to the house ofGod out of the house of God.
Amen, he will drag you herelate, but you will still get
(36:25):
here, amen.
Beth knows all about being late, but she still shows up.
She has to phone in her order,her coffee order.
She's like double espressotoday, baby, double espresso.
But listen, we have tounderstand that the enemy will
work overtime to keep you out ofthis place, out of this season
of life.
Whatever it is that he is doingfor you, the enemy, or that God
(36:47):
is doing for you, the enemywants to keep you away from it.
Anyone who will listen to myteaching and follows it is wise,
like a person who builds theirhouse on solid rock.
Can I encourage you today thatif your house is built on solid
rock, then you need to tellpeople what it is to stand firm
in Jesus Christ, amen.
When you're in Walmart.
(37:09):
You had that Facebook postyesterday about that person at
the gas station, didn't you?
Okay, so listen, lauren's inher car, kids are jamming out to
some Forrest Frank.
Some guy drives by, almost runsher over and tells her to burn
in hell.
He didn't like that.
There was no gasp when I saidthat.
(37:31):
Everybody's like oh yeah,that's the world.
Do you see what I'm saying?
We have become used to theworld treating us like that.
The only thing that you can dofor somebody like that is pray
for them, and I mean in thatmoment, like you ain't got to,
like hey, let me reach throughthe window and pray for you with
your hands around their neck,let me lay hands on you.
(37:52):
What I'm saying is that weshould be praying for them,
because the only thing that isgoing to change that hardened
heart is Jesus.
It's not your responsibility tochange their heart.
It is your responsibility topray for them and believe that
God can and will.
Amen, to believe that God canand will.
All right, the truth sets usfree.
(38:12):
I'm running really late, butwe're gonna get done with this,
okay.
Jesus said you will know thetruth and the truth will set you
free.
My question is free from what?
Free from literally everything,free from sin, free from
deception, free from fear, freefrom confusion, which is what
(38:34):
we're worried about today, right, being confused by the world.
What we're worried about today,right, being confused by the
world.
John 14, six.
It says Jesus told him I am theway, the truth and the life.
No one can come to the Fatherexcept through me.
What does that mean?
If you want to enter into thekingdom of heaven, the only way
(38:55):
to get there is through Christ,jesus.
Right, you don't get therethrough good works, you guys?
Hey, listen, I love all of youmen who show up here to help me
on Wednesday nights.
You know, poor Bobby I justwanna he and, honestly, poor
Andrew too.
Sometimes I don't know theskillset of the people around me
, but when I learn I got workfor you, right, I've got, yeah,
(39:21):
a little bit of abuse, maybe,maybe.
So I've got a project in thegym and I was like the only
person that's allowed to do thisjob besides me is Bobby,
because he's proven to me thathe understands the vision and
what I want and what I expect,and he does it almost better
than I do it.
Maybe even better, but I donwant to admit that right.
(39:41):
Thank you, jesus.
But here's the thing no one isgoing to come to the Father
except through Jesus.
That means that Bobby can comeand serve in the church every
day if he wants to right.
Bobby can be the best at all ofthe projects in this building,
but Bobby cannot enter into thekingdom of heaven of the
projects in this building.
But Bobby cannot enter into thekingdom of heaven unless he
believes in Jesus Christ, unlesshe forms a relationship with
(40:04):
Jesus Christ.
So if you are sitting here todayand you think, well, I showed
up at church and I've been goingto church most of my life, and
so I know that I can get intoheaven, let me tell you that if
you don't know Jesus, if youdon't know Jesus, you're gonna
get to heaven and you're gonnasay but Lord, I prayed for
people in your name, but, lord,I prophesied in your name, and
(40:26):
he is going to say depart fromme, for I never knew you.
Because you can use his nameright.
Many of us can use it in vain.
Many of us cannot use it intruth.
Jesus is the only one who canget you into heaven, not your
(40:47):
grandma, not your mom, not youruncle, not your sister.
Nobody can get you into heavenexcept for Jesus.
Your heart has got to beprepared and focused on Jesus.
The world said all paths leadto God, but that is confusion
and it's a lie from the pits ofhell.
Amen, not every you know there'sa stairway to heaven.
(41:10):
You remember that song?
It's a stairway, but there's ahighway to hell.
That highway probably three orfour lanes right.
There are a lot more people whowant to run that direction than
listen.
If I go to the airport and Ihave a choice between stairs and
an escalator, which one am Itaking All day, every day?
(41:32):
Right, and when I get up there,I'm going to do the thing like
they do on Elf, all the way upBecause I'm super mature, super
mature, and I don't embarrass mywife when we go out in public
ever.
And my point is is that if thereis truly a stairway to heaven
and that is how we are to enterin many of us are not going to
(41:53):
go because it's going to requirephysical work on our end.
Right, like if we can get tohell on the highway, we're just
riding our car, right, I ain'tgot to walk.
Listen, that is not what Godhas called us to.
Amen.
He has called us to repentanceof our sin.
He has called us to the truth,which is Jesus Christ.
(42:16):
The church has got to be boldand stand on that truth.
We can no longer look at theworld and say that the world is
acceptable.
We can no longer look at the.
Listen.
I'm not asking you to go fightwith the world.
I'm saying believe what youbelieve, stand firm on your
convictions and believe thatJesus Christ is your Lord and
Savior, and believe that everyperson that you encounter is
(42:39):
worthy of that same salvationand pray for them.
Tell them about Jesus, explainto them what it is to be in
relationship with Jesus Christ,amen.
Okay, Whew, those of you who arevisiting today yes, I am always
this long-winded, I apologize.
Where was I at?
What was that?
John 14, 6.
John 14, 6.
(43:00):
John 14, 6.
John 14, 6.
John 14,.
I don't know where I'm at.
Okay, there we are.
Okay, we're gonna go toEphesians 6, 14.
It says stand your ground,putting on the belt of truth and
the body armor of God'srighteousness.
The belt of truth.
You know, when we talk aboutGod's armor, many of you may not
know exactly what that is.
(43:21):
Maybe we'll do a series on thatat some point, who knows?
But when we talk about thearmor of God Holly did it on a
Wednesday night when we talkabout the armor of God, when we
talk about the belt of truth, wehave to understand that when we
strap that belt on, we onlylive for Jesus, right, and all
of our focus is on the truth andnot on the world, not on the
lies that we hear.
And our hearts should not beable to tell a lie.
(43:43):
Do you hear what I'm saying toyou?
That's a simple lie right Now.
Listen, we're not gonna getinto all the things, because I
know us parents have told somelies to our kids about some
things.
Like, you know what I'm talkingabout.
We got some kids in here, sowe're not gonna talk about it
specifically.
But you should not be able tolook at somebody and say, oh no,
(44:07):
it's okay when it's not okayRight.
When we were with the men'sgroup the other night, I said
that that was the one thing Iprobably needed to work on was
being more truthful, and all ofthe men kind of looked at me
like what?
I don't mean, like I'm lying toyou right now.
What I'm saying is that when Iam disappointed or frustrated, I
don't tell you that I'mdisappointed or frustrated.
Oftentimes I'm just like I'llget over it.
(44:30):
But sometimes we need to beable to say to somebody hey,
what you did really hurt me.
Your inability to take actionlike you committed to really is
harmful to my ministry.
Listen, I tell my tech team allthe time, if you are not moving
in the spirit in your ministry,I don't get to move in the
(44:50):
spirit in my ministry.
If my prayer music doesn't work, if the things that I have come
to expect don't work, then thataffects each and every one of
you sitting in this house.
That's not acceptable.
We operate in a spirit ofexcellence.
Amen, in all things, we shouldbe operating in a spirit of
excellence.
Okay, whoo, when Satan whispersyou are worthless, you need to
(45:17):
tell him that I am fearfully andwonderfully made.
And when the world tells you todo whatever feels good, you
need to tell them that the Biblesays that I should be as holy
as Jesus is.
And when I fear or I say youcan't make it or I can't make it
, I have to remind myself that Ican do all things through
(45:40):
Christ, who gives me strength,amen.
We must live and speak the truthboldly.
It is not enough to just knowthe truth.
It is not enough to understandwho Jesus is.
We have to stand and speak thetruth, amen.
We have to be willing to standand tell people what the truth
(46:03):
actually is.
Again, I'm not asking you toargue with the world, because
you won't win, but you need tobe willing to stand and proclaim
the truth of God, amen.
Ephesians 4.15, it says instead, we will speak the truth in
love, growing in every way morelike Christ, who is the head of
his body, the church.
(46:24):
Now leave that up there.
I will speak the truth in love.
I need to explain something toyou.
I cannot say, with all duerespect, and then say something
disrespectful.
That doesn't work like that.
When I speak the truth in love,I have to humble my heart.
Like that.
(46:44):
When I speak the truth in love,I have to humble my heart right
.
When I speak the truth in love,this isn't words that I'm
saying, this is heart posturethat I have right.
I have to be able to look atyou and I have to be able to say
hey, mike, I know that when youand I talked the other day.
We talked about this thing and,as I've prayed about it, I just
really want you to know thatthis is what God said to me
right, rather than looking atsomebody and saying hey, doug,
you know, you sent me that textthe other day and that was just
(47:05):
a really dumb thing for you tosay See the difference.
See the difference.
With all due respect, you don'tknow what you're talking about.
You know I love you, but you'rereally mean.
That's probably not how thatworks.
When I speak in love, I have tomake sure that my heart is in
(47:30):
posture to truly speak in love.
The world doesn't need moreopinions, it doesn't need more
spin.
It needs more truth spoken withlove and with fire.
Amen, because we should bewilling to say.
It needs more truth spoken withlove and with fire.
Amen, because we should bewilling to say that Jesus Christ
is King of Kings and Lord ofLords, that there is no one
(47:50):
higher, there is no name greaterthan the name of Jesus.
Amen, acts 4.31,.
And then we're gonna wrap upwith this.
After this prayer, the meetingplace shook and they were filled
with the Holy Spirit.
Then they preached the word ofGod with boldness, and that is
my call to you today to go intothe world and tell the world
(48:14):
about who Jesus is, boldly.
Go boldly where no man has gonebefore.
Amen.
Sid just sent me a link.
There's an organization who isworking to translate the Bible
into every language in the worldso that the gospel can be
preached anywhere.
Amen.
And can I tell you that weshould be excited about that,
(48:36):
because until the gospel ispreached at every corner of the
world, guess what?
Jesus won't return.
Because that's what the Bibletells us and I believe that that
is the truth, because it thegospel is preached at every
corner of the world.
Guess what?
Jesus won't return?
Because that's what the Bibletells us and I believe that that
is the truth, because it is theword of God.
7,000 languages not in printyet.
(48:57):
And we think, because we, youcan get.
How many versions of the Biblecan you get in the United States
?
You can get an NLT, you can getan ABC, like I don't even know
what most of them are anymore,right, but you cannot get it in
7,000 languages in this world.
Come Jesus, come, amen.
(49:19):
But until we are ready, he isnot going to return.
Until his bride is made clean.
He is not going to return.
Lord, I just pray right now that, as we move in this place, that
you continue to touch ourhearts and our lives, lord, that
you would allow us tounderstand the boldness in which
you want us to move, lord, lord, that you would just continue
(49:42):
to lead us and guide us anddirect our words, father, that
we may not argue, that we maynot sin against your word,
father, but that we will upliftand draw people to you with the
truth.
Father, I thank you for theanointing that rests on the
lives of the people in thisplace.
(50:04):
Father, when we come together,we know that you are present
with us and, father, I know thatyou are pouring in to each of
these people who are here today,man, woman and child alike,
lord, and I pray that, as theirhearts have prepared this word,
as they have absorbed it, thatthey're able to take it and
share it with the world, that,as their hearts have prepared
this word, as they have absorbedit, that they're able to take
(50:27):
it and share it with the world,allow crooked ways to be made
straight.
Today, lord, allow hearts thatare lost and broken to be given
a new lease on life.
Today, lord, allow there to begreat forgiveness in the house
and Lord, just continue to blessus beyond compare, father, we
(50:47):
know we're living in theoverflow.
We know we're living in theoverflow and we thank you for
that.
Father, guide our footstepsfrom this place.
Allow our lips to proclaim yourtruth.
Allow the confusion of theworld to be silenced at a single
(51:07):
mention of the name of Jesus.
Allow us to go into theworkplace and just say Jesus,
jesus.
And allow us to find favor withthose who are in positions of
power.
Lord, I thank you and I praiseyou.
I give you honor and glory inthe mighty name of Jesus.
Be seated Now while the kids are leaving.
I wanted to share a couple ofthings, and I want to start with
this.
This morning when I woke up Isaw on my phone that there was
motion in the church, thatsomebody was in the church, and
I looked at the camera and I sawPastor Holly coming in the
(00:22):
building at like 6 am and I waslike that's not good.
So I sent her a text hey, whatare you doing up so early?
And she texted me back and shesaid Jane might have the baby
today.
Dave and I may not be there Now.
With everything that I couldmuster I tried to maintain
composure, because Pastor Rogerwasn't supposed to be here this
(00:47):
morning because he was at awedding this weekend.
Pastor Holly wasn't going to behere.
I didn't have a soundtechnician and Tina Newman,
who's normally running the cafe,was not going to be here and I
thought it's a one-man show.
So I got here at about 10minutes to seven and I started
making coffee and putting donutsout and getting all of the tech
(01:09):
stuff ready, because I was likeI'm not gonna have time to do
it all once everybody gets here,amen.
And then Pastor Holly sends mea text and says, hey, no, baby
yet we'll see you.
In a little bit Big sigh ofrelief, right, because you guys
understand, pastor Holly runsthe prayer room, I can't be
there, but I can't do it all.
So I was relieved.
(01:30):
And then I was back in the gymworking and here comes Pastor
Roger walking through the doorand I was like, oh, thank you
Jesus, thank you Jesus.
But I realized that I wasn'ttrusting God to do what God was
going to do.
Amen, right, that's easy to doand that was something simple.
But I realized it in thatmoment.
But the other thing that Iwanted to share was when Pastor
Holly told me she might not behere.
(01:51):
I was really disappointed andhere's why I learned a fun fact
yesterday and I felt like I hadto share it.
But I was only going to shareit if Pastor Holly was here.
You guys, ready Fun fact.
This is a fact about animals.
It's important.
So remember this.
Did you know that koi fish swimin groups of four?
Did you know that?
(02:12):
Here's the reason If they'reattacked koi?
A, I think I got it.
I think I got it.
She'll text me this evening andbe like that was a pretty good
(02:34):
joke.
I read that yesterday and Isaid I can only tell that if I'm
going to get to tell it infront of Pastor Holly Like that
was that was the mark for thatjoke.
That was a good one, wasn't it?
That was like that was prettyclever.
Anyhow, I felt like I needed tofollow up on last week's message
, mainly because I know thatthere was some confusion and
some frustration with lastweek's message.
(02:54):
For those of you who weren'there and maybe didn't hear it,
go back and listen to thepodcast.
This is going to enlighten youjust a little bit more.
But the title that I gave thismessage and this was not my
message for today All of the menwho are at my house on Thursday
night will attest that this isnot the message I'd planned to
preach.
The title for today's messageis the Truth in an Age of
Confusion Truth in an Age ofConfusion, and here's what I
(03:18):
want to highlight.
Can we agree as a church thatwe're living in a very confused
time, that the world doesn'tknow right from wrong and wrong
from right?
Amen.
So I was thinking about it andI was realizing that part of
what's happening to us is thatwe're starting to get
information in every angle ofour lives, right.
You wake up in the morning andyou grab your phone.
(03:38):
No matter what you open on yourphone, if it's social media or
a news app, you're getting news.
Right.
If something is coming at you,whether it's good, bad or
indifferent.
Those of us who followcelebrities online that is not
me, but some of us do they'regiving you their opinion all the
time.
Right.
If you follow politics, you'realways getting somebody's
opinion, good, bad orindifferent.
Amen.
(03:59):
Tv podcasts, it doesn't reallymatter what you're listening to,
everybody's got an opinion.
The trouble is, everyone claimsthat their opinion is the truth
, right?
So the more the world talks,the more confused the world
becomes.
Amen, and you see this everyday, where today this is
(04:19):
acceptable and tomorrow, ifsomebody else is doing it, it's
no longer acceptable, right?
And I just I think about thechurch as a whole and how
quickly we become confused.
And I want to tell you something.
I don't always know the exactanswer, right?
All I know is what the word ofGod says, and I believe that
this is the truth.
And so when I preach that, Ibelieve that that is the truth.
(04:41):
I'm not saying that I am alwaysright on everything that I say,
but if it is in the word of God, I believe that it is the truth
, because if this book iswritten by people who are
anointed through the Holy Spirit, then there is no reason for me
to doubt what I'm reading.
Amen, and so I want to.
Just, I want to elaborate onthat today, because I think
what's happened is we havebecome so confused about what is
(05:04):
acceptable and what's notacceptable that the church has
lost focus on what it means tojust be nice and be kind and be
polite to one another.
Amen, because we can't agreewith one another, and so we get
angry and then we start to sayhateful things to one another
Maybe not to one another, butabout one another.
Right, because sometimes we'renot brave enough to say it to
(05:24):
the person, but we'll say it tosomebody else, right?
So I want to start with thisJohn 8, 31 and 32.
It says Jesus said to thepeople who believed in him you
are truly my disciples If youremain faithful to my teachings,
and if you remain faithful tomy teachings and you will know
(05:47):
the truth and the truth will setyou free.
Now go back to that first slidefor me.
Jesus said to the people whobelieved in him, you are truly
my disciples.
If you remain faithful to myteachings, all right.
Here's the thing.
It's important to understandthat the truth is not just an
opinion, it's a person.
(06:10):
Jesus is the truth.
It doesn't matter what youthink.
If it is not the word of God,then it is not the truth.
Amen.
If it is not the word of God,then it is not the truth.
Amen.
If it is not the word of God,then it is not the truth.
And I think we have become soaccustomed to our opinion being
(06:31):
louder and being stronger.
Can I just tell you somethingthat I've learned over the years
?
Social media has this thingcalled an algorithm, right?
Do we know what algorithms are?
Do we understand algorithms?
Because I don't, but here'swhat I know If you watch clips
from CNN, fox, abc, it doesn'tmatter you will see more of
those things, right, and so ifyou tend to be tend to believe
(06:55):
one set of values and that's thevideos that you watch and the
things that you see you will seemore of that, and what you see
less of is conflicting opinion,right, and so then you live in
your truth, whether it is thetruth in the word of God or not
Amen.
And then you're convinced that,because it's all I see on
social media or it's all I hearin the news, that I have to be
(07:17):
right.
But let me tell you, if it isnot in line with the word of God
, it is not the truth.
Amen, it is not the truth.
Amen, it is not the truth.
We have to understand that thechurch cannot be lost.
Look, I was in a group textwith the podcast group and they
were talking about a topic thatthey want to cover and I said
this to them now is the time forthe church to be bold.
(07:39):
Right, we can no longer besheepish and sit on our hands
and pretend like, oh well, wecan just love the world.
We have to love the world,right, but we don't have to
accept the sins of the world.
Right, we can embrace thesinner, but the idea is that
when the sinner comes to thechurch, the sinner changes, not
the church.
The church cannot change forthe world.
(08:01):
The world has to becomeaccustomed to who Jesus Christ
truly is.
Amen.
Listen, I have never knownJesus to lie.
I've never known Jesus to liewhen Jesus speaks.
Listen, pastor Holly came up tome during worship and she
leaned in and she said she wastelling me about.
Can you just tell me again whatyou said?
It was specific Birth of thespirit of truth.
(08:23):
Okay, okay.
And then I turn my tablet toher and I have her.
Look at the title the Truth inan Age of Confusion.
Today is a day for us to be setfree in the truth of God, amen.
(08:43):
It is not a day for us to holdon to the world.
So if you're sitting there withyour arms crossed and you're
angry and you're like I'malready not listening to this
guy because I think he's gonnaget political, I promise you
this I'm not gonna get politicalon you, that's not what I do,
but I am going to encourage youto not be political and be
spiritual.
I am going to convince youtoday to let go of the flesh and
(09:05):
take a hold of your spirit.
Man Right, because that's whatwe should be living in.
Because when we live in theflesh, we only live for the
flesh.
And when we live for the flesh,we do stupid stuff, we treat
people poorly, we act ignorant,we don't really know who it is
or what it is to live in ChristJesus.
And today I want to set thechurch free from that.
(09:26):
Amen.
Today I want to set the churchfree from that.
Isaiah warned us in Isaiah 5.20.
What sorrow for those who sayevil is good and good is evil.
That dark is light and light isdark.
That bitter is sweet and sweetis evil.
(09:47):
That dark is light and light isdark.
That bitter is sweet and sweetis bitter.
Hear that again.
What sorrow for those who sayevil, good.
Evil is good and good is evil.
That's what we're seeing in theworld today, amen.
Now here's the thing.
We may not have all of theanswers, right, we may not have
it all figured out, but I'lltell you when the word of God
tells me that something is notacceptable in the world, then it
(10:09):
is not acceptable in the world.
Remind you today that the Biblesays whatever we allow on earth
will be allowed in heaven.
Right?
I don't want hate in heaven.
I want heaven to be the mostbeautiful place for each and
every one of you.
But I want heaven to be themost beautiful place for each
and every one of you, but I wantheaven to be beautiful for me,
amen.
Listen, we can no longer sit onour hands and hope that the
(10:35):
world finds Jesus.
We have to take Jesus to theworld.
It is the only way that theworld is going to understand who
Jesus truly, truly is.
So let me ask you, when we talkabout that passage of scripture
, what sorrow.
What sorrow for those who saythat evil is good and good is
evil, that dark is light andlight is dark, that bitter is
sweet and sweet is bitter.
(10:56):
Is that the world we're livingin today?
I almost tried to drink thatwith the cap on it.
I'd ended up spilling it allover myself.
Today, darkness is celebratedand righteousness is mocked, but
I have come to tell you todaythat God's word still stands
unchanged.
God's word still stands today,unchanged.
(11:23):
All right, kobe.
The world is confused becauseit has rejected God's truth.
Am I the only one with thatrevelation?
Right now, the world isconfused because it has rejected
(11:46):
God's truth.
We live in an age of moralrelativism.
Like we want to be related, wewant to be able to relate more
morally to one another, right?
So when we look at people's sin, we're like oh well, you know,
it's really not that bad.
Listen, we're all going to fallshort of the glory of God, amen
(12:07):
.
But do we have to accept it andbe okay with it.
And so what do we do as asociety that changes, that move?
We become more like Jesus.
The only way for us to takemorality into the world is to
become more like Jesus, becauseif we go into the world acting
(12:28):
like heathens, what's the worldgonna do?
Act like heathens even more,and I promise you this the world
can do it better than we can doit.
Amen.
We will never out love, the hatethat's in this world, but we
will try our best.
Right, because we have toremember that the enemy controls
the environment that we'reliving in today.
But darkness cannot drive outlight.
(12:50):
Darkness cannot.
If we are standing as a beaconfor Jesus Christ, any darkness
that comes against us cannotoverpower our light.
Amen, listen, I stand a beaconof light as often as humanly
possible, don't get me wrong.
Sometimes I put that lightunder a basket because I want to
(13:12):
say or I'm thinking some thingsright.
But when I realize that I amnot doing anybody any favors by
doing that, I have to lift thatbasket and I have to let that
light shine and I have to bewilling to stand on the truth of
God.
We say things like you've gotyour truth, I've got mine.
I don't have my truth.
(13:34):
I have God's truth.
I have the truth of God, whichis far more superior than any
truth that I can come up with.
Amen.
Listen, I can think a lot ofthings and I can pretend to be
right about a lot of things and,trust me, I'm really good at
that but if it is not groundedin the word, then I cannot call
it truth.
Amen, okay, if it is not, or ifit contradicts the word of God,
(14:02):
then it cannot be true.
If it contradicts the word ofGod, then it cannot be true.
If it contradicts the word ofGod, it cannot be true.
Romans 1.25,.
It says they traded the truthabout God for a lie, so they
worshiped and served the thingsGod created instead of the
creator himself, who is worthyof eternal praise.
(14:22):
Amen.
Leave that up there for just asecond.
I'm sure some of you have seenthis.
I love sometimes, when I get onsocial media, there's this
video that'll like really wreckyou on the inside.
And it was this lady and shewas sitting there and somebody
asked her if she was afraid ofthe devil and she takes a sip of
her drink and she goes hmm,tell me how you can be afraid of
the created, but not fear thecreator.
(14:49):
Whoa, whoa.
Right, you've got to remember.
Satan was an angel to God.
Right, he was created, he wasput into this position of power
and he chose to abuse that powerand when he did it, he was cast
out of heaven.
Power, and when he did it, hewas cast out of heaven.
(15:09):
We are afraid of the enemy, wefear what he might do in our
lives, but we have no reverencefor who God is.
Right, we want to fight thedevil, we want to chase the
devil, but we don't even knowwho God really is in our lives.
Can I tell you that if you gointo spiritual warfare
unprepared, you will not bevictorious.
Right, you go in thinking ohwell, I've got this handled
because you know what PastorHolly told me or I prayed about,
(15:30):
and I just know.
But you've never practicedreading your Bible or being in
relationship with Christ ever.
Right, and you think?
I'm just going to listen.
The devil's a lot stronger thanwe give him credit for unless
you are prepared through theword of God, through
relationship with Christ Jesus,amen.
(15:50):
See, the problem is is we alllike to think that we can handle
all of the things that come ourway, you can handle nothing.
You handle absolutely nothingon your own.
I can do all things throughChrist, who gives me strength.
I cannot do all things throughMichael, right?
I don't do all things through atitle.
(16:12):
I do all things through Christ,and that is the difference
maker.
See, we go to battle thinkingthat, well, I'm spiritually
prepared.
I've been.
I read a book, but you didn'tread the book, right.
I picked up a self-help bookover in the target book section
(16:35):
and it told me that if I justpray, I can do anything.
Let me tell you something youneed to be in relationship with
Jesus.
You need to understand the word.
The word needs to be etchedupon your heart, amen.
You need to be able to stand inthe truth of who God is before
you can do anything victorious.
Now God can overcome anythingin any situation.
(16:56):
And again we go back to thethief on the cross.
He's hanging there.
He enters into salvation.
He enters into paradise withJesus because he believed who
Jesus said he was, amen.
So I know that God can doanything, but he was willing to
believe.
Some of us are sitting in ourseats today not really sure who
(17:17):
Jesus actually is.
We know the story.
We understand that Jesus wasborn of a virgin and that, you
know, he had this life and thisministry and he did all of these
things and then they crucifiedhim.
And when they crucified him,they buried him.
And when they buried him, hecame back to life.
And after he came back to life,he ascended into heaven and now
he sits at the right hand andwe understand the story.
(17:39):
But we don't understand thatwithout him and that story that
we are nothing.
But we don't understand thatwithout him and that story that
we are nothing.
See, we can't humble ourselvesbefore him.
We want to stand tall above him.
We want to pretend like we knowwhat God is doing.
Can I tell you something thateven today, standing here, I
(17:59):
don't know what God's about todo in my life, but I know it's
gonna be great, I know it'sgonna be big, I know it's going
to be big, it's going to bebigger than anything I could
have ever imagined.
And God is going to do thatbecause I am in relationship
with him and I believe him.
For those things, amen, amen,okay, so in the world today, we
(18:21):
see people who are bowing downto careers.
We see people who are givinginto money and pleasure, into
politics, into identity, andthey give into anything but God,
amen.
See, we get into this mindsetwhere, well, I go to church on
Sunday, I go to Wednesday nightBible study, I go to men's group
(18:43):
, I help around the church, I dothings right and therefore I am
good.
I need nothing else.
However, you don't think aboutthe church outside of the times
that you are physically in it,right?
You don't think about Jesusoutside of the physical times
that you are.
Some people come here and theyhear me preach and if I read
(19:05):
scripture that I just made upand put them up on the screen,
you'd believe me, because you'venever read your word, you don't
know anything about the Bible,amen.
And we sit here and we pretendand we go.
You guys would go and tell yourfriends, right?
Oh, my pastor, read thispassage of scripture and it was
really.
It gave me something, but it'snot true.
(19:27):
Most of you wouldn't know.
There's probably a handful thatwould actually be able to say
Pastor Michael, I don't thinkyou got that right.
Maybe I'll do that to you oneSunday.
That'd be mean, wouldn't it?
That'd be mean.
My point is we get so wrapped upin our careers and in money and
in pleasure, and in ouridentities and in the things
around us, that we forget tofocus on God, who Jesus is and
(19:50):
what he's doing inside of ourlives.
Amen, because we become soobsessed with all of those other
things.
And the more that we getobsessed with those other things
, the more that we reject whoJesus is in our lives.
The more that we reject whoJesus is, the more confused we
become in the world.
And when we get confused in theworld, we start to treat people
poorly.
We treat ourselves poorly,right?
(20:11):
Many of us can't forgiveourselves for things that we've
done wrong.
Amen, hallelujah, thank youJesus.
Any of us ever feeling that way,we get down on ourselves
because we can't just let it go.
Let me tell you something.
Elsa said it best Let it go,let it go.
I'm telling you there is noreason to hold on to that
because Jesus has forgiven it.
So why can't you?
You drag yourself, dragyourself into these pits of
(20:35):
despair.
We pull ourselves into theseplaces where we can't get back
out.
Jesus has pulled us from themiry clay.
Jesus has formed us into who hehas called us to be.
He has not formed you into theflesh person that you are, but
the spiritual person that youare.
And so often we only focus, someof us go on diets because we
(20:59):
want to look better, right?
I tried that once and I didn'tlike it, so I gave up on it and
I'm like you know what.
You can either die healthy ordie happy.
I'm going with happy, right,mcdonald's Coke, baby.
It ain't good for you, but it'sgood.
Listen, lord, help me, oh Lordhelp me, oh Lord, help me.
(21:24):
The problem is, when we becomeobsessed with the way that our
bodies look, or the physicalappearance or the fleshly part
of our lives, we miss out on thespiritual part of our lives,
right?
So I don't know if you guysknow this, and maybe I'm telling
news that I ought not tell, butI learned a while ago that the
gym that's over in MacaulayDrive recently bought part of
this field.
(21:44):
That's right over here next tous, and I said, the minute they
build that new gym, you knowwhat I'm going to do.
I'm going to put up a billboardthat says but are you
spiritually fit?
And we're going to face itright at that building.
Because here's the thing youcan be physically fit all day
long, but I need to know thatyou're spiritually fit right.
Amen, listen, it's not a dig onpeople who like to go to the gym
(22:07):
.
Like, listen, blaze, you liketo go to the gym?
Right, buddy, good for you.
Here's the thing I said to mywife.
I said to her I said maybe Ican go to the gym with Blaze
sometime.
I said maybe I can get in shape.
And then I said no, I'm notgoing to do that.
I might say it, right, like Imight say it, but I'm not going
to actually do it.
Because, well, let's be honest,I eat three or four Little
(22:28):
Debbie snack cakes every evening, although I hear you can put
away a large pizza by yourself.
My wife told me that I was likethere ain't no way.
But it's apparently true.
Jeez, dude eats a large pizzaby himself, then just goes to
the gym and works it out.
I don't know, man.
Anyhow, sometimes we get soworked up on the physical that
we miss the spiritual.
(22:50):
2 Timothy, 4, 3 and 4, it says,for a time is coming when people
will no longer listen to soundand wholesome teaching.
They will follow their owndesires and will look for
teachers who will tell themwhatever their itching ears want
to hear.
They will reject the truth andchase after myths.
Amen, that is the world we'reliving in right Now.
(23:14):
Listen, I love a good conspiracytheory.
Right, it's fun, like, I'mstill convinced that Elvis is on
a UFO with Bigfoot.
Right Now, my grandpa fullybelieves in Bigfoot.
Like, has he ever gone to?
Like, look for Bigfoot?
Yes, she's shaking her head.
Yes, my grandpa has gone tohunt Bigfoot.
(23:35):
I'm not making fun of anybodythat believes in Bigfoot.
I wanna be clear.
But there is no proof thatBigfoot is real.
Right, we have proof that Jesusis real, but we ain't chasing
Jesus.
Right, we're out here lookingfor UFOs.
Listen, there will come a timeand I believe we are living in
it when people will desire achurch who will teach them the
(23:58):
prosperity gospel and tell themthat all they have to do is
proclaim the name of Jesus andthey will be millionaires.
Do you know who becomes amillionaire?
That pastor, right, that pastor.
Listen, if I ever get enoughmoney to get a private jet, you
should all leave this church.
Okay, seriously, like, justbail on me if I ever get a
private jet, because that'scrazy, right?
(24:21):
In what world?
In what world Do you thinkJesus?
I mean, they didn't have jetsback then.
But do you think Jesus wouldhave had a private jet?
No, he would have been spendingthat money to feed the hungry.
He would have been spendingthat money to take care of the
poor, the widows.
Amen, amen.
Listen, I'm not saying there'sanything wrong with having money
.
I'm saying there's a problemwith the love of money.
(24:42):
And when you start to see thatin the church that there's a
love of money, and then we havethat money, money, money, money,
money.
Mr Krabs style, you know what Imean Scrooge McDuck swimming in
the piles of gold.
We have a problem in the church, but the problem is nobody's
willing to fight it.
Amen.
Those people who go to thosemega churches that have millions
(25:02):
and millions of dollars andthey just sit on these stacks of
cash, they don't ever askquestions.
They believe that someday allof that will be theirs Right?
Can I promise you something?
It ain't gonna be.
It ain't gonna be theprosperity gospel.
You cannot get rich justbecause you think you're going
(25:22):
to get rich.
See, I am rich in the spirit.
I am not building up thingshere on earth.
I remember Pastor Florence usedto say all the time I'm rich,
I'm very rich, and I used to.
She drove a Lincoln Town car.
For those of you who know me, Ilove Lincoln Town cars, like
the old school big, great bigones.
She drove that car for yearsand I loved it and I thought she
was really rich rich, like youknow what I mean.
(25:48):
And one day she said to me it'snot about money, it's about my
spiritual being.
And I thought, well, dang itRight.
I was so excited and then, whenI finally grew up enough and I
matured enough in Christ, Irealized that it's not about the
money, that it's not abouthaving things.
It's not about it's more aboutwhere am I at spiritually and am
(26:11):
I gaining riches in heaven?
Am I building up treasure inheaven?
Amen, how many of us arepreparing to build up treasure
in heaven?
How many of us are activelybuilding up treasure in heaven?
I am doing that right now.
In the mighty name of Jesus.
I will give everything I've gotin this world because I know
that everything that I need isin heaven.
Amen, everything that I need isin heaven.
(26:35):
All right, that time that wejust referred to is not coming.
It is already here.
We're walking in those times.
We are walking in times whenpeople will search for people
who will just tell them whatthey want to hear and not what
they need to hear.
We will chase after myths andwe will not chase after truth.
In an age of shifting opinions,god's word has got to be your
(26:57):
anchor.
Amen, god's word has got to beyour anchor.
Amen, god's word has got to beyour anchor.
Psalms 119, 105.
It says your word is a lamp toguide my feet and a light for my
path.
When the world is dark andconfusing, we have to use the
word to light the way.
Amen, the word to light.
(27:19):
I don't mean set your Bible onfire and hope that it.
What I'm saying to you is thatyou have to read it and
understand it, that you have toallow your heart to be prepared
to absorb whatever it is thatGod might give to you, because
there are times that I just sayyou know what?
I have a devotion that I do athome, but I'm not gonna open it
today because I'm at work.
I'm just gonna grab my Bibleand I'm just gonna grab a
scripture and I'm gonna read onit, I'm gonna meditate on it and
(27:41):
I'm gonna let God speak to meand every time he has come back
with something I've never onceread the word and not walked
away with something.
But so many of us, when we doread it, we check in the box to
say that we've done the thingright.
We're not looking forrevelation, we're not looking
for change, we're looking tojust say that we did All right.
(28:07):
Hebrews 13.8.
This is our bedrock, this isour foundation, right.
This is what four square standson.
Jesus Christ is the sameyesterday, today and forever.
Do you know what that means?
He's never changed and he'snever gonna.
If Jesus has never changed, whyshould the gospel change?
(28:27):
See, here's the problem.
My grandma makes really greatfish.
My grandpa loves to go outfishing.
How old's grandpa?
102?
I was kidding 82.
I heard what you said.
I was kidding 82, and this manwill go floating down the Ohio
River in a belly boat to catchfish.
And I am not kidding you.
(28:47):
It used to be that he wouldtake his electric bike, drop it
off, chain it to a tree, drivedown the road and float back to
the bike.
Then he'd leave his belly boat.
He'd ride the bike back to histruck and float back to the bike
.
Then he'd leave his belly boat,he'd ride the bike back to his
truck, put it in the bed of thetruck, drive back and pick up
his.
That's a lot of work to gofishing, right?
You know you can get fishsticks at Walmart, right?
(29:09):
I'm just saying they might notbe as good, but they're a whole
lot easier to catch Anyhow.
My grandma makes really greatfish, so my grandpa catches it,
brings it home and my grandmawill make fish.
Now the problem is she nevercalls me and tells me when she
makes fish.
They eat it all and then I justhave to hear about it later.
But when she does tell me and Iget to have fish fresh, it is
(29:30):
the best thing in the world tome, right?
There are a few things in theworld I like better than when my
grandma fries fish.
Now here's the thing.
Sometimes she won't tell me shemade fish right and she'll
bring it to me the next day.
Can I tell you that that fishthe next day isn't nearly as
good as that fish is when it'sfresh.
Here's the problem.
(29:51):
It's not that the fish isn'tgood, it's that sometimes we
just need a fresh batch, right.
So listen, it's not that thegospel isn't good, it's just
that sometimes we need a freshbatch, right.
This doesn't change the fishshe cooked was the same fish,
(30:12):
but when she ate it on the firstday, it was warm and it was
crispy and there was somethingabout it that just made you feel
good when you ate it.
Right?
How many of us, when we gotsaved, we were on fire for Jesus
.
Right, we were on fire forJesus and we just shouted and we
whooped and we did all thethings.
I show up to the church and I'mgoing to do this and I want to
(30:32):
just give everything to Jesusand about six months in, you're
like I might get there this week, I might be able to.
Oh, you know what?
I don't think I can.
Let me tell you something.
You need a fresh batch of theHoly Ghost.
Because I'm gonna tell yousomething Jesus didn't change.
I had somebody text me and theysaid I just feel like I'm out
(30:56):
of touch with God and I'm justnot.
I don't know who he is anymoreand I don't know what to do with
myself.
And my answer was this and it'sharsh, but my answer was this
Then you need to figure that out, because Jesus didn't change.
Jesus didn't change.
If he is the same yesterday,today and forever, jesus isn't
the problem.
You are the problem.
Your heart, your mind, whateverit may be, you need to focus on
(31:21):
that and figure that out,because once you figure that out
, that relationship with Jesuswill flourish.
My wife and I well, I, byassociation have to plant
flowers every spring.
Okay, I don't particularly careto garden, but my wife loves to
garden and she prints dahliasevery year.
And every year when she plantsthem, we always start them out
in these little tiny cups.
(31:42):
Okay, I mean just these littletiny cups.
And for anybody who's everdriven past the backside of my
house, these dahlias, the bushesare this big at this point,
right, huge, right, flowers ofevery color coming up.
We got to the point to wherethey were growing out into the
yard and we had to cut them off,right?
(32:03):
But see, when they were tiny,alyssa would always tell me you
have to deadhead them.
When that first bloom comes up,you have to cut that bloom off
so that it can continue to grownew blooms.
I thought that was the dumbestthing I ever heard.
Why would you cut off aperfectly good flower?
Can I tell you that when youcut off that first flower, it
gets bigger, and when you cutoff that next group of flowers,
it gets even bigger, to thepoint to where it takes over
your entire yard.
Right, I'm serious.
(32:26):
Sometimes, as Christians, wehave to know when to prune
things off.
Right, so that we can continueto grow and become greater.
Right, how many of us know thethings in our lives that we need
to prune off today?
Because, I'll tell you, god hasprobably already showed you
today, because that's what hedoes, and you're fighting him,
(32:46):
because if you prune it andsomething bigger grows,
accountability starts to takeover, and then you have to be
accountable to your peers andyour friends.
There are going to be somepeople that look at you and go
you're not doing that fun thinganymore.
Yep, you're right, I'm not, butyou know what I am doing Living
for Jesus.
I am living for Jesus and thereis nothing in this world that
(33:09):
will give me more joy thanliving for him.
Jesus doesn't change.
His word doesn't bend toculture.
The truth isn't up for a vote.
The truth is eternal becauseJesus is the truth Matthew 7, 24
and 25.
(33:29):
Anyone who listens to myteaching and follows is wise,
like a person who builds a houseon solid rock.
Though the rain comes intorrents and floodwaters rise,
the winds beat up against thathouse.
It won't collapse because it isbuilt on the bedrock.
Jesus Christ is the foundationof everything in your life.
(33:51):
I had somebody ask me the otherday do you really talk to your
wife about every decision thatyou make?
And I said, yep, I do.
I do, because the foundation ofour marriage is trust.
Right, and if trust is thefoundation, that means that
Jesus is the foundation, and wecannot do anything without
(34:13):
consulting one another andconsulting Christ.
Right, we have never made adecision haphazardly.
That's not entirely true.
It's not entirely true.
The last house that we bought,we opened the door and we went,
yep, this is the one.
And we both looked at eachother and said, yep, this is the
one.
We didn't pray about it, but weknew that God had called us to
that place.
Right, we had fought the HolySpirit.
(34:34):
Beth probably told us a hundredtimes to go look at that house.
She kept sending me the link.
I'm like Beth, no, she actuallysaid to me at one point come
off that moldy money and justbuy the house.
And I was like I am not movingto Jenatan, alyssa doesn't like
that, we're not doing it.
And then we walked into thehouse and my wife immediately
fell in love with it.
We knew that God had called usto that place, amen.
(34:57):
Now I tell you that because ifwe don't believe that Jesus is
the truth, if we don't build ourhouses on solid rock, we will
not be successful in life.
Right, the world willeventually wash away every bit
of Jesus that we have.
Right, some of you experiencethat on the regular.
(35:17):
You rebuild the house.
It's like living in a hurricanezone.
You know what I mean.
You rebuild the house just intime for the next hurricane to
come and knock it over.
Right?
We feel like, oh, I got it thistime, lord, jesus, I've got it
this time.
Lord, I am focused on you.
Lord, I am going to be at everymeeting.
I'm going to be it.
Lord, I just want you tocontinue to bless me.
(35:44):
And then the next thing, youknow you're at home on a Sunday
morning and you say you knowwhat the Chiefs play this
morning.
I could have said the Browns,but we all know where that's
going to go.
I was giving us a little bit ofhope, although I guess the
Chiefs haven't been much betterthis season anyway.
So I guess I should be carefulon how I do this.
Anyhow, we find a reason tostay at home in bed.
Right, you know what?
(36:04):
I'm a week behind on laundry.
I better just stay at home.
You know what?
I haven't been feeling realgood this week and you know I
might still have a bit of ascratchy throat, so I think I'm
just gonna.
No, I'm telling you, the enemywill work overtime to keep those
who are called to the house ofGod out of the house of God.
Amen, he will drag you herelate, but you will still get
(36:25):
here, amen.
Beth knows all about being late, but she still shows up.
She has to phone in her order,her coffee order.
She's like double espressotoday, baby, double espresso.
But listen, we have tounderstand that the enemy will
work overtime to keep you out ofthis place, out of this season
of life.
Whatever it is that he is doingfor you, the enemy, or that God
(36:47):
is doing for you, the enemywants to keep you away from it.
Anyone who will listen to myteaching and follows it is wise,
like a person who builds theirhouse on solid rock.
Can I encourage you today thatif your house is built on solid
rock, then you need to tellpeople what it is to stand firm
in Jesus Christ, amen.
When you're in Walmart.
(37:09):
You had that Facebook postyesterday about that person at
the gas station, didn't you?
Okay, so listen, lauren's inher car, kids are jamming out to
some Forrest Frank.
Some guy drives by, almost runsher over and tells her to burn
in hell.
He didn't like that.
There was no gasp when I saidthat.
(37:31):
Everybody's like oh yeah,that's the world.
Do you see what I'm saying?
We have become used to theworld treating us like that.
The only thing that you can dofor somebody like that is pray
for them, and I mean in thatmoment, like you ain't got to,
like hey, let me reach throughthe window and pray for you with
your hands around their neck,let me lay hands on you.
(37:52):
What I'm saying is that weshould be praying for them,
because the only thing that isgoing to change that hardened
heart is Jesus.
It's not your responsibility tochange their heart.
It is your responsibility topray for them and believe that
God can and will.
Amen, to believe that God canand will.
All right, the truth sets usfree.
(38:12):
I'm running really late, butwe're gonna get done with this,
okay.
Jesus said you will know thetruth and the truth will set you
free.
My question is free from what?
Free from literally everything,free from sin, free from
deception, free from fear, freefrom confusion, which is what
(38:34):
we're worried about today, right, being confused by the world.
What we're worried about today,right, being confused by the
world.
John 14, six.
It says Jesus told him I am theway, the truth and the life.
No one can come to the Fatherexcept through me.
What does that mean?
If you want to enter into thekingdom of heaven, the only way
(38:55):
to get there is through Christ,jesus.
Right, you don't get therethrough good works, you guys?
Hey, listen, I love all of youmen who show up here to help me
on Wednesday nights.
You know, poor Bobby I justwanna he and, honestly, poor
Andrew too.
Sometimes I don't know theskillset of the people around me
, but when I learn I got workfor you, right, I've got, yeah,
(39:21):
a little bit of abuse, maybe,maybe.
So I've got a project in thegym and I was like the only
person that's allowed to do thisjob besides me is Bobby,
because he's proven to me thathe understands the vision and
what I want and what I expect,and he does it almost better
than I do it.
Maybe even better, but I donwant to admit that right.
(39:41):
Thank you, jesus.
But here's the thing no one isgoing to come to the Father
except through Jesus.
That means that Bobby can comeand serve in the church every
day if he wants to right.
Bobby can be the best at all ofthe projects in this building,
but Bobby cannot enter into thekingdom of heaven of the
projects in this building.
But Bobby cannot enter into thekingdom of heaven unless he
believes in Jesus Christ, unlesshe forms a relationship with
(40:04):
Jesus Christ.
So if you are sitting here todayand you think, well, I showed
up at church and I've been goingto church most of my life, and
so I know that I can get intoheaven, let me tell you that if
you don't know Jesus, if youdon't know Jesus, you're gonna
get to heaven and you're gonnasay but Lord, I prayed for
people in your name, but, lord,I prophesied in your name, and
(40:26):
he is going to say depart fromme, for I never knew you.
Because you can use his nameright.
Many of us can use it in vain.
Many of us cannot use it intruth.
Jesus is the only one who canget you into heaven, not your
(40:47):
grandma, not your mom, not youruncle, not your sister.
Nobody can get you into heavenexcept for Jesus.
Your heart has got to beprepared and focused on Jesus.
The world said all paths leadto God, but that is confusion
and it's a lie from the pits ofhell.
Amen, not every you know there'sa stairway to heaven.
(41:10):
You remember that song?
It's a stairway, but there's ahighway to hell.
That highway probably three orfour lanes right.
There are a lot more people whowant to run that direction than
listen.
If I go to the airport and Ihave a choice between stairs and
an escalator, which one am Itaking All day, every day?
(41:32):
Right, and when I get up there,I'm going to do the thing like
they do on Elf, all the way upBecause I'm super mature, super
mature, and I don't embarrass mywife when we go out in public
ever.
And my point is is that if thereis truly a stairway to heaven
and that is how we are to enterin many of us are not going to
(41:53):
go because it's going to requirephysical work on our end.
Right, like if we can get tohell on the highway, we're just
riding our car, right, I ain'tgot to walk.
Listen, that is not what Godhas called us to.
Amen.
He has called us to repentanceof our sin.
He has called us to the truth,which is Jesus Christ.
(42:16):
The church has got to be boldand stand on that truth.
We can no longer look at theworld and say that the world is
acceptable.
We can no longer look at the.
Listen.
I'm not asking you to go fightwith the world.
I'm saying believe what youbelieve, stand firm on your
convictions and believe thatJesus Christ is your Lord and
Savior, and believe that everyperson that you encounter is
(42:39):
worthy of that same salvationand pray for them.
Tell them about Jesus, explainto them what it is to be in
relationship with Jesus Christ,amen.
Okay, Whew, those of you who arevisiting today yes, I am always
this long-winded, I apologize.
Where was I at?
What was that?
John 14, 6.
John 14, 6.
(43:00):
John 14, 6.
John 14, 6.
John 14,.
I don't know where I'm at.
Okay, there we are.
Okay, we're gonna go toEphesians 6, 14.
It says stand your ground,putting on the belt of truth and
the body armor of God'srighteousness.
The belt of truth.
You know, when we talk aboutGod's armor, many of you may not
know exactly what that is.
(43:21):
Maybe we'll do a series on thatat some point, who knows?
But when we talk about thearmor of God Holly did it on a
Wednesday night when we talkabout the armor of God, when we
talk about the belt of truth, wehave to understand that when we
strap that belt on, we onlylive for Jesus, right, and all
of our focus is on the truth andnot on the world, not on the
lies that we hear.
And our hearts should not beable to tell a lie.
(43:43):
Do you hear what I'm saying toyou?
That's a simple lie right Now.
Listen, we're not gonna getinto all the things, because I
know us parents have told somelies to our kids about some
things.
Like, you know what I'm talkingabout.
We got some kids in here, sowe're not gonna talk about it
specifically.
But you should not be able tolook at somebody and say, oh no,
(44:07):
it's okay when it's not okayRight.
When we were with the men'sgroup the other night, I said
that that was the one thing Iprobably needed to work on was
being more truthful, and all ofthe men kind of looked at me
like what?
I don't mean, like I'm lying toyou right now.
What I'm saying is that when Iam disappointed or frustrated, I
don't tell you that I'mdisappointed or frustrated.
Oftentimes I'm just like I'llget over it.
(44:30):
But sometimes we need to beable to say to somebody hey,
what you did really hurt me.
Your inability to take actionlike you committed to really is
harmful to my ministry.
Listen, I tell my tech team allthe time, if you are not moving
in the spirit in your ministry,I don't get to move in the
(44:50):
spirit in my ministry.
If my prayer music doesn't work, if the things that I have come
to expect don't work, then thataffects each and every one of
you sitting in this house.
That's not acceptable.
We operate in a spirit ofexcellence.
Amen, in all things, we shouldbe operating in a spirit of
excellence.
Okay, whoo, when Satan whispersyou are worthless, you need to
(45:17):
tell him that I am fearfully andwonderfully made.
And when the world tells you todo whatever feels good, you
need to tell them that the Biblesays that I should be as holy
as Jesus is.
And when I fear or I say youcan't make it or I can't make it
, I have to remind myself that Ican do all things through
(45:40):
Christ, who gives me strength,amen.
We must live and speak the truthboldly.
It is not enough to just knowthe truth.
It is not enough to understandwho Jesus is.
We have to stand and speak thetruth, amen.
We have to be willing to standand tell people what the truth
(46:03):
actually is.
Again, I'm not asking you toargue with the world, because
you won't win, but you need tobe willing to stand and proclaim
the truth of God, amen.
Ephesians 4.15, it says instead, we will speak the truth in
love, growing in every way morelike Christ, who is the head of
his body, the church.
(46:24):
Now leave that up there.
I will speak the truth in love.
I need to explain something toyou.
I cannot say, with all duerespect, and then say something
disrespectful.
That doesn't work like that.
When I speak the truth in love,I have to humble my heart.
Like that.
(46:44):
When I speak the truth in love,I have to humble my heart right
.
When I speak the truth in love,this isn't words that I'm
saying, this is heart posturethat I have right.
I have to be able to look atyou and I have to be able to say
hey, mike, I know that when youand I talked the other day.
We talked about this thing and,as I've prayed about it, I just
really want you to know thatthis is what God said to me
right, rather than looking atsomebody and saying hey, doug,
you know, you sent me that textthe other day and that was just
(47:05):
a really dumb thing for you tosay See the difference.
See the difference.
With all due respect, you don'tknow what you're talking about.
You know I love you, but you'rereally mean.
That's probably not how thatworks.
When I speak in love, I have tomake sure that my heart is in
(47:30):
posture to truly speak in love.
The world doesn't need moreopinions, it doesn't need more
spin.
It needs more truth spoken withlove and with fire.
Amen, because we should bewilling to say.
It needs more truth spoken withlove and with fire.
Amen, because we should bewilling to say that Jesus Christ
is King of Kings and Lord ofLords, that there is no one
(47:50):
higher, there is no name greaterthan the name of Jesus.
Amen, acts 4.31,.
And then we're gonna wrap upwith this.
After this prayer, the meetingplace shook and they were filled
with the Holy Spirit.
Then they preached the word ofGod with boldness, and that is
my call to you today to go intothe world and tell the world
(48:14):
about who Jesus is, boldly.
Go boldly where no man has gonebefore.
Amen.
Sid just sent me a link.
There's an organization who isworking to translate the Bible
into every language in the worldso that the gospel can be
preached anywhere.
Amen.
And can I tell you that weshould be excited about that,
(48:36):
because until the gospel ispreached at every corner of the
world, guess what?
Jesus won't return.
Because that's what the Bibletells us and I believe that that
is the truth, because it thegospel is preached at every
corner of the world.
Guess what?
Jesus won't return?
Because that's what the Bibletells us and I believe that that
is the truth, because it is theword of God.
7,000 languages not in printyet.
(48:57):
And we think, because we, youcan get.
How many versions of the Biblecan you get in the United States
?
You can get an NLT, you can getan ABC, like I don't even know
what most of them are anymore,right, but you cannot get it in
7,000 languages in this world.
Come Jesus, come, amen.
(49:19):
But until we are ready, he isnot going to return.
Until his bride is made clean.
He is not going to return.
Lord, I just pray right now that, as we move in this place, that
you continue to touch ourhearts and our lives, lord, that
you would allow us tounderstand the boldness in which
you want us to move, lord, lord, that you would just continue
(49:42):
to lead us and guide us anddirect our words, father, that
we may not argue, that we maynot sin against your word,
father, but that we will upliftand draw people to you with the
truth.
Father, I thank you for theanointing that rests on the
lives of the people in thisplace.
(50:04):
Father, when we come together,we know that you are present
with us and, father, I know thatyou are pouring in to each of
these people who are here today,man, woman and child alike,
lord, and I pray that, as theirhearts have prepared this word,
as they have absorbed it, thatthey're able to take it and
share it with the world, that,as their hearts have prepared
this word, as they have absorbedit, that they're able to take
(50:27):
it and share it with the world,allow crooked ways to be made
straight.
Today, lord, allow hearts thatare lost and broken to be given
a new lease on life.
Today, lord, allow there to begreat forgiveness in the house
and Lord, just continue to blessus beyond compare, father, we
(50:47):
know we're living in theoverflow.
We know we're living in theoverflow and we thank you for
that.
Father, guide our footstepsfrom this place.
Allow our lips to proclaim yourtruth.
Allow the confusion of theworld to be silenced at a single
(51:07):
mention of the name of Jesus.
Allow us to go into theworkplace and just say Jesus,
jesus.
And allow us to find favor withthose who are in positions of
power.
Lord, I thank you and I praiseyou.
I give you honor and glory inthe mighty name of Jesus.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.