March 23, 2025 • 61 mins
The Importance of Self Control: A Journey Through Faith and Recovery
Chaplain Heidi Woldhuis from Outreach 419 delivers a heartfelt message on the significance of self-control, the final topic in the series on the Fruit of the Spirit. Using personal experiences and biblical stories, Heidi discusses how self-control is essential for living a life of love, joy, peace, and other spiritual fruits. The talk also includes touching moments of baptism, symbolizing new beginnings and dedication to a life led by Jesus Christ. Join the emotional and inspiring journey as Heidi emphasizes the importance of boundaries, trust in God, and the ever-present possibility of redemption and coming home to the Father.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Everything is phrasedas a what if question.
(00:02):
Today it's what if.
It's a good one.
What if I allow the labels I wear or thetitles I am given to become my identity?
Something to think about.
And I think for a lot of us here thatthat's something we identify with.
(00:23):
Now.
Self control.
As I've come out of a week of no selfcontrol over how I'm supposed to eat,
and part of my sniffles is due to that,because I've been tasting, and self
control's been an interesting one for me.
Again, I was so sure exactly how I wasgoing to approach this, and had it all
(00:45):
laid out, we're going to wrap up Fruitof the Spirit, because this is the last
one, we've gotten through them all.
And, um, again Time after time aftertime, I'm sitting there trying to
get all my words down, you know, insome kind of order that makes it look
like I know what I'm doing, and thatI have a clear thought in my head,
and it wasn't going until again.
(01:08):
I just sat and said, then you gottatell me where you want me to take
this, and it became clear as day.
So I'm praying that thesame happens for you.
We're going to talk about self control.
This can be a difficult one.
A lot of us in recovery have hada lot of issues with maintaining
good and healthy self control.
(01:29):
I know for a fact I did.
I am, uh, I want it right now.
I don't want to wait.
I didn't have patience.
I wasn't willing to trust the process.
I was like, let's getin there and whatever.
And for 40 years it was alcohol.
Alcohol.
And I did not have the strengthat that point on my own to say no.
(01:51):
So I am going to be reading, I'mgonna be doing a lot of the reading
today 'cause I discovered it's betterthan putting a lot of words on a
slide, so I'll let you use your ears.
So Galatians five, 13 through 14and I read out of the message.
It is absolutely clear that Godhas called you to a free life.
Just make sure that you don't use thisfreedom as an excuse to do whatever you
(02:15):
want to do and destroy your freedom.
Rather, use your freedom to serve oneanother in love because that's how freedom
grows.
For everything we know about God'sWord is summed up in a single sentence.
Love others as you love yourself.
(02:35):
That is an act of true freedom.
And again, I can attest to the freedomthat you find in simply loving everyone.
So we've covered love, we've coveredjoy, we've covered peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, aaaand self control.
(02:57):
I often wonder about the ordering ofthings, and I sat with this, and then it
came to me, and pretty obvious in my head.
Without self control, how do we do these?
How do you, how are youintentional about love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, all of them?
If you don't practice self controlin your life, these things are
(03:17):
not going to come easy to you.
I've got some examples of, uh, thingsgone wrong due to a lack of self control.
And the next thing we're going to talkabout, some self control here would have
been a very, very good thing because thelack of it cost a couple people dearly.
(03:40):
We're gonna read in Numbers.
God spoke to Moses, take thestaff, assemble the community,
you and your brother Aaron.
Speak to that rock that's right infront of them and it will give water.
You will bring water outof the rock for them.
Congregation and cattle will both drink.
(04:03):
Moses took the staff away fromGod's presence as commanded.
He and Aaron rounded up the wholecongregation in front of the rock.
Moses spoke, listen rebels, do we haveto bring water out of this rock for you?
With that, Moses raised his arm andslammed his staff against the rock.
(04:24):
Once, twice, water poured out.
Congregation and cattle drank.
Moses knew water was going to come out ofthat rock because God said that it would.
One very important thing happened, though.
(04:48):
God very specifically said to speakto the rock, very specifically.
God told him the way.
This is how you do it.
In gentleness, just useyour words and speak.
The reason for that is Moses isin front of all these Israelites.
Remember that 40 year journey toa place that isn't 40 years away?
(05:09):
That one.
These people were not happy.
They were sick of being in the desert.
They were sick of not having easy accessto food, and now they had a lack of water.
We had a really, really, really angrygroup of people, and they were after
Moses and Aaron, like having it out.
Moses got a little ticked off, and hewent and had a talk with God about it.
(05:32):
He said, they're grumbling, they'recomplaining, they're whining,
they're saying, Oh, we shouldhave died with our brothers.
We should have stayed in Egypt.
All this stuff.
And Moses is like, I'm donewith these whiny people.
But God's like, speak to therock, and I will give them water.
And the reason for thatis, speaking to that rock.
That demonstrates in front ofall the people that God, I am,
(05:56):
is here to take care of you.
So Moses was like, okay.
He took that staff backin front of the people.
Here's where the self control comes in.
He goes back there with those feelings.
Hmm.
Looking at these people and I'mremembering you're complaining
and you're griping and I'magitated and I'm not happy.
(06:20):
So I'll use my staff, but I'mnot going to use my words.
So he struck that rock, not once, buttwice, in front of all the people.
The water came out of that rock,so God provided for the people.
He provided for the animals.
And that's a beautiful thing, andthe same can be true in our lives.
(06:40):
Emotional outbursts, like he had,or impulsive reactions, also as
he did, will damage relationships,cause regrets, or create setbacks.
So learn to pause before you act.
We often so impulsively rush into things,because it's like, well I know I'm
(07:04):
supposed to do it this way, but I'm goingto do it this way with a little twist
of me to it, because, you know, self.
You know, itself.
Our emotions.
You know, I have a right to be mad,so I have a right to hit this rock.
Water came out, so obviouslyGod was okay with it.
That's not necessarily true.
You may still receive the blessing.
(07:24):
Others around you maystill experience blessing.
But if you continue to live a life thatdefies what our Father God is saying for
us to do, there's penalties that comewith this, and this is a pretty harsh one.
Again, remember, 40 years.
They're going to the promised land.
Do you think Moses and Aaron were soexcited to see that promised land?
(07:48):
I mean, can you imagine?
Forty years, it's a longtime to wait for something.
A really long time to wait to get in.
So let's find out what happens.
Verse 12 says, God said to Mosesand Aaron, because you didn't trust
me, because you didn't treat mewith holy reverence in front of
(08:12):
the people of Israel, you too arenot going to lead this company into
the land that I am giving them.
Because of that act of defiance, bothof them could lead them to the promised
(08:32):
land, but they couldn't step foot in it.
Neither one of them livedto be in the promised land.
They could see it.
They got to go stand up and look at it.
They saw what they lost, and itwas all because of an action,
because they didn't trust God.
They didn't have the self control to say,
(08:57):
God's got the right way.
Gentleness, calmness, and obediencewould have resulted in water for
the people, for all the animals, abeautiful example of trust in God,
and Moses and Aaron would have beenable to walk into that promised land
(09:17):
after 40 years of trying to get there.
I can't even imagine as a human being.
What that would be like,the feeling of that.
If you can imagine something you sodesperately want, and you're like an
inch away from it, and poof, poof.
You're like, you're so close.
(09:38):
Like, I'm so close.
And then to have it go.
It didn't mean that Moseswasn't going to be in heaven.
It didn't mean that hewas separated from God.
It means that God allowsconsequences for our actions.
We need to realize thatself control matters.
(10:01):
We need
to follow God's plan for us tolive the way He wants us to live
and not let our emotions dictate and rulehow we're going to behave in response.
You can't take what Godsays and then add to it.
Because you think you're entitledto, or because I'm feeling this
(10:23):
way, or because they've done thatto me, or just because I want to.
There are consequences.
It doesn't mean God doesn't love you.
It doesn't mean He doesn't love you.
But He needs you to knowthat you need to trust Me.
You need to trust Me.
We're going to read again another time.
(10:43):
An impulsive decision made withoutthought cost somebody dearly.
Genesis 25.
Jacob said, First, swear to me.
And he did.
So on oath, Esau traded awayhis rights as the firstborn.
Jacob gave him breadand the stew of lentils.
(11:05):
He ate and drank and he got up and left.
That's how Esau shrugged off his rights.
As the firstborn.
Esau came in from the field famished.
You know how humans can sometimes kindof exaggerate a little bit, like we can
embellish maybe a little bit about things.
(11:26):
I think this happened in this situationbecause I can imagine him walking into
this house his brother is cooking up thissavory stew, it smells amazing, delicious
and Esau's like, I've been working hardout there in the field and I'm so hungry.
Like, it's this whole dramaticthing, to the extreme of,
I'm gonna die if I don't eat.
(11:49):
I kinda think if you're protestingthat much, you're likely not gonna
die if you don't get that bowlof stew right then and there.
But that's just me.
So it's this whole thing.
So here's the thing, his brother, andit was wrong on his part too, Jacob.
It's like, give me your birthright.
He's the younger.
(12:09):
In, you know, culture and time andcustoms matter in these stories.
First born sons were the heirs.
They got the greater portion of, Imean, this was a special, special title.
You do not walk away from that.
Like, it's, he had everything, everything.
(12:30):
And his younger brotheris now saying, Huh,
you're hungry, huh?
I make a real good stew.
Esau's like, Yeah, I want to eat it.
Smells so good.
And he agreed to it.
On an oath.
On an oath.
For a bowl of stew.
A bowl of stew.
(12:52):
He gave up everything thatwas rightfully his by birth.
Willingly, for a bowl of stew.
Do you think he hadregrets about that later?
Do you think that last bite of stew tastedgood as he's thinking about what happened?
That was my stew.
(13:14):
I sold a lot of stuff for my stew.
A lot.
It makes it a little more identifiablewhen you think about it like that.
Because to us it doesn't make sensethat, now I think, I like to think that
my stew was pretty good Friday night.
(13:34):
But I would certainly hopenobody would give up their
birthright for a bowl of stew.
Yes!
But I know how much people have givenup for this stew, drugs, technology.
Work, desire for possessions.
(13:58):
There's a million things thatcould be your bowl of stew.
How much have you paid for it?
How much have you given up for it?
Because you've goteverything as a child of God.
Everything.
Absolutely everything.
Talk about birthright.
Birthright.
A little self control.
(14:18):
He wasn't going to die if hedidn't have a bowl of lentil stew.
I'm quite certain of that.
But in the moment, he's just hungry.
Hangry.
I've been there.
Feed me.
And that stayed true.
He didn't get it back.
When an oath was made in thosedays, it was done and over.
(14:39):
And it was game on between thosebrothers for the rest of their life.
The hatred between those two.
But Esau made that decision and choice.
I've Made that decision and choice.
For 40 years, I chose that stew.
That liquid stew in a bottle, ora glass, or a can, or a whatever.
(15:01):
40 years.
Ta da!
Take my birthright.
I'm gonna keep this.
Oops.
I'm still learning to do the readersand go back and forth, so bear with me.
We're going to read another time whensome impulsivity caused some problems.
(15:26):
We're going to read in Luke15, one of my favorite stories.
Then he said, there wasonce a man who had two sons.
The younger said to his father,here's some lack of self control.
Go on.
Father, I want rightnow what's coming to me.
(15:47):
So the father divided the propertybetween them and it wasn't long
before the younger son packed hisbags and left for a distant country.
There, undisciplined and dissipated,he wasted everything he had.
After he had gone through all his money,there was a bad famine all through
the country and he began to feel it.
(16:09):
He signed on with a citizenthere who assigned him to
his fields to slop the pigs.
You have to realize in thisculture, pigs were unclean.
You do not touch them, youdo not interact with them.
Here is an Israelite who demandedof his father that he get his
(16:30):
birthright before his father is dead.
That is the ultimatedisrespect in this culture.
The ultimate.
I don't even care to waituntil you die, I want it now.
Now.
Give it to me now.
And he went and wasted it.
Much like we do.
Same thing.
Drugs.
Alcohol.
Sex.
(16:50):
Whatever.
Fill in the blank.
All of it.
We can waste it all.
Now he's sitting there feeding pigs.
Dirty, unclean animals thatIsraelites were not to interact with.
He was so hungry, he would haveeaten the corn cobs in the pig
slop, but no one would give him any.
(17:13):
That brought him to his senses.
He said, all those farmhands workingfor my father sit down to three meals
a day and here I am, starving to death.
I'm going back to my father.
I'll say to him, Father, I've sinnedagainst God and I've sinned before you.
I don't deserve to be called your son.
(17:35):
Take me on as a hired hand.
And he got up and hewent home to his father.
I love this story because Iidentify so much with this.
We've seen this picture before.
I think a lot of us have been prodigal.
(17:56):
A lot of us have walked off.
A lot of us have walked away fromour Father, and I'm not talking
about our physical earthly Father.
A lot of us have chosen, I'm out ofhere, I'm off, doing my thing, I'm not
gonna wait, I have no self discipline,I don't have any self control, I just
want it now, I want what I want, whatI want, what I want, when I want it.
(18:21):
And God allows the consequences to come.
He allowed it in the younger son,he found himself in horrible.
horrible situations.
He came from a wealthyfamily and he had everything.
He's sitting in a pig field,fighting with them, trying to get
some corn thrown to them on theground out of desperation to eat.
(18:43):
And we can find ourselvesin the same thing.
We're not sitting in with the pigs,although I probably would because I like
the cute little pigs, but, and the babygoats and the cows as you all know, but.
But we're also, so oftenfiguratively reduced to sitting
in the slop with the pigs.
(19:03):
Because we're choosing what wewant in this moment, right now.
Until we reach the end of ourself.
Some of us, maybe like me, haveexperiences where maybe earthly
family don't welcome you back.
You don't have that to go to.
But I do have my father to go to.
(19:25):
You all have your father to go to.
Always,
20 through 24.
When he was still a longway off, his father saw him.
I want you to listen to thisand I want you to remember that
(19:48):
this is a picture story.
It's being told so you can imaginethe father in this, that's God.
The prodigal, that's each one of us.
So think of this.
Think of this, that father being God.
It changes it so much for me.
His father saw him.
His heart pounding, he ran out,embraced him, and kissed him.
(20:14):
The son started his speech.
Father, I've sinned against God.
I've sinned before you.
I don't deserve to becalled your son ever again.
But the father wasn't listening.
He was calling to the servants, Quick!
Bring a clean set ofclothes and dress him.
Put the family ring on hisfinger and sandals on his feet.
(20:36):
Then get a prize winningheifer and roast it.
We're gonna have a feast.
We're going to have a wonderful time.
My son is here, given up for dead and nowalive, given up for lost and now found.
And they began to have a wonderful time.
(20:56):
For me, if I read into the Bible, and Ireplace me as so many of these characters,
and I understand the Father as God.
To imagine that God runs to me like he sawme coming back and he was running to me.
Again, culture and customs matter.
In those days, Jewish men, theyheld themselves with dignity and
(21:22):
the idea of running was unthinkable.
They didn't run.
It was a disgraceful thing.
They commanded respect.
What did this father do?
He saw him a long ways off, lifted,His robes and ran down the road.
His son was coming home.
That's God.
(21:42):
When you come back home, that'sa beautiful thing to think of.
He created the universeand he saw you coming home.
He didn't wait for you to come there,throw it all out there and wait
for you to grovel and confess all.
Uh uh.
You notice he didn't hear it.
(22:02):
He didn't hear that.
He was preparing a celebration andthat's what our Father God does.
I use this example becausethat son's lack of self control
landed him at the very bottom.
He went home to be a servantto his father, not to be
(22:23):
a son, not to be rewarded.
He was going to beg to be a servantbecause the servants at my dad's house,
they eat better than I am right now.
I'm sure it wasn't easy to go home.
I can only imagine the things he did.
He did the same things all of ushave done when he was out there.
(22:44):
Imagine being an older teen andin your 20s in ancient Israel
or wherever he traveled to.
He found the things to do heshouldn't have been doing.
He got himself in trouble.
He's with women.
He did all this stuff.
Wasted all his money.
He's broke.
He didn't get that restored to him.
That was his birthright.
That was all he was getting.
(23:05):
But he got to come home and beloved on and received by his father
just like I got to come back home.
I know what it feels like forGod to come running to me.
I felt that experience.
It's a beautiful thing toknow your father that way.
(23:31):
All that he does for us is done outof such an endless sense of love.
God knows we lack self control.
He knows that we lack self discipline.
He knows that.
He didn't ask for us to get itcompletely perfect and do it all right.
(23:52):
But he did ask us tocontinually look back to him.
To continually return to him andkeep on walking down the road.
So just come home.
I don't care where you've been.
I don't care how far away you've gone.
I don't care who you interact with.
(24:13):
I don't care the activitiesthat you were involved with.
I don't care.
Because I don't see that.
Because my son took care of it for you.
I gave you the very thingthat meant everything to me
because I love you that much.
I don't know if I would give up.
(24:35):
That man over there, hemeans everything to me.
It'd be hard pressed for me to say,I'm gonna allow him to go through
something horrible because I want allof you to be okay and I love all of you.
So,
(25:00):
I have been left awed inthis study of the fruit,
at the simplicity ofwhat following Jesus is.
It's so beautiful.
It's led by love,
and it's simply becausewe're saying thank you.
(25:23):
Self control.
It's important.
It keeps us out of so many things thatwe don't need to be involved with.
It's not a punishment.
It's not rules to make youupset or anything like that.
God's not trying to frustrate you.
It's like I love you and I'm justtrying to keep you from hurt.
(25:43):
I'm trying to keep you.
On the path towards me, where you don'thave to go through that, but sometimes
he allows us to, because we didn'tlearn, we didn't have the self discipline
or self control, but he's like, I'mthere too, I know how to use this too.
(26:08):
For your own good, so you can trust that,
that self control.
Take a moment before you react.
Take a moment beforeyou make that decision.
Take a moment before you jump intothis, that, or the next thing.
(26:28):
It's important because it saves usfrom so much unneeded hurt and harm.
Just take a moment and check in with God.
He's not going to steeryou wrong, I promise you.
I don't say these things becauseI just pulled it out of thin air.
Most of it is because I'veexperienced it and lived it.
(26:49):
I'm living proof of what God canand will do and will continue to do.
It's why I'm not afraid anymore.
It's why I am happy and joyful.
It's why I get so excited forSunday now to talk about Jesus.
Because my life, like that son,
(27:16):
it was hard to come home.
Hard, because of shame and guilt,the knowledge of what I've done, how
far I went away, the people I hurt,
the things I've lost, theprices I've paid, I can't even
tell you, can't even tell you.
(27:39):
And yet he's always, alwayswaiting, because Jesus,
he did something.
He did something for us.
That means we can always go homeand will always be joyfully loved.
(28:13):
I'm gonna be real quick with this one.
I wasn't even going to go on to thispart, but in the studying of the
self control thing, I realized thata lot of things Could be avoided
if we learned a simple thing.
I talked with Robert about this,and it suddenly became so obvious.
(28:35):
Self-control is much easier to do when youset good, healthy boundaries in your life.
You need to know what your boundaries are.
You need to know your worthand your value, and you need to
establish those boundaries soother people know how to treat you.
Tell them and show them.
(28:56):
You're worth and you're value.
You're a child of God.
You're priceless.
You're not an object.
You're not something to be used.
Not something to be thrown away.
Set boundaries.
Because a child of Godis deserving of those.
(29:17):
When you have boundaries, you'reless likely to have issues
dealing with self control.
Because you won't have people comingin overrunning your boundaries.
Because they're established.
I've been working hard ongetting better at boundaries.
They're hard for me because I'm a girlthat likes to say yes to everybody.
(29:39):
I want to help everybody.
I want to be there for everybody.
But I'm one person.
If I tried to do that for every singleperson, I couldn't help anybody.
I have to have boundaries and I have totake the time before I make a decision to
make sure it's what God's plan for me is.
(30:01):
I promise you.
He hears and he answers.
He hears and he answers.
You can trust him.
So the self control thing,
it's an important thing.
(30:21):
It helps make all that fruit of thespirit a much easier thing to follow.
Set your boundaries.
Think before you act and be impulsive.
I say this to myself, too,because, boy, I'm impulsive.
God just wants the best for you and he'slaid it all out for us how to do it.
(30:43):
And it's not complicated.
I'm just really sad over andover and over how the business
of church Has complicated Jesus.
It shouldn't be about rules, and legalism,and regulations, and stand up, sit
(31:04):
down, do it this way, all the time, and
It's never what it was meant to be.
Ever.
Ever.
Church is you and me.
It's not a denomination,and it's not a building.
Church is people living, breathing,people open seven days a week, 24 7.
(31:27):
It's not this building.
It's not the CRC, theBaptist, the Episcopalian, the
Catholic, the this, the that.
It's not denominations.
Jesus did not come here and say, I'mgoing to establish denominations.
He said, I'm going to establish my church.
And then he very simplytold us how to do church.
(31:49):
Love the Lord your God with all yourheart and love everybody you meet.
It's a very simple idea.
It's not always simple to do.
Because we meet people that really makethat love everybody thing a little rough.
But I know how much he lovedme when I was really unlovable.
(32:13):
Because I know what I deserved.
And I'm very aware of what I've received.
So, I pray that you just think about that.
Think about how much He loves you.
Think of how He's equipped you
and all He asks for you to do.
(32:34):
Just love God and lovethe people around you.
On that note, I'm going toread Luke 22, 14 through 20.
As we read through this,we're preparing for communion.
And I'm going to ask youto search your heart.
If you have something you just needto bring to God, just, just do it.
(32:57):
Go there right now as I'm reading.
Just tell him, becausehere's the news flash.
He already knows.
We're always so afraid to tell him.
Like, oh, God, gotta tell you something.
And he's like, yeah, I've beenwaiting a week and a half for
you to come talk to me, kiddo.
(33:18):
Do we forget that he knowsbecause he was there with us?
When we did it.
The idea of that convicts me because I canflash back to all the things I've done.
And God was right there.
Right there.
(33:41):
And how blessed am I that whenHe was right there, He was just
simply saying, Heidi, I love you.
I just didn't hear it.
It says the same to every one of you.
I don't care what you've done.
It doesn't matter.
(34:03):
Luke 22, 14 through 20.
When it was time, he sat down allthe apostles with him and said,
You've no idea how much I have lookedforward to eating this Passover meal with
(34:23):
you before I enter my time of suffering.
It's the last one I'll eat until we eatit all together in the kingdom of God.
Taking the cup, he blessed it, thensaid, Take this and pass it among you.
As for me,
(34:44):
I'll not drink wine again untilthe kingdom of God arrives.
Taking bread, he blessed it.
Broke it and he gave it tothem saying this is my body.
It's given for you Eat it in my memoryand he did the same with a cup after
supper saying This cup is the new covenantwritten in my blood my blood poured
(35:08):
out for you I Love that he said that tothem that he was so excited to celebrate
this with them He knew what was coming.
It wasn't lost on him what theexperience of crucifixion was like.
(35:29):
He was God, all knowing.
He's also fully human in ahuman body that feels all the
things that a human body does.
Complete with all theemotions that we have.
He felt pain and he felt all the emotions.
Can you fathom?
Can you fathom?
Demonstrating love.
(35:52):
Sitting at this dinner with your friendsas you know that just in hours from now
your suffering is going to begin and wetalk about the suffering of the cross like
that was like, oh, the worst of the worst,but it wasn't because you know what he's
doing for that three hours on the cross.
He went to hell itself toexperience and suffer that for us.
(36:15):
Can you imagine?
God subjecting himself that low.
I often think it's like God coming downas an infant, completely helpless, needing
diapers changed, and all this stuff.
That's the lowest.
Uh uh.
(36:39):
Stepping down from your godhood
to experience hell.
So we wouldn't.
I'm so thankful at times
(37:01):
for life experiences that broughtme back to my father just about five
years ago because I'm telling you, it'slike all brand new in this stuff, man.
You want to talk about my addiction,Jesus, I can't get enough because
I finally am starting to getsuch a little understanding.
(37:24):
But he says this to me every day.
I love you this much, I loveyou to the cross, I love you so
much I'm taking hell for you.
I can't in my human mind fathom
(37:46):
what the experience of experiencingall of hell in three hours is like.
We often think waiting three hoursfor something is an eternity, do
you know what experiencing hellfor three hours would be like?
That torment and thing.
The idea that my Jesus is on the crosscrying out for God to his Father.
(38:09):
Why have you forsaken me?
And he's left there.
God had to withdraw from his son.
He was left for you and me,all alone, to do it all.
And he said, I love you this much.
(38:29):
Never hesitated.
Communion has become aprecious thing to me.
So I would like to inviteyou to prepare yourself.
Just anything you just need to sayto God, you've got time to do that.
So just take a moment.
Just gonna give you a minute.
(38:53):
Just take a minute of quiet timeand prepare your heart for God.
And then I'm gonna inviteyou up like we did before.
Walk up front.
Take a piece of bread and dipit, and you can eat as you go.
You don't have to takeit back to sit with you.
But remember how much he loves you.
(39:13):
Remember what it is that thisrepresents, and his willingness for you.
His body was broken,and his blood was shed.
But it went way beyond that.
It wasn't just a physicaldeath that he experienced.
It was hell,
so we wouldn't have to.
(39:34):
Even knowing everything thatwe were going to do anyways.
So just take a minute.
And then we'll have you up.
Okay.
If you want to do the
(39:54):
Okay.
You over here.
On this side, on this side.
Okay.
We can just start.
Come up front.
Take the bread.
Dip it in the wine, which isgrape juice, because we don't do
fermented, alcoholic stuff here.
But I invite you.
I invite you.
(40:17):
To the table that God has set foryou, and he's calling you forward.
So, come on up.
Jesus loves you so much.
(40:42):
God says you're mine.
God's glad to have you home.
He loves you so much.
He is so proud of you.
Jesus thinks you're something special.
(41:03):
God looks at you and saysthis one is so precious to me.
I love her and she is mine.
You are precious and loved.
You are special to theGod of the universe.
God saw you and says this one is mine.
I love her, she is special.
Special message plans for her.
(41:29):
You are a treasure child.
I love you so much andI am so proud of you.
I hear you.
He hears you.
He sees you.
He says that I love you.
I
(41:49):
see you beyond words.
He is proud of you every day andthere's not one single thing that you
have ever done that he hasn't said.
He's a good girl and I love her.
I love you honey.
I love you.
He loves you so very much.
He's so proud of you and says,trust me, I have such plans for you.
(42:14):
You are a treasure and you are so loved.
God loves you and has forgiven all.
Welcome home.
God said this one is special.
He's my favorite.
(42:35):
God says, you are special, youare loved, and you are home.
Mm-hmm eat it.
God makes you and says, I love this one.
She's special to me.
God has said there is somebody in fun withthat needs to know you, and he's brought
(42:58):
you to me and I'm thankful for you.
God sees you and he loves you so much.
You are a treasure and beloved of God.
Go ahead.
(43:24):
God is so proud of you right now.
He says, well done son.
Don't doubt.
God love you.
I
(43:45):
love you too.
And God loves you too.
I know.
Yes, uh,
I thought wipe some tears withsome plastic wrap, that wasn't
going to work well for me, so, uh,
(44:06):
ah, from one favorite thing to anotherfavorite thing, this just brings me such
joy to be celebrating some baptisms.
There is a song that I want you to justlisten to and take in the words before we
do the baptizing and celebrating of this.
(44:27):
Jesus then appeared arriving atthe Jordan River from Galilee.
He wanted John to baptizehim and John objected.
I'm the one who needsto be baptized, not you.
Our father sent his son Jesushere and even Jesus was baptized.
(44:51):
Perfect, perfect Jesus.
He's a model for us.
But Jesus insisted, do it.
God's work.
Putting things right all thesecenturies, is coming together
right now in this baptism.
So John did it.
(45:12):
The moment Jesus came up out of thebaptismal waters, the skies opened up and
he saw God's spirit, and it looked likea dove, descending and landing on him.
And along with the spirit, a voice.
(45:32):
You are my son, chosenand marked by my love.
Pride of my life.
I forgot it's not connected, so youcan't see that, but that's what God said.
You are my son.
You are my daughter, chosenand marked by my love.
(45:55):
Pride of my life.
Know that as you get baptized here today.
We're joint heirs.
We're family.
This was the father's word to his child.
You are my child.
You are chosen.
(46:16):
You are marked by my love.
You are the pride of my life.
It's a beautiful thing, baptism,because of what it represents.
So, for those of you that are gettingbaptized, who would like to go first?
(46:36):
Go ahead, come on girl.
We have the fancy watermelonpool, cause you know, it's
how we do things in Fenwick.
Come on in here girl.
Thank you so much.
(47:05):
Would you like to share?
With people, a testimony, or areason, or why you are here today.
To start all over, I may have donethe first time wrong, and I am
finding myself in my discovery.
I would like to be, I guess, born again.
(47:27):
Yes!
Let's do this.
Precious girl.
You are dearly loved and chosen.
By your father, God.
And it is my precious honor to baptizeyou in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
(47:50):
You, child, are part of the family.
Thank you.
You're so welcome.
You're so welcome.
(48:17):
Get in here, pink shorts.
Uh, Girl, Would you liketo share some words?
Tell us why you're here.
Just whatever sits on yourheart to share with us.
I've lived such a struggle.
Going on my own will for so long, andI'm ready to surrender fully, and to
(48:40):
start a new life led by Jesus Christ.
Yes!
Beautiful.
Beautiful.
Precious daughter, you are lovedand cherished, and I baptize you
in the name of the Father, and ofthe Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
(49:04):
Welcome home, girl.
Welcome home.
Welcome home.
I pray the spirit on you.
You
(50:03):
don't have to share anything.
Is there anything you wish toshare on why you're here today?
I want to start a new life.
She's one of my answer prayers.
God's good.
Precious girl.
(50:23):
Your God in heaven celebrate today.
This step that you are taking.
It is my honor to baptize you, preciousgirl, in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Welcome home.
Welcome home.
Welcome home.
(50:45):
Welcome home.
Oh, watermelon . We have insurance.
(51:30):
ULA, precious girl.
I'll weigh something with you.
Do you have something you would like tosay or to share with why you are here
today or this choice you are making?
(51:52):
I've just really been struggling with myfaith lately, and I would like, uh, to
reaffirm my love for Jesus Christ today.
Yes!
This one, I think, was my firstclaimed recovery daughter.
She's got a special place in my heart.
(52:12):
You all do.
Tallulah, dear girl.
There is not a single thing that hasever happened That isn't taken care of.
That has seen it doesn't matter.
You are loved completely,fully, and always.
(52:37):
It is my utter privilege to baptize you.
In the name of the Father, and ofthe Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Welcome home, girl.
Oh,
(53:18):
man.
It is not too late, and I haveall the time in the world.
If there's anybody saying,I really want to say yes.
(53:40):
Yes!
Woo!
Nice!
I've been away too long.
Come home.
Just come home.
Just come home.
(54:04):
You're home.
You ready?
Let's do this.
Let's do this, yeah.
And I'll jump in the watermelon,I know it's I wanna swim.
It's not legit unless you'resitting in a watermelon, so
Every time I'm here I'm crying.
Me too, so it's fine, so Wouldyou like to share why you are
(54:26):
here today and making this choice?
I strayed, and I've been away toolong, and I finally found family
that I really love to be around, so.
And, I just want to putJesus back in my life.
And I'm gonna make it better.
Oh, welcome home.
(54:46):
Welcome home.
I love you, Mindy.
I love you guys, too.
You ready?
Yep, I am.
I've been ready.
Okay, Father God, I am so grateful.
For the work that you do and it's soevident in so many people and I am
grateful for the decision our friendWendy has made today Father fill her
(55:09):
with a sense of freedom and deliveranceand Complete forgiveness so she can step
forward free It is my privilege to baptizeyou in the name of the Father and of
the Son of the and of the Holy Spirit.
Welcome home.
(55:30):
God bless you guys.
Love you guys.
God bless you guys.
(55:50):
for listening.
What's up?
Oh, yeah.
That's interesting.
I love you.
You're alright.
You're strong.
I love you.
I love you, too, man.
(56:12):
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
Hey, brother.
I love you.
I love you.
It's okay.
Yeah, I know.
It's okay.
Are you ready?
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, we need some drain holes, but weget ya from the bottom up, so, yeah.
(56:40):
We can absorb it too, it's fine, so.
Would you like to share at allthe reason why you're here and
what you're choosing today?
Yeah, I, uh, I'm rededicatingmy life to Christ.
Um, I strayed for a couple decades.
And, uh, he hasn't given up on me, so.
Never will.
Never will.
(57:02):
Just gonna allow him to change me.
Yes.
Yes.
Brother, I pray that God's spiritfills you so completely that there
is no room for the old anymore.
I pray that from this point on, itis only ahead and never looking back.
I pray that your life is radically changedby this testimony that you are giving
(57:24):
today, and God is saying, precious.
Son, I'm so glad you've come home.
It is my privilege to baptizeyou in the name of the Father.
And of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Welcome home, brother.
Thank you.
Did you mess up my hairdo?
I did mess up your hair.
(57:48):
I washed it right away.
That's the way to be.
So proud of you.
(58:09):
You ready?
I am.
Buckle up.
Life changes when youmake these decisions.
The last time I was baptizedI was eight years old.
Ah, it's time.
It's time.
Would you like to share with everybodywhy you are here and your reason
for this decision you made today?
I made the decision because, uh.
(58:30):
Uh, when I was homeless on the streetsand stuff, and I've been through
this battle, I, I've really seenGod in all the people that I've met.
And there's no denying my faith.
It's, uh, what got me through all that.
thank you, God.
Thank you.
Are you ready?
I am.
Precious son, I saw you cominghome, and I ran to meet you.
(58:55):
I am so proud of you, andI'm so glad you're home.
God wants you to leave the past in thepast and step forward into this new life.
You are free from all of it.
It is my utter honor to baptize youin the name of the Father, and of
(59:16):
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Welcome home.
Oh.
(59:44):
There's still time ifanybody wants to, but man.
I love.
Baptism.
I love people simply taking that stepsaying, I'm saying yes, because we
don't live in a world that naturallysays yes to Jesus, but you're
taking a stand and saying I am.
(01:00:08):
We've been talking for an,that's right, it's not up there.
We've been talking for a number ofweeks about the fruit of the Spirit.
You've been baptized.
I prayed the spirit over each ofyou in your baptism and I pray
that you also receive and acceptof the, of your father, the spirit.
(01:00:30):
And I am so excited to see the fruit thatwill come evident in your life because
of the decision that you've made today.
Hand it all to Him.
Every single last bit of it.
Anything you walked in the doorthat weighed you down, I am pleading
with you, just set it right down.
Set it right down and walkout the doors without it.
(01:00:51):
Don't take it home with you.
Don't take it home with you.
You don't have to.
So if you have unfinished business andyou've got something you need to leave.
Leave it.
Leave it and claim thefreedom that God has for you.
Man, heaven is celebrating here today.
Beautiful things have happened andI thank you so much for being here.
(01:01:12):
Oh, I just want to sit and cry.
I'm just happy right now, but.
It's a beautiful thing.
If ever any of you think I wouldlike to be baptized sometime,
just come and talk with me.
Just come and talk with me.
It's a beautiful thing and I celebrate it.
Everything is phrasedas a what if question.
(00:02):
Today it's what if.
It's a good one.
What if I allow the labels I wear or thetitles I am given to become my identity?
Something to think about.
And I think for a lot of us here thatthat's something we identify with.
(00:23):
Now.
Self control.
As I've come out of a week of no selfcontrol over how I'm supposed to eat,
and part of my sniffles is due to that,because I've been tasting, and self
control's been an interesting one for me.
Again, I was so sure exactly how I wasgoing to approach this, and had it all
(00:45):
laid out, we're going to wrap up Fruitof the Spirit, because this is the last
one, we've gotten through them all.
And, um, again Time after time aftertime, I'm sitting there trying to
get all my words down, you know, insome kind of order that makes it look
like I know what I'm doing, and thatI have a clear thought in my head,
and it wasn't going until again.
(01:08):
I just sat and said, then you gottatell me where you want me to take
this, and it became clear as day.
So I'm praying that thesame happens for you.
We're going to talk about self control.
This can be a difficult one.
A lot of us in recovery have hada lot of issues with maintaining
good and healthy self control.
(01:29):
I know for a fact I did.
I am, uh, I want it right now.
I don't want to wait.
I didn't have patience.
I wasn't willing to trust the process.
I was like, let's getin there and whatever.
And for 40 years it was alcohol.
Alcohol.
And I did not have the strengthat that point on my own to say no.
(01:51):
So I am going to be reading, I'mgonna be doing a lot of the reading
today 'cause I discovered it's betterthan putting a lot of words on a
slide, so I'll let you use your ears.
So Galatians five, 13 through 14and I read out of the message.
It is absolutely clear that Godhas called you to a free life.
Just make sure that you don't use thisfreedom as an excuse to do whatever you
(02:15):
want to do and destroy your freedom.
Rather, use your freedom to serve oneanother in love because that's how freedom
grows.
For everything we know about God'sWord is summed up in a single sentence.
Love others as you love yourself.
(02:35):
That is an act of true freedom.
And again, I can attest to the freedomthat you find in simply loving everyone.
So we've covered love, we've coveredjoy, we've covered peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, aaaand self control.
(02:57):
I often wonder about the ordering ofthings, and I sat with this, and then it
came to me, and pretty obvious in my head.
Without self control, how do we do these?
How do you, how are youintentional about love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, all of them?
If you don't practice self controlin your life, these things are
(03:17):
not going to come easy to you.
I've got some examples of, uh, thingsgone wrong due to a lack of self control.
And the next thing we're going to talkabout, some self control here would have
been a very, very good thing because thelack of it cost a couple people dearly.
(03:40):
We're gonna read in Numbers.
God spoke to Moses, take thestaff, assemble the community,
you and your brother Aaron.
Speak to that rock that's right infront of them and it will give water.
You will bring water outof the rock for them.
Congregation and cattle will both drink.
(04:03):
Moses took the staff away fromGod's presence as commanded.
He and Aaron rounded up the wholecongregation in front of the rock.
Moses spoke, listen rebels, do we haveto bring water out of this rock for you?
With that, Moses raised his arm andslammed his staff against the rock.
(04:24):
Once, twice, water poured out.
Congregation and cattle drank.
Moses knew water was going to come out ofthat rock because God said that it would.
One very important thing happened, though.
(04:48):
God very specifically said to speakto the rock, very specifically.
God told him the way.
This is how you do it.
In gentleness, just useyour words and speak.
The reason for that is Moses isin front of all these Israelites.
Remember that 40 year journey toa place that isn't 40 years away?
(05:09):
That one.
These people were not happy.
They were sick of being in the desert.
They were sick of not having easy accessto food, and now they had a lack of water.
We had a really, really, really angrygroup of people, and they were after
Moses and Aaron, like having it out.
Moses got a little ticked off, and hewent and had a talk with God about it.
(05:32):
He said, they're grumbling, they'recomplaining, they're whining,
they're saying, Oh, we shouldhave died with our brothers.
We should have stayed in Egypt.
All this stuff.
And Moses is like, I'm donewith these whiny people.
But God's like, speak to therock, and I will give them water.
And the reason for thatis, speaking to that rock.
That demonstrates in front ofall the people that God, I am,
(05:56):
is here to take care of you.
So Moses was like, okay.
He took that staff backin front of the people.
Here's where the self control comes in.
He goes back there with those feelings.
Hmm.
Looking at these people and I'mremembering you're complaining
and you're griping and I'magitated and I'm not happy.
(06:20):
So I'll use my staff, but I'mnot going to use my words.
So he struck that rock, not once, buttwice, in front of all the people.
The water came out of that rock,so God provided for the people.
He provided for the animals.
And that's a beautiful thing, andthe same can be true in our lives.
(06:40):
Emotional outbursts, like he had,or impulsive reactions, also as
he did, will damage relationships,cause regrets, or create setbacks.
So learn to pause before you act.
We often so impulsively rush into things,because it's like, well I know I'm
(07:04):
supposed to do it this way, but I'm goingto do it this way with a little twist
of me to it, because, you know, self.
You know, itself.
Our emotions.
You know, I have a right to be mad,so I have a right to hit this rock.
Water came out, so obviouslyGod was okay with it.
That's not necessarily true.
You may still receive the blessing.
(07:24):
Others around you maystill experience blessing.
But if you continue to live a life thatdefies what our Father God is saying for
us to do, there's penalties that comewith this, and this is a pretty harsh one.
Again, remember, 40 years.
They're going to the promised land.
Do you think Moses and Aaron were soexcited to see that promised land?
(07:48):
I mean, can you imagine?
Forty years, it's a longtime to wait for something.
A really long time to wait to get in.
So let's find out what happens.
Verse 12 says, God said to Mosesand Aaron, because you didn't trust
me, because you didn't treat mewith holy reverence in front of
(08:12):
the people of Israel, you too arenot going to lead this company into
the land that I am giving them.
Because of that act of defiance, bothof them could lead them to the promised
(08:32):
land, but they couldn't step foot in it.
Neither one of them livedto be in the promised land.
They could see it.
They got to go stand up and look at it.
They saw what they lost, and itwas all because of an action,
because they didn't trust God.
They didn't have the self control to say,
(08:57):
God's got the right way.
Gentleness, calmness, and obediencewould have resulted in water for
the people, for all the animals, abeautiful example of trust in God,
and Moses and Aaron would have beenable to walk into that promised land
(09:17):
after 40 years of trying to get there.
I can't even imagine as a human being.
What that would be like,the feeling of that.
If you can imagine something you sodesperately want, and you're like an
inch away from it, and poof, poof.
You're like, you're so close.
(09:38):
Like, I'm so close.
And then to have it go.
It didn't mean that Moseswasn't going to be in heaven.
It didn't mean that hewas separated from God.
It means that God allowsconsequences for our actions.
We need to realize thatself control matters.
(10:01):
We need
to follow God's plan for us tolive the way He wants us to live
and not let our emotions dictate and rulehow we're going to behave in response.
You can't take what Godsays and then add to it.
Because you think you're entitledto, or because I'm feeling this
(10:23):
way, or because they've done thatto me, or just because I want to.
There are consequences.
It doesn't mean God doesn't love you.
It doesn't mean He doesn't love you.
But He needs you to knowthat you need to trust Me.
You need to trust Me.
We're going to read again another time.
(10:43):
An impulsive decision made withoutthought cost somebody dearly.
Genesis 25.
Jacob said, First, swear to me.
And he did.
So on oath, Esau traded awayhis rights as the firstborn.
Jacob gave him breadand the stew of lentils.
(11:05):
He ate and drank and he got up and left.
That's how Esau shrugged off his rights.
As the firstborn.
Esau came in from the field famished.
You know how humans can sometimes kindof exaggerate a little bit, like we can
embellish maybe a little bit about things.
(11:26):
I think this happened in this situationbecause I can imagine him walking into
this house his brother is cooking up thissavory stew, it smells amazing, delicious
and Esau's like, I've been working hardout there in the field and I'm so hungry.
Like, it's this whole dramaticthing, to the extreme of,
I'm gonna die if I don't eat.
(11:49):
I kinda think if you're protestingthat much, you're likely not gonna
die if you don't get that bowlof stew right then and there.
But that's just me.
So it's this whole thing.
So here's the thing, his brother, andit was wrong on his part too, Jacob.
It's like, give me your birthright.
He's the younger.
(12:09):
In, you know, culture and time andcustoms matter in these stories.
First born sons were the heirs.
They got the greater portion of, Imean, this was a special, special title.
You do not walk away from that.
Like, it's, he had everything, everything.
(12:30):
And his younger brotheris now saying, Huh,
you're hungry, huh?
I make a real good stew.
Esau's like, Yeah, I want to eat it.
Smells so good.
And he agreed to it.
On an oath.
On an oath.
For a bowl of stew.
A bowl of stew.
(12:52):
He gave up everything thatwas rightfully his by birth.
Willingly, for a bowl of stew.
Do you think he hadregrets about that later?
Do you think that last bite of stew tastedgood as he's thinking about what happened?
That was my stew.
(13:14):
I sold a lot of stuff for my stew.
A lot.
It makes it a little more identifiablewhen you think about it like that.
Because to us it doesn't make sensethat, now I think, I like to think that
my stew was pretty good Friday night.
(13:34):
But I would certainly hopenobody would give up their
birthright for a bowl of stew.
Yes!
But I know how much people have givenup for this stew, drugs, technology.
Work, desire for possessions.
(13:58):
There's a million things thatcould be your bowl of stew.
How much have you paid for it?
How much have you given up for it?
Because you've goteverything as a child of God.
Everything.
Absolutely everything.
Talk about birthright.
Birthright.
A little self control.
(14:18):
He wasn't going to die if hedidn't have a bowl of lentil stew.
I'm quite certain of that.
But in the moment, he's just hungry.
Hangry.
I've been there.
Feed me.
And that stayed true.
He didn't get it back.
When an oath was made in thosedays, it was done and over.
(14:39):
And it was game on between thosebrothers for the rest of their life.
The hatred between those two.
But Esau made that decision and choice.
I've Made that decision and choice.
For 40 years, I chose that stew.
That liquid stew in a bottle, ora glass, or a can, or a whatever.
(15:01):
40 years.
Ta da!
Take my birthright.
I'm gonna keep this.
Oops.
I'm still learning to do the readersand go back and forth, so bear with me.
We're going to read another time whensome impulsivity caused some problems.
(15:26):
We're going to read in Luke15, one of my favorite stories.
Then he said, there wasonce a man who had two sons.
The younger said to his father,here's some lack of self control.
Go on.
Father, I want rightnow what's coming to me.
(15:47):
So the father divided the propertybetween them and it wasn't long
before the younger son packed hisbags and left for a distant country.
There, undisciplined and dissipated,he wasted everything he had.
After he had gone through all his money,there was a bad famine all through
the country and he began to feel it.
(16:09):
He signed on with a citizenthere who assigned him to
his fields to slop the pigs.
You have to realize in thisculture, pigs were unclean.
You do not touch them, youdo not interact with them.
Here is an Israelite who demandedof his father that he get his
(16:30):
birthright before his father is dead.
That is the ultimatedisrespect in this culture.
The ultimate.
I don't even care to waituntil you die, I want it now.
Now.
Give it to me now.
And he went and wasted it.
Much like we do.
Same thing.
Drugs.
Alcohol.
Sex.
(16:50):
Whatever.
Fill in the blank.
All of it.
We can waste it all.
Now he's sitting there feeding pigs.
Dirty, unclean animals thatIsraelites were not to interact with.
He was so hungry, he would haveeaten the corn cobs in the pig
slop, but no one would give him any.
(17:13):
That brought him to his senses.
He said, all those farmhands workingfor my father sit down to three meals
a day and here I am, starving to death.
I'm going back to my father.
I'll say to him, Father, I've sinnedagainst God and I've sinned before you.
I don't deserve to be called your son.
(17:35):
Take me on as a hired hand.
And he got up and hewent home to his father.
I love this story because Iidentify so much with this.
We've seen this picture before.
I think a lot of us have been prodigal.
(17:56):
A lot of us have walked off.
A lot of us have walked away fromour Father, and I'm not talking
about our physical earthly Father.
A lot of us have chosen, I'm out ofhere, I'm off, doing my thing, I'm not
gonna wait, I have no self discipline,I don't have any self control, I just
want it now, I want what I want, whatI want, what I want, when I want it.
(18:21):
And God allows the consequences to come.
He allowed it in the younger son,he found himself in horrible.
horrible situations.
He came from a wealthyfamily and he had everything.
He's sitting in a pig field,fighting with them, trying to get
some corn thrown to them on theground out of desperation to eat.
(18:43):
And we can find ourselvesin the same thing.
We're not sitting in with the pigs,although I probably would because I like
the cute little pigs, but, and the babygoats and the cows as you all know, but.
But we're also, so oftenfiguratively reduced to sitting
in the slop with the pigs.
(19:03):
Because we're choosing what wewant in this moment, right now.
Until we reach the end of ourself.
Some of us, maybe like me, haveexperiences where maybe earthly
family don't welcome you back.
You don't have that to go to.
But I do have my father to go to.
(19:25):
You all have your father to go to.
Always,
20 through 24.
When he was still a longway off, his father saw him.
I want you to listen to thisand I want you to remember that
(19:48):
this is a picture story.
It's being told so you can imaginethe father in this, that's God.
The prodigal, that's each one of us.
So think of this.
Think of this, that father being God.
It changes it so much for me.
His father saw him.
His heart pounding, he ran out,embraced him, and kissed him.
(20:14):
The son started his speech.
Father, I've sinned against God.
I've sinned before you.
I don't deserve to becalled your son ever again.
But the father wasn't listening.
He was calling to the servants, Quick!
Bring a clean set ofclothes and dress him.
Put the family ring on hisfinger and sandals on his feet.
(20:36):
Then get a prize winningheifer and roast it.
We're gonna have a feast.
We're going to have a wonderful time.
My son is here, given up for dead and nowalive, given up for lost and now found.
And they began to have a wonderful time.
(20:56):
For me, if I read into the Bible, and Ireplace me as so many of these characters,
and I understand the Father as God.
To imagine that God runs to me like he sawme coming back and he was running to me.
Again, culture and customs matter.
In those days, Jewish men, theyheld themselves with dignity and
(21:22):
the idea of running was unthinkable.
They didn't run.
It was a disgraceful thing.
They commanded respect.
What did this father do?
He saw him a long ways off, lifted,His robes and ran down the road.
His son was coming home.
That's God.
(21:42):
When you come back home, that'sa beautiful thing to think of.
He created the universeand he saw you coming home.
He didn't wait for you to come there,throw it all out there and wait
for you to grovel and confess all.
Uh uh.
You notice he didn't hear it.
(22:02):
He didn't hear that.
He was preparing a celebration andthat's what our Father God does.
I use this example becausethat son's lack of self control
landed him at the very bottom.
He went home to be a servantto his father, not to be
(22:23):
a son, not to be rewarded.
He was going to beg to be a servantbecause the servants at my dad's house,
they eat better than I am right now.
I'm sure it wasn't easy to go home.
I can only imagine the things he did.
He did the same things all of ushave done when he was out there.
(22:44):
Imagine being an older teen andin your 20s in ancient Israel
or wherever he traveled to.
He found the things to do heshouldn't have been doing.
He got himself in trouble.
He's with women.
He did all this stuff.
Wasted all his money.
He's broke.
He didn't get that restored to him.
That was his birthright.
That was all he was getting.
(23:05):
But he got to come home and beloved on and received by his father
just like I got to come back home.
I know what it feels like forGod to come running to me.
I felt that experience.
It's a beautiful thing toknow your father that way.
(23:31):
All that he does for us is done outof such an endless sense of love.
God knows we lack self control.
He knows that we lack self discipline.
He knows that.
He didn't ask for us to get itcompletely perfect and do it all right.
(23:52):
But he did ask us tocontinually look back to him.
To continually return to him andkeep on walking down the road.
So just come home.
I don't care where you've been.
I don't care how far away you've gone.
I don't care who you interact with.
(24:13):
I don't care the activitiesthat you were involved with.
I don't care.
Because I don't see that.
Because my son took care of it for you.
I gave you the very thingthat meant everything to me
because I love you that much.
I don't know if I would give up.
(24:35):
That man over there, hemeans everything to me.
It'd be hard pressed for me to say,I'm gonna allow him to go through
something horrible because I want allof you to be okay and I love all of you.
So,
(25:00):
I have been left awed inthis study of the fruit,
at the simplicity ofwhat following Jesus is.
It's so beautiful.
It's led by love,
and it's simply becausewe're saying thank you.
(25:23):
Self control.
It's important.
It keeps us out of so many things thatwe don't need to be involved with.
It's not a punishment.
It's not rules to make youupset or anything like that.
God's not trying to frustrate you.
It's like I love you and I'm justtrying to keep you from hurt.
(25:43):
I'm trying to keep you.
On the path towards me, where you don'thave to go through that, but sometimes
he allows us to, because we didn'tlearn, we didn't have the self discipline
or self control, but he's like, I'mthere too, I know how to use this too.
(26:08):
For your own good, so you can trust that,
that self control.
Take a moment before you react.
Take a moment beforeyou make that decision.
Take a moment before you jump intothis, that, or the next thing.
(26:28):
It's important because it saves usfrom so much unneeded hurt and harm.
Just take a moment and check in with God.
He's not going to steeryou wrong, I promise you.
I don't say these things becauseI just pulled it out of thin air.
Most of it is because I'veexperienced it and lived it.
(26:49):
I'm living proof of what God canand will do and will continue to do.
It's why I'm not afraid anymore.
It's why I am happy and joyful.
It's why I get so excited forSunday now to talk about Jesus.
Because my life, like that son,
(27:16):
it was hard to come home.
Hard, because of shame and guilt,the knowledge of what I've done, how
far I went away, the people I hurt,
the things I've lost, theprices I've paid, I can't even
tell you, can't even tell you.
(27:39):
And yet he's always, alwayswaiting, because Jesus,
he did something.
He did something for us.
That means we can always go homeand will always be joyfully loved.
(28:13):
I'm gonna be real quick with this one.
I wasn't even going to go on to thispart, but in the studying of the
self control thing, I realized thata lot of things Could be avoided
if we learned a simple thing.
I talked with Robert about this,and it suddenly became so obvious.
(28:35):
Self-control is much easier to do when youset good, healthy boundaries in your life.
You need to know what your boundaries are.
You need to know your worthand your value, and you need to
establish those boundaries soother people know how to treat you.
Tell them and show them.
(28:56):
You're worth and you're value.
You're a child of God.
You're priceless.
You're not an object.
You're not something to be used.
Not something to be thrown away.
Set boundaries.
Because a child of Godis deserving of those.
(29:17):
When you have boundaries, you'reless likely to have issues
dealing with self control.
Because you won't have people comingin overrunning your boundaries.
Because they're established.
I've been working hard ongetting better at boundaries.
They're hard for me because I'm a girlthat likes to say yes to everybody.
(29:39):
I want to help everybody.
I want to be there for everybody.
But I'm one person.
If I tried to do that for every singleperson, I couldn't help anybody.
I have to have boundaries and I have totake the time before I make a decision to
make sure it's what God's plan for me is.
(30:01):
I promise you.
He hears and he answers.
He hears and he answers.
You can trust him.
So the self control thing,
it's an important thing.
(30:21):
It helps make all that fruit of thespirit a much easier thing to follow.
Set your boundaries.
Think before you act and be impulsive.
I say this to myself, too,because, boy, I'm impulsive.
God just wants the best for you and he'slaid it all out for us how to do it.
(30:43):
And it's not complicated.
I'm just really sad over andover and over how the business
of church Has complicated Jesus.
It shouldn't be about rules, and legalism,and regulations, and stand up, sit
(31:04):
down, do it this way, all the time, and
It's never what it was meant to be.
Ever.
Ever.
Church is you and me.
It's not a denomination,and it's not a building.
Church is people living, breathing,people open seven days a week, 24 7.
(31:27):
It's not this building.
It's not the CRC, theBaptist, the Episcopalian, the
Catholic, the this, the that.
It's not denominations.
Jesus did not come here and say, I'mgoing to establish denominations.
He said, I'm going to establish my church.
And then he very simplytold us how to do church.
(31:49):
Love the Lord your God with all yourheart and love everybody you meet.
It's a very simple idea.
It's not always simple to do.
Because we meet people that really makethat love everybody thing a little rough.
But I know how much he lovedme when I was really unlovable.
(32:13):
Because I know what I deserved.
And I'm very aware of what I've received.
So, I pray that you just think about that.
Think about how much He loves you.
Think of how He's equipped you
and all He asks for you to do.
(32:34):
Just love God and lovethe people around you.
On that note, I'm going toread Luke 22, 14 through 20.
As we read through this,we're preparing for communion.
And I'm going to ask youto search your heart.
If you have something you just needto bring to God, just, just do it.
(32:57):
Go there right now as I'm reading.
Just tell him, becausehere's the news flash.
He already knows.
We're always so afraid to tell him.
Like, oh, God, gotta tell you something.
And he's like, yeah, I've beenwaiting a week and a half for
you to come talk to me, kiddo.
(33:18):
Do we forget that he knowsbecause he was there with us?
When we did it.
The idea of that convicts me because I canflash back to all the things I've done.
And God was right there.
Right there.
(33:41):
And how blessed am I that whenHe was right there, He was just
simply saying, Heidi, I love you.
I just didn't hear it.
It says the same to every one of you.
I don't care what you've done.
It doesn't matter.
(34:03):
Luke 22, 14 through 20.
When it was time, he sat down allthe apostles with him and said,
You've no idea how much I have lookedforward to eating this Passover meal with
(34:23):
you before I enter my time of suffering.
It's the last one I'll eat until we eatit all together in the kingdom of God.
Taking the cup, he blessed it, thensaid, Take this and pass it among you.
As for me,
(34:44):
I'll not drink wine again untilthe kingdom of God arrives.
Taking bread, he blessed it.
Broke it and he gave it tothem saying this is my body.
It's given for you Eat it in my memoryand he did the same with a cup after
supper saying This cup is the new covenantwritten in my blood my blood poured
(35:08):
out for you I Love that he said that tothem that he was so excited to celebrate
this with them He knew what was coming.
It wasn't lost on him what theexperience of crucifixion was like.
(35:29):
He was God, all knowing.
He's also fully human in ahuman body that feels all the
things that a human body does.
Complete with all theemotions that we have.
He felt pain and he felt all the emotions.
Can you fathom?
Can you fathom?
Demonstrating love.
(35:52):
Sitting at this dinner with your friendsas you know that just in hours from now
your suffering is going to begin and wetalk about the suffering of the cross like
that was like, oh, the worst of the worst,but it wasn't because you know what he's
doing for that three hours on the cross.
He went to hell itself toexperience and suffer that for us.
(36:15):
Can you imagine?
God subjecting himself that low.
I often think it's like God coming downas an infant, completely helpless, needing
diapers changed, and all this stuff.
That's the lowest.
Uh uh.
(36:39):
Stepping down from your godhood
to experience hell.
So we wouldn't.
I'm so thankful at times
(37:01):
for life experiences that broughtme back to my father just about five
years ago because I'm telling you, it'slike all brand new in this stuff, man.
You want to talk about my addiction,Jesus, I can't get enough because
I finally am starting to getsuch a little understanding.
(37:24):
But he says this to me every day.
I love you this much, I loveyou to the cross, I love you so
much I'm taking hell for you.
I can't in my human mind fathom
(37:46):
what the experience of experiencingall of hell in three hours is like.
We often think waiting three hoursfor something is an eternity, do
you know what experiencing hellfor three hours would be like?
That torment and thing.
The idea that my Jesus is on the crosscrying out for God to his Father.
(38:09):
Why have you forsaken me?
And he's left there.
God had to withdraw from his son.
He was left for you and me,all alone, to do it all.
And he said, I love you this much.
(38:29):
Never hesitated.
Communion has become aprecious thing to me.
So I would like to inviteyou to prepare yourself.
Just anything you just need to sayto God, you've got time to do that.
So just take a moment.
Just gonna give you a minute.
(38:53):
Just take a minute of quiet timeand prepare your heart for God.
And then I'm gonna inviteyou up like we did before.
Walk up front.
Take a piece of bread and dipit, and you can eat as you go.
You don't have to takeit back to sit with you.
But remember how much he loves you.
(39:13):
Remember what it is that thisrepresents, and his willingness for you.
His body was broken,and his blood was shed.
But it went way beyond that.
It wasn't just a physicaldeath that he experienced.
It was hell,
so we wouldn't have to.
(39:34):
Even knowing everything thatwe were going to do anyways.
So just take a minute.
And then we'll have you up.
Okay.
If you want to do the
(39:54):
Okay.
You over here.
On this side, on this side.
Okay.
We can just start.
Come up front.
Take the bread.
Dip it in the wine, which isgrape juice, because we don't do
fermented, alcoholic stuff here.
But I invite you.
I invite you.
(40:17):
To the table that God has set foryou, and he's calling you forward.
So, come on up.
Jesus loves you so much.
(40:42):
God says you're mine.
God's glad to have you home.
He loves you so much.
He is so proud of you.
Jesus thinks you're something special.
(41:03):
God looks at you and saysthis one is so precious to me.
I love her and she is mine.
You are precious and loved.
You are special to theGod of the universe.
God saw you and says this one is mine.
I love her, she is special.
Special message plans for her.
(41:29):
You are a treasure child.
I love you so much andI am so proud of you.
I hear you.
He hears you.
He sees you.
He says that I love you.
I
(41:49):
see you beyond words.
He is proud of you every day andthere's not one single thing that you
have ever done that he hasn't said.
He's a good girl and I love her.
I love you honey.
I love you.
He loves you so very much.
He's so proud of you and says,trust me, I have such plans for you.
(42:14):
You are a treasure and you are so loved.
God loves you and has forgiven all.
Welcome home.
God said this one is special.
He's my favorite.
(42:35):
God says, you are special, youare loved, and you are home.
Mm-hmm eat it.
God makes you and says, I love this one.
She's special to me.
God has said there is somebody in fun withthat needs to know you, and he's brought
(42:58):
you to me and I'm thankful for you.
God sees you and he loves you so much.
You are a treasure and beloved of God.
Go ahead.
(43:24):
God is so proud of you right now.
He says, well done son.
Don't doubt.
God love you.
I
(43:45):
love you too.
And God loves you too.
I know.
Yes, uh,
I thought wipe some tears withsome plastic wrap, that wasn't
going to work well for me, so, uh,
(44:06):
ah, from one favorite thing to anotherfavorite thing, this just brings me such
joy to be celebrating some baptisms.
There is a song that I want you to justlisten to and take in the words before we
do the baptizing and celebrating of this.
(44:27):
Jesus then appeared arriving atthe Jordan River from Galilee.
He wanted John to baptizehim and John objected.
I'm the one who needsto be baptized, not you.
Our father sent his son Jesushere and even Jesus was baptized.
(44:51):
Perfect, perfect Jesus.
He's a model for us.
But Jesus insisted, do it.
God's work.
Putting things right all thesecenturies, is coming together
right now in this baptism.
So John did it.
(45:12):
The moment Jesus came up out of thebaptismal waters, the skies opened up and
he saw God's spirit, and it looked likea dove, descending and landing on him.
And along with the spirit, a voice.
(45:32):
You are my son, chosenand marked by my love.
Pride of my life.
I forgot it's not connected, so youcan't see that, but that's what God said.
You are my son.
You are my daughter, chosenand marked by my love.
(45:55):
Pride of my life.
Know that as you get baptized here today.
We're joint heirs.
We're family.
This was the father's word to his child.
You are my child.
You are chosen.
(46:16):
You are marked by my love.
You are the pride of my life.
It's a beautiful thing, baptism,because of what it represents.
So, for those of you that are gettingbaptized, who would like to go first?
(46:36):
Go ahead, come on girl.
We have the fancy watermelonpool, cause you know, it's
how we do things in Fenwick.
Come on in here girl.
Thank you so much.
(47:05):
Would you like to share?
With people, a testimony, or areason, or why you are here today.
To start all over, I may have donethe first time wrong, and I am
finding myself in my discovery.
I would like to be, I guess, born again.
(47:27):
Yes!
Let's do this.
Precious girl.
You are dearly loved and chosen.
By your father, God.
And it is my precious honor to baptizeyou in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
(47:50):
You, child, are part of the family.
Thank you.
You're so welcome.
You're so welcome.
(48:17):
Get in here, pink shorts.
Uh, Girl, Would you liketo share some words?
Tell us why you're here.
Just whatever sits on yourheart to share with us.
I've lived such a struggle.
Going on my own will for so long, andI'm ready to surrender fully, and to
(48:40):
start a new life led by Jesus Christ.
Yes!
Beautiful.
Beautiful.
Precious daughter, you are lovedand cherished, and I baptize you
in the name of the Father, and ofthe Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
(49:04):
Welcome home, girl.
Welcome home.
Welcome home.
I pray the spirit on you.
You
(50:03):
don't have to share anything.
Is there anything you wish toshare on why you're here today?
I want to start a new life.
She's one of my answer prayers.
God's good.
Precious girl.
(50:23):
Your God in heaven celebrate today.
This step that you are taking.
It is my honor to baptize you, preciousgirl, in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Welcome home.
Welcome home.
Welcome home.
(50:45):
Welcome home.
Oh, watermelon . We have insurance.
(51:30):
ULA, precious girl.
I'll weigh something with you.
Do you have something you would like tosay or to share with why you are here
today or this choice you are making?
(51:52):
I've just really been struggling with myfaith lately, and I would like, uh, to
reaffirm my love for Jesus Christ today.
Yes!
This one, I think, was my firstclaimed recovery daughter.
She's got a special place in my heart.
(52:12):
You all do.
Tallulah, dear girl.
There is not a single thing that hasever happened That isn't taken care of.
That has seen it doesn't matter.
You are loved completely,fully, and always.
(52:37):
It is my utter privilege to baptize you.
In the name of the Father, and ofthe Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Welcome home, girl.
Oh,
(53:18):
man.
It is not too late, and I haveall the time in the world.
If there's anybody saying,I really want to say yes.
(53:40):
Yes!
Woo!
Nice!
I've been away too long.
Come home.
Just come home.
Just come home.
(54:04):
You're home.
You ready?
Let's do this.
Let's do this, yeah.
And I'll jump in the watermelon,I know it's I wanna swim.
It's not legit unless you'resitting in a watermelon, so
Every time I'm here I'm crying.
Me too, so it's fine, so Wouldyou like to share why you are
(54:26):
here today and making this choice?
I strayed, and I've been away toolong, and I finally found family
that I really love to be around, so.
And, I just want to putJesus back in my life.
And I'm gonna make it better.
Oh, welcome home.
(54:46):
Welcome home.
I love you, Mindy.
I love you guys, too.
You ready?
Yep, I am.
I've been ready.
Okay, Father God, I am so grateful.
For the work that you do and it's soevident in so many people and I am
grateful for the decision our friendWendy has made today Father fill her
(55:09):
with a sense of freedom and deliveranceand Complete forgiveness so she can step
forward free It is my privilege to baptizeyou in the name of the Father and of
the Son of the and of the Holy Spirit.
Welcome home.
(55:30):
God bless you guys.
Love you guys.
God bless you guys.
(55:50):
for listening.
What's up?
Oh, yeah.
That's interesting.
I love you.
You're alright.
You're strong.
I love you.
I love you, too, man.
(56:12):
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
Hey, brother.
I love you.
I love you.
It's okay.
Yeah, I know.
It's okay.
Are you ready?
Yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, we need some drain holes, but weget ya from the bottom up, so, yeah.
(56:40):
We can absorb it too, it's fine, so.
Would you like to share at allthe reason why you're here and
what you're choosing today?
Yeah, I, uh, I'm rededicatingmy life to Christ.
Um, I strayed for a couple decades.
And, uh, he hasn't given up on me, so.
Never will.
Never will.
(57:02):
Just gonna allow him to change me.
Yes.
Yes.
Brother, I pray that God's spiritfills you so completely that there
is no room for the old anymore.
I pray that from this point on, itis only ahead and never looking back.
I pray that your life is radically changedby this testimony that you are giving
(57:24):
today, and God is saying, precious.
Son, I'm so glad you've come home.
It is my privilege to baptizeyou in the name of the Father.
And of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Welcome home, brother.
Thank you.
Did you mess up my hairdo?
I did mess up your hair.
(57:48):
I washed it right away.
That's the way to be.
So proud of you.
(58:09):
You ready?
I am.
Buckle up.
Life changes when youmake these decisions.
The last time I was baptizedI was eight years old.
Ah, it's time.
It's time.
Would you like to share with everybodywhy you are here and your reason
for this decision you made today?
I made the decision because, uh.
(58:30):
Uh, when I was homeless on the streetsand stuff, and I've been through
this battle, I, I've really seenGod in all the people that I've met.
And there's no denying my faith.
It's, uh, what got me through all that.
thank you, God.
Thank you.
Are you ready?
I am.
Precious son, I saw you cominghome, and I ran to meet you.
(58:55):
I am so proud of you, andI'm so glad you're home.
God wants you to leave the past in thepast and step forward into this new life.
You are free from all of it.
It is my utter honor to baptize youin the name of the Father, and of
(59:16):
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Welcome home.
Oh.
(59:44):
There's still time ifanybody wants to, but man.
I love.
Baptism.
I love people simply taking that stepsaying, I'm saying yes, because we
don't live in a world that naturallysays yes to Jesus, but you're
taking a stand and saying I am.
(01:00:08):
We've been talking for an,that's right, it's not up there.
We've been talking for a number ofweeks about the fruit of the Spirit.
You've been baptized.
I prayed the spirit over each ofyou in your baptism and I pray
that you also receive and acceptof the, of your father, the spirit.
(01:00:30):
And I am so excited to see the fruit thatwill come evident in your life because
of the decision that you've made today.
Hand it all to Him.
Every single last bit of it.
Anything you walked in the doorthat weighed you down, I am pleading
with you, just set it right down.
Set it right down and walkout the doors without it.
(01:00:51):
Don't take it home with you.
Don't take it home with you.
You don't have to.
So if you have unfinished business andyou've got something you need to leave.
Leave it.
Leave it and claim thefreedom that God has for you.
Man, heaven is celebrating here today.
Beautiful things have happened andI thank you so much for being here.
(01:01:12):
Oh, I just want to sit and cry.
I'm just happy right now, but.
It's a beautiful thing.
If ever any of you think I wouldlike to be baptized sometime,
just come and talk with me.
Just come and talk with me.
It's a beautiful thing and I celebrate it.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.