Bayside Weekend with Sherwood Carthen

so when I got the invitation they said that you'd be doing this series in the summer called I want a stronger dot dot and so when we talked about it there were three options and we landed on this I want a stronger walk with God I want a stronger walk with God so that's what I'm gonna be talking about today because I want a stronger walk with God now what was so difficult about this was to find a text in the Bible that really represented this I want a stronger walk with God now if you're searching if you're looking if you you know you're trying out church and you're trying out God and that kind of thing a stronger walk with God would be to make a commitment to God to say hey I want to live for him and I'd like for him to live through me that would be a stronger walk with God now if you've already started walking with God the way to have a stronger walk with God is to ask God hey what's next what can I do that's next a I'm loving being with you I'm loving how you're actually living through me but what's next what specifically is next so that I can be stronger with you and then for you seasoned veterans those of you who've been walking with God for a long long time and you like I don't think that there's anything else to do I want to let you know a stronger walk with God would be to say hey I know you're not done with me yet because if you were through with me I wouldn't be here can I get a witness in here somewhere right right right so if since I'm here there must be more and since there's more move me from complacency move me from thinking I've got security false security and show me what you would have me to do so all of us in this room no matter where we are we have an opportunity to have a stronger walk with God and at the end of this particular service and give you the opportunity to make that commitment but the text that I landed on is actually in the New Testament Paul the Church of the Galatians and and he says to them these words which are in your notes and appear on the screen and I think this is pretty close to it those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the actual passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there since we are living by the spirit let us follow the spirits leading in every part of our lives let us not become conceited or provoke one another or be jealous of one another since we are now in Christ Jesus or pursuing him I honestly think a closer walk a stronger walk with God is to be led by the spirit I like the way one translation says it man let's keep in step with the spirit let's keep in step with the spirit let's whatever the spirit says to do let's make that happen and I know it's it's kind of silent in here because some of you in this room you know my background you know I'm a Pentecostal and anytime Pentecostal start talking about the spirit y'all Oh Lord it really get freaky up in here it's just getting weird it has nothing to do with it it's not like that at all because being led by the spirit keeping up with the spirit is simply this doing what God would have us to do that's all it is and I know a lot of times we've tried to mystify it but it's simply saying hey God I'm walking so close with you and I'm in concert with you what is it that you would have me to do what would would you like me to do and I want to stay there I want to live there with you and make it happen there's this text in the Old Testament that that gave me some more insight and I want to give it to you and it talks about this one guy by the name of Enoch and here's what it said Enoch lived 365 years walking in close fellowship with God then one day he disappeared because God took him he walked so much in fellowship with God that he didn't even see death he just went straight to heaven that's pretty amazing in fact I'm not making that up it's actually referenced again in Hebrews chapter number 11 verse number for this is not a you know team I want to write it down or in your Bible you might want to highlight this it says there that Enoch walked in such fellowship with God that he never saw death God just took him to heaven watch this because he pleased God because he was so close to God he was so much walking in fellowship with God God just said hey you're not gonna see death let's just go to heaven wouldn't that be cool I mean seriously wouldn't it be cool to be in such fellowship with God that God says hey you know I ain't gonna die just come on one day you just minding your own business right and God says hey let's go home you're gone just like that well at least I think that's pretty cool I really do I think that's cool and I think that we not that we're gonna get it but I think we ought to have this desire to walk in that kind of fellowship walk in that kind of concert with God so that he would be pleased with us if you stay in the book of Hebrews the unknown Arthur says in verse number six it is without faith it is impossible to please God so we know this has something to do with faith being able to act upon that which we cannot see been able to expect that which we've heard about but it just simply says how do we please God so for the next several minutes for the next several minutes I want to talk about this but I don't want to talk about it saying like it's just it's an option or something we should do I want to look in the Bible and see how important this is to God having a stronger walk with God how important is it to him and this is your first feeling it's this important to him number one it's his will it's God's will it is is what we're not just talking about something here that is optional we're not just talking about something here that just sounds good it has a great sexy title to it a stronger walk with God yeah man I want that cuz it just sounds no it's not that this is actually God's will look what the Bible says in Psalms chapter number 81 it says oh that my people would listen to me oh that Israel would follow me walking in my path it's his will but not only is it his will it's God's desire it's God's desire Deuteronomy 8 and 6 so obey the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his way and fearing him it is God's desire I want this so bad for you anytime you see the word Israel in the Old Testament it's symbolic for the children of God the people of God so when you update that it's not just for a country it's not just for a nation it is for all the people who call on the God of Israel the God of Jacob the God God of Abraham this is us oh that the people of God would walk in the ways of God and please him it's his desire but it'll go further than that not just as will it's not just his desire it's what God requires it's his standard it's what God requires he requires this of us and he says it very plainly in Scripture no oh people the Lord has told you what is good and this is what he requires of you to do what is right and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God to walk humbly with your God then when I see that it kind of changes everything for me when I see that God wants us to walk humbly with him that means that I have to give up my ways and pursue his ways and I don't know I can't speak for you all and I get in trouble a lot of times when I speak for people so I'm not gonna speak for you but I know that this has to change for me because when I go to God in prayer I usually come to God in prayer with a list of stuff I used to come guy hey man I called him man sometimes any man man God if you could just do this for me if you could make this happen if you could make this go down and you know I've been waiting on this for a long time if you get that done that would be really really cool and you know this person over here I need you to put them in a place cuz they really getting on my nerves y'all ain't never said that y'all they never said that y'all I never done that I mean it's it's a prayer it's what we do but when you walk humbly with God you don't come to God with a Liz you come to God with a blank piece of paper and you say hey God it's not about me it's about you and what would you like to do today that would really please you walking humbly with God changes who we are it changes what we do and that's the only way to have a stronger walk with Him is to give up our desires it said it in the first text it said we have crucified our passions and our desires on a cross and now we keep in step with the spirit lord have mercy help me God I really want this I'm not I'm not making this up I really want this I want a stronger closer walk with you I want to be like the old folks in the church they just said just a closer walk with thee they used to sing that song I know many of you in this room done don't even know that song it's an old hymn oh it's a OH Oh him but it but it had great meaning it had unbelievable meaning just a closer walk with thee and I honestly think it was inspired by Enoch in the Bible because if we could walk in close fellowship with God than we would please him so for the next several minutes how do we how do we develop that how do we make that happen how do we actually lord have mercy how do we really have a stronger walk with God how does it come about and so here's the first thing that I have and I think we got to be okay with him this is my challenge and I think it's gonna be yours too we need to be okay with him we got to get to a place where we actually become repetitive with purpose repetitive with purpose we got to be okay with doing some of the same things over and over and over again but we got to do it with purpose we got to do a purpose this is a challenge for America and the 21st century church because we love accomplishments we love getting the t-shirt cuz we did it we love telling folks I got the certificate cuz I completed all 21 days yes it's me been there done that let's move on and we do that actually in church we have some things that God have given us and we want to say hey I've already done that what's next what we do now how do we make that happen and what I found out is that having a closer walk with God we've got to be okay with doing things over and over again with purpose athletes and musicians don't study don't struggle with this vocalists don't struggle with this they do the same thing over and over and over again so that when they get in the moment they'd only have to think about it they just do it they shoot the same shot over and over again they will putt the same ball from the same spot over and over again they'll sing the same note from the same song over and over again they'll play the same song over and over again they will do repetition with purpose because they want it to become second nature and psychiatrists have said you will not have anything become second nature until you've done it a minimum of 28 times a minimum of 28 times you got to do it over and over and over again with purpose with purpose this is not in your notes but Paul talks about this Paul talks about this write this text down first Corinthians chapter number nine verse number 24 Paul says you know that everybody who runs in a race they're not gonna win the race but you should run the waste to win you should run the race to win he says man you need to train yourself and discipline yourself so that you will win the race he says we're not just shadow boxing we're not just throwing punches with no purpose but we're preparing ourselves so that we will win the prize it's doing things over and over again so it becomes second nature to you so that you win the race so that you have a closer walk with God so that you are stronger in your walk you're not just going through the motions you're not just meandering through life there's a purpose for what you're doing hello somebody we got to figure that out and then I'm okay I'm okay confessing this this morning I'm okay talking about this morning and and I was born I was actually born in 1959 raised in the 60s and the 70s and I'm okay telling this I'm a drug baby I'm actually a drug baby my mama and my daddy drug me to church over and over and over again morning noon and night we come to church nowadays for this like a 75 minute service and we've done when I went to church we went to church in the morning when the Sun came up and we went back home until the Sun went down y'all think I'm playing this thing matter of fact we would right now write down when we were in church you could smell chicken cooking in the back okay I'm smelling but anyway when I was growing up you could smell fried chicken cooking in the back cuz they know that if you went home you wouldn't coming back to the next service so they was gonna feed you when this service was over they said I think we need Fried Chicken I think we need Fried Chicken and and and and and and what's so amazing about it when I was a kid they took me and they took me because I had to go but what it did it established a pattern and what you don't understand is many times people don't realize it when you establish a pattern if you do it long enough it'll turn into a habit and then a habit I'll turn into a way of life hello somebody and and what needs to happen many times for us so that we can have a closer walk with God we need to establish a pattern about things that if we do it long enough it'll become a habit and then that habit will become a way of life now when I was a kid it was a pattern we know on Sunday what we were doing because mom and him took us but then when I became a teenager it was like a you oh I gotta go to church I got a fellowship I gotta be with my pace but then when I became an adult it was my way of life the song I know I don't know anything else I live this way I worship God I'm with people I praise God I'm in the Bible because this is who I am repetition with purpose is where God wants to take us yeah and you don't ever get to say I've arrived I've accomplished it a closer walk with God is continual and here are four things I think that we got to do to to really make it happen and the first one is this repetition with purpose we've got to figure out how to develop a way to worship daling how do we develop a way to worship God daily how do we get to this place of repetition repetitive this with purpose where we're worshiping God on a daily basis now please hear my heart and this and I think that this is simply amazing we we gather here every weekend it's just amazing we gather here to worship God Bayside doesn't on just gather here in South Sacramento every weekend we gather and we worship in Lincoln in Folsom in Placerville we got in Northern California we have enormous wonderful phenomenal places to worship on the weekend you can you can find great worship and unbelievable presentations I mean let me stop let me stop but you can get that anywhere but folks if you honestly think once a week is gonna make you closer to God you're messing it now fact for some of you in this room it's not even once a week it's once every two weeks well let's just be real it's once every three weeks oh let me just go take it to another level it's once every four it's once a month and if you think that once a month it's gonna give you a closer walk with God you're blowin in we've got to figure out with repetition with purpose how do I worship God every day corporate level because this is corporate worship but on the individual level how do I worship God daily David says it like this and in the book of Psalm 63 he when he was actually in the wilderness of Judah he said oh god you are my god early will I seek you my soul first for you my flesh longs for you in a dry and a thirsty land where there is no water and long for you God I want to be with you I'm gonna fellowship with you I gotta have you daily early will I seek you now for some of you in this room don't don't get too frightened don't don't get too upset because there are some of you in this room they're kind of similar to my wife you don't believe anything godly happens before 10 a.m. put your hand down since there anyway ain't asked you for no she's mmm blood I felt that that was the Spirit of God right they they asked you nothing when we you got too carried away right when it says early here it has nothing to do with the time on the wall has nothing to do with the clock on the wall it has everything to do with the priority of your life because see our lives are they started different some of you work the graveyard shift your day starts right at 12:00 12:00 midnight and if that's the beginning of your day God says make me the priority some others between 5:00 and 6:00 you know 4:00 and 6:00 some of the more in the morning and then if you're blessed to start after 10:00 or whatever it is just make him the priority just just just make him the priority just make him the prime early first thing priority I'm gonna seek you I'm gonna fellowship with you I'm gonna worship you because when I worship you I'm different don't don't look at me for you know I'm telling this right when you come in here and you begin to sing and your heart softens and you hear this word when you depart you're a different person if nothing else changed you a lot nicer than when you came in can I get a witness in here somewhere and when we don't do that we are not good people and if you expect to only do that once a week once every two weeks once every three weeks what in heaven's name is your life like you've got to decide if I'm gonna have a stronger walk with God I've got to figure out how to worship Him daily I've got to figure out how to make him a priority in my life what every day I seek his face because when I do I'm different when it happens I'm a changed person and if I want this closer walk with God that's got to be one of my priorities but not only that now I'm going to develop a way to worship and daily I have to intentionally serve other people I've got to figure out how to intentionally serve other people not accidental but intentionally on purpose I need to figure out that if I'm gonna have a closer walk with God I've got to serve other people people who don't look like me people who don't come from where I come from people who don't speak the same language that I speak whatever I need to intentionally serve them if I'm gonna have a closer walk with God now here in America and too often in the church we do one thing very very well but we don't do the other one well many times when people need serve and I thank God for this and I praise you and other people who do it we immediately figure out hey God how do I serve them with my treasure how do I make sure that their lives are better with the treasure that I have now thank God for people who do that that's simply amazing but I don't think we should stop there I think we should move from the treasure to the talent how do I serve Him God also with my talent you have given me an unbelievable ability to love on people to have compassion I have skill and ability that would really minister to them God how do i in my gaining of a closer walk to you serve other people intentionally Paul says is too easy he says you got to stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about other people here's what he says here don't be selfish don't try to impress others be humble in your thinking of others as better than yourself don't look out only for your own interest but take interest in others too gotta figure this out and if I'm gonna have a closer walk with God I've got to intentionally not accidentally I can stop thinking that it's a coincident but certain people in my life and I got to realize that maybe God put them in my life cuz he wants me to serve them in the only way I get closer to him as I accept that challenge I accept this opportunity to serve other people have people come to me pastor you know difficult people can be I say yeah I know you yes people can be but just because it's hard or it's difficult doesn't mean God don't want you to do it one of the reasons it's difficult is because God knows that the only way you're gonna accomplish this is you got to do it through him it's not something you won't be able to do on your own and to have a closer walk with God to have a stronger walk with God I gotta be willing to serve other people I've got to be willing to use my talent to bless other people not just my treasure not only that it goes beyond just being repetitious in this areas of worship and serving other people there's someone there's another area it has to do with this choosing to live a holy life choosing to live a holy life choosing to live hold this this frightens people when a black Pentecostal starts to use the word holy Oh Lord it's getting ready to change up oh Jesus could they have picked somebody else to preach today well I got talked about holy folks I know we've messed it up for too many people Pentecostals have taken holiness and messed it all up it is not a denomination holiness is a lifestyle and it's simply this I want to give you the inside tour today holy is this God says that you need to be holy because I'm holy and so what God does is he picks you and he sets you aside and he says I need you to be holy holiness is this I've been set aside I've been picked out I can no longer follow the customs of this world I can no longer follow the desires of this world I can no longer mimic the people of this world I can no longer be like everyone else I need to be how God would have me to be now I don't want you to think I got this mastered folks I struggle at this every day I struggle being who God wants me to be but I have to realize that he has set me aside and that's what holy is to actually walk in that and say hey it may be lawful for you but it's not expedient for me I got two amens and too often the church has allowed the world to tell us how we live rather than we tell the world how they should live I'm not talking about dogging people and judging them I'm talking about understanding that hey that may be good for you but God has chosen me to live holy and I can't do it I don't judge you I don't condemn you I just can't live like that I'm choosing to be hope because I know that when I choose to be holy I get a closer stronger walk with God one night I was at the arena getting ready to do Chapel I had come into the to the room and it just says all nights I'm the chaplain for the Kings and and so I get to minister to players in the in the NBA not just our players but others but on this particular night our were arriving late as they normally do I don't know what it is I should have checked to see if there's any players in here it doesn't matter I'm gonna tell the story anyway but anyway uh um they arrive late and they were shaking hands and given DAP and now like we always do checking on family and we'd wait to start the lesson and two of the guys who shall remain nameless we're talking about what they were gonna do after the game and they were talk about the places that they was gonna hit and where they was gonna go and what might go down I'm sitting there okay yeah who's sweet and so I just figured I time in I just figured you know you sit here talking about it in front of me I should probably say something about it I said hey guys Charlene didn't come with me tonight and so I'm gonna hang out with y'all after the game I'm gonna go where y'all go I actually thought it was a good idea but one of them who shall remain nameless looked at me and said that they call me they call me rare he looked at me and he said rare that wouldn't be good he says somebody might tag you they might put you on Facebook they might tweet about where we are I don't think you should do that and I look back at him and I said well if I can't go why are you going this just dis I'm Scot this dude what he said he's had an ass you all that rare I didn't ask y'all that I did I ask y'all that I just told you it'd be good for you to go and I don't understand this because he says he's a believer and you say you're believers and you say you're pursuing God and if we're pursuing God why is the world telling us how to live our lives and why are we following we as believers need to set a new standard and say hey because I have a closer walk with God I'm not judging you I'm not condemning you I'm not putting you down but that I will not do I'm making the choice in that hole here's what Paul says bosses and so dear brothers and sisters I plead with you and give a give your bodies to God because you because of all he has done for you let them be a living and Holy Sacrifice the kind that he will find acceptable this is true and that this is the truth that truly built the way to worship Him don't copy the behaviors and the customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think then you will learn to know God's will for you which is good and pleasing and perfect if I want to closer walk with God if I really want to be stronger in my walk with Him I've got to make this choice because I'm pursuing God now I've got to choose to be set apart and live a holy life there's this final thing and and I got to let you go that it won't leave me I'm certain I've preached about it here before but when I started doing this the study for this sermon it wouldn't let me go and so I apologize to you for being redundant and repetitive but I've already said to you there's some things that we've got to do with purpose and it will be repeating it and this one thing to draw closer to God to have a strong anger walk with God we've got to memorize and meditate on Scripture we've got to memorize and meditate on Scripture we've got to do this if we're going to have a stronger walk with God we've got to move into this place where we memorize and meditate Scripture now I think it's fine for us to do what we're doing this morning you're here you're studying the word where we're reading the word I think all that stuff is good you're hearing the word preach you're hearing it taught but folks at some point you and I have to get to a place where we memorize and meditate Scripture it's not to impress people with it's so that you get the word inside of you see the word on printed pages don't mean anything the words got to be in you and David says in Psalms 119 and 105 thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you we memorize everything we want a minute that people come well you don't know how to hide that is passed to them My Mind's just not what it used to be I just can't memorize like I you you memorize anything else you want you got the lyrics to sitcom you know music there's something that's in your spirit if I started a song in here right now half y'all get up and do the Watusi yeah baby that's the one face well okay I had a flashback y'all probably wouldn't but anyway but there are certain things that we know we've memorized but in the Christian community in the Church of the Living God not enough people know Scripture and not to know it just so you know it to dog people but so that it's in you so that when you're backed up into a corner his word comes out of you David writes in his first Psalm in the book of songs he writes the first thing about this has got to be important he writes this he says but they delight in the law of the Lord the law of the Lord is the word of God they delight in the Word of God meditating on a day and night they're like trees planted along the riverbank bearing fruit and each season their leaves never wither they prosper in all they do he says people who actually meditated memorize God's Word they get four guarantees number one they will always be irrigated they will always have water they'll never be thirsty they're planted by the riverbank number two he says they will bring forth fruit in their season they'll never be a season that you don't have fruit no matter what happens in your life no matter what goes on when you're in the word and the word is in you you always have fruit but then he says this other thing the leaves will never wither you'll never get dry that don't mean you're gonna go you're not gonna go through dry times but when you go through dry times you won't be dry hello somebody he says the leaves won't dry up you'll always have something to offer other people and then finally he says in whatever they do there prosper too many people have misinterpreted this thinking that you get what you want and everything that you desire is gonna come your way but this scripture actually means that when life throws you a curve God will give you the wisdom to navigate life and you will come out all right hello somebody that's what that scripture me you don't get that guarantee if the word is not in you the word has to be in you and we've got to get an army of believers a body of people who have memorized scripture who have meditated on Scripture till it becomes part of who they are so that when you go through situations you won't be looking forward you'll have a word I can't get a witness in here say see see if if we had been in the word we'd realize that Isaiah 26 and 3 says I'll keep you in perfect peace they whose mind is stayed on me we know that here my near my 8 and 10 says the joy of the Lord is our strength we know that Psalms 34 19 says many of the frictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all we know that Psalms 30 and 5 says his anger isn't but for a moment but his favor lasts for a lifetime weeping may endure through the night but joy is coming in the morning if we wear the word we know that I don't and I want to hang out with I want to be around people who have said not only do I want a stronger walk with God I'm willing to put in the time - repetition until God makes me who I need to be and if that means memorizing and meditating on Scripture then I'm gonna do it I'm not going to sit here and say I can't do it I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me let's pray God in answer to our prayers we say thank you and to all the blessings you bestow upon us we say thank you once again you're better to us than we actually are to ourselves and we turn to you now God because we desire we want what you desire and what you want a closer stronger walk with you we can't have it without you so God would you give us the courage right now the courage to say yes to you no matter where we are in life encourage us to say yes to you if we've been seeking you it's time now if we fallen away from you it's time to come back now if we've been walking in complacency it's time for you to stir us up so God give us the courage to answer your call today and begin a struggle a stronger walk with you every head is still bowed every eye is still closed if you've been pursuing God and you've been wondering should you make a decision to live for I'm telling you today is that day God is calling your heart no one's gonna startle you embarrass you I just want to pray for you wherever you sitting in this place if that's you just raise your hand and say pastor that's me pray for me I want Christ in my life and I want to do it today I see you I see you keep your hands up don't put them down some other folks are gonna join you yes you've made a decision to walk with God but you know there's distance between and God right now you need to recommit your life to him today if that's you raise your hand and say pastor pray for me I don't know how I got here I fell away somebody pushed me away I ran away because it wasn't working but I want to come home today raise your hand and say that's me pastor pray for me I see you oh what a blessing and then finally you've been walking with God but in this area you've been complacent because you know when to say man when to do what's right when to do this when to do that and you've become complacent you have false security and you want God to stir you up and you'd like this church to pray for you raise your hand and say that's me pastor stir me up I want a stronger closer walk with God whatever he requires father in this house people have raised their hands because you have stirred their heart answer their prayers and use this church use this ministry to be a blessing to help them draw closer to you and walk with you all the days of their lives we ask this in your son's name because he has all the authority and power we call him Jesus and we thank you for a men

Channel: Bayside Church

Views: 11,259

Rating: 4.9344263 out of 5

Keywords: Bayside Church, Sherwood Carthen

Id: fXnyMci_UT8

Length: 38min 52sec (2332 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 06 2013