DAN MOHLER - City Center Church - Full Service Saturday Morning

well this morning it is saturday march the 20th um hope you all are having a wonderful wonderful weekend it is sunny outside it is going to be an amazing day we are so excited um to have you all here watching with us we are getting ready to host dan mohler again another surface of dan mohler this morning here at city center church last night's service was absolutely incredible so much truth coming from that man and from this house last night if you didn't get to sign on and watch it need to get on and watch the sermon from last night it was super super powerful i believe it'll be on our website it'll be on youtube so you will be blessed by it if you are joining us right now we're so glad you are here if you will please get on and share this link with all of your friends and let them know that we are live right now so you can just go ahead and click that share button with all of your friends you can also click on that little bell icon down there in the bottom right hand corner so that you will be notified every time that city center church is live so you don't miss out on a thing going on here at the church we've got so much going on um every weekend our church is just seems like we're just like a little bustle of activity we have got easter services coming up two weeks from this weekend so we've got our killing jesus service on friday uh good friday april the second at seven o'clock so you want to make sure and invite all of your friends it's going to be a powerful powerful service here at city center on good friday and then we've got easter sunday morning services at 10 o'clock on sunday april the 4th so make plans our theme this year is don't easter alone you know last year think about a year ago right now we were in lockdown we were starting the lockdowns and our church was forced to go online completely online and all of us were secluded and isolated in our homes not going to church not going to work kids not going to school and we did easter that way we did easter isolated in our homes um and so this year our theme is don't easter alone and we would love to see you out here on easter sunday inviting your friends and fighting your co-workers so begin now to pray and ask god who it is that you can invite to join you for easter service um whether it's good friday sunday morning um easter sunday morning or both we would love to see you here at city center church and then also we are you know you can't see it here but we have got like a pile of toilet paper starting to accumulate in our lobby we are doing a huge toilet paper drive to help city union mission um and so for the entire month of march you can just go to target go to walmart and pick up a large case of toilet paper and drop it off here in the lobby and we will take all of that toilet paper at the end of march beginning of april down to city union mission um which is a facility that they have actually two facilities one for families and then they also have a men's only shelter that houses homeless people all throughout the year and they've never shut down even with coba they did never shut down and so can you imagine how many rolls of toilet paper that facility and that ministry goes through and so this is they said one of their greatest needs is toilet paper so if you want to run out grab a case of toilet paper grab a couple cases of toilet paper drop it off here in our lobby that would be awesome and help us to reach out and to bless city union mission also we have a food pantry here at city center church and you can go online and you can download this sheet of paper all of the things that our food bank is constantly giving out constantly in need of canned meat canned tuna tuna helper any type of hamburger helper type of boxed meals applesauce canned fruit peaches applesauce things like that peanut butter soups any type of soups laundry detergent paper towels and so you can go and download this list on our website and then go purchase those things and again bring them here to city center church we have big huge um like whiskey barrel type containers for you to put those groceries that you purchase to help bless our food bank because every week we have multiple families calling the church in need of groceries and we are able to bless those families give them groceries and give them coupons also to go to hyvee they can purchase meat and milk and fresh produce products with those coupons so thank you so much for helping to stock our food pantry and then we also just launched a new semester trimester of small groups we are so passionate here at city center church about um not doing life alone god never designed us to do life alone he designed us to be in fellowship with him first um which is again amazing part of the message that dan muller talked about last night but also to be in fellowship with one another when god created adam he saw it's not good that man is alone and so he created eve because he knew that we needed to do life in partnership with other people and so i want to encourage you if you are not involved in a small group if you're a little leery you know what that was me i'm an introverted person um i tend to shy away from bigger groups and getting to know people but being a part of small groups has changed my life and i've been a christian now for 30 years and being plugged into small groups has just made such a difference in my life it has strengthened my relationship with the lord and helped me grow closer to him and stronger as a believer and so i want to encourage you to find a group we have so many groups group groups for men groups for women groups for couples we have groups for young adults and so we we've really tried and been intentional to create groups for every demographic and so i want to encourage you go online at citycenterchurch.com small groups and we have a small group binder you can type in the nights that you're available you can type the type of group that you're looking for and it will help you to find a group you can also download the church center app and so it's a little app that has a little outline of a church building on it if you download that app it's called church center and then you will search for city center church and once you do that then it will pull up all of our small groups and i don't even know how many there are there are lots on there and then you can click through those groups and sign up for the ones that you're interested in that group leader will get an email and then they will respond to you within a day or two putting you in their group and then you'll start getting communication from that group about when they're meeting reminders about their group time so want to encourage you all to get signed up for a small group do not do life alone do not walk through this life alone god wants to bring people in your life to come alongside you to befriend you to pray with you to encourage you to love you and to to do life together and so i want to encourage you to get signed up for a small group it will change your life it will change the life of your family um we are so excited about dan muller being here again this morning he will also be here tonight at seven and so i wanna encourage you to set your computers to be watching tonight at seven o'clock and then tomorrow morning he will be in service with us again at ten o'clock in the morning all of our services have child care so if you want to come out we would love for you to be here if you want to come out tonight or tomorrow we also have for those of you who are still a little leery about being around people we have a it's called our safe entrance um where it's a mask only entrance and so it is over here on the east side of our building i believe it is door number two and you'll see its masks are required and in all the way down that hallway and into the balcony section you people have to wear a mask and so we have been very intentional about trying to create those places for everyone to feel comfortable here at city center church so we would love to see your beautiful face in this building again and like i said if you um would like to come in door number two with your mask on and sit in the balcony section where it's masks only i believe you will feel completely safe and protected and you can enjoy these wonderful services the presence of god that is flooding our services we would love to see you here so tonight seven o'clock tomorrow 10 o'clock in the morning also want to say again thank you so much for your faithful giving you all have just been so faithful this last year as we have just transitioned in so many different ways thank you so much for your faithful giving to city center church it's what makes weekends like this possible it's what makes outreaches like this possible it's what makes all the ministries and the missions outreaches that we do here locally and overseas possible it's because of your faithful giving so you can go to citycenterchurch.com give give that way you can text to give and i just want to say thank you church family you all are amazing i want to encourage you to get your bibles out we are getting ready to go into worship stand up on your feet get ready to worship god we love you all have an amazing day good morning good morning good morning how are you this morning isn't it good to be in the house of the lord it's so wonderful those of you joining us in the house and those of you joining us online welcome before we get started with worship and singing this morning let's take a moment and in one accord turn our hearts and our minds toward the lord in all of his holiness and all of his glory lord we join together with the angels that are continually circling your throne singing holy holy holy is the lord god almighty who was and is and is to come and his word says that those who are assembled where two or three are assembled in his name there he is also so right now will you say his name you speak out his name jesus jesus lord you are welcome here to do as you wish heavenly father we bind any entrances that may have come in with these folks heavenly father we find you said what we bind on earth will be bound in heaven and what we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven and heavenly father we bind any hindrances we bind anything that would come and try and sweep away the word that's about to be spoken today and heavenly father we lose your freedom in this house your freedom heavenly father because where your spirit is there is freedom amen church hallelujah you're welcome yes you're ready to worship let's worship [Music] i worship you you are here you're working in this place [Music] [Music] you are here working in this place [Music] darkness my god [Music] that is [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] i'm [Music] [Applause] oh [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes [Music] miracle worker promised me [Music] you're the promised keeper [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] my is [Music] [Music] [Music] that's cute [Music] [Music] [Music] even when i don't feel it you're working know [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] is [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes [Music] [Music] you surround me with [Music] till all my fears [Applause] i am a child of god [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] from my mother's womb you are [Music] to your family [Music] today [Music] [Applause] [Music] me [Music] [Music] is [Applause] i am a child by god [Music] are you ready to celebrate today [Music] i am surrounded [Music] [Music] cause you know what we're the sons and we're the daughters [Music] come on church let us [Music] what's up [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] you rescue me [Applause] [Music] [Applause] oh you rescue me [Music] [Music] [Music] come on [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] to fear [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] [Applause] longer [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes [Music] come on is there anybody thankful to be a child of god this morning we're sons and daughters of the most high praise god pastor matt recently did a sermon series called holy devoted and this is our response to that fact this is our response to the fact that man he made us his child to all those who believe he gave the right to become children of the most high god brought us into his family and as we wrapped our mind around the sermon series we decided to put this song together to give a hearts cry and a prayer of dedication so this morning i want to invite you to join with us as we just dedicate our lives to him and we just tell him that we are wholly devoted to him to his purpose to his presence are you guys excited about his presence today come on karina will you lead us [Music] with every breath that i breathe with every song that i see with every word that i choose and all i do i wanna be holy devoted to you [Music] [Music] he never [Music] you [Music] your love has made me know this is all better [Music] and to be holy [Music] if every day that patch is and when my days turn into nights lord my heart is [Music] [Applause] [Music] your love has made there's no better way to respond [Music] you are [Music] to you [Music] when i rise when i fall i will trust the name of jesus jesus in my heart [Music] is trust the name of jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] trees [Music] to be holy [Music] [Applause] to respond to your ways [Music] foreign [Music] yes [Music] is [Music] is [Music] devoted lord we worship you we honor you in this place lord as a loving father lord but as the king of kings oh god we worship you do you have a reason to worship this morning do you have breath in your lungs did you have the ability to get here you have a reason to worship so i encourage you to worship with us god you are so good god you are good lord we love you hallelujah god we give it all to you lord we worship you god we love you come on the song says you lord you are worthy and no one can worship you for me [Music] for all the things you've done for me and no one can worship you for me come on do you believe that say here's my worship here's my worship all of my worship receive my worship [Music] all of my worship sing here it [Music] you lord [Music] things you've done for [Music] here's my [Applause] [Music] say here it is [Music] here it is [Applause] [Music] [Applause] hey here it is [Music] [Applause] listen to this it says and i will not be silent i will always worship you hate as long as i am breathing i will always worship you come on singing i will i will [Applause] always sing as long as i am breathing [Applause] [Music] [Applause] hey [Music] [Music] away worse [Applause] [Music] here it is [Applause] [Music] [Applause] oh here it is [Music] me [Music] in your name there is power jesus let it be you father god let it be you [Music] let it be jesus my first name [Music] my song is [Music] for me [Music] is every day [Music] jesus [Music] [Music] to live [Music] jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] jesus [Music] christ [Music] is [Music] [Music] jesus [Music] everyday [Music] is [Music] [Music] me [Music] is [Music] jesus [Music] thank you jesus thanks guys i got it i felt a little step behind i was like is that jesus it isn't you i had a dear brother whisper something into my ear and i really feel like it's just a resonance for the house i just want to encourage you with this jesus is here what are you waiting for i will tell you heavens first of all already in you in the presence of the risen savior is here everything you need he's already supplied what are you waiting for no matter what your feelings are say he's bigger than your feelings what are you waiting for everything you desire he's already made a path and created a pathway what are you waiting for i speak to the spirit of distraction i command every oppressive spirit every depressive spirit the spirit of suicide to leave spirit of infirmity you have no right i command all sickness and disease to leave your body to leave this place the lord right now we just received by grace through faith all that you have already made available and we thank you father for this special time with you thank you so much for another truth encounter with the kingdom thank you that father we will live in true we will we will live in truth we will worship in truth and we shall be set free amen to every one of you um on the worship team um i wanted to wait till sunday i kept going back and forth and i kept arguing with the holy spirit but he just said just do it saturday morning i said okay i just want to say thank you on the production team thank you well it wouldn't be easy but it'd be a lot easier if we just had you know a basic worship team of three or four and and for all these services it's a it's a big thing it is pastor phil and um and the lord leading you and all all of you i mean every one of you i mean like literally i just looked at you i was like this is kind of what the cloud of witnesses looks like i mean like heaven's on stage heaven's here and thank you so much for letting us worship with you and my my prayers blessings back to you multiple blessings about you for the time you're giving things that you've been asking wanting i pray that there'll be a breakthrough because of the sacrifice as you know you know with it with and i've taught this before but with the with the fish and the bread now you know the miracle didn't happen in the prayer the miracle happened in the breaking when it was broken and um and uh to give of your time like this i my prayers that there would be a breaking in this moment there would be a blessing upon you as you've never thought possible and so thank you to each and every one of you every key every chord every thing you've said production team johnny love you bro everybody that i cannot see because you are absolutely in the darkest but god wants to bring you into the light now um every one of you that are running a camera and some of you that are even sacrificing your opportunity to maybe worship full of it because you're pushing buttons but i will tell you you should look back sometimes that are at our um um you know at the crew they're back up there hopping so if you ever hear a reverb it's probably because they're just they're caught in the spirit and so it's so cool i'm like man let the thing ring just get jesus get you some man and uh well uh if you're not on your feet would you mind just your feet real quick i mean last night was bananas uh it really actually was a banana split it was incredible i loved it and uh and i just i i have no idea what the lord's gonna say through dan but i know it's gonna be amazing and i am excited about another truth encounter with our king and uh so would you by putting your hands together and welcome dan muller thanks guys good to be here thank you bless you why don't you grab your seats and let's just roll 10 41. i'll be a good boy this morning i'm pretty on time in the morning session i have a little leadership luncheon thing i think today but uh open services i really don't think much about time so i guess you noticed that last night so like even tonight if you're here and you get done before me you can just slip out but uh thanks for coming i'm always impressed i travel a lot and i'm always impressed that people show up on a saturday morning because i understand work weeks and personal family stuff and errands and life i get it so i'm just always impressed that people are here on a saturday morning saturday morning always seems to me like sometimes it's the most out of the whole weekend the most powerful and also because there's i think there's a sacrificing coming sometimes on a saturday morning so uh thanks for being here listen if if you were who wasn't here last night wow i got a whole bunch of newbies good to see you all hey so there's a bunch i didn't that surprised me i didn't think it was going to be that many i hope i didn't run everybody else off last night no the the beauty of a weekend like this and it does take a lot to pull it off and that's why it's really cool to acknowledge people that are serving and helping it takes a lot to pull a weekend off like this a lot of commitment and a lot of time what i like about doing a friday night saturday the lord told me a long time ago in 2012 he wanted me to get to as many churches as i could uh he told me actually to stay in america he's not against other countries where i'm concerned he just he wants me to just i feel like he wants me in america right now and he said go to as many churches as you can do a friday night friday night saturday morning even a saturday afternoon if they want or saturday evening all day saturday whatever and then sunday morning and fly back home he said you'll never be out of priority and go every weekend and go to as many churches what i like about friday night saturday morning saturday night and sunday morning you can maybe catch something and that we can all be on the same page because see this is all about the unity of faith and the unity of faith is in everybody agreeing on the same thing all the time the unity of faith is us having the same understanding what he paid for and why we're here like if like you and i can wake up in the morning with the same reason that's the unity of faith like like some could be called the children's church some could really be called domitian some feel like they just long for the addicted to be free or the homeless to be fed there's different burnings in people's hearts that's that doesn't have to make us different the thing is we do it all for the same reason like if i wake up to walk in love if i wake up to wear witness of his image if i wake up and understand that my life is dead to myself and alive to him and i'm in pennsylvania and you're here living that way too that's what makes us one that's what makes us an army just wonder if the whole body of christ would get this i mean the body of christ the people that name themselves christian would actually wake up sincerely wake up knowing that nobody owes them a thing and they woke up for one reason to shine to actually walk in love to live by the spirit wonder if that was our corporate agreement and understanding as the body of christ that's the unity of faith would that not make a difference in your sphere of influence wouldn't that change things around you wouldn't that cause you to respond different in different situations and settings yeah you'd have a different attitude at work if you really actually believe this you have a different attitude in your homes and even if things get brushed a little bit you'd make peace quick and you'd make amends and you'd find truth in the middle right yeah so so there was a lot of hands let me nutshell something quick i preached it last night i preach it everywhere i go i'm convinced of this guys like like jesus forgiveness isn't the end of a thing like jesus didn't die on the cross just for you to be forgiven forgiven's the very beginning it enters you back into relationship and right standing with god almighty what i've understood as i've read my bible over the years that i actually got this in the beginning it's what turned me on and set me on fire because mom took me to church my my whole life young life she made me go to church she's a good mama she said you get up i'd act like i was sleeping she'd say boy i know you ain't sleeping you're up early every day just get out of bed and i was like but it wasn't that i'm not making anything bad about when i went to church like that but i didn't i wasn't getting i was getting the same thing every time like like he died on the cross to forgive me of my sins and i'm a sinner i'm a sinner and he died to forgive me of my sins so i guess hopefully i'm a forgiving sinner i mean that's about the best i could get out of my church experience didn't empower me didn't transform me didn't give me a clear conscience didn't give me right standing with god didn't take the veil off my face so i could approach him i it just left me hopefully a forgiving sinner and all i ever heard from every preacher because i didn't know matt all i heard from every preacher in my whole life was he died on the cross because you're a sinner he died on the cross because you're a sinner that's all i ever heard and nobody ever told me he died to redeem a truth to restore truth about my life nobody told me that he died because he wanted to live in me and shine through me and love through me that i could actually live in the spirit and actually by the spirit follow the life of jesus nobody told me that in fact the churches i went to growing up that many years ago were they would have called it heresy and blasphemy and people still do today because we weigh ourselves by ourselves instead of weigh ourselves through him and that's a problem because here's the raw truth about it jesus in matthew 18 said he came to save that which was lost that's interesting he didn't say who he said that he's not talking about a person drunk in a back alley somewhere he's talking about a thing that got lost through adam see adam was given something he was given a stewardship he was created in god's image he was made with intention people if you read your bible man was made with intention where god was concerned a purpose and an identity he wasn't happenstance he just wasn't you know god one day passing time he made god made man he made man with intention and he says it in a several verse period in genesis 1 made man for his image in his own image in his own likeness both male and female women you have the same creative value as a man to walk in god's image to live by god's spirit and i don't believe this at all i don't believe a woman is less than a man i believe a woman has the same created identity i understand some of paul's writings about the woman was deceived et cetera but adam he he followed her instead of him you know what i mean it's like ah come on adam right it's not like eve that's where i'm at i'm like come on adam yeah so anyway he says to adam so so god breathes everything he is in in adam and he makes man in his image he told him to tend the earth and keep it he gave him the first law seed time and harvest time that each seed after its own kind he told adam and eve he blessed them and said be fruitful and multiply and said man this is good right away we think uh oh they're going to come together god triggered this whole sexual desire thing he's the root of it all and then it's supposed to get pregnant well the whole context is his image when he says be fruitful multiply of course it has to do with more human beings coming on the scene but it's all in the reference to his image he's talking about multiply the image he's talking about filling the earth with his glory covering the earth with the manifestation of god and we've been so beat down we've proved so much contrary we've lived so far from from truth for so long so many of us that we actually buy into this thing well that's him and this is us and we don't understand that he seated us in heavenly places in christ jesus we don't understand that christ in me is the hope of glory and we think it's high-minded talk and there's a lot of christians that attack this kind of preaching but it's all through scripture here's the goal of the cross the goal of the cross is not to forgive you it's to restore you back to what god intended you to be in the first place see people say life is tough life is a bleep life is a blank and they throw in adjectives and they make life like it's this grind and dread the only reason life feels that way to people is because they're living it outside of why they're here so there's no gas in your tank and god ain't going to fill it because you don't want to empower you to drive down a road you're not created for and all of a sudden you're you're like burned out in life and you don't want to live life and life is a bleep in a blank and a blip no no no life is a gift and you've got this one little wisp and vapor called time to live it for his glory and to live it for his great name and once you understand this you'll get passionate like i feel passionate where you don't have time to be offended and discouraged and disgruntled to have issues and he said she said and will i feel well how come well you should never you don't even have what are we doing like jesus didn't teach us that he he taught us how to lay down our life to be perfect and be judged for it and stay the same man jesus taught me a lot he taught me to have have have good attitude not detrimental attitude he taught me to find myself through him and through the father and not through one another he he showed me truth so i'm serious about this man i believe the day of offense can end for us i believe that jesus made us to be a certain way and that way was lost through sin so the way had to come to restore that thing again this thing is way more than forgiving you and changing your destination when the trumpet blows be honest with me that's what we've made church in america we've made the cross in america a prayer you pray to assure your destination when you die i mean and then we say and try to live better and do better and of course we don't promote a bad attitude but it's not a dress because we all expect we're gonna have one i did not wake up expecting to fail today i didn't wake up to try not to sin today i didn't wake up believing i have to have a bad attitude i actually woke up actually believing christ is inside of me that i actually am gifted to have life and the christ lives inside of me because he wants to and that he actually paid a price to live in me that's a big deal people and if i really believe that not just preach that believe that then it makes these things i'm talking about matter and all of a sudden my attitude does matter my responses all of a sudden are fine-tuned and channeled through what i actually believe and all of a sudden i ain't trying to be okay the truth has made me okay you get what i'm saying i'm telling you this thing is real he said the day you eat the tree adam is the day you surely okay what's he talking about did adam fall over dead when he ate the tree we know death came on the scene we know his days got numbered we know death came ultimately to him because all men sinned all men die right but if jesus said or if god the father said adam the day you eat the tree is a day you surely die death wasn't even in the picture but god made man he didn't make man to ever die he made man to live forever that's why we live forever through christ because jesus restored the truth of while we're here we're always created to be in communion with god and have fellowship with the eternal one so of course eternal life is found in the eternal one we make eternal life the goal of christianity transformation is the goal of christianity new life is the goal of christianity guys stay with me i feel a little static we make the goal of christianity eternal life you becoming love is the goal of christianity you're becoming merciful being a peacemaker walking in the light as he's in the light living in a manner worthy of him is the goal of christianity eternal life isn't the goal it's a byproduct of him restoring all things that were is it a blessing am i excited that my name's in a book called life yes but that life has come inside of me in the person of holy spirit when i got born again i was dead and now i'm alive i was blind now i see are you with me we we make the carrot heaven and he said it's here the kingdom of god is here and you're not to look here you're not to look there the kingdom of god is within you come on so what did jesus do he restored communion and fellowship with god that was lost through sin so he became the problem the problem was cursed on a tree sin shall have no dominion over us the law of the spirit of life has set me free you get it it's made me free so here's here's here's what happened just so you understand this why i'm so passionate about this i get this now when god made man in his image he's not talking about head arms and legs he's talking about who god is we all know god is love we know he's omnipotent omniscient he's so many things the names of god are almost endless but everything that he does is is through love like wouldn't it be amazing if god was all powerful and yet a control freak do you ever think this way like wonder if god was all knowing that sounds impressive but wonder if he had issues wonder if he was all about himself wonder if he wasn't selfless and wasn't love i wonder if you had to be his pet wonder if he was biased i wonder if he had all his attributes but he wasn't love what makes god so amazing yeah he breathed in the dirt of man said yay split the seed that's amazing but what draws me to him what gives me confidence towards him what gives me hope in him is that he's love and that on my darkest day he didn't lose sight of what he created me to be and he said i love that boy i know what he can be i know what it'll look like if i live in him and he surrenders he's worth paying for now ain't no preacher ever told me that in my whole life holy spirit told me that when i was 33 in the bedroom and it changed me forever and he said i love you and you think i believe that and i'm gonna be hurt today and say well he said well she well that made me feel bad well that hurt this truth so supersedes any of that junk i lived by was taught by was trained by it's the foolishness of men it's not god it's it's the way that seemeth right but never produces life in fact the opposite death and destruction you get feeling for sorry for yourself for just a half a day and you try to tell me you're blessed you stay self-conscious for an hour that's torment that's insecure that ain't fullness of life that ain't life more abundantly the fall of man taught us all this stuff and then we psychologically access it and diagnose and study a fallen man i'm supposed to study jesus i'm not following us i'm following him and if that makes me sound a little different and think a little different maybe i'm not out of my mind i might be out of yours so so who are we following and i'm not being me i just know we've compared ourselves among ourselves and we get trapped following our own human experience and we defend sometimes we actually defend our human experience sometimes at the cost of grace that is longing to change us and we say well this is the way we are well you know how people are i'm i'm not interested in that language what are you what are you doing you're trying to buy another day you're going to assure that tomorrow's always yesterday or do you want change see i won't change because jesus came to save that that that there was something lost here's what was lost the day adam surely died he lost who he was he lost to his creed he lost his identity he got separated from god who knows that sin separated him from god who knows that when god came in the cool of the day to walk like normal sin was now a factor he was self-conscious he was sin conscious he was ashamed he was insecure all the effects of sin were rampant and on him and when god came and he heard the sound of the lord coming he didn't run to him and say father he ran from him and hid come on but a covenant god god he came he's there adam where are you come on he knew where adam was he's always given man a chance to respond to who god is god's there in love god's there with an answer god has a lamb slain before the foundation of the world he has a promise he has an answer and he's there he's there ain't no such thing as hopeless unless you just don't believe in god adam he says uh i'm over here lord i was i was naked i was feeling a little like yeah so i'm just hanging out over here and he's behind us right he's got fig leaves it's a sad day god says how did you know you were naked adam did you eat the tree that i forbid you to eat it's a yes or no question people did you eat the tree does god know he ate the tree did god know where he was he's always giving man a chance to respond to the truth of who he is he's always giving man a chance but the effect of sin is so rampant and it's so seen in genesis 3 or yeah genesis 3 you can all already see the effect of sin he said adam did you eat the treat a minute ago whoa man she's of the man whoa man she's flesh of my flesh she's bone of my bone we're one we're gonna multiply the earth with the image of god as one now did you eat the tree and i forbid you adam uh it was the woman you gave me for she gave me to eat it's a yes or no question but somehow this changes things hey it was the woman you gave me what self-justification what self-defense saying down playing soft pedaling the responsibility well hey i probably wouldn't eat the tree i mean it was the woman you gave me if you when they gave me the woman probably wouldn't eat the tree deal with it work it out but don't look at me it's in your bible he looked at the woman and said woman what is this you've done and she said it was the serpent he gave me to you what's she saying the devil made me do it didn't you have an answer didn't i tell you to never eat it why'd you listen to him why is it okay because he see you always have an opportunity to respond to truth in your life and i'm going to tell you point blank what i believe that jesus's blood did put us back in the garden before the tree where you can stand up every day in god as if you never ate that tree free from sin cleanse from all unrighteousness reckon dead indeed unto sin and alive unto god in christ jesus that's joy unspeakable people that don't understand say calm down you don't gotta get so worked up when you preach i am very calm like you have no idea if you're saying that you have no clue it's joy unspeakable come on i was lost separated from god and god took it upon his own shoulders to shoulder my sin and carry my cross to that thing called golgotha and get crucified now he said all i need you to do is carry your own cross through life don't let sin against you give the right to produce sin in you don't you repay evil for evil you overcome evil with good hey son just follow me i said i said a pattern for you just follow me come on don't it impress you that jesus was perfect and gave his life on a cross that's more than opening your car door ladies bringing you flowers and chocolate taking you to a nice dinner with expectation afterward oh i'm gonna brother but thank you you encouraged me [Applause] i like when a man shouts preach it on that line it says a lot about your integrity yeah are you are you hearing me jesus in this thing for keeps he ain't here to woo you with chocolate and flowers he gave you his life so he could live inside of you and you could be one with him he's in this for keeps yeah he ain't looking to give you a little experience he doesn't want you to be a concubine serving him and brushing against him now and then he wants you living in him and him living in you and he's so serious about it that he paid the price of his life you know how serious he is because because you think if he wasn't serious people would have broke him down right like like if he's not love he ain't making it to the cross it's too unjust it's too unfair he got too many lines of issue like like he would be if he was us if he was today's talk show if he was that he's carrying the cross he ain't even making it that far way before the cross he's just sitting on a rock in chapter whatever and peter's like what's wrong lord just thinking man just it's all right man no you don't look like look don't push me all right you you ain't in my shoes you're eating my shoes you don't know what's on my plate don't be coming in my life tell me how i should shouldn't feel because peter you don't know what it's like every day just doing good doing good and men disrespect and dishonor and blaspheme and back bite you can't trust nobody i'm here i'm supposed to give my life for these people that couldn't see me if i was right in front of them i don't know it's just worrisome peter so don't be trying to give me no advice because you just don't understand i'm just working through some things man and john comes walking up hey lord no not today john stop i just ain't feeling this thing and then i'm going to walk out and they're going to throng me again and all they want is another meal they just want their belly full they could care less about what i have to say come on you don't see one chapter like that you don't see one meltdown you don't see one fallout why do we give our permission ourselves permission all the time to have meltdown why don't we just really buckle down and say you know what i'm all in i'm following jesus and if i slip i'm up and i'm running but i'm getting there man i ain't backing down i'm gonna become what grace paid for yeah you don't see jesus then he finally just drops the cross he's almost there he just melts down he just he says lord i can't take any more look at me look at me look what they've done to me for what healing they're sick cleansing their lepers is this what i deserve for raising their dead they released barabbas he killed a man i raised the dead and they want to kill me people are nuts man i ain't doing it i'm done if they didn't change by now they ain't changing anybody think like that because i think like that and it impresses me what love looks like and it empowers me to not have a bad attitude it empowers me to love you and not judge you and not lord my preference over you jesus is a really big deal he's light in the darkness and he showed me the way not an option the way yeah sorry i'm so er it's just the way it is this stuff stirs me that god would send his son and he'd be perfect and allow men to hit him and hit him and hit him till you can't recognize him we're growing up you ain't punching me even if i can't take you out i'll find a bat a knife a club i grew up in a city i look you fight your way it's pecking order it's it's it's alpha everybody had a big brother whether they did or didn't they lie just to save moment now i got a big brother but he shows me a different way you ain't taking that stuff you ain't getting bullied most people growing up you ain't getting bullied you're gonna snap you're gonna find a way to get even you're gonna take somebody out they're gonna punch you you ain't turning no other cheek get real with me you know punch him flat in the mouth and run if you have to he's the lord he wasn't his and is to come there was nothing made that wasn't made through him and he humbles himself and reduces himself to a bond servant to the point of death even death on a cross therefore god highly exalted him see that's the way to get noticed humility surrender being right and living looking like you might be wrong trusting yourself to him who judges righteously being betrayed and not living betrayed being mistreated and not showing one sign of mistreatment isaiah 52 says he was marred more than any of the sons of men that means when they were done with jesus he was worse in appearance than any man ever was at the hands of a man now that's submission that's submission they're going to beat him and beat him and beat him to if you weren't following from the beginning you'd say who's that they got all beat up because you can't he's beyond recognition guys get real with me this isn't some suffering savior picture on a cross that still has his hair identifiable this ain't two nails and spikes in her feet and hands this is pummeled and beat and bruised and bloodied and swelled beyond recognition if he was marred more than any of the sons of men who believes their bible who we say we believe our bible watch this he's re he's he's marred more than any of the sons of men the worst affliction man has ever done to man jesus was worse you burn a man at the stake you burn a woman because you thought she was a witch and you threw all her little cannitation books at the base of that thing and you use that for kindle wood and you torched that woman you know they've done that to people and you torch that woman and when that fire goes out can you tell she's even a woman you've got a charcoaled figure hanging there and you can't even tell nothing he was marred more than any that means when they were done beating him there ain't no way you could tell who he was he lost his appearance his his visage why why did it have to be like that why couldn't it just be 39 stripes and a couple stakes in the hand because when sin got done with adam in the garden he didn't look anything like he was created to be he lost his appearance so jesus came and paid the price of his appearance to pay for the glory of god to come back on you don't you take that lightly and have attitude and issue and he said she said well i feel well if well they would have never and i wouldn't jesus you talk about humility and love he lets them hit him again and again and again until he loses his appearance and he says it's finished they can get me back on them and in them they can look like sons again they can walk in the light again they can be back and restored to his image they can become love they can get born again all things can be made new it is finished you get it so when adam sinned ate the tree he got separated from god what happened watch this he's made in god's image would you agree the bible says that would you agree that colossians 3 10 last night said we're to be renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created him would you say that's pretty clear language so there's a restoration back to image true and it ain't well you know we can't never stop it's called believe the word of god and trust grace trust holy spirit watch when adam got separated from god watch he got separated from love and the source of love he had no fellowship or communion with him what was created to love got cut off from love and became in desperate need of love so the perversion of sin is amazing 180 horrific transformation and change for the worst what was love a second ago and secure and fulfilled in christ became separated disjointed insecure and in desperate need of love self-defending self-protecting and self-justified every one of us romans 5 says was born into adam there a one person in this room that had a clue of who they were when they were born you were trying to find yourself along the way you needed stability support you needed to be valued you needed to be appreciated there was a lot of components you were desperate for needed in your life and most of those components were missing and at a very young age you were nothing more than how you responded to how it unfolded and that's where you identified and found yourself and it's never the truth you get laughed at in grade school and you realize for the first time they're laughing at me and this hurt tries to hit you in this insecurity and the one you knew was your friend and they're laughing hardest now you got choices get hurt get broken get crushed in your esteem and identity get introverted and insecure or act like you don't care numb yourself or become hard and be a fighter it's all in the name of survival and self-centeredness but no matter how you choose to respond none of it's the real you it's just a response to how it went down and none of it is the truth about you and then people say well you just got strong personality well you're just a fighter well you're just uh but you're wearing an identity that has nothing to do with truth it has to do with surviving the moment everybody in this room and everybody on this earth was born into adam and needs to be born again unfortunately we turn born again into a self-serving self-centered beneficial prayer instead of a truth that transformed my life and restores me back to what i was created to be and i am bold about preaching that because there's tons of discouraged christians there's tons of angry at god christians it's easy to say you're a christian because you prayed some prayer but who's walking in the light as he's in the light who's making peace and showing mercy and guarding their heart because how their heart flows the issues of life come on it's easy to go to church but who's being her i'm not being mean and i'm not talking to you individually i'm making general statements and if the shoe fits just kick the thing off it ain't time to be cinderella i say no i wear that slipper it's amazing everybody in this room was born into the need of being loved and it's such a vulnerability and such a weakness and such a deception and psychologically we assess it and then we try to build life around that need and try to find truth in it and there is none the truth is you were all created to love not need love and that's where the light shines in the darkness and the root springs out of dry ground and his name is jesus and he says hey guys i'm not just going to preach this at you i'm going to show you what it looks like because i'm a good shepherd and i'm going to walk this thing out for you and you can behold me in grace and truth and i'm gonna walk it out to the end and then you're gonna submit to me deny yourself and follow me that's a christian you know what we turned it into beneficial blessings benefit protection provision and you've got a lot of discouraged christians that are praying for all those things and ain't seeing them happen so they don't have both arms raising and when we're singing he never failed me yet they got three ways that he probably did come on i've been around us i pastored for a while i know how people get tricked into thinking because they never came into this thing with a covenant mindset all that is mine is yours and all is yours is mine they came in this thing for what he could do for them and how he could make him get through and all there is is disappointment quandary and confusion in that scenario and if you take life personal and circumstances personally you're going to make a grave mistake and you're going to be wearing the wrong wardrobe that's why you don't look good in that thing when you're wearing it because it was never made to fit you and the colors don't match and it ain't cool on you and if it was a real blouse or a real dress or a real sport coat you would have never bought that thing if you really saw what it looked like on you are you guys good so christianity is a restoration back to love that's why ephesians 3 says this you want to look at it quick with me it's pretty incredible like it's really amazing we're actually going to read this i feel confident we're going to read this i feel excited my bible's falling to pieces oh peaceful yeah it's a good chapter i know this in my top 100. this one ranks really high paul says in verse 8 to me who is less than the least of all the saints why is he saying that is that a false humility is he in regret is he in condemnation for his former life man god came and snatched that man out of darkness like that man was on a mission sure he was doing god a favor deceived and blind hurting people that were surrendered and believing killed a man held the clothes of the men that stoned him and taken people and dragged him out of their homes and put them in prison and here he is writing new testament ministering preaching the gospel empowered by god god would come and sit and visit him and jesus would just minister to him and speak to him and teach him like he's writing things that the gospels say without reading the gospels that's pretty cool relationship he says the lord showed me on the night that he broke bread and he lays out communion the same story you can find in the gospels it's not because he read the gospels it's because jesus said here's how it went down this man is humble he's like i didn't earn this i didn't deserve this it's all by favor and grace and that's why he would write things like no man has anything unless it's been given there is no one to boast in men if a man has it's cause it's given he gets it no watch what he says he says this grace was given watch that i should preach among the gentiles the unsearchable riches of christ so none of us have arrived it's unsearchable man we're going to be unfolding and unpacking this thing and keeping our hearts stirred up in direction the rest of our lives right it ain't like oh i have a ride paul said i haven't apprehended right watch this to make all see would jesus say father forgive them they don't know what they're doing you know what he's saying father forgive them they just don't see paul anointed to do make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which was from the beginning of the ages it's been hidden in god who created all things through who through jesus christ so nothing was made that wasn't made through him think about this scenario he comes to his own and his own knew him not like nothing was made that wasn't made through him the fall of man was so detrimental to humanity that when the truth stood in front of them they said man we can't bear your words what are you even trying to say dude you're whacked and they killed him for what he said and they were made through him and he was the truth and they couldn't possibly see the truth and he's right in front of them speaking for years that's why he wept with compassion not frustration because they were sheep without a shepherd ain't that something you say yeah but you're telling me people don't get on your nerves you know why they eat on your ears self-centeredness stop calling it normal it's not normal nobody's getting on god's nerves and because you believe that way and see that way you might think god sees that way you might feel like god you got on god's nerves now he's quiet now you don't have access to him come on you're to love your neighbor as yourself i don't the things i see men for i'll end up interpreting god that way you say you're telling me nobody's getting under your skin in your life i got new skin i got new skin i got new nerves you don't judge a man by his appearance you don't judge him by his actions you don't identify or stereotype a man by what he's fleshed out you see a man for his created value and his purpose that way when you do speak to him if you do have to correct him it ain't because he's wrong and it ain't because you're ticked it's because he's more than he's living and he doesn't see it come on how many parents just correct their children because they're frustrated how many parents just snap they lose it they don't think they have the lines until the lines crossed and they say billy you just get to your room dad but billy just shut up man just get to your room i'll talk to you later just go man just get away what are you teaching billy nothing just that you have fuses and he knows how to blow them and then he starts painting the picture of the father through the picture of father i'm not being condemning i'm just talking man i'm just saying how many times have we touched each other because we're frustrated watch that's a sign of self-centeredness you don't correct their child because they're wrong let's go deeper than that you correct their child because you want to teach them they're more than their actions they have a higher value than their mentality you're actually sitting them down and imparting to them and teaching so and encouraging them ensuring them it's not a lecture son one day i hope you understand but listen you're in a family and this is what family looks like and this is why i'm coming down on you for this because it's not producing life and it's detrimental to you and in time it will teach you this and this and this and this is the highest value you get you see it isn't because they're wrong and they make you mad and they should know better by now let me tell you what that is not being condemning and me that's called self-centeredness in your parenting that's why our children have the power to shake us and move us so much because we tend to find our approval and identity through their behavior that's why parents fall out when their kids go off the deep end especially you mamas men handle it a little different men get angry and quiet and act like they don't care and they're hurting women just go and call it prayer i'll just say it i've watched way too many parents become unproductive in their life because of the state of their child it's actually a it's unfortunate but it's a form of idolatry you're letting where your child is decide who and how you are and then there's no faith vision in redemption and there's no truth being fleshed out come on that's a big deal and when your pastor at church you'll find this is a real thing like and a mama is a good mama she feels like she's doing good but she's losing her disposition her accountants she's crying every day and praying that same prayer every day in despair and keeping a strong eye on the well-being of her child hoping he didn't and if he changed and now she's praying watching praying watching the child praying watching the child but she's driven by his and none of its faith and they say well but i love him the best thing you can do if you love him is not identify through him identify through jesus so you can see him through truth and walk in your bedroom and just make some declarations and cover them in accountability as a parent over a child and speak life over your child and prophesy in the bedroom over your child and then go out and walk in the light as he's in the light and live productive and when you're pumping gas it ain't the story of your day because you're in faith and you have a higher vision than where he's living it's just healthy not sure beats palmer gas and say hey how you doing girl just give me a prayer give me a break give me a prayer call call a bunch of the girls pray come on i said that thing about last night about getting laid off guy's pumping against freddie goes out across the convenience store he says hey tommy how you doing man you all right just pray for me man i got laid off i just gotta let just keep me in prayer man call call as many people as you can we need prayer man and we have this strange ability to put on and wear what's happening and find our identity in the moment so we're always living by circumstances and who we are and how we are is how things are going instead of who he is in me and why so what's the healthy thing tommy says hey freddie good to see you man i'm doing awesome bud my life's in faith god's good and i know it see you man hey tell your honey and your kids i said hello and you just probably guessed you're not in denial you ain't stuff in feelings you ain't trying to do something holier than now you ain't like bless god praise god bless god no you're in you're in faith you ain't wearing laid off you're wearing sonship and covenant and you don't even see the door but it's there he'll provide you'll find favor some will shift he ain't gonna just watch you go down the drain he didn't bring you this far to watch you flush your eyes are on him you trust him you actually believe what you sing you're gonna live what you believe and that that that flesh is out right there at the gas pump where you ain't wearing a heavy face drawing attention to your dilemma coming into church and the rent just got paid supernaturally and you're like wow yeah and it's a slow song and then the next month the red ain't paid and it's a fast song you glancing around what's the matter honey see that's what you're waiting on well and you say well where's compassion in that day you don't draw attention to your dilemma to yourself you ain't putting on a sad face to get attention you believe in god god i don't know how we're going to do this we got to work something out and it's real it's in front of me i can't ignore it but i can't ignore the glory of who you are either and the love that you have for me and you'll give me wisdom and i'm asking for it but man i won't lose this countless and this joy unspeakable you have done so much you have forgiven me of everything i've ever done you put your life in me and you made me yours so i'm gonna live yours and i'm gonna let one month of rent throw me for a loop and lose everything you paid for i'm after you god are you with me come on i've watched too many of us do this and after a while you actually think this is the christian life are you all okay see when i'm ministered i feel like they'll say they'll cry and it's legit they'll say but you don't know what they did to me and i'll say listen cause i got to get them off of that i can't say they would they do they did what oh baby you must be so broken let's pray and you think that's compassion you're empowering them to stay there they don't need sympathy that's what they're looking for but that'll never make them free that'll actually tie the identities not stronger we do it in home groups man we say sally honey i know things have been challenging in your home how's things been any difference anything we've been praying for for for your husband and sally goes and you got your answer so what you do let's just get sally come on honey we put her we call it the hot seat we put her in the middle we're all surrounding sally and we think it's compassion no it's sympathy and empathy because we know we'd be hurt if we were in her shoes and we can't imagine living with that guy and the more you're showing empathy to her the more you're despising him and the prayer is usually like oh god would you just embrace sally right now and three of you are praying like that now you're crying and sally starts heaving crying and you think god's moving you just got her dilemma so big and so in front of her she is face to face with the pain oh god just comfort and bring peace holy spirit come yeah and i'm not making fun of people i know our hearts are sincere but what are we doing and we're and we're we're doing this and then and it's we're praying for god just come and comfort the god of all comfort the god of all peace and we're quoting scripture and then all of a sudden it's just and father you come in the voices change i've seen it you come to her husband god you knock him off his high horse like you knocked paul god you i mean there ain't no compassion for him you ain't realizing he's blind and deceived father forgive him he doesn't know what he's doing because if he really knew you he wouldn't be living this way he's a dry cup he got nothing to give sally's thirsty no wonder she's thirsty she's looking to him for a drink there ain't nothing to get it there's nothing in the cup you say well what do you do with sally you run over when her lips trembling and you kneel down and you say girl listen to me and you'll start crying because you love her and you're not like unrelating and insensitive and bullying her over with the word you're weeping you say honey i know it's probably been more challenging than anyone understands living under the roof and i realized the things he said is he hitting you are you in physical day no no he's just so mean i just feel so mostly abused and overwhelmed and i've taught this for years watch you can't emotionally abuse people that know who they are you can only emotionally abuse people that are searching for themselves and they're usually searching for themselves through the most significant person in their life called spouse so if that spouse isn't measuring up the need boom right so you kneel down and you say sally listen to me honey i know it's been difficult but listen you don't even realize you're doing this because your heart's sincere and i know you love god and then you start teaching her how she's allowing where he's not to decide where she is that she actually has a need for him to be something in her life that he right now in this delusion doesn't have the capability of doing and some person might get hard and say yeah he does he's just a jerk and he needs to shape up okay so wonder if god judged you that way in your days of blindness what a jerk shape up and two months later you didn't shape up hey jerk shape up okay fine i'm done whoever got that from the lord why do we give that to each other all the time when you never learned that from jesus we learned that from adam we were born into that thing and we need to get born again and old things pass come on that's not just the junk forgiven that's the way i thought my motives my reason for being and the why behind my life everything brand new and then you encourage sally and who she really is and you teach her communion with the lord and how to have compassion on her husband because if he really knew who he was he wouldn't be living this way and any man who loves his wife loves himself so if he can't love you he doesn't even love himself you're asking from him something he doesn't even know how to give that's what you teach sally that doesn't excuse him he still needs to repent somebody needs to somehow reach him you got to pray but you have to pray with compassion see i've always joked and laughed but it's not really a joke i say look if you don't want change don't do me wrong because if you do me wrong and don't want change you ain't going to have much say in it because i'm not going to hate you or be angry with you when nobody's looking i'm going to weep because if you have the capacity to do me wrong there's something you ain't seeing about your value your destiny truth or your life i'm not going to take it personally i'm not going to say i can't believe they did that and they're in leadership and they would save five more years than me and they should know better and they stand in that pulpit and preach preach preaching it makes me so mad because they are a hypocrite and they ain't even living the gospel no i'm going to be alone in a bedroom weeping and say god if he had any idea who he really was there'd be no way this would be happening right now i so thank you for the wisdom to show me this is so not about me god oh my goodness this is so not about me lord he doesn't see he doesn't understand he's acting like he does but he's proven to my heart that he doesn't like this thing is exposed god would you have mercy on him would you visit him would you have compassion and bring his eyes to illumination god would you change this thing man don't let somebody vulnerable susceptible get swallowed up in this mess god would you visit him and touch him like a son and you're crying for his sake and you're getting up and leaving secure from your bedroom and identified through christ i don't think that happens a lot i think we get hurt we take our feelings to prayer and our motive is usually hurt frustration or something it's usually not faith working through life my wife prayed for me to change for 13 years she took them kids to church of mine and i wouldn't even get up and go her kids too they were her kids too i'm not saying she married into my kids what i'm saying is they were our children and when we had children she said well i'm going to church are you coming i said no i said you don't got to go to church to be a christian there was nothing christian about me it was a cop out and ridiculous christian means little christ like one i think we think we're christian because we grew up in america and went to vacation bible school 13 years we were married she went to church and prayed for me to change and at the end of 13 years we were finished and she finally melted down and i threw it in her face and said good i've been wasting my time with you anyway i was so vain and arrogant it was ridiculous i had nothing to be vain about i was a loser i was empty inside and i just knew how to act okay i had no capacity to love her oh so vain i remember looking in the mirror when this all went down i said you cheer up man this is a good thing i was looking at myself talking to myself in the mirror i said this is a good thing i said i know you ain't the most handsome cat on the planet but somebody's going to need you you hang in there this will work out i was smart i grew up and i just understood i knew it was vulnerability need out there i love you yeah you mean i need you you have what works for me right now don't pull out on me i'll be devastated don't know what i do without you we call that love that's called insecurity and desperate need it's not flattery it's idolatry and then the codependent line needs to be that they need to be needed so everybody's just buying right into this lie that usually ends in devastation and heartbreak so we call it falling in and falling out of love so i threw it in her face we were going to get divorced we weren't together for five months and after five months i had a visitation from the lord at work and got truly transformed and saved when she found out i got saved she got violent and livid offended and angry because she said what a slap in the face how could this man get saved after all these years and i'm praying and now it's over and he wants to go to church he's just trying to come out smelling like a rose and make me look like the bad girl to the family she was freaking out when she gave up on her marriage she said to the lord in the bedroom she told me she pumped her fist and she said and i'm done with you too watch how rational works watch how analytical minds work she said i prayed to you for 13 years 13 years i prayed to you and you've done nothing you have allowed me and these children to suffer through hell and you've done nothing in fact he's worse i'm done with you too ain't that something five months later he saves me for seven weeks she fought my salvation tried to get me to break snap to prove i was phony so she could go aha and relieve her violated conscience you with me i'm really just fast speeding the nutshell in this thing seven weeks in she's trying to break me jesus comes in the bathroom and totally wrecks my wife he just shows up in the bathroom she's doing her hair to go out somewhere she's making it all pretty and jesus comes walking in there like he owns the place secure as can be she done yelled at him six months ago i don't need you i'm mad you allowed me to now he's just standing there loving her she said she went because she's there and she knew it he said why are you so angry with that man separating me from her anger why are you so angry with that man can't you see she said it was like somebody tore something off of her eyes that's not even the man you're angry with in fact kim that's not even the man you married i have made him a brand new man she collapsed to the floor in a fetal position crying and crying and crying the lord hovers over her and gives her this impression kim it's true you prayed to me for 13 years now what's he doing he's making peace for her rant it's true you prayed to me for 13 years but you have no idea and understand how you tied my hands from ever answering your prayer kim you never one time prayed because of mercy and because of love you only prayed because of pain and you knew if i changed him your day would go better you did not pray for his sake you prayed for yours and i cannot answer that prayer and allow you and empower you to stay what's not me you tell me how many times we've prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed because of our pain prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed because of our demise prayed and prayed and prayed because we knew if god would change our boss our job would sure go better because we prayed for two years he didn't change our boss we just looked for another job but we took that same vulnerability into the next job come on you can take that same vulnerability into the next relationship she laid and she cried i was outside working in the beans we were trying to live in the same house till the divorce was all final once i got saved i didn't push nothing i just trusted god to redeem my marriage but i never talked to her preached to her she recalled my eyes out she's the sweetest timidous she's the most precious girl you would want her praying for you she has a heart like i've never seen she's a very loving lady but in that season unforgiveness unresolved conflict it makes you who you're not are you with me you got unresolved conflict in your life i'm telling you don't manipulate and morph your life i was just talking to pastor about this this morning if you just have discouragement in your life you just stay discouraged and don't deal with it and address it call it what it is and get rid of selfishness enough and fix it watch the lord told me a long time ago that everything has children so if you're living in discouragement all of a sudden you'll it'll birth desires that come out of discouragement all of a sudden you might even think it's the will of god or the call of god you'll have a desire in a direction that you would never even know was there if you weren't discouraged do you how many ministries started because men were discouraged with unresolved conflicts men started judging every ministry around everything so religious in our town these pastors are so controlling we just need a fresh move a real move of god and all of a sudden you're meeting in a basement and then you say it blows up in a church and all you have is a whole bunch of hurting people that are trying to fit somewhere that don't know where to fit but you're calling it the will of god and the call of god and because it blows up quick it just means there's a whole bunch of disgruntled people in your town that are feeling like you feel but if you don't keep that thing clean and you don't adjust this but if it's all just and all of a sudden yeah i am god's moving here hey god's really showing up here man i'm glad you're so open to holy spirit i've never seen those things that start like that stay well they get weird and they usually blow up and die out years ago i was asking the lord to take me to the mission field take me to the mission field god i'll lay down my life for you give me a nation i want a nation god send me to a people that are hungry for you i'll lay down my life put it in the heart of my children it doesn't matter about food diseases nothing the gospel will take care of me i know it god i'm ready to go i'm remember if you don't heard me praying you'd have thought this guy is off the hook ready after i'm all done the lord said so you'll lay down your life for the hungry i'm like yeah because i could tell he was going to correct me i was like yeah he said my son laid down his life for those who despised and rejected him he said you get your heart in that place and we'll talk and i began to cry because i didn't know what was really going on and i didn't understand the correction yet and as i'm crying he said dan do you realize the only reason you have the desire to go to a nation is because you're frustrated and discouraged with the people you're pastoring because you believe they don't appreciate righteousness and that they're spoiled and they just want me to serve them and they don't want me to change them now it doesn't mean that i wasn't even right about my assessment but i was letting it frustrate me and discourage me that's how you stop leading and start beating and the lord said you'd never have the desire to go to the mission field in your heart if you weren't disgruntled with your people the disgruntlement is birthing the desire because everything has children dad but because it's a spiritual move we all say it's called a god god called me to the mission field here's what he showed me pastor it's interesting he said you went to the mission field you're sincere you're blind you don't see it you honor my word you trust my word i'd still save i'd still heal and you'd still have a resume on the mission field it would look like the call of god but every time i move it's at the cost of your own heart because you look over your shoulder to your unresolved conflict and you say see couldn't do that there they're so religious see i had to get out of there so god could see and then he did some miracle like i've never seen see god can't they're so have him so tied up and they think they're oh they don't even know him all of a sudden the more he moves the harder i am here next thing you know i don't want to go to america and preach and it gets that bad and the whole time serving the lord doing his will following the call nope following the baby the ishmael that came out of discouragement ain't that something that's an intense word that's why the pure in hearts see god not the disgruntled of heart you all right just being personal and showing you some stuff we walked through and learned along the way my wife came out in the yard that day i was doing the beans when god wrecked her in the bathroom she come running out her door slamming here's my little wife running man she's just running she's crying so hard and she's speaking repetitiously over and over i could hear the same sound but i didn't know what she was saying until she got closer because she was crying so hard you know she was saying who knows for the first time in my life i'm sorry i want to take responsibility for the 13 years i want the honor to hold her by the shoulders and look her in the eyes and be sincere and just tell her how my heart feels and ask her for the honor of giving me a chance to love her like christ loves his church who knows i want to do that i haven't been able to do that couldn't get close enough to do that you see i still have my eyes smart man my hair is white for a reason i kept my distance she come running she's saying i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry and she's just saying i'm sorry over and over in such a dramatic way crying so hard she goes boom just wraps around me and lays her little head right in my chest i'm sorry i'm so lucky i'm like no it was messy movie messy it was really messy movie super emotional and i was i was puzzled why she could be sorry and i said kim i can't even imagine why you're sorry why would you say you're sorry and i started crying so hard i said do you have any idea how sorry i am and how i've wanted this opportunity to tell you and i'm trying to tell her my thing and my convictions and she just looks sorry and i said how can you possibly be sorry for what like you showed peace and and you pursued peace you went the extra mile i used to blame you for everything and you were tremendous like you really tried and i couldn't see it why could you be sorry she said i am sorry because i never loved you in prayer what a conviction and i went what and she began to explain what happened in the bathroom and what a revelation to have fresh out of the gate in your restored marriage so you know what i did i said can i renew my wedding vow to you she said you mean there's hope for this marriage i said i am so ready to be your husband and to love you can i renew i didn't know this was going to happen so i'm totally spontaneous right now i'm like can i renew my wedding vow to you she's like okay guess what came out of my heart i'm seven weeks old in the lord seven weeks came out of my heart kim you owe me it was all because of genesis and had i saw that out of the fullness of god in the man he brought forth the woman he didn't make another lump of clay he went into the man he reached into the fullness of god in the man and brought out what was won and made it two so two could be one oh so i always say if there's a woman in a man's life it ought to be because of the fullness of god in the man not because she's hot and we ain't getting any younger and he's a hunk and oh he just does that to me sorry i'm just not that hollywood movie romantic end of the movie cry i get a kleenex kind of guy because i've never seen it produce steadfast life so here's what i said to my wife in my new wedding vow i said you owe me nothing in this marriage psychologists would want to string you up for that crucify you marriage is 50 50 give and take you do for me i'll do for you nope that's obligatory and servanthood the marriage i have is i love you and you owe me nothing but that i love you she's created to be loved by god through me that's how he made adam filled with the fullness of god to love he didn't even women he loved you so much he didn't even bring you on the scene till man was equipped empowered and ready to love you like him he didn't bring you on the scene because he's needy he didn't bring you on the scene because he had itches and unresolved stuff that god couldn't take care of he brought you on the scene because he was ready to love you like christ loves his church and then women get needy and then women compromise and women set a lower standard and women cross into lines because of need and emotions and wanting to be wanted i had a young christian lady at church a counselor she slept with some boy and i'm like what girl what are you doing you're hurting yourself so because she's crying she feels all defiled she woke up bawling she's now i'm passing her and then i started to talk to her she said no i know and she snapped on me right like snapped on me this little girl snapped on me at the picnic table outside the church i know what you're going to say you always say it you always paint this picture of this man this man you paint this picture of this man out there pastor you need to realize he ain't out there that man you're praying he ain't out there i mean he's like freaking halloween i slid my hand across the table and squeezed her by the arm and she's freaking out and i just got her attention i just kept squeezing her by the arm and she realized i was squeezing her arm pretty tight like just bringing her back to earth she was going she was just snapping she was just snapping she's telling me this man of god that i always paint for her he ain't out there i said sabine out there he ain't out there i leaned in and i brought my voice to a whisper i said so what do you do you just sell cheap then you compromise you go with what's out there or do you stand your ground to become a price if you want to make a draw on christ in a man and she went i held her we prayed because i'm a really good [Laughter] pastor she snapped on me analytical human reasoning the man i'm painting ain't out there so now she got compromised because he ain't out there she got cry herself to sleep she got to live needy should i violate her conscience because he ain't out there or does she live her life in such a foundation of truth that she becomes such a treasure and prize to a young man that he says i will lay down my life to bring the best out in that woman i would be so honored to have the privilege of loving her and being with and all of a sudden the values of christ start provoking him they start praying together it ain't all feely touchy ooh i like you i like you too no it's like that's growing christ together next thing you know this man learns to value her and honor her and he would never do anything to dishonor this woman because he sees christ and the value of christ in her life and one day they stand at the order not because they've been all emotional and already been doing it because they've been in him together and all of a sudden daddy comes and rolls back that veil as if saying she's been under my covering all this time and today i'm giving her to you son and it's really been that way like legit like not just married ceremonial tradition it's been that way pastor does the sermon it's all pulled out of jewish tradition in some of these other cultures and all of a sudden at the end of the sermon he says by the power invested may i not pronounce you then over they were already joined when they exchanged vows holy spirit already knit him i promise you and then he says you may now what what's he implying they haven't yet because she's been veiled and under the covering of daddy the bible says it's not good for a man to touch a woman he's talking about with desire you tell me how two people think they like each other touch lips and don't have desire impossible scripture says it's not good for a man to touch a woman meaning with desire and intention minister says you may what's the implying she's been kept and under daddy's covering that whole time under the covering of the lord and she's ready to step into covenant and give her life to another and he's ready to lay down his life and they've just exchanged lives with vows and promises in the presence of god not flattery not eloquence of speech i give myself to you i vow to love you like christ loves his church to honor you to be a peacemaker and to always believe the best about your life that's that's the simple beautiful vow that can come out of somebody's heart and then she says okay and then she says i vow see because i said to my wife i said you owe me nothing in this marriage but to receive the love of god for me and kim as long as i draw breath on this earth i'll serve you in his unfailing love i can still remember she said okay and then i just held her and then say now what's your vow to me wait i got to get a pen and then watch her to make sure she's doing what she said in front of everybody are you even keeping your vows well you ain't been doing a good job of keeping yours well yeah but you said and you ain't done none of that for the last four months ain't that something daddy gives you may now kiss thing's been blown out of the water hadn't it i only know four couples in my whole 26 years of christian life that were at that point that didn't already sleep together four i'm not being mean i'm not condemning i'm saying we're driven by need and don't admit it we have emotional need and we're trying to fill it sensually and emotionally instead of by truth and that's why i'm going to read this ephesians thing because it had meaning to it wow and it's 11 58 and i want to be done right around 12. so whoo-hoo this has to be the lord to make all see you getting some out of this this morning it's convicting good stuff if you're if you're in a relationship relook that thing if you're in a marriage whoa don't look to them look to your own heart look to your own self you be like christ well they ain't been well how come they it ain't how come they what about you look it takes two to tango and i ain't talking about dancing it takes one to pursue peace it takes two to fight takes two to have dissension and tension it takes one to pursue peace if you know who you are and you're having fellowship with god and your spouse does it and says something derogatory you would never take it to heart because you realize they're speaking out of their own deficit you realize they have nothing to offer they're a dry cup and you're not trying to drink out of them because you found one that said if you'd ask me i'll give you a drink and you'll never thirst again so you actually drank from that living well and that's identity you'll drink from me you'll never thirst again one drink that's identity you'll find yourself through me and you'll never long and grope and compromise again ain't that something okay so so he's going to make all c what is the fellowship of this mystery it's hidden in the ages who created all things through christ to the intent this is intention god's intention that now the manifold wisdom of god would be made known by the church oh my so the manifold wisdom of god is to be revealed through his people to the principalities and powers in heavenly places what an amazing calling we have to live sanctified in the world not of the world i don't pray you take them out of the world just keep them from the evil one how's he do that by giving us the way the truth and the life and showing us the principles and the precepts we should live by right ah watch this according to the eternal purpose he accomplished in christ jesus our lord in whom we have boldness and access and confidence through faith in him therefore i ask that you don't lose heart even though i'm going through tribulation and trials don't you lose heart in that it's all for your glory in other words i'm surrendered i'm in this for keeps don't you hurt for me and don't you get disheartened because they're persecuting me look if they persecuted him they're going to persecute us don't lose heart it's all for your glory you get it okay for this reason what for this reason everything you just said about purpose and intent for this reason i bow my knees to the father of our lord jesus christ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named so he sees this intention of god lays it out and then he writes this which i have it all colored and he talks about knowing the love of god watch this i haven't stopped praying i bow my knees that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might through the his spirit in the inner man watch that christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you being rooted and grounded in love you get it may be able to come see once you question god's love for you once you question your actions your life and change god's description because of your actions you're in big trouble you've got to see yourself the way he sees you through the blood that's what will keep you in the straight narrow without getting into works and self-condemnation because even if you slip you run to him you never put on those fig leaves you run to him well father thank you for the light that's been working in my life man there was a time that i've done that and never even thought twice about it i'd have justified it now i see you so didn't create me for that that is not my heart my desire what i ever want to manifest god thank you for washing me clean and making me wiser and sharper the truth i see is working in my life thanks for an awareness you are truly fathering me you say you would pray like that in the midst of slipping what would you do cry lose your identity for three days backslide live condemned for an afternoon run to him now watch this is what i want to close with that christ may dwell in our hearts through faith being rooted in ground in love that we may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width the length and the depth and the height talking about his love here we go verse 19. watch this to know uh oh to know watch to know not to know to know i'm just teaching this out like in a real childlike way okay it's it's a greek word it has it's experiential it's to know it's it's a heart knowing it's not a one plus one is two it's not gnosis to know the love of christ which passes knowing oh yeah i know god loves me look there's a difference brother if i say god really loves you who knows i'm always scripturally right who knows i can't go wrong like it's the best word you can give a person because it's never wrong god loves you man there's a big difference between me saying god loves you and him being loved by god the one's a true statement the other one's a revelation he's enjoying that's transforming him to say god loves you is one thing for him to say i'm being loved by god is a whole another arena so he wants us to all comprehend this together watch to know the love of christ which passes knowledge why that you may be filled with all the fullness of god i don't think we understand what that word means i think we just think power and miracles omniscient and everything to god is watch would you say the lord is secure would you they say the lord has has has no identity crisis whatsoever that when moses says who should i say sent he said i am and he's not being arrogant the fullness of the lord i studied out the word you know what it means if you know the love of christ which passes knowledge you'll be filled with all the fullness of god watch what it means it means a house with no empty rooms it means a town with no empty houses it means you're completely fully filled and occupied with no vacancy fulfilled it has to do with identity security trust in him and finding yourself through him it actually means a ship so full of cargo that you couldn't find a place to put one more box where does that come from knowing the love of christ understanding your roots and your heritage in him not your roots in heritage through your genealogy on some internet thing he said call no man on earth your father you have one father that doesn't mean you sin on father's day when you send the card what he's saying is don't limit identify or regulate your life through natural means you find the truth about who you are in him because the word father there means come forth from you have one father he's in heaven call no man on earth your father you have one father he's in heaven the reason you're here is because of him you're his will there's a time to be born this is your moment 500 million sperm cells raced to mama's egg and it was you 500 million somewhere around there boom the gun shoots and the race is on one egg one destiny one winner you're one in millions predestined before time to be adopted in as his own there's a time to be born 500 million swimming their little hearts out you could just backstroke if you want it was you they getting up there drilling and trying to get in the egg they got the little safety goggles mama's egg just sitting there impenetrable you get up there their saws are broken and smoking their drills are burned out they're all sweating and frustrated he's come strolling up there right in the egg they're all outside looking in how'd he do that because i was predestined before the foundation of the world it was me there's a time to be born i ain't happenstance i ain't an accident i was seen before i was seen i was known before i was known and you gotta sit and get tricked in and feel sorry for yourself my life ain't worth living nobody loves me i don't fit in i'm a misfit nothing ever works my way next thing you know you get tricked into taking your own life when it was never your own biggest lie on the planet suicide people get tricked into taking what's not theirs it was never your life friend it's his life in you that's what you're taking the potential of his life in you because you are always made in covenant to be one with him so when you get so alone that you think everything is yours well it's my body what's my that's why the whole abortion thing is such a crock and ridiculous and one day men are going to answer with bitter tears because we're taking life in our own hands well it's my life it's my body i'll do with what i want it was never your body friend it was always created to be found in him it was never your life because you look at the capacity and the potential that it gives people when they take life in their own hands never produces anything good makes them obstinate arrogant defensive argumentative man gets tricked into taking his own life and he gets tricked into taking what's not even his what a lie from hell huh if you've ever had suicidal tendencies or thoughts don't get freaked out by it attack it with strong truth don't even don't even talk about it just say well father i said thank you my life is so worth living you hear suicidal temptation well father i thank you my life is not my own wow god i so worship you and thank you for the value of my life attack it with strong truth and cast down every thought and imagination that rises above the knowledge of god bringing it into obedience and holding it captive in christ are y'all with me so we're going to know the love of christ church it passes all knowledge it's going to make us filled with all the fullness of god so it's just teaching morning i just felt like teaching taught a bunch i guess yeah hope we got something left we'll dig deep we'll pull it off the gospel is amazing unsearchable riches so let me close with this because i'm just gonna close we're gonna pray you're gonna all go to lunch i know i make myself available last night i talked to whole pal people but we do have a leadership thing we're gonna have a little luncheon so at some point i'm gonna have to slip out of here so don't think i'm ignoring you or don't want to be social just walk in the security that you heard this morning and just go out of here you drank living water and find your identity in jesus amen it's just weird the little stuff in the skirmishes that go on in churches man like people serve in a ministry and they're on the thinnest dice of their life because they're servant to be acknowledged or recognized and if it doesn't work they're crushed after two churches three churches and experience and that all of a sudden church isn't loving why bother just a bunch of hypocrites anyway and now you can go to church for 15 years because you served a ministry with the wrong motive ain't that something but your motive is not exposed so everybody else seems to be the problem nobody appreciated me well if you did it for love you don't need a thank you come on you did it for people's sakes i wonder if god just sat and said well they don't appreciate me look at him are you kidding me look at him he knows better what is she doing oh wonder if god lives like that we'd be hopeless i'm sure glad he ain't like that and if he didn't teach us that where'd we learn it that's why jesus said you got one teacher and he's the christ he said take me and learn of me ain't that something here's one would tell you individually and personally you can live everything you heard me preach in the last two sessions there ain't nothing i've preached you can't wrap faith around and go after apart from any circumstance or individual in your life that doesn't make you an island to yourself that makes you established in christ so you can be the best in everything around you not teaching you to be segregated and just well i don't need people i just got jesus that is not what i'm teaching i'm teaching you know who you are through jesus and it always translates into people there's nobody on the planet that truly has this i don't care how much you talk about it if you say you have this and you don't have this then you're hiding behind language there ain't nobody in the planet that truly has this that doesn't translate into this because it's the whole goal of the cross you with me can i pray over you father i just thank you for this house i thank you for the hunger and the people that have came i just thank you lord for every word that was shared that it would just settle on the ground of every person's heart the holy spirit you would empower it that you would bring it to our remembrance lord i'm just going to take a step of faith and ask this that if anyone in this room would choose to live outside of the parameters of everything you're imparting that they couldn't do it without being aware of it the lord god you remove all deception and blindness in the moment that you would whisper the answer in the word of truth into their heart and give them that opportunity to not eat of that tree to not follow that voice to just follow you i ask lord god for an increased tenacity in our heart just a stronger foundation that everything this man over here pastor matt and his staff has been imparting that this weekend you would just let it be confirmed and let it be established and let it be empowered would you bring faith and the labor of faith in this arena and in this house god would you bring it to fruition and you begin to bear fruit like we've never seen before lives established no nonsense no option no turning shifting a shadow just solid in you god people who know where they came from people who know where they're going people that walk in the light as you're in the light lord god i pray for this drastic reduction in just issues and tit-for-tat stuff just feelings and things and being hurt and preferences well i feel well we should do this well how come we don't do this lord i just pray that those things would be vanquished in the revelation that we're receiving and the lord god this church would see the most healthy response as a body that would be possible in your grace i pray these things over this house and i ask these things in jesus name and i pray this house would go down with a testimony of people that understood god's love and knew how to love his way i pray lord god that this house would be remembered for eternity as a house that loved well god would you let the glory of your inheritance be found in this people and would you multiply the dividends of christ by reproducing our lives in him in jesus name i ask these things amen amen god bless you love you and uh yeah if you want to close out thanks guys [Music] yeah okay let me just i just want to take this real quick just before i let you go it's amazing to hear if you've ever called mr youtube and when you're watching and you're a part of it it's a lot to apply it's possible i just want to and continue to encourage you don't give up pressing into jesus you know we call it the dan button i just want you know you're normal and you know you're going to have your days and there's a four weeks ago i was just so aggravated at something i was just upset well i can't i wish all this and i hit the old dan button in about 15 minutes i realized it wasn't their fault it was me and so i just want you to know everything he's telling you it is possible and i want to encourage you keep pressing into jesus amen stand to your feet wherever you're going i hope it's good um i'm sure it will be but your chinese buffet will be amazing that's where jesus lives and uh [Music] father thanks for taking care of us you are good and i thank you for the amazing opportunity we have to hear from you through your son father right now we just thank you for blessing then and his wife and his kids upon everything they set their hands to let it prosper in an exponential way bring us back safely tonight and tomorrow in jesus name amen have an amazing afternoon we'll see you tonight blessings [Music] you

Channel: City Center Church

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Length: 147min 50sec (8870 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 20 2021