Dan Mohler Session 2

the middle of your mind if you will neck ministries just to let you know what that means that means holding the body fast to the head that's what it means because I think we get way far away from the head and I'll tell you where it came from I'll be personal with you I was probably eight seven eight nine months old in the Lord I was walking with my Bible through the house talking to Jesus out loud I wasn't talking to myself my co-workers used to say you freak me out you talk to yourself all the time I said I'm never talking to myself I'd be working and I'd be just talking I'd look at AG I'd be looking through the rack I'd be working I said what's your name Jason I'm Dan we just met I don't know him at all but if I hung out with him for a week just hung out at the end of the week when I heard his name I would tell you I know him why is it any different with Jesus you got to hang out with him to know him you got to make yourself available to talk to him be with them you say well it doesn't feel real you live by faith push away feelings be with him just talk to him ask him questions sometimes asking questions I don't hear an answer right away but five hours later I'm driving and I'm not even thinking about what I ask and boom and then you know it's him and you not to say was that my mind am I just trying to answer my own question and I get that the true see I've been around us I know it's true Wood Wood Jason and I get in a car today to take a trip and drive 50 miles and not talk no cuz I'm in the car but would we really would you get in the car and drive with somebody for 50 miles and not talk why do we do it to Jesus all the time why do we just listen to songs about him for 50 miles why do we just listen to teachings talking about him for 50 miles and let that take the place of knowing him you can have Christian ringtones screensaver music bumper sticker and t-shirt and never have a heart-to-heart through the day and the knowledge puffs you up and what you know about him takes the place of knowing him but in time it judges you because you know so much about him but when you really look at your life in the quiet place you wonder why you're not changed well we're on something I feel that that's just good see I don't have no plan it's safer that way I'm trying to tell you my story about neck ministries and I'm teaching I stone you story last night about clothing and I shifted gears and never finished the story you know that don't you some of you know that I thought about it on the bed last night in chuckled I said I bet they're still hanging or wondering the rest of the story because it's rare that I don't finish his story I got into that other story about wearing the same clothes all the time but let me wrap all this up so we can start teaching the morning I went to the closet God is so amazing if the Lord makes me cry he's the Lord and he cares about so many things that we think he's different than we grew up he thinks different and we grew up because we grew up thinking like the world you grew up in a different realm than where he thinks you and me we were trained by life not to give her of it you say things I said things my whole life that Jesus wouldn't even think we had attitudes that would never be found in heaven I've heard us talk about each other different circles of domination would say well they just all religious and stuck-up well they need to get with the program well so what if they're offended they need to just grow up spiritually I've heard people talk like Jesus never thinks like that I go to my closet he says don't you know I looked at my clothes I'm ready to wear them get my clothes out and it's the same old four shirts you know same old two jeans you know pretty boring guy this and he said he said no no no don't take those clothes and I went really so what clothes am I supposed to take and my eyes went over to all these clothes that I used to wear when I thought I thought I had to wear suits I thought I had to wear I thought I was a preacher and as somebody told me you gotta wear your best I think I just need to be my best I know people that dress in night Suz nice nice suits but they've revealed by their life and actions that their hearts don't measure up to their suit he told the Pharisees you look amazing on the outside but inside your dead man's bones your septa goes you're like painted on the outside and life's not in you but he looked at these clothes now he didn't have me wear a suit and tie but I picked out a couple dress shirts and picked out a couple dress pants that I hadn't worn for years that were 15 years old probably 12 and I thought I hope they fit and I was happy they fit but I didn't question it I just heard a lawyer said take these shirts take these pants my eyes just it was inaudible it was just impressions Wow grab these shirts okay they'll match these pants okay I guess I'm dressing different and I went and I'm in the middle of preaching and the first night and I said I don't even know what's up with you guys but you brought the best out in me I got my best clothes on I said I haven't dressed like this I wear jeans I wear a shirt and hanging out I feel comfy Paul and I said in the Lord didn't let me wear those clothes this weekend he told me to dress like this so I don't even know what's up with that but I just obeyed him and then I just went on and preached and and the next night I preached it was just a fun time I won't go into detail it was a very critical time for that congregation because they had just lost their pastor to cancer and they were bruised and the elders didn't want me to come because I'm passionate and they thought they were too bruised for my passion and the pastor's wife said absolutely not this man is coming I read her email that elder had me her email her email she shot right back I've been watching this man he's very passionate perhaps we should cancel our time I think our congregations to Brewster did it she said absolutely not this man is coming she said the passing as my of my husband is no reflection of the validity of God's Word watch what she said she said and we as leaders must do everything in our power to move this congregation forward and not one step back he's coming that's intense that's coming from the wife of the deceased why your pilgrims you're passing through don't put all your chips on this life put all your chips on the life to come don't let a tragedy stop your heart don't let loss put you on a bench redeem the times the days are evil get in the race and run well and never look back physical loss is real don't let it stop destiny you go through it with Thanksgiving and you hold on to him he said unless you love less unless you love less this amazing intimate list unless you love less your mother your father pretty important folks your spouse your children as close as it gets your houses your lands and yes even your own life unless you love less that list you by no means be my disciple he didn't say you can't be forgiven he said you're not sincere about the cross he said by no means will you be a discipline learner a wholehearted follower and fulfil what you're here for because that list will distract you now let me challenge you with something this morning in a precious heartfelt way not a mean overbearing way how many of us get tricked into Christianity for the sake of that list we hear messages that benefit us instead of changes so we live with discouragement and disheartened ment in quandary towards God and now we question him instead of love him he said unless you love that list less you by no means fulfill what you're here for and why I'm in you and a lot of us are Christians for the sake of that list that's sobering guys my mother passed of sickness in my opinion she died young she was sick for 40 years my dad was an alcoholic he drank a lot of alcohol growing up he told me I'd never be nothing he was a dry cup if I try to drink from a dry cup of course I'm thirsty we have these stories in our background but when I tell you those stories and you look at me you can't tell that's in my background why because that background has nothing to do with who I am in Christ Jesus nobody has to make up for a thing that's not my story that's the twisted mess called sin that was trying to captivate my heart and make me a prisoner for the rest of my life and get me hard and cold and angry and regretful and remorseful and even frustrated to God oh yeah God wolf he's good then why'd my dad drink and ride my mom die sick and I don't want nothing to do with God the only reason you can think that way is cuz Adam ate the tree and we were growing up separate from God when the Claes supposes on the Potter that's a sure sign of a problem when you get so full of yourself and your own knowledge and your own opinions that you can actually find fault in your mind and believe it against God that's a sure warning sign we are way out of bounds the wisdom of the world the highest wisdom of the world is foolishness to God because it's void of truth just feelings and emotions and embroiled self-centeredness and hurt and pain and regret how come and he said and she said and well I will come on whoo this is intense morning you see I was shifting all around I'm trying to tell two stories I can't get him out long story short I was at that church and the senior elder stood up on the last day and thanked me for coming and he burst out in tears in front of everybody head elder it's pretty humbling senior elder lost it cried uncontrollably I was like wow he's bawling he said I need to tell you why you had to wear those clothes he said now I'm ashamed to admit it but if you two were the way you usually dress we wouldn't have received you and I'm sitting there thinking for real this stuff's real this is out there because I am so not that way I don't care what you can come with a mohawk to me and you and I'll hear Jesus if he's in you you can come with a mohawk leathers and a chain hanging you can have a tattoo the whole way across your face I'm not gonna read into that at all I will discern Jesus if he comes out of your voice yeah yeah I will hey I know you I know what's inside of you look at that in that awesome unless you become like that you'll never see the kingdom of God here's what I'm talking about he didn't have a clue selfless totally innocent totally pure no self-consciousness he don't even know I'm talking about there's no clue no zero self-consciousness we've lost our innocence becoming like children is a restoration to innocence it's not childishness it's not acting goofy because when an adult tries I got your kid it's goofy like even kids are looking go see still doesn't even know I'm talking and you know what we do is we lose our innocence and grow old over like I bet they're talking about me and they don't even know you're in the room and you think they're talking about you you give so insecure I saw him look over this way they I wonder what they're saying about me right now and they're talking about fishing he doesn't even have a clue that I'm talking about he still doesn't I love it what a good sermon illustration look he don't even have a clue that just fascinates me he if you came past me up front with your little backpack you would be thinking about yourself unless you become like that you say well how do I get like that being with him we're gonna we're gonna talk about it this morning hang in there with me okay but we'll get some stuff out of this pastors the elder said if you'd address the way NOLA just we wouldn't have received you nice and I looked at him I'm like serious he said I'm serious he said we had become that religious that we thought you had it's this about this about this and he said and you've come with the heart of Jesus and he was just so humbled and so broken and he said we they had just lost apparently we want you to come back in the season of change loss and looking for another person would you come back and help us well of course they want me to move there and be their pastor I don't know I'm not but I'll come I'll come back he's sitting if you come back would you agree people he can wear whatever he's comfortable and they all stood to their feet and I was like I was like I'm coming back we had an amazing time in the midst of a pastor passing from cancer so I talked about the topic strongly and we prayed for the sick a lot that weekend it was more of a focus on some things because of the situation and so when you focus on something you get results in something it was amazing and we had a we had an amazing time so that was that clothing thing last night and then I got on to how I wear the same couple shirts all the time so neck ministries I'm in my room walking in my living room and how my BOB open and I'm I'm seeing how the body is parts make it made up of parts and everything significant and everything has need of one another in your body I mean you just take off a big toe probably a pinky toe and you'll know it you'll know it in your balance you'll know it in your walk and it seems significant you're like you don't even like the way your little nail curls down there and sometimes you think why do we even have that ugly little Cabbage Patch you know it just looks like the ball-headed baby with a gnarly little you just snipping it you're like ooh and it tries to turn in and bite your skin and yeah I know but if you were missing it if you were missing it you'd probably walk different significant but it doesn't seem like it in the moment and the bride was teaching that everybody plays a significant part of making up the full expression of him that you all matter or he wouldn't paid for you all oh that's just good right there that's just worth the morning right there like you can leave here going I matter to God I matter to his plan i matter to the call i matter and that's not vanity that's not some weird identity that's actually healthy because we've fought for significance in our life we we haven't believed we've mattered so we've pushed for for people to express we matter we've tried to get accolade we've tried to get approval we've tried to get a good statement our way sometimes they laugh at what you say and you feel so good you're trying to make them laugh more and then you overdo it they don't laugh but now you're insecure I'm just saying we all know what I'm talking about we were in the self-conscious self driven trying to find value and hang in there survive stay alive thing and I know I'm over exaggerating a little but it hasn't been fun for a lot of us so I'm walking through my room and I'm reading this and I'm like lord coz see I just talked to him just like if Jason and I were hanging out we would talk man in a few days we would be getting to know each other we talked means I had a mother passed by on a back road it loops around the city so you don't have to go through the lights so it's just a little it's a little longer a nice drive country kind of farmer I see some little deer Fox across the road is cool way to go so I'm cruising they're going the back way getting away from the lights in the city and the kids go look pasture dance come and they spotted my truck and I'm coming and they're all at the van going and never saw I'm driving laughing talking my hands gone and I'm the only one in the car to their eyes whoa but I'm not alone and then you see what's wrong with me when you passed me on the back road and catch me like I didn't make sense then again you realized what's wrong with me you realize what I'm so excited he's not my doctrine he's my friend he's not my doctrine I'm falling apart right now forgive me he's my king and by His grace I've gotten to know him somewhat and I want to know him more I went blowing by them they went boom I mean I'm just laughing and talking she said they just got silent I never saw him I was just laughing like somebody just told a joke they said she said you were laughing like somebody told a joke your hand was in the air and probably he just spoke something I was talking about we just have a fellowship you see what you can't seem but he's there oh he's there there's these knowings you grow into that cross you across the line where you won't go back if Paul talks about all and knowing knowing knowing talk about knowing talk about it's a different word hmm and they were quiet and she was a smart mother they weren't about a quarter mile down the road nobody said a word and the mother said well I guess you see firsthand why he is the way he is I guess it's not just a pulpit posture I actually calm down for you so that I can communicate I'm do you think I'm joking I do my best it's not very good but I do my best I've sit on an airplane with somebody and they asked me a question it's the wrong thing to do I'm not rhetorical they say how are you doing chitchat Oh hanging in there just hoping my flights on time just glad I'm in and I'll see sorry you're in the middle I'm not a chitchat guy I'm not rhetorical if you ask me how I'm doing it's like pulling my cord about a mile how are you doing heavy give up and if you don't pull the cord again I'm gonna hurl what how are you doing I try to calm down but it's hard and if I mention his name I'm in trouble and I'll just say man I'm really glad you asked it's not because I'm lonely or bored or need a friend I've joy unspeakable I have life inside of me the day has no power over Who I am circumstances don't have a chance of deciding my disposition not a chance most people are only as good as its going sincere people that attend church and serve in ministries are doing as good as life is going and then they're wondering when God's going to make it better and they live in quandary not intimacy human I'm preaching so good this morning I am glad you're on the front row here you're listening to you're like that's good I like you Lily gets a little look like a halo to me I don't like she got a look so you got a little banner of righteousness right there man it's like I like it okay I'm gonna behave here sorry I got my Bible I said Lord this is awesome I get this this is like makes so much sense to me I really get this I love the way that you write and Wow I get this it's simple and and I was excited and I'm reading it and I and I said lord I don't know if this is even a question a valid question put put it I want to ask this and if there's an answer I would appreciate an answer but and I'm just talking like that out loud nobody in the room but there is he's actually in me it's really cool and I said it's just simply an analogy or do we function as certain parts I mean do you label us as a certain part the body or is this just an analogy to give us do you understand how we all together make the full expression of you he said Dan spoke to me like that you see how how did you hear him was it all about no it was just in my heart it just it was an answer just came it was an impression and he said this to me he said Dan I'm raising you up in the body Christ to be a neck in the body and I'll never forget it I went a neck because I knew I heard of the Lord said I'm raising you up to be a neck and I said a neck and this reverence came over me and I began to cry and I felt like the Lord whispered to me and came with expression and he said yeah a neck to help hold the body fast to the head and I just began to weep and felt like something was awesome about what he said cuz there early on when I first got saved he said I'm gonna give you revelations of my love and righteousness you're gonna speak to many of my people he said however I don't ever don't ever want you to read your Bible to preach a sermon he said I only ever want you to read your Bible to know me and only ever speak out of Who I am in your life and that'll carry weight so I'll never get caught just preaching doctrine just serving doctrine well this is my church no we are the church and the only Bible reason that we gather that's emphasized there's a lot of good reasons we gather but the strong one emphasizes to stay stirred and why is in us and why we're here to stay stirred in an outward expression of love and good works so like this morning you're here at 9:30 there's a great marriage between coming and going it's kind of like a sports team a football huddle we're calling plays we got a strategy to win and then you break and close in prayer and leave and go look a little more like him than when you came you don't just say oh boy what a good service hey what'd you think of that guy a little animated that's a sad day right there if all you can do is be God's assessment crew it's just sad day just come and take the time to be here and go in the car with your friend and just decide what you liked and didn't like and how you wish I deliver different and didn't jump as much or we could so pretty cheap when we're not for sale you're not for sale your life's not your own you've been bought with a price don't sell cheap you're not even for sale so years later I was pastoring and pastoring pastoring and years later I felt this shift in my heart and I began to do local meetings in our area I felt called to our area bigger than our local church and my pastor said Dan the calling you is bigger than a local church even though the local church is so important to God it's not your grace and your calling your calling is bigger than one group of people I think he wants to disperse you and I'm like well I don't know how that's gonna happen because I'm not gonna knock on a door to preach I'm not gonna call Robert and say hey I found it on the Internet look I'm gonna be in your area and I got a message in my heart do you think maybe I could swing by and have a little time in your pulpit that would happen to me as a pastor all the time and I didn't have a good few of itinerant ministry because people were always it felt like they were using itinerant ministry as a way of living as an occupation as a way to get income because there was always mention of honorariums and offerings I was touched wrong by it so you make little vowels in your heart you don't even I know you're thinking why I would never do that why don't even see the purpose that I don't even know why and it turns out it's all I do but I remember when my pastor said this and I said no and he said no you don't understand he said and you can you know see I can walk around saying my son all day long and it's scriptural but I'm not walking around my bedroom when you're not looking saying I'm a gift to the body of Christ that would be weird to me so he told me I was a gift and it made me cry because God touched it when he said it and said it's okay for you to see that because I wasn't thinking that I was just no I'm a son I know he sees me apart from sin I know he's touched me with his righteousness I know he's not ashamed to call me his I know he loves to live inside of me he's made that very evident to me I just know where we stand but to say I'm a gift and welcome I'm a gift to the body that would seem weird but he said that and I said well and I cried and I said but I don't know how that's ever gonna happen because I'm not gonna knock on doors I'm not gonna send out bio and a little tape series he's my pastor said he was prophesying it was cool he still teases me about it to this day he said yeah I think somebody was here in God that day speaking of John he said he said you won't have to several years from now you'll have more invites than you ever know what to do with and I laughed when he said it just like Sarah laughed when she heard she was gonna have a baby but later I realized Sarah laughs but she still got pregnant so I laughed and I get more invites than I'll ever know what to do with I'm a snail mail guy don't do internet I don't even like computers I just have nothing in me for a computer I'm not against them somebody said do you think they're the Antichrist is that what you said stop you're thinking too deep the one eyed Beast it's like no I just I'm not geared I'm not into technology at all I could this I did yeah I don't even I don't know what I even do with a computer I wouldn't even dust it and it's funny cuz I'm all over the computer and people say thank you for putting all that stuff out there it's so helpful I don't even know what's out there like I have zero responsible for YouTube zero I don't even know who puts stuff up people categorize it organize it somebody said you have the most organized YouTube channel I said I don't even know what a YouTube shadow is ministries pay to get that stuff done I understand and somebody's doing it and I don't even know who I'm zero responsible for YouTube but yet on all over there one guy in Czechoslovakia translated 1000 hours in his language for his nation and sent me testimonies of Redemption marriages restored and lives transformed and said thank you for the gospel and I'm like thank whoever put that stuff out there that's something what happened with me was I started traveling and pretty Chinon I did four meetings a week in an hour circle of my house no offerings never I was paying the fire hauls in the places we rented because the Lord said get neutral settings so people will come there's there's people out there that are hurt by Church there's people there that feel like they can't go to any church but their church there's pastors that don't want them to go to any church but the church because they feel like the other church is trying to sway them from them and there's money involved and we need to keep the ship running and if we lose people we can't keep the ship front that's all that's going on all the time and it must be a horrible pressure to live under I just would never live under that pressure because if my opinion if Jesus doesn't float the boat it's sinking anyway if he doesn't take the rope off the dock and push it you ain't making it to the other side you're gonna see every storm fret and cry rather than sleep in the boat and get there don't launch yourself don't get all ramped up for your ministry and the only time you pray is about your ministry and the only reason you have zeal is because of your ministry and then call it the vision from the Lord no it can be idolatry and you're finding your identity through it you're in for a big shipwreck and you're going to get discouraged I have no need to stand before you and preach today I would be the same man if I wasn't and I know that you might not know that but I know that and it's good for me to know that I have no need to stand in front of you except that I'm excited at what I believe I get to preach I actually get to travel in they hand me a microphone and say say whatever God's saying I'm going oh goodness okay but I would be the same man if I wasn't standing here in front of you you know what else is cool my pastor said you'll get more invites than you know what to do with just last week because of the snail mail thing the my girl pulls off my emails and prints them and puts him in a mailbox for me and I pick him up once a week so you email me and I don't even see it for a week and if I don't get up to get him it might be two weeks and you think well I mean he mailed him I wonder why he never got back to me first of all I'm not even reading it somebody's screaming it or reading it you got to understand this thing's all over YouTube there's countries I get a hundred and fifty invites to other countries a year those people are trying to contact me for prayer questions counsel or just to chitchat last week I had three that wanted to fly to where I live to have coffee I don't even drink coffee but they they wanted to come and and have dinner coffee buy me lunch so they could talk I'm one man all over YouTube I'm not even responsible for YouTube I didn't promote myself people have gotten touched by the content they put me on there and then everybody feels the need to connect with me individually I get concerned about that it tells me if we've really need this like we really really just need to go be with him like go be with them well I don't know what to do just be with them just go just I'm here I'm starting at least where I know I don't know much what to say I feel a little uncomfortable right now I realized I don't even feel wow I don't really feel that good about myself that's what happens to people when they get alone they get self-conscious when they get alone with God they start thinking what's wrong with them why they might not have audience with him things that aren't right in their life and they get super self-conscious it's a stronghold it's a lie why you were yet a sinner he came you got to get in a bedroom in the face of it all and say you know what I'm doing the best I understand but the truth is I want to know you and I'm putting off all this condemnation guilt shame and stuff you paid a price for me to be here because you want me here and I ain't leaving this room to have communion with you and get to know you more and I'm done believe in lies and I'm done believing that you don't hear me and I'm done believing that I don't have anything to say I'm done I'm here to be with you you close the door and be there yeah don't let anything stop you because anything that's trying to stop you is a lie it's a lie cuz you're made to live there cool the day fellowship Garden of Eden God's delight and paradise that's where he made man that's where he paid for man to be naked and ashamed is after sin not redemption of sin garden of delight in paradise is redemption of sin get back to that place let him clothe you with righteousness no matter where you've been you live out of the strength of where he's been no matter what you've done you live out of the truth of what he's done and you take one big step into him and you start where he finished or you'll never run well you'll stay self-conscious and still go to church you'll sing holy is the Lord and you still have self-centeredness you still have insecurity you still have stuff that Clips the fruit off your branches and the whole time your hearts really pure and you actually love God but you're deceived into something you're not man are we okay am I too intense because I feel like it's on me right now can you tell him that mad at you can you tell him that spanking you I'm trying to tell you who you are come on the God of the universe put on a body he became a man that is radical like he must think a lot of us this is not just but I forgive you I want you at the party this is you friend are so much more than you've ever understood this is God saying I know you from the beginning I know how made you I saw your day before it was seeing stop saying you're an accident stop saying you're a mess-up stop saying nobody cares I care and I and the reason you're here there's a time to be born and you're here come on everything else is a lie if it doesn't bring life if it doesn't bring life it's a lie some of us think the cross says you bunch of sinners I wish you'd take a good look at what your sin did to me and change your life and straighten up your life that is not what the cross is saying the cross is saying I know who you are I know you from the beginning you're so much more than you understand forgive them father they don't know what they're doing but if I be lifted up out draw all men unto me I am the light of the world I know who you are people I love you your life is more than you think and realize you have destiny you have purpose I'm honored to take these blows to get you out of the lie I'm honored to take these stripes to get you back home I love you little children come back to the Father through me that's the cross the cross doesn't expose your sin it removes your sin to expose your value your purpose and your potential so the lie of condemnation gets off of you and you can have access to the father he did not did not he did not come to condemn the world that means one moment of condemnation is one moment too long came too safe man I am preaching the gospel right now I feel the gospel all over me it's exciting it's cuz I'm a neck I started traveling I'm preaching through my stories you figured that out right I don't even know what I'm doing I don't have a clue I'm on a journey with you it's so much fun when I get to preach because I never know where we're going you say you don't have a plan nope I just believe he'll speak when you see me kneel during worship it's not just the humble posture in worship I kneel down and here's what I say Lord what an honor to be here you know I have no need to wear this mic you know that I know that but man I'm honored to be here I'm here cuz I want to be I go to six percent of my invites I do forty-five weekends a year do the math I don't think it's even six percent anymore what I was telling you is I went to get my mail 6 days worth of emails twenty-five invites in my mailbox last week there was 22 you start multiplying that by 52 weeks more invites than you'll ever know what to do with you know what's so cool I never put myself on YouTube I never knocked on the door asked to preach nowhere in two weeks I had 47 invites that's exciting that tells me people are hungry and something must be coming out of my heart that is attracting people's desire I'm excited and humbled by it I'm like yeah the thing is I can't even go to those places much my whole 2018 calendar is completely full and yet I got 25 invites please come why we so appreciate the revelation ambassador Dan well some of our leaders have been listening on YouTube we use your school on Wednesday nights and I'm thinking great they got me there I'm at the church cool let's flip it and read the next one Wow god you're doing something among us I don't think we're as religious and bound and deceived and chopped up as we think sometimes I think doing something I think there's a hunger in the heart of the whole I think there's this holy unrest unsettledness that says there's got to be more than what I'm giving myself to weekly it's got to be more than homage to God and Sunday attendance it has to be something deeper that he paid for and for me one guy just one guy to get no less than 600 invites for the last several years in one year that to me is a statement of the hunger of the body of Christ at large because that is a ton a ton of invites I'm not saying that to boast on me people want me at there - what I'm saying is there's hunger out there that that it's not even a true relationship I've never even met these people when I came here the first time it was the first time I ever saw his face and we didn't even know each other but there's something happening through the messages and people feel safe and they feel like they know me and they feel like they see God and here died in there they're willing to give me the pulpit which is no small thing because some people use this to say what they feel think what they're hurt they attack address issues they use the authority of the pulpit to settle conflicts in their own heart to get a strong amen on what they believe and sometimes people get up here to this pulpit and don't even say what he's saying I know churches that get up here and just tell you who's wrong who not to listen to and where to never go and then they say Amen and go home and don't even teach the gospel just put fear in everybody they'll just talk about the perversion of grace on the earth for their whole service and how people are misusing the term grace to live the lascivious lives and then a new believer hears a preacher say the word grace and a red flag flies up and they don't even listen because they're afraid of the word grace we're doing damage and don't Eve realize it it's always about grace here's how you know if grace is being perverted if a man is preaching grace that isn't leading to transformation it's a perverted grace grace isn't a permission slip to stay the same grace is the etching - of God that brings change you're saved saved by grace out of darkness in the light Christianity is not church attendance its Christ's likeness so I started to in the four meetings I did a conference with somebody that was well-known he asked me to to do this conference and I went to his school and taught his students for a few years and took him on the streets once a week for nine months and just loved doing people and prayed for the sick it was fine and my heart started to get out there a little and I did one conference with a man that was kind of well-known and we had an incredible time and and I got a hundred invites from that one conference and then I started taking those invites next thing you know I'm thinking wow there's people hungry for whatever's in my heart and and Wow and it's never slowed down it's like off the chart crazy and my pastor every once in a while smiles and says yeah I think God spoke to you one time about you'll have more invites than you ever know what to do it you know daddy you were ago cuz I laughed I laughed like Sarah laughed God's bigger than we think I want you to think about this quick are we okay we all good when I resigned from pastoring I didn't know what I was gonna do is I started doing those four meetings a week a businessman called my house and said hey you're really on my heart there's a check in the mail I said what what do you mean there's a check in the mail he said well I'm gonna be sending you one every week I said what are you talking about he said the Lord instructed me to empower you financially in this season as your realizing your calling and what you're called to do and I said well you know honestly I think I was just gonna get a job I actually enjoy working secular I love being around the darkest place you put me I'll have more fun you have no idea where the average Christian mindset is trained man I want a new job I'm so tired of the f-bombs all day long and I hate that attitude at work and by the time I get home I'm so rundown I don't even know god I need a new job a Christian atmosphere would be amazing and I'm like no I'd rather you stick me right in the middle of deep darkness good so I can shine really bright so I can love in an unlovely situation you might not know this about me but I pastored for several years and I was struggling with ministry and what it was and I felt like sometimes I was caught in a machine called church and let's say anything negative it was just a young green innocent guy getting into board meetings it felt so businesslike even though there's things you have to address I wasn't adjusting well I'm not saying it was wrong on the church end I just was struggling and to me it was so much easier to just go to work and be around people that didn't have a clue and then I realized that because I'm a Christian and I'm a pastor as soon as they know you're a pastor people say Amen even if they never say you're talking with people and they find out you're a pastor and they change like a chameleon right in the middle to combat all your pastor will praise the Lord and they just said three swear words in the last two sentences no it's not a joke so I realized that everything around me hey nobody yeah that's my man right there you're awesome so so I realized that everything around me was Christian everything was Christian you say well that's awesome no it wasn't even the backslidden people were talking the language even the people that I was counseling the people that were hurting their wives we're standing there like this without pursuing change and I was in a dangerous place because all that stuff was trying to dictate my heart and get me mad at people and get me to look around at what's wrong and I was in a delicate place I needed help and I thought you know what I'm just gonna bail out of here and get some air I'm just gonna go to a warehouse and work for a little because that'll be fun oh it was so much fun you get in there and they treat you like you have leprosy so you rub on them all the more and then that thing that you have they start getting and it's not leprosy there's nothing like walking up to a man on a forklift and you need a move and he's busy and he's being short with you because three other people just gave him moves they need and he's tryin to fill slot and he says what do you need and he's he's upset that you have a need he's not like Jesus okay he's not like hey my brother how can I help you I'll stop what I'm doing now I'll get it for you right away you're I'll follow you to the slot it's not like that sometimes it's what in the blank do you need sometimes they even use my king's name like the only time they say his name is when they're frustrated and it's a life from Hell to kind of teach that he somehow involved with your frustration oh Jesus yeah who ever heard the goddamn phrase growing up to imply that God's the damned err instead of the life Giver but the only time you say Jesus is when you're so overwhelmed you don't know what to do and your life is so frustrating you say oh Jesus as if somehow he's entangled with your frustration in your circumstances it's all demonic it's a language it's not from heaven so I go get this move it's nothing like this I this is it's actually a comfort zone for me I said hey I need to smooth and there's so many stories and I and his man he's not having a good day and and I said I appreciate it whenever you can get it yeah yeah everybody's in a hurry you know all that whatever no I didn't mean that Micah yeah yeah what okay okay I said hey listen what BAM I just spoke the intimate thing that was weighing on his heart and the family situation they had no answer for and I watch a grown man who doesn't know Jesus cry in three seconds and tremble on his forklift and then I move in for the kill [Laughter] you just slide right in there see I feel the Lord all over me right now it's just he loves people he's not sitting there going now that Mike he has such a miserable attitude he just repulses me I'll tell you I'm gonna look over on the east side of the earth because he just is contaminating the whole West Region it's probably not Jesus let's take out the properly you just slide in you say listen that's the Lord man he knows you and he loves you believe you know that he lives in me he wants to live in you you ready [Laughter] you're coming down the aisle and Robby has a purple mohawk it's as bright Purple's you've ever seen it actually looks pretty cool it's straight up Mohawk he shaved completely bald and he looks a little wild to the average man my age but I like Robby I have a heart for Robby Robby runs from me like I have a disease and if I wear a Christian t-shirt he is wigged out and he stays away from me but on this day I'm catching him because he has an order and he needs 3 here 2 here 4 here 3 here I need one here one there one there and I'm catching him I'm coming Ravi ain't nothing you could do about it but on this particular day he's finishing his order and he's gonna leave sick because he's got flu symptoms coming on him and for his team sake he's trying to get done to help them out but at the same time he can't hang in there that's going to press their team now because now they have to do eight-man average with seven men it's going to cut into their numbers affect our paycheck and the company was smart they put all that pressure on teams to force everybody to do their best I get up to him and I say hey buddy hey it's a man I heard you weren't feeling well I heard your team up there talking at the table you were gonna cut out just not feel my yeah it's that flu thing man I'm just trying to get this done but didn't want to talk to me never looked up at me and I said hey man I said I know you're trying to get that done and stuff but man you've always been uncomfortable around me and you just seem like you know you never want to talk yeah he's just kind of working and out of the blue I said I know why your hair is purple so random it was ridiculous I said I know why you got your hair like that and why it's purple he looked up at me he got so mad because he knows I'm a Christian and he thought that I was going to give him the line like you're just lacking identity you're looking for attention you're trying to focus on yourself you have need and you're trying to get affirmation in a twisted way see he's been told all that stuff and when I said I know why your hair's purple he got mad he said oh now you know all about me now you know why a hairspray well though see what and he's mad now he's ready to spew how mad he is towards Christians and I looked at him and I said yeah I know exactly why it's purple well then why why is it purple I said cuz it breaks your mom's heart he went what you know it hurts your mother when you look like this because she bashed you with the Bible your whole life and said the devil saw that well God's mad well the devil saw that well you're serving the devil well you broke the heart of God well you hurt God well you're on that side of the devil and she just devil God devil God your whole life with Scripture and you hated her for it and you despised the gospel because of the way she represented it and you know your hair breaks her heart and you enjoy it that's pretty intense he lost it trembling and shaking and doesn't even know what to do and he said how can you know that I said because God loves you he's not mad at you and I'm sorry your mother misrepresented him she did the best in her motherly fear that she knew she just didn't realize how great harm she's done I am sorry she mess represented him but I'm here today to say hello and I got real aggressive I know you can't picture that but I got super aggressive and I just did it came out of my spirit it was an arrogant and it wasn't presumptuous because it's backed with results when it's out of your spirit it's so powerful I said so hold still coz were prayed and that flus leaving you and you're not going home and he's still not even recovered from the purple hair thing father I just thank you and the Lord came on him in the aisle and he's frozen in the I was literally I had to shake him and get him out of the way forklifts are coming people are blowing a horn and and I said and and and when he snapped out of it he went when I mean snapped out of it he just got conscious because he was he was going like I prayed for him and he went and I'm like who we were like back off just a little get him out I said Robbie Robbie he went I'll never forget it as long as I live he goes neat yeah I mean hearing us with his picture this purple mohawk he's going like a little child need he said it like four or five times neat and I'm like yeah yeah it's neat God steep I'll talk to your lunch man get your job done we got to move I gotta make up time but isn't Jesus also need so many encounters at work it doesn t make sense you're on the back dock and a man grabs you and pulls you out the side door and breaks down crying says please pray for me I'm so far from God stuff like that all the time why because I'm having an amazing day cuz he lives in me and I didn't wake up for anybody to love me I'm so loved it's ridiculous I can't take much more I'm not living for men's praise I'm living to be pleasing in his sight and that's not works that's taken on his heart and letting his heart shine through me and man it pleases him that's walking in love when somebody's living unlovely and only seeing their value not their dysfunction hmm it's getting treated wrong at work and not letting it change your disposition and keep doing your best and work a little above what they expect even when they know they wronged you oh it messes with people it heaps hot coals upon their head when you give someone that's trying to be your enemy a cup of cold water in the heat of the fight it just unravels things I have a supervisor a supervisor call me at home I said he's mealy-mouthed he's backwards I said listen you called man it's okay I don't mind I answered get on with it why'd you call me well I know it's your day off stop why'd you call well I just don't know how you live the way you do no matter what's going you don't change I said he doesn't change see I know you're gonna say it's Jesus but I don't understand you have to explain it I said you got a minute huh he ended up driving to my house sitting on my porch crying getting born-again a supervisor why cuz he saw how wrong they were treating me he saw the bosses saying he's a yes-man he's passive he's the pushover so they were just getting me to do things it was creating heat against my employees gives him why do you do that you shouldn't do that you're making it bad for us you should take a stand and I'm like no I'm here to work today and I had all this around me and I'm and he he saw it for what it was and said this man's on to something weeks later I'm talking to a guy asking me spiritual questions and I'm just loving it he's asking me I'm not blowing through a bullhorn you guys made that change most of them already know that they just don't know what that would take or look like so they need a living example they need somebody to shine like a light so they can see God clear yeah they just don't need another person preaching at him they need somebody live in this thing this is just I don't know I'm on these stories but I'm just opening your heart to what's possible don't miss the spheres of influence we all have just your workplace don't get so familiar there and don't think well I've already blown it no you didn't you blew it if you stay the same when you know you're not living Jesus there you only blow it if you don't get up and get empowered and bring change and let them see what repentance looks like and you might work there ten years and went to church and misrepresented Jesus for all ten years and all of a sudden they say hey what's going on with you well yeah yeah well you be there about their mother ten years listen I know that's behind me BAM and all of a sudden you don't even say much more about it but six months later your life so different it erases the last 10 years and all they see is who you've become don't you say you blew it don't you be deceived and not get up and follow your convictions I got this man watch how powerful this is this isn't even because I'm praying this is just because I'm living my life from a right place just a right purpose in perspective and I'm just setting an example by my attitude my life watch this watch our holy spirit Springs off of stuff I'm talking to Mike he's asking me spiritual questions and I'm pouring out my heart and we're on a little break because we had a break and the forklift guys sitting there like he's reading a paper and his wife is leaving him he has saved money he had money has been his god and then he gets married and it doesn't work and he has several children and his wife's leaving so now he has child support and he has to pay her and he has to split incomes and and he's like falling apart because everything he worked phil for everything he was living for everything he prided himself in is on the chopping block now and he's fallen apart and has no reason for being he's a ripped off man in his mind and he's lived for nothing you get it and this thing is willing him it's his god and he's changed smoking he's just changed smoking you know what I mean as soon as this one gets close to his fingers he pulls another one out and he lights it off for the one that's lit and he never doesn't have a cigarette because he's falling apart he's getting some sense of something if he doesn't have that he doesn't even know what to do he's changed smoking the guys are like dude you're burning through cigarettes like well I know what you know he's over there talking to Mike I don't even I'm not even thinking about him right now not that I don't care I'm focused on Mike he's asked me but guess what he's doing he's got his deer ears on he's listening happens on airplanes I'll sit and I'll be talking to somebody I'm not trying to be I'm whispering I looked up one time in the man in front of me is on the same page for 10 12 15 minutes I'm like I'm thinking I should tap him and say dude you blew your cover turn the page man he ain't even readin he's gone so funny so funny my personal record walking out of a jet way getting off a plane is four people on their own asking me for prayer it's my personal record I've had three more than remember my personals for I want that beat that's pretty fun when you're trying to leave your plane to get on another flight and people are grabbing your shirt trembling can you pray for me I'm just kidding don't do that oh you all would do that I can tell you would do that yeah don't do that but it's true and you make it with by because they get so touched cuz it's real it's not on video it's not on TV they sense his presence they see tears they hear the truth and their heart goes and they're bold enough to tap you sometimes we think evangelism is just you running around trying to talk everybody into what you believe why don't you live what you believe so they say what must I do to be saved maybe that's evangelism maybe love is evangelistic oh my goodness yeah I got so many stories going on here yeah I am I was in the overstory then it told two more stories let me go back to Jeff let me go back to the forklift I'll just I know I was on an airplane and I went to another airplane story when I was telling it we got the point on this way and God do we need to finish all this let's go back to him because this was phenomenal he calls me the next morning we're second shifters we work four 10-hour days we get off at 2:30 in the morning we go in at 4:30 get off at 2:30 we do Sunday 4:30 and afternoon till Wednesday 2:30 at night and then we're off Thursday Friday Saturday and don't even go in until Sunday for 34 10-hour days pretty cakey schedule it's pretty nice he calls me in the morning we're on the same schedule mid-morning I answer the phone it's him the guy on the guy that's getting divorced the chain smoker phenomenal pastor what he said I just stood there I still with tears I'm like Jesus you are the best you're the best he said hey Dan sorry to bother yesterday you're not a bother ever what's going on man I'm concerned for you anyway I I pray for you but he said no you I'm freaking out this morning I said what what's up no it's a good thing okay what when you talking last night a break yeah you know I was sitting over there in the fork yeah yeah I mean I I didn't know I was so engaged with him but you know how I've been changed smoking I said yeah yeah I've been concerned about that too my friend he said I woke up this morning and it just hit me I haven't smoked a little cigarette since you were talking to him he said I haven't even thought about a cigarette and I uh he said and I'm freaked out because I know it has to do with your conversation with Mike because when you were talking to Mike I felt something coming off of you and it brought me peace and I haven't known peace in my life and I said can I come to your house he said please I said I'll be there he gave me his address I went got changed cleaned up grabbed a Bible cuz we're ready I'm gonna give it to him because he's gonna need it because he's coming home got to his house sat in the couch poured out to Jesus to him and he cries like a baby I talked to him about his money I talked to him about his marriage talk to him about idolatries and you've been in a snare and you've let things matter more that don't matter most and you'll never have rest and he said what must I do to be saved as it's real simple I told him but you're giving yourself you're giving your life okay then we went to his bathtub and we filled it and I put him in oh it's true [Music] he fought me for a few minutes that last that little last half-hearted jerk you wait 40 seconds to that last jerk you got him there bad Oh new life through Jesus Christ you know what I have fun with that but you know the truth he hung there and died he don't think he didn't feel pain he bled he was beat beyond description he hung strip naked in the heat of the day as a mockery to him in front of men on a cross and he didn't just die right away he had to do it right God says all we got to do is put our faith in Him and do that and a water baptism first sincere one second go under and die in his likeness that means dying to everything he died for and died to dying in his likeness for one sincere second in the likeness of his death and come up in the newness of life and step into everything he paid for that's a good god that's pretty amazing but the reason I talked about to hold them under to the bubble stop because a lot of Christians don't understand that you're not praying for forgiveness you're dying you're not getting forgiven so you can qualify for heaven you're dying so you can qualify to live you can't live until you die if you find your life you've lost it that's why life is so frustrating to people that's why life is a grind and we have all these phrases we say about life life is tough life is a bleep life is no life is a gift and the only reason it's a grind is because you're living it outside of why you're here you're trying to survive you're trying to make it instead of be found in him life's not a grind it's a gift I've had every member in my own home household living contrary to Jesus at the same time and didn't know how to not be okay grew leaps and bounds in that season because they don't owe me a thing and I'm to love ya I preach passionate this way because I've lived through all this stuff and it's not my doctrine it's my reality and it's my life and when I say little stories like that bleep onto little stuff like that when you look at me you can't possibly see that in my background you're not supposed to the Christian testimony is no smell of smoke oh we've all been through fires but there's a fourth man in there that supersedes the fire he takes off your bands and your bonds and he doesn't even put out the fire he just enjoys you being free he's too much Lord to put out the fire that would say the fires a threat that's awesome praising the Lord huh teach us how honey if Jesus puts out Nebuchadnezzar's fire it's probably honored to the fire probably oughta let it rage and just loose his boys that has to do with perspective in the midst of trial that has to do with not changing your mind in your belief and who you worship it has to do with not giving your heart to fear and compromise gonna make it seven times hotter now you're gonna change your mind no the first fire would have killed you anyway seven times hotter is probably you'll go quicker but the devil knows how people so you pray and it gets worse and then you panic they took a stand and it got worse and then oh man maybe I better not take a stand it might get even worse we probably should throw in the towel now before it gets too bad cold we cried out and said we trusted you and you left he make it worse nope that's not what that story teaches us that story teaches us uncompromised faith out of three young men that didn't even have the blood of Jesus or the knowledge of the cross they just had the integrity of heart and they recognized Nebuchadnezzar was nothing to worship and no King and they said we will not bow to you even if it costs us our life when she rather die and true faith then live in something else because when you live in something else you're not living your existing you're buying time so they said what's your fire to us so King we don't even have a need to answer you in the matter we'd be like we need to pray could you imagine if they had cell phones back then or Facebook please hurry intervene earth pray Nebuchadnezzar is trying to snuff us out I know God's force and not against us praise God if he before should to be against us he always leads us to triumph in Christ and you're quoting all the scripture that you're afraid after death and hoping works then all the sudden you reduce this book to a book of principles that you're applying when you're freaked out hoping something good happens instead of an introduction into covenant and relationship in love I feel like I've preached a whole gospel to you this morning probably gave you plenty see how we can land or end because I don't land I would love to land one time I'm gonna believe God to land it ain't gonna happen my buddy at work got born again and baptized in his bathtub it's amazing you know what's even more amazing I never preached to him before he called me he saw my life and he called me because my life fascinated him because he saw something in me he didn't even know what it was but he knew it was good I left there and I went back to pastoring and I went to a prayer meeting countywide prayer meeting another forklift driver one of my co-workers is going up the steps to the prayer meeting who's never been born again and I'm like I called his adit but hey he said Danny I thought I'd see you here's a big old boy your grandma and I'm like what are you doing here it's a prayer meeting dude what are you doing here he said well your life really got to me said a couple weeks after you left I just knew everything you were standing for and Sam was true he said I thought my wife would make fun of me and I didn't know where she was at with it all but one day I said honey how would you feel if we would go to a church on Sunday and just check out a church here down the street I've been for some reason just feeling like I want to go to a service he said I thought she might mock me a laugh or say hey will you only go to church for she said he said her I feel with a tear and she said really I've been feeling that way for a while and I was afraid to say something to you he said he said we went to the service listened to the sermon we walked up together and now it got boring again I'm standing there on the steps he said now we have our home open and people come and we teach and we fellowship and we pray and I didn't want to miss this prayer meeting and I was hoping I'd see here to tell you what happened to my life I said I know when things turned for you because I got aware of you I said I know how the Spirit works in me I said when I was in the cross aisle one time at break the guys cornered me in the cross aisle and I was pouring out my heart and sharing Scripture you parked your fork and got off and set up a case and what kind of facing the other way with the paper but you weren't reading the paper he smiled and said that night was the turning point of my life and I said I knew it when I was talking to the men I thought this is more for him than it is for them he's connecting and I said I had that understanding of me and that discernment I never talked to you about it he said that night changed me ain't that sweet just go into work with the right perspective just understanding he's in me for one reason I am NOT trying to get through the day people I am NOT trying to survive I am not believing for better circumstances never think about none of that because if that stuff matters life will dictate how you're doing I promise you many of us have gotten tricked into just praying for better days better life better circumstances well everything's going great right now knock on wood whatever that means and all of a sudden were praying for a better life instead of a changed life meaning circumstantially you listen to the messages we've heard in our life almost oh I don't even want to give a percentage a large percentage of the messages that are preached to the people of God benefit them instead of change them so discouraged people go to church every week because what they were promised isn't happening and they have questions not revelation because their life doesn't measure up to what they were told why isn't he taking care of me well why hasn't he provided well how come I got laid off well why do I have the car wreck they don't realize that if they have the car wreck they can shine in the car wreck you say not if I'm in a hospital with broken bones you can shine everywhere my mother laid with more tubes sticking out of her body going to the bathroom in a bag and being fed by a tube for years my own mother I carried her to bed when I was young I changed her diapers don't tell me I don't get it but I never saw that woman complain I never saw her say oh this stupid disease I don't know why I can't take one more minute is how long I got you would had to love my mother because you two looked at her physical situation in your heart would have broke and then you two saw her disposition and you'd have really broke because all she knew how to do was smile and be precious and light up a room and when she passed there were several doctors and two nursing staffs at her funeral unheard of and I did my mom's funeral I blew a trumpet because I pulled to the cemetery thinking I knew who was going to be there and there was no place to park for a woman who didn't physically get out of bed for 15 years there was nowhere to park I preached on healing I've seen people healed I've seen I've seen people healed of the disease my mother died of see that just drives people crazy we just I've let my heart get way bigger than my head and I've settled God as good or he'd had never sent his son while I was a sinner and on the day I stand before him I'll find he's good but I blew a trumpet at mom's funeral don't you get condemned by this you get inspired my mom had more physical conditions than most of us who ever realized and she didn't know how to complain because she knew she was a Christian to shine and faith in her heart said I'm not a victim of MS I'm a child of the Living God and she never let MS become her identity when Jesus is Lord so nurses would come in I heard a nurse one time say to her okay you just need to know learn how to vent you have to vent now and then sometimes you need to just get mad at this disease and just shout out how you feel and she said well no why would I do that like what would that accomplish what would that possibly accomplish she was so convicting she you'd walk in a room and she'd say hi and I'd say hey mama how are you she said well I'm fine why but she was because she wasn't an Ms patient she was a daughter of him and she knew that if I have this one little shot at life this one little window that takes me to then I'm gonna live up our faith if I got this one little window called now that takes me to then I'm gonna live it by faith and not be deceived and I'm gonna let every day count it's called faith I believe in healing but the trouble is when we believe in healing you think you can't be okay till you're healed you think you can't be okay till your spouse changes or comes back you think you can't be okay until your child gets off the street it's because we find our identity through all those things we haven't found our identity through him so we can shine him to all those things some of us have children and we dream their dreams for them and we live their lives for them and we set them up to break our hearts because we're finding ourselves through our kids not through him I've watched more parents lose their identity through their children and fall apart when their child doesn't do well how has God changed in the midst of it all how are you any less called any less anointed how are you called to shine any less when those things happen you're not don't be deceived are we getting somewhere today I gotta quit here it's getting late I started this thing off that you have a right to him Communion I used this young man as an example eternal life is knowing him we sang a song we sang a song help me with that song because I was looking at it it was about giving your heart to Jesus your life to Jesus right well how's that song go where's the worship guy man he'll help me if he's here he's not here he's we sang that song it's an old song but it's good what's that yeah yeah and then some of them other verses I was looking at him and I thought you know what this is amazing cuz but you got to sing things and it's not that one but you'll find it if you roll through their song sheet if you got their lists look at this guy he's amazing dude you're on it so he's helping me it's back there Lord I want to be like Jesus in my heart Lord I want to be like Jesus in my heart okay here yeah yeah whoa whoa good that's what I'm looking for look at this Lord I want to be more holy in my heart in my heart Lord I want to be more holy you got to be careful when you sing that that you don't sing that in works and legalism and religion and all the sudden when you sing that it's because you know you're so not holy in your soul where what's wrong with you and your life's driven by weakness and then you have a tear that's not even a healthy tear Lord I want to be more holy you'll never strive to be more holy you can never accomplish holiness in your own strength ever so here's how that song works in New Covenant all they got it up here - good here's how this song works in New Covenant Lord I wouldn't be more holy Romans 6 says if you yield yourself and give yourself to righteousness and you see that God sees you right in his sight and you yield yourself and your members to righteousness it will produce its fruit to holiness if you wake up and try not to sin you'll be super sin conscious if you wake up and enjoy being his you'll walk in the light as he's in the light if if you just wake up and thank God that you're holy blameless and spotless in his sight through the blood of Jesus that he's adorned you and robed you in righteousness that he loves you'll never leave you or forsake you you're not gonna pray that sincerely in your bedroom from your heart and then go out and just miss the mark because you're weak it's when people believe wrong things about themselves that the wrong things empower them to do wrong things when you believe your sin waiting to happen you have no conviction to keep sin from happening but when you don't believe you have to fail every minute of the day you won't find failure popping up all the time and you can hardly teach on it because everybody thinks it's heresy because we're so used to our weakness and somehow we think we have to boast in our weakness to make him strong but the weak or to say I'm strong Christ in me changes things I live different by grace and I live on my own if I give myself to righteousness it'll produce fruit to holiness without me biting my lip trying to be holy if I believe I'm a son I start living like a son if I believe I'm righteous I'll conduct my life in righteousness why because I am what I am by the grace of God and you're saved by grace through faith and every time I release faith in the truth grace comes to make truth my reality without me trying to change ain't got something we're back is we're back so I'm just starting right now that was my intro that all was my intro now I'm gonna preach man you gotta be very careful when you sing that song that you don't slip into the old way most of us were raised just works and legalism and you got to do more you got to do more no you gotta be more all your doing should flow out of your being if you're doing to be it's backwards Jesus did so you could be so you got a B to do make sense because if that's not true all you're doing will turn into homage to God service to God if you don't grow in a relationship with God you'll read reduced to serving him and doing things for his name and you'll never have intimacy and if you don't have intimacy you'll never get pregnant and produce anything in his name yeah is anybody here pregnant right now as you can see you're pregnant huh no no pregnant you guys pregnant huh husband and wife right there can you see your little belly stand up for me good both of you now look can you see it oh it's cute she could just barely but but if she turned sideways you know but now look I'm gonna embarrass them to no end right now now watch this so she's pregnant so we already know because we're dots them to been up to something like it wasn't in the milk or wasn't in the orange juice it wasn't like in the steak them two right there take a good look at them right there them two that Jill have come together they've been intimate and they're married and that's awesome right you can sit down I'll stop embarrassing you well while you're standing I'll stop embarrassing so so so it's this obvious you look at him and you don't think keep on it cuz it's just a part of life you don't look at a lady that's pregnant oh I don't think that's what we do I'm just having fun but what I'm saying is we know that if two people keep coming together intimately somebody's getting pregnant or they're trying to avoid it because it's gonna happen if they don't try to avoid it well you got to make sure as a Christian you're not just looking to get touched by God have a little encounter with God you just want to be in God's presence for a moment you just want a word from the Lord but you never opened yourself up to be pregnant you don't be a concubine you don't serve Him you'll be a concubine you don't serve the Lord and every once in a while brush against his glory you're his bride you understand concubines like some of these dudes had like six eight seven nine thousand concubines I'm like what that's 365 days in a year either these men were Stremme Lee active I mean even if you do three concubines into your chambers a day it takes a while to get through 900 I'm just thinking not in a bad way just thinking so these you pines they're the Kings concubine they're serving waiting on the king doing whatever they're doing sometimes he's just sitting in the room primping waiting for the name then all of a sudden the King calls him to his chamber and they spend one night in the chamber of the king is a concubine only to leave his chamber and might not get caught on for four months Christians live that way they live like concubines they go to an order hoping to brush against the one they serve instead of live in his presence in their own home they go to an anointed person for prayer concubine to get something from the one they serve instead of just be with him when they wake up don't you be a concubine you'd be a bride and if you're a bride you'll stand up and you'd be showing and now look at you and say you've been with somebody and when they see what comes out of your life they'll know who that somebody is because she'll be pregnant by him and everything that comes out of you looks like it's father that's Christian living right there if you have spiritual eyes and looked at me right now I'm about ready to bear down and push and that thing that comes out of me gonna look like him ain't that something I'm getting away with a lot this morning on you guys are good nobody even walked out on me then I saw you guys just you know what that's a true statement man lord I want to be more holy and in my heart you'll never accomplish that because you want to you accomplished that because you begin to see yourself the way he sees you you see yourself the way he sees you and while you were yet a sinner he sent his son how much more we save you from wrath through him because he lives God you love me you're not mad at me you don't see me for failures or yesterday you see me or what you called and created me to be and every day you start off righteous every day you start off accept it every night you go to bed thank you for your and stoppable love and all the sudden righteousness produces its fruit to holiness next thing you know people are seeing your life and they're going man that's awesome and you're not biting your lip to be holy you're enjoying being his and holiness is the fruit of relationship so there's no glory in man apart from him there's no boasting in men because no man has a thing unless it's been given and all of a sudden you are what you are by the grace of God and I bet he gets all the glory and I bet you love him all the more because he's doing something in your life why cuz sincerely I want to be more holy in my heart I want to be more like Jesus in my heart with what the leader do you said put your hands out in front of you close your eyes and let's sing this last verse I want to be like Jesus I want to be like Jesus in my heart you'll never try hard enough to accomplish that but being with him will accomplish that you say but I got crazy stuff running through my mind yeah and it bothers you that means it's not coming from you so you probably ought to run to God with confidence and say I thank you that you're greater then in a lie or attack or thing that comes on my mind I'll thank you God and my thoughts towards you or pur my heart towards yours pure I love you you have awakened my conscience you have changed my life some folks ought to get alone with God and just start declaring he's changed their life then he's put a care inside of you that you didn't have before he's put a desire that's burning brighter than it's ever been before God you make me want you you ought to just get alone and be like that did you do that you'll get pregnant quick quick you've come out of that room you'll be like boolean veto nine months she be like yeah I agree I just think this was a good teaching time this morning I know it sounds funny because I'm the teacher that I said it was good but I think it was cuz I feel life in it and I just I tell people if you hand me a microphone I'm gonna preach the gospel you don't have confidence when I preach because I don't preach outside of my life in him I'm not preaching my doctrine breech of my life my everyday life in him I've got so many stories memories and memory stones backing every example I give you that's why there's great confidence in my speech I told you yesterday I wake up with me every day you see me for the weekend I live with me and what's cool is I like me now I mean I don't think I'm a cool dude by the world standards I probably look pretty goofy to the world I don't even know if my beard looks that good but I like it I had a lot of people encouraged me yesterday they were like we like you beers good I mean I even had a young fella say oh don't shave it off I think it's cool so I was envisioning I pulled up my phone I pulled up big beards I found this guy he has the spirit it doesn't even make sense so I blew a screen shot and blew it up on my phone and all you could see was his face at the top of my screen and the whole phone his beard so I sent it to my wife I said that's gonna be me in a few months she sent back an emoji going okay you see how good I'm getting with my phone uh I'm 56 I had a phone for two years uh-huh I traveled I traveled for ten years on airplanes all over the country and never had a cell phone I just I'm only two years into my cell phone never had one before you're like how could you live I was doing great mark 313 says Jesus called them to the mountain who he himself wanted and says they came to him that's good do you know the Bible says no man comes to God unless he's drawn if you have an ounce of desire in your heart for God and the things of God guess why he's drawling you why would he draw you because he wants you he desires you He desires to be with you no one comes to God unless he's strong Jesus called them to himself who he himself wanted and they came to me stalking about the disciples but the same principles for us because no man comes unless he's drawn so they came and it says and he ordained down that seems like a heavy ministry word ordained just means appointed to something specific appointed to a calling so if Pastor goes to seminary for pastoral studies and whatever implies or entails and then he graduates and he gets his ordination he has a pastoral ordination he's ordained and acknowledged and recognized and certified as pastor the words ordained it's the same word as appointed he ordained them the King James says in Matthew or mark 3:13 it says he he ordained them a lot of translations they appointed them what did he ordained them to do turn the world upside down heal the sick cleanse the lepers raise the dead cast out Devils he appointed them ordain them that they might be with him that sounds too simple I think I think we're just like well I want to hear all the sick I appreciate your zeal but how about take the time to be with him I want to go save the nation's I want to go on the mission field probably be better to go be with him it says how can they go unless they're sent watch he ordained them that they might be with him and that he would send them out out we're from the place of being with him that he'd send them out to preach and heal and do mighty things in his name guess what's first being with him I'm telling you I totally believe by the Spirit of the Lord at the highest cry of God's heart today for this room not because you're not cuz he wants you more to be with him but I'm telling you straight there's no one in this room that's disqualified there's no one in this room that doesn't have access in the right given by God to be with him and the only thing that could stop you is you thinking wrong or talking yourself out of it because the blood of Jesus has paved the way for you to be with them you say but I've been messing up so bad probably a good reason to be with him because if your mess-up is keeping you from him what's going to change to ever go to him they show me one person this room that had to clean up first to get to him and you show me one person this room that when he got there he was repulsed or turned off please be with him today apart from your spouse apart from your marriage apart from your children apart from your parents apart from your friends be with him get the most out of knowing him and become what he paid for your whole family there'd be a nun believe and you're still called to shine your children could want nothing to do with God for the moment and you're still called to be a peace and make peace don't let someone decide how you're doing and who you are if their name's not Jesus because he's the Lord of all can we pray father I just thank you for grace in this room I just thank you for restoring things in our lives I really feel that giving fresh hope fresh understanding in the midst of trials and real situations I just believe you give answers and I'm just asking for strength for wisdom that every heart in here that would say yes would have the wisdom and the ability to follow through with that yes that in every unique situation you'd give direction and understanding but most of all that our hearts would be protected in pure agape Jesus love God I'm asking you right now to draw every person in this room to your presence like never before god I'm asking that every single person would have a veil lifted if there be one and see that they have a right and access to you that not one trace of guilt condemnation and shame would hold one person back from who you are and I'm pray that in that place we would all grow to see who we've always been in your sight I'm asking Lord God for that grace right now individually respectively on every person I'm praying that it would roll over into marriages and relationships man I do this a lot it's not a thing I do it's something I see I'm not asking for you to raise your hand and nobody needs to know who you are but if you happen to be sitting there with your spouse and there it hasn't been like it could be and it's been a little tension or you've had your go-rounds or you just feel like something's missing from what it used to be and you're listening to this message don't listen for your spouse listen for you and if you're sitting there with your spouse and you're hearing for you and you're and you want to make a statement to your spouse it would be neat because sometimes feelings and passion and words get in the way but I've seen this so many times be so amazing God just blesses it just slip your hand over and get your spouse's hand and if if you're that spouse and they're trying to get your hand don't pull your hand away or don't think good they were listening be glad that they're taking your hand and if they take your hand here's what I want you to take their hand for make this statement when you take their hand look I'm listening to what this man's saying and I'm realizing I have this privilege to be more like Jesus I've been putting a lot on you and blaming you and what it's not and what and I've been missing the whole point I haven't loved you like he loves me and I'm asking you to forgive me and give me the honor to become more like him in your life please forgive me I'm Tony if you'll take their hand making that statement by taking their hand and just squeeze their hand right now it'd be awesome spouse if you'd squeeze their hand back there's four or five couples doing this this is you just squeeze their hand back and say you know what did oh I'm hearing this man too and I'm not hearing for you I have the same convictions please forgive me I want to love you like he loves me and I'm telling you there's a grace that will come on your Union right now there's a resolve a healing a restoration that counselling could never produce if you'll just humbly take their hand to make that statement thank you Father for restoring marriages thank you for starting us on level solid truthful ground if your spouse isn't here God would know if you would have took their hand so let that grace keep working in your life you're not robbed of anything in Jesus name father thank you amen amen yay well I feel kind of done no I just stopped cuz time I've been talking a long time I didn't know how long you guys are used to somebody standing up there talking but you can tell I just get kind of rolling I could talk all day like stand here and just do fine I was in California the guy scheduled an hour on five minute break hour on five minute break to go to the potty and stuff right we broke for like an hour at lunch came right back our I preached nine hours in one day I was so fired up by the end of the day I had to go to bed by faith I laid in bed I was like I said Lord that was just about five and a half hours later the light turned green on it right back up but I don't feel like we're gonna do any auto call stuff for a bunch of proud just feel like it's a good teaching time did you get something out of this did you get inspired this morning now listen I know people like to talk to me and say hi and stuff and we chat and you see I'll make myself super available but I'm not sure our schedule today and we got to go somewhere to a place for lunch shortly there's a lady here has two children I see her it's a priority in my heart to pray for her two little girls so I want you guys to give her place so I came because she approached me in the hall and I'm just a real guy I had a lot going on I had a couple people want to talk to me pastor wanted me back in the room the mic fellow the great sound man here that had me hooked up wanted to fix me up so I had so much going on and I said honey can you just be patient and wait and I want to pray for girls but I want to do it from my heart I just don't want to do it because I'm in this position I don't want to pray some quick prayer I want to give him a heart and pray for the her girls and see God do something special in those children so I waited and she said okay so I want to give her a priority because I made that because I just didn't want to breeze through it out there not that I need to be have long I just want to have my heart engaged I felt really pulled on out there and so give me that space she's gonna come up I'm sure cuz we've made eye contact or or maybe we could even well just give me space don't anybody approach we let me have time with her so I can find out what's going on and pray for those girls or I just find a back room but I think we can do it up here and then probably at this session we'll probably after that probably have to be going because we have lunch appointment right okay and then I'll be here tonight I'll probably make myself much more available in evening you saw last night I think I was there was four of us that left five five of us that left one two three or six of us that left together and I was in that last group and that was on purpose because I gave myself to people I come to the weekend for people I don't come to preach I come to love and I love these settings because I can handle this amount of people I don't post my calendar I don't even advertise where I'm going I'm not looking for big crowds I'm just looking for impact and face to face and elbow to elbow yeah if I was in a big crowd they'd have to pull me in a room and get me away from me because there'd be too many people wanting to talk to me I can handle this last night I did well and I was having fun and if you talk to me and spend time you could tell I didn't cut you short and I gave you my heart why because I love people I wouldn't be here if I didn't think we were valuable to him and I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe what I'm preaching so we can live this we can run this well so let's go after it okay have a great day look more like him make peace with God in your heart make peace with one another and let's go ahead and shine today would you do you have anything to close with sir pastor Robert I like you look look at this how can she not like this guy like he's that he's one of the most gentle men I'm like I just like you so much we've been blessed by faster Dan this morning Ike I want to just encourage you to come back tonight and welcome you 6:30 tonight you know I was blessed again as I to receive you know it's I my prayers that we truly know who we are in Christ Jesus and I see Dan living that understanding as a spot as clear as anybody I know and just know we're not called to be Dan you're not Dan and I'm not Dan but I am Robert in Christ in Christ in me and you our each like that we have a good good father it is who he is I love that song and I'm loved by him that's who I am and you are amen well phrase the Lord we welcome you back we do as Dan shared we we actually were going to try to leave by 12 so that doesn't give much time after we maybe just a little delayed in that we give Dan some time but we will be leaving shortly and and we'll see it tonight at 6:30 tomorrow again just then is the race our Christian nurture leader here at church one of the owners but he just shared that tomorrow you are all welcome to come we're going to start worship at 9 o'clock and you're welcome to come to that because in that worship we will be singing and as God lays Testament on your heart we're gonna receive testimony and worship for the first hour and then Pastor Dan will start around 10:00 shortly after and we'll go to 12 possibly he I see he shoots into our blocks but whatever God leads there but that that'll be good let's uh let's South stand and we'll be excused father God I thank you for speaking to my own heart thank you that you are a good good father and father we thank you that we're loved by you it's it's who we are you bless each one as we go from this place Priya just to continued anointing in the name of Jesus amen god bless you and your excuse

Channel: Griner Church

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Id: zW7rzAlec2I

Length: 116min 15sec (6975 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 26 2018