Dr. A.R. Bernard | ONE Conference '21 | 8:30AM

being a christian is not joining a club and being part of a club and showing you're flashing your id card no it is identifying the gifts that god has given you and developing those gifts and talents and abilities while you are wrestling through your own human weaknesses that can undermine every aspect and especially undermine your christian witness [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] all right [Applause] five six seven eight nine ten [Applause] how's that [Applause] if you're not standing come on stand to your feet to give god reverence and give jesus give jesus i'm i'm proud to be his representative but give jesus the honor the praise the exaltation that is you him hallelujah good morning relentless church those of you who are here and those of you who are participating online we are so glad to have you wherever you are we're glad to have you here as part of this morning's worship experience amen can we bow our heads as we go to the lord in prayer heavenly father thank you for your presence it is that presence that gives us a deep and profound consciousness of your reality and your participation in our journey towards the image of jesus christ thank you for not giving up on us until christ be formed in us thank you for this ministry this man and woman of god that i believe you have set apart to represent you and your love for mankind thank you for this conference as it culminates in this celebration bless us as we open our hearts and our minds to the wisdom and instruction of your word we thank you in jesus name amen and amen you may be seated [Applause] ah boy praise the lord so i've got i like that well no i like the clock all in my face that works that works well i bring you greetings from our congregation christian cultural center my lovely wife karen next year we will celebrate 50 years of marriage thank you for appreciating what that means [Laughter] [Applause] the fact that she would put up with me for 50 years that's a long time of course we started dating when we were eight got married at 10 and uh here we are just kidding and in september we will welcome our 25th grandchild into the world my youngest son and his wife are having their first child and we're so excited for them and that comes from seven sons so god has blessed us in many many many ways and this is 42 years of ministry four decades that i've had the privilege of serving the lord jesus christ loving him so that i could feed his sheep outside it again loving him so that i could feed his sheep because essentially that's what jesus asked peter do you love me feed my sheep so our love for god is expressed in our love for his people and the reason why moses was disqualified was not because he struck the rock it was because he lost patience with the people you cannot lead people if you lose patience with them because you forget that you are being formed and fashioned right along with them so if you lose patience with them you elevate yourself in a way that disconnects from them and this is why moses was very harshly reprimanded by god of course we know he made it into the kingdom he shows up in the new testament in a conversation with jesus in the cloud right so those of you that don't think he made it in he's he's good he's good these are interesting times and if i may speak to you [Music] pastorally and prophetically the last time i was here i told you publicly how much i love your pastor and his lovely wife and his family and i love the call upon his life and when i saw him in crisis he was an interesting opportunity i love challenges and let me explain what i mean by that how do you help someone that is gifted and talented without taking away from them who god designed them to be that is not an easy task because you have to help them navigate who they are and make distinctions from the things that are undermining the success of who they are and who god has designed them to be and that took a process so i want to talk to you today about change i want to talk to you about change the gospel of matthew jesus said you're the branches i'm the vine but you're the branches and he was talking about the connection between his disciples and himself and he said this every branch in me that bears fruit i will purge it did you hear that i will purge it he said every branch in me that is not bearing fruit i will cut it so whether fruitful or not you're going to get cut just understand that but the fruitful the cutting of the fruitful is a pruning away and that's the best word to describe it a pruning away of those things that are unproductive and taking away from those things that are productive all purification because that's what pruning is it's purification it's moving you to another level and purification means to remove the impurities all purification is by way of crisis you may not like that so i'm going to say it again all purification is by way of crisis crisis for the believer is not meant to destroy us it's meant to make us better crisis reveals the cracks crisis exposes those areas that are detrimental and i know we live in a the last two decades of pop psychology which essentially is positive psychology which i agree with to an extent but taken to the extreme instead of developing your strength and managing your weaknesses it turns into developing your strengths and ignoring your weaknesses and when you do that you allow things to fester that can undermine all that your strength can build for you so it's my prayer that we rethink popular culture and it's so important because the church should be informing culture but what we've seen is culture informing the church we're placed here to be salt and light the pillar and ground for truth and with that said we must be rock solid in who we are and if the church is in its own identity crisis how can we help a society that's in an identity crisis we've got to know who we are that is so so important so i'd like to talk to you today about change is that all right with you i'm gonna do it anyway but it's nice to get your permission i'd like to take a text that's what they taught us in seminary preaching and it hails from the gospel of matthew chapter 4 verse 17. it's interesting here and there's so much that we can get into we don't have the time but we'll try to get into as much as we can jesus begins his ministry after john the baptist is put in prison it's very important because john lost a few disciples to jesus when john declared that jesus is the one that he was talking about whose shoes that he was not worthy to unlatch sandals not worthy to unlatch so with that said some of john's disciples began to follow jesus and there was a bit of tension between the disciples of jesus and the disciples of john and jesus made sure that before he began his ministry he publicly identified with this man john the baptist who was already respected by the public challenging those in power and jesus wanted to make sure there was no division so in his wisdom he publicly identified at the baptism with john and then let things play out and then started his ministry after john was put in prison and how does he begin his message what is his message he picks up on the message that john was preaching john preach repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand jesus began his ministry here in john chapter matthew 4 17 preaching what from that time on jesus began to to preach repent for the kingdom of heaven is near or at hand may the lord bless the reading of his word repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand and let me unpack that a bit because we have to look at the term unhand on hand or near which simply means within reach he was announcing that access was now being given to something that could not be accessed prior to this he was saying that a way has now been opened a door has now been opened that's why he called himself the door a door has now been opened to a new way of life that the people now had access but in order to enter you have to repent in order to enter you have to repent so they clarify what the kingdom of god and kingdom of heaven the terms are used interchangeably in serm some theological circles they make a distinction in order to bear out a particular dispensational approach but they're used interchangeably and what the kingdom of god simply means is not a realm as in a geographic location the kingdom of god means a rule that is manifesting the sovereignty of god let me say that again it's very very important the kingdom of god is not a geographic location and yes when we as believers die and go to be with jesus it is a holding place it is not our ultimate destination because remember his objective is thy kingdom come thy will be done where on earth because that's where the disruption took place the original vision was to be here and to manifest the sovereignty of god through a vice region call adam and eve but that was thwarted and underminded and he will continue to play out that vision until he accomplishes exactly what he intended to do and that is to have heaven on earth [Applause] but only he can do that because one world view believes that somehow humanity will evolve to a place that humanity itself can establish a utopian society but that's not going to happen because only jesus can establish heaven on earth so the kingdom of god as he presented it in his message to repent is not a realm or geographic location it was a rule which means that the kingdom of god and his sovereignty as a rule can be manifest no matter where things are happening it is not confined to one country one continent one place it is universal in scope and power i know i'm messing with your head let me illustrate it in a conversation that jesus had with a man named pilate you've heard of him right in the gospel of john chapter 18 verses 10 through 11 pilate is having a conversation with jesus and he doesn't understand the kingdom this is what he says to jesus he says do you refuse to speak to me i'm reading from the new international version do you don't you uh do you refuse to speak to me pilate said this is what he said don't you realize i have power either to free you or crucify you and jesus responded from the kingdom he had to correct this man's thinking which is what the kingdom does because a kingdom is not only a rule it's a way of seeing life a comprehensive way of seeing life that informs our words thoughts motives actions attitudes and our choices it is essentially a worldview and if you want to understand the conflicts that we are experiencing abortion and racism and and same-sex marriage and all of these things are skirmishes they're not the war and the skirmish is simply a minor conflict incidental to the bigger conflict it's a conflict of worldviews the theistic worldview that we bring bring the kingdom of god that we bring to the conversation and a naturalistic worldview that says the cosmos is all there is that's the conflict it's being played out in many different ways so jesus responds from the kingdom perspective he says i got to read this again pilate says do you refuse to to speak to me to answer me pilot said don't you realize i have power either to free you or to crucify you jesus answered you would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above do you understand the kingdom it is the sovereignty of god being expressed through those who believe in him who believe in that kingdom so every time you exalt the sovereignty of god you are manifesting the kingdom whether that sovereignty is over your circumstances and situation you are declaring that every knee must bow in every tongue confess to the sovereignty of god that he has placed in jesus who said all authority has been given to me how many understand that the devil will challenge your belief in that sovereignty you'll challenge it through your circumstances your situations your relationships your trials your tribulations god is sovereign god is in charge you all hear that and that's basically what jesus was saying to pilate he says no no if you've got any power it's because it's been given to you and the only reason it's given to you is because there's some greater purpose at work and not because you're in control [Applause] i'd love to spend more time on that but that's not our point tell your neighbor say that was free what we want to look at is the word repent the greek is the word metaneo and it's important that we understand it because when we think of repentance or repent today we tend to think of it in religious terms but that's not how jesus presented it he said repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand the greek word metaneo means to to think differently means to think differently and evidence it in action the thought and the action work together he didn't say think about changing your response is not i'm thinking no no no if you're truly repentant in the word that jesus was expressing it it means that you had a change in the way you think that began to be evidence in a change in the way you act so repentance is a change in thought evidenced by a change in action let me try it again repentance is a change in thought evidenced by a change in action romans 12 2 says what you will be transformed your actions will change by the renewing of your mind the quality of your thinking determines the quality of your life so if i could change the way i think hallelujah i'll change the way i act i'll change the way i react i'll change the way i respond i'll change the way i talk i'll change my attitude i will change my disposition i'll change my choices [Applause] but it all begins here see we've changed the word repent into a religious term i remember back in the 90s where everybody was repenting of racism discrimination and classism and promise keepers it's a big movement for men's ministry and one of the seven promises was to deal with the issue of race in our nation in australia the prime minister repented on how they treated the aboriginals in britain the prime minister repented of how they treated the irish in america president bill clinton almost repented for slavery in america politicians wouldn't let him go that far and we counsed it in religious terms and repentance became a forgiveness ceremony where we would gather get down on our knees before god in public display of owning sin asking forgiveness being issued forgiveness and then we leave and everything remains the same that's not what jesus was talking about jesus said repentance has changed so essentially he was walking around preaching change for the kingdom of heaven is at hand change for the kingdom of heaven is at hand i'm going to go easy here because a lot of our preaching is not towards change it's motivational it's inspirational it makes you feel good and there's an ins there's a difference between that inspires and a message that transforms so we've majored in making converts and not disciples and jesus did not say go all into go into all the world and make converts he said go into all the world and make disciples teach them to follow me submit to all the things that i've commanded them an inspiration and motivation is good don't get me wrong it has its place because inspiration inspires you it it it stirs your creativity that is true it has its place but it doesn't transform so in this world of grab and go christianity we simply want a word i just i want a word and in this seven second attention span that word better be quick and it may it should serve me excite me but don't make any demands on me because when you start making demands on how i live my life [Applause] i'm gonna change churches i'm gonna change channels i'm gonna switch youtube link because now you're getting personal so we have christians for 10 15 years feeding off of a shallow word and then when the crisis comes they're not equipped [Music] to deal with the situation [Applause] jesus called it stony ground [Music] excitement with no roots but i said i was gonna behave [Applause] see gee peter's first encounter with jesus was casual the introduction was casual jesus said come follow me and peter said let me this is the air bernard version let me go check this man out so he went to check him out but it's not until the second encounter where they're in a situation where jesus needs to borrow peter's boat so that he could pull away from the shore just a little bit and address the multitudes of people that will gather to listen to him so peter surrenders his boat and that's the beginning of change surrender [Applause] jesus uses the boat and then wants to say thank you and how many know that god does not owe anybody so he always responds when we surrender so after his sermon jesus said launch out into the deep let down your nets and peter is having a moment because jesus is an itinerant preacher not a fisherman so peter assumes that he knows more about fish [Music] than the one who created fish and fishing he says but at your command and i examined the text to understand peter's disposition and it was not like some people say that he let down the net in faith at the words of jesus no look at the context because if he let it down in faith once he had the catch of fish and was overwhelmed by the miracle he would have hugged jesus and celebrated but instead he dropped to his knees in repentance and said depart from me because i'm an unclean man here he had an encounter on the inside that's when he left all to follow jesus when there was a demand on who he was as an individual what he thought he knew that transformed him so i want to talk about change because when jesus said change there's certain assumptions built into that number one you need to change he wouldn't have said change if we didn't need to change are y'all hearing me here and let me let me let me just straighten something out because they're people who prolong the process and change is not an event it's a process they prolong the process they and they and when you ask them you know what's going on and they say i am changing but change is not changed until it has been changed did y'all hear me the fact that he said repent or change means number one you need to change change is necessary it's not an option number two the second assumption change is possible don't miss that folks jesus would not tell us to change if it wasn't possible if we didn't have the capacity to change so that's the third not only is change possible but you have the power to change three built in assumptions number one you need to change change is necessary number two change is possible and number three you have the power to change i heard one one person say i'm just waiting on the holy ghost pastor no you're not you see all change begins with a decision you will not change until you have decided to change how many understand what i'm saying here some people tell me you know give me all their excuses i simply respond by saying let me know when you're ready i'll be here but let me know when you're ready to change if i may i i i i'm going to be a little transparent here we had several conversations professor john and i and that was one of the critical questions questions that i asked him are you ready to change have you made that decision to change and i asked him in a way that he felt the weight of it he paused he was stunned because he knew that this was not a casual conversation that he could simply respond to by saying oh yeah he said yes and i'll tell you that's why i'm sitting here today because not only did he say yes he was committed to it see once you make a decision in life decision translates into energy your spirit becomes energized to fulfill the decision that you've made and you become a magnet for the resources and people necessary to affect that change the only reason people don't change because they haven't decided to and as i said earlier change is not an event events can become the catalyst for change but change is not an event so you can come up on the stage or come to the altar be prayed for it have an emotional and spiritual experience that's an event even your decision is an event change is not an event change is a process and you have to be committed to that process just as much as you are to the outcome the end result that you want to see and there are a lot of people who will commit immediately when they see the outcome the possibility but when they discuss the process they have a change of mind how many say what i'm talking about here change is a process and depending upon how big the situation is it affects the length and comprehensiveness of the process it literally takes five miles to turn around in the opposite direction it takes literally five miles to turn around a cruise ship the decision to do it happens in a moment but the process takes five miles are you all with me [Applause] and you have to be careful with it because if you turn it too fast it'll capsize so the process can be comprehensive intricate delicate we don't know what it takes but change begins with that one decision oh my goodness turn your neighbor say he just finished the introduction and i'm out of time ah take your time as much wait wait wait don't we have another [Applause] service change is the only constant in life i'ma try that one more time change is the only constant in life we're changing clothes changing jobs changing seasons changing relationship changing styles change change change if you don't see constant in life in fact change is a way of life proverbs 6 23 it is the only constant in life change is the essence of maturation let me try that one more time change is the essence of maturation first corinthians 13 the apostle paul says when i was a child [Applause] whoo i thought like a child i spoke like a child i understood i process things like a child but when i changed [Applause] when i decided to become a man see maturity does not come with age it begins with the acceptance of responsibility for your words your thoughts your motives your actions your attitude so you could be 60 years old and still a child and you can be 21 years old and be a man what's the difference preacher a decision yeah i learned to calm myself i was ordaining the church of god in christ right now i'd be running all over the place you know they called me the flat-footed preacher when i was in kojic change is the essence of maturation you'll never mature unless you're willing to change a stubborn man will always be an ignorant man because he refuses to be taught and proverbs says in order to learn you must want to be taught when jesus hung on that cross looking out at the people who put him there he said father forgive them for they know not what they do and he was expressing the fact that ignorance is the most dangerous element in human society so a stubborn man is an ignorant man an ignorant man is a dangerous man you won't mature in life unless you're willing to change change is the essence of maturation you won't change until you're convicted that what you're doing is wrong that sounds so simple but i've talked to people who just could not embrace that how they were living how they were thinking was wrong and they would say to me i i don't understand and i have to respond says no no no there's a difference between not understanding something and not accepting something you claim you don't understand but what you're really telling me is you don't accept what i'm saying to oh you lord doesn't our heart burn within us in the word is communicated you won't change until you're convicted until you're convinced that how you're thinking how you're living how you're relating how you're doing is wrong and the ministry of the holy spirit is to convict the world of sin in other words convince people that how they're living and what they're doing is wrong because until you are convinced you're not going to change it you're not going to make that decision truth brings a conviction necessary for change that's why he's called the spirit of truth there's some people who thought when it said that jesus christ brought grace and truth or grace and truth came by jesus christ that it was a menu you could choose grace and not have to choose truth but how many know it's a package deal truth keeps grace from getting sloppy and grace keeps truth from killing you they work together truth brings a conviction necessary for change and all truth is confrontational you will not change until to believing and i will tell you the truth like jesus said will set you free he didn't say it would feel good in the process because truth challenges you to very depth of your being when change is necessary not to change is destructive let me try that one more time when change is necessary not to change is destructive see whatever you fail to repent of or change you are destined to repeat and when you repeat it you're going to repeat it at a more critical and detrimental level that you may not be able to recover from why don't people change what are the reasons what are the factors that prohibit people from changing unfortunately i'm out of time maybe i'll be invited back and we can talk some more i hope you got something out of that today i hope you got something out of that today i hope you got something out of that today i i'm listening for your praises to god in appreciation thanksgiving niv matthew 18 jesus gathers he has little children he says to his disciples he said unless you change and become like this little child you won't enter the kingdom of heaven change is prerequisite where the change is needed on an individual level a societal level a national level a corporate level a ministerial level the principles are all the same god wants the best for you the door is open to an abundant life but flesh and blood fall in human nature cannot enter that abundant life because that fallen human nature will undermine all the good that that abundant life is trying to give thank you for your patience thank you for your love can i pray over you [Applause] father there are people in here this morning who are at a crossroad they've got decisions that they've been putting off and frustrated because there's no change but there's been no decision decision must be accompanied by discipline commitment sacrifice in order to see the change realized father let them know that they're not alone in this process all it takes is one decision in one moment to begin the process of change let them not dwell on the past let them embrace the future that change can bring that this decision can bring renew them strengthen them to become all that you have for them to become thank you for our gathering this morning thank you for this church thank you for your spirit your word and community that we experience today thank you for the leadership here that continues the process of growth development change and let the people be blessed by it i ask in jesus name amen and amen god bless your relentless church i love and appreciate you you

Channel: Relentless Church

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Length: 57min 50sec (3470 seconds)

Published: Mon May 31 2021