Gateway Church | First Conference | Priscilla Shirer | Jan 2

thank you so much for including me i am incredibly grateful to be a part as always of what gateway church is doing we love and admire and respect your pastors your leadership team what god is doing through and in your house is a blessing to us and we're incredibly grateful and the fact that god would let me actually partner with you right here at the top of the year as you dive in deeply to what it means to honor god that feels like a gift to me to participate so thank you so much i'm excited to share god's word with you let's pray together and see what he has to say lord jesus i thank you i honor you father because you speak to us through your word so i pray lord that in these next few moments you would take the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart and make it acceptable to you in jesus mighty name i pray amen it was september 13th of the year 2008 when a category two hurricane named ike caused extension extensive damage particularly in texas there one were 100 and mile per hour winds that seemed to wreak havoc everywhere that the winds blew devastating everything in its path particularly in a beachside town called gilcrest texas in fact a quick google search will show you exactly what it is that i'm about to describe that particular community boasted of about 200 homes mostly retired couples that had gone there to spend their days in a little bit of peace and a little bit of quiet and yet all of that was interrupted in 2008 when the storm came the aftermath was completely devastating in fact people that went to the site in the days after the hurricane only recognized it because of one landmark that remained ike had done such damage that of the 200 homes that had existed there previously only one was left 199 of them were decimated it's actually an odd site when you do that google search to see that one house that is standing up in what now looks like a swamp it looks like a community didn't even exist there previously because the storm was so devastating there had been detailed landscaping and green lawns and friendly sidewalks and now that neighborhood didn't even resemble a neighborhood anymore 199 of them gone flattened to the ground just one house remaining when i see that image when you see that image you'll realize what a shocking and odd sight it is to just see one house standing in what was a community and it really will beg a few questions one of the questions it will beg is what was it about this house that made this house so steady when all the others were flattened by the storm but honestly we don't even have to look at a landscape like that to ask that same question because when i look at the landscape of my life and when you look at the landscape of yours that same question comes up because when we look at the people who were supposed to go the distance with us when we look at the folks who said that they would have integrity and faithfulness that they would be steadfast and immovable and always abounding in the work of the lord when we think of the folks who said they were going to give it their all not just for a year not just for a decade not just for a certain season that was convenient to them but where they were committed to following through on that endeavor or that plan or that commitment and fervor and their relationship with the lord i don't know if you've noticed but the older and older i get the more i realize that everybody's house ain't still standing anymore that it seems like time and time again i'm seeing people crumble all around me marriages fail people throw in the towel on the dreams that god has given them folks quitting what they said wasn't a job they said it was a calling and yet the older and older i get the more i realized am realizing that everybody's house is not built to last i want to encourage you and challenge you about remaining in a leaving culture when folks are throwing in the towel when people are giving up you and i are gonna have to make our decision to plant our feet firmly and stay standing where are the saints who will remain where are the saints who will be steadfast not just when it's easy and convenient but will who who will choose to be committed and faithful to god even when it is difficult even when the rains open up and the rain the skies open up and the rain falls and pelts upon us when the winds blow at 110 miles per hour through our winds through our marriages as we're parenting as we are building businesses that god has put in our hearts to build as we are moving forward and traversing the terrain of life that he has put in front of us to traverse as we are faithful to the ministries that he has called us to when the rain falls will we have houses that are still standing i have been more and more impressed by people who are just plain old flat out faithful the older i get the less impressed i am with the easily instagramable the less impressed i am with the famous or the notable the more impressed i am with faithfulness and longevity and consistency and integrity with someone who has traveled a distance who has weathered some storms and their house is still standing they may not be famous but they've remained they may not be rich but they've remained they may not be applauded by the masses but they've remained they may not have best-selling books or millions of followers on facebook but they ain't concerned with that they're just trying to be steadfast and immovable and always abounding in the work of the lord and right now in a culture where so many people are jumping ship i'm talking about christians who have the power of almighty god living on the inside of them in the person of the indwelling holy spirit of god and yet they're continuing to throw in the towel and to give up on following god wholeheartedly when stuff gets tough when the hurricanes of life come and by the way you don't have to go looking for the storms you just keep on living the storms they're gonna come and they are going to find you in this world you will have trouble jesus said but take courage i've overcome the world which means your house can still be steady can still be standing through the course of time it is to this end that john writes he wrote to us not only his gospel but three epistles first second and third john and it's in the first book of john that i want to draw your attention for just a few moments because he writes all throughout all of his writing actually he emphasizes this theme of remaining the word that he uses most often is abide to stay to be steady that's what the holy spirit wants to encourage us about today stay i'm talking to you the holy spirit says remain in fact when you uh are considering throwing in the towel you're just on the edge the brink of deciding that you are not going any further if the holy spirit doesn't speak to you specifically today and offer you the conviction the challenge the encouragement the supernatural solutions that you need to keep on going i came to tell you stay john by the power of the holy spirit is going to encourage us in that way scholars say that first second and third john really are like a remaining trifecta they're a staying trio of letters because over and over and over again he keeps on emphasizing this principle of being faithful of having integrity of being committed of by the holy spirit's power abiding and remaining first john chapter 2 i want to read to you verses 12 through 14 and then i'm going to also read to you verse 28. first john chapter 2 verse 12 says i'm writing to you little children because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake verse 13 says i'm writing to you fathers because you know him who has been from the beginning i'm writing to you young men because you have overcome the evil one i have written to you children because you know the father verse 14 i have written to you fathers because you know him who has been from the beginning i have written to you young men because you are strong and the word of god abides in you and you have overcome the evil one and then verse 28 and now little children abide there's our word remain in him so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame at his coming john says when it all boils down to it the reason why you need to remain the reason why you need to care about your house and whether or not it is still standing is because jesus is coming he says have no doubt about it jesus is coming and i don't mean in theory i mean that the sky is going to split and the trump is going to sound and our god is going to descend we will see him once and for all and when we see him he's not going to ask me how many instagram followers i had he's not going to ask me how many people bought the book he's not going to ask me whether or not i was appreciated and applauded by the masses he is going to ask me first did i know his son jesus and then he's gonna check my life to see if my house is still standing to see if i was faithful with the time the talents and the treasures that he gave me john says be faithful because jesus is coming and both of us are going to have to give an account for what it is that we have done with our lives and the well-being of the house the lives that we have built john walks us through some details about how we can remain i love that about john's writing is that he doesn't just give us an emphasis on a point then he takes us through the progression about how that is to happen he recognizes the fact that there is going to be some stages in our growth and in our development that remaining over time over the long haul is going to look different and have different focus and emphasis trials and struggles in the different stages that we will go through so maturity takes place here he says in verse 12 that i'm writing to you little children he says i'm writing to you little children because your sins are forgiven he puts us all on the same playing field to begin with he says i'm calling you all little children and here's the reason why because you all have sins that need to be forgiven now here's what you need to know that phrase little children he uses and sprinkles all throughout his writing he keeps saying it over and over little children little children but in the original language there are actually two separate words that are rendered the same in english but they come from two entirely different original words one the one he uses in verse 12 has absolutely no connection or no reference at all to age listen to maturity level it is only a term that is used to discuss relationship in other words it doesn't matter whether you're an infant it doesn't matter whether you're a teenager it doesn't matter whether you are a seasoned saint he says i'm still calling you a little child and the reason why is because all of us no matter our success level no matter our age no matter how long we've been a part of the family of god no matter if we're just new to all of this he says i'm writing to all y'all because all of y'all need a father you need your sins to be forgiven he's pointing out simply a relationship and he says i want you to know that we all come to the cross on level playing field here we all need the grace of god to be poured out toward us and we all need to remain connected to a father if we want any hope of our house being able to stay standing you're gonna need a covering you're gonna need relationship you're gonna need connective ongoing fervent connection with a father if you want any hope of having a house that stands the test of time so he says right off the bat don't think that this message is for somebody else this message he says is for you you we're the little children that he is writing to he says you all have sins that need to be forgiven and he says now that i've got your attention i want you to see clearly that no matter what stage of growth you may be in there is opportunity for you to fully engage and remain and be faithful in that stage don't devalue the significance of whatever stage you may be in in your growth because every one of them carries vital material that is necessary in order for you to have the foundation required to weather the storm in the next season so if you abort the process of remaining faithful in the season you are currently in if you try to get out of it too soon you will not have gleaned everything you need to have some solid concrete to have some good scaffolding in your house so that it can stand the test of time and it can stand the weather the storms that are inevitably going to pull pelt down upon your life so he addresses the stages of growth did you see them in verse 13 and 14 he says i'm writing to you little children this original word refers to infancy it's at the bottom of verse 13. in fact if we if we backtrack up through verse 13 we'll see all the stages he says i'm writing to you in the infancy stage then he says i am writing to you young men the word there is adolescence teenagers then he says i am writing to you fathers spiritual parents you see he recognizes the stages of development he says if you are an infant meaning in some area of your life you are brand new you just started that job you just started that business you just placed faith in jesus christ you're just now figuring out what walking with him looks like you've just been planted in this new situation in this ministry that god has birthed in your heart and you've just started putting feet to that dream that god has given you you just got married maybe you just had a child and you've just started this journey of parenting you have literally just begun you are in the fledgling stages in some area of your life john says i am writing to you little children in that infancy stage of your life he says remain there until god releases you and he says the reason why i'm writing to you little children he's real specific he says because you have come to know the father he says here's why i'm writing to you when you're in the infancy stage because you need to make it your business while you're there to get to know who your daddy is he says that's your whole job while you're in the infancy stage don't abort this process don't try to circumvent it don't try to rush through it hang there for just a little while because you've got to know in the infancy stage who your father is um i i have three sons uh my oldest is 17 now six foot two inch giant and then i have a 15 year old he's about the same height six foot one or so they both wear about size 14 men's shoe and then my youngest is jude he is 11 years old and he's a giant too he's got you know these big feet size 9 or 10 men shoe and he's standing up almost as tall as me now i have huge giants in my house somebody come help me feed these people that's my full-time job is just trying to figure out new ways to cook chicken for dinner all the time to keep these people fed in my house several years ago we took them to south africa we knew a year in advance that we were going to have the opportunity to be in ministry in south africa and so we planned for it we prepared for it um we saved up money for it because i wanted to take them who knew you know if i'd ever have an opportunity ever again to be able to go to south africa so i thought man let's take the boys at the time we were homeschooling so about six weeks before our trip i planned their education around the fact that they were going to be in in cape town south africa we studied the geography of cape town we studied um apartheid and nelson mandela and the geography of table mountain we looked at books that had animals that were specific and indigenous to that part of the world and we looked forward then to our trip and i think that when we arrived in south africa you know that they thought they were going to lay around in the hotel and swim in the pool and sleep late every day i was like um not today you're going to get up and we're going to see everything there is to see because we didn't just take a short plane ride we are halfway across the world and so don't get it twisted we're getting ready to milk this for everything that it is worth and and i think they were a little frustrated some mornings they were like mom are you serious and i was like yes i'm serious and you gonna like it you're gonna be happy about it and one day you're gonna rise up and call me blessed that's what's gonna happen here you're gonna enjoy this and one morning we did wake up pretty early it was before the sun even came up because we had to get outside of town to a place where we were going to take a little safari we got in one of those open jeeps there was a learned guide that was in the front and we drove around he was pointing out animals we'd only seen in books but then i remember we came upon a herd of zebra there was nothing particularly fantastic about the zebra we've seen zebra before here in the state so i remember thinking i hope he moves on really quickly and doesn't spend a lot of time here but he didn't he paused and now i'm so glad he did because he pointed out to us a baby zebra that was in the herd he said do you see that little baby right there this is the first time i have seen that baby zebra back with the herd in quite a while and he said the reason why is because the stripes on every single zebra are just as unique as fingerprints of people that are on the planet he said you can't really see it with the naked eye but particularly right here in the middle of the forehead the configuration of the stripes is completely unique so when a baby is first born for the first week or two the mom will take that baby aside from all of the other zebras and for those first few days and weeks of that baby's life the mother will make sure that she is allowing that baby to zero in on the configuration of stripes that is on her forehead that way when she brings that baby back to the fold the baby will not be confused by all the other stripes that are around it never again will he ever doubt the stripes that belong to the one who gave birth to him who loves him the most john says the reason why you need to make sure that you get to know your daddy in the fledgling stage of that area of your life is because there are a whole lot of other imitation stripes out of here there are a whole lot of other configurations that if you don't have clarity on the stripes that healed you because you know by his stripes you are healed if you're not clear on the character of who your god is somebody will play you for the fool they will take you for a ride they will try to convince you things about god that are never who he was and never who uh he says he would become the god of abraham isaac and jacob is still the same god and you got to make sure you take time to get to know who your father is so that you will never ever be confused and so that no one will ever ever deceive you on who your god is and can i tell you that i am concerned that we have a generation of believers who have grown up too fast i mean they just came to know who jesus was and now they're already teaching and preaching and doing bible studies and on instagram getting a following and sharing the truths of god and they don't even know who their data is don't ignore this part of the process in order to have a house that is still standing you gotta have a firm foundation you need to know who your father is anybody that has had a child knows that the pediatrician will tell a new mom or dad listen be careful not to bounce that baby on his or her legs too quickly because their bones are still soft and still malleable and if you put too much weight on those bones too soon then they might be twisted or a little bit shifted or distorted so that that child walks with an uneven limp for the entirety of his life simply because there was too much weight put on those legs too soon when you're in the fledgling stage of some area of your life john says don't grow up too fast remain there until god releases you just get to know what it is like to hear the voice of your god just get to know what it is like to discern the leading of the holy spirit through his word get to know what it's like to walk by the rhythms of grace and to heed the conviction of the holy spirit in your life learn who your father is how his character has been displayed throughout the scriptures so that you will know and recognize the voice of a stranger and so that you'll have intimate relationship with your god because you're going to need it john says because at some point verse 13 you're going to grow up and become young men this is adolescence this is the teenage phase he says you'll know when you're in the teenage phase verse 13 i'm writing to you young men because here's why you have overcome the evil one he even reiterates it in verse 414 he says it again i'm writing to you young men because you are strong i mentioned to you those big old boys i got walking around my house well the thing they do now is walk around with their shirts off and here's the deal because they are growing young men they've got muscles everywhere i mean i see all this definition in this tone their chests are now rounded as they become young men they've got muscles popping out everywhere now they've been strong for a long time i mean it's been several years now that they could pick me up and throw me on the couch and wrestle me and sort of pin me down i mean these boys have a lot of strength but it's just in the past couple of years that i've actually seen all the strength that has been in them begin to take shape on the outside of them and here's why their dad has been real careful about their athletic development they are athletes and he's talked trainers and coaches he would not let any of those coaches or trainers add resistance to their training when they were younger they could do push-ups they could do things that just use their body weights but they couldn't actually use any outside resistance or weight because he didn't want to put unnecessary weight on them too soon while their bodies were still developing but when the time was right in the past two or three years he allowed the coaches to add resistance and now that they've added resistance all of that power that has always been in them now i see that power taking shape on the outside of them so they're walking around with their shirts and listen it's just nasty i'd be telling them go put a shirt on put a shirt on because i can just see them becoming young men i wonder if you're in a season of your life right now where there is a weight on you that honestly you feel like you cannot lift anymore you feel like it is much more than you were able to handle would you know that if the lord has allowed that weight in your life don't give up don't drop the don't drop and throw in the towel right now because that weight that you were lifting by the power of the holy spirit it's putting some muscle on your spiritual bones it's cementing the scaffolding of your house so that when the rains fall and the 110 mile per hour winds of life blow your house can remain standing the way he does it is by allowing weight in our life's lives it puts muscle on us now all that holy spirit power that's on the inside of you you and i are gonna see it taking shape on the outside of us where other people are going to be able to see the muscle of faith that has been exercised in the gymnasium of difficulty of trial of struggle john says don't give up remain during infancy because infancy is when you where you will gain intimacy with your father but remain through adolescence because adolescence is where you will accrue the power that you need and he says the reason why we need you to have some muscle is because verse 13. we need some folks who will gradual graduate to fatherhood motherhood he's talking about spiritual parents here he's saying we need some people who have walked the road with god long enough that they actually have a story to tell we need some people who have walked with god long enough that they have a witness that they can bear witness to who our god is and about what he can accomplish in the lives of people he says we can't come into the house of god and everybody is a millennial there has to be some people around that actually have a testimony of what their god is has done through their life that they weather the infancy stage that they walk through the resistance of the adolescent stage their house is still standing and now they can turn around and fling the front doors wide open and invite somebody younger to come on in and have a seat so that they can impart to them the wisdom that they have gained through all these years john says i'm writing to you fathers here's why i'm writing to you because you know him who has been from the beginning now this is john the same john from john chapter 1 verse 1 that said in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god y'all he's talking about jesus he says we need some spiritual parents who can tell us who jesus is who can impart to us who jesus is in a world that is sought to water down the gospel and in a culture that is seeking to generalize god so that he is one of many and not a singular unmatched entity without comparison and with no counterparts we need some spiritual parents who've walked the road long enough and who have some years underneath their belt who have tried him and they've seen for themselves that the one true god still has a specific name an eternal name a name they're not afraid to say a name at which every knee will bow and every tongue will confess his name is jesus christ they ain't trying to be politically correct they've walked too long with jesus for that they know he is the chief cornerstone they know he's the lily of the valley he's the bright morning star they know he's the one of whom the prophet spoke he's the one who was born of a virgin he was the one who laid down his life who paid the wages for our sin he's the one who by the power of the holy spirit was resurrected from the dead so that that same power could take up residence on the inside of us he's the one at whose name demons tremble on heaven in heaven and on earth and he is the one who will return who will split the sky and come for his beloved jesus is coming john says we need some people who will tell folks jesus is coming john said we need some spiritual parents so i came to encourage you brothers and sisters by the mercy of god stay remain be faithful we're counting on you there is a whole generation looking at us counting on us being committed and diligent to doing what it is that god has called us to do whatever he's called you to do in your marriages and in your parenting or in your singleness in the ministry in the business that you're building whatever it is that god has called you to do do it with all of your might and by his spirit be faithful have integrity and stay we need your house still standing let me pray for us lord i thank you that you are coming and when you come lord we want to have lives that show that our house is still standing make us faithful father so that we can hear from you well done in jesus name amen [Music] i want to invite you to stand with us please if you will and i i know in a message like that it's encouraging it can be it can be convicting in a way maybe you've come today and you've been in a place where you're going you know what with how life has been i'm not sure that i was ready to remain not sure that i was ready to abide but you're starting this year out and this this word has come to you today and it's encouraged you remain don't run run to god don't run away from him at this moment i just want to pray for you if you close your eyes for just a moment i just want to invite you if if you need prayer maybe related to this message and what you're coming out of in last year and heading into into 2021 maybe there's just something going on in your life and you said look would you just pray for me obviously i'm not gonna this is gonna be a prayer i'm gonna pray i'm not gonna embarrass you in any way but if you'll just raise your hand let me know that i'm praying for you if you need prayer today you just lift up your hand okay as i pray you just lift up in your own in your spirit lift up your prayer of the lord god i thank you for the needs that you know are present here today god there are many lord we all have needs but lord i know those who are lifting their hands today are saying god i need you to meet me right now i need to i need you to meet me here today god for those especially even related this message who are saying i'm thinking about running i don't know how to abide god would you meet them lord let this be a year where they abide in you god they remain in you remain faithful to you god i pray you draw them to yourself don't let them run away god draw them to yourself today and every need that's present whether it be financial or health or whatever the need is god would you meet us here today god come have your way in us in this day in this hour and lord go before us and this year i pray in jesus name in jesus name if you need prayer and you want to pray with someone at the end we'll have folks up here uh we'll have the table set up and ready to pray if you're in the balcony just out in that bridge area we'll have folks ready to pray out there in that bridge so at the end of the service come forward and let us pray with you if you need to respond and you want to respond and texting to us you can text 7 10 10 you can text that prayer in or if you want to make a decision uh to give your life to the lord we'd love to lead you in that you can make that uh text that decision to 7 10 10 as well we have a few announcements wasn't this an incredible way to start off our first conference with priscilla shires amazing so starting sunday night at 6 00 p.m we'll kick it off again with jeremy foster now that's 6 p.m on sunday night you can view that at gatewaypeople.com the other nights monday tuesday and wednesday will be at 7 p.m so just make note of that also starting next weekend pastor robert will begin his serve his sermon called the series called the principles of first mention it'll be a three-week series along with that we have our devotional that will be starting then with that series you'll want to pick this up you can pick it up at all the campuses in their lobbies this weekend or next or you can also just have it online at gatewaydevotions.com and also it will be you can find that in english and spanish which is really amazing you can also find it on the youversion bible app so there's lots of ways to get this devotional but you'll want to go with this for 21 days you'll want to do this as a church body it'll be amazing to know that we're all doing it together as well as hearing the service so we love you have a great week is there anything else okay be blessed love you hope you enjoy the service [Music] [Music] you

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Length: 34min 37sec (2077 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 02 2021