Robert Morris - Start Going To Church - 3 Steps to Victory

all right we've been in a three week series called three steps to victory the first week was stopped believing lies last weekend was stay in the word here's the third one last one in this series start going to church now what you're thinking is well I am here I don't need this one pastor well the emphasis is not on start the burden the Lord gave me is the own going start going to church now here's what I mean by that I want you when you can't come to watch on the internet and I won't you even if you decide not to come just because you're too tired to watch on the internet don't don't stop watching on the Internet okay not say anything bad about that or if you live outside the Metroplex or whatever I want you to watch on the internet I want you to but I just so this isn't a correction this is just to answer a question that's beginning to come up more and more and more I think since so many pastors their messages are available at anytime online people watch me on television all over the world I think our programs on like 32 times a week on different networks were actually many of you know we're on Fox 4 on Sunday mornings right before the NFL today it's pretty cool because I'm on in sports bars you know so one of the members of the church said he was in a restaurant and beside him was at the sports bar and he said all sudden you've a yard this guy said hey guys he's own and all these guys gather around the bar with their beer mugs and watch pastor Robert before the NFL today so so you can watch me on television watch you on the Internet and that's all great but I just want to I don't want to I don't want to you know he says in church attendance for church attendance say I want to actually answer the question well I go to church why go well I'll just watch what's the difference and if you can't again if you can't come then watch if you're out of town or if you're traveling or if you're once someone's sick in the family or something like then watch but if you can why make the effort and I have three reasons as that is shocking to you it I got three reasons now that reminds me there was a guy that got up one morning on Sunday morning he told his wife I'm not going to church today and I'll give you three good reasons why I'm not going he said number one I don't like the building I just don't like it I've never liked the building number two I don't like the people and number three the people don't like me I could just tell it they look at me funny they just don't like me and so she did as all ladies have to at some time or another she said well I'll give you three good reasons why you are going buddy she said I've gotten up and I'm going number two the kids have gotten up and they're going number three you're the pastor and they're expect you need to be there [Applause] so but what happens if the pastor comes and the people don't come so that's why when I talk to you about all right so here's number one reason to go to church God's presence now I understand that God is everywhere that's called his omnipresence then there is his inner presence inner eye in yin-er when the Holy Spirit lives within us but there is his manifest presence which is his made known presence which happens when we come together in a more powerful way than I've ever seen in my life so I want to show you a few scriptures all right when when they were when God told them to make a tabernacle on earth the very first one ever this is Moses as tabernacle of Moses Moses tabernacle before it's Aldens temple all that he gave him some structions and by the way he said what you see in heaven built on earth so it's tabernacle the pattern for it is in heaven and this is what he said Exodus 25 verse 8 and let Veeam that's the people make me God a sanctuary that I may dwell among them I want a place to live on earth accidentally laid down in verse 22 he says and there fell not the sanctuary there I will meet with you and I will speak with you something happens when we come together and then Jesus even confirms us in the New Testament Matthew 18 24 where two or three are gathered together in my name I am there in the midst of them it's his presence now I'll bet you can remember some worship services when you sense God's presence more than ever you've ever sensed him before and you know exactly what I'm talking about when the whole body is coming together and were shipping God his presence is so strong you know when he got angry with the people as they were of Israel when they're traveling through the wilderness he said to Moses I'm not gonna go with you into the Promised Land but I'll send my angel Moses his reply was if your presence doesn't go I don't want to go and you made an incredible statement he said if your presence doesn't go with us how will we be different from any other people in the world it's the only thing that makes us different listen it's the only thing that makes the church different from every organization in the world every organization in the world every eating in the world the reason we're different is because God shows up himself when we meet together God's presence is here when I was in my early 20s I got invited to a Lions Club meeting and I want you to think about not the way Gateway is our services but maybe a church you grew up in or something but I remember I walked in and there was someone greeting us at the door and handed us a bulletin of what was we were gonna do that day we got our seat and we had an opening prayer this is a Lions Club we opened with prayer then we sang some hymns actually sang hymns they had hymnals then a guy got up and gave some announcements and then they took an offer and we gave an offering to help people and then he read some scriptures out of the Bible and talked about being good and then he said at the end now if anyone wants to join you come down here to the front and then we set a closing prayer and I thought I've seen this before and so I said the Lord Lord what's the difference between a Lions Club meeting and church he said church is when the lion shows up that's church if the lion of the tribe of Judah doesn't show up all you've had is the Lions Club meeting a bunch of people sitting around talking about the line but when the line shows up you've had church that's the difference it's the only thing that makes us different from any people in the world is the presence of God and the presence of God is so strong when we gather together there's an exponential factor that we're going to talk about on point to when we come together and it's all through scripture I own each point I share a testimony to illustrate the point and all three of the testimony today are from when I was at Shady Grove Church God just just reminded me of these three and pastor Roland's down here on the front row one of our apps taluk elders he's my pastor and he was my pastor then I was there at Shady Grove from 22 until 38 when I started gateway church so I grew up in the Lord you remember I saved at 19 I was almost 20 so I went to Shady Grove when I was 22 that's where I grew up in God and learned much of the things that I'm sharing with you so anyway I remember there's this guy and he was she shared his testimony one time and he'd been in a rock band he was playing bass on the worship team and he shared about how he got saved he was living with a girl and she went someone invited her from work to church to Shady Grove and she got saved and she came home and said I'm moving out and no one at church said anything to her about it she just knew in her heart and she said well you moving out she said well we're not married I'm not gonna live and see it he said well what brought this on she said I went to church and I got saved and she said and I I'm telling you you can feel God in the music she didn't knowing us you know the word worship even you can feel God when they played the music he said well I'd like to I'd like to see this so he comes the next week and the worship starts and to hear him tell it it was so funny because he said when worship started he said I started getting physically sick and he said I remember thinking I'm gonna throw up I'm gonna throw up he said he said I thought I'm gonna hurl on the back of this lady right in front of me my throw up is gonna hit her in the back of the head and flow down her back when this pretty drop I'm gonna throw up so he turns to his girlfriend who's been saved a week and he said to her I have to leave I'm getting sick she been saved week this was she said shut up its demons pretty good theology she does demons they're just trying to keep you from getting saved so he said you know what when she said that he said I thought to myself it makes sense and he said I wasn't sick anymore he stopped believing a lie so he's standing there and there's worship he said all of a sudden he said I could feel God too and he said thinking I think about this he said I could feel God and I knew that I was a sinner and that I was going to hell and I neither be saved note it and by the way noticed three points that's the way God speaks he didn't excited knew I was a sinner I was going health and I needed to be saved that's what I knew that so he said to his girlfriend I want to be saved she said well in a little while the pastor's go get up pastor old pastors going to get up and he's he'll say if you're a visitor here and you want to get saved and you come down the front so maybe the week before he said something about you know if you're visiting you can still come and accept Christ or something but he used the word visitor or visiting you know so that's what she thought well that week we had a guest speaker but pastor Olin decided I'll do the welcome I'll welcome everyone so after worship everyone was seated he walked up he said I want to welcome all the visitors when he said vistors this guy got up and started walking down the front and he stood right here and past Roland's standing there so he says hey he said can I help you and disgusting yes sir I'm a visitor he said wall good is there something I can do for you he said yes sir I'm a mister he said I'm a sinner I'm going to hell I need to be saved on the visitor to him members were saved and visitors were sinners on their way to hell and need to be saved see so pastor old and led him to Christ right there no sermon had been preached but the presence of God showed up we need to go to church because God says it is let's not forget it is God's house so number one is presence here's number two his power God's power now we read Matthew 18:20 a moment ago they have two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst let me to show you the verse right before it verse 19 again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask it will be done for them by My Father in heaven and these says for this word force a preposition which means because because this is why it's done where two or three are gathered together in my name I'm there in the minutes see many people never connect these two the reason that what you ask is done is because he's standing right there with you his presence is there and when his presence is there his powers that if his presence is there than his powers there so many people won't need won't and need the power of God in an air of their life but they don't go to church we have every weekend we have around thirty one thousand and ten but we decided while back to see how many people are attending on a regular basis at least once a month but we came up with this criteria if they check their children in if they give or if they sign up for some sort of a class or at least once a month for six months in the road so in other words we're missing some people who don't give maybe they're new they are they haven't learned that revelation yet or they don't have school age children elementary you know age or they don't or they're not signed up for class so this number is higher than this but just of those people who attend at least once a month for six months you'd be one of those one of those three things not all three just one seventy two thousand almost two and a half times so I want you to think about this and that's great to me it's great when I grew up we went to church three times a week Sunday morning anyone want to finish this Sunday night and Wednesday night and that was if we didn't have Tuesday visitation in that week or whatever you know our Thursday Bible study was Saturday more demesne breakfast okay at least three times a week I'm not advocating that I'm not even a detainee four times a month every weekend because I know we travel and we had kids events and things like that but I'd like you to be more than once or twice a month and not for attendance sake you have to understand I have no ulterior motive I don't need a higher number okay and that's not why I'm doing this it's for you I know what happens when we come together God's power is exponential when we come together Deuteronomy 30 to 30 how could one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand a flight it's the power of God see people sometimes have a difficult time committing to a church sometimes people could be like butterflies or bullfrogs butterflies will just flit around from church to church I never like very long at any one place and bullfrogs will come and sit on your lily pad til someone touches them tries to develop relationship with them then they blow up and hop off somewhere else some people view churches like restaurants what are you in the mood for this week you know you're in the mood for prestonwood or fellowship or gateway or you know what are you in the mood for I've had people tell me we come to Gateway some and that's great if they have a home church so I said to him so what's your home Church and many times they'll say another good Church here that we have relationship with Tony Evans Oak Cliff or someone you know but sometimes I said well we don't really belong anywhere we just kind of take the best from everywhere well is there a problem with that the problem is that you're missing what God designed for church to be you're missing something let me just show you I saw I've said to people for it you need to be planted you need to be planted let me show you where I base that on Psalm 92 13 and 14 those who are planted in the house of the Lord planted now just to TN they're planted shall flourish in the courts of our God they shall steal bear fruit in old age they shall be fresh and flourishing again watch fruit fresh and flourishing three points it's all through the Bible God Father Son Holy Smoke a son everyone but you know that's only that verse is only good for those who are planted not those who flit around from church to church you want to be planted somewhere another testimony from Shady Grove that's now our Grand Prairie campus pastor Olin was doing marriage counseling with this couple and after a little while he said I don't think I can help you anymore and they were down you know discouraged belly said what do you mean he said the only thing that can help you is the presence of God you need a touch from God so he said my advice to you is keep coming to church just keep coming to church and keep worshiping God and let God do a miracle in your hearts so they did and one time during worship just a few weeks later after he told them that the presence of God was just all over the place and it's backward pastors would stand on the platform during worship and he just felt the Holy Spirit said open your eyes and look what I'm doing and he opened his eyes and his eyes fell on this couple they were both standing there like this tears streaming down their cheeks worshiping God and right when pastor Olin looked the man took his arm like this and put it around his wife and then she put her arm around his waist they stood there a minute and then they turned and they faced each other and he said something to her she said something to him and then they hugged and they cried and then they turned back he's got his right hand in there his arm around her she's got her arm around him and her left hand in the air and their marriage was healed just like that in the presence of God he went on to become an elder in the church to be very successful in business as a matter of fact probably most of you have something in your home that he invented has given lots of money to the kingdom of God and they've been married over 50 years now still married still going strong you know what saved their marriage obviously God but through church just coming to church God's power and here's number 3 God's people God's people now what you may be thinking is well well if I've got God's presence and God's power why do I need God's people I'm gonna tell you why but here's just to sum it up because his presence and his power flows through his people you need people you know I've heard people say just me and God just being God first of all it's not grammatically correct if you're gonna say it's a god no but just me it's just me and God that's all I needs God that's not the way God set it up you need someone else out of all that God created everything was good except for one thing man alone I mean God's at the end of every day that's good that's good that's good creates atoms that's not good I can do better than that and he did so let me show you a few scriptures here about I don't think we sometimes realize how incredible it is to be called the people of God does many of us don't have any type of a Jewish heritage we've been grafted into the nation of Israel but did use understood it the Jewish people did so let me show you some scripture where Peters right to Gentiles and where Paul's writing to Gentiles first Peter 2:10 who wants were not a people but are now the people of God now he's quoting Hosea and you'll see Paul actually mentions at Romans 9:25 as he says also and hos I will call them my people who were not my people and this is a scripture in Hosea Hosea 2:23 then I will say to those who were not my people you are my people and they shall say you are my god it's good to be a part of the people of God but we need other people Jesus backs it up they come to him and say what's the greatest commandment he says well obviously love God with all your heart mind soul and straight but the second is like it and that word means equal to the second is equal to it love your neighbor as yourself and then he makes an incredible statement on these two Commandments hang all the law and the prophets the law the first five books of the Old Testament the prophets are the rest the major prophets and minor prophets and by the way you gotta remember they didn't have a New Testament when Jesus was speaking they were the New Testament so they didn't have one at that time so when Jesus referred to the Scriptures the law and the prophets what he was saying was the whole Bible hangs on these two commandments and let me say those two Commandments and it a different way love God love people let me say different way relationship with God and relationship with people you need both you need both so why why do we need God's people so Paul's addressing that in first Corinthians and he's putting some things in order but he's also encouraging them and some things they're doing he's just trying to help him do it better but he makes a statement that you need kind understand his writing because he'll ask a question then he'll answer it himself none others sometimes you've or you'll say what's the conclusion then and then he'll answer it or he'll say shall we continue in sin that grace may abound and then obviously answer is god forbid and he answers right so this is what he does in this one he says first Corinthians 14 26 how is it then brethren in other words how is all this house all this work and then he answers it whenever you come together each of you has a song as a teaching has a tongue has a revelation has an interpretation that all things be done Anna fication identification means building up but apparently what he's saying is the way you get built up is by someone else's song by someone else's teaching by someone else's revelation I'm giving someone out listen what God said I'm gonna give someone else what you need and you're gonna have to come together to get it because I designed it that way I don't want you living just me and God I want you living in community in a congregation I want you to congregate I want you to come together so in the Old Testament that's where we get our word congregation from they were always called the congregation have you ever heard of the signal trumpets as most people never even heard of the signal trumpets so let me show you a place where it the Bible tells calls in the signal trumpets in numbers and then we'll back up a little of numbers to show you where God told Moses to make them and what they were for right so numbers 31 verse 6 then Moses sent them to war with the holy articles and the signal trumpets in his hand so that's 31 6 now back up numbers 10 verse 1 and the Lord spoke to Moses saying make two silver trumpets for yourself and you shall make them of hammered work you shall use them for number one calling the congregation and in for directing the movement of the camps and then verse 9 and when you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you anyone have an enemy who tries to oppress you okay then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets and you will be remembered before their Lord your God and you will be saved from your enemies here's what he said he said edification coming together and we just read when you come together it's done it's all for edification so edification direction and protection three points again all good sermons that three points in preaching class I remember one student asked the preaching professor how many points should a good sermon have he said at least one I thought that's pretty good it should not be a pointless sermon edification why why come together I'll tell you right now why why come to church because you need to be edified you need to have direction in your life and you need protection from the enemy and you know the one the wolf catches the one that's on the freight the one that's on the edge the one that only comes every now and then that doesn't attend the classes it doesn't go through growth path that doesn't go through next steps there doesn't go on in God listen you're a sheep right we're all sheep that's what the Bible says we all like sheep have gone astray we're the Sheep of his pasture okay so if you're on the fray here's what you need to do excuse me excuse me excuse me excuse me excuse me excuse me excuse me scuse me scuse me scuse me and you need to get right in the middle of the flock because the wolf's gonna catch the ones on the edge is that right you need brothers and sisters around you we need the body of Christ we need each other and now now that I've talked about gathering I'm gonna take it a step further and we'll talk about assembling now I know what you're thinking probably what's the difference between being gathered and being assembled well let me give you an illustration if I brought you over to the house and I said hey I got a new truck you'll see my new truck yeah let me see your new truck and we walk out and open up the garage door and there's a steering wheel over there four tires over there engine over there transmission over there parts all over the garage and you say you know your trucks not assembled right yeah but it's gathering it's gathered its all in one room of course your next question me and you know you're not going anywhere right so there's a difference between just being gathered and being assembled everybody following me when they blew the trumpets you know what God told them a symbol well just gather a symbol it's like bricks there's one thing to see a pile of bricks and each brick has individual worth and the individual beauty and individual strength if you think about it one brick a street get hit in the head with one it's got strength it's got the individual world I don't know two bucks a brick or something I don't know what they're worth individually an individual beauty I guess the brick has some Beauty by itself but when you take those bricks and you begin to rightly relate them to other bricks they're worth their strength and their beauty is increased and a lot of churches you're just piles of bricks but if you just assemble him guess what you have a house a house where someone can dwell or you can meet with and speak with someone now you might think what's a good two good illustrations about the car and the bricks and assembling but do you have a scripture on it pastor you think I got a scripture on it well do you have a New Testament one use Old Testament law you have a New Testament one yeah I do got one that you've read before but you've probably never seen it in this light Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the what the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some but exhorting one another watch this and so much the more as you see the Day approaching church attendance shouldn't be decreasing it should be increasing because the day is approaching we should be going to church more we should be gathering more we should be assembling more so notice things that happened then I'll never forget at Shady Grove was we would tell people if you have a testimony shared now we do like video testimonies you know and so people would come up sometimes and share with the pastor and the pastor would decide would this be a good moment to share that or is this a good week or you know how do we do this you know so this guy talked to learn the pastors and then one of the pastors in a time in worship said I want you guys to hear this guy's testimony so this man said I'm not from around here I live in another state but several months ago our daughter was diagnosed with an incurable disease and a few weeks ago we came to the hospital here in Dallas to see if they could help her and on Friday a week ago before last weekend they called us in and they said there's nothing we can do to save your daughter she was about eight years old we would suggest that you take her this weekend and do something fun some parents decide to tell her they're their children some don't whatever you decide but then bring her back on Monday and we're gonna start some treatment to try to prolong her life but we can't save her life so he said I'd heard about this church I've heard about how you worship and how God shows up so last weekend we came and he said it was incredible we sensed the presence of God we could feel God's presence we were all encouraged no one prayed for us though no one talked to us he he said he didn't ask one that no one talked to him they didn't come forward and ask for prayer they just were in the service and they sense God's presence during worship he said on Monday we went back for her to start getting her treatment and they came back in lieu and said we're getting some odd results we need to run some more tests and so all that day they ran tests and all day Tuesday they ran tests and all day Wednesday they ran tests on Thursday they came in they said we don't know what happened but your daughter doesn't have that disease anymore I'll tell you what happened the presence and the power and the people of God came together and when the people of God come together his presence and his power released I want you to bow your heads and close your eyes don't you just take a moment like we do every weekend just say Holy Spirit what are you saying to me through this message and again I'm one there's nothing I'm trying to correct in the church I'm not trying to correct us at all I'm just willing to answer a very valid question like Oh like go and when we can't go thank God that we can still watch the service on the internet and we still hear the message even sometime during the week we could listen to the message thank God for that but when we can go why because his presence and his power are released when his people come together

Channel: gatewaychurchtv

Views: 127,267

Rating: 4.8681517 out of 5

Keywords: gateway, Gateway Church, gatewaypeople, Sermon, Jesus, God, Dallas, Texas, Robert Morris, New Series, 3 Steps to Victory, start going to church

Id: 7I4Y06RYLPg

Length: 34min 30sec (2070 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 25 2019