Seeing The Way God Sees | Pastor Chris Hodges

is innovation a worship right now all over the room king of the world let's let him hear us man what an honor it is to be with each and every one of you guys and not just our West Houston campus all of our campuses and literally thousands of people watching all over the world come on let's welcome all of them in we're glad each and every one of you guys are here my name is Jeremy and along with my sweet wife Jennifer and our 87 children we get the honor I mean it's funny every time I say we get the honor of a pastor here it's really not 87 children you're like 87 that's a lot of kiss he's just five but it feels like 87 sometimes and they're amazing it is an honor to be here guys I got to tell you I'm glad to be home I'm glad to be back I'm glad to be back last last weekend I had the honor and the privilege of preaching at one of the most influential churches in the world Elevation Church Pastor Steven Furtick and it was an honor and we got to broadcast that back here did you guys enjoy last weekend we had a great time they didn't know what to do with Kiki it was fun we had a good time they had no it was fun we had a great time but but true story I preached it three churches last weekend appreciation I appreciate Life Church in Oklahoma and then a priest here at Hope city and 247 services last weekend and that's not a joke literally 247 services 54 different cities 15 states and two countries and that's that was all the people that were represented beaming in live with us and it was just it's amazing what God can do with technology and how we can reach so many different people it just blew me away and I'll tell you this it gave me a vision even greater than what I already had because last weekend I was standing in where we are going and I'm telling you you better buckle your seatbelt because when we get that silo's campus up and running and lost it's gonna freak you out what God does if he's done what he's done with four campuses portable I cannot wait to when we sink roots on property two silos property I want you here's what I want you to do 100% of you I want you to pray no pressure we've never asked you for money not gonna start but I am gonna ask you unapologetically to pray and say god this is our time in history what do you want us to do what role do you want me to play how much would you have us do and then you commit to that next weekend we're gonna receive that offering you have an opportunity to give towards our closing on that property and then you have an opportunity to make a commitment maybe you can't do it right right now but you can say hey if you give me a few months I can do something write that down and that helps us and I promise you if you write that down we're not gonna pick up the phone and call you and be like hey you said we're not gonna do that okay that's between you and God but it helps us get an estimate of where we're going we believe God is gonna do something unbelievable in our church and I think it's weird how God sets things up I wasn't prepared to go last week into elevation last year I didn't even know until two weeks before I went that I was going to preach elevation last last weekend and I actually actually was a little nervous I was like man I don't know if I should go because we've got this Silas thing coming up and the Lord really kind of spoke to me he doesn't speak to me out loud he just kind of spoke to me and said hey your church is going to be able to see where we're going I was like okay I'm in and then a year almost a year ago we booked a speaker for this weekend and it turns out it's it's the perfect weekend now I've told you whenever I bring somebody in like they're gonna be able to spit fire drop bars he doesn't drop bars but he he can't spit fire and this weekend we have one of the greatest communicators one of the most power house teachers on the planet and one of the most influential men of God of our time and he also happens to be my pastor Pastor Chris Hodges is with us this weekend from Birmingham Alabama I'm honored to have him here and I want to tell you this I want to tell you may you may or may not know he pastors one of the one of the largest churches in America and he left his church this weekend to come and preach to us and on the weekends at Highlands and I've asked him to brag a little bit on his church I don't know if he'll do it during the course of the sermon or not but I have asked him to talk about it a little bit because it is mind blowing on what God has done through their church but on any given weekend at church of the Highlands in Birmingham out of all their 19 campuses they'll have more than 60,000 people worshiping and they're planting two campuses a year it's and they also meet in 19 correctional facilities it's unbelievable what God is doing he's also a best-selling author in New York Times bestselling author we've got his book Daniel dilemma in the lobby you ought to buy that in fact a lot of the ideas that you hear from us I got from him don't go listen to his podcast I've already preached it all okay I'm just saying like I'm playing actually go listen to it it's unbelievable but but like the idea for growth track the name growth track we got that from Pastor Chris the whole freedom curriculum Pastor Chris wrote the freedom curriculum our small groups idea is the name dream team we picked that up from Pastor Chris you've heard us say no God find freedom discover your purpose make a difference pastor Chris like I don't know I don't do anything y'all I'm just like all Pastor Chris did this okay guys here's what we're doing isn't it really is an honor to have my pastor here and I'll tell you this the first time I heard him preach I looked at my wife and I said I could follow that man anywhere I had no idea that I would be one of the very few that God chose to be able to be pastored by this guy there's about 17 of us that he individually personally pastors he coaches more than 10,000 churches and it's just incredible what God is doing through Church of the Highlands would you at all of our campuses stand right now and welcome my pastor Pastor Chris Hodges all the way from Birmingham Alabama looking sharp in a jacket looking good come on give Jesus embrace everybody come on it's 11:30 you can do better than that come on everybody it's awesome hey hey stay standing just for a second and I just want to take this moment in just for a moment I I have I've heard so many good things about what's happening at Hope City of course very very close to your pastors and just love them beyond words and but I don't even know if you know this or not but what's happening here you know God's moving in a great way on the on the earth right now actually greater than people think and the gospel of Jesus is growing can I hear a good amen everybody but I'll be very honest with you it's not happening like this this is this is a rarity we're more than 10,000 people in four years 26,000 people have given their life to Jesus at this church in four years come on give God praise for that it's pretty awesome and I've kind of been like a tourist whole weekend going to the different locations looking at the silos project and just see what the Lord's doing and I've honestly I've come to brag on you a little bit and put it in perspective a little bit make sure you understand so I'm not even gonna preach hard at you today I just want to talk to you a little bit make sure you understand the moment that you live in because it's very very special we at your age we were half your size and you guys are you guys are on an exponential growth curve and some of your thinking I don't even know if I wanted to get any bigger after our preach today you'll understand why it has to because people matter to God amen everybody really matter and so and and and honestly I think God wants to do this everywhere and why he picks some places I don't really have a good answer for you I do know this that every place every place the gospel is thriving globally every place that it's thriving there are great leaders there every place for the gospel is suffering right now there's a lack of leadership jesus said the harvest is plentiful the laborers are few the problem will always be can he find someone can he find a group of people can he find a group of people who believe in it that will participate he'll serve a be on the dream team who will get can I just find some people and and when we cooperate with what God already wants to do great things happen and of course it takes a leader and he doesn't want me to do this I'm gonna do it anyway he didn't have to invite me back I just I just I just have to say I mean you honestly I hope you realize this I think you do that you don't have a you don't have a normal pastor he's crazy y'all y'all know I'm talking about he's in fact I don't know what he takes before he preaches but I need some I mean just I've never seen more in and you've had some too right here on the front row and so but there's a hand of God it's on his life and it's important for the people under his leadership to recognize that you have in pastor Jeremy and Jennifer you have honestly I think some of the finest leaders in America on the face of the earth right now come on give him up good hand just show some love I'm proud I want to say this in front of everybody to you I'm proud of you I'm praying for you I'm covering you I believe in you I'm so grateful to God that I get a front-row seat to see what God's gonna do in this place and just keep giving Jesus all the glory keep preaching your heart out he loves you he loves you in fact I can't get him to talk about anything else other than you I'm kind of bored of y'all were actually no he's like no it's good he just talks about you all the time he loves you guys so much are you all ready for the Word of God yes or no all right here do me a favor even if this is not your tradition I'm not asking you to lift your hands but would you just turn them toward heaven like this and just receive put yourself in a posture and like in your heart now open your hands up in your heart and lord I pray God for the next few minutes as we dive into your word god we don't need a man to talk to us we need you to say something Cameroon we're in a desperate place in our life where we need the words of life and so god we just make room come on just make room right there where you are we just make room in our hearts for you to say what you want to say do what you want to do we give your permission Holy Spirit to touch us speak to us Holy Spirit be in this place do it only you can do and we promise we're gonna give you all the glory in Jesus name and everybody said a good amen come on one more time give Jesus some great praise come on make some noise 1130 where you at all right give somebody a high five and tell them it looks like you've lost a little weight come on tell them just just lie to them if you have to that's all right that's why I wear this jacket I have to I have to cover up stuff y'all know what I'm talking about I had the spiritual gift of eating can I get an amen son I'm actually from south Louisiana you know and I was born and raised in Baton Rouge and and and and eating is a is an art form there you know and so and my favorite thing to hear from somebody if they'll say it to me once in a while they walk Oh Chris you lost some weight now it's never true but I love hearing it you know and I don't know so I'm always trying to lose weight this true story I started the year off we always had this 21 days of prayer and fasting and I always start the year off you know with a little jumpstart because we were fasting a little bit and then and I set a goal I think this is the year and I said ago I won't let y'all know I'm just kind of coming into accountability that I set a goal to lose 20 pounds over the over the by the end of the year I want to have lost 20 pounds and y'all I'm happy to report we almost in April and only have 30 pounds to go come on somebody so I am I am well on my way so anyway it's really good it's really good to be here I want to bring you greetings from Church of the Highlands who loves you knows about you your pastor comes and speaks to us several times a year he's one of our favorites and we love you deeply we believe in other churches and we try to do what we can to serve other churches and just know all about you you you are being talked about around the globe right now because of your exponential growth tomate in in my mind you're one of the fastest if not the fastest growing churches in America right now and people are looking to you there's there were eight pastors in service last night just studying what you're doing and from other churches seeing what's happening here and I'm gonna tell you with it comes a little responsibility to know God's up to something and I just pray a blessing over your lives in Jesus name Amen everybody it's gonna be so much fun to see what the Lord does and with this silo's project is there a cooler building in Houston I there is I don't know man I just I passed by that I thought only in Texas would they turn a bunch of silos in a church you know and and I just think it's gonna be the coolest place when you guys get a hub location I know this when we moved into our first permanent facility we were six and a half years old we were meeting in three locations like you are with a in a high school of fine arts theater a thousand seat fine arts theater and when we moved into a permanent facility we literally doubled overnight and then you know the rest is kind of history and I don't know what your future is I think God's got big things in store but you guys are already twice you know you're twice the size we were at this age and so I don't know I think it's gonna be interesting to see what the Lord does and you're a part of something special and that's what I want to talk to you about before I do that I do want to when I go speak places I talked a little bit by my family because I have I'm married 33 years and I have five kids and yeah I don't know what you're clapping for but uh people people when I say five I always get a reaction I don't know where the line is but we crossed it you know I'm saying and so I do know that but now now my kids are all grown our Otis is thirty our youngest is 22 and and they're they're married and having their own kids right now and now we're grandparents any grandparents in the room this is a young crowd where y'all that come on there's a few out there and they raised it really fast and they waive it because they're happy about it because kids grandkids are better than kids so they really hard hey by the way if your kids are driving you crazy don't kill them better ones they're coming just hang in there all right just let them live let them live so I brought a picture for you get in the Bible I did bring a picture of my grandkids I I got on the Oh in that sweet you know so then I preached better when I see them so five grand so I have a daughter who's the oldest and four boys and now five grandson so it's nine boys in a row we hadn't seen the girl in 30 years in any way so it's pretty it's pretty fun but I love them all right earning you open your Bibles to John chapter 4 is where we're gonna start John chapter 4 and I'm actually gonna bring you a message that is a perspectives message it's a it's a message that hopefully there is a revelation I'm gonna bring it as simply as I can that's kind of one of the things I do is I try to put the cookies on the bottom shelf so everybody can have one I'm gonna make this as simple as I possibly can but my hope and my prayer is that there is a revelation there's a moment in this service where you go wow I never all that that way I'm gonna tell you the story today about the woman at the well this is the story where Jesus was actually separated from his disciples for just I don't know how long the Bible doesn't say it's probably an hour or so while the disciples ran an errand probably grocery shopping or something but they're off Jesus wanders off by himself over to a water well obviously because he's thirsty and when he's there there's a Samaritan woman and in those days Jews and Samaritans did not like each other strong racial tensions about as strong as any two groups have ever had and so they didn't talk to each other that in associate with one another and then men did not speak to women so Jesus walks right up into this situation and smashes right through the racial barriers right through the gender barrier somebody say Amen right there that's the god you serve and he starts a conversation with this woman and she's surprised by it and he says to her he says hey while you're drawing your own water can you get some for me as well and she did and and he looks at her and he says something that I want to say to everyone to be in this room today and that is he says I can give you water I can give you a different kind of water where you'll never thirst again and there are some of you who've wandered in a church today and you're depleted you're empty you're dry your life stinks it's not what you thought and here's how you could best describe it and see if this doesn't make sense to you like so you're even getting some things that you thought would satisfy on the outside but there's still an emptiness on the inside so you're you may even have some things but your soul is depleted and you're tired and you're empty and you're longing with us what the condition she he found her in and he says I can give you water to drink well you'll never thirst again and I'll say this to you we're not offering to you a church we're offering you water to drink where you'll never thirst again we're offering you a God who can change your life come on if you believe it really give my can cloud a praise it's true so so then he starts talking about our relationships because he's Jesus always connected before he ever brought anything else first and he so he starts talking hey hey are you married she goes no and then he says that's right you're not married you've already been married five times divorced five times and you live in with somebody right now that ain't your husband and she says sir I perceive his level to be a profit I mean like I know world did you know there ain't no way you could have known that and she realizes she's in the presence of greatness she's in the presence of God and her life begins to be changed I want to pick up the story right there because it says just then the disciples so these are the guys that hung out with Jesus they returned from the errand and they're surprised to finding talking to the woman for the reasons that I already told you and then John does something in the text that you never do if you ever remember writing a story in English class or whatever and you're telling the story of something that happened you don't include things that didn't happen in your story but John does this now this the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit in fact it wasn't even written by man man just held the pen while the Holy Spirit wrote it and the Holy Spirit makes sure that John included two details that never happened and one detail is that when we walked up to Jesus no one asked Lord is there anything I can get for you can I I've been in Houston only 24 hours and your team has asked me that five thousand times pastor case you need anything no thank you how about something to drink well that's the thing no thank you you know and what about it dr. pepper well that's a drink so thank you no but I'm good you know and it's just what you call hospitality and no one did that and there's a reason why that's in the text and he says not only do they not asking Lord can we get you anything but no one asks why were you talking to that woman because see if you're a disciple and your rabbi your teachers doing something you don't understand you asked and they didn't do that the question is why is that there why is that in the text and that is because John is living now in regret wishing they would have happened he's realizing that in this moment they had gotten selfish and didn't care what he wanted and didn't care what he was doing now watch this so leading the water jar the well the woman goes back to her town not another city it's a village around the corner because she's getting ready to come right back and she says to her town people come see a man that I had told me everything I ever did with my life I think I found God like I think I found the Christ that we've all been looking for our whole life so she stirs up her townspeople and so the whole town came out and made their way toward Jesus and while the town this in your head the whole town is coming toward Jesus and the disciples fired up about their lives being changed and the disciples say hey rabbi let's go to PF Changs are y'all seeing this everybody and and this is shocking to me because they not only didn't care what jesus wanted they didn't care what Jesus was doing and in an opportune time with an entire town coming out to find Jesus and to find hope and to find life they are only thinking about their own stomachs and here's the point I'm trying to make and that is if it can happen to them and they lived with the man could it happen to us chances are probably good that we can miss our moments and better yet not see our moments better yet realize only the things that matter to us and not what matters to others the truth is and I'll indict myself on this one there is a gravitational pull to selfishness you leave me alone I take care of me right and it's easy to do that but that is not God's best for our lives can I hear a good amen everybody and this is the message of this text that I really believe we all need to hear so watch this so they bring up food so Jesus goes ahead and uses that as the metaphor now to teach him a spiritual truth and he says hey guys I know you're hungry but I have food to eat that you know nothing about and you're saying amen and urine I see you nodding because you know what that means he's talking about the town that's way more satisfying than a meal and you understand that and they didn't watch what they say mix this is hilarious to me watch this and the disciples said to each other could someone have already brought him food did he eat before we got back he was supposed to wait are you are you know seeing this I mean missing missing the moment and Jesus says no no guys my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish the work I like the most satisfying part of my life is to do what I'm on the planet to do you keep saying for months more than the harvest we'll do it later and he says and I tell you say these three words out loud everybody here we go I tell you open your say it one more time I tell you oh I need you to see something I need you to see what I see I've come today with a very simple message and then as I just hope I hope you can see after four years I hope you could see what's happening in this place I hope you could even see what's happening in your own light I wish you could open your eyes and see it from God's perspective and I'm gonna do the very best I can for the next few minutes not even to preach hard at you I want to talk to you and I want to make sure you understand some things that you really need to see very clearly because the disciples weren't bad people they just couldn't see right and a lot of you you're not bad you know but you're not bad people but you can you can be in the middle of a moment and not see it that's what happened to the disciples in fact the Bible says this in Proverbs if people can't see what God is doing this is what your life's going to look like so if your life is in chaos right now it could be not because there's a lot of problems it could be because you're just not seeing your life right and that's why you're stumbling all over yourself but when they attend to what God reveals they are the most blessed and we're by the way the word blessed there doesn't mean because you you have a lot of money and more cars no blessed means you're content in your soul when you see right something's happens on the inside that makes you content in your soul and I want to give that to you today you can see by looking at me that I actually physically have eye problems I wear glasses I wear glasses because I can't see you right now and I can see that I can see the the dust particles on my glasses with my glasses off like really perfect eyesight everything up close and I notice it for the first time I was sitting at 55 and at 47 years old I was sitting watching my my boys play football in a high school football game and my wife was on one side sister on the other side and I'm squinting like this to try to see if I could I couldn't read the names on the back of the jerseys and and I always could I guess I usually can see the freckle on a net you know I had perfect eyesight and all of a sudden it's gone and my sister starts laughing at me and she had glasses and she hands them to me and I put her glasses on and my whole world came in high-definition again it's like oh my god you know so like I had no idea so I several months later I went to the eye doctor for the first time and I'd never been to the eye doctor before and I'll just warn you if you've never been the first visits horrible it's because they I don't know about your doctor but my doctor explain anything that he was going to do before he did it so I'm going there to see better and the first thing they do is put stuff on your eyes where you can't see nothing hey brother be going the wrong direction you I am way worse I don't know where dilating I'm like why you know anyway he didn't tell me I didn't know I really didn't know I had no idea they do crazy tests like I mean to also not puffs of air okay come on you're laughing I'll send its puffs of air in my eye but I didn't tell me like what's that also glaucoma check look like Warner brother first before you blow in people's eye that's just it's just what you do you know it's the whole thing the whole thing was horrible honestly and I I don't know the doctor terms for eye doctors but they had their own unique set of terms so when he came back in the room he goes well we got you figured out I said well great because that's what you get paid to do and so hey he said he said you're near-sighted and I said oh no sir you got it completely backwards I might the NIR is perfectly fine I've got four issues far let's talk about that this it's out there brother you know and I see y'all are laughing that because y'all know I did not know that the the optical industry is the only industry that names your condition for what you're good at maybe like going to the doctor with a broken arm and he goes okay your legs work I mean like it's dumb don't don't do it that way that's talked about the problem and it's out there and so anyway I really did not know that's what they call it I had no idea oh when he said that I thought when he said somebody's nearsighted because they have problems with the NIR stuff so anyway I learned that and and but I remember leaving the doctor's office and I remember thinking wow that's this is not only my physical condition but it's also my spiritual condition and honestly in a lot of cases the spiritual condition of most people that when you're near-sighted you can only your only focus on the stuff that's closest to you you're only thinking about this stuff closest to you in fact you only think about the stuff closest to you because you don't feel responsible for that which you cannot see I can prove it to you have you ever been in a traffic area and there's cars and you're trying to get out of your parking lot or your store to be let into the line and if you ever noticed that when people are trying you're at that process you're trying to like let me in and and so what they do is they just don't look at you because that they cuz that they look at you you a person right but they don't look at you they're you're not responsible for that what you do not see and for most of us we choose not to see things because we don't want to be responsible for those things I'm telling you I'm telling you so the other day I was trying to get out and I was nosing in and I'm telling you this one woman she it was really her role to let me out it was she was the one that was supposed to let me out and she could see her to stay on the bumper of the other car like you ain't getting in you ain't getting and so her daughter was I got like it was her daughter was sitting in the passenger seat and we made eye contact and I where please I just over dramatize it well she starts laughing I saw her tell her mom the man over there he needed to get out of here you know and I became a person because she saw me I'm telling you Church listen to me it's important for you to see right and the truth is a lot of us aren't seeing right because you don't really see through these you're seeing through this in fact Paul prayed at this way in Ephesians 1 he says I pray for the church that the eyes of their heart be enlightened I just wish you could see some things because all of us right now are looking at the very same thing and all of us are seeing it differently based on our experiences up to this point so based on some of you've never been in church before this is like pretty cool others have you been in church your whole life you thing and I've seen that before some of you got hurt by church and you're thinking I'm not listening to any more of this we could all see the same thing and see it differently based on our heart eyes you have to see right in order to do right now I want to make sure I want to make sure thank you thank you in the back for thinking that's a great point to make right very serious about this I want to help you see three things right here's the first one I want you to make sure you understand what you have and what you're supposed to do with it like it's important to recognize all of us need to know what we have now a lot of us have some things and some of us don't have other things but all of us have something it's very important for Pete to understand what you have and why you have it because you need to know that God blessed you to be a blessing we said well I don't have money like some people yeah but do you have arms then you were supposed to hug people and shake their hand and lift them up do you have a smart lek you were supposed to encourage somebody you have a phone I think like most people have at least one well yeah I'll have a when you're supposed to encourage people with the text once so like whatever you have you need to understand that what you have there is the expectation of God that you are supposed to do something with that thing and by the way that's what the Bible calls rich rich in the Bible is never the person who had the most money rich is the person who has anything that they now are supposed to leverage for eternal purposes and you need to know that now I'm going to say something to you that you may or may not like you just need to hear it and that is God has supernaturally blessed this church praise God for that but with that comes great responsibility to whom much is given much is required and I just want to make sure you hear that and see that and realize there's a responsibility that comes with being the fastest-growing Church in the country there's a responsibility that comes when God gives you certain leadership and growth and potential and influence and while your pastor spoke to more people in America last Sunday than any other human being in America last Sunday like what what's that all about oh that's killer I like ask my pastor no we're supposed to leverage that and say my goodness that comes with great responsibility when people talk about the size of our church that doesn't make my chest stick out it puts the fear of God in me because I know the Lord's gonna say hey what else did you want gave you all that influence gave you all those churches gave you all those pastors gave you all that money gave you all that incredible good looks I gave you all that y'all didn't have to laugh that hard I said no that's why the Bible says command command those who are rich in this world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in that wealth which is so uncertain no buts don't use it for you but put your hope in God who richly provides that for you for he wants you to enjoy it by the way God doesn't a man you enjoying what you have but also use what you have to do good to be rich in good deeds to be generous and willing to share now watch this and when you do that you're gonna lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven in the coming age as a firm foundation so that you might also take hold of the life that is truly life in other words you're gonna figure out my goodness this is what my life was actually all about I'm talking about even when you leave the day you got to realize I have stuff I need to do some things with my life that makes a difference in the lives of others one of the things that we encourage people to do at Highlands because we encourage them to be just generous when they're out in the city and we've made these little cards that that say a little something extra to show you that God loves you little just like little business side cards and then we just say just go go through society and just bless the snot out of people and but then leave the card there so don't just be nice but be nice in Jesus name connect it to God you know and leave the little card there pay for people to call it like your nearest Starbucks and I pray for the car behind you just do some fun stuff so the other day I didn't by the way I don't normally get it right I'm usually so disconnected I don't see right in situations but I had all my family at a restaurant recently and they were eating large doses of food I might add and I was doing the math and thinking Lord Jesus anyway so I was going because they know I'm picking up the bill and I'm going I'm going through all this and and our server actually was not doing a good job she was our glasses had been empty for several minutes you know just just it just was not good and and I'm usually like hey you know I'm usually that guy unfortunately and so I uh but on that day I don't know what hit me I just thought you know I just I needed to be nice to this girl you know and so I don't know I I started imagining what was like to be her by the way it's one of the healthiest things you can do imagine what it's like to be somebody else what's it like to be you and it's called empathy it's important and sophis I thought I thought about her since she came by I don't know I normally don't do this this way I said hey hey I know you I know it looks like you got a lot going on and don't worry about seriously think of us laughs we're not in a hurry and she just looked at me like wow that's that's strange nobody ever really says that and so she scurried off after she kind of hastily filled all the glasses and she came back and I don't know she just looked overwhelmed by her job and her lie she's it had absolve on her face and I just I just went there I just said hey are you okay she looked at me like he's supposed to ask me that you know it's not you know and I said listen I'm a pastor and I'm gonna be praying for you she goes oh thank you and she scurried off again so I'm all in at this point y'all follow me everybody I mean I'm in the game right now so when we when we we finished the meal and again please don't think I'm not bragging because I've normally get it wrong but I left her I left her what we call in Alabama a honking tip y'all know what a honking tip is for you Texans that's a generous Katti batti all right so it's just a little more redneck where we anyways so I just I so I left her out just a really really generous gratuity and so much stuff where she came back and she goes what's up are you sure I said yeah yeah because I don't understand and then I gave her the car just something to show you that God loves you I'm just trying to let you know God loves you and I remember and just here popped out and she shoves it back in real fast you know I like she goes you have no idea what this means that said yeah kind of dude I kind of do and I remember walking out thinking you know if there are four billion women on this planet there was one of God's little princesses who just needed somebody God just needed one of his young handsome servants of the Most High God no just kidding this needs somebody listen to listen to see right and to do something about humanity that is all around us and I'm just trying to say that's our role in society go out there and do good go out there and make a difference and here's what you're gonna discover it not only blesses them but you're gonna get more fired up about I remember how I felt I walked up there thinking who else would you have me touch today Lord you know I got thing right because it's the light that is truly like I just wish you could see that here's the second thing I wish you could see I wish you could see how important it is to see who people are and what they really need so if you're not careful you'll when you when you kind of assess somebody from the outside you'll think man what a jerk man I can't believe he would say something like that to me and it's very easy you're meeting the same people I'm meeting it's very easy to hate people it's like they'll give you lots of reasons not to think much of them right and it's easy to get bitterness some of you guys are mad at somebody right now but the truth be known hurting people hurt people they're acting that way there's a reason there's there there's there's a reason behind everybody is the way they are for a reason that if you know it might change how you see that person and even how you treat that person and I wish you would see how important that is to see not only who they are but also what they need I mean people years ago I had I had a I was a youth pastor in Colorado Springs for seven years and I had this one kid who started coming to our youth group we have like 800 kids in the youth group it's one of the largest west of the Mississippi we just having a great time and and I have had a dynamic they love God they their Bible soap and taking notes I mean they were it was just a great youth group it was just wild worship good stuff and this one kid came in the back he sat in the back row kicked his feet up talked to the whole service always like stirring up trouble and so I correct him during my messes hey my man hey my man back come on come on stay with me come on and he just he just I I did not like this human being are y'all with me everybody just he drove me nuts and after about four services I told one of my workers I said get that brother in my office it ends today I mean he ain't putting up with this no more I can't take he's not gonna destroy our whole youth group and he got up in that in our office this youth worker brought him in and I said bro what show deal in that Godley everybody don't you don't you respect me all the more yeah and this is brother he pastor Jeremy he turned around lifted up his shirt and he pulled up and there were scars all over his back he goes this is my deal and I said what's going on he goes my dad does this to me every day well I went from hating the brother to my God how can I help you because I saw differently and I'm telling you the world around us is acting where they're acting because they're hurting not because they're jerks and it's important for the church to see the city of Houston is the world around us there are even some of you in this room who thought man y'all talking about more campuses and bigger buildings I kind of like it this size yeah but the problem is we don't need the world to go to hell we we have a this ain't about us I mean if it was about me Lee let's just do one service and let's just you and me show up right no no we got to understand that the world needs the life of Jesus that needs the hope of Jesus and this is our responsibility and honestly our opportunity to make a difference can I hear a better amen somebody it's huge it's important so what do we do we got to see people the right way and we got to know what they need and the question is what do they really need because there's actually a war going on the book that pastor Jeremy talked about the Daniel dilemma I wrote it because most Christians don't know how to navigate culture so we're in an ungodly culture right now and there's two stairs two brands of Christianity going on out there right now and in my opinion they're both wrong there's one brand that says what the world needs this pagan world is accept them bring them on in even you know what we can soften the Bible a little bit you know - in the name of love and there's this whole gray side of the church and it's partially right there's this whole other branch of church right now I call it the truth side that loves to point out everything you're doing wrong all the time and their whole goal is to point it out you better turn or burn that's what you needed oh you better get right or get left I mean they'll tell you stuff like that right and they come us take glory and letting you know where you're all messing up but God never called us to be right he called us to be effective he called us to make a difference in people's lives what Daniel did is he he brought in both grace and truth together he connected with people before he corrected people he he learned how to love people and stand firm in the gospel at the same time and by the way you can do both and Jesus did both nabo says that Jesus came into the world full of from the father full of say it out loud with me full of grace he gave them both he came I'm gonna give you grace when the woman was caught in adultery the one who she committed a at that time a crime that was punishable by death Jesus first words to her were I don't condemn you and then he said to her now go leave your life of sin he gave her both and by the way he gives you both today he always connected before he corrected and that's our role in society as well that we need to make sure we connect before we correct a couple years ago I lied I'd gone back to my home Church in Baton Rouge to speak at a conference there at my home church and then in the effort to only take one plane flight I drove down to New Orleans took the Southwest flight back to Birmingham only a 40-minute flight when I got on the plane I was with my wife I don't really particularly care for Southwest because it's that whole seat thing I don't like like the whole guessing who's gonna be sitting that I want to control all that right and so anyway I've got this dreaded empty seat next to me while the planes boarding have you ever done that we repeat the planes boarding and you and you're thinking Jesus if you love me please don't let him sit next to me like and your prayer life improves and they pass by and you think the Lord anyways so well I had this girl this true sir this girl came on the plane dancing it she was high-fiving the flight attendant and high-five and everybody on the front row all the way down ha ha I'm thinking Lord Jesus she'd been on Bourbon Street all week you know you do and she comes down I'm like Lord Jesus if you love me please God no father God pop right next to me the second she sat down she goes so what do you do for a living and when you get asked that as a pastor you got to decide if you gonna lie or not you really do you know and I said I said well I'm a pastor she goes but we're all passengers like no like no like the pastor of a church she goes oh well I don't like Christians and I knew the conscience raised around so I decided to play along so I said yeah me too girl that's why I had to start my own church she's like what do you mean I said well Christianity's got this branding problem and there's a whole ones and obviously you've been around them already that are happy to tell you everything you're doing wrong and they'll try to get you in their religion and they try to get you into the religion by telling you you got to get some things right before you can come in but the truth is you can't even get those things right right until you come in okay I'm just gonna tell you you you got to come in first just cuz well I've never heard this before I said well it's in the Bible and so out so he started talking I share my faith with her with a flight short as I told you it lands back in Birmingham and she's going on a Nashville and I'm getting my things together getting married you know climb over her and get out she goes well I need more and I said well watch if you'll watch our service this weekend I'll be streaming it live I'll give you a shout out online she goes you won't I said yes I got him hello everybody welcome to our all our campuses all the 19 correctional facilities god bless you today hey able to give a special shout out to Tanya girl I told you do it I didn't know she was watching or not but I customized my whole message to her that Sunday well she was watching you know Monday I got an email from her my assistant God she says she said I realize how how crazy it was to be turned off from God by looking at the looking at Christians she's I see how silly that is she goes in her salutation salutation was I'm ready to surrender my life to Jesus I called her up letter to Lord you know but here's the point if you'll see people the right way and treat them the right way they're ready they're ready I'm telling you now let's say something you probably won with this last point and that's why you should not pass up the opportunity to get someone far from God someone who's drowning someone who just says unchurched sitting next to you at one of those four services in that ten thousand seat auditorium on Easter Sunday you think Easter is fun for you wait till you have somebody far from God first of all you're gonna be nervous out of your brain the whole time and then when Pastor Jeremy says every head bowed every eye closed you ain't gonna do it you're gonna peek and see what your friends gonna do and when their hand goes up in tears come down their face I promise you it's gonna be your favorite service ever ever at Hope City and here's the point and at that point you would have seen the world correctly instead of thinking about enjoying lunch for yourself you would have seen the town coming to you you would have opened your eyes and seen what Jesus loves the most can I hear a good amen everybody so you got him you got to understand what you have and why you have it you got understand people who people are and what they really need and here's the last one I want to give to you and that is you got to open up your eyes to where you are spiritually and what your next step is so you're somewhere spiritually you are you are you're in a spiritual continuum some guy says no I'm not I don't even believe in God yeah but you can't take the part of God out of you I'm so sorry you have a spirit man look in my eyes that for the rest of your life is going to be looking for God it's like a homing device because you're made in the image of God I don't even care if you're not a Christian you were made in the image of God and it's in there and you ain't go mate Oh take it out whether you like it or not God has set eternity in your hearts it's there that's why I love my job so much because you're not going to be able to get that connection and that the answers to your life can only be found in the one who created you end of story God has the book on your life so go try to figure it out I'm not trying to be sassy you'll be back because there there are no answers in career there are no answers in recreation there are no answers in relationship the only answer will ever be found in the one who created you only he can connect the dots and that's why the Apostle Paul prayed it this way he said I'm praying I'm praying for you and I want you to know I'm praying for you in fact I keep asking God that he might give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation you know that means that you could see something I wish you could see it and I wish you could see this what I wish you could see how important it is not just to attend church but to know God I wish you could see how important it is that your heart gets cleaned up from the stuff that's hurting you I wish you could see how important it is that you have a calling the hope to which he has called you this is looking ready you have a call of God on your life no I don't yes you do the two greatest days of your life the day you were born the day you discovered why and what you're not but you're not an accident well my mom and daddy said I was I don't care what they said you are purposed by God for a purpose that's a fact that's a fact and then you can you can be a part of the message says a glorious way of living your inheritance so as you've probably discerned I'm not the most patient person ever and when I Drive y'all I'm barely saved y'all know I'm talking about when I'm in a car I'm it's terrible I get convicted but I was I'm just the most impatient person and I was recently in my car it's like a two months ago I was at the left turn lane off of a highway and we're in a long line and it doesn't last very long the arrow didn't last long I want to get I don't want to wait two cycles right and so the turn green and everybody took off except a car in front of me and this girl had her head down you did she is thumbing away you know I mmm Jesus my wife says be patient Chris they probably go to our church I say yeah I'm their pastor I'm gonna teach them so I'm right now like and in my heart I wanted to lay on my horn that's what was going on inside of my heart yeah [Applause] but I didn't I just win baby because I was trying to be nice okay I'm trying to be nice right now beebeep let's go it's time for you to it you're the lights green and you're still in the same place like there's never been a better time to say I'm not going to leave Church again the same way I came I am leaving here having gone all in with God I'm gonna go ahead and follow God I'm gonna get it part of a church I'm gonna get on a team I wanna get out of the stands get on the field beebeep let's go let's go it's time for you to know where you are spiritually and take your next step the light is green so why not today and I'm not asking to join this church I'm asking to join Jesus I think joining this church would be a great thing to do I'm asking you if you've been in these seats for a long time and you love God and you never done anything it's time the lights green let's go this make a difference let's live our lives for some of you you have junk in your heart you love God you're going to heaven but you never let anybody touch the deepest parts of your life it's time for you to find freedom there's some of you you've heard that growth track announcement - you're sick of the two words well why don't you just go to the class and find out what's actually there and realize that you have a purpose in this life and you can make a difference father I pray for this church god they're in an incredible time in history it's really a pivotal moment in the life of their church and I pray God that they they're able to discern and to see what they have and even as they give this coming Sunday what they're supposed to do gotta ask you to speak to them don't let them hear from me or Pastor Jeremy let them hear from you God show them what they're supposed to do even as they go to restaurants today or as they they they meet their friends God let us take what we have and make a difference with it Lord I pray God that they'd be able to see people the way you do these people that are that are hurting other people God we realized that there's something going on inside of them and they need both grace and truth help us God even as we invite our friends to Easter and as we get involved at reaching the people that are closest to us and for every person who knows there's another step to take god I pray to make it clear to them and give them the courage to do it now with heads bowed eyes closed I'm gonna give you a chance right now and I'm not gonna have you stand up and I'm not gonna call you down to the front but if you're here today say Chris today is supposed to be my day and I need to take a step toward God and I need to give him my life once and for all and maybe you were even a Christian but you've never gone all-in and you're ready to go all-in you're really ready to know him for everything that he can give you maybe you're here today and you're carrying your sin you feel it you feel shame you feel guilt and you're sick of it I Got News for You you don't have to leave here with it you can put it all on Jesus and you can leave here free today and I just want to pray for you before I hand this service back over to pass for Jeremy but if you're here today see Chris I need to move toward God today's Monday I'm ready I'm gonna ask you one time if that you make your decision in your mind right now you're ready and once you lift your hand as high as you can right now say count me in that prayer come on hands up all over this room father thank you just see dozens and dozens and dozens of hands lift them up and leave them up be bold today with God father I thank you for every person every man woman child is here today making a decision for you alright slip those hands down come on hope City every one of you full voice join us together in this prayer every voice here we go say Jesus thank you for dying on the cross and paying for my sin today I receive what you did for me by giving you my life be my Lord forgive me save me come on say it strong I believe you are the son of God I believe you died you were buried and you rose again and today I put my faith in you in your name I pray amen and amen come on give Jesus a great praise come on give a great praise

Channel: Hope City

Views: 18,894

Rating: 4.8132296 out of 5

Keywords: Jeremy Foster, Houston, Hope City, Hope, Christianity, Jesus

Id: VQ4H6Y2VkT4

Length: 51min 38sec (3098 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 24 2019