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Speaker 1: Lord, would you meet with us again. I'm glad you

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Speaker 1: gathered together under the name of Jesus today, wherever you're at,

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Speaker 1: in one of our locations or part of our epham,

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Speaker 1: because God's got something for you today. I believe it.

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Speaker 1: Because he woke you up today, he puts you in

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Speaker 1: one of our locations, or he puts you on this stream,

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Speaker 1: it's because he's got something he wants to speak to you.

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna be in Matthew chapter sixteen. Pastor Steven's been

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Speaker 1: in this season. He's preached about Peter quite a bit.

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Speaker 1: And when he preached a couple of weeks ago about

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Speaker 1: Peter never stop Knocking, and the Lord said, you're Peter.

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Speaker 1: You need to talk about yourself. You need to talk

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Speaker 1: about Peters. What the assignment is today? And Matthew sixteen

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Speaker 1: it says when Jesus came to the region of Cesarea Philippi,

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Speaker 1: he asked his disciples, who do people say the Son

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Speaker 1: of Man is now? It's good for us to know

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Speaker 1: in the scriptures that if Jesus is asking a question,

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Speaker 1: it's not because he's lacking information. He is the answer.

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Speaker 1: He knows what you're thinking before you even think it.

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Speaker 1: He's not asking you to see what the answer is.

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Speaker 1: He's asking BASI wants to give you a revelation. I

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Speaker 1: wonder what question Jesus is asking you today, because he

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Speaker 1: wants to reveal something to you. He's wondering, what do

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Speaker 1: they say? Say they? They replied, Some say John the Baptist,

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Speaker 1: others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah, one of the prophets.

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Speaker 1: But what about you, he asked, who do you say?

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Speaker 1: You know? Say you? And there's this tension that's set

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Speaker 1: up in the text between what they and what you.

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Speaker 1: And I think that's where humanity is found is between

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Speaker 1: those two extremes. It's in that space. Jesus replied, Actually,

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Speaker 1: Simon Peter answered, of course he did, as Simon always

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Speaker 1: feels in that empty space with something. Simon Peter answered,

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Speaker 1: you are the Messiah, the son of the Living God,

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Speaker 1: Verse seventeen. Jesus replied, blessed are you, Simon's son of Jonah.

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Speaker 1: For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood,

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Speaker 1: but by my Father in Heaven. And I tell you

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Speaker 1: that you are Peter, and on this rock I will

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Speaker 1: build my church, and the gates of Hades will not

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Speaker 1: overcome it, and the title for today's message is this

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Speaker 1: is between two extremes, between typing into the comments and

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Speaker 1: I want to force you to the extreme. You got

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Speaker 1: a person on your right or your left, if you're

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Speaker 1: in one of our physical locations, pick one of them,

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Speaker 1: whichever is your favorite, and tell them good morning. For

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Speaker 1: those of you online, Epham, type into the comments, whoever

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Speaker 1: your favorite person is, just let them know. After you've

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Speaker 1: done that, you could have a seat. I know I

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Speaker 1: created a fight for later in the day. Some of

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Speaker 1: you you're caught between it, and you're saying I love

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Speaker 1: both of you because you don't like being forced to

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Speaker 1: the extreme. Hey, but one of the values of our

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Speaker 1: ministry is gratitude is never silent, and it would be

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Speaker 1: remiss for me to take this moment to honor our pastors.

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Speaker 1: Gratitude is never silent. Look at it this way, what

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Speaker 1: if what you failed to celebrate today were not in

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Speaker 1: your life tomorrow. Gratitude is a currency. I wonder how

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Speaker 1: well you're investing into the people around you with the

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Speaker 1: spirit of gratitude. So I just wanted to take a

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Speaker 1: moment to thank Pastor Stephen and Pastor Holly for the

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Speaker 1: way they lead this ministry each and every week. It's amazing.

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Speaker 1: And he's been my pastor forever seventeen years. And he's

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Speaker 1: pretty amazing on the stage. But as awesome as he

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Speaker 1: is on the stage, he's even better off the stage.

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Speaker 1: He gathered a group of staff around me early this

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Speaker 1: week just to pray for me. He took time out

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Speaker 1: of his schedule just to create that moment. So Pastor Stephen,

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Speaker 1: we love you. And so this story we're in right

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Speaker 1: now out of Matthew chapter sixteen, it's a pivot point

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Speaker 1: in the journey of Jesus. He knows his assignment is

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Speaker 1: to get to the cross, but he has not actually

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Speaker 1: divulged those details to his desire piples yet. They've been

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Speaker 1: following him for about a year and a half or so,

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Speaker 1: they have not heard him talk about I must die

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Speaker 1: on the cross. He's about to reveal those things. So

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Speaker 1: Jesus is taking his disciples to a place where he's

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Speaker 1: going to start asking them some questions. Who do they

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Speaker 1: say I am? And who do you say that I am?

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Speaker 1: Because the process is about to change, because all of

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Speaker 1: that is going to be brought into question, and Jesus

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Speaker 1: is preparing them for the next part of the journey.

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Speaker 1: Jesus is asking you questions today because he's preparing you

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Speaker 1: for the next part of the journey. So as we

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Speaker 1: jump into this text, the two words that spoke up

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Speaker 1: to me about Jesus in this space is identity and assignment.

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Speaker 1: It's these are questions of identity. Who do they say? Now,

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Speaker 1: he is not starving for attention. He's not trying to

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Speaker 1: stroke his ego. He's not a politician trying to see

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Speaker 1: how he's doing in the national polls. He's not asking

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Speaker 1: these questions to float himself. He's asking these questions because, hey, disciples,

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Speaker 1: who do they say? But more importantly, who do you say? Identity?

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Speaker 1: These are questions of identity, but assignment. Jesus knew his

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Speaker 1: assignment was to go to the cross. Those are two

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Speaker 1: key concepts. But I wrote this down. Confidence in identity

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Speaker 1: leads to obedience in the assignment. Confidence in identity leads

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Speaker 1: to obedience in the assignment. You see will often pray, Lord,

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Speaker 1: give me confidence in the assignment. No, no, no, there's

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Speaker 1: an order to this thing called faith. Before we deal

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Speaker 1: with the assignment, We've got to deal with the identity.

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Speaker 1: So as he's going through these two questions, who do

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Speaker 1: they say and who do you say? I want you

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Speaker 1: to listen at multiple levels. I want to underscore what

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Speaker 1: Pastor Stephen said last week. How will often trivialize the Bible,

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Speaker 1: saying it's just, you know, God's little instruction book for people. No, no, no, no,

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Speaker 1: that's not it. I heard a old preacher man say

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Speaker 1: it like this once he goes the Bible. It's basic

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Speaker 1: instructions before leaving earth. No, it's not basic instructions before

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Speaker 1: leaving earth. It's not his little instruction. But no, no, no.

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Speaker 1: The purpose of scripture is to reveal Jesus. The primary

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Speaker 1: purpose of the text is to reveal Jesus into your life.

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Speaker 1: That's why he gives it to us. There's an order

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Speaker 1: to the text. So when we start looking at these questions,

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Speaker 1: who do they and who do you? The first level

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Speaker 1: I want you listening at is Jesus. Who do they

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Speaker 1: say Jesus is? And who do you say Jesus is?

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Speaker 1: Because there is some teenage boy in another part of

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Speaker 1: the country who's watching this in his bedroom with the

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Speaker 1: door closed and his earphones on, and he's underneath his

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Speaker 1: covers watching this because he knew if they found out

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Speaker 1: he was watching church, he would get in trouble, but

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Speaker 1: something has been stirred in his heart and he is

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Speaker 1: trying to answer the questions who is Jesus to me?

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Speaker 1: Who do I say that Jesus is? That's really happening.

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Speaker 1: And there's somebody in another part of the world that's

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Speaker 1: watching on a screen. And they knew if they found out,

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Speaker 1: they would be killed for their faith, but they said,

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Speaker 1: I love Jesus too much, and even if those are

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Speaker 1: the circumstances, I must follow him. Who do they say?

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Speaker 1: And who do you say? And then the next level,

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Speaker 1: because oh aw Tozer says this. He says, what comes

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Speaker 1: into your mind when you think about God is the

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Speaker 1: most important thing about you. What comes into your mind

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Speaker 1: when you think about God is the most important thing

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Speaker 1: about you. So I want you listening at that level

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Speaker 1: of who do they say he is? And then who

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Speaker 1: do you say? But I also wants you listening at

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Speaker 1: the level of you, who do they say that you are?

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Speaker 1: And then Jesus, who do you say that I am?

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Speaker 1: And I need you listening at both of those levels.

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Speaker 1: And some of you are like, oh, I already got

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Speaker 1: the answer the gold star. I know who Jesus is

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Speaker 1: you know, he's the word, he's the flash, He's all this. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: you've been coming to church for twenty years and you

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Speaker 1: get the gold star, and you get the sticker, and

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Speaker 1: you talk about Jesus for ninety minutes on Sunday, but

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Speaker 1: you live like hell Monday through Saturday. Because the answer

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Speaker 1: is not with your language, it's with their lifestyle. The

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Speaker 1: answer to these things are not ultimately described in what

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Speaker 1: you say, because at the end of this in verse twenty,

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Speaker 1: Jesus and don't tell anybody he's the Messiah. Why would

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Speaker 1: he make that out landish claim because he says, it's

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Speaker 1: not about what you say. Words are cheap, and I'm

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Speaker 1: tired of you throwing out cheap race. I once you

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Speaker 1: counting the cost of really what it means to follow Jesus,

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Speaker 1: because as these disciples move forward from this moment, it

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Speaker 1: will cost them everything, but they will come to these

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Speaker 1: places of who do they say? And who do you say?

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Speaker 1: In this text, Peter is the central character. He's the

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Speaker 1: guy that speaks of of course he does. That's Peter.

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Speaker 1: He's also called Simon for those of you that are

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Speaker 1: knew the church. He's got two names. Simon is the

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Speaker 1: birth name he was given. It means shifty, it means fluid.

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Speaker 1: It almost paints a picture of water, like is that?

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Speaker 1: But now when he encounters Christ, he's given a new name,

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Speaker 1: Peter Petrush rock. You want to talk about extremes, water

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Speaker 1: and a rock. One other theologian says it was the

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Speaker 1: name Simon would be translated as flat nosed. Picture a

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Speaker 1: guy who's constantly running into a wall, like that's Peter.

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Speaker 1: He is extreme. This dude is all over the place.

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Speaker 1: When Jesus says, Hey, the disciples, I need to wash

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Speaker 1: your feet, He's like, wash all of me. Lord. He's

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Speaker 1: the guy who's banging on the door. He's the guy

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Speaker 1: who's cutting ears off. He is so extreme. And I

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Speaker 1: relate to Peter because I am so extreme. My wife

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Speaker 1: and i've been a part of the church since we started,

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Speaker 1: one of the original eight families, and I remember about

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Speaker 1: one and a half years into the ministry. We had

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Speaker 1: two locations at that point, and we really wanted to

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Speaker 1: be at another high school that was in the area.

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Speaker 1: But when we started the church, the principal there didn't

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Speaker 1: like churches. But we're sitting in a staff meeting and

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Speaker 1: now we hear, oh, there's a new principle. I'm like,

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Speaker 1: all right, I got my new assignment. I'm gonna go

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Speaker 1: get us into that school. So I drive over to

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Speaker 1: the school and I drive up. There's only a couple

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Speaker 1: of cars there because it's a vacation day. Not dang it.

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Speaker 1: But I walk up to the front door. I'm like,

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Speaker 1: it's locked. I go to the next doors, go to

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Speaker 1: the next doors. They start walking on the side of

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Speaker 1: the school and start pushing on windows. I go to

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Speaker 1: the back of the school and I see this long

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Speaker 1: horizontal window above a dumpster. So i'd climb up on

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Speaker 1: top of the dumpster and I push the window and

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Speaker 1: it opens up, and I shimmy my way in through

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Speaker 1: this long, narrow window above a dumpster. And I make

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Speaker 1: my way up to the front office and I walk

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Speaker 1: in and the woman goes, you're Larry Bride from Elevation, Like,

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Speaker 1: how does you know me? You've been watching me on

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Speaker 1: close camera. I'm expecting like the cops to bust in

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Speaker 1: any moment. And she goes, my husband and I we've

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Speaker 1: been coming and my kids have been coming for about

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Speaker 1: eight weeks now to your Providence location. She said, we

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Speaker 1: ended up there because we told her kids about two

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Speaker 1: months ago that we were going to get divorced. Her

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Speaker 1: husband and I and the kids just begg said, no, MOhm,

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Speaker 1: we can't do this. How about we go to church.

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Speaker 1: There's a church meeting at the high school we go

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Speaker 1: to at Providence High School. How about we go check

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Speaker 1: them out? And through tears, she starts to tell me

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Speaker 1: how both of their daughters gave their life to Jesus

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Speaker 1: and they were committed to making the marriage work and

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Speaker 1: or staying in it. My goodness, what I'm telling some

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Speaker 1: of you is you are way too passive about the

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Speaker 1: promises of God. There is a blessing God has for you.

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Speaker 1: It's on the other side of that door. But you

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Speaker 1: keep letting. They tell you you can't have access to it.

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Speaker 1: You keep walking up and say, well, it's not an

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Speaker 1: open door. Kick the freaking door down. I'm telling you

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Speaker 1: there's a blessing on the other side. Breaking through a window,

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Speaker 1: bust through that wall, get your blessing. Come on. We

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Speaker 1: got to be extreme for the things of God. But

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Speaker 1: extreme is like a rubber band. However hard I pull

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Speaker 1: it this way, it's got a rebound just as big

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Speaker 1: to the other side. Because though how many of you

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Speaker 1: are extreme? Be honest with me. We have extreme highs

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Speaker 1: and we have extreme lows. Tho, wie, that's the crazy

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Speaker 1: part about those of us that are extreme. Peter had

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Speaker 1: those two because he's now just called you are the

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Speaker 1: rock I'll build my church. The next couple verses, Jesus

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Speaker 1: begins to say, hey, I'm going to go to the cross.

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Speaker 1: This is my assignment. And here's what happens in verse

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Speaker 1: twenty two of chapter sixteen, and Matthew Peter took him

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Speaker 1: aside and he began to rebuke him. Never Lord, he said,

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Speaker 1: this shall never happen to you. Jesus turned to Peter

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Speaker 1: said get behind me, Satan. You're a stumbling block to me.

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Speaker 1: How do you go from being the building block to

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Speaker 1: being a stumbling block, Peter? Because we're extreme. In a

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Speaker 1: matter of a couple verses, Peter would be this guy

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Speaker 1: who'd say, Jesus, I'll never ever deny you. I'll never

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Speaker 1: deny you. But when they start asking him, do you

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Speaker 1: know you know Jesus, he starts denying him, and it

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Speaker 1: says before the rooster code he wept bitterly. How do

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Speaker 1: you go from wielding a sword to protect Jesus to

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Speaker 1: weeping bitterly because you just denied him because we are

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Speaker 1: extreme and we're between these two extremes, and it hurts

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Speaker 1: and even me as I was preparing for this sermon.

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Speaker 1: I was here yesterday, over here, going, oh Lord, this

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Speaker 1: is awesome, this is exactly what they need. Thirty seconds later,

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Speaker 1: I'm laying in the middle of it, going, Lord, I

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Speaker 1: got nothing. Could we play a sermon from twenty twelve,

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Speaker 1: a pastor's theme, And it's so much better Because I'm extreme.

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Speaker 1: That's why I relate to Peter. And if you're extreme,

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Speaker 1: maybe you could relate to this. But if I could

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Speaker 1: really confess something, it's this. It's like, I give a

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Speaker 1: lot of weight today. And I know most preachers will

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Speaker 1: stand up and talk about well back in nineteen hundred

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Speaker 1: and twenty two. Nope, this is a real struggle. As

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Speaker 1: I stand before you today, I give a lot of

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Speaker 1: weight today. If I could really be honest confession time,

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Speaker 1: I'm a people pleaser. Are there any other people pleasers here? Oh? Please,

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Speaker 1: don't leave me in this spitting thing by myself. Come on, please,

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Speaker 1: Like I'm a people pleaser. My wife is the one

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Speaker 1: who really helped me realize that we've been married for

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Speaker 1: this year, be twenty two years. My wife's Jean, and

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Speaker 1: she's the one who really helped me realize this and

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Speaker 1: early on in the in our marriage, you're one of marriage.

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Speaker 1: I'm you're one anniversary. I'm making like this amazing dinner.

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Speaker 1: So I'm trying to score up marital points for marital blessings.

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Speaker 1: And but we're at dinner. And for those of us

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Speaker 1: that are extreme, it doesn't take very You can get

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Speaker 1: from zero too hundred in a fight like that, cause

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Speaker 1: you use Here's how you get to a fight really quickly.

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Speaker 1: You use extreme language. You always, oh yeah, you never,

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Speaker 1: Oh yeah you never, Oh yeah, you always. And Michael

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Speaker 1: Buffer's like, let's get ready to rumble. Don't lie to me.

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Speaker 1: Oh you don't fight in your marriage, Oh you have

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Speaker 1: intense fellowship. No, we fought. And she she helped me

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Speaker 1: realize this idea of I'm a people pleaser because she

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Speaker 1: said something that really pierced me, says, why are you

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Speaker 1: always angry? I'm like, I'm not, I'm not angry. Stop it.

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Speaker 1: She was so completely riot, but I didn't know it. See,

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Speaker 1: I can see parents. I want to talk to the

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Speaker 1: dad specifically in here, we got to be really careful

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Speaker 1: because we become the thermostat for our home. Does is

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Speaker 1: your frustration determining the temperature of the entire house. Here's

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Speaker 1: the language of extreme parenting. That's parenting out of frustration. Quit,

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Speaker 1: don't stop. Not a very big vocabulary, because all I'm

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Speaker 1: trying to do is to get you to change what

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Speaker 1: you're doing because it's frustrating me. Stop doing that. Don't

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Speaker 1: do that, Quit doing that. And what the kids certainly

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Speaker 1: start to do over time is they will change their

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Speaker 1: behavior to make dad happy because they don't know why

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Speaker 1: Dad is frustrated. Because we're walking home in our insecurity

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Speaker 1: and we punish our kids and we take it out

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Speaker 1: on them, but in the absence of understanding what's causing it,

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Speaker 1: you always assume it's you. So that kid is in

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Speaker 1: a place of saying if maybe, if you were a

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Speaker 1: better kid, they wouldn't be so angry, and you start

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Speaker 1: to become the governor on the whole atmosphere. And now,

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Speaker 1: rather than shaping their character, parenting is simply changing their behavior.

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Speaker 1: And when they change their behavior, that's no longer frustrating me.

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Speaker 1: We call them a good kid. But when you're acting

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Speaker 1: in a way that your behavior is frustrating me. You

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Speaker 1: bad kid. That was the home I grew up in.

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Speaker 1: It's because there were safe emotions and safe feelings and

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Speaker 1: save values, but most of them were very unsafe. I

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Speaker 1: would tell it to you this way. So do you

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Speaker 1: know that you have over two hundred unique and separate

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Speaker 1: emotions and feelings? But if I were to ask you

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Speaker 1: how many do you have? You might be able to

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Speaker 1: list maybe ten, maybe for the overachievers, maybe fifteen. But

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Speaker 1: do you know how many you actually live in? Two?

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Speaker 1: Maybe three? Angry, hungry, and numb. That was me because

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Speaker 1: I grew up in a world that said it's either

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Speaker 1: all good or it's all bad. I was forced into

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Speaker 1: the extremes, and I grew up in a home that

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Speaker 1: I was simply trying to make dad happy by changing

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Speaker 1: my behavior. It started as an eight year old, but

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Speaker 1: it's very dysfunctional as a forty eight year old. I

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Speaker 1: wonder how many of you have been reduced to this,

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Speaker 1: living in the extremes, because what started as survival turns

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Speaker 1: into the way you're living. And we talk about generational sin,

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Speaker 1: that's generational conditioning. Let me illustrate it like this Dalen,

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Speaker 1: my daughter here. Pull the pull that stand up and

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Speaker 1: show me that this is my daughter Dalen. Come to you, honey,

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Speaker 1: this is my daughter Dayen. Hey, she's amazing, she's an artist,

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Speaker 1: she's incredible, and she's holding the ultra pack of crayons.

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Speaker 1: It has two hundred colors inside. I always envied you

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Speaker 1: kids when I came to school. I didn't get that pack.

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Speaker 1: I got the pack with just a couple of crayons.

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Speaker 1: But what I realized is the way I was raised

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Speaker 1: is there were safe emotions and safe values. So when

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Speaker 1: my wife said to me, why are you always angry?

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Speaker 1: She was because anger was not safe or anger was

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Speaker 1: the only safe emotion. Disappointment, fear, doubt, rejection, those were

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Speaker 1: not safe. So I'm feeling all of these other emotions,

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Speaker 1: but everything's expressed as anger. Why are you always angry?

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Speaker 1: I'm not, but it's coming out as anger. You see

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Speaker 1: what happens when we're people. Please, And what I would

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Speaker 1: want you to know is that God created all of

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Speaker 1: these vibrant colors for you to express yourself as a person.

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Speaker 1: Are you operating according to conditioning or creation? And as

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Speaker 1: a dad, how dysfunctional of it is? Me? To just

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Speaker 1: say nope. That hurts me as a dad to know

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Speaker 1: that my frustration becomes her. And what I got to

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Speaker 1: do is the dad is to say no, that's it's

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Speaker 1: not all good or it's all bad. Those are the

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Speaker 1: extremes we jump to, isn't it? No, it's all of this.

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Speaker 1: God wants you to have a little green yellow. That's

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Speaker 1: a pretty color some neon carrit But when I come home,

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Speaker 1: am I forcing her to live like this? Or am

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Speaker 1: I helping her realize this? Keep drawing all of these

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Speaker 1: colors God has given you. I apologize for the times

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Speaker 1: that I punish you for my own insecurity. God is

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Speaker 1: so much bigger than these extremes, all of this. Usually

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Speaker 1: I love you. But when I live in a world

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Speaker 1: that I make it all good are all bad? I

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Speaker 1: know what side of the equation I generally end up on.

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Speaker 1: So if Larry is either all good or he's all bad,

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Speaker 1: I know I'm not all good, so by default I

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Speaker 1: must be all bad. You see what happens. Saying is

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Speaker 1: a people pleaser. I give everybody else the ability to

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Speaker 1: determine my worth. So I'm looking at am I good

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Speaker 1: based upon how you feel about me? Am I? Good

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Speaker 1: based upon what they think about me. It didn't start

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Speaker 1: when you're twenty nine. It started when you were nine.

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Speaker 1: And what happens in those moments, what we will either

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Speaker 1: do is we'll swing the pendulum to try to please them,

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Speaker 1: to try to earn their approval. So I'm always in

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Speaker 1: this place, so like, are you happy with me? Or

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Speaker 1: we'll swing it to the other extreme, sage, screw you.

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Speaker 1: I will reject it, and I will just do it

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Speaker 1: to get noticed. Some of you have been rebelling your

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Speaker 1: whole life, and it's a dysfunctional form of people pleasing.

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Speaker 1: All of it comes from this place of wanting to

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Speaker 1: be seen and to be known. But at the core

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Speaker 1: of it, I started to believe that I never liked Larry.

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Speaker 1: I mean, that's Larry's never good enough. So as I'm

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Speaker 1: reading this text, I'm looking at it going, God, could

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Speaker 1: you just give me a new name? I mean, you

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Speaker 1: gave one to Simon. So I started call myself. I'm

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Speaker 1: just gonna be Peter. Then, yeah, just call me Peter.

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Speaker 1: And some of you had tried the new the new city,

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Speaker 1: you know, the new relationship. You've got your third new

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Speaker 1: last name in the last decade, and you realize you

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Speaker 1: just keep waking up to the old you. And as

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Speaker 1: I started to look at this, I'm like, Lord, just

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Speaker 1: give me a new name. He said, Nope. God said,

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Speaker 1: keep looking in my word and I'll reveal it to you.

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Speaker 1: I said, Lord, I've heard that scripture preach so many times.

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Speaker 1: I just need a new name. Said nope, keep looking

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Speaker 1: in my word and I'll reveal it to you. And

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Speaker 1: then I read this. It says, blessed her you, Simon's

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Speaker 1: son of Jonah. For this was not revealed to you

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Speaker 1: by flesh and blood, but by my Father in Heaven.

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Speaker 1: And there was there. It jumped off the page at me.

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Speaker 1: Simon had been given a new name, but the biggest

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Speaker 1: thing he was given was a new nature. The extreme

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Speaker 1: that's illustrated in this verse is the flesh in the spirit,

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Speaker 1: because you and I, when we are born, we are

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Speaker 1: born separated from God because of sin that began with

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Speaker 1: Adam and even the garden and it's echo through a

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Speaker 1: out of humanity, and all of us are born of

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Speaker 1: the flesh, and we are separated from God. And the

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00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:37,120
Speaker 1: ultimate goal of flesh is self pleasure and self worship.

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Speaker 1: And we are living in a culture in in a

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Speaker 1: world that everybody's highest epitome of the world's religions is

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Speaker 1: if it feels good, do it, because personal pleasure is

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Speaker 1: what people worship, and that's your hardwiring of humanity, and

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Speaker 1: that is what you have practiced every day outside of Jesus.

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Speaker 1: But when you come into relationship with Jesus, you get

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Speaker 1: a new nature. That's the ultimate extreme that's been lived

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Speaker 1: out in these texts, and it's this tension that's created

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Speaker 1: it because we were dead in our sins but were

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Speaker 1: made alive in Christ. And when you come into relationship,

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Speaker 1: the person of God in the Holy Spirit, comes to

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Speaker 1: dwell within you and he says he'll lead you into

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Speaker 1: all truth. But here's the crazy thing about faith is

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Speaker 1: you were saved in a moment, but you're changed little

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Speaker 1: by little. Because I'm studying the words of Matthew, but

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Speaker 1: can I be honest. I got moments where I'm just

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Speaker 1: reciting lyrics from Eminem. I'm like, where'd that come from?

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Speaker 1: Because you don't get rid of the flesh. It's still there.

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Speaker 1: You've been walking in those patterns for forty two years

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00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:45,639
Speaker 1: and you're saved in a moment, but all of that

425
00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:49,479
Speaker 1: stuff does not go away in a moment. But now

426
00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:51,280
Speaker 1: we put you into churchy world. It says you've got

427
00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:53,280
Speaker 1: to be all good for the glory of God. I'm like, oh,

428
00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:59,520
Speaker 1: I suck. And it creates this chasm of faith that

429
00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:01,960
Speaker 1: you can never be honest about the real colors that

430
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,040
Speaker 1: you're dealing with because we paint these shades. It's either

431
00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:06,320
Speaker 1: good or it's bad. No, no no, no. All of this

432
00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:08,840
Speaker 1: colors are expressions of humanity, and all of those are

433
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:11,840
Speaker 1: available to you, and God says, none of those destroy

434
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:16,479
Speaker 1: what I'm doing in you. But you come to Christ.

435
00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:21,479
Speaker 1: When you come to Christ, you're given a new nature.

436
00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:26,040
Speaker 1: In Galatians six eight, it says this, whoever sows to

437
00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:32,000
Speaker 1: please their flesh from the flesh will reap destruction. Whoever

438
00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:34,160
Speaker 1: sows to please the spirit from the spirit will reap

439
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:39,600
Speaker 1: eternal life. So right there, it shows us that all

440
00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:44,600
Speaker 1: of us are simultaneously people pleasers and God pleasers. And

441
00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:46,360
Speaker 1: I wish I could be extreme. I'm either a God

442
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,240
Speaker 1: pleaser or a people pleaser. Pick the extreme. I'm like,

443
00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:54,840
Speaker 1: I'm both at the same time. That's the crazy part

444
00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:57,400
Speaker 1: about faith. And they don't tell you this that when

445
00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,560
Speaker 1: you come to relationship with Jesus. We often pay this picture.

446
00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:03,440
Speaker 1: You gotta have it all right, brother, no longer struggle

447
00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:05,280
Speaker 1: with those things. Get rid of all those things. And

448
00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:07,480
Speaker 1: I'm like, I'm feeling like a failure because all that

449
00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:11,320
Speaker 1: old stuff is still coming with me, and it puts

450
00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:15,119
Speaker 1: me in a place to constantly feel like I'm falling short.

451
00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:18,400
Speaker 1: But I got both of these natures that are competing

452
00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:21,080
Speaker 1: with inside of me. Because there is a moment that

453
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:26,240
Speaker 1: Jesus becomes your savior. Some of you are going to

454
00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:28,480
Speaker 1: have that moment today where Jesus is going to become

455
00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:32,080
Speaker 1: your savior and you are going to be redeemed and

456
00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:34,280
Speaker 1: you've got your seat in heaven because of the finished

457
00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:36,679
Speaker 1: work of Jesus in your life. It's a beautiful moment.

458
00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:41,720
Speaker 1: You were saved. There is a moment when you face

459
00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,159
Speaker 1: Jesus face to face and you will be saved. But

460
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:48,920
Speaker 1: there's this process between here and they're called you're being saved.

461
00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:54,480
Speaker 1: It means I'm being conformed into his image. You are

462
00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:59,400
Speaker 1: saved in a moment. He's my savior, but the process

463
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:02,080
Speaker 1: of learning to listen to his voice is when he

464
00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:04,879
Speaker 1: becomes my lord. Because the voice you listen to is

465
00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:11,080
Speaker 1: the Lord of your life, and the purpose of faith

466
00:28:11,119 --> 00:28:13,880
Speaker 1: here in this moment is for you to realize I've

467
00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:17,400
Speaker 1: got that flesh and I've got that spirit, both competing

468
00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:21,520
Speaker 1: for my attention. I've been a part of the church

469
00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:23,800
Speaker 1: since we launched it over sixteen years ago, and this

470
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:25,719
Speaker 1: extreme side of me has built up a little bit

471
00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:30,359
Speaker 1: of a reputation. And there's actually when we hire a

472
00:28:30,359 --> 00:28:34,240
Speaker 1: new staff, they get a dictionary and like their handbook,

473
00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:37,240
Speaker 1: and in the dictionary there's a thing called and we'll

474
00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:42,600
Speaker 1: have it on the screen. It says, you got l Bed. Okay,

475
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,080
Speaker 1: you got l Bed. I'm Lbed. That's my nickname, and

476
00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:50,480
Speaker 1: so it's a sarcastic term referring to Larry Brye. Often

477
00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:53,920
Speaker 1: when you come came away from an interaction with LB

478
00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:58,480
Speaker 1: profoundly impacted. Now, dependent upon when you meet me, there'll

479
00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:01,920
Speaker 1: be two different versions of being Lbed, because there is

480
00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:04,360
Speaker 1: the side of me that is the bulldozer LB. I

481
00:29:04,440 --> 00:29:07,400
Speaker 1: am gonna frick and run you over. I am gonna

482
00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:09,160
Speaker 1: get the job done, and I'm gonna make it happen.

483
00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:11,280
Speaker 1: And I apologize for those of you that have felt

484
00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:14,560
Speaker 1: the bulldozer version of LB. But then there's this other

485
00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:19,360
Speaker 1: version of LB, pastor LB. It's a place where I'm

486
00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:22,520
Speaker 1: operating according to the spirit, and I'm choosing to listen

487
00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:24,960
Speaker 1: to his voice. And now you have a moment that

488
00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:27,960
Speaker 1: you feel seen. But I also have this other space

489
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:30,160
Speaker 1: in me and I just kept asking God, God, but

490
00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:34,520
Speaker 1: you just take Simon away from me? Would you? Would

491
00:29:34,560 --> 00:29:36,520
Speaker 1: you just just take if you can't give me a

492
00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:39,760
Speaker 1: new name, which you take away the old nature. And

493
00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:41,560
Speaker 1: here's what he said. You don't get rid of Simon.

494
00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:44,680
Speaker 1: But through the power of the spirit, you don't have

495
00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:49,600
Speaker 1: to play the game. Simon says, you know the game

496
00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:52,120
Speaker 1: you play as a kid. Simon says, you know, clap

497
00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:55,240
Speaker 1: your hands. Simon says, jump up and down a Simon says,

498
00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:56,920
Speaker 1: go to the club, and you do. You wake up

499
00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:58,840
Speaker 1: the next morning with the hangover and not recognizing the

500
00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,880
Speaker 1: person next to you, like yeah, Like, Simon says, go

501
00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:06,280
Speaker 1: ahead and gossip. It's okay, you know. Oh yeah. Simon says,

502
00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:07,920
Speaker 1: call the girl let eleven thirty at night because you're

503
00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:09,480
Speaker 1: a little drunk, a little lonely, So why did you

504
00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:12,800
Speaker 1: call her? Anyway, Simon, you don't have to play the game,

505
00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:19,040
Speaker 1: Simon says. Faith doesn't kick Simon out. Faith gives you

506
00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:21,880
Speaker 1: the ability to not let him drive. He is in

507
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:26,280
Speaker 1: the car, he is with you. But faith is walking

508
00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:29,160
Speaker 1: through these extremes of saying, I've got two voices competing

509
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:33,600
Speaker 1: for my attention, the spirit and the flesh. Can you

510
00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:37,320
Speaker 1: recognize the last ten times that you were listening to Simon,

511
00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:40,800
Speaker 1: because the reality is it's happening so insidiously you're not

512
00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:43,920
Speaker 1: even aware of it. That voice that's cussing them out

513
00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:48,240
Speaker 1: in traffic, yess Simon. Now maybe growth is this. The

514
00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,520
Speaker 1: next ten times you cuss somebody out in traffic, you

515
00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:53,840
Speaker 1: become aware of one of them. And then the next

516
00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:55,880
Speaker 1: ten times after that, maybe you become aware of three

517
00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,520
Speaker 1: of them. Maybe the next ten times after that you

518
00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:02,440
Speaker 1: actually don't do one of them. Growth in Christ is

519
00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:06,640
Speaker 1: measured with a calendar, not o' clock. And some of

520
00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,400
Speaker 1: you are feeling like you forfeited your destiny because you

521
00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:12,360
Speaker 1: haven't arrived yet. No, no, no, there is some process,

522
00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:16,760
Speaker 1: there's some assembly required to this thing called faith. You

523
00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:19,760
Speaker 1: don't get rid of Simon, but you don't have to

524
00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:26,560
Speaker 1: play Simon says, and in church will often make like

525
00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,160
Speaker 1: listening to God and listening to the Spirit really spooky

526
00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:31,920
Speaker 1: and weird. I remember when I came to faith, people

527
00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:34,600
Speaker 1: talk about just listen to the spirit, and I closed

528
00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:45,160
Speaker 1: my eyes. I'm like, okay, I'm listening. And it made

529
00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:48,080
Speaker 1: me feel like I'm an inferior Christian because they would

530
00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:50,120
Speaker 1: talk about hearing from God. I'm like, I've never heard

531
00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:54,920
Speaker 1: an audible voice. Maybe you haven't. God does that. God

532
00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:56,920
Speaker 1: so much bigger, He can do all that. But the

533
00:31:56,960 --> 00:31:59,320
Speaker 1: primary way that God is going to speak through you

534
00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:04,320
Speaker 1: is through his word. The primary way that God will

535
00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:09,480
Speaker 1: reveal is through every other book you read. This is

536
00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:11,640
Speaker 1: the only book that reads you. This is a lie.

537
00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,719
Speaker 1: It is active, it reads you. It's a difference. And

538
00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:17,720
Speaker 1: if you look at the story of Peter here when

539
00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:20,400
Speaker 1: he's talking about okay, God, you are the Messiah and

540
00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:22,560
Speaker 1: you are the Son of God. How did those things

541
00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:24,520
Speaker 1: get revealed to him? The Holy Spirit did it. But

542
00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:28,880
Speaker 1: how did he get introduced into Peter's life? Go back

543
00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:32,000
Speaker 1: to John chapter one, Verses forty one and forty two.

544
00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:37,040
Speaker 1: The first thing Andrew did was find his brother Simon

545
00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:40,640
Speaker 1: and tell him we found the Messiah, that is the Christ.

546
00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:42,440
Speaker 1: And he brought him to Jesus, and Jesus looked at

547
00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:45,480
Speaker 1: him and said, you are Simon, son of John, you

548
00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:49,440
Speaker 1: will be called Cephis, which is translated is Peter. So

549
00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:52,400
Speaker 1: when Peter is saying that Jesus, who do they say,

550
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,080
Speaker 1: who do you send to him? You are the Messiah.

551
00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:57,480
Speaker 1: Peter had heard that before. It's not something that God

552
00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:00,360
Speaker 1: just dropped into his spirit in the moment. It was

553
00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:02,360
Speaker 1: something that he had heard in his ears and something

554
00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:03,840
Speaker 1: that he had read because it was a part of

555
00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:06,240
Speaker 1: an Old Testament prophecy. It was something that he had

556
00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:08,680
Speaker 1: been reading. And when we say we want to hear

557
00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:10,560
Speaker 1: from you God, we will not hear from God when

558
00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:13,280
Speaker 1: we're divorced from his word. So with you coming to

559
00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:15,880
Speaker 1: church today, it is great because you are hearing God's

560
00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:17,920
Speaker 1: word and is going to reveal him in your life.

561
00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:19,920
Speaker 1: And you can study God's word through the week and

562
00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:22,840
Speaker 1: he will reveal himself to you. But you're the Messiah.

563
00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:28,440
Speaker 1: What's cool about that is as soon as Simon meets Jesus, Jesus,

564
00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:31,520
Speaker 1: oh you're Simon, You'll be called Peter. He didn't wait

565
00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,160
Speaker 1: until a year and a half later in the moment

566
00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,440
Speaker 1: we just read in Matthew sixty it was at the

567
00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:38,040
Speaker 1: very moment he met Jesus he got his new name why,

568
00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:40,680
Speaker 1: Because in that moment when he came into a relationship

569
00:33:40,680 --> 00:33:44,440
Speaker 1: with Jesus, he got a new nature. When you come

570
00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:47,080
Speaker 1: into relationship with Jesus, you get a new nature. Peter

571
00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:50,800
Speaker 1: hadn't done squat yet God still called him, and Jesus

572
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:55,000
Speaker 1: saw him. He says, you are Peter, and some of

573
00:33:55,040 --> 00:33:56,960
Speaker 1: you don't feel worthy enough to be noticed by God

574
00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:59,240
Speaker 1: because you're measuring it based upon your behavior. And the

575
00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:01,640
Speaker 1: reason your measure based upon your behaviors. That's what you

576
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,280
Speaker 1: use as a litmus test with every other relationship. And

577
00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:06,280
Speaker 1: if you had the right behavior, maybe they would give

578
00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:09,080
Speaker 1: you their blessing. God say no, no no, no, my blessing

579
00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:11,640
Speaker 1: is not dependent upon your behavior. It's depend upon the

580
00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:17,440
Speaker 1: finished work of my Savior. It's dependent upon Jesus. And

581
00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:21,960
Speaker 1: then in Matthew fourteen thirty three, it's the story of

582
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:25,600
Speaker 1: Jesus had just walked on water, and now the disciples

583
00:34:25,680 --> 00:34:27,520
Speaker 1: they're all freaking out, and they all get in the boat.

584
00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:30,080
Speaker 1: Fourteen thirty three. It says then those who were in

585
00:34:30,120 --> 00:34:34,000
Speaker 1: the boat worshiped him, saying, truly, you are the son

586
00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:38,120
Speaker 1: of God. So when Jesus asks who do you say

587
00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:40,040
Speaker 1: that I am? You're the Messiah, and you are the

588
00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:41,799
Speaker 1: son of God. Both of those things are things that

589
00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:45,440
Speaker 1: Peter had heard before. They're things that had been communicated

590
00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:50,799
Speaker 1: to him previously. You are the son of God. Now

591
00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:53,960
Speaker 1: what's funny about that is when the devil comes to

592
00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:59,080
Speaker 1: Jesus and he says, if you are the son of God,

593
00:34:59,719 --> 00:35:03,600
Speaker 1: turn these rocks into bread. If you are the son

594
00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:05,560
Speaker 1: of God, jump off the ledge and the angels will

595
00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:10,480
Speaker 1: hold you. See, the devil did not doubt that Jesus

596
00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:12,839
Speaker 1: was the son of God. He was trying to get

597
00:35:12,920 --> 00:35:15,160
Speaker 1: Jesus to doubt that he was the son of God.

598
00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:18,040
Speaker 1: And here's one way that you can start to distinguish

599
00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:19,960
Speaker 1: between the voice of Simon and the voice of Peter,

600
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:26,080
Speaker 1: between the spirit and the flesh, is if if if

601
00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:31,799
Speaker 1: you are see, Satan knew that Jesus was the son

602
00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:34,480
Speaker 1: of God, but what he chose to do is to

603
00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:40,680
Speaker 1: worship himself rather than worship Jesus. Satan represents the flesh,

604
00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:44,080
Speaker 1: and its desire is to consume you, and it wants

605
00:35:44,120 --> 00:35:47,600
Speaker 1: you to worship the flesh. And that voice is still

606
00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:50,399
Speaker 1: pinging you. But you also have the voice of God,

607
00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:54,200
Speaker 1: the Spirit of God, living inside of you. If and

608
00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:57,279
Speaker 1: I wonder what they are saying to you. If you're

609
00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:00,640
Speaker 1: really a Christian, why do you talk like that, If

610
00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:04,520
Speaker 1: you're really saved, why are you doing that? If you've

611
00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:10,359
Speaker 1: really got this relationship with Jesus. If and when you're

612
00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:12,880
Speaker 1: in your moment you get caught up in your behavior

613
00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:15,719
Speaker 1: and you start to agree with them. Yeah, you're right.

614
00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:19,040
Speaker 1: But I want you to know that you've got another

615
00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:23,200
Speaker 1: voice speaking inside of you because Jesus in the story,

616
00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:26,239
Speaker 1: the two words I gave you were identity and assignment.

617
00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:30,600
Speaker 1: Jesus knew his identity. He was fully God and he

618
00:36:30,719 --> 00:36:34,440
Speaker 1: was fully man's, both of those at the same time.

619
00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:37,600
Speaker 1: But as Jesus is walking through the earth, he's got

620
00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:40,280
Speaker 1: a couple different moments where Heaven opens and God speaks

621
00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:45,320
Speaker 1: to affirm his son. He's affirming his identity. In Matthew

622
00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:48,120
Speaker 1: three point seventeen, it says this, and a voice from

623
00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:52,880
Speaker 1: heaven said, this is my son whom I love, and

624
00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:57,720
Speaker 1: with him, I am well pleased. I love that. Before

625
00:36:57,840 --> 00:37:00,680
Speaker 1: Jesus had done anything in his public ministry, God is

626
00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:04,640
Speaker 1: establishing the identity this is my son. And what I

627
00:37:04,719 --> 00:37:07,680
Speaker 1: want to tell you today is Christ's identity is your identity.

628
00:37:07,800 --> 00:37:10,520
Speaker 1: Because when you have a relationship with him. He now

629
00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:14,320
Speaker 1: his identity becomes your identity because you are co heirs

630
00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:16,640
Speaker 1: with Christ. So everything that God has spoken about his

631
00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:19,359
Speaker 1: son is something that he's speaking about you. You are

632
00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:22,600
Speaker 1: a son, you are a daughter, and with my daughter,

633
00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:28,080
Speaker 1: I am well pleased he's speaking that over you. So

634
00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:32,080
Speaker 1: when the voice of Simon says, Saint Simon says, wait, now,

635
00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:36,719
Speaker 1: my father says, my father says, I'm a son. My

636
00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:41,680
Speaker 1: father says, and he's he is affirming your identity. And

637
00:37:41,719 --> 00:37:44,960
Speaker 1: there's a second time that Jesus has his identity firm.

638
00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:48,600
Speaker 1: To Matthew seventeen, in verses one through five, it says,

639
00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:52,520
Speaker 1: after six days, Jesus took within Peter, James, and John,

640
00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:54,719
Speaker 1: the brother of James, and he led them up a

641
00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:59,239
Speaker 1: high mountain by themselves. There he was transformed or transfigured

642
00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:01,880
Speaker 1: before them. His face shone like the sun, and his

643
00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:05,960
Speaker 1: clothes became as white as light. Just then there appeared

644
00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:11,280
Speaker 1: before them Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. Peter said

645
00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:17,080
Speaker 1: to Jesus, of course he does. Peter said to Jesus, look, Lord,

646
00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:19,479
Speaker 1: it is good for us to be here. If you wish,

647
00:38:19,480 --> 00:38:22,520
Speaker 1: I'll put up three shelters, one for you, one for Moses,

648
00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:26,000
Speaker 1: and one for Elijah. While he was still speaking, a

649
00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:29,680
Speaker 1: bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said,

650
00:38:30,239 --> 00:38:34,680
Speaker 1: this is my son whom I love. With him, I

651
00:38:34,719 --> 00:38:40,439
Speaker 1: am well pleased. Listen to him. Peter is in mid

652
00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:43,279
Speaker 1: sentence of how about I do this? And how about

653
00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:45,560
Speaker 1: I do this? How about I do this? And the

654
00:38:45,640 --> 00:38:52,239
Speaker 1: voice speaks from having like Simon, shut up. He doesn't

655
00:38:52,239 --> 00:38:56,040
Speaker 1: even let him finish the sentence. You have the authority

656
00:38:56,840 --> 00:39:05,880
Speaker 1: as a child of God to signment. Shut up. And

657
00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:12,000
Speaker 1: what God says is stop talking, Simon and listen to him.

658
00:39:13,600 --> 00:39:16,560
Speaker 1: The voice you listen to is the one that's leading you.

659
00:39:19,120 --> 00:39:25,080
Speaker 1: And what God is saying is just listen. Christ's identity

660
00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:30,120
Speaker 1: is your identity. But our assignment is not the same

661
00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:37,360
Speaker 1: as his assignment, because christ assignment was to go to

662
00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:44,560
Speaker 1: the cross. Here's our assignment. In Luke nine three, Jesus

663
00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:47,520
Speaker 1: said this to them. Then he said to them all,

664
00:39:48,320 --> 00:39:53,960
Speaker 1: whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, pick

665
00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:59,160
Speaker 1: up their cross daily and follow me. And what he's

666
00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:02,520
Speaker 1: saying they must deny themselves. You must deny that, Simon,

667
00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:07,600
Speaker 1: part of you. He says, it's a daily dying to

668
00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:12,560
Speaker 1: that it's easy to trust Jesus in a moment. Will

669
00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:17,360
Speaker 1: I trust him every day in the daily denying of myself,

670
00:40:18,320 --> 00:40:20,080
Speaker 1: And you'll come to these moments where you're like, I'm

671
00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:22,200
Speaker 1: so conflicted. God. Paul would say that at which I

672
00:40:22,239 --> 00:40:23,680
Speaker 1: want to do, I don't do, and that at which

673
00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:26,759
Speaker 1: I don't want to do, it end up doing. And

674
00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:28,719
Speaker 1: when we live in that space and we have moments

675
00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:31,799
Speaker 1: where we just run after Simon, we just feel so

676
00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:35,320
Speaker 1: much shame. But what I want you to hear is

677
00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:38,920
Speaker 1: the voice of God, even in your worst moment, saying

678
00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:42,800
Speaker 1: this is my son in whom I am well pleased,

679
00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:49,080
Speaker 1: And your assignment is to follow him. That's the assignment,

680
00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:53,600
Speaker 1: is to listen to his voice and follow him. And

681
00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:56,160
Speaker 1: what's amazing about this is Jesus would be faithful with

682
00:40:56,200 --> 00:40:59,279
Speaker 1: his assignment because the reason he came on to the

683
00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:02,360
Speaker 1: earth was thing, and that was to go to the cross.

684
00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:06,680
Speaker 1: And Jesus would go to the cross. And when you

685
00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:10,040
Speaker 1: look at the cross, it's an intersection. The cross, it's

686
00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:13,320
Speaker 1: it's it's it's it's an intersection of heaven and earth,

687
00:41:16,640 --> 00:41:24,960
Speaker 1: wrath and forgiveness, life and death. Jesus is between two extremes.

688
00:41:25,680 --> 00:41:28,520
Speaker 1: It's the most extreme environment you could ever imagine, because

689
00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:30,799
Speaker 1: all of the penalty and for all of the sin

690
00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:34,120
Speaker 1: that should have been laid on us was laid on him.

691
00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:39,120
Speaker 1: He is fully God and he's fully man. What kept

692
00:41:39,160 --> 00:41:44,240
Speaker 1: him on the cross in that extreme place? In Hebrews

693
00:41:44,239 --> 00:41:48,840
Speaker 1: it says for the joy set before him, he endured

694
00:41:48,880 --> 00:41:50,520
Speaker 1: the cross, scorning at shame, and he sat down the

695
00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:54,880
Speaker 1: right hand of God. What is the joy in the cross?

696
00:41:57,080 --> 00:41:59,279
Speaker 1: To two levels of joy? I think that's described in

697
00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:03,840
Speaker 1: the text. The first is the joy of his father saying,

698
00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:06,520
Speaker 1: this is my son and whom I'm well pleased, because

699
00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:10,840
Speaker 1: I think he also heard well done, good and faithful servant,

700
00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:15,279
Speaker 1: because he's got that extreme of heaven. But he also

701
00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:18,799
Speaker 1: has the extreme of humanity. So what's the joy with

702
00:42:18,840 --> 00:42:21,680
Speaker 1: the humanity? I believe that when it says for the

703
00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:25,920
Speaker 1: joy set before him, it was you, and it was me,

704
00:42:27,000 --> 00:42:29,799
Speaker 1: and it was his disciples. And what kept him in

705
00:42:29,920 --> 00:42:34,480
Speaker 1: that place was his father's glory and your salvation. And

706
00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:37,440
Speaker 1: he stood in that place between those places, in all

707
00:42:37,520 --> 00:42:40,319
Speaker 1: of that pain, in all of that, so that you

708
00:42:40,800 --> 00:42:44,560
Speaker 1: could be reconciled with God. These extremes could only come

709
00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:47,440
Speaker 1: together through one thing, and it was through the blood

710
00:42:47,440 --> 00:42:51,800
Speaker 1: that was shed by Jesus. And because of his finished

711
00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:56,160
Speaker 1: work on the cross, he created a way for you

712
00:42:56,480 --> 00:43:00,719
Speaker 1: to come into God's presence. He created a way for

713
00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:06,560
Speaker 1: God's love to come see you. Would you stand to

714
00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:11,439
Speaker 1: your feet at all of our locations as you've heard

715
00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:13,839
Speaker 1: the word of God today. The spirit of God has

716
00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:16,960
Speaker 1: shows you that He is real, that he loves you.

717
00:43:17,680 --> 00:43:19,719
Speaker 1: And some of you have never had a moment that

718
00:43:19,719 --> 00:43:22,319
Speaker 1: you've placed your faith in him. You've never begun a

719
00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:25,319
Speaker 1: relationship with him. This is the time that God has

720
00:43:25,560 --> 00:43:28,960
Speaker 1: appropriated for you to begin that relationship. And if you

721
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,279
Speaker 1: have never made that decision, and be my privilege to

722
00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:33,320
Speaker 1: lead us all in a prayer right now for someone

723
00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:36,359
Speaker 1: to begin a relationship with Jesus. And when you begin

724
00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:39,799
Speaker 1: a relationship, he gives you a new nature and then

725
00:43:39,800 --> 00:43:41,480
Speaker 1: He walks it out with you so that you can

726
00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:44,879
Speaker 1: hear him and walk out this thing called salvation. Bow

727
00:43:44,920 --> 00:43:47,080
Speaker 1: your heads and close your eyes at all of our locations,

728
00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:50,160
Speaker 1: joining us online right now for someone to begin a

729
00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:53,040
Speaker 1: relationship with Jesus. Church family, I want you to pray

730
00:43:53,080 --> 00:43:54,959
Speaker 1: with me out loud for the benefit of somebody who's

731
00:43:55,000 --> 00:43:58,000
Speaker 1: making this decision and coming to Jesus in this moment.

732
00:43:58,920 --> 00:44:03,200
Speaker 1: I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God

733
00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:07,480
Speaker 1: who died on the cross and rose from the grave

734
00:44:08,680 --> 00:44:12,880
Speaker 1: to forgive me of my sin. I give you my life,

735
00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:16,240
Speaker 1: I give you my sin, I give you my shame.

736
00:44:17,440 --> 00:44:22,799
Speaker 1: Forgive me, and I'll spend my life following you with

737
00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:24,719
Speaker 1: your head still bowed in, your eyes still close. If

738
00:44:24,760 --> 00:44:27,439
Speaker 1: you just began a relationship with Jesus or you're coming

739
00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:29,440
Speaker 1: back to him, I am going to count to three,

740
00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:32,239
Speaker 1: and when I get there, without hesitation, I want you

741
00:44:32,320 --> 00:44:35,600
Speaker 1: to boldly shoot your hand into the air. One, two, three,

742
00:44:35,600 --> 00:44:39,400
Speaker 1: shoot your hand up all of our locations. Come on online.

743
00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:42,560
Speaker 1: If you just made that decision, let us know about it.

744
00:44:42,880 --> 00:45:00,640
Speaker 1: Come on such family, let's celebrate that at