Churches in Joshua Tree

“I'm a fraud. I'm broken. I'm dead in my trespasses and sins. And and if we're not careful, we can't identify with what God has said about us because we've already identified with our brokenness. Your mess is not your your identity. It's something that God has already paid for. It's not something that catches him by surprise. It's a problem. No doubt. But it's one that you can't deal with on your own.”

“We are a mess. We are broken. We all have fallen short of the glory of God. That's the only thing that all of us in this room have in common. Some of you in this room are are here and maybe you're newer to church or you're you're in Yucca Valley and you're like, I don't feel like I belong here because I'm broken, because I I'm a sinner, because I've made mistakes. That's not what disqualifies you from this community. It's actually the only thing we all share in common.”

“this formula is not a complicated one. Ephesians chapter two verses one through three, we're we're broken. We're a mess. We find ourselves addressing that and saying, God, I need an answer. And he says, I'm here. I'm the master who can do something with your mess. And when you surrender your mess into the hands of the master, guess what? Spoiler alert. You're his masterpiece.”

“What about the plans for your future? What about your job? What about your relationships? What about your you you the the business you create? What are you willing to give? Because God doesn't want to be a part of your life or have a part of your life. He wants to be your life. And it is the life that that that is more fulfilling. It is the answer that we are searching for. But oftentimes, our unwillingness to trust God just proves a lack of us really knowing who he is.”

“"Acts chapter 2 verse 42 he says, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship and to the breaking of bread and to prayer. I use that verse not so much because of what it says as far as what they did, but again getting to that word devotion. To know God, you've got to be devoted to him. Get devoted. Make it a purpose of your life to know him and to be in him. The word devoted means to be strong towards something."”

“"It has the meaning to ponder, to think about it, to put one thing with another in considering circumstances. It's what you do when you plan or whatever it is that you do, you're pondering, you're pondering. Putting together the thoughts that need to be put together so you can accomplish whatever you want to do. So meditating isn't really strange. It's something that we get to do in our own minds. When hiding the word in your heart, meditate. Say it over and over again. Memorize the word. Get it into your heart and into your life. Psalm 119 .27, David says, cause me to understand the way of your precepts that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds. Wow. All you got to do is think about what God is doing and what he's done as far as this world is concerned. And you can begin to meditate on the glory of God. And there's nothing more rich and fulfilling in your life than to be able to see what God is doing in your life and in those around you. Thirdly, be devoted to knowing God. Know him. Paul again there in that verse in Philippians 3 said, I want to know God. I want to know him. I want to know him. I want to know him. I want to know him."”

“"Hide it in your heart. So I said in myself, meditate. That's something that we as Christians may not be totally familiar with. Even though it's in the Bible constantly. I've gone back through, and I don't know how many times that the word of God tells us to meditate on the word. Paul, I mean David, in his Psalms, wrote constantly about meditating on the word of God. Meditating on him. Well, we think it is going around like New Age movement people."”

“"we can say that but when the time comes are we really willing to do it I'm so thankful that right now here in the United States we don't have to do that but you do have to die to yourself sometimes for certain principles that people are saying forget that that's okay you don't have to live that way anymore you can live the way you think it's okay and sometimes we're willing to sacrifice our faith in God for some other simple things of of of life we need to learn that this is a big cost to even walk with Jesus Christ and be faithful to him so discovering Jesus is an adventure let's see if we can't walk through this quickly so I don't keep you forever but I want to get the message into your hearts that God is saying to us this morning first of all this adventure with Jesus begins with coming to him you've got to give it all to him right you got to come to him and it says in Matthew 11 28 come to me Jesus is speaking he's saying come to me all you are are weary and burdened and I will give you rest along with coming to him his invitation to come he's also saying you come to me yeah yeah something you're gonna be blessed you're gonna be able to rest in me come to me and I will give you rest you don't have to be burdened down with all the struggles of life I will give you rest in my presence 2nd Corinthians 6 2 for he says in the time of my favor I heard you and in the day of salvation I helped you that's an Old Testament prophecy out of Isaiah"”

“"take in knowledge and see our problem when we're teenagers is that knowledge who cares let me just have fun although the life is about is just having fun well you gotta take in knowledge you gotta make that knowledge part of who you are so we were taking in knowledge to become to coming to know something recognize understand or to understand completely Paul in Philippians 3 10 makes this statement and it's one that has been a favorite of mine for years Paul cries out before the Lord and says I want to know Christ I want to know him I desire to know him I am wrapped up in one thing and that is discovering who Jesus is knowing him not knowing about him but knowing him having that one relationship with him and he goes on in that verse and says yes to know the power of his resurrection knowing that we have been raised to newness in life we are no longer living to ourselves we are now living to Jesus Christ we are filled with his spirit and his powers within us is what he's saying in that and he goes on and says and the participation in his sufferings becoming like him in his death are you willing to die for your faith in Jesus Christ"”

“"put your hope in that a man pastor mark talk to us about deciding now to be consistent our problem a lot of times is the inconsistency and he told you the only thing I'm consistent at is being inconsistent you know so let's let's turn that around the other way and somehow work it so that we are consistent in a relationship with the Lord and he said to be consistent in talk consistent in action consistent in prayer so very important what does it mean to know God what does it mean to know God vines expository dictionary tells us that the word no organ no school I think that's the way you pronounce it signifies to be taking in knowledge you know when you read a book or you are studying for test you could study for tests"”