Embracing God's Sovereignty and Christ's Humble Example

"father we just heaven right now no one is great nothing is greater than you everything is under your control god we just come here confessing we are nothing we're breathing right now because of you you are so beautiful so wonderful we don't dare demand anything from you we just thank you for your grace to allow us into your presence if you ask us to make requests to you God so this morning I just request right now on behalf of all the mothers in this room that you continue to strengthen them I pray for the moms right now who are struggling because their children are not following you and they love you so much and they want their kids to know you God and yet you're the only one that can draw them to yourself so we ask that you would do that I pray for the moms who are living for you and really trying to instruct their kids in your ways that you continue to give them strength and give them boldness and courage when other people in the world will tell them to just take it easier or not take this so seriously or even to be strong enough to lead their kids in the right way when their own kids fight against them I pray for the the kids are in this room right now Lord and the ones over in the children's ministry right now but this morning you would humble themselves that you would humble them and they would just learn to respect and love their moms like you intended like your desire by God right now I just pray for everyone in the room who doesn't know you God that by the end of today that they'll recognize that this whole world is all about you and you're a great God so worth following so worth worshiping beautiful beautiful Jesus we love you and His name we pray amen" [00:05:12]

"and one of the one of the statements though that we we hear a lot of is you guys don't have to do this you know God's okay if you know you guys spend a bunch of money on yourselves and just really set yourselves up and set your kids up I mean God's not gonna get mad at you for doing that and it's like no I I understand that okay you're free to do whatever you want you know freedom in Christ absolutely but but isn't there anything in you that wants to do that like where you look at Christ like the passage that Joshua read had a Philippians - you know Jesus didn't have to leave heaven you know you know people probably spin angels for I going hey you know you don't have to leave you know but it's that whole it's like you don't you your God you you do deserve this you can stay here you've got equality with God and what that passage says is that he didn't hold on to that though yet did he have the right to stay in heaven of course but what did he choose to do he didn't hold on to that but he humbled himself he made himself nothing he took the form of a man he looked at us and says no I'm gonna I'm gonna go and I'm gonna humble myself make myself nothing and it takes the form of a servant and dies on a cross for us and the Bible says you know like we just heard this morning he says our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus that we shouldn't be thinking about what I I can get or what I deserve or what I have the right to hold on to and we grab more and more this is something I struggled with when I first got into ministry because I thought to myself okay I could become a missionary but what a missionary would do is you pretty much surrender everything you go to some third-world country live off of next to nothing and you suffer like Christ suffered or I could become a pastor in America and a pastor in America if you grow the church to a certain size well you can start taking more you can become more famous you can grab more for yourself and I'll come in that's so weird to me like Oh couldn't it be possible to be a minister here in America and not keep climbing up this ladder like everyone else does I mean just because it searches bigger as I mean we're supposed to take more and and and live live better or or should I try to be like a missionary here and an early on my wife and I you know we just decided look let's just it doesn't matter if the church grows out of our living room or how big it gets you know we we shouldn't just keep raising our standard of living I mean everyone will tell us that's okay I'm not seeing that biblically you know it's very American of us but is it very biblical it's it's to hold on to this and because because this is what the world is going after it's like okay let me let me just keep improving my standard of living go go go go go that's not what I see in Jesus and and and ever since I've been a believer everyone's the Holy Spirit came into me there's been this desire to be christ-like there's this desire and there's a lack of peace sometimes when I'm not that way and so while it's been one thing to just say you know what I'm not going to keep going up up up up and let's just maintain there's this exciting phase of life now where we're going well that's not totally Christ either let's let's let's let's live less than what we could or deserve or have worked for and let's try and display Jesus Christ and give a picture of that and it's actually been a very exciting time in our lives very very exciting for me still don't know what it's going to look like but but just want you to think through this whole idea of not having to I understand that and yet first John 3 says in verse 16 by this we know love that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers but if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother need yet closes his heart against him how does God's love abide in him little children let us not love in Word or talk but in deed and truth and I'm just very very excited about this next phase of life even in the uncertainty we as a family are excited and we thank you for your prayers I'm not saying we don't need your prayers but I would love if you would turn your prayers a little differently now and if you would pray for the church here because this is what I do struggle with I'm not worried about going wherever the Lord's been so good to my life I don't deserve anything I've got I don't deserve this life I've lived it has been nothing short of miraculous where God took me from and where he's placed me now I just go god this is unreal I know wherever I am you're with me I'm good with that honestly there is a little concerned and the concern is leaving this body of believers you know I've been looking at that passage in acts 20 and going with it but in verse 29 Paul says this he says I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them this is the hard part you know Paul was saying okay I am my conscious is clear I've said everything I need to say I'm out of here he goes but I gotta warn you he goes when I leave I know after I leave fierce wolves will come in among you in fact the scripture teaches though it's it's not it's not obvious you know the false teachers it says they come in sheep's clothing they're their wolves in sheep's clothing and here again he says look from among yourselves will arise this type of people twisting things people are very good at twisting the scriptures nowadays you know you can you can support any view you want with Scripture man I've heard people to bait some of the craziest thoughts and they do it well but at the end of day you got to go away what does the Bible obviously say and what is what is the clear teaching of it and I think when we're alone with Scripture and we're praying we're reading it aren't there times when you're going gosh my life doesn't seem to fit this exactly and maybe I've even twisted to justify certain things I wanted in my life and you yourself know at the end you stand before God but the Bible says that there's gonna come a time when and here's Paul saying I'm leaving you guys but I'm just worried about what's gonna happen afterwards and and I know I'm not supposed to worry okay the Bible tells me that not to be anxious instead the Bible says to pray and so I've been praying more and more not for myself because I just go you know what I God you've been so good and I'm not really worried about my future but I I do sometimes go okay Lord corners could chorus down can go either way right now and yet it would be so like you Lord to make this the time when the church flourishes to show that it's always been about you and always been about your power because what if cornerstone I keep thinking about this and I and I read this book and I and I look at the pattern of God and it seems when people humble themselves and not depend on man but depend on God that's what amazing things happen as I've been praying on Laura Laura could this be a time when cornerstone gets more serious about prayer than they ever had and then you just pour out your spirit like like that you never have to show that this was never about Francis and ensure you used me as a tool up to this point but it's always been about him and what he wanted to establish here in simi valley and that's why we've been focusing on prayer and begging you to spend more time praying and and praying for the church here because Satan would love to see things fall apart and and yet when I look in Scripture I go gosh God did great things when the people got serious about prayer and so I've been praying more and more and one of the passages that is that has helped me and just brought me to to some peace is a Isaiah chapter 40 and Isaiah 40 verse 22 it says it is he who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them like a tent to dwell in who brings princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness scarcely are they planted scarcely sown scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth when he blows on them and they wither and the tempest carries them off like stubble to whom then will you compare me that I should be like him says the Holy One God the Bible says it's he who sits above the vault of the earth and I and I want you to think do you really believe that think about this think about what your life would look like if you really believed that right now there's a God who sits above the vault of the earth and whose habitants are like grasshoppers that's our thing okay if I really believe that that I'm just little speck on this planet and there's a being sitting above the vault of the earth who's looking down and it says you can take any of the rulers and he merely blows on them and they wither if I really believe that then why do I do anything other than pray you know what I mean like like like really what what determines whether or not cornerstone flourishes in the next 10 years or not god that's it wait is it up to this guy's in it no it's just up to God and this whole idea of the rulers of the earth he says they barely get to that powerful point and God says don't you understand I would just blow on them and they would wither it's not about the rulers they don't determine what happens on the earth God does and he sits above this earth and and to think about if I really believe that what will my prayer life look like and wouldn't be there would there be a lot less of the stress anxiety and trying to work this out and more and more of just this time of prayers and God amazingly by the blood of Jesus I get to come before you and here's what I'm asking for bring glory to yourself I I had one of my students teaching in class this last three I teach a communications class over at the at the college and and one of the gals was teaching and she was talking about how nervous she was and how you know the whole time she just like God you know what please just show up just show up when I'm speaking show up in that room and she says then the thought occurred to her we're God's and this is my party I invited you and it just it was a such a great statement because so often like come on god help me come show up show up show up and he's going no Francis this has always been my party and just be glad that you were invited into it I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do and I invited you to be a piece of that and to look at Cornerstone Church and why is it established why has God done what he's done because he wanted to and he invited me to be part of that party and what a blast to get invited and get to do my little deal you know and now he's got another party you know somewhere else and he's saying yeah I want you to come to this one now this one's just raging you know and and I you're invited and in the same way that's that's us we've got to start thinking this way about life about what's happened and what God's doing and and us just joining him and what he's doing rather than us trying to conjure something up and saying God please show up please show up please show up it's gone it's my party and I thought what a great statement it's all about God and and we've got to understand the sovereign God this is power of God I want to talk about this for a moment here you see there there are people in the scriptures that really get this understanding that every every everything is up to God okay they get God's sovereignty or his control okay when you think about the Bible because I'm thinking about one person in particular in the Bible I go okay this guy really understood the sovereignty of God the control of God okay who do you think I'm thinking about Daniel Daniel's a good one yeah cuz he understood look it's it's not about me Jesus yeah I think he understood it and okay I'm thinking about a different one but yes yes of course he is God so he knows that yes that's okay that's number two okay number two guy okay Jesus lens Joseph Joseph no but as a good one Jost Joe but job too I mean these are all good these are all good I'm thinking about someone else though Paul no okay Paul Paul was good too because you think about it he was killing all the Christians and then suddenly he understood God out of control right his God just blinds him goes no I'm gonna change your whole life Peter Peter no it's just uh no I can't you see Elijah yeah he's a good one to lots of good okay okay let's stop who Nehemiah I know but all these people you're alright they understood here's the one here's mine nope Moses our school - okay I like em all I like em all okay no wrong answers here but mine Nebuchadnezzar okay Nebuchadnezzar you're a everyone well I was gonna say him next no here's here is a guy that I believe understood God's control more than anyone Daniel 4 verse 35 listen to what he says King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon he says all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing and he does according to his will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say to him what have you done he's a beautiful beautiful statement but but he says that he goes all the inhabitants of the earth they're accounted as nothing in fact he says okay if you took everyone on the planet all of the people every single imagine this everyone in every single country and you gathered them to one spot god says count them all together and they count as nothing in my eyes that's a powerful statement never can have this you know what you got to understand okay what if all of us what if we got all of our services together though and we all thought the same thing and we all approach God together even grabbed a couple angels and said hey we all think you should it doesn't matter guys that you can gather every single person on that earth that's nothing in my sight he Alden happens the earth are accounted as nothing he does according to his will do you understand that so if everyone on this planet all screams out in one voice god we disagree doesn't matter he says God does the corner his will but we think you should this law this sod we we are doesn't matter he does according to his Wilkins right back up for a second he does according to his will or his desire he says among the hosts of heaven Jenny what about everyone up there what about all the angels everyone doesn't matter it's all up to one person all the hosts of heaven among the habitants of the earth and none can stay and no one can stop his hand if God's a God wants to do something he's gonna do it I can't Kim the whole earth Rebell and say let's let's all work together to try to stop him let's try to get all the angels all the humans all their everything created and let's try to stop him from doing something he goes it's not gonna happen do you understand which power that is and he says and no one can say to him after he's done it no one can go hey what did you just do do you understand this God that we came in this room to worship he's a God that's in control of everything that no one's gonna stop him no one can question him no one after the fact that why did you do that you're not allowed to do that no he has complete freedom complete Authority and in complete sovereignty to do as he wishes we got to understand this and when you read this in its context you understand why Nebuchadnezzar said this and you understand why he's so much in my mind right now when I think about the control of God this guy got it this guy got it because a few verses later in Daniel chapter 4 verse 28 there was a prophecy made about him by the in verse 28 says all this came upon king nebuchadnezzar verse 29 at the end of 12 months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of babylon and the king answered and said is not this great Babylon which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty okay so get get this he's the king of Babylon and this is interesting too Babylon is a theme you see throughout Scripture and you see in the book of Revelation - it's it's this is this there's world power it's it's as the center of just almost self-centeredness and it's very interesting to me that there we have in in that mall there in Hollywood right next to where the red carpet comes out where they named that court the court of Babylon and they have the Babylonian gods up there and we all go there and you know have dinner out there and everything else I just I don't think it's coincidence it's a statement it's a statement about look look at what I've made and that's what King Nebuchadnezzar was doing at that moment saying look at this Kingdom look at what I built by my own hands and then in the next verse verse verse 31 while the words were still in the Kings mouth there fell a voice from heaven Oh King Nebuchadnezzar to you it has spoken the kingdom has departed from you and you shall be driven from among men and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field and you shall be made to eat grass like an ox and seven periods of time shall pass over you until you know that the most high rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar he was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew out as long as Eagles feathers and his nails were like birds claws okay now some of you guys look at that and go come on did that really happen it's because you don't believe in the power of God you believe God can speak a world into existence but can he really screw with our minds can he really make me turn into a beast and go out there and start eating the grass yeah he can wait so he took him in he took the king he took this powerful leader and said look because of your arrogance I'm gonna I'm gonna mess with your mind I'm gonna cause you to lose all reasoning like he talked about in Romans 1 I'm gonna get you start acting like a beast in the field because that's what you're acting like and I'll have you there for years just eating the grass like an ox and I'll have you I'll have your old body just to just contort and turn into like a beast of the field and so never condensor the king is taken and humbled in that way and then and then it's in that context that Nebuchadnezzar says what he says and in verse 34 he goes at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes up to heaven and my reason returned to me and I blessed the most high and praised and honored him who lives forever for his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation and all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing he does according to his will among the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants the earth and none can stay his hand or say to him what have you done at the same time my reason returned to me and for the glory of my kingdom my majesty and splendor returned to me my counselors and my Lords sought me and I was established in my kingdom and still more greatness was added to me and now I never can either praise and extol and honor the king of heaven for all his works are right and his ways are just and those who walk in pride he is able to humble he got it right see it's after all of that happened to him that he goes okay I just realized it doesn't matter that I'm the king of the most powerful Empire right now there's really only one king he does whatever he wants I know because he took all reasoning away from me I'm nothing he made me eat grass like an ox he made me look like a beast and I finally looked back up to heaven and he gave me my reasoning back and he reestablished me here and he goes now I know there's there's only one king it's his Dominion the last forever ever not mine he has total power can you understand why he would make a statement like that now where he goes I just realized he does whatever he wants and I can't stop him you can't stop him doesn't matter if we all gather together we can't stop him and that last phrase I love it he just he can humble all his ways are just and those who walk in Pride he is able to humble just like he says in Isaiah 40 I can just blow on them and they'd wither so why has God shown his favor on cornerstone church because he chose to show his favor on Cornerstone Church he could have said years ago ok France is gonna start try to start this thing and everyone's just gonna leave and it's gonna do nothing see that's that's all that matters everything is in the hand of God and I know some of you in this room there's there's we all wrestle with pride to some degree but some of you I mean you still believe you've done something and that this is your story in your party and you've been so kind to invite God into your life when the reality was now this is always about God and I hope you understand that and he is able to humble anyone in this room one of the prayers I pray often is God please help me humble myself so you don't have to do it because I hey you know you some you guys know what I'm talking about you've been on the other side where God had to Humble you and that's not fun and I do I earnestly I go god help me learn this lesson help me learn this lesson I'm reading your word help me to get it help me to do it because I don't want you to be the one that has to Humble me can you just do it in my heart can you just bind your spirit and he does and he does and he does and yet at the same time I go God if if you know humble me somehow because I want to be under it's so good to be under your sovereign hand but please please please help me to humble myself give me power by the spirit to humble myself cuz God will humble you some of you have been coming for a while and and you you won't humble yourself you have a hard time thinking about bowing to anyone and can I just tell you one day you will bow you will bow to Jesus I don't care who you are I don't care how rebellious or angry or House intelligent or powerful you think you are you will bow the Bible says one day every single knee is going to battle and he'll force you to your knees never can either understood that the hope is is that humbling would take place while you're still on this earth before your life is over but I needed to adjust I realized I'd never taught that passage at least many time and as another one of those passages where I go I got it I got a teach us before I go because I want to make sure you understand it's all about him Nebuchadnezzar understood that and I want you to hear one other statement that relates to that because at our elder meeting this week bill Lucas kind of set a passage in in in passing and it just hit me thinking about this passage in Daniel and then when I heard these words I thought that's a powerful statement it hit me harder than it has in the past and it's Matthew 28 verse 18 it's a passage many of you guys have memorized but in verse 18 listen to this statement just in this verse Jesus came and said to them all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me okay look at that verse Jesus and remember this is Jesus after he died on the cross and after he rose from the dead so this is the risen Christ who is standing before you now the same before he well he just conquered death and he looks at these people he says he goes all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me Oliver Stan's power but also understand his authority do you understand a thority like I have the right to do see somebody to know God doesn't know God has the right to do anything he wants you don't have to give him permission for anything that's what Nebuchadnezzar was saying and now here's the Son of God who just rose from the dead and says I've got every ounce of authority that exists you have no power over me no one has any power for me I have the authority I have the right to tell you to do anything right now nothing in Heaven's gonna stop me nothing on earth is gonna stop me because I have every single ounce of power right now that's that's a pretty powerful preface to what you're about to say can you imagine the Son of God saying every ounce of authority so just don't even listen to anyone right now I don't care what your friends is I don't care what your mom says I don't care what anyone says I've got every ounce of authority I'm about to tell you something and then he says in verse 19 go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold I am with you always to the end of the age so Jesus says after making that preface of listen I just rose from the grave and I got every ounce of authority and I'm telling you right now you guys go and start making disciples go and start getting people making make disciples disciples a follower make followers of all the nations baptizing them baptize them and the name the Father son in the Holy Spirit and teach them to observe everything I commanded you and he goes and I'll be with you always to the end of the age that's what he said and ascends into heaven it's a powerful statement and many of us memorize this as kids but I don't think we understood the weight of this I memorize it again in high school but it's just a quote it and then we've had Bible studies over and everything else but think about the force of someone commanding you to make disciples and the crazy thing is most of you have never baptised anyone and you've never made a disciple and that's not what your life is about right now and you're so funny well God doesn't mind if I do this God doesn't mind if I did and we're so busy defending all these things we have the right to do and yet all those things are keeping us from doing what God commanded us to do which is to go out and make disciples and the Bible says when that leader leaves there's gonna be all sorts of teaching going on and and different things and my fear is not like the overtly anti-biblical anti Jesus type of message it's the twisting of scriptures that'll take place and will come out of some of your mouths that I'll tell others well you know we don't all have to make this I'm disciple I kids of course your de cycling your kids doesn't mean you don't build into other people's lives this is our calling this is what the risen Christ had all the authority to command and they commands us to do it and somehow we create a system that tells us it's ok to get busy with other things and we get into these studies where we study that passage to death and never actually do it because the truth is is we hate doing it we hate being rejected we hate telling people to obey these things that gods commanded because those things are not popular today but I thank God that I think God for an elder board and community pastors here that are saying no we're not going to let people off the hook we all should be making disciples and we want to lead the people to that end see when I think about what's gonna happen when I go I've shared several times here I don't trust a lot of people in fact every year I believe I'm more skeptical cuz every year people that I thought were real you know what he was faking it their whole time or she was faking or it's it's like what I talked about last week maybe they weren't even faking it they just were never tested you know like that number last week they're parable of the soils and the one on the rock something shoots up and they're there but that's just because they haven't been tested once the trial comes they'll fall away or once the temptations great enough they'll walk away from Jesus and so you just realize over the years you find out who's for real and who isn't and that that list gets smaller and smaller and smaller and people used to lift up and idolize you realize they were living these double lives and you just go man who can I trust anymore and and for me a you know meet people get excited or whatever but I I'm just my guards just up like I don't know I don't know if you're the real thing I don't trust most of you I you know I don't I don't know you I don't know your lives I don't know what's really going on and the Bible says are we people that just look like everyone else and to do the church thing they'll bring their Bibles they'll sing raise their hands whatever else but that doesn't mean they're for real because there's gonna you kind of look at their life and say do they look anything like Jesus are they acting like cheese it doesn't matter what they'd say if their life doesn't match up doesn't mean anything and the same way there may be humble people at the same time if they're not teaching the same things that Jesus taught it doesn't make sense either that's why Paul tells Timothy he goes hey watch your life and your doctrine closely and so on do I get a little nervous or you know I pray I go God please take this piece because I want I want you guys to follow and to live and make disciples like I said last week I want you to stand before God and hear him say well done like I want that so badly and yet I know there'll be many people who don't want that and they'll teach you other things and they'll twist the doctrines and sometimes we want people to twist the doctrine for us because there's things we ultimately want and so where we try to find teachers that'll tell us the things we want but I think when you're alone with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit there's certain things in the scriptures you know in your heart it's just not congruent with your lifestyle right now and so rather than finding these teachers who will tell you what you wanted here to listen to the Holy Spirit and study the Word of God and do whatever he's called you to because the American church is a very difficult place to live our biblical Christianity because everyone will push you toward comfort and toward the American Way rather than the biblical way I'm not anti-american whatever you know okay you know it's it's not that it's it's no no it's it's it's not I love this country I love being here everything else but you got a hunt you you gotta admit there's a flow in a way of doing things here that isn't biblical and and what we as believers supposed to do is to live counter our culture to not conform to the pattern of this world right but have our minds transformed and to live a different way having said that in light of what Paul says for years I have not felt released from Cornerstone Church because I worry about it and I think about well if I leave I don't know that this is gonna be right this is going to be right and I don't trust a lot of people so I don't want to just let go and let someone else come take over but over the last few years I'm looking at our elder board and we're looking at your community pastors and your leaders and I'm going I trust them in fact I look at a guy like Bill Lucas pastor bill who I did their weddings 1516 years ago he and Rhonda and they have watched their lives over the last 15 years and the man of God he is I don't know of anyone with a more pure heart than Bill Lucas and sincerity of motive and I've been watching that guy for 15 years and so I go you know what I I trust him I look at Steve and Orey Doucet and when they first started coming to the church all these people started coming because Steve and Orey had an impact on their lives and they just started counting they're just people you know just hanging out but they were just in everyone's lives and ministering to them to finally were like you know what would you be an elder at this church because we're seeing what's what God's done through you and the sincerity of that faith and sacrifice he made to become a pastor here and I go okay this this is the real thing I heared in the doctrine I see it in their life look at Matt Moore Matt and Sarah who are willing to do anything go anywhere on this planet no one will work harder for the sake of the gospel or sacrifice more sometimes he works himself to a fault and yet he has this childlike faith in prayer that's contagious I think you heard that when he preached here a couple weeks ago Terry and Sheila Yearwood that's the real thing right there there are times when I've heard Terry pastor someone and I almost get envious like why don't I love like he loves why can't I love like that and every time I wife talks to Sheila she just can't talk to her without crying there's just like this sincerity this realness to them and and why do I leave because I go I go it's not like I'm leaving a place without Shepherds these are some I travel the world and I don't I don't trust people like I trust these community pastors and then there's Todd nice longer who this was there the real one that kind of put me over the edge where I go you know what for the first time I believe there's someone that loves cornerstone church more than I do and he's shown it the last couple of years and has been leading this church for the last couple years I'm still preaching whatever but I would look at his life and go he loves the church more than me Lord he loves these people more than me he works harder for them he prays for them more and he's the one that got me thinking biblically in so many different areas and challenged me and really sharpened me and I've shared this before he was the first person to make me feel like I wasn't crazy you know seriously like I go gosh I just see this in scripture quoted be that we're supposed to just do it and he goes no you're right I agree with you you do like like you know I I just for years it just felt like everyone's like oh that's Francis that's Francis and Todd was just kind of first gotta go nuts way we're all supposed to be and I go thank you and looking at his love looking as passion and he has a better handle of the scriptures than I do and so I I don't fear in that sense I go god it's definitely true that I'm not leaving this group without a shepherd the question is is will you follow them because I understand there are some differences and some of you guys have been attracted to me and my ministry and I thank you for that and you know some of you have trusted me because you not only heard my doctrine but you saw my life as well and I will do my heart my best and before the Lord by the power of the Spirit to maintain that reputation before you I don't I don't want you to hear ten years from now off Francis below it he went off the deep end because we've heard that story way too many times but I do sense a real freedom to go that direction because of where the elders are today and the question is is will you follow them Hebrews 13 verse seven says this remember your leaders those who spoke to you the Word of God consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith consider the outcome of their way of life see that's so important because I don't want you just to listen to anyone because there's a lot of great teachers but look at their lives do they resemble Jesus that's the goal here it says that my life should try to I should be looking more and more like Jesus every year my actions should look more and more like his that that humility that he had that giving of himself the considering others more important than himself look at their lives don't just listen to these these great teachers look at their lives and then it says consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith and I just see these guys as men of faith and I hope that you imitate them because too many people just get church all screwed up they think church is a place where you're supposed to come evaluate the music evaluate the message you don't like it the childcare the programs if not I'll go to a different one know what church was supposed to be was a bunch of people that were spending their days out making disciples trying to get other people to follow God and they get so beat up that they just naturally would gather together and have this fellowship this bond where they bandage one another up and send them back out and and sometimes the reason why churches don't work quite right it's like we're a bunch of soldiers that never went to war and yet we all go to the war hospital and start playing with the bandages and go whoo look at this you know it's like you haven't been beat up cuz you haven't been at war and so doesn't even make sense to gather together you know and try to encourage each other because we're not even after the mission anymore yeah look at these elders and I'm gonna know they're they're gonna push things and we're gonna make sure that we're heading toward this direction I thank God for these men and and I hope that you do follow them and I still got a couple weeks here but I I just thought you know I need to share some of these things I'm heading out for ten days I'm gonna go now to London tonight and then Chicago and then I'll be back in two weeks and then I'll speak and then I'll have one more and so I figure next time is really gonna be the last time I'll be able to say anything because I probably a basket case the last weekend but I thought these were the things that the Lord laid on my heart this week and I hope you listen and follow these leaders because I trust them so much and I feel real peace about leaving because of that and I understand some things are different you know I personality's little difference because yeah but you're funnier and then I agree I am you know and more attractive those those types of things so and I know you'll miss some of the eye candy you know it's just it's just but when you look at the things that matter you know and and and just that the life of these guys I just go okay you know what Lord nothing's really changing in fact isn't that what making disciples is all about is you train people you live with people and then they do what you were doing for all those years and and I get excited about this next phase in the church and I hope that you really would join them in prayer because really if it's all in God's hands and it's his party and it's all about coming before him and as a worship team worship team is gonna come up right now and and we're gonna have some songs and sing to the Lord but they're so cool is first service at first service and there's some of you were getting baptized but one was like this 10 year old kid who brought his little buddy up here and he's introducing him and he goes yeah I've known so-and-so how long have I known you like four years you know yeah yeah you know and he's just saying he gave his life to the Lord last night and so I'm gonna baptize him and and I thought that's awesome here's this ten-year-old kid making disciples and there's no excuse for anyone you know it's that type of life and just seeing person after person baptizing their friends and and maybe this morning some of you I'm gonna pray that God humbles you one way or another but maybe this morning you heard the message for the first time and maybe it's the first time God finally humbled you and you recognize this is not your party and it's not about you and you join him in his maybe this first time you understand that G's is actually left heaven he didn't have to he came down and died for you paid for all your sins on that cross and rose from that grave and says he can put his spirit in you now maybe you want that and if that's your during this time of worship there'll be some pastors whom I trust who will pray with you baptize you and join our body and maybe some of you just need some prayer so you have some questions come and talk to someone during this time but the rest of us let's think about this God that we're about to worship okay think about who we're singing to and this worship him" [00:18:30]