Influenced by Jesus

Jesus didn't just declare the truth. He didn't just show up in Matthew chapter four and say, repent for the kingdom of God is here and then go to the cross and die. Three to three and a half years after he made his first public followers, he ate, he drank, and he slept around and with his disciples. He talked to them, he walked with them, and they watched his way of life. He modeled a life of prayer so much so that the disciples said, Lord, teach us how to pray. Teach us how to pray. [01:05:35] (39 seconds)  #FollowJesusLifestyle

Jesus wept at Lazarus' tomb. Was it just there so that we know that Lazarus died? Or was it Jesus was inviting himself amongst the people? And when he was there, he wept because he knew that the pain and sorrow that they had. Church, he lived among them. He walked among them. He didn't just preach the message and leave. That's how he influenced. That's how we need to influence. It isn't just sharing the message and moving on. [01:08:27] (33 seconds)  #BePresentLikeJesus

As a slave of Jesus, you are set up for success, church. As a slave to sin, you're set up for failure. You're set up for failure. You might get all the applause of men that you want, but one day you're gonna stand in front of God and he's gonna say, why are you here? And you're gonna say, because I was really, really rich. You're gonna say, because I was really, really whatever. I I I was a powerful person in my company. I won't do. Why are you here? And you need to know, it's not because of what I've done. It's because of everything that he has done. That's the only reason that I'm here because of what Jesus did for me. [00:59:21] (47 seconds)  #SavedByGrace

But I wanna talk to you today about another kind of slavery, it's called spiritual slavery. Spiritual slavery. Jesus said, very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. So let's move it away from American slavery, move it away from that. This is we're talking spiritual slavery. Every single one of us who have sinned and that means you've missed the mark of perfection. Perfection, where you have done everything exactly right. You have not you have not had one bad thought in your life. You've not said one bad word. You've not done one bad thing. How many of you are perfect? [00:53:47] (41 seconds)  #SlaveToSin

The question is, which master are you gonna follow? Oh, we'll go back. Which the question is, what master are you gonna follow? Are you gonna follow sin, or are you gonna follow death, Or are you gonna follow Jesus, your previous master? Are you still gonna follow his ways, or are you gonna follow Jesus' ways? You are a slave of sin by birth. You are you are I'm sorry about that. You are a slave to Jesus by choice. Amen. Every single day, you get to choose who's gonna be my master today. What attitude, what action, what behavior am I gonna exhibit? Am I gonna go ahead and do what I used to do? Live under the slavery of sin like I used to slit, or am I going to live under the new master, Jesus Christ, who delights and desires for me? [00:58:12] (58 seconds)  #ChooseYourMaster

It is living the message with them. It is engaging in long term discipleship, long term evangelistic moments. Imagine them coming to church, feeling the love. I loved the emotion this morning of the service. I love what you're gonna do now. We'd take the cup, take the bread. We're living a life that people want to be part of. Share it. Enjoy it. Spread it. One more example from Jesus. He taught with authority. He taught with authority. We've got some great teachers in this in this church, and I love the fact that God is raising up teachers who can teach with authority. He taught with authority. [01:09:00] (42 seconds)  #LiveTheMessage

Some some translations will say, a servant of God, but I don't want you to dilute the word. The word in the original language has about it, simply slave. So don't don't dilute it and say, well, he's a servant because we've all kinda had people serve us. We go, what a good servant he is. No. He's purposely using the word slave. He's a slave. Some bible translations will have bond slave. That is, you know, he can choose to be the slave forever. That's not what Paul uses. Paul uses the word slave. He purposefully uses that word slave without the condition that Paul chose to then forever be bonded to Jesus. Paul says he is a slave. Not a servant, not a bond servant, but a slave. [00:50:32] (42 seconds)  #SlaveNotServant

All of us are sinners. All of us struggle with our relationship with God because we have sin in our life. All of us struggle with our relationship with one another because there is sin in our life. Pride, arrogance, fear, failures, flaws. All of us have sinned. Jesus is the opposite. Jesus delights in us. Jesus loves us so much. He loves us so much that he willingly and freely took on our sins and died on the cross and paid the price for us to have a relationship with him. [00:55:45] (35 seconds)  #JesusPaidItAll