Kingdom Come - The Power of Surrender - Rechab Gray
We reject Jesus because we don’t want to surrender lordship of our own kingdom. We feel like we have too much to lose.
The gospel teaches us that whatever we lose by surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus doesn’t compare to what we lose when we fight to keep the lordship over our own kingdom. To keep lordship over our own kingdom brings death (v. 43-45), but to surrender it bring life (v. 46-50)
Takeaways:
- The podcast emphasizes the significance of faithfulness and the dangers of spiritual infidelity, which can manifest as idolatry and unfaithfulness to God.
- Listeners are encouraged to recognize the transformative power of the Gospel and the necessity of a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, the faithful husband.
- The discussion highlights the importance of being receptive to the Holy Spirit, emphasizing that without spiritual filling, one remains vulnerable to further spiritual emptiness.
- The speakers express gratitude for the community at New Creation Fellowship, illustrating how collective faith has led to significant acts of conversion and baptism among new believers.
- The episode conveys a serious tone regarding the spiritual state of the generation, referring to it as an 'evil, empty, and entitled generation' in need of repentance and renewal.
- Listeners are invited to respond to the message of the Gospel, urging them to embrace faith in Christ and live in accordance with His teachings.
Transcript
Yeah.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:I'm just grateful to be in a place that loves my Savior and my king and my master and, man, it's rare to feel so at home because the place is just in love with Jesus.
Speaker A:Don't care about nothing else but his name being lifted up.
Speaker A:And so I'm so grateful to be among you.
Speaker A:For real?
Speaker A:Like, for real?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:If I ain't got the chance to meet you yet, my name is Recap Gray.
Speaker A:We coming from Orlando, Florida.
Speaker A:New Creation Fellowship is the name of our church.
Speaker A:And if you wouldn't mind, go ahead and grab Matthew 12.
Speaker A:Grab Matthew 12, Matthew 12, my father, Matthew 12.
Speaker A:But, yeah, coming from Orlando, Florida.
Speaker A:And while you're turning there, I just want to let you know a little bit about my family.
Speaker A:So I think I got a picture on the screen of my family, maybe.
Speaker A:Okay, then maybe not.
Speaker A:All right, well, I got a picture of me, clearly.
Speaker A:There they go.
Speaker A:There they go.
Speaker A:So this is my family.
Speaker A:Yeah, I can celebrate.
Speaker A:So this is my family.
Speaker A:Hadassah is the youngest one, smiling right there.
Speaker A:And then I got Jonathan, who's brought so much joy to our family.
Speaker A:And then we got my oldest daughter, Zipporah.
Speaker A:And then my oldest son, who we call Mini Me.
Speaker A:That's Aaron.
Speaker A:And then the one I love the most is.
Speaker A:And I told him that is Brittany, my wife.
Speaker A:And she's actually with us.
Speaker A:Would you mind standing there and just say what's up?
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:I don't know if y' all remember Terrell Owens.
Speaker B:I love me some me.
Speaker A:I love me some her.
Speaker A:She is a godly woman, loves the Scriptures, knows how to pray.
Speaker A:Like pray.
Speaker A:Pray is centered on the Lord, selfless, and women of valor like that are to be honored.
Speaker A:So would y' all mind just honoring the Lord?
Speaker A:For my wife Brittany, and he made her fine, too.
Speaker A:So that's just a surplus for me.
Speaker A:I ain't asked for all that, but I'll take that, too.
Speaker A:So bad, bad, bad.
Speaker A:I love me some Brittany, y'.
Speaker A:All.
Speaker A:Well, we also coming from New Creation Fellowship, and I don't know if the QR code is working.
Speaker A:You can see the.
Speaker A:At least you can see the logo on the John.
Speaker A:You could try pulling out your phone.
Speaker A:Some of the folks were having trouble with that, but new creationorl.org is our website.
Speaker A:New creationorlforlando.org and you can just keep up to date with what's going on at our church.
Speaker A:But whether you know it or not, if you're a part of this church, y' all have been supporting a move of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaker A:Like, I've never personally experienced it.
Speaker A: ull time ministry since about: Speaker A:We have parachuted into Orlando, myself and my wife, our family, another brother and his wife and another dude.
Speaker A:And we just came together and a few people just from different states moved into Orlando.
Speaker A:We ain't know nobody.
Speaker A:There was no church that we had a relationship with when we got there.
Speaker A:And yet by the grace of God, found some dope churches.
Speaker A:The Lord plugged us into some places and man, we have seen the Lord do some amazing, amazing things.
Speaker A:Now if you think in Orlando, we not near Disney, somebody say, not Disney.
Speaker A:Y' all gotta say that.
Speaker A:Say, not Disney, all right?
Speaker A:Say, not Disney.
Speaker A:All right?
Speaker A:So don't be coming to Orlando, Florida, like, looking for Mickey, where we at?
Speaker A:Mickey don't come to our hood, I promise you.
Speaker A:So we ain't, we ain't there.
Speaker A:But by the grace of God, the gospel is moving there.
Speaker A:And just like in the last 13 months, we've seen over like 53 baptisms, which has been.
Speaker A:Yeah, it has been absolutely amazing.
Speaker A:And I can tell you one thing, it ain't been good preaching, it ain't been good leading.
Speaker A:It's been none of those things.
Speaker A:We praise God that we offer those things as an offering, but if the wind of the Spirit of God don't blow on that thing, it ain't moving nowhere.
Speaker A:And so God, the Holy Spirit has decided to save a lot of people.
Speaker A:And we can't even tell you the amount of times we've met someone who has said, this is my first time stepping into a church ever and then baptizing that very person.
Speaker A:And it has been just ridiculous.
Speaker A:So when I say God is doing some amazing things through your giving and your partnership, it's been incredible.
Speaker A:And I genuinely say filled the church.
Speaker A:We have various different partners, but y' all carry so much of our DNA of prayer.
Speaker A:Caring about the word of God, like, for real, for real.
Speaker A:Been ferocious in the scriptures, but also fervent in prayer.
Speaker A:The combination is, like, rare, as you know.
Speaker A:And so can y' all just join me in celebrating your leadership for leading a church that cares about both things at the same time, it's just a really big deal.
Speaker A:Really big deal.
Speaker A:So, yeah, if y' all ever come through Orlando, stop by our spot.
Speaker A:It'd be dope to see y'.
Speaker A:All.
Speaker A:And yeah, just continue to pray for us as we continue that work.
Speaker A:And by the way, if you do end up coming like, it's gonna be crazy.
Speaker A:We got like ex Crips and very people who drive Teslas, let's say it like that, all in the same church.
Speaker A:So we got a very beautifully diverse church.
Speaker A:So just be ready.
Speaker A:Y' all ready for the scriptures.
Speaker A:Well, let's do it.
Speaker A:Why don't we just go before the Lord in prayer before we get started?
Speaker A:There is none like you.
Speaker A:No one else can touch my heart like you do.
Speaker A:Thank you, Jesus.
Speaker A:I can search for all eternity long and find there is none like you.
Speaker A:Lord, as we love to say, you just different.
Speaker A:Ain't nobody on your level.
Speaker A:Nobody comes close.
Speaker A:We can search and search and search and we ain't going to find nobody like you.
Speaker A:You in a class all by yourself.
Speaker A:You're holy, you're set apart.
Speaker A:You're distinguished.
Speaker A:We agree with the angels who cry, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.
Speaker A:The whole earth is full of your goodness.
Speaker A:So, Lord, to preach the goodness of you, our perfect and holy God, is a task that really nobody can do.
Speaker A:Yet I pray, O God, that in my weakness you will show off your strength, Lord, at worst, if you don't show up, this is a train wreck waiting to happen.
Speaker A:And the TED Talk, at best.
Speaker A:Your people do not need either one of those.
Speaker A:They need transformational preaching.
Speaker A:So transform, change, save, sanctify, O God, reconcile, restore.
Speaker A:Do the kind of stuff that only you can do.
Speaker A:And we will give you the credit that only you deserve.
Speaker A:We love you and we praise you.
Speaker A:We honor you, King of kings and Lord of Lords.
Speaker A:Be with us as we listen.
Speaker A:Be with me as I preach in Jesus, mighty name.
Speaker A:All God's people say amen.
Speaker A:Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen.
Speaker A:Do you know what a cuckold is?
Speaker A:Right, right, right.
Speaker A:I like that.
Speaker A:I like that.
Speaker A:Everybody should be confused.
Speaker A:First time I ever heard the word was watching a family favorite movie, one of me and my wife's probably top five.
Speaker A:You say top five, babe, Top five?
Speaker A:Yeah, she gave me this one.
Speaker A:So maybe top ten.
Speaker A:Crazy Stupid Love was the movie.
Speaker A:And it's a movie starring Steve Carell and who y' all know is Michael Scott from the Office.
Speaker A:That's the best way to put that.
Speaker A:I had to learn his name for this sermon because I don't know his name other than Michael sc, but starring him and a few others in the cast.
Speaker A:And it's all about how these different couples from different generations, you got your Gen Z ers and your millennials and your baby boomers and silent generation all existing in this one movie.
Speaker A:And it's all about these love stories of these different generations.
Speaker A:And in the middle of the movie, the primary couple, Cal Weaver and Emily Weaver, they are going through a rough patch in their marriage.
Speaker A:As a matter of fact, the whole movie begins with them being at dinner.
Speaker A:They're looking at a menu, and they say, let's say what we want on the count of three.
Speaker A:And as they looking at the menu, 1, 2, 3.
Speaker A:Cal Weaver, the husband, says something on the menu, and his wife says, I want a divorce.
Speaker A:And it was one of those openings of the movies that you don't know where to laugh or cry or what.
Speaker A:And it got the movie going.
Speaker A:And in the middle of the movie.
Speaker B:He'S at a club, just depressed over.
Speaker A:The fact that he's going through this divorce, and he's yelling out at the bar, she made a cuckold out of me.
Speaker A:She made a cuckold out of me.
Speaker A:She made a cuckold out of me.
Speaker A:So I had to go look up what is a cuckold.
Speaker A:And lo and behold, it's a term.
Speaker A:It means a husband with an adulterous wife.
Speaker A:And while it was a joke in the movie, some of you have experienced it in reality.
Speaker A:And whether you experience unfaithfulness personally or not, I got news for you.
Speaker A:You have participated in it.
Speaker A:Because the truth of the matter is God's son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is a good and faithful husband.
Speaker A:And we the people, have tried to make a cuckold out of Jesus.
Speaker A:We have been, as Ezekiel and the prophets would say, an adulterous generation.
Speaker A:Through our idolatry, our wickedness, our sinfulness, we have run after any and every lover except our good husband, Jesus.
Speaker A:And Jesus has some heavy words to say to you, and I ain't even.
Speaker B:Going to hold you.
Speaker A:The reason why I wanted to start.
Speaker B:Off with a comedic movie is because.
Speaker A:I needed something lighthearted to tell you all.
Speaker A:I'm really a nice guy, but everything else I have to say to you is heavy, because the text is heavy.
Speaker A:This ain't going to be a cute, pretty word, but I pray it's a.
Speaker B:Convicting word that will cause us to long so badly for Jesus.
Speaker A:But by the time we're done, nobody's eyes would be distracted on anything else other than our great husband, Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:So what Jesus wants to say to us is that we are a faithless generation, and he's going to describe our faithlessness in three ways.
Speaker B:That we're an evil generation.
Speaker A:We're an empty generation and we're an entitled generation.
Speaker B:And he begins by describing the evilness of this generation, but he's going to do so by speaking to the people of his own time period.
Speaker B:You got to understand if you have been trekking through the Gospel of Matthew, just how important the Pharisees and the Scribes and the Sadducees actually were.
Speaker B:There were multiple different sects, different sectors of society, especially within the Jewish community.
Speaker B:And they had arisen for a myriad of different ways and reasons.
Speaker B:The Roman occupation had come in, and therefore there was a response to this pagan nation taking over this Jewish community who was desiring to be faithful to their God.
Speaker B:So you have the Essene community who's kind of like, yo, everybody wilding.
Speaker B:Now it's getting too secular for us.
Speaker B:We gonna dip to the caves.
Speaker B:From them we get the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Qumran community, but you also have the Sadducees.
Speaker B:They had more of a well if you can't beat them, join them type of mentality.
Speaker B:And so they're a little bit what you would consider the liberals.
Speaker B:That's why it's interesting in the Gospels that the Pharisees and the Sadducees oftentimes seem like they're working together because they really don't like each other.
Speaker B:But when you have a common enemy, you can become common friends.
Speaker B:And their common enemy is Jesus Christ.
Speaker B:Because the Pharisees could not be further from the Sadducees and that the Pharisees would be considered the conservatives.
Speaker B:But I want all you good Americans to understand just from that, something that we can learn that both the conservatives and the liberals didn't really like Jesus.
Speaker B:And the reality is, from the rip of this text, you have the conservatives coming to Jesus to test him.
Speaker B:They should be the ones who should be longing for the Messiah.
Speaker B:They should be the ones looking for the Messiah.
Speaker B:And yet instead they test the Messiah.
Speaker B:And what is the test?
Speaker B:Then Some of the scribes and the Pharisees answered him, responded to him.
Speaker B:So what are they answering?
Speaker B:They're answering what he just said.
Speaker B:What did he just say?
Speaker B:He said, either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad.
Speaker B:For the tree is known by its fruit.
Speaker B:And then verse 37.
Speaker B:For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you, you will be.
Speaker B:Here's the word, condemned.
Speaker B:Now I know we like Peachy King Nice cuz he was he Jesus.
Speaker B:You know, the fuzzy wuzzy one who comes with us at night and cuddles us up.
Speaker B:And yes, he is a great comforter.
Speaker B:But the last words he said to them was, by your words, you will be justified, and by your words, you will be.
Speaker B:Here's the word.
Speaker B:Condemned.
Speaker B:Heavy.
Speaker A:Harsh.
Speaker B:So what do we do as humans when we hear a heavy and harsh word that we know is true that is convicting our hearts?
Speaker B:You know what we do?
Speaker B:Change the subject.
Speaker B:So they respond to those words with something.
Speaker B:Ain't got nothing to do with what Jesus just said.
Speaker B:Teacher, flattery.
Speaker B:Y' all know how we do when we real convicted.
Speaker B:We start flattering the person that convicted us, hoping that they'll take away some of the conviction.
Speaker B:Oh, teacher.
Speaker B:Rabbi, we want to see a sign from you now.
Speaker B:Love Jesus because he's not swayed by people's approval and applause.
Speaker B:He's not moved by their flattery.
Speaker B:It's not like he said, oh, well, since you guys said, teacher, let me be nice to you.
Speaker B:Jesus responds to them and says an evil.
Speaker B:Here's the word, an adulteress.
Speaker B:Say adulteress.
Speaker B:Say adulteress one more time.
Speaker B:Say, adulteress.
Speaker B:Generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Speaker B:Jonah was in the belly of the well for three days.
Speaker B:So what does he say?
Speaker B:For just as Jonah was in the three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Speaker B:He said, y' all looking for a sign, but you're not going to get any sign except for the sign of Jonah.
Speaker B:And that sign will be demonstrated by the Son of Man being in the belly of the earth three days and.
Speaker A:Then being vomited out just as Jonah was.
Speaker B:Now, I cannot wait to dive in more to that reality, but here's what.
Speaker A:I want to say.
Speaker B:They are demanding another sign other than this one from Jesus when they have already received multiple signs.
Speaker B:He just got done healing a blind person.
Speaker B:He just got done healing somebody with a withered hand.
Speaker B:If you were to watch somebody with a withered hand go from having a withered hand to being Popeye Ministry, you would say sign was done.
Speaker B:If you were to watch somebody who was truly blind run up out of this job and not run into anything, you would say a sign was being done.
Speaker B:And yet, because of the coldness of their heart, their stubbornness has turned them.
Speaker A:Into a blindfold, and they are unable.
Speaker B:To see what can clearly be seen.
Speaker A:Which is a sign right in front of their face.
Speaker A:Can I just say something to you?
Speaker A:Real quick.
Speaker A:Be careful that either suffering or sin isn't starting to cause you to have a callus over your heart.
Speaker A:Because as soon as your heart starts to callous, you become incapable of seeing the work of God right in front of you.
Speaker B:But he doesn't stop there.
Speaker B:I love this.
Speaker B:He says this.
Speaker B:For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Speaker B:The men of Nineveh, Nineveh of all places, will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it for they repented at the preaching of of Jonah.
Speaker B:And behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Speaker B:The Queen of the south will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
Speaker B:And behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Speaker B:Do you see the swag that Jesus talks with?
Speaker B:He's not like false humility.
Speaker B:Well, you know, I'm great too.
Speaker B:No, they listened to Jonah.
Speaker B:I'm better.
Speaker B:They listened to Solomon.
Speaker B:I'm better.
Speaker B:And he's saying to our generation as well, y' all listen to all these TikTok teachers, y' all listen to all these Instagram instructors, and I'm better.
Speaker B:And forbear that the Ninevites or the Queen of the south, you know, them Gentiles, them pagans, have more of a respect for lesser messengers than y' all do for the Messiah.
Speaker B:So what Jesus is basically saying is that we are a faithless generation because we are evil.
Speaker B:And our evil is shown in the simple fact that one, we reject what.
Speaker A:Jesus is doing, and two, we reject what Jesus is saying no matter how.
Speaker B:Many signs he does.
Speaker B:Prove it again.
Speaker B:He could have just came through in the clutch.
Speaker B:Jordan.
Speaker B:98, six seconds left.
Speaker B:Then you quickly forget exactly what he just did because we have spiritual amnesia.
Speaker B:And it don't matter what he did yesterday.
Speaker A:I need more proof today.
Speaker A:That's the heart of wickedness.
Speaker A:But on the flip end, we don't.
Speaker B:Listen to what he's saying.
Speaker B:We refuse to embrace it.
Speaker B:We have a sort of serpentine syndrome in our flesh that says all the.
Speaker A:Time, did God actually say so we do this over and over again.
Speaker B:And he says, that's the heart of wickedness.
Speaker B:Can I just tell you something?
Speaker A:We bought this little machine in our crib.
Speaker A:It's called one of those Alexa Echo Jones.
Speaker A:Y' all had echo in your crib.
Speaker B:Everybody got a little echo.
Speaker A:John, you know what I'm talking about.
Speaker A:Little Echo.
Speaker A:Okay, I see those who got the Google one got the Google John.
Speaker A:Okay, I see a few more hands.
Speaker A:All right, everybody got Siri, right?
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Some people got Siri.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker B:So with all these machines, they supposed.
Speaker A:To, like, respond to your voice.
Speaker A:So in my crib just recently, I was trying to listen to some James Brown.
Speaker A:So I'm shouting at the machine like.
Speaker B:Like, play James Brown.
Speaker B:And, you know, almost irritating the word.
Speaker B:As soon as she says sorry, I'm like, don't apologize to me.
Speaker B:Just work.
Speaker B:Here come.
Speaker B:My son just basically says it in passing.
Speaker B:I think you just got to say, play James Brown.
Speaker B:Playing James Brown.
Speaker B:Never been there before.
Speaker B:It's the most irritating thing in the world.
Speaker B:Now, it's not just irritating because I got control issues, because I do got that, but it's also irritating because my son ain't paying a nan cent for Echo.
Speaker B:Like, I bought you.
Speaker B:You should listen to me.
Speaker B:And we chuckle at that, and we laugh at that, but Jesus could say the same exact thing to us.
Speaker B:I bought you.
Speaker B:I purchased you with my blood.
Speaker B:I paid good money for you.
Speaker B:And what?
Speaker B:First Peter says, it's not silver or gold, but the precious blood of Christ that redeemed you, the most expensive commodity in all of the cosmos.
Speaker B:He paid good money for you.
Speaker B:And if that is the case, certainly we should listen to his voice above all else.
Speaker B:Certainly.
Speaker A:Yet here's what I know from pastoring for many years when I've seen marriages break down because of infidelity, that when a husband or a wife's heart is set on adultery, here's what happens.
Speaker A:Nothing their spouse can do or nothing their spouse can say is ever good enough.
Speaker A:Some of you, even as I speak, are slowly getting there with Jesus.
Speaker B:Because.
Speaker A:You have an idol in your heart, something you love more than Christ.
Speaker A:Right now, nothing he does and nothing he says right now is ever going to be good enough.
Speaker A:But today is an opportunity to repent of the evil of this generation.
Speaker A:Second point, empty generation.
Speaker B:When the unclean spirit has gone out, verse 43 of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.
Speaker B:Then it says, I will return to my house, from which I came.
Speaker B:And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.
Speaker B:Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there.
Speaker B:And the last state of that person is worse than the first.
Speaker B:So also will it be with this, here's the word evil generation.
Speaker B:Now, this is wild, because when you read this in the other gospels, Jesus Exclusively primarily applies this to the individual.
Speaker B:We know how to hear that an individual person, because of their sin, an unclean evil spirit, this is what we call demons, enters into that person.
Speaker B:Now, by the grace of God, that person receives an exorcism, a removing of that demon, that unclean spirit.
Speaker B:But here's the problem, this is my problem that I have, even with the exorcism services that I've been seeing online, is that if the gospel isn't being preached and Christ isn't able to be received during that time, what you're simply doing is emptying that person out of one unclean spirit and then opening that person up to receive more.
Speaker B:Because here's the problem.
Speaker B:If no new spirit, good spirit, you know him as the Holy Spirit, does not take up residence in the home of that person's heart, it is prime.
Speaker A:Picking for the forces of darkness to come in and set up shop.
Speaker B:This is why it's so critically important to receive the spirit of the living Christ.
Speaker B:It is about the spirit of Christ that we cry out, Abba Father.
Speaker B:It is the spirit of the living Christ who raised Christ from the dead.
Speaker B:Romans 8 says that actually enables us to overcome our addictions.
Speaker B:It is the spirit of the living Christ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory.
Speaker B:It is the spirit of Christ we need to take up residence in us so that no unclean spirit can.
Speaker B:When unclean spirit shows up to that door, trying to break in, he sees.
Speaker A:The strong man like, oh snap, my fault, my fault.
Speaker A:And has no choice but to back up.
Speaker B:If you're an Old Testament reader of the Scriptures, you know, when the glory of the Lord filled the temple, not even the priest could stay in there.
Speaker A:Well, you know that you house the.
Speaker B:Glory of the Lord and you.
Speaker B:So when he comes in, no unclean spirit can come in.
Speaker B:Which is why it's critically important to.
Speaker A:Receive the spirit of Christ as an individual.
Speaker A:But he doesn't just say as an individual.
Speaker A:He says, this generation will be like that.
Speaker B:Which means even societies have ways of.
Speaker A:Removing one bad spirit and letting another follow.
Speaker A:I've been alive long enough to see this happen.
Speaker B: When I was growing up,: Speaker B:I just began to read through the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation.
Speaker B:Fell in love with the word of God.
Speaker B:I was on fire for Jesus.
Speaker B:I was a knucklehead, as all dudes are.
Speaker B:And by the way, if you're like in high school here or college here, all dudes are Just knuckleheads just don't work.
Speaker B:Somebody do this, you just notice, don't work, it don't work.
Speaker B:So where are my young sisters at?
Speaker B:Just give me a whoop real quick.
Speaker B:I hear those whoops.
Speaker B:If the dude ain't madly in love with Jesus, just run far away.
Speaker B:No chance, no chance, no chance, no chance.
Speaker B:Because here's the deal.
Speaker B:Even if he is, he's still a knucklehead.
Speaker B:You might as well find one who knows how to repent.
Speaker B:So I was a knucklehead.
Speaker B:I was a knucklehead.
Speaker B:I was a knucklehead.
Speaker B:But I was in love with Jesus.
Speaker B:I got to college, I took a course, and we went to public school.
Speaker A:Temple University in Philly.
Speaker A:Our Bible teacher, first day of class.
Speaker A:This is a true story.
Speaker A:He was an ethnic Jew, but not spiritually Jewish.
Speaker A:And so he said, first day of class.
Speaker A:I got two purposes in this class.
Speaker A:Number one, to teach you the Hebrew scriptures.
Speaker B:Number two, that everybody who is a.
Speaker A:Christian today won't be by the final class.
Speaker B:So we actually took a poll who would say or consider themselves to be a Christian.
Speaker A:There were six of us in the class.
Speaker A:I told you, it was a public school.
Speaker A:By the end of the class, there were two, which means he served his purpose.
Speaker B:And me.
Speaker A:Yes, me.
Speaker A:I struggled and wrestled in that class.
Speaker B:Because he was throwing out all types.
Speaker A:Of arguments against my faith.
Speaker B:Now, at the time, it was arguments about evolution.
Speaker B:At the time, it was arguments about.
Speaker A:Errors in the scripture.
Speaker A:You know, errors in the scripture.
Speaker B:Now, here's what's wild is at that time, it was all about facts, facts, facts.
Speaker B:I got to prove my.
Speaker B:My other way of looking at things through facts and science because it was a materialistic kind of spirit.
Speaker B:But that got replaced with relativism.
Speaker B:That was like, no facts matter.
Speaker B:You believe what you want to believe.
Speaker B:I believe what I want to believe.
Speaker B:We're going to sing Kumbaya and everybody tolerate each other.
Speaker B:So then Kumbaya don't work because we don't really know how to tolerate.
Speaker B:So then this Gen Z is coming on the scene and they like, yo, like, we want something deeply real, spiritual.
Speaker B:See how this works.
Speaker B:But they still not going after the spirit of the living Christ.
Speaker B:They're just going after spirits.
Speaker A:So they reading tarot cards and all of this astrology.
Speaker B:Gemini.
Speaker B:And out of nowhere, we've seen three different spirits.
Speaker B:Materialism, relativism, and this false spiritualism.
Speaker B:And each one has gotten worse.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker B:Because we've just replaced one bad spirit with another.
Speaker A:And we haven't married ourselves to a.
Speaker B:Husband who can keep them all out.
Speaker A:If you're under the sound of my voice and you're just going from one.
Speaker B:Bad principality to another, God is calling.
Speaker A:You by name today and saying, no, no, no.
Speaker A:I want to take a residence in your home.
Speaker B:Give me the deeds, the title to.
Speaker A:The home of your heart.
Speaker A:And if I take up residence there, you won't have to worry about another unclean spirit entering in final, and I'm out of your way.
Speaker A:An entitled generation.
Speaker A:And this is for our Bible betters.
Speaker A:I want to preach this, like, with my back turns so y' all don't get mad at me.
Speaker A:But it's just his words.
Speaker B:While he was speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside asking to speak to him.
Speaker B:But he replied to the man who told him, who is my mother and who are my brothers?
Speaker B:And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, here are my mothers and my brothers.
Speaker B:For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and my sister and my mother.
Speaker B:Now.
Speaker A:I ain't gonna hold you.
Speaker A:I got a black mama, y'.
Speaker A:All.
Speaker A:So my black mama was outside saying.
Speaker B:Like, told somebody, come get that boy.
Speaker B:I'mma close this sermon real fast.
Speaker A:My mom, five foot, nothing, but she.
Speaker B:Like, she proved to me she a.
Speaker A:Little crazy, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:Love Jesus, but a little off, like, you know what I mean?
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker B:Like, I believed her when she said, I brought you in this world, I could take you out.
Speaker A:Like, I believed her.
Speaker B:I believed her.
Speaker B:But Jesus is like, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker B:Even genetics can't replace obedience.
Speaker B:And this is not what we do in the Bible Belt.
Speaker B:I can't tell you since I've been pastor in Florida.
Speaker B:Now, in Philly, it never happened, but in Florida, I can't tell you how many times in how many times I've asked somebody, are you a follower of Jesus?
Speaker B:They say, of course.
Speaker A:Well, man, it's going to be the.
Speaker B:Most powerful testimony I've ever heard.
Speaker B:They say, yeah, my uncle would pastor for, like, 20 years.
Speaker B:Of course I am.
Speaker B:Of course.
Speaker B:My dad was a pastor.
Speaker B:Of course, my mom was a missionary.
Speaker B:And what they've done is they believed in a gospel of genealogies.
Speaker A:Rather than a gospel of grace.
Speaker A:Here's the deal.
Speaker A:We do this in subtle ways, and.
Speaker B:Then we have a sort of entitlement that we should have access to God because we've been around Christian type of stuff.
Speaker A:There was a saying, blood is thicker than water.
Speaker A:And I like that.
Speaker A:But then I, like, heard like somebody, like, literally this week, like, almost expand on that.
Speaker A:I think they said this might have been the original quote, that the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.
Speaker A:And is that not what Jesus is saying?
Speaker A:Is that not what even John the Baptist said?
Speaker B:Don't say to yourself, I got Abraham as a dad.
Speaker B:Okay, great.
Speaker B:Congratulations.
Speaker B:God can raise up rocks.
Speaker B:Proud of yourself for your genetics?
Speaker A:Don't be.
Speaker A:Because he's after those who have obeyed the gospel.
Speaker A:So, as I say all of those things, I ask you the question.
Speaker A:Have you had the residue of faithlessness because of evil?
Speaker A:That you have started to have a.
Speaker B:Calloused heart and you've rejected either the work of Christ or the words of.
Speaker A:Christ in subtle ways?
Speaker B:Have you embrace faithlessness by being empty, going from one evil spirit to another?
Speaker B:Have you embrace faithlessness by, excuse me, being entitled because of your relationship to somebody who's actually faithful to Christ, if in large, important, deep, or in subtle and soft ways you have been convicted by any one of those areas or we gotta ask ourselves the question, what is our hope?
Speaker B:What is our hope?
Speaker A:Well, I think the answer comes from.
Speaker B:The title of the movie we just.
Speaker A:Learned about when we are Crazy and Stupid.
Speaker A:Christ came to show us love.
Speaker A:And that love came down to an.
Speaker B:Evil, empty and entitled generation.
Speaker A:But he was going to solve that evil, empty and entitled generation through the work of the Gospel.
Speaker B:Paul says it like this in Philippians.
Speaker B:He says in Philippians chapter two, who, though he was in the form of God, talking about Jesus, in other words, the one who should be entitled.
Speaker B:He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form.
Speaker B:He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Speaker B:And what happened on the cross?
Speaker B:He made him who knew no sin to be saved sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Speaker B:In other words, for an evil, in an empty and entitled generation, God the Father sent, God the Son, who could be entitled, but emptied himself and took on our evil so that we would no longer be faithless but be faithful.
Speaker B:Because even when we are faithless, he.
Speaker A:Remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Speaker A:And on that cross, I want you to see your Savior taking your evil.
Speaker A:All the times that you rejected his works, all the times you refused to embrace his words.
Speaker A:I want you to see your Savior bleeding out for your emptiness.
Speaker A:And I want you to see your Savior Dying for your entitlement at the end of crazy, stupid love.
Speaker A:There's this crazy scene where, like, all the generations are there.
Speaker A:The Gen Z, the traditionalists, all of them are there.
Speaker A:And it's a chaotic scene.
Speaker B:It's messy.
Speaker A:It's a whole big fight that breaks out.
Speaker B:It's wild.
Speaker B:It's all over the place.
Speaker B:There's no way to kind of contain it.
Speaker B:And yet the whole reason for that.
Speaker A:Scene was because Kyle Reaver was trying to pursue what he called his soulmate.
Speaker A:The cross of Calvary on a hill called Golgotha is not a pretty scene.
Speaker B:It was crazy, it was chaotic, it was messy.
Speaker B:Don't try to beautify it.
Speaker B:It was all that.
Speaker A:And yet all of that was because Jesus, the good husband, was pursuing us, his soulmate.
Speaker A:Yet in order to do that, he couldn't just get in a fight.
Speaker A:As a matter of fact, that was his proposal moment.
Speaker A:But he couldn't simply bend down on one knee.
Speaker A:He had to get up on a tree.
Speaker A:And on that tree, he cried out, tetelestai.
Speaker A:It is finished.
Speaker A:He bowed his head, gave up the ghost, and he died.
Speaker A:He really died.
Speaker A:He really died.
Speaker A:But there's something important you gotta understand.
Speaker A:That son, Aaron, I was talking to you about, who can talk to Alexa better than I can?
Speaker B:He has a food allergy of tree nuts and peanuts.
Speaker B:And we learned this when we were.
Speaker A:Actually, I think, on a way to give birth to our other child.
Speaker A:If I ain't tripping.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:So my wife's trying to deliver a.
Speaker A:Child, and my son is throwing up.
Speaker B:And we have no clue why.
Speaker A:And it was because he had ate some walnuts earlier.
Speaker A:We learned that he has an allergy.
Speaker B:Now, we made many mistakes through our parenting.
Speaker A:Don't judge us.
Speaker A:But we'd always have to find out the hard way.
Speaker B:Because no matter how long it took, when them tree nuts and walnuts and.
Speaker A:Peanuts went down, they had to come out because his digestive system could not handle it.
Speaker A:All I came to tell you is that when Jesus, the perfect, innocent, righteous son of God, was buried in the.
Speaker B:Belly of death, death realized it had.
Speaker A:An allergy for the first time.
Speaker B:So Friday, death started getting queasy.
Speaker B:Saturday, it was like, oh, I'm getting sick.
Speaker B:But then early Sunday morning, when that stone rolled away, death had no choice but to vomit up perfection, to vomit up righteousness, to vomit up purity.
Speaker B:Because death cannot stomach sinlessness.
Speaker B:So when the sinless Savior died, death had no choice but to vomit him back up again.
Speaker B:And so now your Messiah, your savior, our Husband has given his proposal, and.
Speaker A:I ain't gonna hold you.
Speaker B:My proposal was pretty nice.
Speaker B:I thought I did a good job.
Speaker B:But mine did not come with the.
Speaker A:Death and a resurrection, but his came with a provedness that he gave his life for you, then he rose from the dead.
Speaker A:The proposal is out there.
Speaker A:Will you marry him?
Speaker A:Now is your opportunity to say yes.
Speaker A:There are some of you who have.
Speaker B:Already put your yes on the table.
Speaker B:And for you, it's now time to.
Speaker A:Prepare for your wedding day.
Speaker B:You know what it is.
Speaker B:As a woman prepares for their wedding day, they're trying to look good.
Speaker B:They trying to get in shape.
Speaker B:They trying to work out.
Speaker B:They trying to get in the best shape ever because they want to look good for their spouse on that day.
Speaker B:Friends, church, that's called sanctification.
Speaker B:We're not just doing it out of obligation.
Speaker B:We want to get prepared for the day we will see our Messiah face to face.
Speaker A:But there are others of you who.
Speaker A:You've heard his proposal, you've heard about his death, you've heard about his resurrection, but you have yet to say yes.
Speaker A:I pray that today is your day to receive him and to obey the gospel through baptism.
Speaker A:Because there's coming a day when our husband will return and he will make good on his promise.
Speaker A:And there will be no crying anymore, no pain anymore, no suffering anymore, no evil anymore, no emptiness anymore.
Speaker A:No entitlement anymore.
Speaker B:For we will be with our husband.
Speaker A:Our Messiah, forever and ever and ever.
Speaker B:And ever and ever.
Speaker B:Father, we thank you for the good.
Speaker A:News of the kingdom.
Speaker B:We thank you for the king of.
Speaker A:Kings, our Messiah, Lord and husband.
Speaker A:Lord, I pray right now for those who have already said yes that they would experience more and more sanctification.
Speaker A:But for those who have yet to say yes, that they would do so today.
Speaker A:Lord, we love you and we thank you and we honor you.
Speaker A:Pray these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our king and savior.
Speaker A:All God's people say amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker A:Amen.
Speaker C:Here's what I want you to know.
Speaker C:You don't get to sit back and hear the word of God.
Speaker C:Golf.
Speaker C:Clap it and go.
Speaker C:All right.
Speaker C:What's for lunch?
Speaker C:There's nothing more important you've got to do than respond right now to the word of God.
Speaker C:So here's what I want to encourage you to do.
Speaker C:I want to encourage you all to stand to your feet right now, if you don't mind.
Speaker C:I want to encourage the staff and prayer team to come spread out down front and I'm giving you one of three ways to respond this morning.
Speaker C:Number one, there are some of you who.
Speaker C:You hear the invitation right now.
Speaker C:He's saying, come to me.
Speaker C:Believe in me.
Speaker C:Trust me.
Speaker C:Marry me.
Speaker C:And you've been.
Speaker C:You've been trusting in your grandpa and your uncle and somebody else and your parents and thinking that's why you're.
Speaker C:No.
Speaker C:Every single one of you has to say, jesus is my Savior or you're turning your back on him.
Speaker C:Every single one of us must pass through the moment where we testify.
Speaker C:May this person die, be buried and raised from the dead in Christ Jesus.
Speaker C:That's what baptism is about.
Speaker C:And I believe there are some of you who need to take that step this morning, saying, I accept your invitation, Jesus.
Speaker C:I choose you.
Speaker C:That's where you find power and salvation in the work of God.
Speaker C:But I also know there are some of you right now, and you are here and you are carrying burdens.
Speaker C:You are overwhelmed by certain things.
Speaker C:I want to remind you, this same Jesus that saves you, loves you and cares for you.
Speaker C:And every Sunday, you have a chance to come before the Savior and say, I can't carry this load any longer, Jesus, I need you.
Speaker C:If we are the bride and he is the groom, one of the most important things that we remember is that we will always need him.
Speaker C:When two people are married, the worst thing that can happen is one person start thinking they don't need the other person.
Speaker C:That's when that marriage is broken.
Speaker C:The moment you start thinking you don't need the groom, you're in trouble.
Speaker C:And there are some of you here today, and you've forgotten that you have a good husband who's ready to meet your needs.
Speaker C:And you need to bring that before him and say, today, Jesus, I need you.
Speaker C:Here's my struggle.
Speaker C:It's a financial struggle.
Speaker C:It's an emotional struggle.
Speaker C:It's a mental struggle.
Speaker C:It's a relationship struggle.
Speaker C:It's someplace, Jesus, I need you.
Speaker C:And I bring it before you in prayer.
Speaker C:Or maybe you need to come bow down in the steps and say, I don't need to talk to anybody.
Speaker C:I just need to talk to Jesus and say, I've failed you.
Speaker C:I've been adulterous.
Speaker C:I've sought other things more than you.
Speaker C:I've sought identity in work and in relationships and sex and money and whatever.
Speaker C:And I've done all that.
Speaker C:Oh, forgive me.
Speaker C:Maybe you need to come down and remember he is your husband and let him forgive you and be reconciled to him.
Speaker C:Or maybe you just need to worship the Lord here's what I know.
Speaker C:Yeah, there's.
Speaker C:There's other stuff taking place outside.
Speaker C:You can go, leave, go do the next thing, or you can respond to the king of glory right here, right now.
Speaker C:And I want to encourage you, make that your priority.
Speaker C:However you need to respond.
Speaker C:The front is open.
Speaker C:You do so.
