Skip to content Call Up, Don’t Call Out | Pastor Adam Mesa | Next Gen Weekend At Patria Aug 17 · 57 min ...more
Call Up, Don’t Call Out | Pastor Adam Mesa | Next Gen Weekend At Patria
August 17, 2025 · 57 min
Series Patria Sermons August 17, 2025 · 57 min · Patria Sermons
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492K followers
Adam Mesa is Lead Pastor of Patria Church and speaks to a congregation of 12,000 about how the gospel of Jesus Christ brings purpose to every life. Patria
492K followers
0:00 Well, praise God. Thank you to all those that consider Patria your home church, and you do partner with us with your generosity. As you've seen today, this weekend that we're doing is very special weekend0:12 because it's our next gen weekend. It's become 1 of my favorite weekends, not because I get a little bit more of a rest from preaching. I I don't have to go the full time, not just because of that, but because I get to0:23 get help sharing the message today from Patria Kids, Patria Youth, and our young adult ministry as well. And so in a few moments after I share some vision about0:35 1 of our critical vision pillars of our church, which is the next generation, is we wanna be a church that doesn't just reach 1 generation, it reaches all generations. We don't wanna be a0:47 church where just 1 season of life a person is being ministered to while another season of life people are not being ministered to. And so we wanna do everything we can as a church here at Patria to make0:59 sure whether you are a seasoned person that is on retirement in your life and you're in that great grandparent or grandparent phase of life or you're in the phase of life that you1:11 have teenagers and you're parenting teenagers, or you are a teenager yourself or an elementary student yourself, is we wanna be able to say, hey, Jesus is real. Jesus is available. God1:23 is real, and God desires a relationship with all of his children. God doesn't create an age bracket to relationship. Is God opens his hands through the sacrifice of1:35 Jesus, and he makes available the grace of God to every single person. And so as a church, we wanna be able to share on this weekend, next gen weekend. And we started doing it in August because a lot of us,
1:47 if you have kids that are in school, they're gonna be starting in the next couple weeks. They're gonna they're gonna be starting college in the next couple weeks. They're gonna be moving away in the next couple weeks if
1:55 they haven't already, if they're gonna be going to college far away. They're gonna be going into high school or already in high school, junior high, elementary school, whatever it is, kindergarten. These are
2:07 all big seasons. And as a church, we wanted to, on these weekends, to stop and pause, to put a flag in the sand and say, we believe in the next generation. What we do is also for the next
2:19 generation. And also, we wanna be able to at the end, we're gonna pray a covering over our children in whatever new season that they're stepping into or just new grade they're stepping into that God would cover them
2:31 and protect them. And so, we're gonna be going to that in a few moments, but I have a verse I wanna share with you in first Timothy chapter 4. And so, if you have a Bible and you'd like to turn there, feel free to turn
2:42 there for a moment. If not, it's gonna be up on the screen as well. First Timothy chapter 4 is kind of the famous verse talking about young people. At this time, Timothy has
2:54 been led to Christ by his mom and his grandma, and his pastor is the apostle Paul. And Timothy, at this point, when Paul writes this letter, is about in his
3:06 thirties. But he met Jesus and started getting discipled, what what most theologians believe, around his late teens. So 18, 19, 20. And now he's a pastor, and he's
3:17 pastoring all generations. But also, he's pastoring a lot of young people. And so, the apostle Paul, as a man that's older in his life and seasoned in his life, writes this letter of
3:29 wisdom to a young man who's responsible for pouring into the next generation. And so, this is something not only you and I can be sent out by God for, but also encouraged by God.
3:41 So, if you found first Timothy chapter 4, we're gonna read verse 11 to 16. If you're ready, would you stand for just a moment for the honor of reading God's word? I am gonna jump into it today. Here's what it says.
3:53 Command and teach these things. Let no 1 despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct,
4:05 in love, in faith, and in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching. Do
4:17 not neglect the gift that you have, which was given you by prophecy when the councilor of elders laid hands on you. We're gonna catch
4:29 that in a few moments, but people that were older laid hands on Timothy and spoke into his gifts. And when the elders, when the people that were seasoned
4:41 blessed Timothy and released his gifts, it says God was all over that. God used that when they laid hands on him. And he says, practice these things.
4:53 Immerse yourself in them so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so
5:05 by doing so, you will save both yourself and your hearers. Amen. You may be seated. This is such an encouraging scripture. Not only if
5:17 you're someone that's young and you feel like God has put a burden or a passion in your heart and a purpose in your heart, but this is also an encouragement for anyone that finds themselves seasoned in their life as
5:28 well. And we ask ourselves, what do we do with the next generation? Well, here's what I wanna encourage you with today, is the next generation is not the future, it's the now.
5:40 And our next generation, particularly Gen Z, that's those individuals that are 25, 26, and younger down to Gen Alpha, which is our elementary school children and younger,
5:52 These individuals, these children, they are on the front lines right now. You and I think we're on the front lines. We think we're on the front lines because we have annoying
6:04 coworkers or we have an irritating boss or or your neighbors tick you off regularly. You think, Lord, help me. Lord, save me. These people, they're driving me crazy. Lord, I I feel like I'm being
6:15 stretched and pruned every single day. But when we really look at what is really being pulled from attention, when we really look at what's being thrown at a generation, when we really count the costs
6:28 of what the enemy is trying to do, when you look at the next generation, they are on the front lines. They have friends at first grade that have access to cell phones and Internet.
6:40 We have a school on our campus. Regularly, I get communication, not because Patriot's fully involved in our school, but we oversee it. So we always gotta be And there's always stories of, hey, just wanna make you
6:52 aware. This is what happened in kindergarten. This is what was said in first grade. This is what was said in fifth grade. This is what's happening in eighth grade. I don't know if we got any of our private schools,
7:04 you know, students here, but someone recently told me, you know, our kids in our junior high school know where all our blind spots are of our cameras on our campus? And I thought to myself,
7:16 I don't even know particularly. They said they know them. And I was like, my goodness. How? Did they hack a server? What did they like, how do you find but the thing is
7:28 is there is a front line, and there are things that you and I dealt with when we were younger. Sure. But the availability to instant access temptation is real today.
7:40 And I know we got our teenagers in junior highs, so I'm not gonna talk about it too real. But studies have come that right now, it's gonna be potentially the next 4 to 5 years that 50
7:52 percent of people that are in Gen Z and below, 50 percent of them will have a boyfriend or girlfriend with AI. Their their partner will
8:04 will be artificial intelligence. And they will flirt with their AI. They will share memories with their AI. They will date their AI. Could you
8:15 imagine that just in no time, we would be at a place that movies that came out 6, 7 years ago that were a figment of what someone dating AI could look like,
8:27 but now it's happening. And the next generation is having relationships with their cell phones and artificial intelligence. You may have thought to yourself as a parent, I I didn't know how
8:39 to know that about my kid. I I didn't know I had to be aware of that. We do. And so that means in today's age, we don't need to just be cautious. We need to be intentional Yeah. With the next
8:50 generation.
8:51 Yeah. That's right.
8:51 And we don't need to be forceful. We actually need to lead with example, which is what Timothy was being encouraged by Paul. He said, hey, let the word of God transform your life, Timothy. And
9:03 then what I need you to do is I need you to lead this by example. Not a pyramid of authority by age, but by example. And a lot of times what we tend
9:15 to think is we think authority may just be an age. And as long as 1 person is older than another, you maybe grew up in a household and just because 1 sibling was 3 years older than the other meant that that
9:27 sibling was supposed to be more responsible. But, you know, that's not always true. Because we we've determined and we said, okay. Age exemplifies maturity,
9:40 but not always. And so what I wanna encourage you is authority is not based on who's the eldest or who's in charge. Because Paul tells Timothy, don't let people despise you
9:51 because you're in your thirties. He said, they're gonna come into your church, Timothy, because in their day, anyone who had was anyone was a scholar, they had to be in their fifties, sixties. They had to be gray hair.
10:04 And so he said, people are gonna walk into the church. They're gonna wanna know the Bible, Timothy. They're gonna see you, and they're gonna walk out the door. And he says, don't let that discourage you. Alright. Because
10:12 at the end of the day, Timothy, it is what they will see by your example. Yeah. Yeah. Not just by what you say, but how what you have said transforms you. Not just by what you do, but it's how
10:24 you've allowed God to transform your life will show the world. And he says this in verse 16, and it will allow the hearers to be saved. Yes. Because the example that you've led in.
10:36 I wanna encourage you with just this simple thought today. Just 2 thoughts before the next generation encourages. Number 1 is you and I are called for the next generation to call people up,
10:48 not out. We gotta call people up, not out. And pastor Diego said that a few weeks ago, talking about the difference between
11:00 a referee and an umpire and things like that. But we're called to call people up, not out. Verse 12, he says, let no 1 despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example.
11:12 You see, the Greek word for that is typos. And when he encourages Timothy to set an example, set a typos, here's what it means in the original Greek. It means this, to leave an impression
11:24 made by a blow. Have you ever seen a boxer punched before? Have you ever seen a mark that was left from a slap or a punch before? Don't look at your spouse or
11:35 anything like that. You've been slapped before or anything. But have you ever seen that before? Someone gets slapped or punched, there's just a big red mark on their face. Paul tells Timothy,
11:47 Timothy, when you are in church, when you're around generations, when you're outside in your community, he says, you need to leave a mark on people. Not a physical mark, but
11:59 a spiritual mark. Yeah. An indentation. Like, if you've ever slept on the wrong side of a pillow before or a blanket or something, you woke up and there was a mark all across your face and you you were hoping, I hope
12:10 before I leave the house, this will go away. That's the type of impression that the apostle Paul is telling Timothy that when you say you follow Jesus,
12:22 you better leave a mark on people. You better leave a spiritual indentation on the next generation. And he says that is what leadership is. That's what it means to be someone that's called by
12:34 God. It means that anyone that we're around is they have a spiritual indentation on their life. Hey. Whenever I get around so and so, I just feel like I'm stretched to be
12:46 a better person. I just feel like I'm so negative, but when I get around so and so, I'm just not able to be negative because they're not negative. Or I just feel like I'm such a gossiper when I but when I get around so
12:58 and so, they don't go there. Or or or I feel like I'm such a hate hateful person. I'm a I'm always talking on people and negative, but when I get around so and so, they're not hateful. They're actually
13:09 loving. We're called to rub off on people and leave an indentation. Maya Angelou, the poet, said it like this. People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but
13:21 people will never forget how you made them feel.
13:25 So true.
13:26 They will never forget that. And there will be times, you and I, that God will set us out for the next generation to show them that everything's
13:38 gonna be okay, that God is in control. There there there there there is a need to be weary. There is a need to know that there is a spiritual battle going on. But also, when God is in
13:50 control and when Jesus sits on the throne room of God and everything is held by the perfection of Christ, then we don't need to worry. Then we
14:01 don't need to be stressed. You may be burdened. You may be broken, but we know the healer. We know the physician. And so you and I, God has called us that we go out into the world and we show the next
14:13 generation. A lot of the next generation, when they get there's a lot of statistics about their stress and their worry about the future. It's super high. But if you were to look at it, they would say, well, because
14:25 whenever I get around grown folk, they're worried about everything. They're scared about everything. So therefore, you and I, we set the exposure rate to the next
14:36 generation of how to worry. And the world as people that are mature, even in the body of Christ, we are not setting the example that Christ is in control. Amen.
14:48 We do not set that example collectively. We set the example collectively. Oh, no. I'm so worried. I'm so stressed. I don't know about this. I don't know about that. Then our
15:00 children are looking at that, and they're saying, well, then what do I do? Then I'm worried, and then I'll just go reclusive into my iPad world and my iPhone world where everything there I
15:11 can
15:11 control. Everything there can be fruitful. Everything there can be healthy. So therefore, I'll just reclude into this. And we think to the ourselves, what are
15:23 you doing on that? Why are you on that? And they're like, well, because the world that you guys are perceiving to me is is broken, and this is the only thing that seems to be something that I can control. Wow. And so
15:35 what Paul tells Timothy is he tells Timothy, he says, you need to leave an impression and set an example. And Jesus tells us what that example looks like. He encourages I have it in the in the message version. It's in
15:46 Matthew chapter 10 verse 16. I put in the message because it's it really it's a the message version is a paraphrase. So it's not it's not a word for word translation. It's more as if we were sharing a
15:58 sermon and we paraphrase what the scripture was about. But here how here's how it says what Jesus says. He says, stay alert. This is a hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be
16:10 like sheep running through a wolf pack. So don't call attention to yourselves. Be as shrewd as a snake. Be as inoffensive. In other words, be be as wise as a
16:22 snake. But he also says, but be as inoffensive as a dove or gracious as a dove. He said, don't be naive. Some people will question your motives.
16:34 Others will smear your reputation just because you believe in me, but don't be upset. When they haul you before civil authorities without knowing it, they've done you and me a favor, giving you a
16:46 platform for preaching the kingdom news. And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there. The spirit of your father will supply your
16:57 words. How often do we go to the throne room of God and say, God, would you help me with what to say? Would you help me with words? Would
17:09 you help me with peace? There was a few weeks ago. I it was a couple months ago, actually. I I came to the church, and it was just a normal workday, a work week. So I didn't
17:21 have service or anything. But that day, I had, like, a couple counseling sessions, and then I had had some meetings that, you know, we were gonna go over, you know, our beyond campaign and some projects. And it
17:33 just it just felt like there's a the whole world was just kinda crashing in. And I came in that day extremely stressed, extremely tired, not wanting to be be be here. I I just I didn't wanna go in my office.
17:45 And I remember saying, when I got in my cart, I I I said, Lord, you gotta help me today. I need your strength. I just feel like everything's caving on me right now. Lord, just just give me
17:57 the strength. Now, I'm not a person that looks for supernatural signs. I I don't. If you know me well enough, I don't look at the shapes of clouds. You know, I I I don't look at the dirt and see, you know, words in it
18:08 or anything like that. It's just not the type of person I am. I just don't look for that. I just I give it to the Lord, and I just I I I just you know, if I'm getting punched, I just keep going to the Lord. I just keep
18:19 going to the Lord. But particularly this day, it was a day that I was on, really, a tipping spell of just stressed and tired and things like that. And so I walk in my office, and out on my balcony, I
18:31 see a little dove sitting on my balcony. I have a picture of it. I took a picture of it. There's a little dove right there. And then, all of a sudden, the dove jumps on a table that I have behind my
18:42 office, and then and then there was 2 doves. And I kid you not, they stayed on the table of my patio my entire workday. They did
18:54 not leave at all. And I took a picture of it, and I guess on, like, the iPhones nowadays, it can, like, recognize trees and birds and all, and it has, like, a little icon in the corner. So I noticed it had like
19:06 a little icon and because I at first, I couldn't figure out, may maybe maybe you're smarter than I am, I don't know what breed bird that is. I'm like, it it looks like a dove, I don't know. And then I look and it says
19:17 it's a mourning dove. You know, it's it's the doves that are used for, like, funerals, you know, when people pass on, and they and they fly away. And it's how people grieve. You know, it's 1 of the signs that they
19:28 grieve. And I sat there and I said, Lord, I am grieving about some things today. But I said, God, thank you that in this moment, you gave me peace that my grief can be gone. I
19:40 can release it. And in that moment, I felt like the Lord said, I hear your prayer. It's okay. I got you. This this is not on you. And for you and I, as people that are leading the next
19:52 generation, God has called us to be doves for the next generation. That as our children and our grandchildren come into our homes, and they're wearing this burden, they're wearing
20:03 these questions, they're wearing these doubts, they're saying, hey, this is what they talked about in class today, or here's how I'm being challenged in school, or here's what I did, or here's what my friends showed me.
20:14 It's that you and I, we don't all of a sudden just ring the sirens and the bells and throw the trash bag over them and be like, you're never leaving the house again. It's we sit down and we say, the Lord
20:26 has called me to be as wise as a serpent, but also as gracious as a dove. You and I are the sign to the next generation that God is in control.
20:38 He's gonna be alright. God sits on the throne. If a news reporter would come to me today and say, Adam, what do you think about this, this, and this, and this, this? My genuine response would be, Jesus sits on the
20:49 throne. That that is my response. Now do we do we be about action, and do we do we do things and get involved and get involved in our children's life? Of course. But at the end of the day, the
21:01 peace of God will surpass all understanding. The goodness of God, his mercies will be greater than anything that you and I could ever control. Because when you and I sleep, there is a real
21:13 Satan that does not sleep. And there is a real enemy that's at work when you and I, our eyes are closed. So where we can only give x amount of hours a day to a spiritual warfare, he's got 24
21:25 hours a day. But God is stronger. And Jesus has already defeated the enemy. And so when we're asleep, but we're praying, it means God is in control.
21:35 That's what we see God doing with our Beyond campaign. Everything that we're doing with where we're going with Beyond is so that we can secure a future for our generation, whether you and I are there for that day, that
21:47 they have a place of worship in all the cities that God had called us to so that they can pursue the goodness of God. He told Timothy, keep teaching the word of God. Keep setting an example. Always be
21:59 available to share who God is, and he said, and people will be saved. I'll share some more thoughts in just a few moments, but first, I'm gonna have the first
22:11 individual from Patriot Kids that's gonna come up here, and they're each talking about 3 different topics today. And so today, first from Patriot Kids, we have the young
22:23 Declan Wolfer who's in second grade, age 7 years old. Come on up.
23:05 Hi, everyone. My name is Declan. And today, I'll be talking to you guys about something super important. It's love. And first Timothy 4 12 says that don't let anyone look down
23:17 on you because you are young, but set the believers an example in love. That means even young kids like me can join an example of what God's love looks like. But what is love? I used to think love was getting in my
23:29 way or eating dessert when I didn't finish my dinner, but that's not it at all. Jesus says in John 13
23:40 34, says that you should love others just as I have loved you. That means show peace, patience, kindness even in hard times. Wait. No. Especially when it's hard.
23:58 Let me ask you something. By show of hands, has anyone ever felt like it's hard to love someone? Maybe they are mean or hurt your feelings or just weren't nice.
24:06 What? Well,
24:10 felt that way too, and it's okay to feel that way. God still wants us to love 1 another. Let me tell you a story. 1 time, I was playing us on a soccer game, and the other team started being really rough.
24:22 They were pushing, shoving, and trying to hurt us on purpose. I felt really bad, and it wasn't really nice. Then the other team's coach started saying mean things about me and my team, and that made
24:34 me feel worse. When things got really bad, we left. We didn't fight back or say anything mean to them. Instead, when we got into the car, we prayed that God will help us to forgive.
24:53 It's what it wasn't easy, but it's what Jesus wants us to do. I realized I don't always do the right thing. Maybe I was mean to my sister or lie or finish
25:04 eating my dessert when I didn't finish my dinner. But God still
25:16 loves me and my family still loves me. Like in first John 4 11 says that if God so loved the world, we should also ought to love 1 another.
25:28 That means we can that means when people are mean or unfair, we can still choose to show God's God's love. And
25:43 loving like Jesus means doing things that show we care about others even when it's hard. But how do we love?
25:56 Well, here are some ways we can love like Jesus, and I'm gonna use the word love to help everyone remember. L, listen with kindness, l, offer forgiveness, b, value others, and e,
26:07 encourage everyone. We can when we love like Jesus, we can make people feel unseen, safe, and cared for.
26:19 We can tell Jesus his love anywhere, anytime, even on the soccer field. So today, I'd like to remember, God's love helps us to love others.
26:32 Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you for this day. Please help us to love others just like you have loved us. Thank you for loving us all the time, and please help us to forgive others.
26:44 Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
26:49 Great job, Dead Queen. Great job, dude. I mean, he had an acronym and everything. I might have to put in my 2 weeks.
27:01 I might I mean, he had a little acronym, a little story. He went, man. He did Declan got it. Alright. Well, hey. Next up, we talked about love. Then next, we're gonna be
27:13 talking about faith. Zanaya Corona is coming up, and she is in the seventh grade. So she's part of our junior high ministry, and she's gonna be coming up and encouraging us on faith. Let's welcome up
27:24 Zanaya right now.
27:36 Good evening, Patria. My name is Anaya. I'm representing middle school. I'm going to be speaking on faith from these verses. First Timothy 4 12 says, don't let anyone look down
27:48 on you because you are young, but set an example for the believes in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. This first encourages young people to be a positive influence on
27:59 others despite their age. Matthew 17 20 reads, he replied, because you have so little faith, truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say
28:11 this mountain move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. This verse defines the idea that even a very small amount of faith when placed
28:23 in God can accomplish great things. Hebrews 11 1 states, now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assure about
28:35 what we do not see. This verse explains faith as a confident expectation of what is hoped for and a conviction about things not yet experienced. Family, we are here
28:46 today in a world that wants us to see to believe. We are filled with data, evidence, and tangible proof. Yet the scriptures and our lives call us to embrace something deeper, something that
28:58 is bigger than the visible, which would be faith. What is faith? It's not a blind leap into the unknown, nor is it a naive optimism. Just like the author of Hebrews 11
29:10 1 tells us, it is an unseen confidence in the battles of life, a true knowing that holds us when everything around us feels like crumbling. I like to think of Abraham
29:22 when he left a homeland for a place unknown. I also think Moses, leading a nation through a desert with only a promise. Think of the other God fearing people throughout
29:34 history and even in our own lives, trying to demonstrate something better. Not because they had all the answers, but because they had a solid faith in something bigger than themselves, faith.
29:47 Faith allows us to see beyond what we could ever imagine. When something threatens to overwhelm us, such as problem with family, money, or health, faith gives us whispers
29:59 of hope. When injustice seems to triumph, faith reminds us of a righteous God. When we face loss, faith points us to eternal life. It's the lens through
30:11 which we see God's hand at work, even when the path is made unclear. Amen. But faith is not passive. It calls us action. It helps us to step out, to trust, and
30:22 obey even when it's difficult or uncomfortable. It's a mustard seed that through small those small can grow into a mighty tree. It's the grain of truth that when
30:33 nurtured can move mountains. In a world thirsting for instant gratification and quick results, let us patiently gather our faith. Let us lean into what we cannot see,
30:45 trusting in God who is faithful, true, and good. For is it an unseen savior, this conviction of not things seen that will keep us, secure
30:57 us, guide us, and ultimately lead us to heaven? So faith to me as a seventh grader means believing that God will come through for you in any type of need. When I was about 9 years
31:08 old when I was about 9 years old, I was in a very bad car accident. I have faith that God will keep me safe. That night, I left with only a bruise on my wrist.
31:20 For me, a middle schooler with faith is hard, but it's all worth it in the end. Whenever I'm in a season of hardship, I have faith that God will get me through,
31:32 whether it's be passing an exam or something bigger, like coming out of a terrible crack accident with only a bruise on my wrist. It's the same faith that carries me through and ultimately
31:44 trusting God that everything will be okay. I invite you all to challenge yourself to grow your faith, whether it's tying a little a little bit more or reading your bible a little bit more, or even
31:56 trusting God when you're just having a hard time in a lost world. What I'm trying to say is faith means trusting in God even when you don't know the outcome. With that being said, let's
32:08 go ahead and pray. Dear Jesus, I ask that you bring all these people to your glory and your faith, and I ask that you help them with every season of hardship
32:20 they're going through, whether it be happy or whether it be sad. In Jesus mighty name I pray, amen.
32:36 Alright. Good job, Tania. Let's give it up for Tania 1 more time. Phenomenal. Good job. I think all I knew in seventh grade, and
32:48 my dad was a pastor, I think all I knew was father Abraham had many because she's like, yeah. And I'm gonna get challenged, but that's okay. I got I'm like, my goodness. Alright. In such
33:00 depth. It's incredible. Seventh grade. Thank you so much. Last but not least, representing really our our high school ministry, but going into our college ministry. Noah just
33:11 graduated from high school. He's 17 years old, and this fall, he's about to start at Cal Baptist University. And so we're so excited for him. So let's give it up for Noah Huizo who's coming up
33:23 here right now.
33:35 Good evening church. How's everyone feeling? That's very well. I'm glad to see all of you here today whether it's in the sanctuary, outside in the foyer, or whether you're online. It's a pleasure to have you all here
33:46 with us. But I just wanna thank, first and foremost, I just wanna thank leadership for choosing me to speak here today. I pray that the message will be delivered with power and I have faith that the Holy Spirit's gonna
33:56 move within these next few moments. We're gonna get right into it because I am on a bit of a time crunch so over these Yeah. 5 minutes 5 minutes is rough, 5 minutes is rough. So
34:09 over these next few minutes I have with you, I'm gonna go over a few main points that's really gonna tie into this big idea of how you live should reflect who you follow. With the first point being, live a life of
34:21 obedience. In Philippians chapter 1 verse 27 it says, just 1 thing as citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of worthy of the gospel, then whether I come and see you or
34:33 am absent, I will hear about you that you are standing firm in 1 spirit and 1 accord, contending together for the faith of the gospel. Now, here we see that the apostle Paul is trying to write to the church that their
34:44 lifestyle should reflect the principles and teachings of the gospel regardless of any opposition they may face. But 1 part of this verse that I want us to focus on for a quick moment is when he says the words, stand
34:55 firm. And as a believer, 1 of the hardest parts about living out our walk for Christ is the dedication to do it consistently. In the gospels, Jesus says himself that you must
35:07 deny yourself and take upon your own cross daily in order to follow him. And, you know, that that we see that the life of a disciple is 1 that comes at
35:19 a cost, you know. It's not easy to follow Jesus especially in this day and age. But this is where the concept of discipline comes into play. Oh, sorry. Forgot
35:31 my point for there for a second. Yeah. We see that you have to surrender your need for control so that God can come into your life and give you a renewal that you that only he is capable of giving. Amen?
35:43 Amen. Now, second point I want to mention tonight is maintain integrity. If we look into the Oxford English Dictionary, the definition of integrity is the demonstration of an adherence to
35:55 sound moral principles even when no 1 is watching. And when I think about the word integrity, all I think about is when, you know, my dad used to tell me every day before school that the way I act around
36:06 him should be the same way that I act around my friends on campus. And even though for a long time I didn't, just being honest, that message started to resonate with me more and more as
36:18 I got deeper with my faith because as I reflect on those moments, just as my dad wanted my character to be the same even when he was not around, how much more does our heavenly father want us to behave like his children
36:30 regardless of who we are with or wherever we may be? Titus 2 7, got to go to it. Titus 2 7 states, in everything, make yourself an example
36:42 of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. See, just as Titus was instructed to represent Christ well in everything that he did, so are we obligated to be a
36:54 good example to those who may not know Jesus by the way that we carry ourselves. As citizens of heaven, we must live out what we proclaim to be the truth. But more than self
37:06 accountability, the question is, what image are you portraying to others? In this moment, I want you to be honest and reflect on your own personal life and ask yourself the question, are you glorifying God
37:18 even when there are no eyes on you? Because I'll tell you this, don't waste your time telling others about Jesus if you're still living a heathens lifestyle.
37:33 Your words, they're gonna fall on deaf ears because to an unbeliever, if there's nothing special or different about the way that you live your life, then there must be nothing special or different about the God that you
37:42 serve. And that's why it's so important going back to the big idea of how you live has to show who you follow. It's non negotiable because nowhere in scripture does it say
37:54 that there is a middle ground between heaven or hell. It's either you are all in for Christ or you are all out. And sometimes it's easy for us as Christians
38:06 to want to choose which part of the Lord's teachings that we're going to follow. But you know, we talk big and we say that we want God to be Lord over our life, and we say all these sweet things to the
38:17 ear, but only in the areas that we're willing to surrender to. And see the mindset you have to adjust yourself to is that this perfect word
38:29 shouldn't have to change for you. It's you that has to change for the teachings of God. Don't deceive yourselves into thinking today that,
38:41 you know, just because you show up to church on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays, you know, you clap your hands during worship and you listen to the sermons or because you have that that verse in your Instagram bio, don'tShow more
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