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August 31, 2025 · 39 min · Patria Sermons
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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
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0:00 Amen. Well, like we've said so many times, we make it we make it easy to succeed at a0:07 bun at abundant at Patreon and hard to fail with so many life giving programs. And there are just so many that minister to all ages, all demographics, all0:18 situations, and all places in our lives. It's more than just simply open on Sundays. We are literally open 7 days a week. So you don't have to perish.0:30 Take advantage of so many of these programs. Now the what'd you say? The young adults? Is that what it's called? Young adults? And you said everybody's welcome. I'm sure there's a cut off age.0:43 So I'm glad they're forewarning us because I'm gonna get my hair dyed, I'm gonna get some Botox treatment, and I'm gonna sneak in and they will never ever know. But I think I'm past that age.0:54 Hey, I'm so glad that you are here today, and I'm really, really excited about ministering this word. And we we don't we're not a church of1:06 philosophies and theories and ideals. That can't change anybody. It may make you feel good. It may last a minute. We're about the gospel, the bible. That is the only thing that can1:17 just simply radically change a transformation in our lives. And that's what we're gonna preach from, and that's where we found ourselves from. Seek the lost and teach the found. That's that1:29 bible that you and I have. And so, I'm really, really excited. In this season that I'm in, it's really neat because back then, I mean, went from, you know, a a1:41 Sunday to a Wednesday to a Sunday to Wednesday. So, my prep time was like 2 days or 3 days. Now, in the rotation that I'm in, I get to live with a message like a1:52 month. And that's really, really cool to hear the Holy Spirit every day expressing and giving fresh thoughts. I'm just so grateful that, you know, it's just like, do you want2:04 fast food or do you want a home cooked meal? And I'm just so grateful for the team and pastor Adam giving me this message to preach. It's gonna correlate with tomorrow, correlates with2:16 what you have in front of you, but it really more than ever will speak to you. If you're in the titles, I'm just simply titling this message sticky water. Sticky2:28 water. Would you stand on your feet and we're gonna read. Now, as we read, I want you to identify in this story. What in this story though it talks about a man, does it2:40 Do you identify with in your conversion? In you coming to faith with Jesus? Is there more similarities of Saul in your conversion or there more radical2:52 differences? Let the scriptures, this is powerful, speak to you today because they wanna say something to you today. Then Saul, still breathing out threats and3:03 murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him or permission, authoritative papers from the synagogue of3:15 Damascus so that if they found anyone who were of the way, which is what they called Christians back then, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. He was a modern3:27 day terrorist or bounty hunter. That's what he was. As he journeyed, he came near Damascus suddenly. Say that word with me. Suddenly. Suddenly. Okay.3:38 Here's where it happens now. Here's the conversion. See if there's anything about your conversion coming of faith in Jesus that parallels this. A light shined all around him from heaven. He3:51 fell to the ground and he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And he said, who are you, Lord? Then the Lord said to him, I4:02 am Jesus whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goats. So he trembling and astonished said, watch4:14 this, Lord, what do you want me to do? Then the Lord said to him, arise, go into the city and you will be told, watch this, what you must do. And4:25 Ananias, we're jumping a little ahead. Ananias went his way and he entered the house, laying his hands on him. He said, brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road as you came sent4:37 me that you might receive your sight, be filled with the Holy Ghost spirit. Immediately fell from his eyes something like scales. He received his sight at once. He4:49 arose and was water baptized. So he so when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.5:01 You may be seated. I wanna just challenge you today, if we're not watchful, we can allow our conversion. We can allow our faith in Christ. We can allow being5:12 spirit filled. We can allow salvation in our lives in Christ to just be a moment rather than a lifetime. An experience rather than a lifestyle. An event5:24 rather than any divine encounter with Jesus Christ. It is a belief but not a behavior or we could challenge ourselves and sometimes it's only a part time relationship rather than a full time5:36 commitment. We celebrate water baptism. It it's a sign of of transformation. It's a sign 1 of signs of revival taking place. But we've gotta make sure that5:48 we recognize this is more than an event to be baptized. This is an encounter with Jesus. What are we gonna do when we come out of the water? What have I done since I've been water baptized?6:01 Has it just become an event? Is it just an experience? Is it just entertainment? Or is there something far greater that's supposed to happen? Let me just show you a little chart. I had some fun with6:13 this chart making it up. They're they're just different types of Christians maybe in their conversion. We'll just call this the conversion chart. Number 1 conversion Christian, notice on the top is where they got6:25 baptized and watch the direction it goes. Boom. They went back into the world, had no fruit, no no recognition of salvation. The other 1, they got saved but they flatlined.6:37 They're not growing. They have never ever grown in their faith. They were a baby in the Lord and they will die as a baby in the Lord. Third type of Christian. This Christian is up and they're down. They6:48 grow, they're in the church and then they, you know, back into the world, little bit of prodigalism, not sure I'm saved, don't wanna tithe. Yeah, I wanna tithe. I wanna serve. No, I'm not7:00 gonna serve right now. I'm into prayer. I'm not in a And then there's the fourth, and this is what Jesus expects of all of us, That we grow, and then we might plateau, but then we're gonna grow7:12 again. And we might plateau and we grow again. That's what true salvation, discipleship, born again experience is supposed to look like for every7:24 single 1 of us. So very quickly, I'm gonna give us 5 markings from the text that we just read because there were 5 things to me, there's much more, that7:35 distinguishes Saul's conversion or Paul's conversion that we will eventually know him by that ought to be very very distinguishable to us. When we read that story, we ought to say7:47 that's my story too. Amen. Amen. It's my story too. Very very similar to what happened. So here are the markings. How many of you recognize let let just by show of7:59 hands, how many of you were born with a birthmark? There's some kind of birthmark on you. Raise your hand. Okay. Mostly everybody has a birthmark. I have 1 on this calf and8:11 I have 1 on the ankle. When I was a little baby, that's there. When I die and go to be with Jesus, it's there. It's not erasable, it is my birthmark. I'm8:23 gonna give you 5 birthmarks of being a new creation in Christ Jesus. Challenge yourself. I I may be missing some marks and I I gotta be rebranded,8:35 man. Yes. I need those marks. So watch what I'm gonna say right now because they're all taken from the story that you just read. In verse number 6, it said, when Jesus appeared8:46 to Saul, 1 of his first reactions was a trembling, an astonishment. Marking number 1 is do I possess a trembling and astonishment, an8:58 awe, and a reverence for Jesus and to Jesus. Am I awed by him? Far greater than the Laker game or the Dodger game or9:10 money or sex or anything I could get on. Does he awe me? Is there an astonishment toward him? Does he blow my mind? Does he captivate me? Am I overwhelmed by who he is?9:22 Or is it just a casual indifference? A non emotional blase feeling? A yawning of boredom?9:34 An unenthusiastic attitude? Or just simply my faith in Christ is an erasable novelty that's taking place in my life. I don't know about9:46 you, I don't want it to wear out. You know, there's aspirin that are 4 hour aspirin. There's aspirins that are 6 hour aspirins. Now they have aspirins that are 12 hour aspirins. But the reality is you9:57 gotta take another aspirin eventually. Right. Right. And I I don't want anything that when I come to faith in Christ to wear off. As I grow in my faith, I wanna be more passionate. I wanna be10:09 more surrendering. I wanna be more giving. I wanna be a greater witness for Christ, not deteriorate. I want him to get the best and the extra today and then10:21 tomorrow and the next day. Right. Yes. And I don't just want this to be an aspirin that puts me on a high for 4 or 6 hours and then, you know, then I gotta take it again. The second10:33 marking is this. I love this 1. It's moved me for many many years. The first response, the first response, out of this10:45 financial man of status, highly intellectual educated person, person of position and status. The first thing10:57 out of his mouth was, Lord, what do you want me to do for you? Not, what are you gonna do for me? Yes. It breaks my heart that modern11:09 Christianity revolves around what is Jesus gonna do for me, and then I'll decide what level of service I'll give to him. We forget who works for11:21 who. We forget who serves who. We forget who died on the cross for who. And this man, the first thing out of his lips11:33 was, Lord, what do you want me to do? And if I don't have that marking in my life, then I am astonished and overwhelmed by who he is. He captivates me.11:44 And the second thing is if I'm not driven by, Lord, what do you want me to do that I must do? I have to do it to show appreciation, to show indebtedness, to show gratitude11:56 for saving me from hell itself and damnation and judgment. You love me enough to die for me. Lord, he says, what do you want me to12:08 do? This statement is a statement of absolute commitment from his lips, Absolute consecration from his life and absolute conviction that this is what I'm gonna12:20 do. This statement comes with immediate submission, immediate obedience, immediate surrender, and immediate yielding. It doesn't take him a year and 512:31 years and 10 years before he decides how he's gonna serve the Lord. It is immediately I'm gonna serve the Lord. Why is it do we have so much delayed?12:43 I'll pray about it. I'm gonna get around to it. I'm not there yet. I don't have that marking. I'm missing a piece. I gotta read be rebranded because this12:55 is what Saul possessed in his life. There were no trying attempting for a while or sometimes that was going on in his life. At that moment he was fully married to13:07 Jesus. He wasn't dating Jesus. He was married to him. Here's the third marking that I find fascinating in this story that you and13:19 I may look at and I'm gonna read a couple of scriptures to you to help us with this next point. And the next point is taken, from, let me read it. First Timothy 113:31 19. Cling to your faith in Christ and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their conscience. When the greatest13:42 gift God gives you is a conscience. It's the point of conviction when you are sensing to do wrong or you've done wrong. But sometimes we violated our conscience so much by13:54 doing wrong, it doesn't speak to us anymore. It's not sharp, it's dull. Where I used to be convicted by watching those programs. I used to be convicted by talking that14:06 way. It doesn't bother me no more. I become a byproduct of culture. That which used to prune me and convict me has become dull. 1 of the greatest things you say, God, don't14:18 let me get away with nothing. So he said, some people delivery violate their conscience. As a result, watch this, their faith has become shipwrecked.14:31 Shipwrecked. They become grounded. They become shipwrecked. And so the third marking that I'd like to challenge us with here today is when we don't allow sticky waters,14:43 attitudes, actions, and lifestyles to be a product in our lives, we could be guilty of just simply not serving him and not in service. We're shipwrecked when14:55 we should be sailing the ocean seas in service to God. Not grounded and docked in a port, but out there doing something for God, making an impact, making a difference.15:08 Helping people, praying for people, loving the hell out of people, letting our light shine. We're shipwrecked, we're docked, we're ported. And he said there's gonna come a time15:20 where that happens. Another 1 says this in first Timothy 4 and verse number 1. Now the spirit speaks expressly that in latter times which we are living in, some15:32 shall depart from their faith. Listen to spirits of error and doctrines of demons departing from people who are once on fire, once went to church, once tithe, once served, once15:43 said, hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Where are they? Where are they? There's a modern day, I'm making up a word today,15:55 prodigalism. Prodigalism. Prodigalism is once upon a time Christians. Used to be Christians, not doing16:07 anything anymore for Christ. And we've got to make sure that we don't shipwreck our faith or we don't depart from our faith Because the bible is explicit here today, and16:19 I'm gonna just give you biblical terms today. We won't turn to them. We don't have time. But the bible describes people like this. They say they're wayward. They're deserters. They're16:30 backsliders. They're hypocrites. Apathy is coming into their life. Apostasy is into their life. They fall away and they turn away.16:42 How many of you like like how many of you have tattoos? Anybody have tattoos? Don't be ashamed if you got tattoos. You got tattoos. Okay. Cool. Let me ask you, are your tattoos washable? They wash away?16:56 Are your tattoos forever?16:58 Yes.16:59 Okay. How many of you ever had your kids, your grandkids come over your house and they they wrote on your walls, but they didn't use washable markers? They used permanent.17:11 There's a vast difference between something being washable and something being permanent. And that's what we've got to guard against. As for me and my house,17:23 I'll watch out for me and you watch out for you. That you do not become apathetic toward the gospel. Become an apostasy in your life. Depart from the faith. Become a prodigal in your life. That17:35 is your responsibility. God will grace you. He'll convict you. He he gives you the tools to do it, but it's up to you to begin to do that. The fourth marking that I think is huge is found in17:47 Psalms 1 0 6. In Psalms 1 0 6, I love this scripture, says, and he gave them their request but sent leanness to their souls.17:59 Marking number 4 is that we can forget who Jesus is to us. So don't forget who he is to you.18:11 In this teaching today, in the in the scriptures that we read, the Saul asked, who are you, Lord? And he tells him, I am18:23 Jesus. And and if you're if if you and I are not watchful, we forget who he is. We forget who he is.18:35 Notice the first words out of his mouth, Lord, master, ruler, and boss of my life, what do you want me to do and what is it that18:47 I must do? He knew no matter how bad I am, this Jesus right now, this Jesus that has a light that's blinding18:59 me, this Jesus that's knocking me off my horse, this Jesus where someone has to take me by the hand and lead me, this Jesus that takes away19:10 my appetite that I have no desire to eat for 3 days, I wanna know who he is. So you can't forget. So I have to ask19:22 you today, no matter where you who is Jesus to you? What is Jesus to you? Because that governs how we'll live for him. Yes. Right. Who is19:34 he to you? What is he to you? I'm gonna share with you just a few of the names. Jehovah means God. So, here's some of the names. His his name is19:46 Jehovah Elohe, which means the Lord my God. Jehovah Eloheic, which means the Lord your God. Jehovah Elohim, which means the eternal creator. His name is19:57 Jehovah Ilion, which means the Lord most high. He is Jehovah Hosanna, which means the maker. He's Jehovah Jireh, your provider. He's Jehovah Mecadish, your sanctifier. Jehovah20:09 Nissi, your banner. Jehovah Rohi, your shepherd. He is Jehovah Rapha, your healer. Jehovah Shabbat, your Lord of Host. He's Jehovah Shalom, the Lord of your peace. Jehovah20:21 Shammah, the Lord that is there. Jehovah to Sidkenu, the Lord your righteousness. That's just a few of the names of20:33 God. Who is he to you? What is he to you? Will determine the level of service that that I will give to him. See, in this story, we20:44 recognize that this Lord saved Saul. This Lord spoke to Saul. This Lord stopped Saul in his tracks. This Lord sanctified and cleansed him and delivered him. And, this Lord sent20:56 him in a whole another direction and told him, I will tell you the things you will suffer for my name's sake. And without taking going21:08 too far, if there's not an element of suffering in your Christian faith, you're missing something. And when I say suffering, I'm not talking about that he wants you to suffer for something that he paid for on21:20 the cross. But I'm telling you, if there's not a self denial suffering, if you're not willing to be mocked and ridiculed, if you're not willing to be ostracized, if you're not willing to be judged, if you're not21:32 willing to make separations in your life and distinguishes in your life, then you are not suffering. And he tells this young believer, Saul, I will tell you the things you must suffer for my name's sake.21:44 But the Bible says count it all joy. God, in my flesh, I don't want to, but I lay it down and I suffer in your name, God. I don't wanna forgive those people21:56 that offend me, God, but I'll suffer in your namesake, God. God, I really wanna be selfish right now, but God, I'm gonna lay down that attitude, and I'm gonna suffer and obey you in the22:08 name of Jesus. Whatever that looks like, it's clear to tell to tell us what that might look like. So here's the reality. We cannot lose our22:20 hunger and thirst for him. It's not a 1 time adventure. It's a lifetime. It's every day. We we we can't lose our hunger and thirst. And we lose our hunger and thirst for22:31 Jesus because we're feeding too much on the world. Man, if I'm checking out every woman on my job, checking her out from day man, I ain't checking my wife out22:43 when I when I go home. My eyes are tired. I'm sorry for being so graphic,22:55 but you've lost We lose our hunger and thirst for God because we've been feeding on other things. Being on all this kind How many of you know when you were kids, you've eaten all this snack food and you get home and your23:04 parents say, it's time to eat and you say, I'm not hungry. They knew you were eating on snack food all day long, and we've been eating on snack foods all day long. We lost our hunger for God. Then we can't lose our23:14 seeking him. I've lost my seeking him because I'm seeking something else. I lost my seek for him because I'm not interested like I should be. Do not lose our repentance toward23:26 him by becoming callous about sin. Sin is sin and call it sin. Amen. And I I I know it's not popular today, but it's popular toward God.23:37 Amen.23:38 And it's there. Not not to judge anyone, but for our own convictions and our own transformation. And then we can't lose our hotness, which the bible talks about becoming23:50 lukewarm and just simply being average and comfortable. And then we can't lose our love for God by allowing it to grow cold or distant. In the last scripture, the scripture I read to you24:01 is we gotta remain fat in the Lord and not allow ourselves to become lean and weak. There's nothing like seeing an animal that's lean. It looks like24:13 it's it's dying. It has no strength. It has no power. We're to be fat, powerful, full of the Holy Spirit ready to do damage against the kingdom of darkness.24:26 I want you to watch the screen just for a minute. I want you to see what this old timer said about what I'm talking about today. Watch this clip.24:35 If I knew that Christ was coming tomorrow, do you know what I'd do? I'd do just what I'm doing today. We ought to live every day just as though the Lord's coming. You ought to have your bags24:46 packed and ready. You ought to not have your roots too deep. You ought to not have too big a bank account to worry about. That's the reason the Bible says we're to give to the24:58 poor and we're to give to the church and we're to give to Christian work. We're to be stewards. Be packed and ready.25:14 Still moves me. Still relevant today. Still a good word today. Am I packed and am I ready? Because when Jesus comes back25:26 and you hear the trumpet, the voice of the archangel, there ain't no time to say, God, I need to repent. I need to go to confession. Lord Jesus, forgive me of this big old bottle in my hand that I'm drinking. Forgive me25:37 of sleeping with someone that I'm not married to. God, forget. There ain't no time. You ought to be packed and ready. You're living like he's25:49 coming today, right now, tonight. That's what conversion looks like in the last point. Marking number 5, the key to all in and sticky waters is 1 word.26:01 It's called faithful. It means to be reliable, to have endurance in our lives, dependable, trustworthy and consistent. The bible says, it is required of a steward that he be26:13 found faithful. The bible says, the famous words in Matthew 25, well done thou good and faithful servant. Paul says my life is at end26:25 and I'm gonna be poured out as a drink offering. I have fought the good fight of faith. I have finished the course and I've kept the faith. He's ready to go home. And what26:36 sums up my life and what will sum up your life, your Christian life, your conversion, your water baptism, your church life, being spirit filled and full of the holy ghost. Was I faithful to26:48 God? Yes. Was I faithful to him? At the end of the day, was I faithful? We27:00 can put the word can we put the word faithful in front of all our titles, positions, duties, responsibilities? So think about all the titles you have. Think about all the duties you have today. Think about all the27:11 responsibilities today. Can you insert the word faithful in front of that title of responsibility? Are you a faithful employee? Are you a faithful employer?27:23 Am I a faithful father? Am I a faithful husband? Am I a faithful Christian brother? Am I a faithful church member to patriot? Whatever you do, can I27:35 put the word faithful in front of that title, that duty, or that responsibility? Because the the truth is this and it'll go on the screen to show you, will you remain faithful27:47 or will you just start off faithful? In the air is that when you come to faith, oh Jesus, I love you. You're everything to me. I'm sold out for Jesus. I got passion. Well, let's see you27:59 40 years down the road what you're shouting about. Because any endeavor that we have in life, why do we come out of the gate with the greatest passion and only peters out?28:11 Will we remain faithful when when the things we're committed to just get boring? I'm tired of it. Tired of going to church, tired of being married to this spouse, tired of reading my bible, tired. Will you remain28:23 faithful when things get bored? When things get difficult and hard and just, I didn't expect this, I didn't sign up for this, will you still be faithful? And last of all, when you are under attack,28:35 financial attack, marital attack, demonic attack, will you remain faithful? That's what faithfulness looks like under all those circumstances.28:47 So, 1 more quote and then I wanna end with a story. Faithfulness doesn't always equate to fun. God didn't call us to live by what is fun,28:59 but what is faithful. Amen. Let that resonate for you. He never promised you fun. I will tell you the things you29:11 must do. I will show you the things you must suffer. Now we thank God for the joy. We thank God for the victories. I mean, we we thank God for the abundant life. But where29:23 is fun? Sacrificing, yielding, surrendering, obeying, witnessing, and discipline and all that. That that's not always fun.29:36 But God didn't tell me, make your decisions based on what is fun. And if it's not fun for you, then don't do it anymore. I never called you, God would say, to fun. I called you to faithfulness.29:51 Called you to faithfulness. In in the early 19 hundreds, true story you could look it up. They were called 1 way missionarians. They they often remind30:03 me of my friend Mike Keyes with 20 dollars after he graduated from the bible school that I went to. With 20 dollars in his pocket and a paid 1 way ticket, he went to Philip the Philippines and30:15 built his ministry there. There was a time in the early 19 hundreds they were called 1 way missionarians. They would go to remote villages, remote30:26 jungles, and remote places where there was a tradition of martyrdom there, headhunters there, cannibalisms there. But they felt convicted to share the30:37 gospel with these people that needed to hear about the love of Jesus. And so they'd only have 1 way tickets because when the time got when the times got tough, they30:49 did not wanna take that return ticket and just go home. They only had a 1 way ticket. That's all they paid for. In fact, when they shipped their stuff, they shipped it in a wooden coffin.31:01 Because they said, I am willing to die on the mission field. And so that the people that kill me, at least they could put me in this wooden box. What dedication? What31:13 dedication? I'm just telling you guys, this is what our conversions, our water baptisms, our salvation, our faith in Jesus. The markings of Saul ought to be the31:25 markings of our lives. Father, I thank you for the message today and I don't know where it lands in people's lives, oh God. But God, we we pray Lord that we are progressing in our31:37 faith. We are growing in our faith, oh God. Our lives are not in neutral. Our lives are not in pause. And God, if there's anyone here today, oh God, that just31:49 senses I I I'm not there. I feel like I'm missing some pieces of conviction there. I ask that you place them in people today.32:00 Father, in the name of Jesus, Lord, give everyone a personal relationship with you. Let every person that desires it see who you really are, oh God. Know who you really are, oh God.32:13 And feel the overwhelming passion to serve you. There's no greater joy and no greater honor than to be called a child of God, a servant of the most high. Father,32:25 this clock is ticking. Boy, is it going fast, oh God. A day, a month, a year, it's flying by, oh God. What is that saying? What is that saying to us, oh God?32:38 We are the generation, God, that will usher into your presence. I don't know that a 7 year old is going to see a 90 year 90 90 year old birthday, God. I32:50 think you're coming back soon. We wanna have our bags packed, but we also wanna occupy until you come, God. Father, let this33:01 relationship with you drive every aspect of our lives. Forgive us of sleeping on the job. Forgive us of being comfortable,33:13 God. Forgive us of being mediocre, God. Forgive us of being bored with you, o God. I ask that you revive personal relationships with you, would you33:24 with that you revive personal relationships that people have with you, oh God. I pray that they can't wait to get into your presence, Lord, our33:36 world needs more people that spend time with you. And through spending time with you, you begin to rub off on us. And like the early church, they took notice that they had been with Jesus. We33:48 need people to acknowledge there's something different about you, and we'll know it's because I've spent time with my Jesus. We pray for that marking, a distinguishable34:00 marking that separates us from all the other coworkers, from all the other neighbors, oh God, from all the other strangers, oh God, that marking in our lives. In Jesus'34:12 name, amen. Amen. Well, before we leave this place today, thank you for coming to church today. But nowhere in the Bible does it say if you go to church, you go to heaven.34:24 It's not found in your Bible. Notice it says if you don't cuss and you don't drink, you'll go to heaven. It's not found in your Bible. It does say if you're a religious person and you're a34:36 spiritual person and you do beads and rosaries and you do candles and crystals, you'll go to heaven. Show me where it says that. The reality is this is that you34:48 can't earn your way into heaven and you can't earn your way out of hell. It was Jesus died on the cross that gives us entrance into heaven and allows us to35:00 escape from hell. And if you can't remember 1 moment in your lifetime when you said I'm a sinner and I repent of my sins, you could be like me. I I spent 17 years in35:11 Catholicism. I went to 8 years of Catholic school. I did my confirmation. I thought I would become a priest, but if I were to die, I would have split hell wide open. Because I had a relationship with35:23 religion, and I didn't have a relationship with Jesus Christ. I went to church, and then when I left church, I did whatever I wanted to do. Never thought about Christ35:35 other than Easter or Christmas or when I went to mass. And there's a lot of religious people who say, I'm okay because I'm good. I'm okay because I'm35:46 moral. The reality is hell is full of a lot of moral people, a lot of religious people, and a lot of good people.35:58 But God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believeth in him would not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send his son into this world to condemn the36:10 world, but that the world through him might be saved. This is your opportunity to get saved or rededicate your life to the Lord. When I count to 3, I'm gonna ask you to raise your hand as high as my36:22 hand and you say, you know what? I'm not sure I'm no. I'm not sure I'm safe. I'm not sure if I was to take my last breath tonight where I'd go. And I wanna make sure I I I know where I'm36:34 going. I wanna make sure I'm safe. I'm gonna take the the uncertainty, the wishy washy, and the mystery out of it. The Bible says, he that hath the son have life. He that hath not the son have not life.36:46 Or you can rededicate your life to the Lord. 1, 2, 1, 2, 3. Wherever you are, raise your hand. God love you. God bless you. Thank you. Thank you so much.36:57 I'm gonna lead you in a prayer. This is kind of between you and Jesus right now. Pretend like you're all by yourself and we're not here. Just say this with me. Say, dear Lord37:09 Jesus, you know who I am and you know everything about me. Can't hide anything from you. If I was to die tonight,37:21 I'm not sure where I'd go, but I wanna make sure. So Jesus, ask you to come into my life. Saw who you were37:32 tonight, and I want you in my life. Transform my life. Deliver my life. Heal my life. Radically change the direction of37:44 my life. I give myself to you. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Thank you so much. Pastor Aaron, you're gonna dismiss us. Amen.37:56 Hallelujah. Let's give it up for our founding pastor. What a brilliant message. 5 new birthmarks. Masterful. Hey. If you just gave your life to Christ, Patriot, we wanna walk38:08 alongside you. So if you look at our screens, you'll see you could pull out your smartphone and put w w w dot grow dot faith. You'll get a book by our founding pastor that talks about next steps in your faith38:19 journey. And speaking of that, the challenge that he gave me in 2010 was come to church for the next year straight and see what God would do in your life. And that we say on a regular38:31 basis. So that's the challenge for us. Maybe more that's your next step. The next 52 Sundays, I'm a commit to coming to church. Amen? Let's all stand to our feet. If you need specific prayer, we'll have a38:43 prayer team that will love to pray for you. I pray generally, you'll be dismissed. Heavenly father, thank you for what you've accomplished through your word. Give us the time to reflect on it and the courage to applyShow more
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