Skip to content How to Step Into Your Purpose - Nehemiah, Part 2 Jan 12 · 51 min ...more
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Empowering multimedia ministry for bold Christian living: Weekend Messages, Deep End Podcast, Deep Dive Bible Study. Tim Hatch, Lead Pastor, Waters Church, 26 years of pastoral ministry, book author.
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0:00 You are listening to Waters Church podcast. Waters Church is a multisite, multigeneration community of faith on the East Coast of America. Now for a message from our pastor.0:13 Nehemiah chapter 3, I wanna talk to you on the topic of how God builds your life. I want God to build my life. I I I think about the term0:25 building. When you're built, you're stronger. How many of you would like, the problems of 20 24 to not be problems in 200:36 25? Amen to that. Now did you ever think about that maybe they won't be problems because God took them away, but because he made you0:48 stronger? And I have found in my life that's usually how how God throws down with my challenges. He1:00 doesn't take them away. They are his educational tool by which I get better and stronger. And1:12 this chapter in Nehemiah 3, which again reads like, you know, the Jerusalem phone book, is actually filled with with this lesson1:23 of of how God gets you built up. Now if you're new to the bible and you're wondering, what are we talking about? Nehemiah, I even understand. Okay. This is,1:35 is an incredibly historic moment for the ancient Jewish people. The Jews are still around. They've been around for 3500 years. Their story is a picture of our story in the Old1:47 Testament. And they went through a season where their country deteriorated spiritually, morally. God gave them over to their enemies, the Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzar, very1:59 famous name in the bible, came in, destroyed their city, tore down their walls, burned their temple, and took their sons captive. Some of those sons you know, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. Right? And so they were2:09 there for 70 years. God raised up a king named Cyrus of Persia, a pagan king, who, decreed, this is in the book of Ezra, it's in the end of second Chronicles, that the Jews, if they wanted to2:21 go back, they could go back to their home, back to Jerusalem, and rebuild. This was very rare. I don't think it ever happened to any other nation ever in history. It just kind of confirmed the truth that the Jews are2:32 God's people. God was involved and is involved in their story to this day. So 1 of the people that goes back is named Ezra, and that's the book before Nehemiah. Now we pick it up on Nehemiah, and Nehemiah has a special2:44 purpose. The Ezra goes back to rebuild the temple or refine the temple. It was already rebuilt, but it needed refining. And Nehemiah goes back to rebuild the walls, and this happens around2:55 455 BC. 455 BC. Now these walls had been, again, destroyed by the Babylonians in 5 86 BC, and ever since then, they had been3:07 tossed, scattered, demolished. The city was a shadow of what had formerly been. It was, open to invasion. In fact, it had been3:19 many times invaded. People had no safety. They didn't feel at ease. You couldn't really live there in peace because without a wall, a city has no protection. And without a border, a country has no3:30 protection, and I know our country has no idea what that's about. But this is the ancient world. It was even worse back then, and so raiders could come steal your property. No protection whatsoever. So3:42 Nehemiah's calling to go back to the city of Jerusalem and rebuild the walls essential. Essential for the survival of the Jewish people and the safety of the people in the city. And I wanna put a picture up here3:54 of Nehemiah's wall because I want you to get your frame of reference for what this man did. The this is a picture of the outline of the city of Jerusalem around 4 55 BC.4:06 Of course, it's not exact. Nobody really knows exactly where everything was. This is an estimate. Even to this day, and I've been to Jerusalem, they are still digging. Jerusalem is a constant archaeological dig every4:16 day. So they're still finding out facts about where things were. But what happens in this chapter, Nehemiah 3, 7 gates and 35 secondtions of wall. That's 42 different projects4:28 completed by 41 different groups of people done in 52 days. And you should be saying, well, that's a major4:40 project. That's 2 and a half miles of wall, and this is not like the stone walls that we're familiar with in America. This wall would have been 20 feet high and 12 feet thick. And4:52 so you you have to understand this enormous job that Nehemiah gets done. He gets it done by organizing God's people and getting everyone5:04 to do their job. Did you ever think about this? You've got a job in the kingdom of God. God did not save5:16 you to just sit here as if this is like the holy waiting room for heaven, and then 1 day your number is called and and you die and you go. Right? You don't wanna5:28 do that. You know, we're not here just waiting to die. We are the people of life. Our God is the God of the living, not the dead. Amen. Yeah. And and5:39 so I also want you to think about the frame of reference historically for this job getting done. I said the walls were destroyed in 5 86 BC. I said Nehemiah's doing this in 45:51 55 BC. That's 100 and you ever think about it? That's 130 years. That's 130 years. The walls were like that.6:02 130 years. And the right man with the right people at the right time undid 130 years of6:14 history in 1 and a half months. The why am I saying that? Don't tell me that this is how your life is always6:26 gonna be. Don't tell me, well, I guess I'm just this kind of person and that's how it's always gonna and don't tell me that Waters Church, this is as far as we go.6:39 And don't tell me this is as far as you go. And some of you, you're in a Nehemiah chapter 3 moment. And I this is a message where you might wanna write some stuff down that's not actually right, you know,6:51 fill in the blanks in your notes, and I encourage that. But you might wanna write this down even though it's not a fill in the blank. Nehemiah chapter 3 is 1 of those chapters that you would be tempted to skip if you're7:02 reading through the bible in a year. It is on appearance boring. But here's what I want you to write down. Do not despise the boring moments of life.7:14 God is still working. I don't know if I can imagine a more boring life than Moses' second act. Moses' life, exists in 37:25 40 year acts. Act 1, the Egyptian palace adopted son of Pharaoh. And we've seen the movies and he's out there chariot racing with Ramses and they're jivin' and they're jivin' and they're having7:37 fun and they're doing a thing and I'm sure he had all the things, wine, women, and song and he was loving life. Kills a guy, runs for his life, act 2. Act 2, 40 years7:50 of wilderness wandering watching over his father in law's sheep in the backside of a desert. Now I just brushed over. I think think about it. I just brushed over 4 decades of8:01 Moses' life with a sentence. Many know it's 1 thing to talk about 40 years on the backside of a desert watching sheep? It's another thing to live 40 years on the backside of the desert watching somebody else's sheep.8:12 Every day, wake up, bathe, go to bed, wake up, bathe, bathe.8:24 For 40 years in the desert. Act 3 begins on a particular day when Moses woke8:36 up bathed, and God said, take off your shoes. And everything changed.8:48 Don't despise your boring moments. 1 day, God's gonna say, today's the day. Take off your shoes. Because, you know, when we wanna9:00 get somewhere, we put on our shoes. When we want God to bring us there, he says take off your shoes. I'm gonna bring you where you can't bring yourself. So don't rely on what you9:12 prepare, I've been preparing, and right now some of you need to listen to me. You're in the preparation boring stage. Don't despise it. Young people, school can be so boring.9:24 Can it? Young amens? Anybody? Could be they're they're too shy to say amen. I get it. It could be boring. But if you do it right, school can set you up for your future.9:36 Yeah? Prayer can be boring, but if you do it right, it can set you up for your future. Sometimes marriage can be boring. Don't say amen. Nobody. Don't say amen. Don't say amen.9:48 You can get to that place where you're just like, is this it? I guess we're just gonna do this now for like 40 years and then die? That's it? Like, it could set you up for your future. Don't10:00 despise boring. Now when Moses brings the people of Israel out of Egypt, 400 years of slavery, talk about boring, and he, with 10 mighty plagues, delivers10:11 them through the mighty hand of God, they get into the wilderness where he had been living for 40 years. And they are there for 40 years10:23 with Moses. What I'm trying to show you is, the 40 years of boring in act 2 of Moses' life set him up for act 3 leading other people10:35 through the boring places, but they're not really boring places. They're places where we learn to hear from God. So I I I just wanna encourage you because some of10:47 us are in the boring place and you're not gonna be you're not in the in the not moving place, not growing place. God is building you. Write this down. God is building his people. Now we say that life10:59 is a, it's a journey, and it is. And we will say that life is a a war, and it is. But have you ever thought about that life is a building project? In fact, might wanna write that down.11:11 Life is a building project. Now I've done many building projects. We have 7 churches. We did a building project to get into this facility. We're in the process of examining some land in Apollo11:22 Beach, Florida to build there. Here's the thing about building projects. There's many stages. Many of them are boring. And I've learned this, you are you will be in several11:34 stages of a building project before you will see anything. And and that's part and parcel of what comes with the whole project. Right now, we are examining.11:46 There's an examining state. We are examining the land we intend to purchase. We're under agreement to purchase, but we're examining to see if we can build on it. That is a very boring11:57 process and no 1 will see a single thing happen on the land. Right? But it's important to make sure we can move forward. Here's where some of you are. You're in the examination process.12:09 God has you in a place where you need to start examining where are you. Where do you need to go? Where do you need to grow? What do you need to change? And that can seem like, well, nothing's happening. That's You're12:20 just in the examination process. But what I find now, what I find from a lot of people in America particularly is you are not taking advantage of the examination period in your life. Do you know12:32 why? Because you are too busy examining everybody else's life. Put this down and start doing some work on you. And they banned TikTok, so you should have time.12:50 What what what we need to understand though, this is God's heart building. Now when it comes to building, I had I counted in the bible and I didn't even realize this until this week that there are13:01 15 plus, at least 15, depending on what you consider, 15 plus building projects in the bible. And I'm talking about physical13:13 things that were built by God's people to save other people. Anybody ever heard of a guy named Noah? He was a builder. He built a boat for 150 years. A big stinking13:25 boat. And because of that boat, humanity was saved. That is a picture of the church. It's a picture of Christ and the church. That Christ is the true ark through whom we are13:37 saved from the wrath of God. And the church is a continuance of that work in that we are the building God has put together to help save people13:49 from the wrath of God, from hell eternally, and transfer them from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his wonderful light. So the scripture says in Ephesians 2 22, in him you also are what? Being14:01 built together. Say those 3 words. Being built together. How? Together. Together. And you're building being built into a dwelling place for God by his spirit.14:13 We are here so that God can dwell among us. People walk out the door of our church every single week, every single week, and they will say, I met God.14:24 Can you imagine a more important privilege than to be a part of building something with other people that gives a14:36 bunch of other people the chance to meet with God? I mean, wow. That's what God is doing here. Now this chapter in14:48 Nehemiah really comes alive when you see the the city of Jerusalem for what it is. The Old Testament you gotta learn how to read the Old Testament. Is types14:59 and shadows of New Testament realities. So it has been said like this. The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed,15:12 and the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed. So Jerusalem is a type and shadow of something the New Testament reveals. Jerusalem, the city,15:24 is a picture of the church. The reason why I know this is because Revelation chapter 21 says that what comes down from heaven is the holy city. Revelation 21 verse 2. The new, what?15:37 Jerusalem. And it is coming down prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. It's a picture of the church. The people who are coming we always think about we're going from here to heaven, but the bible actually ends15:48 with heaven coming to earth. And heaven is coming to earth when Jesus returns. How many know Jesus is coming back? He's all the way. Alright. He's16:00 coming with the saints who have gone before him. And that picture of a city is a picture of what God is going to do 1 day when Jesus cracks the sky and the16:12 archangel shouts and the trumpet blows 1 final time and the cosmic history of the universe culminates in 1 royal16:23 wedding. The king and the church united forever where God dwells in perfect peace and harmony. That's the bible story, and you're part of it.16:35 You're part of it. You are part of this movement. God is building us, how? Together. 1 church in several locations. Thank16:47 God for you. Because, I don't know if you ever noticed this, but you benefit from this church being built. You want the church to grow.16:59 You do. You want it to grow numerically. You want it to grow spiritually. You want it to grow intellectually. You want it to grow in maturity. I want you to be more mature next year. I wanna be more mature17:11 next year. I wanna have stronger faith next year. That's building. That's growing. I also want more people to come to our church next year. I want it hard for people to go to hell wherever Waters Church17:23 exists. And that's that's part of the growth. That's part part of the building. And and and this is the other thing that you write this down so you get this. When you build the church, you are building yourself.17:37 You're the benefit. You get the benefit of a bigger, more mature, stronger, more faith filled, more fruit of the17:49 spirit exhibiting, more gifts of the spirit practicing church. Yeah. Yeah. If you grow, I benefit. Because18:01 a a more generous you is a benefit to me. A more forgiving you is a benefit to me. A more humbler you is a benefit to me.18:13 And vice versa. Get it? Yes. And a bigger church is a benefit to you because that means more people come. And that means more friends and more potential friends. And some of you are praying for18:24 your young ones to have a, you know, godly spouse. And I think about this. That's why you want the church to grow because the godly spouse for your child might not yet be here. You18:36 ever think about that? Oh, now I'm really pushing some buttons, aren't I? Because that that's future spouse for your son that you want desperately that per your son, you want him to marry a godly woman, well, she might18:48 be at the club tonight. Tonight or last night, she was at the club. And, this Tuesday,19:01 she's gonna run into someone in this audience who's gonna say, hey, have you ever gone to church?19:05 And19:07 a destiny is changed. Hey, don't laugh. It could be your girlfriend. Give this man some faith.19:19 Oh, that's your wife. I'm sorry, ma'am. I'm sorry. I'm talking about somebody else. Anyway yeah. When the church does its19:31 job and grows, you benefit. And now I'm thrilled all this to say this because some of you, you've never crossed this line intellectually in our church. Because19:43 I'm always building something as your pastor. I'm always raising money for something. Legacy week, really big things, planting these churches, and you've never made this19:55 connection. That benefits you. That benefits you. Okay? I can't tell you how many times people tell me that they're thinking about going to South Carolina, or they're thinking about going20:07 to Orlando, or they're thinking about moving to Apollo Beach, and they and and and now instead of just going to Florida, we've got family in Florida. Instead of just going to South Carolina, you can have family in South20:17 Carolina. Ain't that good? Yes. I think this is exciting. And that's why you that's why you should give and support it because there's a kickback.20:29 Just you can prove it and and you can feel it and it's tangible. Not even talking about the things that God is gonna supernaturally do in your life as you honor and support the mission of building the church.20:41 When we build the church, we are building ourselves. Physically, numerically, spiritually, inter generationally. And it's a beautiful thing. And that's20:53 the main infrastructure through which God builds your life. Let's talk about 4 points how God builds your life and then we're done. Number 1, start with Jesus.21:05 How does God build my life? Start with Jesus. Because if Jesus is not in your life, you are building wood, hay, and stubble. You are building things that are going to burn21:18 and not last. You can climb to the top rung of the corporate ladder, and without Jesus, all you are is a no name waiting to happen. People are gonna forget you.21:29 Do you know what I love about this chapter? All the names, as difficult as they are to read, do know what I love about it? They're actually there. The names are there. Imagine being21:41 1 of these people in heaven now and listening in on me speaking right now and just saying, comes my name. Do you know how they did it? Because they21:53 participated. Are you gonna be remembered in heaven? I don't care if you're remembered on earth. I care if you're remembered in heaven. His name I mean, his his22:04 records count. His his records last. 2500 years later, we're still reading about Hashem alaiyah. It's amazing. So cool to have your name. I have my22:16 name in the bible. First and second Timothy. That's awesome. Course, he was a bit of a mental case and had a gastrointestinal disorder, but that's for another that's for another22:28 sermon. And and so you you've gotta if you want your life to count, start with Jesus. So here's how it works out in this text. It's verse 1 of22:39 chapter 3. Then Eliashib, the what? High priest. The high priest. What did what did what did Eliashib first do? Rose up. Now remember when I said the old testament is types and22:51 shadows for new testament realities? We have another 1. Not only is Jerusalem a type and shadow of the church, but the high priest is a type and shadow of Jesus. The high priest was the most important spiritual leader in23:02 ancient Israel. He was in charge of the temple. Was charged with sacrifices. He was the 1 who mediated, the sins of the people with God. He took care of it at the day of atonement and and through his mediation, allowed23:13 the people to come and meet with God because of his sacrifice. This is a picture of Jesus. Now right on the first line of this verse, you have a picture of Jesus as well. In the 2 words after thy words high priest, the23:24 high priest did what? The high priest rose up. 2000 years ago, Jesus rose up. You following this? He23:36 rose on the third day. And Hebrews says, Hebrews 4 14 says, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heaven. He didn't just rise up in this atmosphere23:48 of earth. He rose up beyond the universe's atmosphere, that would be the second heaven, into the third heaven, the to into the throne of almighty god the father. And his name23:59 is? Jesus. You know that whenever the pastor says his name is, it's just, you know, 99 percent of the time, the answer is Jesus. You should just shout it out. Feel good. Feel confident.24:13 His name is Jesus. He is our high priest. Now the chapter begins with the high priest getting the work started. And just as Eliashib, the high priest in24:24 Nehemiah chapter 3 started the work and everybody followed, so too in this time, your life starts getting built when it comes to Jesus. The24:37 bible says in Philippians 1 6, he who began a what? Good work in you. Who started the work? Jesus.24:48 Who's gonna finish the work? Jesus. He's the author. He's the finisher of our faith. Hebrews chapter 12. He is the alpha, the omega. The beginning, the first,25:00 and the last. It's all because of him. And I don't care who you think you are. If Jesus is not in your life, you are a25:12 nobody waiting to be forgotten. But if Jesus is in your life, your name is written in the lamb's book of life.25:24 In fact, the scripture says that your name is written on his hand. Now there are billions of people who have come to Christ over the years.25:37 That means that God has a big stinking hand. Lot of names on that sucker. Lot of names. It starts with Jesus. Number 2, God builds your life when you connect to25:49 believing community. You can't just you can't just believe in Jesus, you've got to get connected to the church, to people who love the Lord.26:00 So there's a phrase in verse 3 and 4. I want you to see if you can guess which 1 I'm gonna point out. It's a repeated phrase. Next to Next him.26:16 Next to him. Next to him. 15 times in 34 or 32 verses. How many verses are in this chapter? 32. 15 times in26:28 32 verses we hear next to him. Next to him. Next to him. Next to him. Okay. So I have a question for you. Who are you next to? Now I didn't I didn't I messed up your26:40 notes this week. This was supposed to be a fill in the blank statement, so I need you to write it down. Whoever you're next to now26:53 will determine what's next in your life. I'll tell you where you're going. Show me your friends.27:05 Show me the people that you spend the most time with. I'm not talking about now. I'm talking about outside of now. Are you intentionally engaging in27:17 community, fellowship, time with people who love the lord, with people who are going to take you through influence to where you want to go, not where you27:29 end up and say, what happened? Some of you, that's your story before Christ, you realize, what happened? You got in with the wrong crowd. You hung with the losers who were who were on their way27:41 to hell and had no fear of God, they tried to drag you down there with them. And and so so does it gotta get next to some people. By the way, I didn't say27:53 this, but in 0.1, the bible says that Eliashib consecrated the work. He didn't just build it, He consecrated it. You're not just built by God. You're consecrated by God. The word28:05 consecrated in the Hebrew here is kadosh. It means holy. Holy is not moral superiority. Holy is not moral obedience or adherence to the law. Holy is a designation that has nothing to28:17 do with that. Holy means that you are set apart. You are set apart for God's special purposes. That's what it means to be holy. And28:28 and so what you have to understand, Christians, is that you are God's holy people. Because you believe in Christ, you declared righteous, and now you are holy, set apart for God's special purposes, which28:40 means, hear me on this, you are not normal. Normal is overrated.28:52 Normal is complaining about work tomorrow. Normal people go to work. God's holy people are sent to work.29:04 Normal people gossip about other people around the water cooler. Holy people pray for them.29:15 Normal people hold on to grudges for 15 years. Holy people forgive as the Lord forgave them. Are you gonna be normal or are29:27 you going to be holy? You are God, if God saves you in Christ, you are holy, act like it. Every step of the righteous, the scripture29:39 says, is ordered of God. Even my steps are sacred because God in eternity past saw fit to put me on the29:51 planet at such a time as this to be your pastor and to lead you and to be who I am right now. I am not an accident and you are not an accident.30:03 You are consecrated for wonderful purposes and you need to sink yourself into the community. Amen. Because you can't do30:15 this alone. Amen. The first thing Jesus does, gathers a small group. That's what he does. He doesn't go and build a building first. He doesn't go to the high priest position and seek, you know, the30:26 authority. No. He fishermen and tax collectors and prostitutes and the the have nots and the the ones no 1 wants. Those are the ones that Jesus, come, follow30:38 me. Let's do this together. Are you doing life together with people in this church? Are you in life groups? Because that's so important to your development, how God builds you. First30:50 Corinthians 12 12, just as the body is 1 and has many members, so it is in the body of Christ. We're 1 body but many members. Verse 14, the body does not consist of 1 member but many. Verse 21, the31:02 eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. Now this is what I find frustrating in many churches, and some of you, you frustrate me. You frustrate me because you say that. You say that, and you don't31:14 even realize you're saying it. I don't need you. You say that to your your brothers and sisters here because here's what you do. You you come to church and you watch me and that's it. And31:26 there's so much more for you. So much more for you in this church. Number 1, I get a little bit anxious when you make the church about me.31:38 This church is not about me. I'm a part of the church. But I'm hoping that you don't see me, you see Jesus through me. And then he connects you to other people who love Jesus, and then you grow and you31:50 realize that there's some really awesome people in this church that have gifts that you don't have and you need. Or that need the gifts that you've got. And you fit together and you serve each other and you build each32:00 other up. You build each other up. Write this down. Life groups are the pulse of Waters Church. Jesus is the blood, but life groups are the pulse. Is there a beat? Is there a rhythm? Ba32:12 boom. Ba boom. Ba boom. To your life at Waters Church, a rhythm? Sunday morning, Waters Church, worship the Lord together in the big community, but maybe Wednesday night we gather in so and so's house and we, ba32:24 boom, ba boom, ba boom. And we learn, and we grow, and we develop, and we pray. And those are the people that when you're sick will call, that if you,32:36 heaven forbid, go to the hospital, will show up, that will be at your daughter's wedding or your wedding. Right? This is where life comes together because whoever you are next to32:47 determines what's next in your life. You gotta you gotta hear me because some of you struggle with the same temptations and you pray and you32:59 pray. God, please, you know, deliver me from this temptation. Deliver me. I can't I'm sick of stumbling. Well, it's because of your community. It's because you you just hang out with all the same people and watch all the33:11 same stuff and you it tickles your fancy and before you know it, you're doing the same stupid junk again. You have the same maybe the same fears and insecurities again.33:23 And this is more than just sin. It's about, you know, seeing yourself as a valuable person. Some of you see yourself as worthless. Do you know why? Because you hang out with people who say you're worthless or treat33:35 you like you're worthless or they think they're worthless and so you pick up on that rhetoric about you. You gotta get around people who know they are valuable in Christ.33:48 Because they are gonna teach you how to find value in Christ. It is so much more than just, you know, hanging with the wrong crowd. It's about hanging with people who know the Lord and are filled with the33:59 spirit and are ready to serve you and help you and empower you and then be empowered and helped and served by you so that there is this wonderful harmony whereby each part builds up 1 another in love. Couple of34:11 names I wanna point out in chapter 3 verse 5, it says, and next to them the Tekoites repaired. Notice the next phrase. This is the only time it happens in this chapter. But their nobles would34:23 not stoop to serve their lord. There's a lot of Christians like that. They'll come to church, but they won't stoop to serve.34:35 It's beneath them. There's probably a case to be made for the Tekawites were already in the land when Nehemiah started this whole thing and so so there was potentially a little bit of34:47 territorialism or intimidation or jealousy. Like who is this upstart in Nehemiah? We've been here this whole. Hey,34:59 sometimes the establishment can be the problem. God takes an outsider to kinda demolish the inside. And so you gotta understand in your life too.35:11 Are you a techoite? You you can't bring yourself to serve. I find in America, particularly in New England, I grew up here and I'm native, so I've seen it, so I can call this35:23 out. And I've seen it in the church. Church people in New England, they will serve as coaches for their kids little league team, as the,35:36 classroom mama for their child's preschool. They'll do all kinds of service projects all over the community. Wonderful. But they have just a bit of a35:48 attitude towards serving in the church. It's beneath them because it's just the church. And I hate that attitude. I love the fact that you wanna serve everywhere36:00 else, but do you understand that no 1, and I repeat, no 1 is getting to heaven because of your kid's soccer team. No 1 is getting to heaven because of your kid's preschool.36:12 This is the only institution whereby people hear the name of Jesus, they hear the gospel, they're convicted of their sins, and their lives are transferred from hell to the gates of heaven in36:24 Jesus' name. Do you know over the last 3 years, about 3000 people have made a confession of faith in our churches alone in the last 3 years? And almost 1000 people have gotten36:36 baptized out of that 3000 people? That's big. Where else does that happen? It happens sure. And when you serve here, you36:48 get credit for that. You know what happened before you got up this morning and came to church? Do you know what happened? Some people who are sitting amongst you had their alarms go off37:00 an hour and a half before yours. Because they didn't just come to church, they are serving in the church. Did you notice that there was people that were smiling and waving you in on the parking lot?37:12 Do you know what they did? They set their alarm clock an hour earlier than yours. Do you know why they did it? Because they were willing to stoop to serve their lord. Because they said, wait a second, these people who37:24 are coming to our church, we want them to know they are welcome here. We don't want them stressed about where to park. We will show them. We will give them front parking if they're new. We want everybody to realize they37:34 are valuable to God. The people in the cafe, you know what they said? You know what they said this morning? They said you were worth it. They said you were worth it. Yeah. You. I37:45 mean, man, if you don't feel loved, open your eyes. You have already been loved. You ever noticed that Starbucks doesn't have parking attendance?37:58 Doesn't have free child watch? Doesn't have that. You gotta pay big time everywhere else. Not in the church. Do you know why? Because we wanna make sure that you have no hindrance between you and the gospel of Jesus38:10 Christ. You're worth it to us. Now how about and I'm just spitballing here. You start being 1 of38:21 them. How about you stop thinking that God gave you the spiritual gift of criticism, which doesn't38:33 exist, and ask for a spirit of serving. Some of you think that there's a call on your life to be38:45 special adviser to the pastor. And I'm here to tell him all the ways in which this church could do some things38:58 better. Well, there's some vomit in the kids room and I was just wondering if you've ever operated a mop.39:11 Right? Don't be a techoite because they weren't willing to stoop. But 2000 years ago, right before they arrestedShow more
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