Speaker 1: 0:00

Church, like I don't even know why I'm up here, like, can we just have the choir just sing for the next 30 minutes? Wow, man, I can't wait for heaven. Right, all of us together doing that forever. Man, I don't have to go to work tomorrow, right? No school, man, come on. That's my idea of heaven. I don't have to punch a clock. I don't have to punch a clock, I don't have to set an alarm, I'm just there.

Speaker 1: 0:48

Man, what an incredible day that we get to just be in church today, on this beautiful Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost, it wasn't the birth of a religion, it was the ignition of a revolution. So the Spirit didn't fall so we could sit. He fell so we could stand, speak and serve. And so the Holy Spirit power within you. He didn't give that to you to impress people, he gave it to us to impact them. Same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead didn't come to be your roommate, he came to be your resurrection. So we know that today, day of Pentecost, that the Holy Spirit fell and tongues was the evidence, but transformation was the point. So if I could tell the 120 that began the revival that day, your weight wasn't wasted because we're here today. That began the revival that day. Your weight wasn't wasted Because we're here today, because 120 chose to stick it out for those 10 days. 500 saw him but 120 says, no, we're in this, we're locked in.

Speaker 1: 2:18

And what they began to experience would something be amazing is that the Holy Spirit fell. And you gotta get this. I didn't see this until earlier in this week that they began to hear their own language and the language began to match the listener. And sometimes we glaze over the fact that they could hear what they were praying. They could hear their language to God. And I would say this to you that the language does match the listener, that God speaks to the housewife. God speaks to the stay-at-home mom. God speaks to the dad. God speaks to the broken. God speaks to the burden. You gotta hear that If you'll listen, he speaks to you where you are. He's gonna speak to your language. You're not gonna have to learn Robbie's language or Pastor Chuck's language. No, god speaks to you, he speaks to you.

Speaker 1: 3:17

And I think from the beginning of time, the enemy has always wanted us to listen to a different voice. So on this Pentecost Sunday, I want to encourage you to listen to the right voice, because that voice. That voice is everything. Inspire your heads in this moment, just bow your heads in this moment. On this glorious Pentecost Sunday, 50 days after the awful strain of Calvary and the beautiful revelation of your resurrection, we're here today. We just want to lean into your spirit.

Speaker 1: 4:13

God, you walk. God, you walk with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day, and God in the Old Testament, that was you. And then Jesus. Jesus, he walked for over 30 years, made impact, changed lives, but as God didn't walk without him in even the cool of day anymore, told him to go, be fruitful and multiply. And Jesus told his disciples I've got to go too. I want you to go, be fruitful and multiply, and with the help of the Holy Spirit. Over a few thousand years we've been fruitful, we've been trying to multiply it, but as long as there's breath in our lungs, your breath in our lungs, then you're not done with us, that we have more to reach and more to see. Follow you, jesus. And so we have a responsibility and opportunity that when we leave the church, when we leave the place of energy and excitement and the place of community, that we go to other places and we share our faith, tell others about you, the resurrected savior in our lives, and that the same power that raised you from the dead lives in all of us. So, god, I pray for our church today. I pray for what you're going to do in this service. Help me to preach what you've put on my heart for today. Help me preach it the way I feel it in this moment, because, god, there's destiny, there's miracles on the other side of hearing you speak to us, and it's in Jesus' name. We pray Amen, Amen and God. One more thing Help the Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago Cubs. In Jesus' name, amen, amen.

Speaker 1: 6:11

I was like I didn't get the idea until I went to the sound booth and there's this big red cub shirt on in the sound booth. Amen, hey, if you're not careful, I'll preach till 1240, you know, oh man. Thank you, pastor Matthew. I'm just gonna. I'm gonna throw this in here. I'm just going to talk a little bit and we're going to take a journey and again, I'm just a holler back preacher, so please don't leave me up here alone. As you do know, I get just a hollerback preacher, so please don't leave me up here alone. As you do know, I get to be the director of character development for the University of Michigan and this is one of the slides we have.

Speaker 1: 6:52

Over the past few years, we have been able to achieve some great things. When you win a national championship, you get four trophies. I didn't know that, but you get four trophies. And in those four trophies in those time I've been with Michigan I have seven rings. Seven rings, three big 10 championship rings a national championship ring, college football playoff ring, a Rose Bowl ring and we just got the Reliant Quest Bowl ring. I don't even know why they give a ring for that, but they do so. Seven rings and honestly, I don't even know why, why I get a ring. Like I don't know. There's these men stepping on that field, risking their bodies and playing a game and going out there getting injured, and I get a ring. I don't even know why, but all together, that was the national championship I did take that. They're on a podium. I'm on the ground taking a picture of my boss right there holding the trophy, and that's Blake Corum, a great guy, mikey Sanristill incredible men of faith in the NFL currently, but outside the trophies and outside the rings. This is what matters to me, this picture right here. This is what matters most, and this right here in the background. This is December of 2021. And that's in the Gulf of Mexico or America, whatever you want to call it, I don't know. I don't know anymore. So that's in Miami, we're in the Gulf there, and that was earlier in the day.

Speaker 1: 8:21

That night we went and played our first college football playoff game ever and we played Georgia and we got the brakes beat off of us. We lost bad. We literally were leaving the game on a bus and it turns you know, it was Happy New Year, like it was New Year's Eve. We played the game and we're literally on a bus watching fireworks go off as we enter in the new year. It was sad after we lost the game. This was earlier in the day. We lost the game, but heaven won, heaven won, and so we have this thing where we want to populate heaven and plunder hell. Right, that's our goal and it's what we want to do.

Speaker 1: 9:01

And so, over my time at the University of Michigan, I've shared a lot of stories with our football program. I've shared a lot of stories through recruiting. I've shared a lot of stories just through my experiences there. And so what I did is I wrote a book. This book is not for people who just like sports.

Speaker 1: 9:22

This book is for everybody. It's a story of belonging and the book is entitled Pick Me, because I believe we live in a pick me culture. We do Because you watch television shows and you hope the chair turns around so you can be selected to be on that person's team, so you can win a singing show. You hope you get a rose at the end of the night. Pick me Right, because here's what I believe.

Speaker 1: 9:47

I believe we're all the proverbial middle schooler Walking through the lunchroom holding our tray, hoping someone invites us to sit down with them, to sit next with them. We all have a longing to belong and so in this book it helps you realize, helps you go through the path to feel like one. For you to value other people, you first have to value yourself, so that's in here. And then, when you start valuing yourself, then you start valuing other people. Because, truly, how can I love a God I've never seen and treat the person next to me horribly, and so this navigates that. It helps us through that, and there's some amazing stories in here of what my journey's been at the University of Michigan, and so you can grab these on your way out today. I believe they're $20, but pick those up. If you can't afford it, you just take it. I don't care, I just hope it helps you. Like, please buy it though. I got kids in college and I'm trying to Like I ain't kidding bro.

Speaker 1: 10:44

Someone was like did you have a ghost writer to write this book? I said the Holy Ghost, yeah. Like why'd you write a book? Because I'm trying to pay the bills. Can I read something from the book real quick? Go, this is in the book. To the entire Colgrove family, and especially Chuck Colgrove your wisdom and love have enriched my life immeasurably, chuck. Your guidance is a beacon that continues to light my way and for this I'm eternally grateful. Your support has been. I can't even read it. I need your glasses. Your support has been a cornerstone for my journey and I cannot thank you enough. I love you.

Speaker 1: 11:59

People are confused. They're like he's your uncle. I'm like, yep, he's my uncle. True story. I mean, we got the same dance moves, y'all. You see this. Got the same dance moves, y'all you see this. Am I right, sean? Am I on? Come on, I love our pastor man. You gonna help me preach. No, you gonna buy my book. Coach Jim Harbaugh and JJ McCarthy wrote the foreword for the book. If you buy it for anything, buy it for that. Some incredible, incredible words they share.

Speaker 1: 12:32

I'm gonna ask you a question. Anyone in this room have scars. Anyone have scars. You have scars, physical scars. You have scars, emotional scars. Throw those up there too.

Speaker 1: 12:40

Let me ask you a question what's the reason for your scars? I think you had a slide for that. What's the reason? What's the reason for your scar? Here's what I know. Every scar is a story. Every scar is a story.

Speaker 1: 12:58

Even last night we're sitting and celebrating Evan and Eli's graduation and they were talking to my daughter Bree, who's here with us today my daughter Bree and my son Silas and my wife Danielle and they asked Bree she's had surgery twice, one on each knee and ACL surgery. She tore those and so those ACL surgeries they leave a scar on that knee and she showed those scars and those scars. Bree is one of the toughest most. She's one of the strongest individuals that I know, my daughter Bree, and if you've ever had to go through something like that, you understand the severity of it. You understand what you have to physically walk through and go through, and the scar is a sign that you have overcome a specific circumstance. That's what a scar is. You do know that, right? A scar is a sign that it didn't take me out, that I'm still here today. A scar is a sign that I still am able to overcome, I'm still able to do this, and here's why. Let me just tell the church here today people connect more to your scars than they do, more to your scar stories than they do your success stories, and too many times we're giving our success stories and people need to hear your scar story. They need to know that about you. They need to know what you overcome, that it didn't take you out.

Speaker 1: 14:17

Man, I made this mistake. I messed up. I went through this situation. I have this scar in my life, but I'm here today. I'm still a husband. I I have this scar in my life, but I'm here today. I'm still a husband, I'm still a father, I'm still leading a home. I'm still the mom that I need to be. I'm still the young person that I need to be.

Speaker 1: 14:35

Next week, dads, next week is Father's Day and I celebrate you and I honor you, dads. Here's what we need to do. We need to remove some of those layers of our life and we call it ego, e-g-o, edging God out. And we need to remove some of those layers in our life and speak to our children and tell them the scars we have Now. Wait till they're mature enough to be able to understand that that was a mistake and you're not given permission to do what you did, but that this is what I went through and I overcome it and this I'm a better man for it. I know not to walk down that path and you shouldn't either. We, I know not to walk down that path, and you shouldn't either. We need to share more of those stories. Those stories get covered up. Those stories get pushed away. Those stories go somewhere else. So here's what scars are. You can throw that next slide up.

Speaker 1: 15:13

Stories change and restore souls. Getting it we catching that? Stories create authentic relational souls. Stories cultivate a resilient soul. You see it there. Do you see scars? So I'm asking you this what are you? What story are you not telling because you think it disqualifies you, when it actually may define your purpose? Stories care and restore souls.

Speaker 1: 15:43

Every relationship that we have in this life is built on intimacy. Every relationship, whether it's spouse relationship, whether it's co-working relationship, whether it's a friendship. It's all built on intimacy, it is Everything, because intimacy is that deep thing that I'm willing to reveal. It's that deep thing that I'm willing to share, that I'm willing to show that here's where my brokenness is, here's where my problem is, here's where my burden is. It's that deep thing that I'm willing to reveal. And if I reveal that to my wife, if I reveal that to my friends, if I reveal that to Pastor Chuck, then he knows where to protect me at. My wife knows where to protect me at. My wife knows that words of affirmation is what I need. She also understands that the contrary of that, or the antithesis of that, is someone in any way rejecting me. It's like I'm defeated if I feel like you don't like me and so she has to over like hey, you're good babe, all this stuff because she's protecting me.

Speaker 1: 16:39

And the reason why we don't have strong relationship is you've not revealed that scar, that pain or that wound in your life. Strong relationship is you've not revealed that scar, that pain or that wound in your life. And the reason why is you don't want to look inside yourself. Because you know yourself better than anyone else. I know where I'm at, I know what I've done, I know what I've been through. I know all these things. I know the story, and so intimacy is this we learned this from our pastors back in Houston.

Speaker 1: 17:02

Intimacy is this, it's this. It simply is this next slide no, maybe they missed it. Intimacy is this, it's into me. I see that's what it is. That's what intimacy is. I've got to look inside myself. I've got to look into where I am Before I can ever connect. I've got to open up, and so today I'm going to challenge you. We have to open up, we have to reveal, we have to expose, we have to open up, we have to share. Here's this. I don't know if they have this, but we do this all the time Hashtag gains, hashtag gains.

Speaker 1: 17:36

I work out the gym Hashtag gains. Posing Instagram Hashtag gains. I think that's the most discouraging thing ever, because you don't have gains without pains. It should be hashtag pains, because no one ever got to the size they are muscular without any pain. No one ever got to the place of success without some pain. Gains equals grief. In my mind, pain equals possibility.

Speaker 1: 18:06

So here's what we have to do as a people, as believers we have to start showing our scars. We have to start showing the things in our lives that are painful, that we've overcome, to be able to see the revival that we want to see beyond. Why would I have to do that? You remember the Bible, right? There's a guy who followed Jesus for years, who was there at the time of his crucifixion, and the guys were like hey, hey, tommy, hey, jesus is alive, he's resurrected. Tommy was like I not, until I see the scars and I touch them. Have you ever thought of this? That Jesus resurrected from the dead, that he could have been made whole, but yet he still had scars that were visible, because people will believe that they may never read the Bible. But, man, I've got some stories to tell you about my deliverance and what God has done in my life and where I've come from and what I've gone through. I'm telling you, quit hiding your scars because on the other side of you, exposing those and showing those might be the place where someone starts their belief. So Psalms 139. So Psalms 139.

Speaker 1: 19:51

For the next few minutes, I'm going to talk about the idea when confidence becomes contamination. The Bible says search me, god, know my heart, test me, know my anxious thoughts, see if there's any offensive way in me, know my anxious thoughts, see if there's any offensive way in me and lead me in the way. Everlasting no-transcript. I said it earlier that there's this ego thing that I believe that we have to overcome and ego is simply just edging God out. Ego, I think ego keeps us from taking the next steps to be water baptized. I think ego keeps us from taking the steps to an altar. I think ego keeps us from turning away from sin and turning towards Jesus Christ. I think ego keeps us from serving God with our whole heart. It's ego, it's that hubris mindset.

Speaker 1: 21:01

And so to not acknowledge sin in our lives is like to ignore a life-threatening disease when the cure is available. You've heard us talk about this in church, and Pastor Chuck and I have talked about this over the past few months that sin. Sin means to miss the mark. I say it this way sin is an illegitimate way to fulfill a legitimate need. Right, you have a legitimate need when you're lonely, that's a legitimate need. You fulfill it in an illegitimate way, in a wrong relationship, that's sin. You're depressed that's a legitimate need. You fulfill it in an illegitimate way by going to the bottle instead of the Bible. Sin, you understand. So that's what the enemy tries to trick us. Sin means to miss my mark. It means I go to another source than my savior. That's what it is. So the attack of the enemy is always trying to get us away from God the Father. He's always trying to get us away from God the Father.

Speaker 1: 22:08

Sin is not just a problem. It's often a pattern. But here's the truth. Jesus didn't just forgive you, he freed you Romans 6 and 11. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Got to get this.

Speaker 1: 22:35

Apparently, sin's got a voice To obey. That means it's talking to me. I have to respond. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and offer your part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness, for sin shall no longer be your master because you are not under the law but under grace and remember, grace is not grease. On the other side of this, freedom and empowerment in the Holy Spirit to live out a life in abundance and be effective in all God has called us to be and to do so.

Speaker 1: 23:16

The plan of God is the plan of the enemy, is always gonna be the opposite plan of God. If God has a plan, the enemy has a plan and ultimately, the enemy what he wants to do is get you away from God the Father. That's what he wants to do is get you away from God the Father. That's what he wants to do. So the reason why sin he wants you to sin is because sin creates shame and shame keeps us away from those. I tell our kids all the time you know what the trick of the enemy is Is to get those that love you the least to make them think you love you the most and those that love you the most make them think you love you the least. That's the enemy's trick, because what he wants to do Is he understands If I can keep you away from God, that's good enough. If you're going to sin, fine, but I want you away from God. I want you away from the father.

Speaker 1: 24:06

I did a lot of stupid things when I was a teenager, a lot of dumb stuff. I never did dumb things around my dad. So what the enemy tries to do is get you away from God, the father, get you away from him. If I can pull you away, then you do dumb things. But if you're close, if you're locked in, if you're in church, if you're in youth group, if you're in a group, if you're close, if you're locked in, if you're in church, if you're in youth group, if you're in a group, if you're serving, if you're connected, if you're praying, you're reading your Bible, you don't do dumb things, because it's not our mistakes that keep us away from God. It's our misconceptions. That's our understanding of who he is. Maybe you think he's the cop around the corner waiting to slap the cuffs on when you do something bad, haul you away to prison. That's not God. Maybe your view of God was my view of God. He was a great and powerful Oz. That's what I thought God was. That the only way he'll ever do anything for me is I got to do something for him. That's not God, that's a misconception. Our misconceptions keep us away from him.

Speaker 1: 25:06

And the enemy doesn't want us to be close to God, because when we're close to God, we hear the voice of God and get direction for our lives, and he doesn't want us to move on. He doesn't want us to go forward, he wants us to stop. He wants us to cease. He doesn't want us to go. Even Jesus tells a story about the sower and the seed in Mark 4. This is the farmerower and the seed. In Mark 4, this is the farmer sows the seed. And as soon as they hear this is the Bible. Satan comes and takes away the word. He doesn't take away the seed, he takes away the word. I'm gonna take away the word. I'm gonna take away the voice of God. I'm gonna take away God's influence on your life. I'm gonna take away all that. You know what I'm gonna place. I'm gonna take away the word. I'm gonna take away the voice of God. I'm gonna take away God's influence on your life. I'm gonna take away all that. You know what I'm gonna place. I'm gonna place ego there. You can be in church and still not be changed by the word, not because the word isn't powerful, but because the soil is full of ego.

Speaker 1: 26:08

David's prayer. That's why David prays in Psalms 139, it's poetic and it's necessary Search me, oh God, david's, like I got to be close to you, god. I need to be in conversation with you. I need to be next to you. I need to be where you are, search me. Oh God, someone asked not too long ago and I'm going to just throw this out there. I kind of call him incognito Jesus. I shared this with Pastor Chuck and I told it with a bunch of guys who were trying to share the gospel in different areas where you can't really just be open and honest with the gospel because of the sectors that they're in and so you have to do it differently. And they're like, oh, I just feel frustrated, I can't do it differently. I said let me give you an example.

Speaker 1: 26:59

In the word of God when Jesus resurrected, two guys on the road to Emmaus go read it, it's there. It's an amazing story. On the road to Emmaus, jesus shows up. I don't know if he just like appeared or what, or just kind of like snuck in. It's after the resurrection. Jesus shows up and the Bible says that he hid his face from them, like they didn't know it was Jesus and he walked with them and talked with them. He walked the road with them incognito Jesus they didn't know it was him walked the road with him and they you know what they did they invited Jesus to go sit down and eat with them. And it was in the sitting and eating and the breaking of bread that their hearts began to turn and they said this is Jesus and he was gone.

Speaker 1: 27:37

You see, a lot of us we're going. We're going to the gospel the wrong way. We need to be a little bit incognito, jesus at work. Sometimes we just need to walk the road with some people and eventually walk in the road long enough with them. They'll invite us to come sit down with them and as we sit down with them and spend time with them, then their eyes will open up and say there's something different about you. What is that? Well, let me tell you. Thank you for asking. Jesus Christ died for my sins. I was a sinner, far from him, and he gave his life incognito Jesus. So I'm like that's good, good stuff. So that takes the pressure off right. Come on, just walk with them down the road, spend some time with them, have some time with them, because here's what I know a few years ago we gonna say, oh, 20 years.

Speaker 1: 28:34

I was like I got enamored with her a little bit. I was like, yeah, that's my girl. So, 20 years, our 20th wedding anniversary went to uh, went to atlantis, the bahamas, and, uh, we wanted to go there, want to try it out. You, it was a big thing. So we went there and it was all right. I mean, it was great, we enjoyed it and we get there, it's our 20th anniversary and I got her a gift, as I should, right, guys, I got her a gift and I had to plan it, though.

Speaker 1: 29:04

I get there, get ahead of time. I just didn't trust it. So I had it with me and so I go find. I said, hey, babe, I'm going to go over here and use the restroom. I went and found the concierge and I said, hey, will you put this in our room? And I said I'll give you time, we'll go walk with the resort before we go in there. And finally he puts in the room, goes in the room, opens up the door, she looks and they put the gift and she is losing her mind. What, what, what. She didn't know what was. She had no idea what it was. It was just a light blue bag, a light blue box. See, we need to package Jesus like they do Tiffany's. We need people to be like, because some of you, some of you, they're not excited about the packaging that you're giving. They don't like Jesus the way you're packaging them. It's not the content, it's what we're sharing, it's how we're sharing it.

Speaker 1: 30:23

Let me end with this. In Revelation, chapter two, verse 19. It says I know your deeds. Do we have this? Yeah, I like to read it. I know your deeds. This is a church at Thyatira. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you. You tolerate that woman, jezebel. This is Jesus speaking to a messenger. This is Jesus talking. I know your deeds, talking to his church. I know everything that you've done. You've done great things. You've got love. That's man. Your faith is good. You're strong, you persevere, you're growing. In fact, now you're doing better than when you started. It's about this one thing. There's this one thing You're listening to this voice. Still, you're listening to this false prophet. You're listening to the voice that's contaminating everything. You're so confident in your growth that you're allowing this contamination to still be a part of it. Let me exegete this for you, make you understand it.

Speaker 1: 31:47

I used to work out a whole lot more than I do now, and I'd have to take protein supplements. I'd make protein shakes. My kids were younger. They loved the protein shakes. I don't know if it's good for them or not, but I would give them protein shakes. My 14-year-old son is bigger than most 14-year-olds so it's probably working. But one day, as a father, I needed to teach them a lesson. So I made them their protein shake just the way they like it the bananas in it, blueberries, strawberries, protein powder make. Make it with vanilla milk a little sweet. It's really good. It tastes. It tastes. It doesn't taste like it's good for you, it tastes good. So I gave him the shakes, all three of them, and I said before you drink that shake, let me just tell you something. You know the dog neighbor's dog that likes to go to the bathroom in our yard. I just went out there and I just got a that likes to go to the bathroom in our yard. I just went out there and I just got a just a little bit of her droppings and I put just a little bit in those protein shakes.

Speaker 1: 33:06

That's what Jesus did when he looked at the church. He said you got all the good ingredients, but that one ingredient is messing up everything. That one, that ego, that hubris, that confidence that leads to contamination, that voice in your life is messing up everything else. You know, it wasn't the iceberg that sank the Titanic right, it was three million substandard rivets. They went cheap on building the Titanic to lower cost Three million rivets, just a little thing.

Speaker 1: 33:51

The Bible says in Proverbs that it's the little foxes that spoil the vine. What did Jesus say? He said I am the vine. So if the little things, what are they chewing at? They're chewing at your relationship with God. Those little things that hubris, that pride, that ego, all the things that keep you away from God that says I got this, I'm good on my own, I don't need you God, that begins to eat away at your relationship with God. And that's what the enemy wants. He wants you away from God, the Father, he wants you separate from him.

Speaker 1: 34:30

Thyatira was a church in contradiction, growing in works but tolerating wickedness. This is not a church in Asia Minor. No, this is a letter to our generation, because we're living in Thyatira, days where grace is misused, truth is optional and Jezebel is tolerated. So Jezebel's being tolerated. I'm closing with this Jezebel's being tolerated in the church. Sean, why don't you come? Yeah, make everyone feel better. So Jezebel, thyatira, book of Revelation. Probably the first time you've had someone preach in Revelation Book of Revelation. Now we gotta go back to Jezebel, thyatira, book of Revelation. Probably the first time you've had someone preach in Revelation Book of Revelation. Now we gotta go back to Jezebel in the Old Testament.

Speaker 1: 35:13

So it's Jezebel and Elijah. You have to understand this. Jezebel and Elijah.

Speaker 1: 35:18

So there's this competition that happens. So there's 450 prophets of Baal, which Jezebel leads she's over them and then one prophet of God. His name is Elijah. So to have this competition, what they're going to do is they're going to call down fire from heaven that's going to consume sacrifice. And so, whichever side, fire consumes sacrifice. That is the true God. Elijah is so confident he's going to let them go first.

Speaker 1: 35:49

So the 450 prophets of Baal begin to pray. Nothing's happening. They begin to cut themselves. Nothing's happening. Most pastors are probably a little too sarcastic. So was Elijah. He was like maybe your God's sleeping, maybe he's on vacation. They give up. Now it's Elijah's turn. It hasn't rained for three years Yet Elijah digs trenches all around the sacrifice, has them fill the trenches with water and then begins to pray For fire to come down from heaven and consume the sacrifice and lap up all the water. And that's exactly what happened. Fire falls, consumes, sacrifice laps up all the water. 450 prophets of Baal begin to run. They destroy them, they kill them. Elijah has this incredible victory, amazing victory.

Speaker 1: 36:53

Jezebel hears of the news. She writes a letter. I wish I had my Bible, physical Bible, up here. Give me a Bible, my God man. How come this is so much bigger than my Bible? There's like four of them in here. It's heavy too. You use this to beat people up, don't you? But she writes a letter and Elijah reads it. I'm gonna chase you, I'm gonna come after you, I'm gonna destroy you, I'm gonna kill you.

Speaker 1: 37:39

And Elijah, he goes. He goes, finds a tree and he says this. He says I'm not fit for this world. Take me out. I'm the only one living for God, I'm the only one doing anything right. I'm the only one. Take me out. I just don't want to be here anymore.

Speaker 1: 38:05

One moment he's caught fire down from heaven. The next he listens to the wrong voice and he's depressed, living under a juniper tree. Don't tell me who you listen to doesn't matter. And you know what? Put Elijah underneath a tree. His ego, his hubris, put him underneath a tree Because he thought the results was all about him. He's underneath that tree and God comes and knocks on the door.

Speaker 1: 38:46

Elijah, wake up. Wake up, elijah. I've made you some food. There's literally a cake waiting for him there. He falls back asleep, elijah, you gotta get up. Man, I've got something for you to do. I need you to wake up. You ever heard of HALT, h-a-l-t. Never make a decision hungry, angry, lonely or tired. Don't you see that in Elijah? Hungry, god made him food. Angry, 100% lonely, yeah, tired, yes, he was sleeping. Probably most of our mistakes, our decisions, bad decisions, have come when we've been hungry, angry, lonely, tired. Why don't you just halt for a minute? Why don't you listen to the voice of God? Now you get this. I say this all the time. This is my sermon. I had a three minute sermon, but you guys would be like, well, I ain't even gonna buy his book. He only preached three minutes. Elijah, I need to get up.

Speaker 1: 39:47

Elijah finally gets up and he's just on a journey for 40 days, pastor Chuck. 40 days, pastor Chuck, 40 days walking for 40 days. And God begins to speak to him. But it wasn't in the earthquake, it wasn't in the wind, it wasn't a whisper. And he says Elijah, I need you to go back. I need you to go back what I just got here. I need you to go back Because when you go back, you're gonna find a young man. His name's gonna be Elisha. It was in his journey back. It was when he I'm gonna go back, go back on your assignment. Go back where I've called you, go back. And it was on his way back that he found a young man named Elisha. Go back where I've called you, go back. And it was on his way back that he found a young man named Elisha. Elisha would be his protege. Elisha would end up doing twice as many miracles as Elijah did.

Speaker 1: 40:40

Let me just say this to everyone in this room On the other side of you, listening to the voice of God. On the other side of you, getting over your ego is more miracles than you've ever experienced. Twice as many in your life is more miracles than you've ever experienced twice as many in your life. On the other side of me, getting over that, my family can get baptized. On the other side of me, I tell people they said one of the reasons why'd you write a book? I said one of the reasons why I wrote a book is that I believe my daughter, ava, will write 100 books and some of you, some of you are that.

Speaker 1: 41:14

Hinge on that big door, that small hinge on that big door, that if you step into that water of baptism then maybe a hundred people will follow you. But I first have to get over that, elijah. You have to get over that. You have to get out of this juniper tree and you have to go and hear the voice of God. Quit listening to Jezebel, quit listening to her voice. Listen to my voice. Let me speak to you because I speak hope and life and strength and power.

Speaker 1: 41:46

You know, the mark of the enemy is not three numbers. That's not the mark of the enemy. No, the mark of the enemy is a question mark. He wants you to question the voice of God. He wants you to question his authority in your life. He wants you to question everything he's spoken over you. He got Adam and Eve to question the word of God in the garden and if he can get you to question what God has said to you, he can get you to question your whole existence and get you separated from the creator. Why did God put a tree in the garden and say you can't eat of this one tree. Could it be that he wanted you to choose the father and not the fruit? No dumb things when I'm with the Father. But you know the other thing I didn't do dumb things when I was with my dad, but I also never paid for anything when I was with my dad. See, he has everything you need, guys. Everything you're looking for as a teenager, it's in him. Everything you're trying to find as a father, those resources are in him. Everything you're trying to do as a mom, those resources are in him. You won't do dumb things, but he has all the dollars too. He has the destiny. He has everything that you need. He's a good, big father. You know what the answer is Closeness is the cure. Don't forget it. Closeness is the cure. Closeness is the cure. Closeness is the cure. Closeness is the cure.

Speaker 1: 43:32

I've shared this story before, but I'm gonna close with it. There's a story that kind of explains the love of a father that there's an earthquake in Armenia and this earthquake killed a lot of people when it happened, prior to the earthquake, there was this gentleman who was taking his son to school. Just a little guy Dropped him off at school. As he's driving away from the school. He looked in the rear view mirror and began to see the building sway back and forth, knew a earthquake was happening. He turned the car around and made his way back to the school and began to look for his son underneath the rubble. That had already happened. He began to tear away the bricks and the rubble.

Speaker 1: 44:09

Hours went by. The emergency workers are there telling him to leave. No, he's there. He's determined to find his son. 24 hours go by. His hands are bloody. He's exhausted. There's a gate, there's a, there's a gap that he seems. He calls for more help to come remove the stone.

Speaker 1: 44:27

As he removed the stone there's like it went down into this area, this open area where there's a bunch of kids in there. This little boy is pointing up and he's simply stating I told you my dad would come. He's a good, good father. Guys, if that's what an earthly father would do for his son, how much more would a heavenly father? If we ask for an egg, does he give us a? A serpent? Does he ask for bread? Does he give us stone? But he gives the Holy Spirit, liberally, to those who ask. That's our God. I'm not listening to Jezebel anymore. My ego, my hubris, my pride. Just you, god, hubris, my pride, just you, god. There's a miracle on another side of me, listening to your voice, if you would stand with me in this room.

Speaker 1: 45:22

All over this place, ego believes it's the source of the results. Hubris isolates when things fall apart. And can I say this? Ego confuses assignment with identity. I had to get over that, thinking that my position is who I am, that my assignment is who I am, that my assignment is who I am. Because if that's who I am, then when that assignment is no longer available or no longer there, then I don't know who I am. God said it was never about an assignment, it was always about the Almighty. It was never about a stage. It was always about a stage, it was always about a savior. Hubris says it's all on me. Humility says it's all from him. The juniper tree isn't the end of your calling. It's where ego dies and purpose begins.

Speaker 1: 46:51

All over this room, just lift your hands. Some of you, you're trying to get over your ego right now. Just to lift your hands. I'm telling you it's there. We don't do things. We think it's like ah, it's just who I am. No, no, that's ego, that's hubris, it's pride. Come on, lift those hands up. Lift those hands up. It's a sign of surrender. Put those hands up.

Speaker 1: 47:15

My kids, when they're little, they would lift their hands up like this. They wanted me to hold them, but, more importantly, they wanted to be able to see what I could see. They wanted to be able to reach what I could reach. And so, god, I want you to take me in your arms. I want to see what you see. I want to be able to reach what you reach. God, pull me close to you.

Speaker 1: 47:28

Jesus, come on, lift those hands up, begin to talk to him. Begin to talk to him, god, remove those things. Remove those unnecessary ingredients in my life, god, that end up contaminating the whole thing. Remove that leaven, god, that hurts the whole loaf. God, remove those things, god. If there's any little foxes, let those go away, because I don't want them to nibble at the vine.

Speaker 1: 47:51

God, because that is the source of my life, that is the source of who I am, god. God, don't let me live a substandard life, but let me fully go in to you, jesus. Jesus, come on, god. I need all of you today. I need all of you today. I need all of you. Today, god, I pray for our great church today, god, that on the other side of this there is miracles, more than we can ask or imagine. God, god that you would go with us each and every day to be able to live out this life in a way that we can make a difference in the lives of others. God, we can't do this without you. God, I pray right now that you'd be in us and that you'd work through us to truly make an impact in this world and that, when we listen to your voice, god, we truly, truly will live out our calling In Jesus' name.