Glorious Way Church
Glorious Way Church equips believers for the work of the ministry and stands for God’s truth in our culture. We serve as a regional center, where people from all backgrounds find refreshing worship and true communion of the saints.
Glorious Way Church
Choose Wisely
Prepare to be inspired by the significance of scripture in overcoming life's challenges. By standing firm in the Word of God, as Jesus did during his temptation in the wilderness, we gain strength and resilience. Personal trials become opportunities for divine breakthroughs when we navigate them with faith and humility. Our narratives, including unexpected career turns and decisions that led to new opportunities, reinforce the message that sometimes saying no to one path opens doors to greater spiritual and personal growth.
Let's hold up our Bibles, let's make Jesus glad and the devil mad. Let's say this together Say Heavenly Father, I'm grateful for Glorious Way Church. I'm grateful for the anointing that's here in this church, that grows me up, that makes me a mature believer, that equips me for the last days. I'm fully equipped, I'm fully anointed to stomp on the devil's head. Oh, he's got a problem when he looks at me, because I'm a first responder. I'm full of God's glory, I'm full of God's goodness and I'm full of God's greater because God takes care of me. I'm full of God's goodness and I'm full of God's greater Because God takes care of me in grand style. Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated, as I just wanted to talk. You know, tell a little story and, as I do, you can turn to Philippians, chapter 2. And I'm going to be preaching a message entitled choosing wisely, talking about choices.
Speaker 1:But you know this last Wednesday Ethan and I got to go to the last Astros game of the season, because they gave up their season right there on Wednesday and they got out strategized andized and out-managed. You know, aj Hinch was in the other dugout right, he's not in our dugout anymore, but he's working for the other side. So he out-strategized us and he brought out all the pitchers and we did nothing. Goose egg, I mean Altuve bases loaded, no outs. What did he do? He popped up the ball right. You know, at least one run came in. But just if you can't score in that position, then you know it looks pretty bad.
Speaker 1:But when we got to our seats, you know, ethan went ahead and went to the seats early and I went in the line and waited for some food. Right, got my food came and I joined him and I sat down. There was a mother and daughter sitting in the seats in front of us. There was a mother and daughter sitting in the seats in front of us and they had both bought extra large nachos with the nacho cheese and the jalapenos and the chili and they put it on the floor under their seats. And I'm looking at this and I'm thinking like Ethan, are they going to eat this? Because they have. I'm like looking down there, they hadn't even taken a bite and that's a lot of food, that's expensive food here at the stadium. And, ethan, I got a 0% chance of getting the peanuts that I'm about to eat all in their nachos. This isn't going to be good. And so, sure enough, like the third or the fourth inning comes and they both, they reach down and they get that nacho, those nachos, now that they're cold and the cheese is all hardened, and they start eating.
Speaker 1:And I'm thinking like no, am I in a third world country who eats food off of the floor, like two inches from my feet and everybody else's feet too? So just like choosing wisely things that you don't do right? And so common sense is not as common as it used to be, and I really do think that you know these people didn't look like they were any different economics, you know, than Ethan and I, and they should have known better, but they didn't right, and it's just. It's a really, it's a godless society. When you step away from morals, you really lose common sense, and that's why so much of today's I don't know if you watch like reels on Instagram, but most of them are like teaching you basic things that your grandma should have taught you, you know, and so there's like there's a dearth of the word, but there's also a dearth of common sense. And so praise God for this church and praise God for the word of God and the Holy Spirit that can make you smarter, amen. And so as you open up your Bibles, this morning I'm going to read out of the New American Standard Bible, just for this one scripture, because I want to pull out a few different words that it uses. Then we'll switch back to the New King James.
Speaker 1:And it says Philippians, chapter 2, verse 5. And it says Philippians, chapter 2, verse 5, have this attitude in yourselves or mind. In another translation it says mindset, which was also in Christ. Jesus, who has already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. In other words, he wasn't concerned. Jesus wasn't concerned about being equal with God. And it tellsped In other words, he wasn't concerned. Jesus wasn't concerned about being equal with God. And it tells us to have the same attitude that was in Christ also, but verse seven. But he emptied himself Everybody say emptied himself by taking the form of a bond servant and being born in the likeness of men and and being found in appearance as a man.
Speaker 1:He humbled himself. Everybody say humbled himself. How did he do that? By becoming obedient, even to the point of death, death on a cross. For this reason, what reason? His obedience, right, the obedience that Jesus, you know, walked in God, highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name. That name is what we were singing right, so that, at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father.
Speaker 1:If we skip down to verse 13, for it is God who is at work in us, both the will and to do. This version says to desire and to work for his good pleasure. Amen. I don't know about you, but he's working on me. The desire and the work for his good pleasure is happening right now on the inside of me. It's happening right now on the inside of you, amen.
Speaker 1:So I just wanted to point out that Jesus chose. He had a choice. He always had a choice. You know, you think it was God's perfect plan to send a redeemer, to send us a redeemer so that we could have full fellowship with God. That was God's plan, have full fellowship with God. That was God's plan. To restore fellowship with Him. What Adam took away, jesus brought back. But it still was a choice.
Speaker 1:I want you to see that and I want you to see we're going to read in several different places that he became just like you and me. He became the Son of man. He was God, but he became the son of man, he, him who knew no sin. Uh became sin, he became sin, he. He took on his body every nasty disease that can, every debilitating condition, uh, that can still kill and destroy from you. He took that on the cross so that we don't have to bear that any longer. Amen.
Speaker 1:And so he, number one he emptied himself. He emptied himself of all of his God-like qualities and he thank God, he still had the power of the Holy Ghost. We're about to read that. And number two he humbled himself. And so what happened when he humbled himself in obedience to God? Number three is obedience. Then the exaltation happened. God exalted him, god promoted him. So all humility leads to exaltation, to being exalted, to being lifted up. All promotion comes through humility. All supernatural ease comes through humility. All supernatural ease comes through humility.
Speaker 1:And so you know I think it's interesting that both Peter and James so in 1 Peter 5, verse 5 and 6, and then James, chapter 4, verse 6, it says the exact same thing. So here you have in the book of James, by the way, was not Peter, james and John. That book of James was written by Jesus's half-brother, who was a little bit late to the party. He was a little bit late to understanding. You know, can you imagine growing up with Jesus and all the signs and wonders that Jesus did and Jesus performed? And he just didn't, he didn't recognize that, he didn't believe in that until after the resurrection that you know, jesus's brother James was part of the group that Jesus appeared to after the resurrection and then he believed and then he was part of the 120 on the day of Pentecost and received the Holy Spirit. But I think it's really.
Speaker 1:The book of James is a really important book in the Bible and I preached on that the last time, and so I just encourage you to study your word, study that book. It's so. It has so many good nuggets in it. But he's agreeing verbatim with Peter that says Be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that God may exalt you in due time, amen. So we have to humble ourselves. You know, I'm so grateful my parents are watching, so I've got a praying mama that has prayed me through, prayed Selena and I, through all kinds of mess and turmoil and trial, and that's great. But she, you know, she can't humble me for me, right? She can't do the humbling for me. Only I can humble myself before under the mighty hand of God, and it's a mighty hand, it's a powerful hand, amen. And and so if, if I humble myself, god will exalt me. So James agreed with Peter, and so God resists the proud and he gives grace, or his ability, to the humble, and so humility brings more grace.
Speaker 1:The more humble you are, the more grace you can have. What is grace? Grace is God's ability to do anything, and so if God is able, you have his ability. Just meditate on that for just a second that the more you humble yourself, in other words, the more that you admit that without God you're nothing, without God you can't do anything. And so the more you realize that and the more you lean your whole, entire human personality back into him, his grace takes over, his ability takes over, and therefore, therefore, it's not you doing it, it's God doing it, amen.
Speaker 1:And so if you find, if you find in your life you're going through something that's just tough and you can't seem to get around it. You can't seem to get over it. You've prayed, you've believed God. I'm just. I'm here to tell you from experience that there might be something in your life that's yet unsubmitted to his will, that you're holding on to something. Maybe it's unforgiveness this morning, maybe it meant well, jay, you don't understand. I was abused, I was wronged. That might be true, but if you'll grab a hold of the fact that, whatever the same thing, a hold of the fact that, whatever the same thing, what happened to Jesus is greater than anything that's ever happened to you, if you'll identify with his death, his burial and his resurrection, people want to just grab a hold of his resurrection power, which is great. It's there for us to grab a hold of and bring victory. But, man, I want to identify first that I died, man, the old me no longer exists. The one that wants to sin is dead and gone and I'm a new creature in Christ. So what happened to Jesus also happened to me. Were you there, the way Mark Hankins puts that? You know, were you there when they crucified my not me Lord? I wasn't there. I didn't have nothing to do with it, but we were there, amen, we were there. What happened to Jesus happened to us, and so we've identified our identity. It's a fresh, new identity. We're in Christ. Therefore, what happened to Jesus happened to us, but what happened to Jesus is so much greater than anything that's ever happened to you.
Speaker 1:Talking about emotional, talking about abuse, talking about, you know, there he was on the way to the cross, getting beat, wearing a thorn of crowns and being denied by Peter, you don't you think that hurt? Yeah, I think it was. I've seen so many Jesus movies. I think it was Ben-Hur right that. That you know he's. He has the cross on his shoulder and he can hear Jesus denying him. You know, I thought that was really powerful scene because we don't really have the proof that that happened at the same time. But you know, but he knew it Right and here he was. So if you feel abandoned, if you feel like everybody's left, you just think about how Jesus fell and you'll get over it real quick. Amen, because you can identify with with his death and his burial, but then you can identify with his death and his burial, but then you can identify with his victory, amen. And so we have the same victory and the same spirit of faith, the same spirit of faith that Paul had, that Peter had, that James had, is living on the inside of us. Amen.
Speaker 1:But I just I wanted to really kind of bear down here and point out that how, how much progress do you think you could make resisting God If God resists the proud? Do you want to be resisted what? 5%, 10%? What do you think If you could get it all the way down to like 5%? Do you really want to have anything to do with resisting the will of God? That's what pride can do. When you bow up in pride, I'm telling you it's arrogance. God hates it and it says right here, in two different, identical places from Peter and James, that God resists the proud. So I don't want to have anything to do with pride, I want to die to pride. So any pride that's in my heart today, I want to kill it. And I, you know I'm preaching to myself just as much as I'm preaching to you, and so as I'm preaching, I know the Holy Spirit is illuminating things in your life, areas in your life that maybe you're bowed up in pride, things that you haven't let go of, things that attitudes that you've had, that that is not in Christ, meaning the attitude of humility, the attitude of emptying yourself, dying, you're dead.
Speaker 1:The old way of living, the old way of doing things is dead. You've emptied yourself and you've humbled yourself and you've become obedient to the will of God, just like Jesus. And so, as I'm preaching this morning, I believe in supernatural hearing. Dad said that last week with the new members. You know we believe in, we walk in it this morning, and so that same thing is happening on the inside of me. Amen.
Speaker 1:I'm not exempt from my own preaching. I can't get up here in pride and prideful words and wanting to make my name great and known all over the world. You know no, I'm up here serving Jesus, as just he took on, you know, the person of a bond servant. I do that too. You do that too. We pick up our cross and we follow him, amen. So we don't want to say no in any area. And so, as we go through, I'm going to go through some stories in the Bible, but I want to point out that every single story in the Bible, the person that you're reading about had a choice to make. So James, my brother James, not the book of James, my brother James.
Speaker 1:A couple weeks ago he preached an awesome message entitled my Church, my Mission. I would strongly encourage you, if you consider yourself a member here, to go back and listen to that. If you weren't here, if you missed that message, please go back. It was really a pivotal change for our church. It was a change in direction and it really, honestly, it changed everything. So again you can catch that on our podcast, on YouTube, on Facebook.
Speaker 1:But he preached one of his examples. He preached about Noah and so Noah and the ark right, and how difficult it was for Noah to obey, how everything his family, everybody was against him building this ark and he overcame temptation to give up. And since then I was at Mark Hankins' Supernatural Relationships meeting where Rick Renner was preaching. How many of you have heard Rick Renner preach? It is so deep. So he was telling this story.
Speaker 1:He also has a new book out that they found the remnants of the ark and it's in Turkey, and so he's been there, I think, two or three different times. He's visited this site and he began. In his book he documents what actually happened. So what blows me away as I'm not an engineer, but I'm the son of an engineer is, the nails that he used, that Noah used to keep the ark together, were well before his time, and you can tell that God was telling them exactly how to build it. So they also like. They didn't have any treated lumber back then, obviously, but he used some kind of sap and some kind of glue that would seal the wood. That was way before his time, and so even the engineering of the ark is supernatural. But what if he would have said no? Where would we be today? You think God would have just used somebody else, and the Bible is full of people their story David, moses. What if Moses would have said no?
Speaker 1:And then you get into the New Testament where so many things had to happen. So I'm going to quote out of Psalm 78. You don't have to turn there. But Psalm 78, dad preached out of this not that long ago, talking about the children of Israel. But bottom line, in verse 41 through 43, they forgot God's faithfulness, and then in verse 56, they tested and provoked God, and then in verse 57, they turned back to unfaithfulness, like their fathers did, and they refused to trust God. And so here they were, stuck in the desert, in the wilderness, for 40 years, and yet God was there, supplying all of their needs. He was feeding them, he was bringing every supply. They never died, they had all that they needed and yet they refused to trust in God. And so I just wanted to go to fast forward to the type and the shadow of Jesus in the wilderness. We're going to read out of Luke 4. And Jesus, here he is in the wilderness for 40 days, right, so it's like the children of Israel 40 years, only the difference in Jesus's attitude.
Speaker 1:It says in verse 1 that Jesus then Jesus being filled with the Holy Spirit. Thank God he was filled with the Holy Spirit. I know I said that earlier, but let's just like you can stop right there and just rejoice. Why was he filled? Because he needed the Holy Spirit. And if Jesus was Jesus and still needed the Holy Spirit, man, you need the Holy Ghost, we need the Holy Ghost, we need the power of the Holy Ghost, we need the infilling of the Holy Ghost, we need the direction of the Holy Ghost. And so, um, you know it's for our example, okay.
Speaker 1:So he returned from the Jordan and was led by the spirit into the wilderness. In other words, the devil didn't lead him in the wilderness, it was God's will for him to be led into the wilderness, being tempted for 40 days by the devil, and in those days he ate nothing. And afterwards, when that had ended, he was hungry. And so verse three and the devil said to him if you are the son of God, command this stone to become bread. But Jesus answered the devil saying it is written man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God, amen. So so Jesus had a word, he had a reign of word to fight that temptation, and he knew like.
Speaker 1:Instead, he could have said huh, I wonder what kind of bread I want to eat today. I could just turn this stone into any bread. It could be rolls, it could be cornbread, it could be, it could be anything, and hallelujah. It could be cornbread. It could be anything, and hallelujah, tortillas. There you go. So, papillas, did you have any honey? Okay, anyways. So what would you want to eat after 40 days? You know, in the wilderness.
Speaker 1:But no, jesus didn't do that. So what if he would have said no? What if he would have given in? What if he would have given up? No, it would be completely different. And so Jesus had already been baptized. His ministry is at the very beginning, and it's the Lord's will for him to go out into the desert and put his flesh under. But what did he ever give in? You know? The real thing is he's becoming the bread of life.
Speaker 1:That's the significance of this verse. And it goes on. In the next temptation, the devil takes him up to a high vantage point and says look out, you could have all of this. Well, you know he already had all of that, right and so he already was the son of God. Right, so he had full authority, so he didn't need the devil's influence. Right and so. And you don't either.
Speaker 1:And so how do we answer temptation? How do we answer the spirit that wants to cause us to give up, to cause us to quit? We answer it with the word Amen. And so Jesus answered the temptation with the word. He refused to give in and he obeyed. And so we need to stand firm on the word of God and know what's been spoken out of the word of God for us, Grab a frame of word. That's why it's so important to read your Bible, especially if you're facing anything. You know it's good that we pray in tongues, and some of us that, you know I remember going into emergency tongues a few times in my life. Right and so. But it's better to be full of the word of God, so that you know I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. So when you face temptations of any kind, you have the word of God hidden in your heart, amen. So a Smith Wigglesworth quote that I heard is he's. He would always say I'm not moved by what I see, I'm not moved by what I hear, I'm only moved by the word of God. And that's real. So our reality is the word of God, amen.
Speaker 1:And so you know, my mom got a report from the doctor this week. You know he said that this is a really bad fracture that we're dealing with here. And so we have that. We have the doctor's report, but we also have the report of the Lord, amen. And so, in fact, can you put Isaiah Isaiah is doing scriptures right? Oh, I do see Miss Nancy up there. Miss Nancy, can you put Isaiah 40, 29 through 31 up in the Amplify Classic Isaiah 40. You know, there's many scriptures that we can stand on for my mom, but Isaiah 40 and verse 29. On for my mom, but Isaiah 40 and verse 29. We're also believing God for a new computer that's a little bit faster. You know, it's not Miss Nancy's fault. Some of it is the computer's fault. I mean, it all is the computer's fault, rather. Thank you, miss Nancy.
Speaker 1:He gives power to the faint and weary and to him who has no might. He increases strength, causing it to multiply and making it to abound. She abounds, amen. Next verse even youth shall faint, be weary, and and selected youth shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted. But those who wait for the lord, who expect, expect, look for and hope in, shall change and renew their strength and power. They shall lift their wings and mount up close to God, as eagles mount up to the sun, and they shall run and not be weary. And they shall walk and not faint or become tired. And the Message Bible says lag behind. She shall not lag behind, amen. But she not only can walk, we can see her, by the eyes of faith, walking and leaping and praising the Lord, amen. And so the devil ain't got nothing on my mama, because she's full of the word and full of supernatural power and strength, amen, amen.
Speaker 1:So you know, mark Hankins says that every breakthrough in faith comes through a breakthrough of revelation, knowledge. So every breakthrough in you, following the call of God on your life, comes from a breakthrough in wisdom, and the spirit of wisdom and revelation right Comes from Ephesians 1, prayer right, the spirit of wisdom and revelation, the eyes of our understanding being enlightened. And so my mom's, the eyes of her understanding continue to be enlightened and she knows with certainty the hope of her calling Amen. So I don't know what you came in here fighting today, or what you, if you have a doctor's report that you're facing, but I'm telling you, you grab a hold of what, god, that your purpose in God, amen. Grab a hold of it and don't let go. The God kind of faith, amen, mark 11, 22,. Have the God kind of faith, grab a hold of it, don't let go of it, don't quit, for you shall reap if you faint, not Refuse to faint, amen. Galatians 6 tells us that right. And so, whatever you're going through, there's a word, there's a ram of word for it. And so get into your Bible and allow the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1:You know what word are you like, what season? The season that you're in right now? What is your word? Well, it's the year of momentum. That's a good word. We have the year of momentum, like a couple of weeks ago Dr Guy and Ilka Pei were here, and so we have acceleration, we have restoration and we got speed. Those are good words and we've made those our own words right, our own, our own reign of words. But but what's the? What's the word specific for you right now? And in my season, I'll just leak out. You know, you, you I forgot how many years ago the year of the new, I forgot that's probably like 10 years ago, but that's my word. Like, I know it's the year of momentum, but but things are new, they're, they're fresh, and and God's doing new things, can't you see it? It talks about in Isaiah. And God's doing new things, can't you see it? It talks about in Isaiah, you know? So that's my word. And so we're living in the new Amen, and so I just want to talk, you know, continue on this.
Speaker 1:Let's turn in our Bibles to Luke, chapter five. We were just in Luke four, so let's turn the page. Except, I got to actually open my Bible now, hallelujah, and it says there's a very familiar scripture here. It says so it was as the multitude pressed about him to hear the word that he stood by the lake of Gesaret and saw two boats and verse three. He got into one of the boats, which was Peter's, and asked him to put out a little from the land and he sat down in the boat. I'm adding words because I want to paint a picture. This is actually the way it was right. Jesus sat down in the boat and taught the multitudes from the boat. So right away we see that Peter was Jesus's sound man, because it mattered how far he put the boat out, so Jesus's voice had to reflect off the water back up into those canyons for all those thousands of people to hear what he said. Right, so Jesus cares about sound men. Amen, micah, amen.
Speaker 1:And so, when he had stopped speaking, he said to Simon, which is Peter, launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. But Simon Peter answered and said Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing. In other words, hey, I've washed the boat, I've washed and mended the nets. We've gone to all this effort. Fishing is done. It is not the time of day for fishing. There's no way you're supposed to fish at night. We've been out all night and we caught goose egg nothing. Nevertheless, at your word, I will let down the net. And so they cast out in the deep right and they let down the net. And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking.
Speaker 1:And so, before we continue the story, I just want to point out to get Jesus in your boat. That you're believing God for breakthrough, you better have Jesus in your boat. That you're believing God for breakthrough, you better have Jesus in your boat. The obedience of Peter right here not only saved the day that and we're about to read it blessed his partners. There was so much abundance that happened through obedience. What if Peter would have said, no, this was the? I believe you can believe what you want to believe, but I believe this catch was so big. This launched them into ministry, because at the end of the story, they left everything and they followed Jesus. Well, how did their family survive on the financial gain that came from all this harvest of fish? Amen. And so he signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help, and they came and filled both boats so that they began to sink. That's a lot of fish. Amen. That's a lot of harvest. Amen, that's a lot of fish. Amen, that's a lot of harvest. Amen, that's a lot of breakthrough, isn't it?
Speaker 1:When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus's knees and said depart from me, for I am a sinful man, o Lord. So just the magnitude of this miracle. It pierced Peter's heart. Hey, I am unworthy. And Jesus said no, basically, you are worthy. From this moment on, you're going to catch men, you're going to be fishers of men, amen. So his whole ministry changed, his whole job description changed in one moment. And Jesus wants to do the same for you. So he better be in your boat. Amen, you're believing for breakthrough. He better be in your boat. Amen, you believe him for breakthrough. He better be in your boat, amen. And so what if Peter would have said no? It would have cost his ministry. It would have cost him his ministry. Maybe there wouldn't be 12 disciples, right, just ask. Anyway, sorry, that'll come back in just a second, but just, we're believing God for breakthrough, amen. And so, and we do that through obedience, and so your obedience to God unlocks new opportunities and new doors.
Speaker 1:And so Peter was holding on to something, though, wasn't he? He was holding on to a clean boat, he was holding on to mended nets and he didn't see. At first he didn't see, but he said at your word. And so what is your word? You got to have a word that you're standing on, because when Jesus speaks you better be listening, and then you better be obedient. And so you better believe that humility was part of. So he could have bowed up and been hey, I know better than you, we fished all night. He could have bowed up in pride, but he didn't. It was humility that he obeyed. And then the miracle came, and so that's the exaltation that I'm talking about. You believe in God for a miracle. Humility better be there, amen. And so breakthrough comes through obedience, and so breakthrough comes through obedience.
Speaker 1:And so I'm just so thankful, the ones that have obeyed the call of God to volunteer here and to become arm and arm and help us do what God's called all of us to do. My church, my mission, like I was talking about earlier, and all the different mandates that James brought out a few weeks ago, that pastors preached over the years. I thought he did such an excellent job of bringing every single one of those out, and so we're making sure that there's a hot and dry wind blowing. It's still blowing and God's bringing us hungry and thirsty people in the door and there's water here, there's refreshment here, and there's water here, there's refreshment here, and that there's the power of the Holy Spirit. That's here, amen. And so I just want you to get it. I want you to to to be full of the power and the presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, so that you can help people and and be an extension of your pastor.
Speaker 1:So you know, I was preaching last week to the gatekeepers and the gatekeepers had a meeting and I was supposed to like open in prayer and talk for like five or ten minutes and I preached an entire message and I don't know if I'll be invited back. Pete, am I going to be invited back? Pete's like hey, you covered everything in my notes. He said it was a keep it simple, stupid, the kiss method. And then Rob said you got to go take kiss lessons. So I said Selena, are you available? Anyways, but I was preaching, I forgot why I started this story, but you know, I just got to preaching and preaching, and preaching and laying out some of these mandates and oh yeah, I was talking about, you know, it's the usher's job to be an extension of their pastor.
Speaker 1:So if they have been assigned to this aisle, they're going to know the person in their section. They're going to know when they're missing. They can look out over their section and realize that so-and-so needs encouraging. They can look out over their section and realize that so-and-so needs encouraging. They can tell by the maybe that person has a countenance that's down and they can walk up to them and encourage them. They're full of the Holy Ghost, they can follow the Holy Ghost, but they're an extension of their pastor over in their section, wherever their section is. Amen. And so that's what our gatekeepers do. They're not just security, they don't just keep us secure Thank God they do but that's also through the power of the Holy Spirit, amen. And so I just wanted to move on and just say that obedience comes through saying no sometimes. So success there's a saying out there success comes from what you say no to, and so I just I wanted to cover just a little story.
Speaker 1:You know, when I was growing up, I played football from the seventh grade to the 10th grade, and when I got to the 10th grade, I think it was JV, I just my 10th grade year wasn't that great of a year and I got to spring training of my 10th grade year and it just it wasn't going right. I had been sick and so I wasn't able to bulk up and grow quite as at the rate of, you know, that I wanted. And then my mom you know, the coach just had it in for me. He just he did not like me at all, and so my mom took that like personally and so she's praying favor on over me, you know.
Speaker 1:And uh, and so that summer it's getting close to football season to going out, and we were in the hill country and I was driving and my dad was in the passenger seat and he just brought it up. He said, well, have you made a decision yet? And I didn't even know what he was talking about, I didn't even know that he knew that I was struggling with the thought of maybe not going out for football. And so he's like you know, it'd be okay if you didn't, if you didn't do it. And I was, I just took all of the pressure off, like he just knew by the Holy ghost, and I thought I was looking at it like it was a lazy decision, like man, you just don't want to work, you don't want to put in the the work to play. You know, I had a varsity helmet waiting on me and I didn't show up to receive that. I didn't show up to take that.
Speaker 1:But my whole life changed because of that one decision. And my friends changed, my jobs changed. I already worked at Lakewood but you know, my best friend this guy became my best friend who is a musician. He was a piano player in his little Baptist youth group and he wanted to learn how to play the guitar. So I taught him everything I know. And then he turned around and taught me more you know, and so we would just bounce off of each other until we could play the guitar and a little bit of the keyboard. And just so I had that.
Speaker 1:And just many things happened at working at the television department at Lakewood. They begin to get, you know. They had calls all the time hey, can you have somebody that can come handle this? So I, you know I would go run camera for all kind of different ministries. Mike Barber, I went into the prisons with him for two or three times and worked in his TV truck. That was a lot of fun, just you know. Did some work for TBN. I worked for about six months for the Happy Hunters Anybody remember Charles and Francis Hunter? So that was the first time that I really was around holy laughter. They would have these holy laughter meetings and I realized real quick that there's no dignified way to get that, you know, to record that on a camera. There's no good angle, there's just people are just rolling around and snot's going everywhere and it's just. Some things are better to just. You know experience in person, right, but all because I made the right decision and my dad was there to help me do that.
Speaker 1:And so, you know, fast forward, I think Ethan was going into his senior year in college and he came to us and he's like I don't think I'm going to, I'm going to go out for baseball this season, which which means I'm going to lose my scholarship. And at first I was like, is that a lazy decision? And I, you know like I had. But then I you know, and it wasn't, and I just look at what God did that last year of his college he got highly involved in Jerry Savelle's church over in Crowley, texas, which was about 45 minutes from him, and they put him on the main praise and worship team. He played the drums and then Pastor Rick, over there, he pulled them into the youth department. He began ministering to the young people, and all because of a decision to you know, to not keep doing what you've always done, because you've always done it Right.
Speaker 1:And so I'm not preaching against sports. I just my two examples were were kind of you know, stop playing sports. But but there's things in your life there's weights, there's things that were good, that you just have kept on in and allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate those. You know, we got our niece here, thea. We're proud of her. She's at ORU, a freshman, and she's shining for Jesus and James and Claire's oldest daughter, and we're proud of her. But she is right in the middle of making these same decisions that they don't just seem. She's not doing it with her brain. She might think she is adding up. Well, do I have time for this and can I fit? No, she's making the right decisions because she's doing the will of the Father. It's in her heart to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit and to tell God yes in the areas that God is asking her to do, and not telling God no, amen.
Speaker 1:And so one more story, if we just fast forward to Luke 22, and I'll wrap it up. I could be done soon. This really is my last story. It's Jesus in the garden and it says in verse 39, luke 22, 39, it says coming out. He went to the Mount of Olives as he was accustomed, and his disciples also followed him. And when he came to the place he said to them pray that you may not enter into temptation. Isn't it fitting that we were talking about Jesus being in the wilderness, being tempted?
Speaker 1:And here he is, at the end of his ministry. He's about to go to the cross and he's telling Peter, james and John hey, come out here with me, but pray that you might not enter into temptation. And he is withdrawn from them about a stone's throw. And he knelt down. He was praying and he's weighing out the decision. It's really on him, right, Father? If it is your will, take this cup away from me Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. And so that. So he's wrestling back and forth. He knows what it means, you know, think about it To lose the spirit, to lose you know, my father, my father, why have you forsaken me on the? You know, on the cross he's going to say that? Why? Because he had to. Had to be without the influence of the father to go down into hell and fight the devil and take the keys to death, hell and the grave. Amen, that that he won for us. Amen and so. But that decision was not an easy one, right? And so he came all the way up to that starting. And he's having to weigh that decision. How many of you realize what would have happened if he would have said no? What is God telling you today? Amen, we're going to say yes, just like Jesus did. Amen.
Speaker 1:And then uh said uh. Then an angel appeared to him from heaven, strengthening him. Thank God for the supernatural power of angels. Amen. And being in agony, agony, he prayed more earnestly. Then his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, he had come to his disciples. He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then he said to them why do you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation. So he has to wake them up again.
Speaker 1:And then, um, while he was speaking, behold a multitude, uh and and, who called Judas one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus and kissed him. But Jesus said to him Judas, are you betraying the son of man? With a kiss. And when those around him saw that, what was going on? They said Lord, shall we strike with the sword? And I'm going to swap with you to John, chapter 19. So, john, I want to swap. You know I don't ever do this, but this was Luke's account and John, I thought had this better.
Speaker 1:This. 19, verse 10, it says then Peter having a sword. So how many of you know it's a good thing to carry a sword? If Peter was Jesus's security it's good to have security, right but he misused it, right. He drew it and struck the high priest's servant, malchus, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus said to Peter put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink? In other words, shall you know, this is the will of the father. What I'm about to do, don't get in the way. And then what did Jesus do? He put that ear right back on Malchus. Why? Because he had to erase the evidence.
Speaker 1:You know Peter probably would have died for that. And then where would we be? So the mercy of God steps in. And so you know, you might be listening to me preach and you maybe you made some wrong decisions in your life. I'm not talking about pulling out a sword and cutting somebody's ear off, but maybe you've made some serious, life-altering mistakes. There the mercy of God can come in, amen. And so, peter, don't you realize that Peter was humbled by this? Don't you realize that that? You know he went on, he received the Holy Spirit in the upper room. He became drunk in the Holy Ghost, if you will right, and had to explain what was happening. And then, under his ministry, thousands of people did get saved, amen. He went on to write the book of Peter and he went on to die a martyr's death. And so what areas in your life need editing? What you know by the blood of Jesus.
Speaker 1:You know everybody likes to watch a good movie, right? You know? Maybe you like to be entertained, and so I don't know if you realize this, but every movie you watch is really three movies. It's the movie that was acted, so there has to be perfect acting. Or you realize there's a movie you're watching like a movie, right? So like, if the acting is really good, you kind of get pulled into the characters. But if the acting is bad, you realize, oh man, that's not, that's not cutting it. And then you you're critical, and then it pulls you out, and then you know there's the way the movie was shot. You know, so like you have all of the different film angles and establishing shots, and then you're wowed by all of the.
Speaker 1:You know the area of the film, you know, but the real one that you're watching is the edited version, right? So if the editor makes a mistake and he takes out too much of the storyline, then you're left confused, right, and you're like what happened and why? You know, and then you're not really pulled into liking that character and so. But the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus are the best editors and it always makes perfect sense, right? And so maybe you've done mistakes, maybe you think you know, made mistakes, with zeros on the end of it.
Speaker 1:I'm telling you, if you grab a hold, with humility, of the blood of Jesus and allow the healing power of God to edit your story, I'm telling you, I'm encouraging you this morning, it's not over, it's not too late, you haven't disqualified yourself. Stop listening to the devil and grab a hold of the word of God and grab yourself a frame of word and see that you're identified in Christ. Stop being identified with your past. Stop being identified by your mistakes, stop being identified by your troubles and identify with the victory power of Jesus Christ himself and live a life that's in Christ. So, jesus, what did he do, what we've been preaching about? He emptied himself, he humbled himself and he became obedient. And so it's not too late this morning for you to empty yourself, to die to your flesh, to humble yourself and become obedient to the words of Jesus, to the words of God, the Father, and allow him to lift you up, to exalt you, amen. So Jesus is our ultimate example in this.
Speaker 1:You know, I just think to our marriages. We did a marriage and family series not too long ago. And so Ephesians 5.25 tells our husbands husbands, love your wives. Just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her, and so Jesus gave himself up his will. He died to his will so that we could be alive to God, and as husbands, we die to our will so that we can give back to our wives and be servants to our families and to our wives, amen. And so it's not about what we want to do is I've died. You know you've died as, as the head of your household. You've died to your will and you pick up the will of the father and how you, father and uh and mothers have a have a significant role in that as well, and so I'm not really preaching on marriage today, but I'm just encouraging you to be like Jesus, to empty yourself, to humble yourself and to become obedient.