1 00:00:02,169 --> 00:00:07,177 Hey, my name is Justin Kowalski, and I am the associate pastor at our Palm Avenue campus 2 00:00:02,169 --> 00:00:07,177 in Riverside, California. 3 00:00:07,274 --> 00:00:09,210 Thanks so much for listening to Sandals Church. 4 00:00:09,289 --> 00:00:12,189 Our vision is to be real with ourselves, God, and others. 5 00:00:12,259 --> 00:00:13,839 We hope you enjoy this message. 6 00:00:16,289 --> 00:00:16,942 Hey, guys. 7 00:00:16,995 --> 00:00:18,713 Welcome back to Sandals Church. 8 00:00:18,762 --> 00:00:20,574 Our vision is to be real. 9 00:00:20,611 --> 00:00:21,966 And I'm just going to be honest with you. 10 00:00:21,987 --> 00:00:26,653 I'm a little embarrassed as I look back at 2020 on some of my priorities, okay? 11 00:00:26,692 --> 00:00:27,525 I think was the first time. 12 00:00:27,547 --> 00:00:33,365 A lot of us have been in our home that long for a while, and you started looking around 13 00:00:27,547 --> 00:00:33,365 and seeing all the things you needed to fix and clean. 14 00:00:33,468 --> 00:00:34,805 I cleaned the ceiling at one point. 15 00:00:34,828 --> 00:00:37,442 I was so bored, and I'm a little embarrassed. 16 00:00:37,506 --> 00:00:44,549 It says something about us as Americans when there's, like, a worldwide pandemic and we 17 00:00:37,506 --> 00:00:44,549 think, this is a good time to remodel my kitchen. 18 00:00:45,229 --> 00:00:46,570 But I did the same thing. 19 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:51,350 I went to my kitchen window, and I looked out one day, and I thought, I want to plant some 20 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:51,350 shade trees. 21 00:00:51,429 --> 00:00:52,409 Like, right here. 22 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:56,537 Three beautiful shade trees in the morning that I can go out and look at. 23 00:00:56,624 --> 00:00:59,774 The only tricky thing is I had to plant them in my neighbor's yard, okay? 24 00:00:59,811 --> 00:01:02,393 Because when I look out the kitchen window, it is my neighbor's yard. 25 00:01:02,442 --> 00:01:03,706 Our house is like, 20ft apart. 26 00:01:03,737 --> 00:01:04,269 It's small. 27 00:01:04,340 --> 00:01:07,609 In fact, I could see my neighbor in the window drinking his coffee. 28 00:01:07,689 --> 00:01:14,450 And so one of the reasons I wanted trees was kind of have some blockage there between me 29 00:01:07,689 --> 00:01:14,450 and Cody and his PJs and the college guys. 30 00:01:14,599 --> 00:01:18,706 So I went across, I said, Guys, listen, you've been there ten years. 31 00:01:18,808 --> 00:01:19,665 They love me. 32 00:01:19,768 --> 00:01:22,421 And I was like, Listen, guys, I got a huge favor I want to ask you. 33 00:01:22,555 --> 00:01:25,109 Can we plant some trees in your yard? 34 00:01:25,689 --> 00:01:26,534 But here's the deal. 35 00:01:26,572 --> 00:01:27,989 I will pay for the trees. 36 00:01:28,409 --> 00:01:30,578 I will pay for the fertilizer, the mulch. 37 00:01:30,674 --> 00:01:31,762 I'll dig the hole. 38 00:01:31,825 --> 00:01:35,861 Like, I'll get the little strings, the twine that hold it up and pin it in the ground. 39 00:01:36,006 --> 00:01:39,397 But I need you to water the trees. 40 00:01:39,493 --> 00:01:41,353 It's kind of important in Empire, right? 41 00:01:41,391 --> 00:01:47,341 Like, for six months, I need you guys to water these trees so that they live after you 42 00:01:41,391 --> 00:01:47,341 guys move out next year. 43 00:01:47,396 --> 00:01:52,480 And they're like, Claude, dude, we got it. 44 00:01:53,650 --> 00:01:55,120 They didn't got it. 45 00:01:55,890 --> 00:01:58,593 Cody was my boy for, like, the first month. 46 00:01:58,712 --> 00:02:02,180 He's out there watering, and I know because I can see him every morning. 47 00:02:03,030 --> 00:02:08,466 But, man, as time went on, dude, they kind of know, and these trees start drying up. 48 00:02:08,647 --> 00:02:10,925 And I was like, Babe, we need to get a new fence. 49 00:02:10,957 --> 00:02:11,762 That was the new project. 50 00:02:11,816 --> 00:02:12,961 We're getting a new fence. 51 00:02:13,105 --> 00:02:20,620 But sure enough, when my new neighbors moved in, they looked at these trees, and two of 52 00:02:13,105 --> 00:02:20,620 the three were so dead the first day, man, they just chopped them down. 53 00:02:21,229 --> 00:02:28,298 Listen, planting a tree is one thing, but seeing it grow is something different. 54 00:02:28,383 --> 00:02:37,389 Planting is actually pretty easy, but the goal of planting is not finished until it's 55 00:02:28,383 --> 00:02:37,389 matured and really, until it's reproduced. 56 00:02:37,969 --> 00:02:39,949 Living things reproduce. 57 00:02:40,610 --> 00:02:45,722 And, you know, last week we talked about an essential called evangelism, where we want to 58 00:02:40,610 --> 00:02:45,722 see people trust Jesus. 59 00:02:45,786 --> 00:02:47,961 We want to see people saved. 60 00:02:48,105 --> 00:02:50,849 But listen, salvation is not the finish line. 61 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:52,306 The essential series wasn't over. 62 00:02:52,328 --> 00:02:55,074 I don't know if you noticed, but we still got two more after that. 63 00:02:55,192 --> 00:03:00,520 Because you becoming a Christian is not the finish line, it's the starting point. 64 00:03:01,210 --> 00:03:04,165 And we have a problem when we view salvation as the finish line. 65 00:03:04,187 --> 00:03:05,141 Let me tell you something. 66 00:03:05,276 --> 00:03:07,313 There's a Southern Baptist convention. 67 00:03:07,361 --> 00:03:10,102 It's the largest denomination in the world. 68 00:03:10,235 --> 00:03:15,366 And if you rewind back about 20 years, there are 5 million people that attend Southern 69 00:03:10,235 --> 00:03:15,366 Baptist churches. 70 00:03:15,397 --> 00:03:16,009 That's a lot. 71 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:24,741 But over the last 20 years, they baptized 7 million new people, people who trusted Christ 72 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:24,741 and wanted to follow God in baptism. 73 00:03:24,806 --> 00:03:26,026 And you're like, Dude, that's incredible. 74 00:03:26,057 --> 00:03:27,469 We had 5 million. 75 00:03:27,539 --> 00:03:29,150 We baptized 7 million. 76 00:03:29,219 --> 00:03:33,280 And they looked up at the end of the 20 years and they had 4.8 million. 77 00:03:33,729 --> 00:03:36,542 Now, I'm not great at math, but that's not great. 78 00:03:36,596 --> 00:03:40,066 That's like, how did you lose 7 million people? 79 00:03:40,247 --> 00:03:43,460 And in fact, we lost more than that because they took some people with them. 80 00:03:44,389 --> 00:03:49,605 You wouldn't let a toddler crawl out the back door, but we were 7 million of them. 81 00:03:49,627 --> 00:03:56,759 But, dude, they saw salvation as the finish line, not the starting line. 82 00:03:57,449 --> 00:04:00,997 Jesus says, man, you becoming a Christian is just the beginning. 83 00:04:01,174 --> 00:04:05,478 His desire for us is to grow, to mature, and to multiply. 84 00:04:05,574 --> 00:04:07,610 Do you know Jesus had two missions? 85 00:04:08,030 --> 00:04:14,653 We mostly think of his eternal mission to come and to pay for sin on the cross for us. 86 00:04:14,692 --> 00:04:18,665 And his resurrection sealed our salvation. 87 00:04:18,778 --> 00:04:22,298 But he didn't just have an eternal mission, he had an earthly mission. 88 00:04:22,473 --> 00:04:27,230 John 17 before Jesus goes to the cross, he's praying for the disciples. 89 00:04:27,310 --> 00:04:29,165 But I want you to see what he prays. 90 00:04:29,358 --> 00:04:39,458 God, I glorified you on earth, he says, having accomplished or finished the work that you 91 00:04:29,358 --> 00:04:39,458 gave me to do, now you're like, well, hold on a second. 92 00:04:39,624 --> 00:04:42,658 You ain't finished finished because you still haven't been to the cross. 93 00:04:42,754 --> 00:04:45,093 What work did he finish, right? 94 00:04:45,132 --> 00:04:46,641 You still got some finishing. 95 00:04:46,786 --> 00:05:03,980 But in other words, Jesus was saying, my earthly mission of preparing the disciples to be 96 00:04:46,786 --> 00:05:03,980 mature enough to handle the trials of life, to plant the church and to reproduce and 97 00:04:46,786 --> 00:05:03,980 multiply, he had finished that because that salvation wasn't the finish line, it was the 98 00:04:46,786 --> 00:05:03,980 starting line. 99 00:05:04,509 --> 00:05:08,160 Do you know the word Christian is only used in the Bible, like three times? 100 00:05:08,850 --> 00:05:09,966 That's not the end. 101 00:05:10,067 --> 00:05:14,649 The word disciples used 261 times because it's essential. 102 00:05:14,810 --> 00:05:17,134 It's essential that you move on to maturity. 103 00:05:17,262 --> 00:05:22,173 So at the end of Jesus ministry in Matthew 28, we know that he gives them a commission. 104 00:05:22,221 --> 00:05:26,958 He says, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. 105 00:05:27,053 --> 00:05:39,877 You remember when he called them, he says, I'm going to make you fishers of men, but at 106 00:05:27,053 --> 00:05:39,877 the end of his ministry, you're going to turn around, you're going to make disciples, 107 00:05:27,053 --> 00:05:39,877 you're going to multiply, you're going to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son 108 00:05:27,053 --> 00:05:39,877 and the Holy Spirit. 109 00:05:39,894 --> 00:05:40,394 But guess what? 110 00:05:40,432 --> 00:05:41,420 You're not done? 111 00:05:42,269 --> 00:05:47,386 Then teach them to observe and obey all that I've commanded you. 112 00:05:47,487 --> 00:05:51,701 Listen, we have forgotten that salvation is not the end goal. 113 00:05:51,846 --> 00:05:55,310 Your maturity and your multiplication is the end goal. 114 00:05:55,970 --> 00:06:02,569 Jesus loved to use analogies and metaphors of planting and sowing and reaping and harvest. 115 00:06:02,649 --> 00:06:09,074 And we're going to look at a parable together that to be honest, I've interpreted wrong 116 00:06:02,649 --> 00:06:09,074 most of my Christian life and most of you have too. 117 00:06:09,192 --> 00:06:11,805 It's known as the parable of the sower. 118 00:06:11,918 --> 00:06:16,259 And we're going to read Mark four version, starts off saying this. 119 00:06:16,629 --> 00:06:17,281 Listen. 120 00:06:17,415 --> 00:06:25,077 He says, Behold, a sower went out to sow and as he sowed, some of the seed fell along the 121 00:06:17,415 --> 00:06:25,077 path and the birds came and devoured it. 122 00:06:25,163 --> 00:06:29,846 Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and immediately it 123 00:06:25,163 --> 00:06:29,846 sprang up. 124 00:06:29,947 --> 00:06:34,838 But since it had no depth of soil, when the sun rose, it was scorched. 125 00:06:35,014 --> 00:06:37,673 And since it had no root, it withered away. 126 00:06:37,872 --> 00:06:46,189 Other seed, he says, fell among the thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it 127 00:06:37,872 --> 00:06:46,189 yielded, listen to this, no grain. 128 00:06:46,769 --> 00:06:57,129 Other seeds fell on good soil and they produced grain growing up, increasing, yielding 30 129 00:06:46,769 --> 00:06:57,129 fold, 60 fold and 100 fold. 130 00:06:57,209 --> 00:07:00,146 And he says, let he who has ears, let him hear. 131 00:07:00,168 --> 00:07:01,860 He's saying this is hard to understand. 132 00:07:02,310 --> 00:07:09,910 Listen, when you read the parables, one of the things I learned in seminary is that a 133 00:07:02,310 --> 00:07:09,910 parable, especially in Jewish culture, usually taught one truth. 134 00:07:10,250 --> 00:07:16,038 We shouldn't try to apply a bunch of different things to the sun or Satan's power. 135 00:07:16,204 --> 00:07:16,581 Really. 136 00:07:16,636 --> 00:07:19,778 A parable taught one big obvious truth. 137 00:07:19,874 --> 00:07:28,778 And the obvious truth in this and into this is the person who multiplied 30, 61 138 00:07:19,874 --> 00:07:28,778 hundredfold so that you don't miss it. 139 00:07:28,863 --> 00:07:35,610 That the obvious point, is this is not who's going to make it to heaven, but who's going 140 00:07:28,863 --> 00:07:35,610 to grow and mature and multiply. 141 00:07:35,769 --> 00:07:40,862 And I've read this, I think most of us have read this as a salvation parable and it's not. 142 00:07:40,995 --> 00:07:45,661 I think it's a discipleship parable for us to grow on. 143 00:07:45,716 --> 00:07:48,670 The point is, why does the sower sow? 144 00:07:48,829 --> 00:07:53,329 It's so that the harvest will multiply and he can eat again next year. 145 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:57,089 That's the whole reason a sower sows in the first place. 146 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:01,089 Jesus goes on, he explains the parable later, so we get his explanation. 147 00:08:01,170 --> 00:08:04,949 He says this the sower sows the word of God. 148 00:08:05,019 --> 00:08:07,079 It's the gospel that we're talking about. 149 00:08:07,850 --> 00:08:18,300 And the ones that fell along the path where the word is sown, satan immediately comes and 150 00:08:07,850 --> 00:08:18,300 he says, he takes away the Word that is sown in them. 151 00:08:19,790 --> 00:08:23,958 I think this is the one in the three that's not a believer. 152 00:08:24,053 --> 00:08:25,980 It never says they believe. 153 00:08:26,670 --> 00:08:36,639 Now, we're going to talk about the other three, but I don't want to move on past this 154 00:08:26,670 --> 00:08:36,639 because we need to stop and just remember that, man, you are not saved because you were 155 00:08:26,670 --> 00:08:36,639 smarter than somebody else or better. 156 00:08:37,169 --> 00:08:40,830 It wasn't even your decision to be born in a country where you could hear the Gospel. 157 00:08:40,909 --> 00:08:45,730 There's 3 billion people that will never get a chance to have the seed stolen away from 158 00:08:40,909 --> 00:08:45,730 them. 159 00:08:45,799 --> 00:08:46,974 It was a miracle. 160 00:08:47,101 --> 00:08:49,666 And you need to thank God and be grateful. 161 00:08:49,857 --> 00:08:56,200 I mean, the Bible says that you and I were lying in the dirt and God walked by one day and 162 00:08:49,857 --> 00:08:56,200 said, Live. 163 00:08:56,649 --> 00:08:59,240 Come on, come on, live. 164 00:08:59,950 --> 00:09:03,385 It was his grace that saved us. 165 00:09:03,567 --> 00:09:06,405 I get a text message every year on February 13. 166 00:09:06,437 --> 00:09:18,525 It's not my birthday, it's not my anniversary, but Mike Simpson texts me every single 167 00:09:06,437 --> 00:09:18,525 year, and he says, today was the day that you shared the gospel with me. 168 00:09:18,548 --> 00:09:21,433 And I trusted Christ 25 years ago, Claude. 169 00:09:21,481 --> 00:09:23,741 26 years ago, today was the day. 170 00:09:23,875 --> 00:09:26,025 And it changed my family, it changed my kids. 171 00:09:26,067 --> 00:09:26,994 It changed everything. 172 00:09:27,111 --> 00:09:30,690 Don't ever get over that we were dead men walking. 173 00:09:31,029 --> 00:09:32,850 God saved you by his grace. 174 00:09:33,269 --> 00:09:44,326 What scares me in this parable is actually the other two, because I've started to believe 175 00:09:33,269 --> 00:09:44,326 that I need to admit these are probably Christians, and it's possible. 176 00:09:44,427 --> 00:09:48,326 I don't think you can fall from grace, but I think you can fail to grow. 177 00:09:48,427 --> 00:09:51,206 In verse 16, this is what Jesus says. 178 00:09:51,388 --> 00:09:55,557 And these are the ones who are sown on the rocky ground. 179 00:09:55,734 --> 00:09:59,046 Once you when they hear the Word, they immediately receive it with joy. 180 00:09:59,158 --> 00:10:01,500 But they have no root in themselves. 181 00:10:02,269 --> 00:10:03,850 They endure even for a while. 182 00:10:03,919 --> 00:10:07,225 Luke Eight says that they believe and are saved. 183 00:10:07,258 --> 00:10:11,913 Like it says the first one, Satan, steals away from their heart, so they cannot believe 184 00:10:07,258 --> 00:10:11,913 and be saved. 185 00:10:11,961 --> 00:10:17,594 So I believe this is a Christian, but he has no root in himself, but he believes and 186 00:10:11,961 --> 00:10:17,594 receives it with joy. 187 00:10:17,642 --> 00:10:20,413 Only God can allow you to receive His Word with joy. 188 00:10:20,461 --> 00:10:23,059 That's a miracle of his grace in your heart. 189 00:10:23,750 --> 00:10:26,385 But because they have no root, they endure for a while. 190 00:10:26,488 --> 00:10:32,519 But when tribulation and persecution arise on account of the Word, immediately they fall 191 00:10:26,488 --> 00:10:32,519 away. 192 00:10:33,690 --> 00:10:36,950 My third tree, it's 30ft tall. 193 00:10:37,690 --> 00:10:38,642 It has bloomed. 194 00:10:38,706 --> 00:10:41,457 In fact, man, it survived some storms. 195 00:10:41,634 --> 00:10:45,782 Hillary wasn't that bad where we were at, but we lost a lot of limbs in our neighborhood. 196 00:10:45,846 --> 00:10:51,193 And that tree, I remember going out worried about my baby tree, and it lost, like, a big 197 00:10:45,846 --> 00:10:51,193 limb out of it. 198 00:10:51,231 --> 00:10:51,961 But you know what? 199 00:10:52,015 --> 00:10:53,714 It hung in there and it lived. 200 00:10:53,782 --> 00:10:55,706 And then after that, it bloomed. 201 00:10:55,817 --> 00:10:58,282 I swear it doubled after Hillary. 202 00:10:58,426 --> 00:11:00,046 And I thought, you know what? 203 00:11:00,227 --> 00:11:04,282 You need roots like it took a hit, but it didn't die. 204 00:11:04,426 --> 00:11:08,642 And listen to me, man, life is hard, right? 205 00:11:08,696 --> 00:11:14,158 Like some of us, life has been hard, but life as a Christian is harder. 206 00:11:14,333 --> 00:11:16,580 I think we need to be honest about this. 207 00:11:17,110 --> 00:11:23,669 It's harder, I think, to live as a Christian because you can't cheat your way around your 208 00:11:17,110 --> 00:11:23,669 circumstances. 209 00:11:24,090 --> 00:11:26,225 It's harder to live with integrity. 210 00:11:26,418 --> 00:11:28,322 It's harder to live with purity. 211 00:11:28,466 --> 00:11:30,693 It's harder to live an honest Christian life. 212 00:11:30,731 --> 00:11:32,022 And you need roots for that. 213 00:11:32,076 --> 00:11:33,642 You need that modeled for you. 214 00:11:33,696 --> 00:11:37,717 So where do you get roots as a growing Christian? 215 00:11:37,813 --> 00:11:39,206 It's called discipleship. 216 00:11:39,317 --> 00:11:40,474 So I want you to write this down. 217 00:11:40,511 --> 00:11:44,142 Point number one is this, and don't ever forget the first part. 218 00:11:44,275 --> 00:11:50,960 It's God's grace that secures my faith, but my growth secures my life. 219 00:11:51,490 --> 00:11:52,857 You need roots. 220 00:11:53,033 --> 00:11:54,649 Do you guys know palm trees? 221 00:11:54,730 --> 00:11:56,494 The roots of palm trees are not that big. 222 00:11:56,532 --> 00:11:58,090 They're like the size of pencils. 223 00:11:58,169 --> 00:12:05,501 But there's so many of them, and they're so interwoven, and they get so wide looking for 224 00:11:58,169 --> 00:12:05,501 water, like 40, 50ft wide. 225 00:12:05,566 --> 00:12:07,186 You ever see a palm tree blow down? 226 00:12:07,288 --> 00:12:08,594 No, right? 227 00:12:08,631 --> 00:12:11,846 Because it's got so many of those things supporting it. 228 00:12:11,868 --> 00:12:13,985 And I look at that and I go, man, that's the church. 229 00:12:14,097 --> 00:12:14,981 That's what you need. 230 00:12:15,035 --> 00:12:19,553 The body of Christ that supports you and holds you during the storm. 231 00:12:19,601 --> 00:12:23,365 Ephesians four says that the body does this for us, the church body. 232 00:12:23,467 --> 00:12:24,614 Ephesians four says this. 233 00:12:24,652 --> 00:12:30,806 Instead, we speak the truth in love, growing in every way to be more like Christ, who is 234 00:12:24,652 --> 00:12:30,806 the head of the body, the church. 235 00:12:30,918 --> 00:12:39,097 And he makes the whole body fit together perfectly as each part does its special work, 236 00:12:30,918 --> 00:12:39,097 each of those roots have a special role. 237 00:12:39,274 --> 00:12:40,206 And listen to this. 238 00:12:40,227 --> 00:12:47,953 It says each one helps the other parts grow so that the whole body is healthy, growing, 239 00:12:40,227 --> 00:12:47,953 and full of love. 240 00:12:48,072 --> 00:12:48,642 Listen. 241 00:12:48,775 --> 00:12:51,741 Who is helping you grow in these essentials? 242 00:12:51,885 --> 00:12:54,577 Who's helping you learn how to study God's Word? 243 00:12:54,744 --> 00:12:56,419 Memorize God's word. 244 00:12:56,789 --> 00:12:59,700 Who's helping you learn how to meditate on God's Word? 245 00:13:00,230 --> 00:13:02,642 Hear God's Word preached at a great church? 246 00:13:02,706 --> 00:13:06,597 Who's helping you learn how to pray more than just praying for yourself? 247 00:13:06,683 --> 00:13:13,782 Like, who's helping you learn how to pray for your lost friends, your coworkers of the 248 00:13:06,683 --> 00:13:13,782 world, maybe open a map of the world and pray for the world? 249 00:13:13,836 --> 00:13:16,009 Who's helping you learn how to share your faith? 250 00:13:16,429 --> 00:13:19,913 Who's helping you learn how to share your testimony, what God has done in your life? 251 00:13:20,032 --> 00:13:21,225 You need others. 252 00:13:21,327 --> 00:13:23,049 You need the body to help you. 253 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:24,940 And most of us don't have that. 254 00:13:25,389 --> 00:13:38,302 One of the things I want you to notice from now on, every time we do a series, one of the 255 00:13:25,389 --> 00:13:38,302 coolest things that maybe you miss is some of the art and the design and even the title of 256 00:13:25,389 --> 00:13:38,302 these series that we do. 257 00:13:38,355 --> 00:13:44,701 There's a lot of intentionality behind it, a lot of thought, a lot of talented people that 258 00:13:38,355 --> 00:13:44,701 work on that because it all communicates. 259 00:13:44,846 --> 00:13:46,942 And this summer we did a series on discipleship. 260 00:13:47,005 --> 00:13:48,518 You should go back and watch it. 261 00:13:48,683 --> 00:13:51,621 But originally the title of it was Follow Me. 262 00:13:51,676 --> 00:13:53,250 This journey of discipleship. 263 00:13:53,330 --> 00:13:53,909 Follow Me. 264 00:13:53,980 --> 00:14:00,817 And the image was this hiker on this boulder, this silhouette of a hiker going through the 265 00:13:53,980 --> 00:14:00,817 desert. 266 00:14:00,913 --> 00:14:03,717 There's yellows and oranges of this sunset. 267 00:14:03,813 --> 00:14:08,261 And we're in like a couple of meetings into this design and this image. 268 00:14:08,326 --> 00:14:15,659 And I looked at it one day and I said, guys, I'm so sorry, we can't use this. 269 00:14:16,750 --> 00:14:17,717 We got to scrap this. 270 00:14:17,744 --> 00:14:21,581 I thought I was going to get stabbed with an apple pen from one of the design people. 271 00:14:21,635 --> 00:14:25,546 But I said, we can't use this because there's only one hiker. 272 00:14:25,658 --> 00:14:37,457 And that's the problem, is that most Christians think after I trust Christ, it's up to me 273 00:14:25,658 --> 00:14:37,457 to make my way through the desert in my 20s, in the wilderness in my 30s, on my own. 274 00:14:37,543 --> 00:14:41,720 Listen, the beautiful thing about discipleship is you don't have to grow by yourself. 275 00:14:42,649 --> 00:14:46,306 You're not meant to just pull yourself up by your own pickaxe. 276 00:14:46,337 --> 00:14:48,337 In fact, that's not even a safe way of hiking. 277 00:14:48,433 --> 00:14:51,929 I said, that's how people get lost and die. 278 00:14:54,429 --> 00:14:57,894 Listen, the biblical image is not you alone hiking. 279 00:14:58,022 --> 00:14:58,553 It's two. 280 00:14:58,591 --> 00:14:59,225 Timothy two. 281 00:14:59,248 --> 00:14:59,481 Two. 282 00:14:59,535 --> 00:15:03,433 It's a Paul discipling, a Timothy who's discipling others. 283 00:15:03,552 --> 00:15:08,509 It's you being tethered in with people in front of you and holding the ropes for people 284 00:15:03,552 --> 00:15:08,509 behind you. 285 00:15:08,580 --> 00:15:10,446 Two Timothy Two two says this. 286 00:15:10,548 --> 00:15:12,269 The things you've heard me say. 287 00:15:12,419 --> 00:15:14,217 Paul is speaking to Timothy. 288 00:15:14,394 --> 00:15:23,826 Timothy, the things you've heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust them to 289 00:15:14,394 --> 00:15:23,826 reliable people who will be able to teach others also. 290 00:15:24,008 --> 00:15:27,566 This is what we mean by multiply. 291 00:15:27,758 --> 00:15:29,105 Multiplying your life. 292 00:15:29,207 --> 00:15:38,597 Who are you tethered to in front that when you get tired, when you want to give up, they 293 00:15:29,207 --> 00:15:38,597 pull you through, they hold the rope for you. 294 00:15:38,683 --> 00:15:42,682 And then how are you turning around and multiplying that holding the rope for others. 295 00:15:42,816 --> 00:15:48,214 Jesus is saying, basically, we have a problem as a plant, we have a problem two 296 00:15:42,816 --> 00:15:48,214 directions. 297 00:15:48,261 --> 00:15:52,197 We need roots to keep us in the storm and the trials. 298 00:15:52,293 --> 00:15:54,505 But then he said, we have a problem another direction. 299 00:15:54,618 --> 00:15:56,057 Are you bearing grain? 300 00:15:56,153 --> 00:15:57,466 Are you bearing fruit? 301 00:15:57,577 --> 00:15:58,634 Are you multiplying? 302 00:15:58,682 --> 00:15:59,322 Verse 18. 303 00:15:59,385 --> 00:16:02,217 He says, now there's other ones, other seed. 304 00:16:02,394 --> 00:16:04,350 There were sown among thorns. 305 00:16:04,850 --> 00:16:11,614 And he said, These are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, the 306 00:16:04,850 --> 00:16:11,614 deceitfulness of riches. 307 00:16:11,741 --> 00:16:13,745 And then he just throws in the desire for other things. 308 00:16:13,768 --> 00:16:16,306 I don't know what that is, but that covers a lot of other stuff. 309 00:16:16,488 --> 00:16:22,081 The desire for other things enter in and choke out that vine. 310 00:16:22,145 --> 00:16:25,909 They choke it out and it proves listen to him unfruitful. 311 00:16:27,129 --> 00:16:31,333 His point is, are you maturing and are you multiplying? 312 00:16:31,461 --> 00:16:33,638 Does it produce grain? 313 00:16:33,813 --> 00:16:40,885 Now, one of the things about this one that bothers me anybody ever watch thorns? 314 00:16:40,918 --> 00:16:41,500 Grow. 315 00:16:43,169 --> 00:16:44,159 I have. 316 00:16:45,169 --> 00:16:52,457 I see it every summer when most people leave and take off from May to August. 317 00:16:52,634 --> 00:16:53,306 I go, there's. 318 00:16:53,337 --> 00:16:57,326 The thorns, it's slow. 319 00:16:57,518 --> 00:16:59,490 In other words, it's a decision. 320 00:17:00,389 --> 00:17:03,761 It's a decision over and over and over in time. 321 00:17:03,816 --> 00:17:06,622 And I'm not saying there's anything bad about you going on vacation. 322 00:17:06,766 --> 00:17:08,529 Beautiful things have thorns. 323 00:17:09,210 --> 00:17:12,246 But what is it that causes you to miss community group? 324 00:17:12,428 --> 00:17:15,190 What is it that causes you to cancel community group? 325 00:17:15,339 --> 00:17:17,925 Because it's a decision for us. 326 00:17:18,028 --> 00:17:19,990 Thorns grow slowly. 327 00:17:20,329 --> 00:17:22,759 You don't get snuck up on by some. 328 00:17:23,869 --> 00:17:30,854 Know, my little sister, when she was traveling back home to the country, she lives in 329 00:17:23,869 --> 00:17:30,854 Southeast Asia, they lost one of her crates. 330 00:17:30,902 --> 00:17:34,233 It had, like, all of her Bible, her journals, like all this stuff for a month. 331 00:17:34,271 --> 00:17:35,842 And we found it in Sydney, Australia. 332 00:17:35,925 --> 00:17:37,021 And that's a whole nother story. 333 00:17:37,076 --> 00:17:42,478 But I found out later why her bag grabbed, why they took it, why they separated it. 334 00:17:42,564 --> 00:17:51,534 She's lucky they didn't incinerate the whole thing, because inside the crate she had a 335 00:17:42,564 --> 00:17:51,534 Christmas wreath, like a real vine twisted, beautiful wreath. 336 00:17:51,582 --> 00:17:53,859 But you can't take that through another country. 337 00:17:54,470 --> 00:18:05,538 Australia looked at that and said, no, if it's got one little insect, if it's got one 338 00:17:54,470 --> 00:18:05,538 little fungus, that kind of invasive species could wipe out something in our ecosystem. 339 00:18:05,634 --> 00:18:07,253 And so they took care of it. 340 00:18:07,291 --> 00:18:11,798 Do you know California has 16 checkpoints when you drive in, don't they? 341 00:18:11,804 --> 00:18:12,953 And they ask you two questions. 342 00:18:13,071 --> 00:18:15,701 Do you got any plants or any produce? 343 00:18:15,846 --> 00:18:16,153 Right? 344 00:18:16,192 --> 00:18:22,910 They're not asking if you got fentanyl or if you're with know, but if you got grapefruit, 345 00:18:16,192 --> 00:18:22,910 you're in trouble. 346 00:18:24,130 --> 00:18:25,902 They're guarding, right? 347 00:18:25,955 --> 00:18:30,397 Like, they're guarding the citrus industry from those invasive things. 348 00:18:30,483 --> 00:18:37,554 And listen, California does a better job guarding its borders than Christians do guarding 349 00:18:30,483 --> 00:18:37,554 the gates of your life and your heart. 350 00:18:37,672 --> 00:18:39,794 Do you guard the gates of your heart? 351 00:18:39,991 --> 00:18:46,625 Like, what do you allow in that says, man, I need to pursue this instead of community. 352 00:18:46,728 --> 00:18:53,173 I need to pursue this instead of those time, that time and effort and resources that could 353 00:18:46,728 --> 00:18:53,173 be used to multiply my life. 354 00:18:53,372 --> 00:18:54,534 I want you to write this down. 355 00:18:54,571 --> 00:18:58,950 Number two, the fruitful life, it's a daily choice. 356 00:18:59,869 --> 00:19:04,140 It's a daily sacrificial choice that we have to make. 357 00:19:05,230 --> 00:19:14,750 I think a lot of the Christians in our church know just enough gospel to think, I'm going 358 00:19:05,230 --> 00:19:14,750 to heaven, so I'm going to chase two rabbits. 359 00:19:15,569 --> 00:19:16,750 And you can't do that. 360 00:19:16,819 --> 00:19:19,662 Jesus says you'll waste your life. 361 00:19:19,796 --> 00:19:28,160 I think that's what he's saying, that they fall away from the community, the church, the 362 00:19:19,796 --> 00:19:28,160 life that God wants for them, and they waste it. 363 00:19:28,849 --> 00:19:34,349 Hey, everybody, before we keep going with the message, I want to take a minute and invite 364 00:19:28,849 --> 00:19:34,349 you to consider giving to the work of Sandals Church. 365 00:19:34,430 --> 00:19:37,602 If you're interested in doing that, you can go to Donate SC. 366 00:19:37,736 --> 00:19:39,301 Let's get back to the message. 367 00:19:39,435 --> 00:19:40,549 Matthew six. 368 00:19:40,700 --> 00:19:46,150 Jesus tells us, man, don't worry don't try to chase two rabbits. 369 00:19:46,650 --> 00:19:48,741 Don't worry about what are we going to eat? 370 00:19:48,796 --> 00:19:50,097 What are we going to drink? 371 00:19:50,273 --> 00:19:52,625 Where am I going to get my clothes? 372 00:19:52,738 --> 00:19:53,922 What am I going to wear? 373 00:19:54,066 --> 00:19:57,546 He says, for every pagans, the world runs after all those things. 374 00:19:57,647 --> 00:20:00,329 And your Heavenly Father, he knows what you need. 375 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:01,942 He knows that you need them. 376 00:20:02,096 --> 00:20:03,998 But Jesus challenges us. 377 00:20:04,084 --> 00:20:10,761 He says, seek first his kingdom of first priority, his kingdom, his righteousness. 378 00:20:10,905 --> 00:20:11,662 And guess what? 379 00:20:11,715 --> 00:20:13,465 All these things, this is a promise. 380 00:20:13,577 --> 00:20:16,253 All those things will show up in your life as well. 381 00:20:16,372 --> 00:20:21,281 That's the great surprise is that you don't need to live some kind of balanced Christian 382 00:20:16,372 --> 00:20:21,281 life. 383 00:20:21,336 --> 00:20:24,354 I don't think there's any such thing as a balanced Christian life. 384 00:20:24,471 --> 00:20:26,814 I don't go balance my thorns and my vegetables. 385 00:20:26,862 --> 00:20:27,794 You know what I'm saying? 386 00:20:27,912 --> 00:20:30,301 Jesus is saying, dude, it's death and resurrection. 387 00:20:30,365 --> 00:20:33,185 That's the Christian life, to put some things to death. 388 00:20:33,298 --> 00:20:38,117 But he promises you're going to look up and find that you got everything you want anyway. 389 00:20:38,284 --> 00:20:42,913 I want you to imagine for a second that you're like a home builder. 390 00:20:42,961 --> 00:20:43,826 Or let's just say this. 391 00:20:43,867 --> 00:20:45,753 Let's say you had to rebuild your own home. 392 00:20:45,872 --> 00:20:46,453 That's funny. 393 00:20:46,501 --> 00:20:51,130 Okay, imagine if some of us had to rebuild the house that we lived in. 394 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,099 And you never swung a hammer before. 395 00:20:53,549 --> 00:20:59,069 I would probably forget, like a toilets, have no electricity, three walls. 396 00:20:59,490 --> 00:21:00,301 It'd be bad. 397 00:21:00,355 --> 00:21:04,766 But have you ever been in somebody's home who's like a master who builds houses for a 398 00:21:00,355 --> 00:21:04,766 living? 399 00:21:04,867 --> 00:21:12,993 Dude, I went in this guy's kitchen who builds homes, and it was like a Swiss Army knife of 400 00:21:04,867 --> 00:21:12,993 drawers and stuff sliding out. 401 00:21:13,031 --> 00:21:16,609 It was beautiful, dark wood, and it was amazing. 402 00:21:16,759 --> 00:21:19,794 The closest I've ever had to anything like that is when we moved into our house. 403 00:21:19,832 --> 00:21:22,662 And the garage was it was like a blank canvas for a man. 404 00:21:22,715 --> 00:21:24,039 I was like, this is awesome. 405 00:21:24,809 --> 00:21:28,021 I'm going to put industrial shelves from Lowe's all down the wall. 406 00:21:28,076 --> 00:21:30,086 And then I realized how expensive those are. 407 00:21:30,107 --> 00:21:34,170 And I'm like, I'm going to put hooks from Lowe's all down the wall. 408 00:21:34,319 --> 00:21:35,579 It was still fun. 409 00:21:37,390 --> 00:21:44,382 I remember as like, a young person growing up and trying to make disciples, going, god, is 410 00:21:37,390 --> 00:21:44,382 your promise really true? 411 00:21:44,516 --> 00:21:45,933 And you know what happened? 412 00:21:46,132 --> 00:21:48,960 I realized later in life, I'm like, you know what? 413 00:21:50,529 --> 00:21:55,440 I know how to choose a spouse because I've helped other people through that. 414 00:21:56,289 --> 00:22:01,761 When we had kids, I realized, man, I know how to answer this question because I've 415 00:21:56,289 --> 00:22:01,761 answered it with people before. 416 00:22:01,816 --> 00:22:05,218 I know where in the Bible this is my kids. 417 00:22:05,384 --> 00:22:08,738 We get to watch other people's lives play out. 418 00:22:08,903 --> 00:22:16,690 We get to watch and learn how to have integrity, how to deal with finances, how to choose 419 00:22:08,903 --> 00:22:16,690 good friends, how to go through tragedy. 420 00:22:16,849 --> 00:22:23,000 And I realized, man, if you don't build into the lives of others, you're not ready to 421 00:22:16,849 --> 00:22:23,000 build your own home. 422 00:22:23,369 --> 00:22:26,314 You're not ready to build your own life, but God will give that to you. 423 00:22:26,352 --> 00:22:27,978 He'll give everything back to you. 424 00:22:28,064 --> 00:22:31,740 And you'll be like, wow, I know how to do this. 425 00:22:32,289 --> 00:22:40,253 He also holds out one fourth soil, and there's incredible purpose and promise in it. 426 00:22:40,291 --> 00:22:44,670 He says there's other seed, though, those that were sown on the good soil. 427 00:22:45,109 --> 00:22:46,417 He said, These are the ones. 428 00:22:46,503 --> 00:22:48,753 They don't just hear the word, they accept it. 429 00:22:48,872 --> 00:22:53,182 And they bear fruit, undeniable fruit. 430 00:22:53,326 --> 00:22:56,481 30 fold, you don't miss it. 431 00:22:56,536 --> 00:22:59,089 60 fold, 100 fold. 432 00:23:00,069 --> 00:23:01,650 Like, they multiply. 433 00:23:01,809 --> 00:23:04,625 They don't just mature, they multiply. 434 00:23:04,817 --> 00:23:09,798 We live near the orange groves, like the Orange Grove State Park, and we love to drive our 435 00:23:04,817 --> 00:23:09,798 friends through there because it's beautiful. 436 00:23:09,884 --> 00:23:16,486 But people always get a little bothered by all the oranges that are just, like, laying on 437 00:23:09,884 --> 00:23:16,486 the ground and in the road, and they're rotting. 438 00:23:16,518 --> 00:23:18,761 And people get kind of they know how much money those are. 439 00:23:18,816 --> 00:23:23,074 When you go to the grocery store, especially here, and they're like, what's with all the 440 00:23:18,816 --> 00:23:23,074 oranges? 441 00:23:23,142 --> 00:23:25,049 I'm like, well, they're not growing oranges. 442 00:23:25,210 --> 00:23:26,253 And they're like, what do you mean? 443 00:23:26,291 --> 00:23:27,470 They're growing trees. 444 00:23:28,130 --> 00:23:29,738 You're thinking addition. 445 00:23:29,913 --> 00:23:31,561 They're thinking multiplication. 446 00:23:31,705 --> 00:23:33,145 It's way bigger. 447 00:23:33,337 --> 00:23:36,733 When the church thinks addition, we miss it. 448 00:23:36,932 --> 00:23:37,786 And I love our church. 449 00:23:37,817 --> 00:23:40,978 Sandals is one of the fastest growing churches in the country right now. 450 00:23:40,983 --> 00:23:44,561 I don't know if you know that we baptize somewhere of 600, 700 people a year. 451 00:23:44,695 --> 00:23:49,589 If we were able to do that for 100 years, that'd only be 60,000 people. 452 00:23:49,660 --> 00:23:53,173 You're not going to reach the world doing that, right? 453 00:23:53,211 --> 00:23:54,786 The world is multiplying. 454 00:23:54,897 --> 00:23:56,417 We can't be adding. 455 00:23:56,594 --> 00:23:58,902 But do you know how powerful multiplication is? 456 00:23:58,955 --> 00:24:00,993 You know why Jesus wants us to multiply. 457 00:24:01,122 --> 00:24:08,617 If you could fold a piece of paper ten times, which physically you can't, but the 458 00:24:01,122 --> 00:24:08,617 thickness of it would be the thickness of your hand. 459 00:24:08,784 --> 00:24:12,700 If you could fold a piece of paper 20 times, it jumped to a football field. 460 00:24:13,490 --> 00:24:16,990 If you could fold a piece of paper 44 times, it touched the moon. 461 00:24:17,730 --> 00:24:32,660 Listen, if someone started making disciples in our church and they reproduced two, four, 462 00:24:17,730 --> 00:24:32,660 eight, if any one person took Jesus up on that and started making disciples in 33 years, 463 00:24:17,730 --> 00:24:32,660 it'd reach the world. 464 00:24:33,269 --> 00:24:35,953 That's how powerful multiplication is. 465 00:24:35,991 --> 00:24:37,410 I want you to write this down. 466 00:24:37,559 --> 00:24:39,054 Multiplying my life. 467 00:24:39,192 --> 00:24:41,799 It's not easy, but it is simple. 468 00:24:42,970 --> 00:24:44,965 It's simpler than you think. 469 00:24:45,147 --> 00:24:54,569 We have some men and women in our church right now that just after this summer, they 470 00:24:45,147 --> 00:24:54,569 started gathering people from their work and saying, let's get together every Friday and 471 00:24:45,147 --> 00:24:54,569 let's read the Bible and pray. 472 00:24:55,150 --> 00:24:57,897 There's stay at home moms that are getting together. 473 00:24:57,983 --> 00:25:00,041 Play dates Thursdays, 10:00 a.m.. 474 00:25:00,096 --> 00:25:01,925 Let's read the Bible and pray. 475 00:25:02,117 --> 00:25:05,789 It doesn't have to be complicated, but it costs you something. 476 00:25:05,859 --> 00:25:09,086 But if you're growing, you can disciple somebody else. 477 00:25:09,188 --> 00:25:09,721 Ezra. 478 00:25:09,786 --> 00:25:11,549 Look what Ezra 710 says. 479 00:25:11,700 --> 00:25:21,645 Ezra he had set in his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it and then to 480 00:25:11,700 --> 00:25:21,645 teach the statutes and rules in Israel. 481 00:25:21,758 --> 00:25:23,538 He was living it out first. 482 00:25:23,703 --> 00:25:28,210 But if you're growing and living it out, you can turn around and teach a younger Christian 483 00:25:23,703 --> 00:25:28,210 model. 484 00:25:28,279 --> 00:25:28,978 It for them. 485 00:25:29,064 --> 00:25:31,157 Show them how to live and follow Christ. 486 00:25:31,243 --> 00:25:31,493 Okay? 487 00:25:31,531 --> 00:25:34,662 I want to teach you guys a new term, and you probably don't know it. 488 00:25:34,796 --> 00:25:35,809 It's not in the Bible. 489 00:25:35,890 --> 00:25:38,069 It's BROP, okay? 490 00:25:38,140 --> 00:25:39,605 With a P at the end. 491 00:25:39,788 --> 00:25:44,021 So some of you Motocross guys know BROP because you hear it all the time. 492 00:25:44,076 --> 00:25:55,945 And if you've never heard this term, it's really common because if you ever seen, like, 493 00:25:44,076 --> 00:25:55,945 Motocross where those guys jump the huge 70, 80 foot jumps and do the tricks with their 494 00:25:44,076 --> 00:25:55,945 feet and all that stuff, I have friends that do that. 495 00:25:55,968 --> 00:25:57,549 They're some of the best guys in the world. 496 00:25:57,619 --> 00:25:59,933 But I just was like, Guys, one of my friends. 497 00:25:59,971 --> 00:26:02,142 I'm like, how do you even learn that? 498 00:26:02,195 --> 00:26:02,894 You know what I mean? 499 00:26:02,932 --> 00:26:05,594 Because if you go long, it's dangerous. 500 00:26:05,642 --> 00:26:07,786 If you come up short, it's dangerous. 501 00:26:07,897 --> 00:26:09,657 How do you even get started in that? 502 00:26:09,683 --> 00:26:12,594 And I've watched some of them follow along and do all this. 503 00:26:12,632 --> 00:26:14,750 I'm like, Are you trying to get the speed and the timing? 504 00:26:14,829 --> 00:26:18,470 He goes, no, it's actually you're listening. 505 00:26:18,890 --> 00:26:20,950 You're listening to the motor. 506 00:26:21,609 --> 00:26:31,942 Is it bra or is it and so the reason they're riding along and you listen to motor and 507 00:26:21,609 --> 00:26:31,942 that's all Motocross guys talk about. 508 00:26:32,076 --> 00:26:32,978 He was like, BRAP, BRAP. 509 00:26:32,993 --> 00:26:33,713 And I went, Bra. 510 00:26:33,771 --> 00:26:35,766 And it was hilarious. 511 00:26:35,798 --> 00:26:38,506 They got, like their whole language, man, I pinned it. 512 00:26:38,528 --> 00:26:42,874 I still cased because I didn't rap, but he said, yeah. 513 00:26:42,912 --> 00:26:48,461 As I ride along, man, I'm listening to that sound to know exactly how to gauge it. 514 00:26:48,516 --> 00:26:52,701 And I thought, dude, that's discipleship that's discipleship right there. 515 00:26:52,756 --> 00:26:56,493 You get close enough that, man, you can see it lived out. 516 00:26:56,531 --> 00:26:58,178 You can hear it in their life. 517 00:26:58,344 --> 00:27:05,153 First, thessalonians one Paul says this, he said, man, we didn't just lead you to Christ 518 00:26:58,344 --> 00:27:05,153 and leave you there. 519 00:27:05,192 --> 00:27:08,450 He says, we lived among you for your sake. 520 00:27:08,869 --> 00:27:10,114 That wasn't the finish line. 521 00:27:10,152 --> 00:27:11,670 We wanted to see you mature. 522 00:27:12,250 --> 00:27:19,986 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of 523 00:27:12,250 --> 00:27:19,986 severe suffering, you made it through some trials. 524 00:27:20,178 --> 00:27:21,413 And then he said this. 525 00:27:21,451 --> 00:27:22,321 You multiplied. 526 00:27:22,385 --> 00:27:26,662 You became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Acaia. 527 00:27:26,726 --> 00:27:31,321 And the Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Acaia, but listen to 528 00:27:26,726 --> 00:27:31,321 this. 529 00:27:31,375 --> 00:27:35,150 Your faith in God has become known everywhere. 530 00:27:35,490 --> 00:27:46,910 Can you imagine God saying that about you someday, man, because of what you did, your 531 00:27:35,490 --> 00:27:46,910 faith rang out like a song that was heard everywhere someday. 532 00:27:47,589 --> 00:27:56,259 I think when someone shared with me the vision of multiplying my life, there was just 533 00:27:47,589 --> 00:27:56,259 something inside me that woke up and said, man, I get to do this. 534 00:27:56,950 --> 00:28:01,349 It's not a sacrifice, but I want to give my whole life. 535 00:28:01,420 --> 00:28:02,054 To this. 536 00:28:02,172 --> 00:28:09,894 And I'm not like a big, what do you call it, verse, where you have your life verse kind of 537 00:28:02,172 --> 00:28:09,894 person. 538 00:28:10,011 --> 00:28:12,778 But I was reading Psalms one day in Psalms 45. 539 00:28:12,864 --> 00:28:17,733 I thought, this captures my whole life and it's a commitment. 540 00:28:17,781 --> 00:28:20,089 It says this, psalms 40 517. 541 00:28:20,589 --> 00:28:25,869 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations. 542 00:28:27,410 --> 00:28:30,798 Can you imagine doing something with your life that's timeless like that? 543 00:28:30,963 --> 00:28:33,817 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations. 544 00:28:33,913 --> 00:28:38,801 Therefore the nations will give you praise forever and ever. 545 00:28:38,855 --> 00:28:45,220 I want to do something with my life, God, that's going to be timeless and it's going to 546 00:28:38,855 --> 00:28:45,220 fill the world one day. 547 00:28:45,670 --> 00:28:46,953 And I made a decision. 548 00:28:47,021 --> 00:28:53,640 I'm asking you maybe to make a decision like this, to take personal responsibility for the 549 00:28:47,021 --> 00:28:53,640 mission of God. 550 00:28:54,890 --> 00:28:59,240 Jesus didn't just save you, he wants to send you. 551 00:28:59,690 --> 00:29:07,162 And I don't know where you started in your growth, in your discipleship process, but I 552 00:28:59,690 --> 00:29:07,162 know that with God, he can 100 fold your life. 553 00:29:07,215 --> 00:29:08,218 It's still possible. 554 00:29:08,384 --> 00:29:09,273 I've seen it. 555 00:29:09,311 --> 00:29:11,145 If you make a decision like that. 556 00:29:11,327 --> 00:29:15,865 I remember one of my favorite worship memories was several years ago. 557 00:29:15,968 --> 00:29:22,574 I was speaking at a conference and it was a huge ballroom, like filled with people and it 558 00:29:15,968 --> 00:29:22,574 was getting ready to start and everything was there. 559 00:29:22,612 --> 00:29:34,561 Everybody was in, the band just started playing and they're like halfway through the first 560 00:29:22,612 --> 00:29:34,561 song and all of a sudden the screen behind them went out, like with all the words that 561 00:29:22,612 --> 00:29:34,561 people needed to sing. 562 00:29:34,695 --> 00:29:37,634 And the room kind of goes quiet and the microphones went off. 563 00:29:37,672 --> 00:29:47,094 I don't know what power problem happened, but all of a sudden it was just the microphones 564 00:29:37,672 --> 00:29:47,094 were off, the screen was off, and there was this young girl up there leading this worship 565 00:29:37,672 --> 00:29:47,094 team. 566 00:29:47,132 --> 00:29:50,119 And I thought, oh no, what's she going to do? 567 00:29:50,670 --> 00:29:55,660 I would have probably cried, balled up on the floor or left or ran out of there. 568 00:29:57,470 --> 00:30:03,710 But I watched and as the music kept playing, it was almost like she made a decision. 569 00:30:04,369 --> 00:30:11,920 And I saw her turn around and kind of motion and then she stood there all by herself and 570 00:30:04,369 --> 00:30:11,920 closed her eyes. 571 00:30:13,890 --> 00:30:19,713 And I didn't even know for a minute, but she was singing and I couldn't hear her. 572 00:30:19,751 --> 00:30:27,986 But I started to hear the first row, and then I started to hear like the third, 4th, 5th 573 00:30:19,751 --> 00:30:27,986 row. 574 00:30:28,018 --> 00:30:28,920 Join in. 575 00:30:29,849 --> 00:30:40,458 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty and it 576 00:30:29,849 --> 00:30:40,458 started to fill the room. 577 00:30:40,544 --> 00:30:48,170 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty and man, pretty soon the whole room was singing. 578 00:30:48,509 --> 00:30:51,653 And let me tell you something, there wasn't a worship team anymore. 579 00:30:51,701 --> 00:30:52,938 We were the worship team. 580 00:30:53,023 --> 00:30:57,917 And it's one of the most powerful worship moments I've ever had. 581 00:30:58,003 --> 00:31:02,160 I think the power came back on, but the power was already there, you know what I'm saying? 582 00:31:02,769 --> 00:31:04,029 And it was amazing. 583 00:31:04,180 --> 00:31:11,009 Listen, I don't know what went wrong for you in the beginning. 584 00:31:11,349 --> 00:31:13,250 Maybe you didn't get the growth you needed. 585 00:31:13,319 --> 00:31:15,185 Maybe you didn't get the start that you needed. 586 00:31:15,288 --> 00:31:17,665 Maybe you didn't get somebody discipling you. 587 00:31:17,847 --> 00:31:29,574 But you can stop right now and decide that this is going to be a moment that says, I will 588 00:31:17,847 --> 00:31:29,574 cause your name, God, to be remembered to do something timeless with your life. 589 00:31:29,612 --> 00:31:39,846 Listen, we don't get to decide where the story starts, but God can help you change how the 590 00:31:29,612 --> 00:31:39,846 story ends, and God can multiply your life beyond anything you could ever imagine. 591 00:31:39,958 --> 00:31:41,826 Can I pray that for us as a church? 592 00:31:41,958 --> 00:31:42,910 Let's pray. 593 00:31:44,930 --> 00:31:56,259 God, my prayer this weekend has just been that you would awaken a giant in our church, 594 00:31:44,930 --> 00:31:56,259 God, that we would hear the sound of it. 595 00:31:58,150 --> 00:32:03,054 We would hear the sound of it right now as it starts to grow in our hearts. 596 00:32:03,102 --> 00:32:11,493 God, would you awaken something in us that tears off the thorns that have kept us and 597 00:32:03,102 --> 00:32:11,493 choked out what you want to do through our life? 598 00:32:11,531 --> 00:32:19,400 God, would you awaken a giant in us that says, I'm going to send roots straight through 599 00:32:11,531 --> 00:32:19,400 these rocks if I have to. 600 00:32:20,650 --> 00:32:30,465 And that you would multiply us, God, so that the world might be filled, that we might 601 00:32:20,650 --> 00:32:30,465 multiply our life and bring you glory forever. 602 00:32:30,657 --> 00:32:32,794 And it's in Jesus name we pray. 603 00:32:32,922 --> 00:32:33,289 Amen.