The Danger of Decisional Faith: Returning to Monergistic Grace

• Perspective and Truth [00:02:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that perspective is everything but can be 'dead wrong,' using a personal anecdote to show how facing the truth changes one's self-perception.
• Parental Intercession [00:08:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the cultural context of parents bringing children to Jesus for a blessing, noting they sought a prominent rabbi for a better blessing.
• Disciples' Misunderstanding of the Kingdom [00:09:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor highlights the disciples' error in thinking Jesus' kingdom was earthly and reserved for the powerful, contrasting this with the reality that the kingdom is for the humble and dependent.
• Childlike Dependence [00:11:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor illustrates that children are not ashamed of their neediness and are totally dependent on parents, which is the posture required to receive the kingdom of God.
• Jesus's Indignation [00:12:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor analyzes the word 'indignant' to show that Jesus felt pain at the disciples' misuse of their role as gatekeepers rather than guides.
• Childlike Dependence [00:11:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that receiving the kingdom requires humility and total dependence on Jesus, analogous to a child's reliance on a parent, rejecting self-sufficiency.
• Jesus's Indignation [00:12:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that Jesus's anger was rooted in pain over the disciples misusing their role as gatekeepers instead of guides, hindering access to Him.
• Religious Duty vs. Relationship [00:15:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor critiques the parents' motivation, noting they sought blessings for social status or religious compliance rather than seeking Jesus Himself.
• Parental Responsibility and Release [00:17:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor teaches that parents must 'let go' and not prop up their children, allowing them to encounter Jesus directly, as parents are temporary but Jesus is eternal.
• Jesus as the Center (Pitcher Analogy) [00:24:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using a softball analogy, the pastor illustrates that Jesus must be 'number one' and central to life, orchestrating strategy and serving as the primary defense, just as the pitcher controls the game.
• Jesus as the Central Pitcher [00:24:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the baseball pitcher analogy to illustrate that Jesus, like the pitcher, is at the center of the game, controls the tempo, and is the primary line of defense.
• Releasing Children to God [00:25:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The core application is the act of parents letting go of control and returning their children to Jesus, acknowledging His sovereignty over their lives.
• Personal Testimony of Parenting Struggle [00:27:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal story of his daughter running away and his struggle to 'walk her back' to Jesus, illustrating the difficulty of releasing control when hurt.
• Worship and War While Waiting [00:33:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > Instruction on how to respond during the waiting period: planting feet in the Word, praying, worshipping, and setting spiritual boundaries rather than weeping or giving up.
• The Blessing of Release [00:34:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > The theological conclusion that releasing children creates an 'open hand' for the parent to receive God's blessings and purpose, leading to spiritual growth and miracles.
• Personal Testimony and Divine Revelation [00:38:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor reflects on his personal history, asserting that his current relationship with Jesus is deeper because he remained open-handed to God's previous gifts, allowing for greater revelation.
• Evangelism and Salvation [00:39:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shifts to a direct appeal to the congregation, asking if they have accepted Jesus and calling them to salvation today.

• Sermon Illustration [00:03:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a story about her daughters drawing on her face with permanent Sharpie marker in 2009. She kept a journal listing their 'unhinged' behaviors and showed them the list and a 'mugshot' photo of them with the marker on their faces. This proof changed their perspective from thinking they were cute to realizing they were 'hellions' and apologizing.
• Sermon Illustration [00:21:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about her experience playing softball in high school and college, describing the 'ready stance' (feet apart, knees bent, hands out) and the necessity of being ready to receive and quickly release the ball. She uses the numbering system of baseball/softball positions to highlight the pitcher's centrality and control, drawing a parallel to Jesus's role as the central figure in a believer's life.
• Sermon Illustration [00:24:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor compares the Christian life to a baseball game where Jesus is the pitcher at the center of the diamond, controlling the strategy and defense. He notes that just as a ball can take a bad hop and hit a player in the face, unexpected hardships in parenting make it hard to trust God.
• Sermon Illustration [00:27:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > A personal anecdote about Mother's Day 2024, where the pastor's daughter had run away. He describes the emotional difficulty of 'walking her back' to Jesus instead of throwing her back, symbolizing the slow, painful process of surrendering control after a season of pain.
• Sermon Illustration [00:29:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > An analogy of a player walking the ball back to the pitcher instead of throwing it, representing the pastor's lack of strength to quickly release his daughter back to God, requiring him to 'walk her back' to the center.
• Sermon Illustration [00:32:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes a spiritual encounter where Jesus instructs him to plant his feet in the Word, keep his eyes locked on God, and 'worship and war while we wait,' setting boundary lines against the devil.
• Sermon Illustration [00:38:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about a difficult period in his life that he wouldn't have chosen, but which was necessary for his spiritual growth and deeper knowledge of Jesus.

• Pastoral Charge [00:16:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > Parents are commanded to stop treating faith as a one-hour weekly duty and instead engage in daily spiritual instruction, prayer, and scripture reading with their children throughout the week.
• Pastoral Charge [00:19:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > Parents are called to release their children from their own control and interference so the children can seek Jesus directly.
• Pastoral Charge [00:25:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > Parents are instructed to actively entrust their children to Jesus' care after fulfilling their own parental duties.
• Pastoral Charge [00:39:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > Accept Jesus and call upon His name to be saved
• Pastoral Charge [00:39:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > Accept the Lord Jesus and call upon His name to be saved.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:00:00] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Y'all are so sweet. Y'all are the best. Seriously. Y'all are the best. Please be seated. Thank you. I'm telling y'all, there's nothing like the CBC family. Nothing like the Lobo for sure. Like the Lobo service. Oh my goodness, y'all. I'm so grateful to be a part of a church that will give thousands of dollars. That a church body of you that would give thousands of dollars that you would give back to the Lord.
[00:00:37] through the community Bible church.
[00:00:39] There are thousands of women in this city today that have been blessed by you, by your generosity.
[00:00:46] Their lives are being changed because of what you've given through this church.
[00:00:49] I praise God that that's what we do here at CBC.
[00:00:52] We're here to point people and to bring people to Jesus.
[00:00:56] And I'm so grateful for you to be part of this church, that that's what they do, y'all.
[00:01:01] To all the mamas, all you mamas, I see you out there, y'all look good.
[00:01:05] all of you that are gathered here at Central Campus, all of those of you that are online, I hope you're comfy wherever you're watching from. All of you at the campuses that are gathered and
[00:01:15] scattered across the city, I praise God for you. I want to personally tell you from the bottom of my heart, happy Mother's Day. I pray that today is the best Mother's Day yet for you. Y'all,
[00:01:26] they only give us 24 hours in a whole year. We get a single Sunday. So if you haven't taken the whole weekend, you should have. But if you didn't, go and just take Monday tomorrow. Just go and take
[00:01:36] it. You deserve it. You've earned it, y'all. You've earned it. Thank y'all for being here. Thank you for spending just a little bit of your Mother's Day with us here at CBC. God bless y'all for coming
[00:01:45] and for being here. Now listen, the passage of Scripture we're going to look at together today is found in the book of Mark. And it's a small passage, but it's best known for the passage where
[00:01:55] Jesus is blessing the little ones. But as we dig into the Word today, we're going to find there's actually a lot more happening in this passage than simply Jesus blessing babies. So if you would,
[00:02:06] would you please turn to the book of Mark, but chapter 10, we're going to read the passage beginning in verse 13. And it says, and they were bringing children to him that he might touch them
[00:02:17] and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, let the children come to me do not hinder them for to such belongs the kingdom of God truly I say to you
[00:02:31] whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it and he took them in his arms and he blessed them laying his hands on them you've probably heard this statement perspective
[00:02:46] is everything and it is important but how many of you know that our perspective can be off it can be flat out dead wrong sometimes. I want to tell you a time when perspective was dead wrong
[00:03:00] in my family. My girls came to me like 10 years ago. It's been years and years and years ago.
[00:03:07] They came to me and they're like, mom, you know, we've heard you talk about how hard we were when we were little, how difficult we were. They're like, but what were we really like?
[00:03:15] Like for real, what were we really like when we were little? Like it couldn't have been that bad.
[00:03:20] I mean, what were we like? I said, girls, I love you, but y'all were hellions, straight hellions.
[00:03:31] I said, y'all about did me in. They were like, mom, I can't believe you said that to me.
[00:03:35] It shocked, totally just offended that I would say that to them. But it was true. I was telling them the truth. It didn't matter if they believed or not. It was true. It was the gospel truth.
[00:03:46] I'm telling you at that point, it was true. And they're like, mom, there's no way. What could we possibly be done for you to say that? I said, oh, I'll be right back. I went to my bookshelf where
[00:03:59] all my journals are. And I found one about halfway down in the stack, pulled it out, dusted it off, flipped over to July 27, 2009. I said, girls get comfortable.
[00:04:10] I'm about to read you a little story. It's actually not a story at all. It was a list, a list of all the crazy and unhinged things these three girls have done in the number of days,
[00:04:24] leading up to July 27th, 2009. Like I didn't even write in paragraph form. I was writing in bullet points, numbered, not even complete sentences. I'm like, these girls, these girls, these girls, these girls. And I started reading, listen, we ain't got enough time. I know y'all were like,
[00:04:40] what are they? What'd they do? We went on all about it. I'm telling you, there's not enough time for it. There is not enough time for all the things that these girls did. But what it did do
[00:04:47] for you is I brought y'all a picture today. I brought you a picture of the first thing that was listed on this list of the crazy unhinged things my girls did leading up to July 27, 2009.
[00:04:59] And this is it. Look at them girls. I mean, cute as a button, but y'all, I can still smell the marker right now. I can smell it. 2009. Yeah, girl. Flat permanent Sharpie marker, y'all. So the way y'all were laughing is the way I was laughing on the inside because I was
[00:05:28] like, oh, honey, y'all think you're so cute right now with your little cat face. I said, I hope you enjoy it because you're going to be graduating with that on your face. I was like, they don't
[00:05:44] even know what they have done to themselves. They think they're so cute. Oh, they were just as proud as their plate of their artwork. Y'all listen, I can't tell you how long it took me to get that
[00:05:56] off their face. I cannot. And would you have to remember this was the first, the first thing on a two-page list of unhinged things they had done. It's also during a season in our life when my
[00:06:07] husband was an evangelist. He was traveling and preaching. He spent about 200 days a year away on the road. This is what they were doing to me while he was gone. So I'm there by myself with
[00:06:19] them. I'm like, I got to have proof this all, what this happened. I'm going to have to show this to these girls one day. I'm like, y'all come here, line up. I need to take your picture.
[00:06:26] and they were just like, okay, geez. I was like, oh no, they think this is a good thing.
[00:06:35] I was like, no, no, no, no, no. They're going to come from my furniture with that sharpie next.
[00:06:39] I got to nip this in the bud right now. I said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I don't know why you smiling. I said, because I'm taking this picture so I can send it to your daddy and show him what
[00:06:49] y'all been doing while I've been gone. He out there preaching the gospel and y'all being hellions over here with me. I said, don't you be smiling. That's picture. And that's when they, they turned and the tears begin to flow. That's why that picture looks like a mugshot more than a memory
[00:07:04] from what happened in 2009. Listen, by the time I got done reading the rest of the list and showing them this picture, their mind had completely changed. They fully agreed. Yes, mom, we were hellions and we are so sorry. We're so sorry we did that to you. They apologized to me for giving
[00:07:20] me such a hard time when they were little. Here's the point to the craziness of that is Their perspective of themselves changed when they learned the truth. Their perspective of themselves changed when they were faced with the proof. With the proof. I could have just slid that
[00:07:39] picture over to him and never said a word. Didn't have to get the journal out. That would have been enough. But their perspective changed when they saw the proof. Because having correct perspective is vital. The perspective that people had in this passage of scripture today was not accurate.
[00:07:57] and when our perspective is off or it's wrong, it actually greatly impacts the outcome of the situation. So let me set the scene for you in our passage in verse 13, when it says, and they were bringing children to him that he might touch them is where we see point number
[00:08:14] one, the parents intercession, that they are people. This is moms, dads, grandparents, parents caregivers loved ones that are bringing their children to Jesus now they're bringing them to him because they're looking for a blessing from him they're looking for just a little touch
[00:08:34] a laying on of hands kind of touch of a blessing from Jesus because these people these parents had heard about this man named Jesus he could do miracles he could do all kinds of stuff that other
[00:08:45] people couldn't do. That's why they were bringing their children to him. He could do all of these things, but these children were not sick. They weren't searching for a healing touch from Jesus.
[00:08:56] They just wanted a little touch of a blessing from Jesus. Because in their culture, there is a very important religious Jewish book called the Talmud. And it would teach them that when you had a child, these parents were supposed to seek out the most prominent rabbi that they could find.
[00:09:14] and they were to take their baby to that rabbi so that he could bless them. Because the belief was that the more prominent rabbi that you found, the better blessing that you got. So that's why these
[00:09:28] people are lining up with their children to see Jesus. And everything was going accordingly until the disciples stepped in, which brings us to point number two, the disciples' interruption.
[00:09:41] Now the disciples of Jesus had been walking with him for a few years. They knew exactly who he was.
[00:09:46] They knew he was the Messiah, the long awaited Messiah. They knew he was King Jesus. They knew he was going to be establishing the kingdom of God. But what they misunderstood was they thought his kingdom would be on this earth. But Jesus says, my kingdom is not of this earth. It was still to
[00:10:05] come. He is still King Jesus, but this is not where he was building his kingdom. It's not an earthly kingdom, but that's what the disciples failed to understand. They thought if this guy's a king, then he needs to only be treated and act as a king. He can only be around the prideful,
[00:10:21] the powerful, the influential, only those that were worthy of being in the presence of a king.
[00:10:27] welcoming children would be beneath a future king. He couldn't have time for the children, those of lower status, those of no value to the level of a king. But the disciples also failed to understand and recognize that the true kingdom of God is not made of the prideful and the
[00:10:48] powerful and the influential. The kingdom of God is made of the humble and of the dependent.
[00:10:54] It's why Jesus would say in verse 15, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
[00:11:02] These children represented what it took to receive the kingdom of God.
[00:11:09] How many of y'all know that children are not ashamed of their neediness?
[00:11:14] I mean, if they need something, they are not ashamed or fearful of letting you know whenever.
[00:11:19] Morning, noon, or night, they don't care what you got going.
[00:11:22] When they want something, they gonna let you know.
[00:11:24] and they want it now. They are not ashamed of their neediness. They are totally okay with being totally dependent on you. I mean, they are totally fine to let you do everything for them. I mean,
[00:11:36] they can walk, but they don't want to walk. They want you to carry them everywhere. Give them a second. They'll scream loud enough. You'll pick them up. They know they they're totally okay with being totally dependent on you. That's Jesus saying, that's what, that's what it takes to
[00:11:51] receive the kingdom of God. We have to have, yes, faith like a child, but you got to come humble, completely dependent on Jesus Christ. It's no work of your own. You don't get into the kingdom of God
[00:12:06] by doing anything, but being dependent on Jesus Christ. That's what he's saying here.
[00:12:12] And then in verse 14, when he sees all that's happening with these disciples, It says, when Jesus saw it, he was indignant, which brings us to point number three, Jesus's indignation.
[00:12:26] Now, we can understand why Jesus would be upset the way the disciples are treating these people and these children, but the word that's used here is indignant.
[00:12:35] The root word for indignation means to feel pain.
[00:12:41] It means to feel pain.
[00:12:43] So yes, Jesus is upset of what's happening with the disciples and the people and the children, but even more so, it pains him to see what's happening. It pains him to watch his own disciples
[00:12:56] shoo away children, to move people away from Jesus. See, the disciples misunderstood their role, but now they're misusing their role to only fulfill what they think Jesus should be like.
[00:13:13] They're fulfilling their purposes that they have laid out. Disciples' job was never to be a gatekeeper for Jesus. They were to be a guide to Jesus. But here they're doing the very opposite.
[00:13:28] They're actually sending people away from Jesus. So when Jesus saw that, it pained him.
[00:13:36] It pained him. But even though it pained him to see that, he still takes time to teach him the truth.
[00:13:42] he takes the time to rebuke them to discipline the disciples because he loves them he's rooting out their pride he's correcting and training their behavior he's instilling in them humility he's reminding them hey fellas y'all make it into the kingdom of God the same way don't forget
[00:14:01] you didn't do anything to get yourself here it was all about Jesus he's instilling humility in them now at this point in the passage everybody else has been talking everybody's been laying out what they want everybody's making it clear that this is the plan they want implemented for Jesus
[00:14:18] but here is now where we see Jesus step into the conversation and he begins to speak when he says in verse 14 let the children come to me do not hinder them which is brings us to point number
[00:14:31] four Jesus's invitation when he says let the children come when we use the word let in our English language, it means to give permission to do something or to make a suggestion to do something. But the Greek word for the use of the word let in this verse means to send them forth,
[00:14:53] to send them away to. It's a much different meaning. So when Jesus is saying, let the children come to me, y'all, he's not making a suggestion. He's not over here just asking for permission if they can come over. He is telling them, send them forth, send them away, send them
[00:15:10] to me. But he takes it a step further. He says, and do not hinder them. He's saying, don't prevent them from coming to me. Don't deny them the opportunity to come to me. At this point,
[00:15:23] he's not just talking to the disciples now. Now he's talking to them and the people, the parents that are bringing the children because he knew that those parents weren't seeking Jesus. They were seeking only what they could get from him. They weren't seeking the blesser. They only wanted
[00:15:41] the blessing. They were seeking a gift from God. They weren't seeking the face of God.
[00:15:49] Listen, there's nothing wrong with wanting a blessing for our children. I want my children to be blessed. But y'all, these people were seeking his blessing just so they could say, hey, my child's been blessed by the best y'all. That's different. That's different. Jesus knew
[00:16:04] they weren't looking for him. They weren't seeking him. They just wanted what they could get from him. This was a religious duty, a religious practice. They had been taught that when you're a parent, this is just what you're supposed to do. Go get your blessing and then go do whatever you
[00:16:23] want. Go get your blessing and fill in the blank. Go get your blessing and live your life. Make your own plans. It doesn't matter. Y'all, we got to be careful that we don't operate that way as parents
[00:16:34] too, that we just bring our children to church for an hour and then the rest of the week, we don't ever talk about Jesus. The rest of the week, we don't open the word of God. We don't pray over
[00:16:42] them. We don't speak a life into them. We don't treat them. We got to be careful not to just seek what he can do for us and not seek the face of God for them. They were just fulfilling a religious
[00:16:55] duty. The bottom line, they were prideful. This was a pride issue that Jesus was seeing in them.
[00:17:01] That's why he looked at everybody in the crowd and says, don't hinder them. Don't hinder the children. Jesus has rebuked the disciples for denying children access to Jesus. But now he's looking at the people, the parents saying, don't deny me access to your children. He's saying,
[00:17:17] don't limit them to just a drive-by blessing so you can brag about it. In order for us to let the children come to Jesus, y'all, we got to let them go. We have to let go of them so they can
[00:17:34] actually come to Jesus themselves. If we never let go of them, how will they ever see a need for him? If we're fulfilling every need they've got, they won't need anything else. They won't need anybody else. Y'all, we can't stand in between our children and them seeing Jesus.
[00:17:55] We can't think that we are the better option than to Jesus. We are not the replacement for Jesus.
[00:18:03] We cannot hinder our children for seeing the need for Jesus. Y'all, you can't prop up your children either to make them believe that they're all right. I'm telling you, your kids might be sweet, but they ain't angels. You know, my kids aren't, I done showed you this one picture from
[00:18:19] one day in the life. They don't need no help being hellions. That was number one on the list. Y'all it went on from there. They don't need any help. And they don't need us to prop them up and make
[00:18:31] a thing that they're all right without Jesus. Because here's the thing, y'all they're going to learn real quick. We don't have all the answers. We think we do, but you're going to find out real quick. You don't have all the answers either, but they need to know who to go to when
[00:18:45] they can't find the answer. They need to know they can go to Jesus and we can't be in the way.
[00:18:51] We got to get out of the way because God's got a purpose and a plan for their life. And I know you think you got good plans for them, but I'm telling you their creator, almighty God's got
[00:19:02] things way better than you can ever imagine for them. Y'all, we got to let go. We got to get out of the way to not hinder them from getting to Jesus themselves. Listen, he knows how much you
[00:19:16] love your children. He knows it. That's why I gave them to you. He knew they would be loved well, but y'all, we can't hold them so tightly that they never get to see the face of Jesus for
[00:19:27] themselves. Because here's the reality. You and I aren't going to be here forever. We ain't going to be around forever. We're here today, but we're not guaranteed tomorrow. But you know who was there yesterday and who will be there tomorrow? Jesus is. They got to know that they can go to
[00:19:45] him where they can get mom and daddy or not. They got to know who to go to y'all. We have a responsibility. Yes, to train, to teach, to love and to discipline. But y'all, our plans cannot
[00:19:58] replace the plans that Jesus has for them. Our face cannot replace the face of Jesus in their life. And Lord knows our presence has zero power compared to the presence of God and the changing
[00:20:11] power that it can bring to every aspect of their life. Y'all we got to let them go. We got to release them. Releasing them to Jesus is yes. Having done all that we can do to love, to train,
[00:20:25] to teach, to shepherd, to guide, to discipline, to do all that we could do while they are in our care. But when we have done all that we can do, we got to trust them, release them to Jesus so that
[00:20:40] God can do what only he can do. What only he can do y'all. And in this verse, when he says, let him come, he's not asking permission. You know why? Because they already belong to him. This isn't a
[00:20:58] suggestion because they're his already, he's like, give them back, bring them back, let them come.
[00:21:07] The greatest thing we could ever do for our children is to get them into the hands of Jesus. It's the safest place for them, y'all. It's the safest place.
[00:21:15] Now, I know y'all know all about my husband's love of basketball, like that he played ball back in the day, still plays every week to this day, loves basketball. And speaking of basketball, Go Spurs go. Yes. Well, listen, I need y'all to know that I played a little ball myself back in
[00:21:41] the day. Your girl played a little ball, not basketball though. Y'all see, I was not built for basketball. These legs are not built for basketball, but I did play softball in high school and in college. Anybody else? We got one way in the back, two, three, four, five, six,
[00:22:04] seven eight come on mezzanine me one more for a whole team there we go nine there it is we got enough y'all we got listen this was my glove that I used all through college you can see she'd been
[00:22:15] sitting on the shelf for a while but when I played ball in school I played in a number of different positions infield and outfield but regardless of the position that I played my role and responsibility
[00:22:27] was the same. No matter what I had to be ready. I had to receive the ball and I had to release the ball. You know what it means to be ready in the ready stance, feet apart, feet planted, knees bent,
[00:22:42] head up, eyes up, hands out. You got to be moving. You just can't be standing there, you know, cause you'll fall over your knees a lot and you just pass out. You got to keep moving. You got to
[00:22:49] be ready. You got to be ready, right? Ready for what? To receive the ball. If you're in this stance and you're ready, you're ready to receive whatever comes at you. If, when, and how the ball comes,
[00:23:00] you're ready. You're going to be able to receive it. And once I do receive it, what's the last thing I got left to do? Release it. And I don't have all the time in the world to release it.
[00:23:11] I'm like, oh, no, I got to get in as quick as possible, right? Time is of the essence. I can't waste any time. I got to get it in. The goal is always to get in as fast as possible. Now, do y'all,
[00:23:28] are y'all familiar with the numbering system of the positions on the field? Nine players. So they're numbered one through nine. The pitcher on the field is player number one, because they are the most important player on the field. And if y'all ever played ball, you know, the pitcher
[00:23:47] always reminded us that they were number one on the fields. You know, they'll have a little, they stood higher than everybody else. So they always felt like they were better than everybody else. But they are the most important position. They are position number one for many reasons
[00:24:00] because every play in the game is initiated by the pitcher. The tempo and strategy of the game is implemented and controlled by the pitcher. The pitcher is located at the center of the diamond because the pitcher's role is central to the entire game and to all other positions.
[00:24:18] The pitcher handles the ball every single pitch in every single play. The pitcher is the most critical and primary line of defense. Every play begins and ends with the ball in the pitcher's hand. The pitcher's actions determine if the play continues and when it ends. Can you begin to see
[00:24:37] it? Can you see the connection? This is a picture of who Jesus is. He's got to be number one in our life. He has to be at the center of everything we do. He is the one implementing and orchestrating
[00:24:53] a supernatural strategy. He's got a supernatural game plan in all of our lives, including your children's lives. He is the beginning and he is the end. He's not just the primary line of defense.
[00:25:07] He is the single greatest and only line of defense that you or your children will ever need for their entire life because he is the one who is in control of all things. Y'all, we got to release our children
[00:25:20] back into the hands of Jesus. We got to release them back. That's who we're releasing our children to. This is who we're releasing it to. When it comes to our children though, some days are easier
[00:25:36] than others to release them. You know, there are days you're ready. I'm so ready. I'm crushing this parenting thing. I'm just ready. But then there are days they're harder than others. You know, some days you just get it in like, I got this. And days you're ready. You're like, bring
[00:25:58] it to me, bring it on. And then something unexpected happens with your job. Kind of like the grounder ball. It comes in hot, but hits a rock right before it gets to you and takes a bad
[00:26:09] hop. And it misses your hands. It comes over and hits you square in the face, knocks you off your feet and nearly takes you out. Y'all know about those days? The days that are unexpected leave
[00:26:21] you stunned, knocks the wind out of you, knocks you off your feet, writhing in pain. Those days when something unexpected happens to you, those are the hardest days to get our children back into the hands of Jesus. They're hard because we don't think it's worth it. They're hard because
[00:26:43] it hurts. We've got the marks and the scars from it. We're still bleeding and bruised from it.
[00:26:50] it's hard because we want to quit we just want to take the ball and go I don't do this anymore it's not worth it it's not worth it I'm just I'm out I'm done and we just want to quit because
[00:27:05] we're weary we're weary I know that feeling all too well y'all I know it all too well because it's not been that long ago that I felt that it was actually two years ago today this day
[00:27:20] Mother's Day, 2024. I went home after this service two years ago, went home to celebrate with my children, all but one of my children. One was gone. She had left. She actually run away the year before, right after Mother's Day. Now this wasn't just a hard weekend. This had been
[00:27:46] a brutal year of pain. When I tell you, I know the feeling of wanting to quit and wondering if it's worth it. I lived it for years, but I had to do what Jesus was asking these parents to do
[00:28:05] in this verse, let her go. I had to let her go because even though I didn't have a lot of strength to get her in, it's something that I've had to do before. You know, in a ball game,
[00:28:21] how many times the ball comes in and out of the pitcher's hand? Hundreds of times. That's what it's like when we have to release our children to God. It's over and over again because some days
[00:28:35] are easy. It's good. No worries. Until something unexpected happens and you get scared and you've lost control and you don't know what to do. And you say, God, I need to take her back.
[00:28:46] she's better with me. I know her. I know what she needs. I can protect her. I can fix this.
[00:28:54] We'll make it work. We'll figure this thing out. I'll find the answer. I got, I got her.
[00:29:01] And we take them back because we think we know what's best because we birthed them. But God said, Hey, remember they're mine. Let her come. Send her back. Send her back to me. Send her back to the
[00:29:20] one who sent them to me to begin with. But that day, Mother's Day, 2024, if y'all ever seen a player walk the ball back into the pitcher, instead of throwing it, they walk it back in
[00:29:35] and literally walk up to the pitcher and put it in their hands. That day, I didn't have the strength to throw her in, to get her back to Jesus. I had to walk her back in because it was hard for me to
[00:29:49] throw her back in that day. Gave me a few extra steps with her, but I walked her back to the center. I walked her back in. I walked her back to the one that gave her to me to begin with.
[00:30:05] I walked her back to the one that knew what was going on when I didn't have a clue. The one that had orchestrated the supernatural plane. That's where I walked her back into. And I got on my

[00:30:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:30:20] knees at the feet of Jesus and I held her up and I said God she's yours we spin yours she's pretty

[00:30:34] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:30:34] banged up so am I I said but I have learned God in this game of back and forth that she's always better off in your hands than she is in mine I released her let her go I gave her back to Jesus
[00:31:02] where she belonged. And then he scooped me up. Stephanie, I know badly and how long you've been hurting. I have seen you. I have been there in the closet with you on the floor. I know,
[00:31:33] I know I have heard every pride and I have caught every tear. He said, but I promise you, this is going to be worth it got you but then he said I need you to go back I need you to go back
[00:32:15] and I need you to get ready I need you to go back and get in your ready stance he said I need you to plant your feet he said but this time I need you to plant your feet in my word he goes and I mean
[00:32:27] plant them deep deep into my word so that whatever comes at you next time you'll be more than ready it won't knock you off your feet next time you'll be ready for whatever comes because you've been
[00:32:39] rooted in my word. He said, you bend those knees in prayer to me every single day, every single, don't stop talking to me. He goes, I'm not left you. I'm right there. So you just keep talking
[00:32:51] to me because I'm right there with you. He said, you keep that head up and you keep those eyes open. You don't just keep them open. You lock them on me. Don't get distracted. Don't get discouraged.
[00:33:02] I'm right there with you don't give up he said you keep those hands out you keep them out and ready as a matter of fact you keep them up and out you praise you worship while you wait you
[00:33:16] recognize that I got this I got her I got you that I'm in control you just sit there and praise he goes you don't sit and weep while you wait you worship while you wait and you war while you wait
[00:33:30] He said, and you war, you go grab that oil. You go to that girl's room and you light it up for the glory of Jesus. You start putting boundary lines and said, Hey, she belongs to God. And so
[00:33:41] do I, this is a no access zone devil. Jesus is in charge. He's the one that's in control. I'm trusting him. And this is what we're doing. We're going to worship and war while we wait

[00:33:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:33:54] and we're going to be ready. And he said, don't you quit? Don't you quit? Because he said,

[00:34:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:34:04] I'm going to send her back to you. I'm going to send her back to you because I'm going to do some work on her first, but I'm going to do some work on you too. And he said, I'm going to send her
[00:34:17] back to you and it's going to be worth it, but you got to give me room to work. You got to give me room to work on her and you. Because here's the thing, y'all, the moment we sit down and release
[00:34:31] our children at the feet of Jesus, we now have an open hand to receive what we have to receive from Jesus. If I'm holding on, I'm hindering my child, but I'm hindering God's plan and purpose for my life too. But the moment I release them, I release her, him,
[00:34:54] them to be able to receive what God has. But now I've got an open hand to receive what God has from me. It works for both of us, y'all. It works for all of us. If you were here in March, you heard
[00:35:09] our family's story. You heard my daughter give her testimony about the miracles that God has done in her life. You've heard about the miracles that he's done in our entire family's life, y'all.
[00:35:20] and I'm telling you, he was right. It was worth it because now we're getting to see God use her to soar to like home run heights, to God be the glory. But y'all, she, we would have missed out
[00:35:33] on what God had for us had we never released her, had we never laid her down at the feet of Jesus.
[00:35:39] Y'all, I've seen the proof. It's worth it. It's worth it. Jesus is always worth it.
[00:35:47] and God isn't just doing that for the pastor's family. He wants to do that for you. He said, I'll do more than what you think I can do. It's why he says in verse 16, Jesus took them in his
[00:35:58] arms and he blessed them and he laid his hands on them. Jesus's invocation says to us that if we will release our children to me, he said, I'll do more than just bless them. He said, I will surround
[00:36:10] them with my presence. You want to talk about a perspective. These children now, they hear the voice of Jesus when he says, let the children come. Next thing they know, their parents are obeying the voice of Jesus, picking them up, setting them down at the feet of Jesus. He scoops
[00:36:27] them up. Now all they feel is his hands. They feel his arms. They feel him pulling in and their head resting on his chest. Now here's the heartbeat of God. That's the only thing they're hearing now.
[00:36:39] it's filling their mind and their ears they look up directly into the face of Jesus completely unhindered to receive the blessing that God has for them a better blessing than they could have ever imagined y'all why would we ever want to hinder that for our children who wouldn't want
[00:37:04] that for themselves I want that for me y'all because the presence of God is a blessing worth receiving. The presence of God is worth releasing our children to receive for themselves.
[00:37:16] And as our takeaway statement says, don't just teach your children how to seek God's touch, release them to seek God's face. Listen, y'all, the presence of God has the power to change everything. It has the power to change your circumstances, but sometimes that's what's
[00:37:39] not needed. That's not what he needs to do to change your circumstances. Sometimes things don't change. Y'all, it would be another year before the Lord would change circumstances in our family from that Mother's Day. But the presence of God will change you in the meantime. I am not the same
[00:38:00] mama, let alone follower of Jesus that I was Mother's Day 2024. I am not the same person to the glory of God. Because of that dark season in our life, I wouldn't have picked it. I wouldn't
[00:38:14] have written it, but it was necessary. I'm not who I am without it. I'm not any better than I was then without it. I don't know Jesus today like back then without it. Y'all, he's revealing more
[00:38:33] and more to me, but he never would have been able to show me what he had for me if I never released and was open-handed with what he had given me to receive what he had for me.
[00:38:48] But my question is, do you know this Jesus? You may not have been through what we've been through, but have you met Jesus? Have you ever accepted the Lord Jesus? Have you ever called upon the name
[00:39:13] of the Lord Jesus to be saved? If you haven't, I need you to know you can do that today.
[00:39:20] with every head bowed and eyes closed in the stillness and the quiet of this moment.
[00:39:28] If you've never called upon the name of the Lord, the Bible is very clear. It says, if you will admit that you're a sinner, if you will believe that Jesus died on the cross for
[00:39:36] your sin, if you will call upon the name of the Lord, there is a promise written in the word.
[00:39:41] It says you will be saved. And if you want to turn from your sin, be forgiven, set free and receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I invite you to pray this prayer after me now.
[00:39:55] Lord Jesus, I admit that I'm a sinner.
[00:39:59] I believe you died on the cross for me.
[00:40:03] Forgive me, save me, change me.
[00:40:07] I give you my life.
[00:40:09] In Jesus' name, amen.
[00:40:12] If you just prayed that prayer to receive Jesus, would you be so bold as to raise your hand so we can celebrate that that is the greatest decision you will ever make in your life?

[00:40:21] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:40:21] Hey, my name's Ed Newton, pastor at Community Bible Church here in San Antonio, Texas.
[00:40:28] Thank you so much for even turning on to our YouTube channel.
[00:40:32] And if you're not subscribing right now at Community Bible Church here in San Antonio, Texas, you got to subscribe.
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[00:40:51] Also, here's what I'd say to you.
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[00:40:55] Let us know where you're watching from, how the message impacted you, and how we could pray for you.
[00:40:59] And would you do us a favor?
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[00:41:10] And if you are planning any trip to the state of Texas, hear me when I say this, you can't come to Texas without coming to see us in San Antonio.
[00:41:17] I'd love to meet you face-to-face.
[00:41:19] And as always, until we meet again, much love.