Be Watchful: Standing Firm in Spiritual Warfare

• Male Spiritual Leadership and Protection [00:30:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines men as providers and protectors who must stand on the 'wall' to defend vulnerable family members from spiritual and physical attacks.
• Spiritual Warfare [00:30:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > The sermon characterizes the Christian life as a war against an enemy (the devil) who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy, specifically targeting the next generation.
• Biblical Exegesis of [1 Peter 5](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+5&version=KJV) [00:36:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor transitions to 1 Peter 5, focusing on the commands to humble oneself, be sober-minded, and be watchful against the adversary who prowls like a roaring lion.
• Humility and Pride [00:39:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines pride as trusting oneself to be exalted rather than God, and humility as a posture of submission and worship, using the story of Lucifer and Job as illustrations.
• Anxiety and Worry [00:46:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies worry as 'misplaced faith' and a corruption of responsibility, urging the congregation to 'cast' (throw) their anxieties onto God rather than holding onto them.
• Spiritual Warfare [00:38:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor frames the Christian life as a war against the enemy, where men must stay on the 'wall' by resisting pride and anxiety to protect the vulnerable.
• Anxiety and Trust [00:48:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts trusting in self/circumstances with trusting God, using the analogy of casting cares like a fishing rod versus throwing them, and cites Philippians 4 to urge prayer over worry.
• Laziness and Responsibility [00:53:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies laziness and abdication of responsibility as a trap for men, citing David's failure when he stayed home instead of going to war, and urging men to 'get in the game' of service and mission.
• Husbandly Prayer and Leadership [00:58:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor issues a confession and command for husbands to pray aloud over their wives, providing a humorous but practical method for doing so, framing it as spiritual warfare for the family.
• Isolation and Community [01:00:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies isolation as a fourth danger, using the metaphor of the lion taking out the isolated prey, and urges men to join disciple groups not for themselves, but to protect and serve other men.
• Isolation and Brotherhood [01:00:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that men are 'isolation experts' who hide, but must join disciple groups and have 'mat carriers' (accountability partners) because even Jesus needed brothers in Gethsemane.
• Lust and Spiritual Warfare [01:03:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor identifies lust as the 'granddaddy' of sins and teaches that while other spiritual battles require standing firm, lust requires fleeing immediately, using the analogy of running from an ex-girlfriend in a truck versus commanding the devil out.
• Repentance and Practical Guardrails [01:07:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor urges men to stop minimizing sin as 'struggling,' to confess openly, and to implement extreme practical measures like removing phones from bedrooms or using 'dumb phones' to avoid temptation.
• Hope for Past Failure [01:11:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > Addressing men who feel their past failures make them irredeemable, the pastor asserts that 'failure is not final' and that in the Kingdom of God, there are no second chances, only the blood of Jesus and 'from now on.'
• Grace and Restoration [01:13:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that God's grace restores, confirms, strengthens, and establishes believers after they suffer or fail, emphasizing that God does not condemn but picks them back up.
• Theology of 'Second Chances' [01:17:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor debunks the cultural phrase 'God of second chances' as 'dumb,' arguing instead that in the Kingdom there are no second chances, only the blood of Jesus and 'from now on.'
• Spiritual Warfare and Community [01:16:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes the Christian life as a fight where believers must link shields in community to cover one another, relying on the Spirit's power rather than their own strength.
• Liturgical Response [01:20:02 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the sermon's themes to the church's response of worship, giving, and prayer, framing these acts as spiritual warfare and preparation for battle.

• Sermon Illustration [00:31:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor quotes the 'You can't handle the truth' monologue from the movie A Few Good Men (Colonel Jessup) to illustrate the heavy, often unappreciated responsibility of men standing guard on the 'wall' to protect others.
• Sermon Illustration [00:33:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a hypothetical scenario of a home invasion to illustrate the instinctual protective drive of a father, asking the congregation if they would shoot an intruder trying to take their children, to analogize spiritual vigilance.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the fall of Lucifer, describing him as the angelic choir leader who wanted to be looked to rather than looked through, leading to his expulsion from heaven.
• Sermon Illustration [00:41:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about realizing he had become entitled to gratitude at work, shifting from loving gratitude to expecting a 'thank you' for his efforts.
• Sermon Illustration [00:45:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor retells the interaction between God and Job, where God challenges Job's pride by asking where he was when the foundations of the earth were laid.
• Sermon Illustration [00:48:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of fishing, contrasting 'casting' cares onto Jesus with a rod and reel (where one reels the worry back in) versus truly throwing them off.
• Sermon Illustration [00:48:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares an anecdote from a disciple group where a young man described casting cares on Jesus 'like a rod and reel'—throwing them out but reeling the worry back in—contrasting this with the biblical command to truly cast them.
• Sermon Illustration [00:49:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor humorously imagines the Apostle Paul as a counselor who tells an anxious patient 'Don't, see you next week,' highlighting the directness of Paul's command in Philippians.
• Sermon Illustration [00:50:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts his former pastor, Dr. Bill Ross, who taught that 'if you're gonna pray why worry and if you worry why pray,' defining worry as 'anti-prayer.'
• Sermon Illustration [00:55:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor tells the story of King David abdicating his responsibility by staying home during war time, leading to his moral failure, to illustrate the dangers of laziness.
• Sermon Illustration [00:56:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a story about a 91-year-old elder, Dr. Paul, who is going to Malawi to start a medical clinic, using this as an example of vigorous service against the temptation of comfort.
• Sermon Illustration [00:59:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor provides a humorous, step-by-step guide for husbands who don't know how to pray: ask their wife what she needs, listen, and then repeat her words back to God verbatim.
• Sermon Illustration [01:01:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a lion on Animal Planet taking out the isolated animal to illustrate why men must stay in the 'herd' of brotherhood. He also contrasts commanding the devil out of a truck (authority) with running from an ex-girlfriend in a truck (fleeing temptation).
• Sermon Illustration [01:02:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts Jesus in Gethsemane asking Peter, James, and John to watch and pray, illustrating that even the Son of God needed a band of brothers, thereby shaming men who think they can handle spiritual battles alone.
• Sermon Illustration [01:09:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about mega-church pastors being 'taken out' by lust, describing how they often start with small steps like a text or a lunch with a woman who 'gets them,' ignoring the Spirit's warning until it is too late.
• Sermon Illustration [01:10:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes his own 'legalistic' approach to holiness, such as never traveling alone and having the church pay for his companionship, to protect his marriage and ministry, contrasting this with the world's 'normal' of being broke, lonely, and medicated.
• Sermon Illustration [01:17:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of fighting UFC fighter John Jones to illustrate that asking for a 'second chance' in spiritual combat is foolish; if you fight someone stronger than you, you will get beaten repeatedly unless you have someone (Jesus) who fights for you.
• Sermon Illustration [01:18:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a 'conqueror' versus a 'son of a king' to explain the concept of being 'more than a conqueror,' where the believer not only wins the battle but gets to rest in the castle with the Father.

• Pastoral Charge [00:34:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stand up during the service
• Pastoral Charge [00:34:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > Men to take active responsibility for protection and vigilance
• Pastoral Charge [00:42:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > Submit and surrender to Jesus as Lord and King, acknowledging His authority over one's life.
• Pastoral Charge [00:44:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > Participate in corporate worship by singing to Jesus rather than seeking personal preference or validation, rejecting the idea of worship as a performance or vote.
• Pastoral Charge [00:52:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > Come forward to the altar area to pray and cast anxieties on God.
• Pastoral Charge [00:56:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > Serve in the church, go on mission trips, and actively advance the kingdom.
• Pastoral Charge [00:58:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > Husbands are to ask their wives how to pray for them, then pray aloud repeating their wife's words; wives are to encourage this by saying 'Hercules' (praise).
• Pastoral Charge [01:03:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > Join or start a disciple group to combat isolation.
• Pastoral Charge [01:05:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > Gather brothers and verbally command the devil out of personal spaces using spiritual armor.
• Pastoral Charge [01:08:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > Confess sin out loud to others and ask for accountability.
• Pastoral Charge [01:19:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > Men are called to return to their spiritual responsibilities and community ('the wall') for the sake of the church, children, and families.
• Pastoral Charge [01:19:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor prays for the men to be restored, confirmed, strengthened, and established by Christ's power.
• Pastoral Charge [01:22:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > The congregation is commanded to engage in worship, giving, and prayer as acts of spiritual warfare.
• Pastoral Charge [01:22:56 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor issues a direct command for the men to humble themselves.

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:02:06] Or maybe it's your first time. Whichever one. We are excited that you are here with us.

[00:02:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:02:10] We sure are. And look, the Church of 1122, we're a movement.
[00:02:13] That's right.
[00:02:13] For all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ.
[00:02:17] And I just want to take just a moment to highlight two of the all people.
[00:02:21] Yes.
[00:02:22] And that's Brian and Michelle.
[00:02:23] They, every single week, for years, have been here doing things behind the scenes that most of y'all will never know and never see, but make things happen every single weekend here.
[00:02:34] Yes, praise God.
[00:02:34] And we're missing them dearly.
[00:02:35] So as a church family, we're praying for you.
[00:02:37] We miss you.
[00:02:38] We trust that you're watching online.
[00:02:39] We love you.
[00:02:40] We can't wait to see you back.

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:02:41] Yes, and when I see you again, we'll catch up about Italy, which you gave us all the amazing recommendations.
[00:02:45] So we miss y'all.
[00:02:46] So what are we doing here?
[00:02:47] We are in week two of our new series, Stand Firm and Act Like Men.
[00:02:52] And today we'll welcome Pastor Joby right on back as he unpacks what it means to act like a man under the authority of God.
[00:03:00] And when men stand up and act like men and live the way and love the way God has called them to do, everything flourishes.
[00:03:08] So we're excited to welcome him back and hear the word he's going to preach.
[00:03:11] And there's an awesome resource to go with this.
[00:03:13] I don't know if you heard about it, but Pastor Joby has a new book called Stand Firm and Act Like Men, which will be great to go along with this series.
[00:03:20] So make sure you get that if you haven't done so already.

[00:03:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:03:22] Absolutely.
[00:03:23] Yeah.
[00:03:23] Another great resource that we're doing this whole series is what we're calling the Men's Discover Group.
[00:03:27] That's right.
[00:03:28] and look for us men sometimes we have a hard time committing and so a discover group is as it sounds it's to discover what groups are like here at the church of 11 22 and for us online it's legitimate
[00:03:38] because we're trying to figure out how do you build community online you know through zoom is that possible to even do that but i can tell you this last tuesday we had over 45 men join us at
[00:03:47] six o'clock in the morning it was absolutely awesome and after we got off the call i probably got 20 to 25 different prayer requests from men going hey man i need you to pray for me for this
[00:03:57] I need you to pray for me for that. The conversation were absolutely awesome. And the fact that men from Australia were hanging out with us all the way to California. It was three o'clock in the morning for you guys in California. And you joined us anyway. Praise God for you. So if you want to be part of that, you can text the word GROUPS to 441122. Come join us on Tuesday mornings as we unpack the word together.

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:04:16] I love it. Shout out to all you men that showed up.
[00:04:19] But ladies, they've got something for us too.
[00:04:21] There is a women's devotional written by Pastor Joby's wife, Gretchen Martin.
[00:04:25] And it is meant to encourage us, give us a time of reflection and prayer as we stand alongside our brothers.
[00:04:32] Our brothers, our uncles, our friends, and the men in our life as we support them as they are making the decision to stand firm and act like men and just encourage us in this season.
[00:04:41] So you can get that Devo, and hey men, you can read it too.
[00:04:44] It's going to encourage you as well by texting the word DEVO to 44-1122.

[00:04:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:04:49] That's right. D-E-V-O. That's what we want you to text to 44-1122.
[00:04:54] And I'm glad you said it was for men too because we've had some men ask if there's a men's one.
[00:04:57] But look, we're getting ready to worship Jesus. So what do you need to do?

[00:05:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:05:00] Grab your Bible, grab your pen, and let's get ready to worship right now.
[00:05:03] We love you guys.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_11]
[00:05:04] Church family, it's good to be in the presence of the almighty, undefeated, victorious King Jesus with you tonight.
[00:05:15] listen I don't know what kind of battles you may be facing in your heart and your mind and your home but the enemy comes with sword and spear we come in the name of the Lord most high the name

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:05:25] of Jesus so come on let's lift our hearts and our faith and let's sing to him come on know that at

[00:13:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_12]
[00:13:45] the mention of your name storms cease that the enemy flees and that one day every single knee will bow every tongue will confess that you are Lord I pray that we would learn to rest
[00:13:58] in the strength that you have, Jesus, that we would learn to rest in that name or that we would be people of surrender, that every single day we'd wake up and we'd put every single part of our lives in front of us
[00:14:10] and we'd say, Lord, we surrender all.
[00:14:11] Be the Lord of our lives again.
[00:14:14] We love you, God.
[00:14:15] Would you be magnified by our praise?
[00:14:18] Would you be magnified by our worship?
[00:14:21] Thank you for the hope and the future we have all because of who you are.
[00:14:25] And it's in that mighty name of Jesus we pray.
[00:14:27] In Jesus' name, come on, amen.
[00:14:30] Amen. Y'all can take a seat.

[00:14:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:14:33] Amen. Welcome to the Church of 1122, where we are a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ.
[00:14:41] It's a joy to get to be here in the house of the Lord with all of you tonight and worshiping with all of you joining us online, wherever you are.
[00:14:47] We are in a new sermon series called Stand Firm and Act Like Men.
[00:14:52] And this is what we have been leaning into all year.
[00:14:56] We have been praying. We have been calling you men to stand firm and act like men.
[00:15:00] and here we are. And I want to make sure that you know we have several discipleship resources and opportunities available that go along with this sermon series. The first is Pastor Joby's new book, Stand Firm and Act Like Men. If you don't have a copy of this, you should grab one
[00:15:13] in the lobby on the way out and you should start praying. We are getting closer to Christmas.
[00:15:18] This fits really well in a stocking if you were wondering. So you should think about the men in your life and who might need this gospel-saturated resource. We also, men, are gathering together on Tuesday mornings at 6 a.m. for men's Discover Groups.
[00:15:33] It was awesome to get to be here with hundreds of you this week.
[00:15:37] You can't stand firm and act like a man on your own.
[00:15:40] You need mat carriers in your life.
[00:15:42] You need guys who are with you.
[00:15:44] You need to be in a disciple group, and I want to help you do that.
[00:15:47] So if you weren't here, get here this Tuesday at 6 a.m.
[00:15:51] It's an incredible time.
[00:15:52] We have coffee.
[00:15:53] We might have Chick-fil-A biscuits because that's kind of like manna.
[00:15:57] So you should be there.
[00:15:59] Ladies, we have not forgotten about you.
[00:16:01] Ms. Gretchen has written a daily devotional for y'all.
[00:16:05] How great has it been?
[00:16:08] It's been unbelievable for me.
[00:16:10] Men, it's been unbelievable for me.
[00:16:12] It's not just for the ladies.
[00:16:14] It has been incredible to wake up and start my day every day in the Word of God.
[00:16:18] You can get that by texting the word DEVO to 44-1122.
[00:16:22] One last way that we want to help you stand firm and act like a man.
[00:16:27] We take the discipleship of our children very seriously here at this church.
[00:16:31] It's a big deal to us that we get to partner with you in discipling the next generation.
[00:16:36] And one of the ways that we do that is through child and family dedication.
[00:16:39] So take a moment to watch this video with me.

[00:17:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:17:02] Child and family dedication is a time in which families are making a covenant to the Lord to be faithful disciple-making disciples of their children.
[00:17:11] Families from across all of our campuses gather for a class where they connect with other families learn from God's Word about gospel-centered and intentional parenting, and gain practical insights from expert parents.
[00:17:23] These families have made a commitment to create environments in their homes where they will actively disciple their children and pray for them to one day surrender their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
[00:17:36] It is our prayer that these boys and girls will not just grow up to be successful members of society, but that they will grow up to be bold men and women who will advance the gospel to the ends of the earth.
[00:17:48] At the Church of 1122, we believe that parents are meant to be the primary disciple makers of their children.
[00:17:55] And we have amazing kids and student teams who partner with our families to help our kids discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus.
[00:18:04] The enemy comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
[00:18:08] Our children are no exception.
[00:18:10] We are praying that today will be a milestone for each one of these families to remember the commitment that they are making to raise up a new generation of disciple-making disciples through this movement. Amen, amen. Church, I want to

[00:18:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:18:28] introduce you to one of the greatest gifts from God to our church, our kids minister, Amber Hicks.

[00:18:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:18:35] Hey, hey church family. These families here with us tonight, they've already walked through that child and family dedication class that we just heard about in this video. And it is our joy as the kids team to get to partner with these families and invest in the lives of these kids
[00:18:55] each and every week. But we know that the calling to partner with these families and discipling the youngest generation of our church does not fall on us alone. As a church family, we get to do this
[00:19:08] together, we get to come alongside these families as they commit to lead their children to know and follow Jesus Christ. And y'all, we get to do this as a church family in a world where
[00:19:25] the enemy is after our children. And what an absolute privilege that we have to partner together in raising up a generation that will stand firm and walk boldly in faith and truth.
[00:19:41] So tonight, we're going to make a covenant as one body to pray for, to support, and to walk alongside these families as they raise these children to be rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. So if you would stand with me, and we are going to read the words on the screen as we make
[00:20:01] this covenant together. As a church family, we commit to partner with the families of our church by praying for them and coming alongside them as they seek to raise up disciple-making disciples.
[00:20:19] Together, we will create gospel-centered environments where we pray these kids will discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus. And tonight, church family, we are going to remain standing as we pray together for these families. Heavenly Father, Lord, I thank you for
[00:20:40] each one of these families here tonight. God, I thank you for the many families in our church that they represent. Lord, I thank you for every child that you have trusted us to raise up that they
[00:20:55] would know you. Lord, I pray that these boys and girls would grow up to be men and women who boldly proclaim the name of Jesus to the ends of the earth. Lord, I pray that this weekend is not just
[00:21:08] an event, Lord, that it's not just a thing to do, but on the hard days of parenting, that these parents would remember that they are not alone, that they would be encouraged being reminded that
[00:21:20] they have this church family praying for them and supporting them as they raise up their kids.
[00:21:29] Lord, I pray that the kids of our church, Lord, that they would know you, that they would make your name known, and that they would stand firm as they walk out their faith.
[00:21:41] Lord, we praise you and thank you for each one of these families, Lord.
[00:21:43] We pray encouragement and strength for them as they walk out this mighty calling of being parents.
[00:21:50] Lord, we commit tonight to you, and we praise you, Lord.
[00:21:53] Would you get all the glory in the mighty name of Jesus?
[00:21:56] Amen.

[00:21:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:21:57] You can be seated.
[00:21:59] Listen, if you're here and you're like, I want to get in the fight.
[00:22:03] I want to help disciple and reach the next generation.
[00:22:05] Amber and I will be in the lobby after the service.
[00:22:06] We would love to help you get involved in our kids' or students' ministry.
[00:22:09] Right now, we're going to continue to worship.
[00:22:11] So grab your Bible, grab your pen, grab your journal.
[00:22:14] I want you to watch this testimony with me.

[00:22:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[00:22:20] Lynn and I met.
[00:22:21] I walked into a restaurant, bar.
[00:22:24] She was there with her friend.
[00:22:26] I was by myself.

[00:22:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:22:27] So it was a very surface-level relationship, but we moved quickly.
[00:22:31] We were in our 30s, and we definitely did not have Jesus in our lives at that point, although we thought we were Christians at the time.

[00:22:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[00:22:40] We get married in 06.
[00:22:42] Our first child is born in 07, my daughter.
[00:22:48] And then my son was born in 2009.
[00:22:51] Early on, it was kids, kids, kids, kids, kids.
[00:22:55] We went from meeting when we were both going out a lot, drinking a lot, partying a lot, doing all that.
[00:23:02] Then we get married and we have kids, and then we don't do any of that anymore.
[00:23:13] It started with like she was having a lot of leg pain.
[00:23:16] It got to a point where she couldn't work anymore.
[00:23:19] We were going to a lot of doctors.
[00:23:21] Ultimately, we got a diagnosis of Lyme disease.

[00:23:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:23:25] Coming home and needing someone to kind of help me navigate the world, it was all new to me.
[00:23:30] just not feeling well and trying to push myself through every day.
[00:23:35] It was exhausting, and I really needed Dave at the time just to be there, help me, guide me.
[00:23:44] But I felt at that time that he was nowhere really to be found.

[00:23:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[00:23:50] I signed up for, you know, to marry somebody, be a partner, raise some kids, go do things together, have dinners together, be a family, make plans and be able to do those plans and all the normal things.
[00:24:02] I got somebody who couldn't do those things on the other side.
[00:24:07] Just was getting so frustrated that turned into anger.
[00:24:12] And then I was just extremely short with her at her worst time.

[00:24:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:24:19] I think I can say now more clearly than it was back then that Jesus, He was trying to show me that I needed him.
[00:24:36] So after the divorce, I moved to Pennsylvania with the kids.
[00:24:39] Dave, we would talk.
[00:24:42] It was the time in my journey as a Christian to learn how to pray for those that hurt you.
[00:24:50] We'd hang up after some really nasty conversations.
[00:24:55] And I remember getting on my knees to pray for him, to pray for his soul, his salvation, that he would find Jesus.

[00:25:08] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[00:25:08] When they left, I was really hard that day.
[00:25:13] And I just started drinking some beers and smoking weed.
[00:25:19] I would just like to get in my mood, man, and just zone and tune everything out.
[00:25:25] And then I kind of had a view, I remember one time, of looking down on myself.
[00:25:29] I'm on my couch.
[00:25:29] I'm drinking some beers.
[00:25:30] I got my guitars and things.
[00:25:32] And I'm like, what are you doing down here, man?
[00:25:34] You're living this life like you're single and like going out and your kids are up there.
[00:25:41] You know, that was like the first thing that hit me.
[00:25:43] A friend of mine sends me a sermon from here, from 1122.
[00:25:48] I basically started watching sermons and I stopped going out.
[00:25:53] You know, I was on dating apps and stuff before.
[00:25:55] I got rid of all that stuff.
[00:25:57] I just stopped.
[00:25:58] I just started to want to learn more about God, how to have a relationship with Jesus.
[00:26:04] I'm realizing all the things I should have done, could have done, right?
[00:26:08] Because of my actions is why I'm here.
[00:26:12] I'm crying the whole weekend to God.
[00:26:19] It's like the week before beach baptism.
[00:26:23] I'm having a bad week, feeling paralyzed.
[00:26:26] And Joey comes out. He says, you know, if you've got some kind of fear, fear of man, fear of this.
[00:26:32] So listen, that's you. Don't be a sissy. Come to the beach and get baptized.
[00:26:36] And I was like, that's it. You know, it just hit me. Yeah.
[00:26:40] I go and waves are crashing and everyone's just so fired up, man.
[00:26:46] And they're helping me out there and stuff and pray for you.
[00:26:48] And, you know, who is Jesus Christ to you? And I'm like, he's my Lord and Savior.
[00:26:52] man I go back and as soon as I come up the first thing that popped out of my mouth was F yeah that whole week all that stuff and everything that was just keeping me on that couch and paralyzing me I was free from the stuff that you've
[00:27:09] been doing the in the shame that he knows it all and he took it and he's forgiving you and that grace all of that that's that's what hit me I started in about it. At that time I'm apologizing to her for just not being the husband I
[00:27:29] should have been. There's so much better I could have done and I'm just so sorry

[00:27:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:27:33] I treated you the way I treated you. It's a day I'll probably never forget. Dave would bring up getting back together a lot on the phone right from the beginning and I would almost just laugh. After he got baptized and things started
[00:27:52] to change. He would bring it up and I just lightly maybe consider it thinking okay there's a maybe there. It wasn't until I saw the progressive like changes we would have conversations that would have ended up in an argument or a fight and seeing how he dealt with it or we talked it through or
[00:28:14] I was like, this is really happening.
[00:28:18] His heart is really being changed.

[00:28:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[00:28:22] At dinner one night with our kids, I got on my knee again and asked her to marry me again in front of the kids.
[00:28:28] What did she say?
[00:28:30] She said she'll think about it.
[00:28:31] No, she said yes.

[00:28:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:28:33] Probably way more special than the first time he asked me to marry him.

[00:28:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[00:28:40] Standing firm, staying in the Word, staying true to Lynn and doing the right things there as well as compared to what I used to do and my kids and being that example for them you know being the spiritual leader that I'm supposed

[00:28:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:28:56] to be in my household to me that's being a man it wasn't before God was able to redeem and restore this marriage that was so far gone it's truly a miracle let's go church if you got your bibles

[00:29:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_08]
[00:29:16] and I hope you do, we're going to end up in 1 Peter chapter 5. It'll take me a couple of minutes to get there. But when men stand firm and act like men, everything goes better. And this sermon
[00:29:27] has the potential to have one of the greatest impacts of any sermon I've ever preached, not because of the sermon, because this isn't about you. It's about what God wants to do in and through
[00:29:37] you. I hope you realize that. So we're in the second week of this series called Stand Firm and Act Like Men. You guys know that it's rooted in 1 Corinthians chapter 16, verses 13 and 14.
[00:29:48] the hub of the middle of this wheel is act like men the imperatives around it are how we are to be these kind of men so it says this be watchful stand firm in the faith act like men be strong
[00:30:00] let all that you do be done in love that first imperative is to be watchful this is actually a military term some translations translate it to be on guard to be alert to be on watch
[00:30:13] for those of you that have served us in the military first and foremost thank you very much but military and first responders you know this if you are on watch that means you are put in a place put in a position
[00:30:24] and your role is not about you your role is to defend some other people that need you to defend them and you've heard me talk about this a million times ladies and gentlemen we are at
[00:30:37] war that we have an enemy and he's a thief he's trying to take something that's not his and the only thing that he wants to do is kill, steal, and destroy.
[00:30:47] And when God anointed and appointed you to be men, he has appointed us to be providers and protectors, that we are called to stand on that wall, which means that we're at war, that the enemy's trying to take you out, men.
[00:31:01] Why?
[00:31:02] Because if he can take out the defender, then by definition, then the people that are the most vulnerable that we know and love the most, they will be defenseless.
[00:31:13] In fact, most of the pain that is experienced in this room is because some man didn't do what he was supposed to do.
[00:31:21] I hope you realize that.
[00:31:24] One of the biggest hindrances to people understanding and knowing who God is, is the pain that was caused by, a lot of times, their dad.
[00:31:33] Some man did not do what he was supposed to do.
[00:31:36] And so we are to watch out, to stay alert, to be on guard.
[00:31:42] Now, when I think about what it means as a man to be the watchman on the wall, a scene comes to mind for me.
[00:31:53] That there's a courtroom, Colonel Jessup is sitting there, and you hear these words, son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns.
[00:32:06] Who's gonna do it?
[00:32:07] You, you, Lieutenant Weinberg.
[00:32:09] I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom.
[00:32:12] You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines.
[00:32:16] You have that luxury.
[00:32:17] You have that luxury of not knowing what I know, that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saves lives and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.
[00:32:29] You don't want the truth because deep down in places that you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall.
[00:32:36] We use words like honor, code, loyalty.
[00:32:38] We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something.
[00:32:42] You use them as a punchline.
[00:32:44] I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then question the manner in which I provide it.
[00:32:54] I would rather you just say thank you and went on your way.
[00:32:57] Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand on post.
[00:32:59] Either way, I don't give a darn what you think you're entitled to.
[00:33:05] And then Tom says, he asked for the truth.
[00:33:11] Remember this?
[00:33:13] You can't handle the truth.
[00:33:14] You remember this?
[00:33:16] Now, if you're looking for it in the Bible, you're not gonna find it there.
[00:33:22] Man, we were created to be on that wall.
[00:33:24] We have been called to watch out on that wall.
[00:33:30] This is what Paul means when he tells men, watch out, be on alert, your own watch.
[00:33:36] Because we are at war.
[00:33:37] I'm so glad that we did child and family dedication.
[00:33:40] We picked it on purpose.
[00:33:42] Because I want you to hear this, man.
[00:33:44] Every time there's a great move of God, the enemy tries to take out a generation of children, especially young boys.
[00:33:49] You realize this?
[00:33:52] And what would you do, man?
[00:33:53] What would you do if somebody literally broke into your house and tried to take your kids?
[00:33:58] You would do whatever it takes.
[00:34:00] I heard shoot them.
[00:34:00] Praise God.
[00:34:02] That's what you do.
[00:34:03] Shoot them in the face.
[00:34:05] Would you call 911 if they're bringing something to clean up with?
[00:34:08] Yes.
[00:34:11] Amen.
[00:34:12] The first responders around here will be like, please do, all right?
[00:34:15] You'd help us out.
[00:34:17] Don't you realize it's happening every single day?
[00:34:19] But when we are not on guard, when we are not on watch, then it's like the enemy comes in and is just taking families, breaking them apart, taking kids out.
[00:34:29] And a bunch of men got to get off their blessed assurance and say, not on my watch.
[00:34:33] Listen, for the next few years, one of the things that we're going to lean heavily into in this church is that we're not talking down to the upcoming generation.
[00:34:41] We are speaking life into them.
[00:34:43] Listen, if you are 18 and under, so if you're under 19, if you're 18 and under, I want you to stand up right now at all of our services, at all of our campuses.
[00:34:52] I want you to stand up, 18 and under.
[00:34:54] Let's go, let's go, let's go.
[00:34:56] Stay standing, okay?
[00:34:59] Stay up.
[00:35:01] Yeah, look around.
[00:35:02] Listen, the whole front three rows at St. John's just stood up.
[00:35:06] You got it?
[00:35:06] Listen to me.
[00:35:08] Man, we are so for you.
[00:35:10] I want you to look around at all these people and all this influence and all these old people.
[00:35:15] Look at these old people next to you, okay?
[00:35:17] We live in a world that's lying to you.
[00:35:21] We live in a world that's trying to beat you down.
[00:35:24] We're living in a world that wants to kill, steal, and destroy you, but not on our watch.
[00:35:28] We are here for you.
[00:35:29] I believe God has a purpose for you and a plan for you.
[00:35:32] And I believe this upcoming generation is going to be one of the greatest generations because God is rising up an army of world changers.
[00:35:39] And 1122 is going to be the place that launches you into this world to push back darkness.
[00:35:44] We love you.
[00:35:44] We're fighting for you.
[00:35:46] And we will stay on that wall for your sake.
[00:35:48] Amen, church.
[00:35:49] Amen.
[00:35:50] You can sit down.
[00:35:51] Take a lot of notes.
[00:35:51] Let's go.
[00:35:52] so we've got an enemy he wants to kill us men my friend josh halberd says the birthmark of the christian is a bullseye especially if you're a man especially if you're a dad especially if you have been given shepherding responsibilities why because if he can take
[00:36:16] out the shepherd then the street runs run the shapes run away so here's what you got to pay attention to in first peter chapter five that's where we're going to go first peter chapter five
[00:36:26] I'm going to pick it up in verse 6.
[00:36:29] And in the context here, Peter is talking to the men of the church.
[00:36:34] And the reason I know this is because he says, so I exhort the elders among you.
[00:36:39] And so he's talking to the men who are elders and then everybody in the church.
[00:36:43] He's talking about you should live your life in such a way where you can aspire to be qualified to be an elder.
[00:36:51] So this is what he's talking about in the church.
[00:36:53] He's talking to the men.
[00:36:55] And then he says these words.
[00:36:56] first Peter chapter 5 verse 6 humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you
[00:37:09] be sober-minded be watchful that's our word right there be on guard be on watch be alert for your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour resist him firm in your faith knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced
[00:37:29] by your brotherhood throughout the world and after you have suffered a little while the God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore confirm strengthen and establish you to him be the dominion forever and ever amen and we when he
[00:37:47] says amen this is let it be so this is what he's saying now here's what I want you to see here what what Peter is doing is Peter knows the schemes of the enemy Peter knows the methods
[00:38:01] of the evil one and they're pretty common among men and so what Peter does is Peter gives us like the photo negative of how men ought to act and behave so that they could win the war against
[00:38:16] the enemy so that we could keep our position on that wall again why because the enemy is trying to take you out and if he can take you out then the women the children the people that are most
[00:38:27] vulnerable they will by definition be defenseless and so here are I see in this text I see five things that most often take men off that wall you see here's what's crazy about the bible man
[00:38:44] this is not simply a 2,000 year old document it's not an old book it's a timeless book the Bible doesn't just tell you what happened it tells you what always happened because it is the revealed word of God here are five things that take men out and how we men
[00:38:59] by the power of the Holy Spirit are to war against it the first thing is this the first thing that often takes men out is pride pride now let me tell you what happened in those of
[00:39:11] us that struggle with pride you just thought of somebody else I'm gonna send this my brother-in-law that son of a gun he needs to Peter says this humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you pride is when you don't trust God to exalt
[00:39:32] you so you think you have to do it that's what pride is pride is simply thinking too highly of ourselves Paul says in the book of Romans you should not think too highly of ourselves of
[00:39:42] yourself. You see, pride is when you compare yourself to everybody else instead of comparing yourself to the holy, magnificent, almighty God. Pride is when you think the world is about you.
[00:39:55] Pride is when you see a group photo and your eyes immediately go to who? You. And you determine if the picture is good or not based on you. And no one admits it. No one admits it. It's one of the
[00:40:10] hardest things to see in the mirror when you're prideful because you like what you see. And men, we're the worst. We just think about ourselves. We think the world revolves around us. C.S. Lewis says that pride is the granddaddy of all sins. That it was pride that got the devil of hell
[00:40:29] kicked out of heaven. We've talked about this in the Worship of the War series. That Lucifer was the angelic choir leader. He was dressed in or made of gems. God was the source of light. And
[00:40:41] the light was refracted and reflected through Lucifer. And one day he got tired of being looked through and he wanted to be looked to. And he said, I want to sit on that throne. And God cast
[00:40:51] him out like lightning. So let me ask you fellows, are you prideful? And I know you're like, well, I mean, maybe a little. What a prideful thing to say. Here's some questions. Do you seek credit?
[00:41:08] Like you have to have credit. You know, like when you're at work and you know it was your idea that pushed the thing through and you're just waiting for them to say your name. That's pride. Do you
[00:41:21] have a problem complimenting other people when you know that you were responsible for the deal how about this one do you require a thank you and are you put off when you don't get one
[00:41:32] you know how easy it is for me to write these questions because it's me listen every single one of us don't say amen on the front row over here every single one of us live on a continuum
[00:41:41] between gratitude and entitlement here's what struck me one day like my work love language is gratitude. I love it when people I work with are grateful about what we get to do. And then one day I realized I'm entitled to gratitude. Uh-oh, I expect everybody to say thank you. Well,
[00:42:01] that's all about me. Do you require a thank you? If I were to scroll through your social media, does it tell the story of the greatness of God or does it tell the story of the greatness of you?
[00:42:12] Do you always have to be right? See, these things are rooted in pride. Well, the antidote is humble yourself. Do you realize that humility is not a feeling? That humility is a posture. That's it,
[00:42:29] man. Humility is not a feeling. Humility is a, it's like working out. You could have great intentions about going to the gym. That's not going to do anything for you. You actually have to reposition your body there for something to go different. Humility is that way. Humility is
[00:42:44] bending the knee before God because the reality is, is you will be humble or you will be humbled.
[00:42:50] The Bible says every knee will bow.
[00:42:53] This is great, man.
[00:42:54] If you bow your knee in humility to Jesus and say, I'm not the boss of me, I submit and surrender to you, you were the boss of me, then one day you will be lifted up when he returns.
[00:43:05] If you do not bend your knee to Jesus as Lord and King, then when he returns, you will bend your knee, pee your pants a little bit, and you will be humbled, period.
[00:43:14] And there will not be this one.
[00:43:15] I'm gonna ask Jesus a question.
[00:43:17] No, you ain't.
[00:43:17] You're gonna fall on your face, wet your diaper, and say, please don't kill me, and he's gonna send you to hell.
[00:43:22] That's what is going to happen.
[00:43:24] So you will humble yourself, or you will be humbled.
[00:43:30] Man, God has given us the antidote to humility, and one of them is this, or the antidote to pride, which is humility, and one of them is worship, worship, worship, worship.
[00:43:42] Nothing is more humbling than to say, I'm not the point.
[00:43:47] That when we worship God, it's anti-pride, because here's what we're saying.
[00:43:51] We ain't singing to me.
[00:43:54] I just want to speak the name of Jesus.
[00:43:56] Not my name, not your name.
[00:43:58] And when some of you are like, well, I don't like that song.
[00:44:01] I don't care, Cupcake.
[00:44:02] We ain't singing to you.
[00:44:03] That's actually the point.
[00:44:06] This ain't karaoke.
[00:44:07] We ain't doing top 40.
[00:44:09] There's no voting.
[00:44:10] That is not what we do.
[00:44:12] Every single time we get together and we declare Jesus as Lord, we're also saying, and I am not.
[00:44:19] And we're also telling the devil of hell, you can go back to the lake of fire.
[00:44:23] you were created for, because I know you wanted to sit on his throne, but you don't get to. We ain't singing songs to you, okay? We're only singing to the name of Jesus. Men, part of the
[00:44:33] reason you don't sing is because you're prideful. Part of the reason you don't lift your hands is because you're worried about what other people will think about you. You're prideful. Part of the reason you don't get your butt down here to the altar and fall on your face in humility and
[00:44:44] repentance is because you're more concerned about what somebody else thinks, and that's called pride.
[00:44:48] and it can take you off that wall.
[00:44:52] Humble yourself.
[00:44:54] Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.
[00:45:00] You see, sometimes we stand before God instead of just submit and surrender to him.
[00:45:08] You realize that's what Job does?
[00:45:10] I've read the book of Job this week just because of some events going on in my friend's life.
[00:45:14] At the end of the book of Job, Job wants to put God on trial.
[00:45:18] You should read it.
[00:45:20] He says, God, I want you to stand here.
[00:45:21] I got some questions for you.
[00:45:22] God takes it for a second.
[00:45:24] And then he says this, gird up your loins and take this like a man.
[00:45:28] And for the next three chapters, God begins to ask Job questions.
[00:45:33] Like, oh, Job, you got opinions?
[00:45:34] That's adorable.
[00:45:35] Let me just ask you a couple of questions there, Job.
[00:45:38] Where were you when I established the foundations of the earth?
[00:45:42] Job's like, well, yeah, I mean, you know, I'm like 30.
[00:45:46] Right.
[00:45:47] He's like, do you know where I store up the snow?
[00:45:49] Mm.
[00:45:51] Do you know when the next lightning strike's gonna happen?
[00:45:53] Mm.
[00:45:55] Like by my power, I hold things together, Job.
[00:45:57] You can't lick your own elbow.
[00:45:59] So what was your question again?
[00:46:01] That's what he says, kind of, yeah.
[00:46:07] You see, when we're filled with pride, it's because we have our eyes not fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.
[00:46:13] We have our eyes fixed on ourselves.
[00:46:16] The best way to get your eyes off yourself is to humble yourself and worship God.
[00:46:20] One of the things that takes men out, pride.
[00:46:23] Another thing that takes men out is worry and anxiety.
[00:46:27] Look at verse seven.
[00:46:29] He says, cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.
[00:46:33] Cast all of your anxieties on him because he cares for you.
[00:46:37] This is a classic devil move.
[00:46:40] You see, everything God creates, the enemy corrupts.
[00:46:43] And so God gives to manhood, he gives us men responsibility to subdue and cultivate.
[00:46:50] And so like I'm responsible at work, I'm responsible for my family.
[00:46:54] And then the enemy comes in and takes responsibility and then he changes it to worry and anxiety.
[00:47:00] You see, when we worry, when we're anxious about things, it's because we think we actually are in control of these things.
[00:47:07] That's what begins to happen.
[00:47:10] And we hide behind this idea that I'm just trying to provide for my family, but in actuality, what's happened is you've made work an idol because you're so concerned that your validation is gonna happen at work.
[00:47:23] You see, worry is simply this.
[00:47:27] Worry is just misplaced faith.
[00:47:29] That's what worry is.
[00:47:31] Worry and fear are first cousins.
[00:47:33] You get this.
[00:47:34] That worry and fear are looking into the future.
[00:47:37] And if you think you are in control, of course you're gonna be worried.
[00:47:40] Faith is looking into the future and seeing that God still has the whole world in his hands.
[00:47:45] That he's a good dad and he knows how to take care of his kids, even you.
[00:47:49] So let me ask you, do you struggle with worry and anxiety?
[00:47:52] Are you worried?
[00:47:54] What are you worried about?
[00:47:56] Another question to ask is, what can you really do about it?
[00:48:01] I mean, listen, when Jesus is teaching, he's like, look at the birds.
[00:48:04] Look at the flowers.
[00:48:06] If God's taking care of birds and flowers, don't you think he can handle your life?
[00:48:11] Don't you think he can handle your 401k and the job market?
[00:48:15] You see, because what you're doing is you are putting your trust in you.
[00:48:17] And when you do that, you will not be able to sustain you.
[00:48:22] Are you putting your faith in your circumstances or the sovereign savior over your circumstances?
[00:48:29] And so what do you do if you're worried?
[00:48:30] What do you do if you're anxious?
[00:48:31] Well, I've got good news.
[00:48:32] The Bible addresses it directly.
[00:48:34] Peter says, cast your anxieties on him because he cares for you.
[00:48:39] The word cast means to throw, to chuck.
[00:48:43] And I was in a disciple group a bunch of years ago and this young man said, I think the problem is we don't cast our cares on Jesus like they're talking about.
[00:48:51] We cast our cares like a rod and reel.
[00:48:54] Like we come to the altar and we cast our cares on Jesus.
[00:48:57] Lord, I just want to cast this on you.
[00:48:59] And then we reel that worry back in, put it in our pocket and take it back to our seat with us.
[00:49:04] Don't do it that way.
[00:49:06] Paul has a direct message if you're worried.
[00:49:10] In Philippians chapter four, beginning of verse six, Paul says, be anxious for nothing.
[00:49:17] I love if Paul was a counselor, oh my gosh.
[00:49:22] That's why I do counseling because I fall under the Apostle Paul type of counseling.
[00:49:27] Can you imagine going to a meeting with Paul?
[00:49:29] Paul's like, what's your problem?
[00:49:30] Well, I'm worried and I'm anxious.
[00:49:32] He's like, all right, step one, ready?
[00:49:33] Don't, see you next week.
[00:49:38] How does that work?
[00:49:39] That doesn't work, Paul.
[00:49:41] I mean, that makes me more anxious than four times with four different words.
[00:49:49] He says, here's what I want you to do.
[00:49:51] I want you to use your anxiety and your worry as a trigger for you to go to God instead of you diving deeper into yourself.
[00:49:59] That's what he says.
[00:50:01] He says, don't be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your request be made known to god let me put it down on dummy talk 11 22 style ready you worry pray pray pray pray so he says he just uses all the words for it prayer supplication
[00:50:23] thanksgiving request made known to god the first pastor that hired me out of seminary he used to say this to me dr bill ross he said if you're gonna pray why worry and if you worry why pray
[00:50:35] that worry is just anti-prayer.
[00:50:40] That prayer is taking the circumstances that have you stirred up and saying, God, I need help with this and I trust you.
[00:50:48] And worry is taking the circumstances that got you stirred up and saying, give me that, God, I got this.
[00:50:55] That's what it is.
[00:50:56] So pray.
[00:50:57] And then look at the promise.
[00:50:59] He says, pray, pray, pray, pray.
[00:51:03] And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
[00:51:10] Have you ever met somebody that's walking through a thing that would be your worst nightmare?
[00:51:14] You know what I'm talking about?
[00:51:16] And you look at them and you're like, I don't even know how you're upright.
[00:51:20] And they'll usually go, me either, me either.
[00:51:26] But what's happening is the personification of what Paul said.
[00:51:31] Why?
[00:51:31] Because they did the thing, the thing that they were most worried about, they were most anxious of, that thing happened, their worst nightmare.
[00:51:38] And so what did they do?
[00:51:39] How did they respond?
[00:51:40] They came to God through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. They made their request known to God and the peace of God that transcends understanding, which means this doesn't even make sense on paper. The diagnosis came in, the loved one was lost. She left whatever the thing
[00:52:00] is. And I don't know how to explain it, but I know the one that does. And it's almost like the creator of the universe is guarding my heart and guarding my mind in Christ Jesus and the reason
[00:52:12] it doesn't make any sense to the rest of us I've told you this before Jesus says don't worry about tomorrow you stick with right now you stick with the day why because new mercies come in the morning
[00:52:22] and he's going to give you the mercy that you need every morning for the day that you're facing and if you're worried about what might happen then you don't have the mercies that will sustain you
[00:52:32] now. So fellas, are you worried? Are you anxious? In about 30 minutes, I'm going to invite you to come down here and cast it on him. Please don't let the first one, pride, take you out on the
[00:52:52] second one, worry and anxiety. How about be a man and get down here on your knees and say, God, I need help. The third thing, this is not a complete list. You know, there's all kinds of
[00:53:07] things that take men out. But here's the five that Peter's going to talk about. The third one that he mentions is this, laziness and abdication of responsibility. Grown men were not supposed to be sitting on their couch, just having a few beers, smoking weed. That's not what you were
[00:53:22] made for. Just with your amp in the living room, playing guitar. That's not, that's not what God has created you for. Now we live in a world that has a relentless pursuit of comfort. I hope you
[00:53:33] realize that. It is antithetical to the calling of God on a man's life. Laziness and abdication of responsibility takes men out. Peter says, be sober minded, be watchful. Some of you just need to be sober, period. You just got to start there. Listen, man, we're in a war. Soldiers don't get
[00:53:55] to do that and go to battle. We're like athletes running a race. There's a bunch of things we just say no to because we're in this race and we got to throw off anything that hinders or entangles us.
[00:54:07] Be sober-minded and be watchful. Be on watch. You got to wake up. Men, are you lazy? Are you just pursuing a comfortable life that is not a biblical value? We are supposed to be taking the good news
[00:54:21] of the gospel to the very ends of the earth, to every tribe, to every tongue, to every nation.
[00:54:26] We're supposed to be dedicating our entire life to God, to love him with all our heart, all our soul all our mind all our strength and then loving our neighbors as ourself no Christian man should
[00:54:36] be lazy or bored if you were lazy if you were bored you were completely out of step with what the king has commissioned us to do you got to get in the game are you lazy do you need to wake up
[00:54:51] let me ask you some questions what are the distractions in your life are you more consumed with your hobby than your responsibilities, with your calling, with your family mission?
[00:55:02] What are some things God has called you into, but you're avoiding them because it's hard?
[00:55:08] If you wanna be a Christian, man, you gotta do hard things.
[00:55:12] You know what it means to be a follower?
[00:55:16] This is not a trick theological question.
[00:55:20] You just follow the leader.
[00:55:21] That means you just go where he goes.
[00:55:24] Where did Jesus go?
[00:55:26] The cross.
[00:55:28] Anything comfortable about that?
[00:55:30] No.
[00:55:32] And then he says, you wanna be my follower?
[00:55:34] Cool, all you gotta do, die to yourself daily, pick up your cross, and follow me.
[00:55:41] I mean, I talk about it all the time, but when did David's life go to utter hell?
[00:55:45] It's in the time of year when the kings went to war.
[00:55:48] David abdicated his responsibility, and he was a lazy man sitting on the couch because he thought he had earned the time off.
[00:55:55] And then he makes a series of decisions, and everything goes bad.
[00:55:59] So what do you do?
[00:56:01] Something.
[00:56:03] Some of you just men, you gotta do something.
[00:56:06] You gotta get off your blessed assurance and you gotta get in the game.
[00:56:10] You could serve.
[00:56:11] How about that?
[00:56:11] That's a good idea.
[00:56:13] You wanna fight for this upcoming generation?
[00:56:15] Serving kids, serving students.
[00:56:17] Go on that mission trip.
[00:56:18] Get into the advancement of the kingdom of God.
[00:56:22] You see, C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity, he says, listen, our problem as human beings is not that our dreams are too big.
[00:56:30] Our dreams are too small.
[00:56:31] that the king of the universe has offered us a vacation, a calling at the beach and we are just satisfied with far too little in the shiny things of this world.
[00:56:44] Listen, I got a text from Dr. Paul, one of our elders today, because he's going to Malawi.
[00:56:51] Not Maui, Malawi.
[00:56:55] Google it, you don't even know where it is.
[00:56:59] He wants to start a medical clinic there.
[00:57:04] He's 91 years old.
[00:57:06] So tell me your excuse again.
[00:57:09] Listen, one of the biggest fights I ever got into with the elders is with very pure hearts, the elders came to me and they're like, hey, I need you.
[00:57:18] They said, we need you to talk to Dr. Paul because he won't listen to anybody, but maybe he'll listen to you.
[00:57:24] And he needs to slow down and maybe not go on so many mission trips.
[00:57:30] And I was like, there's no way I'm having that conversation with Dr. Paul.
[00:57:36] Why?
[00:57:36] Are you afraid he's gonna die?
[00:57:38] He's 91 years old.
[00:57:39] he's going to die. Don't you think he wants to go out swinging out in the mission field somewhere, pouring it out? What are you going to just get comfortable? Comfort has killed more grandpas than almost anything else. I hope you realize that. Get in the game, man. I hope and pray I'm
[00:58:00] half the man Dr. Paul is. See, we live in a world that just wants you to pay too much attention to yourself. My gosh, man, get in the game. Don't be lazy at home. You were called to subdue and
[00:58:17] cultivate. You will be held accountable. I will be held accountable for the heart, soul, mind, and strength of my wife and my children. So don't give all of your attention to work and then give
[00:58:33] your family the leftovers. No, no, no, no, no. They are your first church and your first priority.
[00:58:38] Husbands, and listen, I need to get way better at this.
[00:58:41] A confession.
[00:58:42] If I had to be a black belt at everything I teach, it'd be very limited sermon material, okay?
[00:58:47] So I gotta get better at this too, but husbands, pray over your wives out loud.
[00:58:52] You wanna get in the game?
[00:58:54] We don't have the opportunity anymore to fight off the grizzly bears on the homestead to display our love for them.
[00:58:59] You realize that?
[00:59:01] But you know what we do have the ability to do?
[00:59:04] Is to fight on our knees against the devil of hell as he comes to steal, kill, and destroy our wife and our children.
[00:59:10] Husbands, pray out loud over your wife.
[00:59:13] And I know what some of you are like, well, I ain't a good prayer.
[00:59:14] Biggest word I know is delicatessen.
[00:59:16] Don't know how to work it into discernment.
[00:59:18] All right, Leroy, let me help you out here, okay?
[00:59:19] And we'll put this on the bottom shelf.
[00:59:21] Ladies, don't listen to a word of this.
[00:59:22] Don't listen, okay?
[00:59:24] Here's what you do.
[00:59:25] You just go to your wife and say, how can I pray for you?
[00:59:30] She's gonna say words.
[00:59:34] Pay very close attention.
[00:59:37] And then when she gets done, it's gonna be a lot.
[00:59:40] Pay attention.
[00:59:42] And you go, okay.
[00:59:43] And then you take her by the hand, and here's what you do.
[00:59:45] You bow your head, you close your eyes, and you say, dear God.
[00:59:49] And then you just repeat, word for word, exactly what she said.
[00:59:54] And then you say, amen.
[00:59:58] Now, listen.
[00:59:59] Now, ladies, listen.
[01:00:01] Don't correct this theology.
[01:00:03] Don't be like, that's not what I said.
[01:00:04] Don't.
[01:00:04] Just, okay.
[01:00:07] No drippy, drippy, drippy.
[01:00:08] We'll talk about that one day again, okay?
[01:00:10] None of that.
[01:00:11] Now, husbands, if you haven't been doing this, when you get done, you're going to look up and she's going to be crying. And you think every time I know you're like, tears, bad. What did I do? You're nailing it, bro. You are nailing it. Now, ladies, here's
[01:00:23] your response. Ready? Here's your response. Because again, men are like puppies. They repeat what's rewarded. You go, Hercules, Hercules. That's what you do. Got it? All right. Don't be lazy.
[01:00:36] So we got pride, anxiety, laziness. The fourth one is this. We talk about it all the time.
[01:00:45] it's isolation and men are isolation experts bro oh we can hide camo is not just a thing we wear it is like a face that we hide behind Peter says your adversary the devil prowls around like a
[01:01:05] roaring lion seeking someone to devour you've seen the animal planet which one does the does the lion take out it's the isolated one man you got to get in the herd and if you are prideful
[01:01:20] enough to think well I don't need men repent but have you ever considered it ain't about you and since you're awesome maybe there's some other men that might need you and your incredible amount of strength you ever realize that maybe the reason that you need to join a disciple group ain't for
[01:01:36] you because you're almost Jesus apparently so maybe we need you in there to be such the protector for all these young souls right everything about that or you just focused on you listen my buddy
[01:01:49] Jeff Kopp told me the three most dangerous words a man can say is I got this listen the beginning of the gospel is I ain't got this I hope you realize it man are you connected are you isolated
[01:01:59] let me ask you it this way who are you praying for specifically right now if you don't have a group of men that you're praying for what good are you to the kingdom of God you got to actually
[01:02:12] know some men maybe more important who is praying for you right now and you're like my mom bro you ain't honest with her. You cannot tell me like, hey mom, I've got a lust issue. Can we talk about
[01:02:28] that? Let me give you this. Jesus, second person of the Trinity, God, the son who spoke all things into existence. His very power holds all things together. He's in the garden of Gethsemane the night before he's going to get crucified. And what does he do? He tells his disciples, will you come
[01:02:47] with me and pray? And then he gets Peter, James, and John and says, will you come a little farther and will you watch and will you pray?
[01:02:55] So if the God of the universe who is gonna be resurrected from the grave finds himself in a place where he needs a band of brothers around him to pray for him, then who in the heck do you think you are
[01:03:06] to think, I got this.
[01:03:07] You're a fool, that's who you are.
[01:03:11] You're a fool.
[01:03:12] Get plugged in.
[01:03:13] It doesn't have to be one of our disciple groups, but do you have four Mack carriers in your life?
[01:03:18] Do you have some men that you can be honest with and that will pray for you?
[01:03:23] You better get into it.
[01:03:24] don't wait. I've told you before, Christian brotherhood is like a retirement account. If you wait till you need it to build it, it's over, dude. Get involved. Join a disciple group. Go to a discover group or start one yourself. Don't be isolated. And then the fifth one is this. You
[01:03:44] can't talk about men being taken out without covering this. This is a little bit of a stretch on the text, but I would ask for a little hermeneutical license, okay? Verse nine. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your
[01:04:02] brotherhood throughout the world. The commonality that I see in 30 something years of marriage, I mean of ministry, the one area that the enemy takes out more news than anything else is this, lust. It's lust. In my opinion, this is the granddaddy of them all. And here's what's very
[01:04:24] interesting is the Bible tells us exactly how to battle against lust men. Ready? In every other area of spiritual warfare, next weekend, we're going to talk about spiritual warfare. So about put on full armor of God, stand firm. That word stand, it means to stand up or to stand against
[01:04:43] or to take a stand. It means to fight. In every other area of our life, when it comes to battling the enemy, we're supposed to fight against the enemy toe to toe, face to face. Why? Because
[01:04:54] greater is he who is in me than this serpent of hell that I'm staring down.
[01:04:59] When it comes to lust, you're not supposed to fight.
[01:05:02] You're supposed to flee.
[01:05:04] Do you realize how powerful that is?
[01:05:07] For every single one of us who have failed when it comes to sexual immorality, it simply comes down to this.
[01:05:14] We didn't flee, we flirted because we thought I got this and you ain't got this.
[01:05:20] Let me explain it this way.
[01:05:21] If when our service is over today that you men, you were to walk out to your truck and the devil of hell is sitting in your truck, then I got good news.
[01:05:29] Get a couple of your brothers.
[01:05:31] Put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the feet fitted in the readiness of the gospel.
[01:05:36] Take up the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
[01:05:40] And you stand in authority over the devil.
[01:05:42] And you say, devil, you better get out of my truck.
[01:05:45] That truck don't belong to you.
[01:05:46] It belongs to me.
[01:05:46] I belong to Jesus.
[01:05:47] He has authority over you.
[01:05:48] You got to get out of here.
[01:05:49] And in the name of Jesus, the devil of hell has to flee from your truck.
[01:05:53] Praise God, right?
[01:05:57] If your ex-girlfriend is in your truck, run, Forrest, run.
[01:06:02] You can't handle it.
[01:06:03] That's what I'm saying.
[01:06:09] And you think you can handle it.
[01:06:12] The writer of Proverbs says this, can a man hold fire close to his chest and not get burned?
[01:06:18] And everybody says, of course not.
[01:06:21] Every time you have fallen to the temptation of lust is because you thought, I got this.
[01:06:27] You ain't got this, man.
[01:06:28] You ain't got this.
[01:06:30] And many, many, many families have been torn apart.
[01:06:34] children have grown up without a dad. Women have not been valued, but been abused. Those are not just pictures. Those are people. And when you participate in pornography, you are participating in the abuse of little girls, in human trafficking, and not only the tearing down of your family,
[01:06:54] but the tearing down of that girl's family. You realize she's somebody's little girl too, and created in the image of God. And this is not just something that you fight against. You have to war against it, and the first step is to flee, flee, flee sexual immorality. If you want to fight
[01:07:11] the devil in the dark, you're always going to get your butt kicked. We go back to isolation. This happens in isolation. One of the first things, you better have some mat carriers to be like,
[01:07:20] hey, listen, fellas, I got a real struggle. And actually, I've told you this before. You ever notice Christians don't sin anymore? They just struggle. I mean, I have guys, but I'm struggling with porn. No, you're not. You're sinning. That's called sin, dude. Stop. Run away. If you actually
[01:07:37] were struggling, if you actually were fighting, you know what Jesus says to do? Gouge out your eye, chop off your hand. You're like, God, that's a little extreme. This is extremely important.
[01:07:47] So you put some serious guardrails in your life. If this dumb phone is causing you to sin, then why in the heck do you have it in your bedroom next to your bed at night?
[01:07:56] You know where this thing needs to go? To the Atlantic Ocean. And then go get you a dumb phone instead of, they actually have phones called wise phones now. And you can't get on the devil's
[01:08:05] internet there. If that's what you need to do, do it. If you can't be on social media, don't.
[01:08:12] And if you're a young guy and you're like, well, I'm not even married yet. Here's what you're doing. You're just setting up your family for failure because you're killing your heart and you won't be able to love a woman right. Because pornography is going to rewire your brain to teach
[01:08:25] you that a real woman is not enough, that one woman is not enough, and that that woman is not enough that's what it is going to train you because the devil of hell is trying to kill
[01:08:33] steal and destroy not just you but your children's children and their grandchildren and if that legacy is important to you then get in the game and wake up and resist him firm in the faith
[01:08:45] knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being expressed by your brotherhood throughout you got to confess it out loud you got to go I'm gonna fight this thing and I need help will you
[01:08:54] help me hold this thing accountable. And then you got to pursue Jesus. Your heart has to, has to be overcome by a greater affection. And when you see him as more lovely and more beautiful and more
[01:09:10] holy and more magnificent, then the things of this world will just get smaller and smaller and dimmer and dimmer. And when you begin to stack up some time and stack up some victories and those failings become farther and farther and farther away, then you will be able to walk
[01:09:25] in freedom and in victory. Listen, man, I'm a Pharisee when it comes to this one. An absolute Pharisee. Do you know why? Because I love that woman right there more than I have words to
[01:09:35] describe. I love my kids more than I can even tell you. And I love you as a church. I love you, not as much as them, but I love you too. You know how many mega church pastors have been taken out
[01:09:48] on this one? And every time they do, man, our staff comes to me like, what happened? Here's what happened some pastor who got into this thing man to teach the word and make disciples and
[01:10:05] all the things right and he saw a temptation and instead of fleeing early on he began to flirt and he got to this one step that was way what didn't even ascend yet it was just stupid
[01:10:21] it was a text it was a website it was a lunch it was a i'm gonna go out of my way just to talk to because she tells these jokes and she gets me.
[01:10:32] Oh, she gonna get you.
[01:10:36] And he began to take that one step.
[01:10:37] And I'm telling you, when he began to take that one step, the spirit of God tapped him on the shoulder.
[01:10:44] Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
[01:10:45] And he went, get off me, I got this.
[01:10:49] And then everything else is just details.
[01:10:53] Yeah, man.
[01:10:54] So I am a legalist about this.
[01:10:58] I don't travel alone anywhere.
[01:11:00] You know how much this church has to pay so I don't go alone?
[01:11:04] You know who thinks it's worth it?
[01:11:05] My wife, my kids, and this church.
[01:11:07] I'm going to do whatever it takes.
[01:11:09] And I've had some people like, well, that ain't normal.
[01:11:10] You know what normal is in our life?
[01:11:13] In our world, normal is broke, lonely, and medicated.
[01:11:17] You can have normal.
[01:11:18] I don't want any of those things.
[01:11:20] I want to be different.
[01:11:24] So you better go to war because the enemy is trying to kill, steal, and destroy.
[01:11:30] Now, here's what some of you are thinking.
[01:11:36] Well, this would have been cool 25 years ago because I got taken out, whether it was through lust or isolation or pride or anxiety and worry or laziness and abdication.
[01:11:51] And you're like, yeah, that's cool.
[01:11:52] This is a great message for all the 18-year-olds that just stood up, but I'm 48 and my life is a train wreck.
[01:12:00] Listen, I got some really good news for you, man.
[01:12:02] At the men's conference, Pastor Brian Loritz was preaching and he said this about 10 times, failure is not final, not in the kingdom of God.
[01:12:13] Failure is not final.
[01:12:16] And then a mentor of mine, Jim Bergen, at Saturated last year said these words, in the kingdom of God, there's not second chances.
[01:12:23] There's the blood of Jesus and from now on.
[01:12:26] So man, I've got really good news for you.
[01:12:28] I want you to see after Peter goes over, here's five things that take men out.
[01:12:32] Here's the antidotes to the attack of the enemy.
[01:12:37] And then he finishes with this.
[01:12:38] Look at verse 10.
[01:12:39] After you have suffered a little while.
[01:12:42] So let me ask you, are you suffering?
[01:12:45] Are you in the fight?
[01:12:46] Are you in the struggle?
[01:12:46] I don't know if you've been in a fight but when you get in a fight people punch back if you don't wake up with a bloody nose every once in a while it might be because you're not
[01:12:57] in the fight if you don't feel an incredible resistance in this lost and broken world against the way that you're living it could be because you're just going with the flow if you haven't felt like the enemy
[01:13:11] is trying to take you out this may be offenses so listen closely it could be because he's not your enemy. You don't play for team Jesus. You're playing for team world, team devil. This is a
[01:13:24] war. This is a fight. And so he says, after you've suffered a little while. And so what if you've taken one on the chin, man, and he got you, what do you do? He says, the God of all grace who has
[01:13:41] called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, establish you to him, be the dominion forever and ever. Do you know what you do? You know what you need?
[01:13:52] you need grace. Do you know what you're offered through the blood of Jesus Christ? We're offered grace. And when we stumble and when we fall and when we sin and when we fail, guess what?
[01:14:05] We fall down on the same grace that brought us to Jesus to begin with. And we serve the kind of heavenly father that does not condemn you. He may not rescue you from the circumstances,
[01:14:17] but he does not condemn you. By his grace, he picks you back up and he sets you back on your feet.
[01:14:23] it says the God of all grace who has called you hey divorce guys he has called you hey guys that have struggled with substances he has called you the guys that have failed over and over and over
[01:14:40] to pornography he has called you and I'm talking about the you with your birthday and your social security number you see if you think this verse is for the guy sitting next to you you think this
[01:14:49] is for the verse of the guy that's just just on staff no no no no no that he knew exactly who you were dude when he gave his life to purchase you and that same grace that saved you will sustain
[01:15:05] you and the God of all grace who has called you to his eternal glory I don't care what it is God can use your story for his glory God is in the business of taking the biggest messes and using
[01:15:18] them to share the greatest message of the grace of God he has called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself that Jesus came to do for you what we can't do for ourselves.
[01:15:32] This ain't a man up talk, man.
[01:15:34] Just sit and pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
[01:15:37] What does that even mean?
[01:15:38] Try it.
[01:15:41] You just do this.
[01:15:44] You won't go anywhere.
[01:15:46] It's impossible.
[01:15:49] You need somebody else to do for yourself what you can't do for you.
[01:15:53] And look, he, Jesus, the one who came out of the grave for the joy set before him, endured the cross.
[01:15:58] That's talking about you.
[01:15:59] Here's what he wants to do in your life.
[01:16:03] He wants to restore.
[01:16:06] Restore.
[01:16:08] Where you have fallen short, he wants to fill in the gaps and put you back on that wall because that's what he created you for.
[01:16:16] Even if your past has been a train wreck, failure is not final, he wants to restore and confirm.
[01:16:23] He wants to speak a good word over you, fellas.
[01:16:26] Not based on your performance or your pretending, but if you are in Christ Jesus, his word over you is behold my son in whom I am well pleased that we get to fight from victory
[01:16:37] and not for victory he wants to strengthen you because if you're in the fight you're gonna get tired you're gonna feel weak and the good news is you don't have to fight in your own strength
[01:16:49] it's not by sword or by might but by my power says the Lord and the same spirit of God that brought Jesus out of the grave that put death to death, lives inside of every believer
[01:17:02] and oftentimes the way that he's gonna strengthen you is in community.
[01:17:08] When we link those shields of faith together so that when our brother goes down, you've got another brother to cover you for a little while so we can pick you back up and get you on that wall
[01:17:16] and establish you back to that position on the wall to be a protector and a defender.
[01:17:25] Here's what I'm trying to say.
[01:17:27] Failure is not final.
[01:17:31] Get back on the wall.
[01:17:31] that we are in the kingdom business and in the kingdom, there's no second chances.
[01:17:38] You know, when you hear people say, we serve the God of second chances.
[01:17:41] I know what they mean.
[01:17:42] It's just dumb.
[01:17:48] If, I mean, if I fought John Jones, you all know who John Jones is?
[01:17:53] You don't?
[01:17:53] He's an evangelist in the UFC.
[01:17:59] If I fought John Jones, it wouldn't go good.
[01:18:02] I met him once.
[01:18:03] I met him in DC.
[01:18:04] He's that big.
[01:18:05] His hands are this big.
[01:18:08] And he's the baddest dude on the planet for a long time.
[01:18:11] If I fought him, how do you think it would go?
[01:18:14] Not good, okay?
[01:18:17] And if I thought, oh, what I need is a second chance, I would get a second can of butt whooping.
[01:18:24] That's what I would get.
[01:18:26] And a third and a fourth and a fifth.
[01:18:29] I would need somebody to do for me what I can't do for myself.
[01:18:33] You get that?
[01:18:35] You don't need a second chance.
[01:18:36] You need the blood of Jesus and from now on.
[01:18:38] And the blood of Jesus tells a different story.
[01:18:40] The blood of Jesus calls you by a different name.
[01:18:43] The blood of Jesus has wiped away your sin.
[01:18:46] It does not define you by it.
[01:18:47] The blood of Jesus says, we're not gonna define you by your scars.
[01:18:50] We're gonna define you by mine.
[01:18:51] The blood of Jesus says that you are more than a conqueror.
[01:18:55] You ever think about that?
[01:18:56] What's more than a conqueror?
[01:18:58] A conqueror wins the battle and gets the spoils.
[01:19:00] What's more than that?
[01:19:02] More than a conqueror is the son of a king.
[01:19:05] That means you still win the battle.
[01:19:06] You still get the spoils.
[01:19:08] And then you get to go sleep in the castle with the king because he is your dad.
[01:19:12] that's what this means he will establish you so failure is not final get back on that wall in the kingdom there are no second chances there's the blood of Jesus and from now and so men we want
[01:19:28] you on that wall we need you on that wall I'm telling you for the sake of this church for the sake of our children for the sake of your family regardless of what your situation is right now
[01:19:41] May the power of Christ restore you, confirm you, strengthen you, and establish you as the man that you have been called to be. And so this response where we sing and we bring and we pray, we're
[01:20:02] just doing these things. Do we struggle with pride? Probably. Let's worship. Got it? Do we struggle with anxiety and worry? Do we look at ourselves and be like, I can't do this. Then we're going
[01:20:16] come and get on our faces and pray do we have a tendency to isolate ourselves cool why don't you grab somebody and be like will you just come pray with me that we're not going to be defined by the
[01:20:30] things of this world and be easily pleased we're not going to be lazy we're not just going to give ourselves to to the rat race to what this world says that we're supposed to pursue we're going
[01:20:41] to worship God by bringing him first and best to put some dry powder in the armory of God's advancing kingdom that's what we're going to be about men I mean last week I asked the wives and
[01:20:55] the women to pray over over us gentlemen this is an opportunity for us to wake up to be alert to be on watch to go to war I know we've been through hell and yet God rules and reigns
[01:21:13] and we're going to fight we're going to fight for that hard fought hallelujah by singing by bringing by praying we just stand up let me pray for you our good and gracious heavenly father god
[01:21:26] i pray for every man in the room all those young men that are on their way to manhood in this place and those old men who were here and we need their wisdom god we need them to be sages and all of us
[01:21:39] in between god we confess and we repent we ain't got this lord the enemies had too many victories in our lives so lord i pray by the by the power of the spirit you would humble us as we declare
[01:21:54] your name. God, we would cast all of our anxieties upon you because you care for us. God, that we would not be lazy. We would be sober minded. We would be awake to the realities of your kingdom
[01:22:06] coming. God, that you would join us together as one body, as one army, as one family in this fight together. And that God, we would flee from the lust of our flesh and we would come running into
[01:22:20] the loving arms of our heavenly father. And that would just be more beautiful and better and sweeter than anything in this world.
[01:22:30] God, I'm not sure why you designed it this way, but you created us in your image, male and female, you created us.
[01:22:38] And by the power of the Spirit of God, by the evidence of the empty tomb, by the love displayed on the cross, under the love of a heavenly Father, God, may we stand firm and act like men.
[01:22:52] We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.
[01:22:56] So men, humble yourself.
[01:22:59] We're gonna sing.
[01:22:59] we're gonna bring we're gonna pray let's go to war like the world depends on it because it does

[01:23:06] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:23:06] let's respond yeah that's when i need it so i'm gonna keep on singing till my soul catches up there's days when my hands go up free times when it cold there's days when the praise comes out
[01:23:55] sin follows regardless of what you've done regardless of your past regardless of what

[01:35:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:35:37] has been taken from you regardless of how many times the enemy is defeated of you if you are in Christ then you are fighting from victory and not for victory so let me bring it
[01:35:47] full circle humble yourself cast your cares upon him because he cares for you be sober-minded be watchful that's what we're praying for you this week church we love you like crazy we can't wait to do it again
[01:36:01] next week be free