Diagnosing the ‘Crockpot Christian’: When Self-Help Replaces Sanctification

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:00:00] Please stand and worship with us this morning.

[00:00:02] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:00:02] The Lord's doing something in our hearts this morning. It's a holy moment.

[00:16:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:16:42] When I first started singing that song, What a God, Gary and them introduced it to us by SEC Worship, I think.
[00:16:51] When it said, if the highest thing I reach is at your feet, then I've done it all.
[00:16:56] I had this thought of, because I'm a hustler, I'm a mover and shaker, like, it's like, oh, I'm climbing the ladder to heaven just as fast as I can, as fast as I can, as fast as I can.
[00:17:03] and the longer I sang it, the more I realized is I don't reach Jesus' feet by reaching higher.
[00:17:13] I reach Jesus' feet by humbling myself before him.
[00:17:23] That's where you reach his feet.
[00:17:28] And the song then is the highest thing I reach is that your feet is to say, Lord, if all this that you're doing in me, all this that's going on in my life right now,
[00:17:39] all this that is happening around me in the ups and the downs, in the valleys and in the mountains, is to humble me so I see the preciousness of being humbled before you that I have done it all.
[00:17:57] That is exactly where I'm supposed to be. And you see, the Bible helps us with this because the transfer is that when we get to heaven and we see Jesus, the Bible says that we will cast our
[00:18:11] crowns at Jesus's feet. Because why? The treasure of heaven is not the rewards that were promised.
[00:18:18] The treasure of heaven is Jesus.
[00:18:22] He's the reward.
[00:18:24] To touch his hands and to touch his feet and to know that this old world cannot touch me any longer.
[00:18:35] So the goal of our life is to hear.
[00:18:39] James says, if we'll humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, he will exalt us in due time.
[00:18:46] I've lived long enough with Jesus now.
[00:18:48] It's better to humble yourself rather than him humble you.
[00:18:54] And this morning, I'm gonna ask them to just walk us back into that.
[00:18:57] And there've been many at the altar, but is this what your goal is?
[00:19:03] Well, you're kind of like me.
[00:19:04] You over here just climbing as fast as you can.
[00:19:06] I'm doing it for your glory, Lord.
[00:19:07] I'm doing it for your glory.
[00:19:08] And it really ain't got nothing to do with his glory.
[00:19:11] Just because you're a mover and shaker.
[00:19:16] Whatever's in between you being able to humble yourself and see the safest, most gracious place is at the feet of Jesus.
[00:19:23] I wanna ask you this morning, come lay it down.
[00:19:27] Get it out of the way.
[00:19:31] Let it not take one more place in your life to keep you from the highest place you could ever be is humbled at the feet of Jesus.
[00:19:42] Humbled at the feet of Jesus.
[00:19:46] If you're in a place in a season right now where you're going through, why am I going through this?
[00:19:49] Why is life like this right now?
[00:19:51] Don't fight it.
[00:19:55] Get down, humble yourself before the Lord and get at his feet and say, what do I need to learn about you and about me at this moment?
[00:20:06] Where do I need to fall in line with your will and obedience to you?
[00:20:11] The Bible tells us, Jeremiah 33, three, call unto me and I'll show you great mighty things that you know not of.
[00:20:16] And James promised to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.
[00:20:19] Man, when he exalts you, that's, that's when you know, that's the approval you need, you want, and the only one that matters.
[00:20:32] So this altar is open.
[00:20:36] It's safe here.
[00:20:39] You humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.
[00:20:41] Father, in the name of Jesus, would you help us, Lord, to come back to the heart of worship?
[00:20:45] Lord we we repent of what we have made it because worship is all about you and Lord the highest achievement of our life is the freedom to be able to humble ourselves before you help us to do that today with intentionality help us to do that today with a repentant heart
[00:21:13] help us to do that today Lord to remove anything that is between you and I that we all may know the freedom and the joy and the peace that's sitting at your feet. Lord, move and work in

[00:21:33] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:21:33] this place in Jesus' name. Lord, as Psalm 8 says, who are you? Who are we that you are so mindful

[00:25:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:25:27] of us made just a little lower than the angels father in the creative order but dear heavenly father so many promises toward us that you loved us so much that you gave your one and only gotten
[00:25:42] son that whoever will believe in him would not perish but have eternal life i thank you dear heavenly father that you you are a god who is worthy to be praised and you're our god and father
[00:25:57] today, we want more of you, but Lord, we want you to have more of us. Heavenly Father, I pray over every man, woman, boy, and girl here today who needs to hear you speak to them. Whatever it is,
[00:26:16] God, that has deafened their ears or the sensitivity to their heart, I pray that you'd remove it. Whatever it is, dear Father, that has kept them from hearing and experiencing your presence. I pray, God, that you would overwhelm them right now with the joy of the Holy Spirit
[00:26:34] and the mindfulness, Lord, of your will for their life, that it would break the hard heart, enlighten the dark mind, free those deaf ears spiritually, and dear Heavenly Father, renew a life. Everyone in this room, everyone under the sound of my voice, everyone who will hear
[00:27:05] this broadcast for years to come. It is all about you, Lord Jesus, and we want to give you the glory and the attention that you deserve. Heavenly Father, I pray over every person that you
[00:27:31] would help them in their season of life that they're experiencing right now, that you would restore life and joy to them, connection in their relationships, vibrance in their family, prosperity in their businesses, sustaining power in their health and healing from on high in their
[00:28:01] health, gentleness in their spirits and boldness for you in their hearts, freedom from sin and strength against temptation. Heavenly Father, show yourself in every life. Answer their prayers.
[00:28:34] Grow them in you that we all may lift a high hallelujah to you. As we meet today together, Lord, and as we give together, we praise you and thank you, Lord, for that which is received. And
[00:28:50] God, would you bless it immensely, exponentially. And Lord, would you pour out blessings on those who give and tithe where they not have enough room to receive it and show them your sustaining blessing power out of your character of you who have all that we need and will bless us according
[00:29:10] to your riches and glory by Christ Jesus. Meet with us and we thank you that you are even now.
[00:29:18] And it's in the strong name of Jesus that we pray and all God's people said, amen. Would you find four or five people before you're seated and welcome them?
[00:29:25] It is so good to see each of you today.
[00:29:48] I'm so grateful for you making your way to service on a rainy Sunday.
[00:29:53] We go from snowmageddon to rain, and I'm grateful.
[00:29:58] I always want to encourage y'all to be good to one another in the parking lot.
[00:30:01] We're getting ready to close on the eight plus acres behind us, and we'll begin putting some parking in back there.
[00:30:08] And so thank you for your faithfulness in those regards.
[00:30:11] but I always want to encourage you to be, to be gracious toward one another and gracious to our law, our law officers, our deputies out trying to help you get to get out of this place. Guys,
[00:30:21] I want to encourage you that you don't have to come out of here and turn left to get to the interstate. You can go right out here and turn right and go down to the red light and turn left
[00:30:32] and come right out on Stamey farm. And you'll be there just as fast. You can go out here and go down Beulah Road and go underneath the bridge there, go by the Beulah's graveyard and come
[00:30:47] right back out and be on the interstate there and get to a grocery store over there. If you're headed to Hickory, you can go all the way down Beulah Road. What does that turn into? Gilbert or
[00:30:56] it goes right by Mock Mill. Jump out there on Sharon School Road. You own the interstate there.
[00:31:03] So jumping up and down and endangering our law officers out there, please don't do that.
[00:31:09] Plenty of opportunities.
[00:31:10] Or you can hang out and fellowship and serve and bless people until the coast is clear.
[00:31:17] And then you got no problems.
[00:31:19] And all God's people said, amen.
[00:31:21] So I want to encourage you to do that.
[00:31:24] All of our folks that are watching online, I just want to say thank you so much for your tenderness and your dedication.
[00:31:30] And we'd love to have you on campus with us at some point.
[00:31:34] we pray sooner than later. So y'all ready to get to business this morning? Amen. Gosh, it's so good to see you guys. I love seeing y'all's faces. Hope y'all had a happy Valentine's.
[00:31:43] Did y'all have, was y'all's a Valentine yesterday? Right? Yeah. Uh, that was funny. I thought it was funny. I don't know what's wrong with y'all. Uh, but, uh, super grateful. Pray this with me. Let's
[00:31:54] start. Heavenly father, speak to me, grow me in a maturity from reactiveness to a godly response.
[00:32:06] Let me meditate on your truth and let your truth transform my perspective that I may seek you, that I may act like you, that I may respond like you in all seasons. In Jesus name we pray
[00:32:25] and all God's people said, amen.
[00:32:28] Let me show you some pictures this morning.
[00:32:30] Now, being from the 70s and the 80s, there are many of these pictures that are near and dear to my heart, amen.
[00:32:37] Would y'all help me identify them?
[00:32:39] Let's take a look at, down to your far right, what is that?
[00:32:43] That's a firecracker.
[00:32:44] Now, the question is, is how many of y'all lit them one at a time or the whole pack at a time?
[00:32:51] I know y'all a bunch of rednecks.
[00:32:52] All right, here we go.
[00:32:53] Just kidding, that's a joke.
[00:32:54] How about top left?
[00:32:57] That's the M-80.
[00:32:59] I've seen the power of those things in a shallow fishing pond, a concrete culvert, or a mailbox.
[00:33:07] All pre-Jesus.
[00:33:08] The Lord's forgiven me of all that.
[00:33:11] Cast as far as the east is from the west.
[00:33:13] I don't know why I brought it up this morning.
[00:33:15] Now, bottom left, what is that?
[00:33:18] Dynamite.
[00:33:19] Yeah, buddy.
[00:33:20] Anybody here, y'all blow stuff up for a living?
[00:33:22] I know I got some folks.
[00:33:23] Yeah.
[00:33:24] Yes, sir.
[00:33:24] I knew I had some.
[00:33:26] I mean, like Toys R Us kid.
[00:33:27] I'm a Toys R Us kid.
[00:33:28] I don't want to grow up.
[00:33:31] Million toys.
[00:33:31] Yeah, okay, I'm going to stop there.
[00:33:33] I love it.
[00:33:34] Y'all just remember that.
[00:33:34] Pastors got people that can blow stuff up.
[00:33:36] You better be nice, okay?
[00:33:38] All right.
[00:33:38] Oh, Lord, that just went out on the web.
[00:33:41] We some internet troll out there.
[00:33:43] And then top right, what is that?
[00:33:46] Crockpot.
[00:33:47] All right.
[00:33:48] Now, let me ask you a question.
[00:33:49] We're all going to respond at the same time on the count of three.
[00:33:52] I'm going to ask the question twice.
[00:33:54] if these pictures were to correlate with your personality when you get all your buttons pushed or you get triggered which one of these would you be hold on on the count of three let me ask
[00:34:09] the question again if these pictures corresponded with your personality when you get your trigger tripped or all your buttons pushed which one of these would you be you ready one two three every service every service dynamite every service i have yet to hear crockpot yet to hear crockpot
[00:34:34] liars in the name of jesus right there liars in the house of god no y'all oh y'all no i'm just kidding that's a joke if you're visiting with us this morning that is a joke as a pastor i love to
[00:34:47] i love to cut up i love to cut up yes most of it i didn't put taking time bomb out here i figured I figured these were enough for us.
[00:34:57] This is a question that we ask because here's the point that I wanna invite us to this morning as we walk forward in our text.
[00:35:05] You see, at some point, a Christian must mature from a firecracker to a crockpot when under pressure.
[00:35:14] You see, a firecracker reacts instantly, loud, flashy, emotional.
[00:35:20] it explodes when lit short fuse i can remember days of throwing them at my best friends and reach back and uh not not know how short that fuse was it's amazing how you hold your hand
[00:35:34] my fingers really there but a crock pot however is steady controlled heat slow transformation and it produces depth over time.
[00:35:49] You see, immaturity reacts and maturity responds.
[00:35:54] Which one are you?
[00:35:55] The Bible throughout, specifically in the New Testament, encourages that the servant of God be self-controlled.
[00:36:04] As James says, that you and I are to be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to become angry, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.
[00:36:13] Paul is going to continue in a couple weeks in latter part of chapter 2 that the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind and patient able to teach others and Proverbs 16 32 says whoever
[00:36:26] rules his spirit is better than one who takes a city and this will be linked to the person that the Bible in the book of Proverbs talks about is like a man or a woman who cannot control their
[00:36:36] temper is like a great city whose walls have been torn down doesn't matter how awesome that city is how many things they have for their citizens, because that person can't control their temper, that individual, and they can't process better,
[00:36:50] and they're very reactive.
[00:36:52] That person is like a great city who can be ransacked at any moment because they have no sphere of defense with their walls.
[00:36:59] This is where I want us to understand that spiritual depth is not measured by how loudly you react, but by how steady you endure.
[00:37:08] And this is something that Paul is beginning to teach Timothy, because Timothy is on the verge of burnout.
[00:37:15] What we've experienced thus far in 2 Timothy, Timothy is on the edge of either really ramrodding and pushing through or because of all the pressure that he's feeling to absolutely giving up or becoming disqualified for ministry.
[00:37:30] And this is where I want you to understand that pressure doesn't create character, it reveals it.
[00:37:36] You see, a firecracker Christian is one who is easily offended, easily triggered, easily defensive and always needs the last word does that sound like you this is not criticism or critique this is how we grow spiritually are you a person who is easily offended you are easily
[00:37:57] triggered you are easily defensive and you have to have the last word on the subject or are you more like a crockpot Christian. You process before speaking. You are anchored in truth.
[00:38:13] You hold emotional discipline and you let God cook the outcome. And friends, if you don't believe God can cook the outcome, then go back to the old Testament and read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.
[00:38:27] God can cook an outcome. If you don't believe that God can cook an outcome, then go back to John 3 16 for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten son that whoever would
[00:38:37] believe in him would not perish but have eternal life for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him God can cook an outcome if you don't believe
[00:38:48] God and cook an outcome then take a look at the old rugged cross and remember what our savior said is his last words on that rugged cross it is finished and if you don't believe God and cook
[00:39:00] an outcome, then go visit Jerusalem and Gordon's tomb outside the city where he was buried. That tomb is still empty today because he is risen. God cooks the outcome and all God's people said, amen. And this is where a trigger is when the heat hits, but truth always slows down the flame.
[00:39:23] How many of you've ever tried to teach your children how to cook and, uh, or to grill and Boy, they got it jacked wide open, right?
[00:39:30] And they're burning it way before the time that it takes to cook it.
[00:39:35] Truth always slows the flame.
[00:39:37] And this is where you and I don't prove our strength by exploding or by quitting.
[00:39:44] When triggers hit, sometimes some of us, if not all of us, have portions and places in our life where we're like a wild bull in China calls it.
[00:39:52] We're like a wild cat.
[00:39:53] You push me in the corner, I'm coming out.
[00:39:55] I'm swinging, I'm throwing hands, right?
[00:39:57] But there are others of us that have learned over the years that when the triggers hit, we just quit.
[00:40:02] We just walk away, which leads, if you do it long enough, decades of empty promises and unfulfilled responsibilities that hurt just as bad as blowing up on people.
[00:40:15] So which one are we?
[00:40:17] Because we must figure out where we are so that we can take it to God.
[00:40:21] That's the purpose of discipleship, my friends.
[00:40:23] church a church service or a bible study is not some dude up here telling you trying to zap you with god's power it's the idea that when when when i take my vehicle to my my mechanic
[00:40:39] i'm asking i know something's wrong with it i'm asking in his expertise take a look under the hood bro tell me what's happening i got some stuff leaking here i i got some stuff that uh
[00:40:53] ain't shifting when it should be shifting. I got some stuff and ain't jiving when it should be juking, right? And I'm not offended by that guy. I may not like the price of what it's going to
[00:41:04] cost me, but if I'm going to have a healthy vehicle and a safe, reliable vehicle to travel down the road, then I know there's a diagnosis, but there's a cost involved in changing what is
[00:41:16] broken to make it reliable. That is the same thing that you and I should experience, whether we're in church, whether we're in a Bible study, or we're having our personal devotional time.
[00:41:27] There are things in our life that when they're jiving, they're juking. And when they should be smooth, they're grinding. And when they should be dropless, they're leaking. And we have to be aware of those things so that we can take them to God. And there will be an expense. But notice this
[00:41:44] guys. The same price is paid for changing or not changing, but the two prices pay long-term different dividends. There's a cost in dying and there's cost in living. Which one you want to pay?
[00:42:05] And that's the real issue about why I try to preach to you the way that I do and teach to you is not in a condemning fashion in any way.
[00:42:14] I saw a picture of myself that our team had taken.
[00:42:16] I was like, man, I wish my face could show the joy of what's really in my heart while I'm preaching.
[00:42:22] But this Frankenstein brow I got, I guess it just hits it all a different way.
[00:42:27] I want you to know the best of God.
[00:42:30] And I want you to know that you have a freedom.
[00:42:33] God already knows your brokenness and my brokenness.
[00:42:36] Why not run to him?
[00:42:37] and the cost of maintenance has already been paid for on the cross amen he bought you with a price why are you trying to limp through when when he's willing to make you new over and over and over and
[00:42:53] over again is anybody with me this morning and i want you to experience that i want you to understand the power of what god wants to do in your life because the spirit produces self-control
[00:43:05] not self-combustion. And we got to figure out which one we're doing. And I want you to have the power of the Holy Spirit on your life. How many of you have ever felt the conviction of the
[00:43:19] Holy Spirit? How many of you have ever been gigged by the Holy Spirit in the middle of a conversation, a decision you were about to make or something? Is there anything like that on the face of the
[00:43:31] earth. It's amazing. It is absolutely amazing to be convicted of the Holy Spirit or led by the Holy Spirit or have discernment given to you by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, if you are not
[00:43:47] experiencing that, then my friends, I want to teach you that there are at least one of two things going on in your life. If you've never drawn and felt been drawn by the power of the Holy Spirit
[00:43:59] or felt the Holy Spirit prick you or convict you, then number one, that possibly could mean that you are not a born again Christian.
[00:44:08] I'm not criticizing you.
[00:44:09] We're just taking a look under the hood.
[00:44:12] There is a disconnect.
[00:44:14] Paul says in 1 Corinthians that the natural man, the unsaved man, the man or the woman who's never given their life to Christ cannot receive the things of God.
[00:44:23] As my good friend Clayton King says, listen, being saved, none of us are gonna get to heaven, by being good people following the right rules.
[00:44:33] You must be born again.
[00:44:35] That means that you come to the place in your life to where you know you are a sinner, you have chosen your way over God's, and you humble yourself and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins,
[00:44:44] come into your life and save you.
[00:44:47] And as you pray that, the Holy Spirit enters into your life and he regenerates you and makes you alive in Christ.
[00:44:55] Does that make sense?
[00:44:56] The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus given to believers to accomplish God's will on this earth. So it could be that, that you've never given your life to Christ. Listen, the Holy Spirit doesn't, it's not like a spare tire when
[00:45:12] you become a Baptist, a Methodist, a Presbyterian, a Pentecostal, the church of God. No, no, you must be born again. Or secondly, it could be possible that you are saved, but you are a carnal
[00:45:22] Christian. In other words, your walk with Jesus is more or less showtime Sunday morning where you roll in here and play a part. And then the rest of the time, it is all about your will and
[00:45:33] your sin. And you are grieving the Holy Spirit. You are choking the Holy Spirit out. Every time the Holy Spirit beckons you, don't make this decision, make this one. Don't say that. Think about it this way. Let it go, whatever it is. And you totally push the Holy Spirit to the side.
[00:45:50] You grieve him and your flesh begins to step forward and take over. And I have walked with believers for years who got saved, got baptized, but they never yielded their life to the power of the Holy Spirit. And when you watch that person come alive in Christ and begin to listen to the
[00:46:08] Holy Spirit, it's like somebody has been in prison, like they were in a concentration camp and their first taste of cheese and their first taste of bread and their first taste of water is like, oh, it's overwhelming. They don't know what to do with it because why? Now they are in touch
[00:46:23] with the eternal source that actually saves them, seals them until the day Christ returns and will empower them for right living day by day.
[00:46:33] I wanna encourage you to have that.
[00:46:35] And if you don't know Christ, that's an easy fix.
[00:46:38] Jesus, I have sinned against you.
[00:46:42] I am a sinner separated from you, but I believe you can save me.
[00:46:46] I turn from my sins, come into my life and save me.
[00:46:50] And the Bible says, whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
[00:46:53] Man, if you're a Christian who has walked in your flesh and grieved the Holy Spirit, it's just as simple.
[00:47:00] Heavenly Father, I know you, but I have lived as though I don't.
[00:47:03] I repent of my sins and I ask that you would cleanse me and forgive me and cleanse me of all my unrighteousness.
[00:47:11] Wake up the Holy Spirit in me.
[00:47:13] I wanna live a spirit-filled life.
[00:47:16] And the Lord will do that in your life.
[00:47:20] Are you with me, church family?
[00:47:21] so I want you to I want to take us forward in this because guys I believe where we stand as a body God is calling things out of our life and calling us into a season of ministry that is not just
[00:47:36] about me or Parker or Gina or your pastoral style or Gary it's about every one of us being involved in this it's about every one of us growing in a maturity to Christ to where we are living out the
[00:47:50] qualities consistently in our life that God calls for every man and woman who is blood-bought by him. And I want us to see this. So let's take a look again at 2 Timothy chapter two, verses one
[00:48:04] through seven. Parker did an excellent job preaching this a couple of weeks ago, but much like last week, I saw something in this passage that the Holy Spirit convicted me of that I think is necessary for us. Paul writes to Timothy, he says, you then my child be strengthened by the
[00:48:21] grace that is in Christ Jesus. And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses and trust of faithful men who will be able to teach others also. This is where Paul encouraging
[00:48:34] Timothy as his son in the Lord is to say in Timothy, all the pressure is not on you and trust this to faithful men. We backed up into first Timothy to look at the qualifications of a deacon
[00:48:44] and went through those last week. If you're not able to be here, that message is online.
[00:48:49] and then we ask the bigger question what if it is God's will that it's not just a handful of men and women or men and their families who are to be the reliable faithful men in the church to prove
[00:49:02] to be leaders what if the whole church took all these qualifications seriously so that if there is a moment of leadership or somebody that needed to serve or or or me as a pastor needed to call
[00:49:14] one of you to say hey I need you to minister to this person that rain sleet snow or shine baby you'd be there with Jesus on time not because you're like well pastor I don't know enough or
[00:49:26] pastor I've never done this or pastor that's all folks but that you say no I have kept the wick sharpened the oil is in this lamp I want God to use me and so now as we take that a step forward
[00:49:41] watch now what Paul says to Timothy in verse three and I want you to read it with me you ready he says share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus no soldier gets entangled in
[00:49:54] civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules it is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say for the Lord will give you understanding
[00:50:17] in everything. If you're taking notes this morning, maybe this will help you.
[00:50:22] You see, every one of us is going to deal with a trigger in our life. Now, what happens when you're triggered? Well, you feel the pressure. You ever been in a season where you feel the
[00:50:33] pressure in your life? Oh yeah. It's insane. I say this often, nothing happens until everything happens at once. Can anybody register with that? Over the past couple of weeks, it's been a bit interesting. We've been in a season of funerals and heart-wrenching ones, friends, friends, and
[00:50:55] things that many of you have stood alongside with others and grieved. We had just been in two of them that were really tough emotionally on top of the normal work. And Angie and I were scheduled
[00:51:08] to speak at a conference at a church that I've spoke at for 30 plus years. And so we're coming out of that. We're on the way to the airport. And I find out that my good friend and husband
[00:51:24] to like my sister, Monica, Randy Hush has had a massive heart attack. I'm panicking. I'm on the phone wall, right? And I'm panicking of what's going on. What do I need to do? The on spot,
[00:51:37] on the spot. And like 30 of y'all showed up to minister to this family, deacons and people from her class and from Monica's class that know them just swarmed in. And they're like, we got you
[00:51:48] pastor. We got you. On top of that, it was happening to be snowmageddon. And I'm thinking here, me and Andrew are going out of town. All four kids are left home. I walked in the night
[00:51:57] before walked into the garage with bricks and i said there's two generators there's there's three three cans of gas uh put one of the refrigerators on one of these and y'all put on a space heater
[00:52:07] on the other one and get in a room if you lose power like 12 people called bricks and he was like they not think i'm capable of anything i'm like no bro that's what the that's what the house of
[00:52:16] god is for that's what the family of faith for that you got big brothers that are like i'm here bro if you need me i'm here if you need me on the top of all that we're you know we're going to heat
[00:52:25] wave snow begins coming in and there's just so many other factors going on and somebody called me while we were getting ready to board the plane they said brian i want to ask if you're okay i'm
[00:52:34] like no i'm not i'm about to freak out right here because why nothing happens until everything happens at one time you feel that pressure when the triggers happen you feel the resistance you ever you ever tried to like get your stuff in gear maybe you're gonna walk the straight and
[00:52:49] narrow you're like all right i'm gonna get my stuff in line with christ and all you feel is the resistance. Am I the only one? You feel it, man. Everything. I mean, the kitchen, the devil's
[00:52:58] throwing the kitchen sink and the atomic bomb at you. And you feel that. And when you feel the pressure and when you feel the resistance, the next thing that happens is your flesh rises up
[00:53:09] and it wants you to pursue comfort. This is where you start to feel entitled to ease.
[00:53:19] This is where you say things by now. It shouldn't be this hard. It shouldn't be this difficult.
[00:53:25] sound familiar this is where you uh man this is where things shift in people's lives this is where people say things they never should they just like all ought to be respected by now right when
[00:53:42] the pressure and everything you know you hear hear people say things like nobody nobody around here nobody around here knows how hard i work i gotta go to work now they're gonna come home and i gotta
[00:53:51] clean and I just clean this countertop and here's these cleats and here's y'all's lunchbox. I'm just so, you know, anybody ever been there? All right. Then the next person's like, well, you don't know how hard I work. Go to work in the morning. It's my name. Call my name. Call my name. Call my name.
[00:54:06] Call my name. One thing after another. This breaks, that breaks, this breaks. 12 hours of that. Then I come home. There's stuff I got to do here. And then you want me to talk. I'm talked out. So what
[00:54:16] you want to talk about now? Hello? Oh, that was too much at 1030, wasn't it? Yep, that was it.
[00:54:25] See, you know why I know these things? It's because no temptation has ever taken you but such as common to man. And this is the stuff I've heard for 32 years of discipling people.
[00:54:35] And what's happening is your flesh is like, I ought to be respected. Your flesh is craving.
[00:54:39] I want to be loved. Your flesh is craving. I just need somebody with some common sense around me.
[00:54:45] And have you ever noticed some of the biggest struggles in your life is when you expect people to be just like you. Think like you, talk like you, act like you, reason like you, save like you,
[00:54:55] spend like you, do like you do. And ain't nobody like you. Praise God. I love you, Marshall. I love you. Right? Yeah. But that flesh, bro, it wants ease. It wants comfort. That's the trigger. But
[00:55:17] the truth is, is that the best way to rewire a trigger is to remember what is expected of you for christ's name you ever students you ever played for a coach that they weren't the best
[00:55:32] communicators so you didn't know what to expect so when you did this that wasn't good enough and when you did that it wasn't good enough you ever guys in college you ever been given a syllabus
[00:55:42] and they just gave you the syllabus but the syllabus was a little bit confusing and so you were like well i thought this was due then they were like no it wasn't this was due then and you're
[00:55:50] like well it's kind of hard to follow that stuff isn't it but when you know what's expected like you go to work somewhere and they just put you out on the line and you get no training.
[00:56:02] You don't know what to expect, right? And so you don't know what to do. And that is the game changer. That's where I've discovered over the years that relationships and pretty much everything in life breaks down at the point of unfulfilled expectations. Can I teach you
[00:56:22] something real quick? Everything in life, probably pretty much specifically relationships break down at the point of unfulfilled expectations.
[00:56:33] Now, sometimes the expectations are just simply unspoken.
[00:56:38] I see this in a young couple, or maybe they're dating, or they're engaged, or they're married.
[00:56:44] And the guy has expectations of the girl, and the girl has expectations of the guy.
[00:56:49] The wife has expectations of the husband, and the husband has expectations of the wife.
[00:56:54] And by the time they get to me, they're just like i'm pastor i shouldn't have to tell him this by now oh oh yeah home girl you you do yes yes you do i can tell you right now yes you do whatever god took out of us that used
[00:57:12] to be in us to make y'all i ain't saying god messed up but that was one of it now that that was it that level of jedi mind trick uh magician to figure out what y'all thinking when y'all
[00:57:25] thing in it he put that in y'all took it straight out of us I ain't saying God did it wrong Lord don't hear me that please in the name of Jesus but yes but that don't mean fellas that you don't
[00:57:37] become mindful and mindfully present about what's important to her this is where I hear guys say well she fell in love with me like this when we were dating and when we were in high school I
[00:57:46] I don't know what the big guessing game is now because you're different bro you ain't 18 with abs anymore. You got flabs and a bad attitude. So there are expectations that are just totally unspoken, right? And we're expecting the other one to fulfill it. There are expectations that
[00:58:16] are unrealistic expectations. This is where you hear people say, I swear you need to love Jesus is because only Jesus can make you happy.
[00:58:28] Only the Lord can do what you need doing, right?
[00:58:32] Because why?
[00:58:33] The expectations that you're projecting on the person in the relationship, whether it's your kids or you're the person that you love, are so high, nobody can meet them all the time.
[00:58:42] You can't even meet them.
[00:58:44] Yourself, and you're projecting them.
[00:58:48] And then, there are expectations that are actually spoken and that are realistic, they're just never delivered on.
[00:58:59] And by this time that the couple gets to me, this is what I hear. Pastor, we've talked to so many people. We've had this conversation for so many years. I don't even know why we're sitting in
[00:59:08] front of you, but we're just hoping somehow or another God will intervene and we can change.
[00:59:16] And I'm telling you right now, when somebody who cares enough about you in your life says, why do we keep having this conversation and nothing changes? That is your God sign to say, wake up and realize you have responsibilities for expectations and you cannot be mindless
[00:59:38] and you cannot be careless and selfish with those expectations and responsibilities in people's lives. So knowing what your expectation is will rewire a trigger. Everybody with me? Did I lose y'all? Did I lose y'all? At the nine o'clock service, like at 1010, like there were like 50
[00:59:59] people that got up in the middle of this and started walking out. And I had to tell everybody, no, they're going to serve. They ain't mad. They ain't mad. So now what do we, what does Paul do
[01:00:10] here? Paul gives Timothy three illustrations of what he is expected to be, not only as a pastor, but as a servant of the Lord. Now this is what we call the pastoral epistles. So guys, as Paul
[01:00:23] speaks to Timothy, there are things about this, this that hit home to me as your pastor, but these are not only responsibilities for me. This is, these are responsibilities for the body of Christ.
[01:00:34] And I think where God wants us, there are three. He calls him to say, you are a soldier. You are an athlete and you are a farmer. If you're taking notes, maybe this will help you. This is where
[01:00:46] Paul says, Timothy, I know you're struggling right now, bro, but God's called you to be his soldier.
[01:00:52] In other words, you're enlisted 24-7 hours a day, 24-7, 24 hours, seven days a week for a lifetime.
[01:01:01] In other words, you belong to Christ and faithfulness is not seasonal, it's constant.
[01:01:08] And as a soldier, you're not to get involved in civilian affairs.
[01:01:12] In other words, you have a code of conduct that Christ is calling you to live out.
[01:01:18] Otherwise, you will be dishonorably discharged.
[01:01:23] You and I are called to be soldiers for Christ.
[01:01:27] He's the one who enlisted you.
[01:01:29] You didn't save yourself.
[01:01:32] He drew you to himself.
[01:01:34] He made you his.
[01:01:36] He bought you with a price.
[01:01:37] Praise the name of Jesus.
[01:01:40] Praise God for that draft.
[01:01:42] Amen.
[01:01:44] Secondly, he says, Timothy, you are to be like an athlete.
[01:01:48] In other words, you don't play or athletes don't win by cutting corners.
[01:01:53] there's no easy street and discipleship there's no oh we just go we're going to church so things are just magically gonna get better no you actually got to take what you hear and what you're investing in and you got to put it into
[01:02:08] practice like an athlete in other words how you practice is how you will play where my athletes at how many of you have sought better teams so that everybody that's on your team is willing to put in 110% at practice because why you play like you
[01:02:27] practice and you will practice like you play. If everybody's sloughing off at practice, what's game going to look like Ridge? What's game going to look like? This is a good time for you to talk
[01:02:38] with me, but if you practice horrible, what's game time going to look like? Not too good. How about no right it's gonna be bad but if everybody's on it we're running we're asking coach for more we're
[01:02:52] staying after we're getting individual work we're doing that we ought to be the dog in the show when the game time comes and this is what tim paul is telling timothy you and i are to play by the rules
[01:03:02] you see you may be sitting next to people throughout your life who are toting a bible as well they got baptized when you're the same in the same line that you they were just two people in
[01:03:11] front of you or four people behind you and they got a bible in their lap or the latest greatest devotional, but there may be people in your life that think that the gospel rules are optional for
[01:03:20] them. That is not the case for you, my friend. The gospel rules are not optional for any of us.
[01:03:26] And therefore, like an athlete, we play by the rules in God's kingdom and we suffer the right way for the right prize. And the right prize is the glory of God, a crown, a treasure that does
[01:03:41] not fade. How awesome is that? Everything we got in this life fades y'all. It fades. I customized the motorcycle. How many years ago, Angie? 20 years ago, 22 years ago, sitting in my garage fading. You know why? I don't ride it. I don't ride it anymore. It's fading. Ain't nothing. I
[01:04:00] can wash it. I can do everything else, but it's fading. But I have a treasure in Christ Jesus that never fades. His blood is just as powerful today as it was that Tuesday afternoon that it
[01:04:12] saved me, just as powerful it was on that Friday afternoon. Come on, church. On the outskirts of Jerusalem, when he shed his blood to save you and to save me, the blood never loses its power.
[01:04:24] Therefore, we compete like an athlete. And he says, we're like the farmer. He says, you reap what you sow and discipline determines the harvest. And he says, it's right, Timothy, for you to be sustained by what you faithfully planted. Now, Paul's going to link this to what
[01:04:41] he writes to the church in Corinth in first Corinthians chapter nine. And he's going to say, because they're paying the super apostles and they're pouring it out for them. And he's like, whoa, whoa, it was me and Silas. So we, the only ones that have to work. So I understand what he's
[01:04:54] saying. This is, this is some of the, the guides as to how you, you compensate a minister. Okay.
[01:05:00] That's a sermon for a different time, but for you and I, he's saying, you must be like the farmer.
[01:05:07] You must be constantly active. You must be tilling the land, pulling the weeds, pushing back the livestock or the vermin that are trying to steal away your seed that you're planting. You have to be protective and active over the spiritual garden that you're building
[01:05:24] in your life. And you must be patient with it because it may not happen in two weeks. It may not happen in four weeks. It may not happen in four months, but the seed that you're sowing,
[01:05:34] it is right for you to expect a harvest and God will give it to you. And this is where church family, where we are as a ministry. I want you to understand that it's going to take the steadiness
[01:05:45] of a soldier and it's going to take the, it's going to take the work and the discipline of an athlete and the faithfulness and the patience as a farmer for us to step into this new season of
[01:05:55] where I believe God has for us in our ministry. Amen. And guys, you may not see this, but I do, but I want to tell you this humbly, because I want you to know what you're a part of.
[01:06:08] Guys, there's nowhere I go now, whether it's Hickory, Greensboro, Greenville, South Carolina, just recently on the other side of Charlotte, I'm in a, I'm in a business. I'm talking to the person, all of a sudden somebody walks up and says, I knew I recognized your voice. You're
[01:06:27] Brian Burgess, aren't you? I said, who's asking? Jokingly, they said, well, you don't know me, but a friend of mine sent me a link to your church service. And we've been watching you for about six
[01:06:42] months now. And we're trying to figure out how to get our family there one Sunday morning. Yeah.
[01:06:47] Praise God. I don't have a clue who this dude is. Not one clue. But I say that to say that is not just me. That's not Gary. That's not just Parker and Gina and all of our staff. You are a part of
[01:06:58] that. We are partnering in the gospel that I believe God is poisoning us to use us globally.
[01:07:05] We're not just a West Iredell little church anymore, y'all. I think God is positioning us to use us globally. Therefore, we need some soldiers and some athletes and some farmers.
[01:07:17] are you with me church family but to get there this next piece is what I really want to focus on y'all got room in the tank let's go to verse 7 again read this with me think over what I say for the Lord will give you understanding in
[01:07:37] everything this is where Paul says think over what I say now he's asking Timothy to cautiously think over the truth that he has preached to him, coupled with the promise that God, this is not just whimsical, a Hallmark card written by a pastor that he baptized in
[01:07:59] Jesus. He is saying, Timothy, God will give you understanding. That is a promise.
[01:08:08] So what are we looking at here? Paul didn't tell Timothy to react. How many of us are really good reactors. Come on. Confession's good for the soul. No, he says, think, think this is where he says,
[01:08:25] using the Greek language here. I want you to consider carefully the truth that I have shown you. And I want you to lean on God. This is where he says, I want you to reflect deeply about the
[01:08:40] truth I've taught you. And I want you to lean on God. This is where he's saying, Timothy, I want you to reason through what I have taught you about being a soldier and an athlete and a
[01:08:52] farmer for Christ so that you will quit living impulsive living. Anybody ever done anything off of impulse before? You ever bought anything off of impulse? After you bought it, you had what?
[01:09:09] buyer's remorse. What was I thinking? You ever said something that as soon as it came out, you were like, Oh, can't shuffle that one back in the deck. And you said it to someone who loved
[01:09:24] you and cares for you and doesn't need that hostility in your life. And it still comes up today because why it hurt them. It gutted them. It cut their legs out from underneath them because
[01:09:35] of all the people in their life. They never figured you would say something like that.
[01:09:38] And you're over here screaming like, why can't we get over that? Why can't we get over that? Because it should have never been said because why we are pros because of our sin at impulsive living,
[01:09:50] saying, and doing, and that wrecks a ministry and only wrecks your individual life.
[01:09:59] But it wrecks the long game of what God wants to do in a ministry. Amen. Amen. Let me give you, let me give you a, let me give a case in point. Buck, where are you at? I see my boy Buck over
[01:10:12] there. Buck's our regional FCA leader and they just had their recent courts for Christ at South Iredale. Any of y'all get to go? Yeah. Amen. Love seeing all of our, yeah, come on. That's a ministry worth celebrating. All right. Now knowing Buck as long as I've known him, I've
[01:10:26] been able to, I've been able to, I've been able to pour into Buck. Buck's always been a great leader. He's always been a solid coach, a solid teacher, things like that. But I've been able to
[01:10:35] pouring to watch Buck be thoughtful and planning and methodical in what he's doing. There are days my kids, I'm like, hey, where are y'all going? Y'all going to lunch? No, can't go to lunch. We've
[01:10:45] got FCA leadership meeting. What? You ain't going to lunch? No, I'm going to FCA leadership meeting.
[01:10:52] There's about 30 of us that are going to meet. And what are they doing? There's no impulsivity.
[01:10:57] We're planning out methodically how we're going to win people to Jesus. And we see the benefit of it. And brother, I celebrate you in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen. It makes, it makes a
[01:11:11] difference. So this is where guys, we got to know that triggers thrive in speed, but the spirit thrives in reflection, in reflection. I think this passage verse seven teaches us a few things.
[01:11:23] As we start thinking on true over truth and leaning on the Lord, the first thing it does is it forces you to pause.
[01:11:32] It forces a pause button in your life.
[01:11:36] Triggers are automatic reactions.
[01:11:40] Come on, you got them?
[01:11:43] I do.
[01:11:44] And some of them were just by my flesh and some were taught to me by my parents or by my buddies or by people that I let into my inner circle that helped rewire my thinking and my processing.
[01:11:56] but Paul commands intentional consideration. You see, when something hits you like disrespect or pressure or temptation or pride, your flesh wants to fire back. And this is where Paul says, no, no, no, Timothy, slow down, process it. Think it through with God. Think it through with God.
[01:12:23] you see you interrupt the trigger by inserting truth does this work and we all need a pause button amen I hope you have that friend in your life that has capacity and authority in your life
[01:12:42] when you are about to get in it they just have the capacity to reach up and grab a hold of you and that's your sign that says LSB, least said best.
[01:12:54] Well, they can just walk up behind you and maybe grab you by the belt loop and just kind of pull you back and they step forward and go, we good here.
[01:13:00] Y'all, we good.
[01:13:01] Lord bless.
[01:13:02] See y'all.
[01:13:03] Talk to you later.
[01:13:04] If you don't have somebody like that in your life, get somebody, right?
[01:13:08] Get somebody in your life that has capacity.
[01:13:11] And it can be even your kids.
[01:13:13] Your kids are good sometimes because you ever had your kids from the back seat go, mama, you shouldn't have said that.
[01:13:18] daddy, you shouldn't have done that. That's a good thing. That's not them judging you.
[01:13:24] That's them expressing their care in your life. All of us need a pause button from time to time.
[01:13:31] I think when Paul tells us to think over truth and lean on the Lord, it shifts you from emotion to understanding. Paul connects thinking with divine intervention and divine understanding.
[01:13:44] he says, the Lord will give you understanding. Woo. That is a promise. That is a promise.
[01:13:53] And this is where understanding comes after meditation, not reaction. You see, when you reflect on scripture, instead of reacting to emotion, God reshapes your perspective.
[01:14:06] and for most of us that's truly what we need is to reshape perspective because if your perspective is is jaded you're already gonna have a bad attitude there are times guys when I meet with
[01:14:23] people who want to become members and I love I love that that I have to they're projecting their background on me before they ever just like equally come to the table to say what is Beulah
[01:14:36] about for the glory of God. And so in the middle of this, I'm playing hopscotch to figure out, okay, where's this question coming from? Where's this? And thankfully over the years, the Lord has taught
[01:14:48] me how to have insight and how to have what we're going to talk about in a second is discernment.
[01:14:53] Some of you who are leaders, you know it. Some of you who've owned your own business, God has grown you. As soon as that person walks in with that application, you don't even need to hear one word
[01:15:02] out of their mouth and you ain't judging a book by the cover, but you're like, nope, that one ain't gonna work. And they open their mouth and prove you're right. And then occasionally you can be
[01:15:10] surprised. And we love those kinds of surprises. But this is where one of the biggest things that ever helps any of our perspectives, if you can eradicate rejection, if you always hear stuff as rejection in your life, then you're the savior and everybody else is the enemy and everything's
[01:15:31] spiritual warfare, bro. If you got somebody in your life, let's say for instance, you are chronically late. So you agree. Let me just go and talk about spouses. Okay. You, you are late chronically and
[01:15:46] you've already decided you're supposed to be home by six o'clock. And let's say it's your wife texting you, bro. I'm going to be a little strong here saying, golly, she's always up my hind end.
[01:15:59] that is a sinful, unreasonable, irrational statement. No, she's not. That's you're seeing it as rejection. She's investing in you. The last thing you want is somebody in your life who doesn't care if you show up at all, because they've learned to live without you. That's the
[01:16:24] opposite. But if you're always hearing it as rejection and you were supposed to be home by 615 and it's now 745 and you have yet to answer her five texts and her three calls. That's on you,
[01:16:37] homie. That's on you. But what you need to see is the real investment. That's not rejection.
[01:16:47] Does everybody see that? Is that, is that simple enough? Is that simple enough? And if it's not think over it and the Lord will give you understanding. So when you come back home, you go, y'all always make plans without me. Think on it, homie. We don't know when you're
[01:17:05] going to show up and life has to be lived. That's pretty strong, isn't it? That's a freebie for today. I just, I just made that one up for us right there. Do you understand that? Think on
[01:17:18] these things, stop reacting and see them as rejection. And the Lord will give you understanding.
[01:17:24] Grow up at some point, become emotionally mature. You see triggers say, defend yourself.
[01:17:31] You deserve better.
[01:17:33] Or clap back.
[01:17:35] And some of us have grown to let our flesh always say, quit.
[01:17:40] Or you don't like it?
[01:17:41] I'll just quit.
[01:17:41] I'll pack my stuff and leave.
[01:17:43] And the others that don't respond like that, you'll say, I don't like conflict, so you just ignore it.
[01:17:49] No sir, no ma'am.
[01:17:50] That is no sign of spiritual maturity.
[01:17:52] Because when that snowball breaks free, that avalanche is coming.
[01:17:56] And it's going to take everything out with it.
[01:18:00] So what do we do?
[01:18:00] Understanding says, what honors Christ?
[01:18:04] Understanding says, what is expected of me?
[01:18:08] Understanding says, what produces the long-term fruit here?
[01:18:14] And what gives way to that is number three, God promises discernment.
[01:18:20] Discernment is when you can pinpoint God's will, God's response at this season and at this crossroads of your life.
[01:18:32] This is where you can pinpoint the power of this relationship or that this relationship is not necessary.
[01:18:40] Does that make sense?
[01:18:41] I'm talking about people in and out of your life.
[01:18:44] You see, discernment doesn't grow in noise.
[01:18:47] It grows in nearness.
[01:18:50] Let me illustrate it like this.
[01:18:51] How many of y'all had a mama or a mama that could cook the wheels off a stove?
[01:18:56] and when you stayed with her or she was cooking, you got as close to her as you could and you asked questions.
[01:19:05] What'd you do that for, granny?
[01:19:07] Granny, why don't we do this?
[01:19:08] What do we need to do next, granny?
[01:19:10] And without a measuring cup, maybe she could throw a pound cake together or some sausage biscuits and gravy, son, and make your tongue slap your brains out, right?
[01:19:19] And you picked up on that because why?
[01:19:22] Not because of the noise, but because of nearness.
[01:19:25] How many of you had an uncle or grandpa or a daddy who could fix anything, or you worked with a pal who was good to you. And, and, and when they were working on something, you were right there. And now you gained a discernment. You can, you can,
[01:19:38] you can test case stuff out. You can problems. You can problem shoot it. You can troubleshoot it.
[01:19:44] As we say, sorry, my brain's all over the place. You can troubleshoot it. Why? Because you were near to them and you watch them in action. This is where discernment doesn't come from noise.
[01:19:54] it comes from nearness to God. And the Bible says his nearness to us is our good. This is where you and I, instead of leaning on our impulses, we need to do what Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 says, trust in the
[01:20:07] Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. He'll make straight those paths. This is where trust is not passive. It is a conscious shift of weight. Instead of trusting your emotions or trusting
[01:20:24] your pride or trusting your fear or your urgency, we rest on the weight of God's character and his word. This is where we think over truth. So we reflect and we meditate on God's word and we ask
[01:20:38] the Holy Spirit to give us understanding, which causes us to slow down and our perception begins to be sharpened. Listen, in all of our lives, there are times when we go before the Lord that what we take to his altar is kind of like popcorn, isn't it? It's not real weighty. It's
[01:20:55] like, Lord, just pop this one corner and I'll be good. But then there are other times in our life where what we carry to the altar, it's like, it's like a huge rock and it's unformed and it's a big
[01:21:07] mass. And we say, Lord, I don't know how you're going to build a conviction out of this or what you're going to do with this, but I'm going to stay here until you chisel it down. This is what
[01:21:16] Paul's saying because discernment is formed in the space between the stimulus and the response.
[01:21:23] It's where we pause long enough for truth to shape our thinking, which means we have to have truth in our heart. And the other thing that it does is it builds our spirit and it builds our
[01:21:35] mind. Triggers are automatic impulses, but truth is meditated expectation. And this is where guys, the more you slow down and the more you start thinking biblically, the more the default responses shift. And over time, over time, godliness becomes your reflex, not sinfulness
[01:21:55] anymore. To the point that when you hear sinful reflexes, you're like, ooh, ooh, ooh, that's bad.
[01:22:02] It's weird when that happens, isn't it?
[01:22:05] How many of y'all have ever struggled with cussing?
[01:22:07] You took it to the Lord.
[01:22:09] The Lord cleaned out your heart and your mouth.
[01:22:10] And when you're around somebody that cusses, you're like, ooh, there's a better word for that.
[01:22:15] But beforehand you'd be like, that's right.
[01:22:17] That's stupid.
[01:22:19] And now you're like, wow, we don't say those words around here.
[01:22:25] Because why?
[01:22:26] Your spirit and your mind are growing.
[01:22:28] And here's the best part of this is that we will all walk closer with the Lord.
[01:22:32] and this is how the soldier stays steady and the athlete competes lawfully and the farmer stays patient because why God is at work in their life.
[01:22:44] Don't you want that for you and your family?
[01:22:47] I sure do.
[01:22:48] I want it for you.
[01:22:49] This is where speed feeds the flesh but stillness feeds the spirit.
[01:22:54] And guys, listen, this is a pot calling the kettle black right here.
[01:22:58] I'm as fast paced and as busy as I think I've ever been in my life.
[01:23:02] and knowing that speed builds and feeds the flesh, that means that I have to be more intentional now of quiet time to get in God's word, to ask the Lord to help me, to draw away, to close the door, to turn.
[01:23:17] I'm at this age, y'all, I'm getting ready to turn 50.
[01:23:20] This is weird for me.
[01:23:21] I already got an AARP thing in the mail.
[01:23:24] $88, five years, I get discounts on travel.
[01:23:26] Y'all let me know, I'll hook you up.
[01:23:29] But riding down the road without the radio on some days is the best thing that ever happens to me. Because why? It's just that moment to sit still and say, okay, Lord, here's where it's at. And I want you to give me understanding of what we need to do
[01:23:47] next, what I need to do, how I need to handle this. And so let me ask you these questions.
[01:23:55] Go forward with me, fellas. Let me ask you this question. Where do you most often act like a firecracker? In your life, where do you most often act like a firecracker? Or y'all said dynamite.
[01:24:14] What situation, what person or people, what pressure makes you feel, makes you react fast, loud, defensive, or even quitted minded to where you're just like, I quit. I give up.
[01:24:28] I ain't going to do this anymore. Where is it? Second question. What expectation of Christ are you forgetting in the moment you get triggered? Remember, we talked about these expectations.
[01:24:43] As a child of God, God calls you to be a soldier, steady and loyal. God calls you to be the athlete, disciplined, obedience. God calls you to be the farmer, patient and faithful. So when you get
[01:24:56] triggered, what Christlike expectation are you forgetting? And this is where guys, if you can take the season the situation the pressure the person the people the instance and and connect them with what characteristic and expectation you're missing that's what you carry
[01:25:21] to the altar of the lord and you say father i see this when i get in this situation and this pressure is on me and this is what's happening i fail to respond here change me i repent of it and
[01:25:34] then you go to work because this is the next question. What would it look like for you to pause and think over truth this week before you respond? In other words, what sentence of scripture or prayer or question could I use to slow the flame, to slow the flame before we burn
[01:25:57] the biscuits? Y'all remember Yosemite saying, my biscuits are burning, right? What could I do?
[01:26:07] Listen, this is where I'm telling you guys, if you don't know how to search the Bible, Google it.
[01:26:14] Scripture for a tough workplace.
[01:26:17] Bible verses to communicate to my wife better.
[01:26:21] Bible verses to communicate with my husband.
[01:26:24] Bible verses to walk through grief.
[01:26:27] Bible verses to overcome temptation.
[01:26:30] And it'll give you a list.
[01:26:31] And when you get that list, you run right back to the manual.
[01:26:35] Don't stay on the internet.
[01:26:36] Run back to the manual and search these out.
[01:26:38] and write them down.
[01:26:40] Listen, hear this with all love.
[01:26:43] Some of y'all need to quit spending tons of money on the latest devotional book and build your own devotional book.
[01:26:52] Go to CVS, get you a $2 spiral notebook and every verse that talks about the weakness of your life, you write it down.
[01:27:03] And you start your day there and you finish your day there.
[01:27:08] And you know you got a sharp mouth and you're so sarcastic and the Bible tells us Matthew 12, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, put away, it goes into Colossians, put away all filthy and corrupt communication, right?
[01:27:21] And that's your trigger verse.
[01:27:23] And then the next day you're in it, Tuesday morning, Bob walks into the office and Bob is a smart mouth.
[01:27:28] And before you knew it, you let Bob have it.
[01:27:31] You go back to your spiral notebook that night.
[01:27:34] What's today?
[01:27:35] 15th, Tuesday would be the 18th.
[01:27:38] February 18th, Bob walked in the office, three sentences in, me and him are already at it.
[01:27:44] Father, forgive me of my attitude toward Bob and my perception that Bob is gonna be trouble to deal with every time.
[01:27:51] If your name is Bob, I love you and Jesus loves you too, okay?
[01:27:54] All right, y'all with me?
[01:27:56] So you're like, Father, help me.
[01:27:59] Thursday, Bob walks into the break room.
[01:28:01] Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.
[01:28:06] You get home that night, your spouse asks you, how was Bob today?
[01:28:08] never heard a word Bob says. I was praising the Lord the whole time. Amen. That one got you there, didn't it? Right. Cause why we don't, we don't act like that. We don't respond like that because
[01:28:18] why we're buying a, and I'm not against, I mean, God's given people awesome stuff, but some of us just need to get an old spiral notebook out. We need to go search out some virtues versus for our
[01:28:27] weaknesses. And we need to build ourselves in the spirit of God and think over the truth because God will give you insight and understanding. And lastly, here's the big question. If everyone had your level of discernment as a church, would we be stronger or weaker? I'm not asking about your
[01:28:51] pet peeves. I'm not asking about your personal preferences. Can you hear the voice of God?
[01:29:02] Can you connect the voice of God with his scripture in an immediate situation? And that's maturity. And that's what God's calling us to. Let me think about it like this. How many of you who are parents, you got kids. If you don't have kids, you're not a second class citizen here. So
[01:29:24] just hang here. Okay. Now, as you think through your children, which one of your children, or maybe a couple of them are like hotheaded. There's a Bula bell. Yeah. Just message. Which one of your kids is hotheaded? Like they, they, they are quick tempered. If, if it's not exactly
[01:29:50] like it. You told them it was going to be, they lose their junk, right? You think to them, okay, which one of your kids is like, nah, we'll figure it out. It's okay. No big deal. It's all good.
[01:30:02] I'll adjust midstream. We'll get there. You got them? All right. Now with a kid with a hot, with, with, uh, with quick temper, it's gotta be a certain way, high maintenance, right? How much do you have to protect their environment? Come on, talk to me. How much do you have to keep them on
[01:30:24] a short leash? And you can only give them so much trust because they'll blow their top. Anybody know what I'm talking about? All right. But the kid that's kind of like easy, go, go with the flow.
[01:30:36] They'll figure it out. They're flexible. How much trust can you give them? How much leeway can you give them. Why? Why? Because they think through what's got to happen instead of reacting.
[01:30:53] Now let's think about God, the father on our lives. And he wants to use you.
[01:31:02] Is he going to be like, nope, can't send her there. She'll cuss everybody out.
[01:31:08] Nope. Can't send him. He'll use my name. It will just be in vain. Or can he go, yeah, I can put her anywhere and she's going to reflect me. I can put him in the worst situations I've
[01:31:20] done it over the years. And he follows me. Which one are you? See guys, one of my biggest fears is one day when I die, get into heaven and God taking me to a room. I don't know this exists,
[01:31:36] but this is in my mind. And he takes me before a big screen like this. And he replays all the times where he wanted to use me, but he had to go around me that he wanted to use me, but he had to
[01:31:50] pull me and drag me like a mule stuck in a, like a cartoon. I don't want to hear that in heaven.
[01:31:59] and I might not get to heaven if that's the way it is.
[01:32:06] I want God, I want to hear well done, good and faithful servant.
[01:32:11] You're faithful in a few, I'll make you rule over many.
[01:32:16] And God looks at us as a church.
[01:32:18] I'm talking about all of us together.
[01:32:21] I don't want him to have to go around us.
[01:32:25] I want him to walk right through us and use us because he knows that because we are maturing and we think over truth and we wait for his understanding that he could put us in any situation
[01:32:40] and we're gonna give him glory.
[01:32:44] Isn't that what you want?
[01:32:46] And all God's people said.
[01:32:48] Would you pray this with me?
[01:32:49] Jesus, I repent of my short-sightedness, my reactiveness, and my ignoring your will.
[01:33:03] I humble myself that I may be your soldier.
[01:33:08] I may be your athlete.
[01:33:12] I may be your farmer.
[01:33:16] That I would think over your truth you would grow me in discernment and I would obey you in all things for your name's sake in Jesus name we pray and all God's people said I love you church family
[01:33:33] happy day after Valentine's