God Can Use Anybody: The Danger of Self-Discovery

• Divine Sovereignty and Timing [00:34:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts human impatience with God's sovereign timeline, using the 400-year period of Israelite slavery to illustrate that God's silence does not mean His absence.
• Biblical Context of [Exodus 3](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+3&version=KJV) [00:32:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor sets the historical stage for Exodus 3, explaining the 400-year gap between Genesis and Exodus, the oppression in Egypt, and Egypt's status as a global superpower.
• Civic Responsibility and Patriotism [00:30:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor affirms love for the United States and cites George Washington to argue that citizens have a duty to acknowledge God's providence and pray for revival.
• Divine Timing and Patience [00:34:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the Israelites' 400-year wait with God's perfect timing, noting that God's silence is not absence but a difference in schedule.
• Divine Calling and Age [00:35:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor highlights that Moses received his calling at age 80 to encourage listeners that God has a purpose for them as long as they are alive.
• Christophany [00:38:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that the 'angel of the Lord' in the burning bush narrative is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.
• Emotion vs. Transformation [00:41:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor debunks the idea that emotional highs at youth camps indicate a spiritual encounter, arguing instead that true encounters result in changed priorities.
• Divine Calling and Destiny [00:45:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that God has a pre-destined purpose for every person, referencing Ephesians 2 to describe believers as God's 'workmanship' created for good works.
• God's Relationship with Humanity [00:46:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that while God does not need human assistance, He chooses to involve believers in His kingdom building out of paternal delight.
• Affinity as a Diagnostic Tool [00:50:32 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines 'affinity' as what a person cannot stand to see wrong or gets excited to see right, using Moses and his wife as examples of different spiritual sensitivities.
• Ability and External Validation [00:53:58 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor advises that individuals should identify their abilities not just by self-perception, but by what others affirm they are good at, citing Moses' upbringing in Pharaoh's court.
• Self-Assessment and Design [00:54:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that individuals cannot objectively evaluate themselves due to the deceitful heart, so they must look to their design and ask what others affirm they are good at to understand their destiny.
• Redemption of Past Skills [00:54:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > Using the example of a former drug dealer and Moses, the pastor illustrates how God takes skills from a person's past life (even sinful or secular ones) and redirects them to advance the Kingdom of God.
• Opportunity and Service [00:59:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor introduces the third pillar of calling: opportunity. He emphasizes that while affinity and ability are self-focused, opportunity is other-focused, requiring the believer to identify the greatest needs in the church and kingdom.
• God's Sufficiency Over Human Inadequacy [01:01:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > Addressing the reluctance to serve, the pastor explains that God's response to human inadequacy is to reveal His name 'I AM,' indicating that God supplies whatever the person lacks (e.g., healing, sanctification) to accomplish His will.
• The Names of God (Old Testament) [01:06:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains how God reveals specific names (Jehovah Rapha, Jireh, etc.) to address specific human lacks or needs in the Old Testament.
• The Identity of Jesus Christ [01:08:19 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the Old Testament names to Jesus, stating that Jesus applies the 'I am' name to Himself to supply human brokenness in the New Testament.
• Personal Application and Faith [01:09:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor applies the theology to the listener's life, encouraging them to rely on God's sufficiency when they feel inadequate, illustrated by his own 30-year walk with Jesus.

• Sermon Illustration [00:32:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses analogies to describe the importance of Exodus 3, comparing it to 'Everest' in a mountain range and 'Rocky IV' in the Rocky movie series.
• Sermon Illustration [00:34:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a hypothetical scenario about a person who starts praying fervently on Monday and gets frustrated if God hasn't acted by Friday, illustrating the difference between human and divine timing.
• Sermon Illustration [00:33:37 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor compares the duration of Egypt's rule as a superpower to the combined duration of the Greek and Roman empires to provide historical perspective.
• Sermon Illustration [00:36:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of 'Advil and turkey' having expiration dates to illustrate that while food spoils, people in God's kingdom do not have expiration dates until God chooses.
• Sermon Illustration [00:37:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor compares the dual names Reuel and Jethro to 'Kanye and Yeezy' to explain they are the same person.
• Sermon Illustration [00:39:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of men staring at a campfire to explain why Moses was drawn to look at the burning bush.
• Sermon Illustration [00:41:52 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a 'dirty little secret' from his time as a youth pastor, admitting that on the fourth night of camp, sleep deprivation and sugar could get kids to rededicate their lives to the Easter Bunny, proving emotion is not proof of God's presence.
• Sermon Illustration [00:42:40 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the chemical process of burning to illustrate that an encounter with God results in a 'chemical reconstruction' or rearranged priorities.
• Sermon Illustration [00:46:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts a story of building a Lego kingdom with his young son, Hudson. He humorously notes that while the build took 11 times longer due to the child's 'help,' the purpose was relational bonding rather than efficiency, illustrating God's desire to involve His children in His work.
• Sermon Illustration [00:51:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts his own affinity (anger at bad Bible teaching) with his wife Jana's affinity (tenderness toward hurting people and animals) to demonstrate that different believers have different spiritual sensitivities and callings.
• Sermon Illustration [00:54:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of 'American Idol' to explain that people are poor judges of their own talents because they cannot step outside themselves to evaluate their performance objectively.
• Sermon Illustration [00:54:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares an anecdote about a former drug dealer in a New York church who was trying to find his calling, illustrating the practical application of identifying skills and past experiences.
• Sermon Illustration [00:54:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > A story about a converted drug dealer in a New York church who, despite having no formal Christian skills, was identified by his peers as having 'street smarts' and administrative abilities from his past, which were then used to serve in church administration.
• Sermon Illustration [00:56:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > The story of Ken Farr, a former top IT CFO in Dallas who took a pay cut to become Lake Point's CFO, using his financial skills to manage resources wisely, resulting in the debt-free construction of the Roy City campus.
• Sermon Illustration [00:57:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > Jordan Hill, a former D1 baseball coach at DBU who now coaches life group leaders at Lake Point, translating his coaching skills to spiritual discipleship.
• Sermon Illustration [00:58:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > Sean Ditch, a pest control business owner who volunteers to oversee the production team at the Firewheel Campus, applying his leadership skills from his secular business.
• Sermon Illustration [00:58:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > Scott McNeil, a former LAPD Lieutenant in the Fugitive Warrant Division who now oversees security teams at Lake Point, ensuring the safety of the congregation.
• Sermon Illustration [01:02:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > A rapid-fire list of flawed biblical figures (Moses the murderer, Noah the drunk, Jacob the thief, etc.) to illustrate that God can use anyone, regardless of their past or character flaws.
• Sermon Illustration [01:03:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > An explanation of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) and the Hebrew concept of God's name as 'breath,' linking God's name 'I AM' to the idea that He supplies whatever is lacking (Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Jireh, etc.).
• Sermon Illustration [01:10:08 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his 30-year walk with Jesus, describing a pattern of feeling unable to accomplish tasks ('there's no way I can do that') but choosing to obey ('I'm gonna jump') trusting God to figure out the landing.

• Pastoral Charge [00:36:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > Do not give up on God's purpose for your life.
• Pastoral Charge [00:43:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > Pay close attention to the teaching on spiritual encounters.
• Pastoral Charge [00:48:59 ▶️ 📄]
  > Take notes on the upcoming explanation of how to discover God's calling.
• Pastoral Charge [01:01:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > Text the word 'serve' to the number 20411 to join a church team aligned with their calling.
• Pastoral Charge [01:10:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > Bow heads and close eyes for prayer

[00:00:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:00:01] Hey, Church Online, what's going on?
[00:00:04] Listen, my name is Antoine, and I'm so excited to be joining you here for Church Online.
[00:00:10] I get to be the campus pastor at our Lake Point Church, North Dallas location.
[00:00:15] And listen, if you're part of North Dallas, what's going on?
[00:00:18] I see you. I see you watching right now.
[00:00:19] So glad that you're joining us here online today and cannot wait to be with you guys back this weekend.
[00:00:26] And listen, it's incredible that you and I get to spend Independence Day weekend together.
[00:00:32] Like, I know a lot of people are doing a lot of things this weekend, right?
[00:00:35] Like, you're hanging out with your family, you know, different gatherings.
[00:00:37] There's a lot of food going on, right?
[00:00:39] There's fireworks.
[00:00:40] Maybe you're on the lake right now, slowing down a little bit, just taking a beat, taking a minute to relax.
[00:00:47] But the fact that you chose to pause and to be here with us today says something.
[00:00:51] So whether you're watching from your living room, your back porch, or on vacation somewhere, welcome.
[00:00:57] We are so, so, so honored that you're here today.
[00:01:01] And honestly, this En Fuego series has been incredible.
[00:01:05] Week after week, we've been talking about what it looks like to live a life that's fully alive.
[00:01:10] Not cold, not casual, but burning for Jesus.
[00:01:13] So if you're new with us today, or if someone sent you this link, I'd encourage you, go back.
[00:01:18] like literally on our YouTube channel and catch up on these messages you may have missed because this series builds upon itself week after week.
[00:01:26] And I really believe it'll challenge you and encourage you.
[00:01:30] And if Live Free brought you here, like, listen, let us know in the chat, like drop Live Free right now in the chat because Live Free drops every Monday and it takes the weekend conversation even deeper.
[00:01:41] If today's message speaks to you, Monday's episode is the next perfect step for you.
[00:01:47] And to our Church Online regulars, welcome back. So glad you guys are here as well. We never take for granted your consistency. You're showing up week after week, and that matters more than you know. So thank you, thank you, thank you.
[00:02:00] In fact, go ahead and drop your city right now, wherever you are. We'd love to know, because we love watching with you. We love attending church with you, and we would love to know where you're watching from today. And if you're in DFW, remember, holiday weekend or not,
[00:02:15] there's something powerful about gathering with the people of God in person.
[00:02:20] We'd love to see you at one of our campuses.
[00:02:22] In fact, you can find the closest location to you at lakepoint.church slash locations because God is truly moving at all of our locations.
[00:02:31] Like I said, I get to be the campus pastor at North Dallas.
[00:02:34] And, you know, for the sake of our time today, I want to tell you a story of someone.
[00:02:37] And for this conversation, let's call him Larry.
[00:02:40] See, Larry's parents had been praying for him for such a long time.
[00:02:45] for him to give his life to Jesus.
[00:02:48] And Pastor Josh preached an amazing message like he always does earlier this year.
[00:02:52] And Larry walked through our doors kind of with tears in his eyes, emotional because God had done something in his life.
[00:03:00] And I'm leaving out a bunch of details, but let me tell you, he had lived a hard life.
[00:03:04] He had gone through some stuff, but God changed him.
[00:03:07] God transformed him.
[00:03:08] And that's just a small glimpse of what God is doing at every single campus, every single weekend, every single church service.
[00:03:16] And we're excited to see even more of that in the Lucas area.
[00:03:19] In fact, if you're watching from Lucas right now, we're so glad that you're joining us because if you haven't heard, Cornerstone Church in Lucas has officially voted to join the Lake Point family.
[00:03:29] Come on, somebody.
[00:03:30] We're expanding further into the Collin County area.
[00:03:33] And we believe that God is opening doors for us, you and me, partnering with God to reach even more people with the gospel.
[00:03:42] And if you're in the Allen or Lucas area, stay tuned.
[00:03:44] We're excited for what's ahead.
[00:03:47] Okay, okay, our hosts right now are live in the chat and our prayer team is ready.
[00:03:51] So right now, if you need prayer at any point today, like I don't want you to miss this, text prayer to 20411, whether you're wrestling with a big decision, whether there's something going on at work,
[00:04:04] maybe you need to take a step of forgiveness today, regardless of what that is, allow our prayer team to partner with you as you are seeking after the heart of God, believing him for what only he can do in your situation.
[00:04:16] So right now, church family, I'm so excited as we dive into a time of worship together.
[00:04:22] So set aside all distractions.
[00:04:24] Let's get ready.
[00:04:25] Let's prepare our hearts to dive into worship right now together.

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_10]
[00:04:30] In my sin, I was dead in my sin,

[00:09:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:09:46] but by the grace and the mercy of Jesus, I'm not lost, I'm found, I'm not dead with this.
[00:09:53] Like, is this your story today?
[00:09:56] It's what we're here to celebrate.
[00:09:58] It's what we're here to remember.
[00:10:01] I've heard it said this, that the greatest enemy of faith is forgetfulness.
[00:10:07] And so we combat that by remembering.
[00:10:10] And here's what we have to remember today is that if Jesus did not fail on the cross, he will not fail you now.
[00:10:17] If he gave you a future and a hope, an eternal hope for eternal glory, he will not fail you in the things you're walking through right now.
[00:10:27] If he has all power, dominion, and authority, then there is nothing that is impossible for him because he stands above it all. And someone just needs to hear this today, that whatever you're walking through, whatever's in front of you, whatever feels like it's over your head, listen,
[00:10:45] it's sitting under the feet of Jesus because he has all authority, all power, all dominion. He can do anything. And you got to know it. You got to know it. And so I just wonder right now, like what
[00:10:59] we get to do a new day a new week with new mercy and fresh grace we just get to submit our cares up to a heavenly father who cares for us and so across the room maybe maybe we can just put our
[00:11:13] hands out just like this maybe you need to close your eyes but whatever you got to do to just fix your gaze on jesus your mind on jesus and to just begin to cast your cares to him that whatever that
[00:11:32] thing is in your life that maybe feels like it's standing in your way whether it's a sin a burden a fear an anxiety a disease a sickness that you would just begin to cast your cares to your
[00:11:50] heavenly father the one who cares for you the one who stands above it all the one who's trustworthy the one who holds your life in his hands.
[00:12:07] We're seeking the Lord.

[00:12:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_09]
[00:12:50] And I trust in God, my Savior, my Savior.
[00:13:14] This, this, the cross term.

[00:17:39] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[00:17:39] Can we just lift up our hands?
[00:17:41] Posture of surrender.
[00:17:43] Surrender to the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the one who holds your life in his hands.
[00:17:49] Everything that's above our heads sits under the feet of Jesus.
[00:17:52] So we don't have to be afraid because we're safe in the hands of the Savior.
[00:18:02] Here's our testimony.
[00:18:02] You sing it together.
[00:18:04] All right.

[00:21:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:21:15] Hey, Lake Point.
[00:21:17] This big guy here is Bodie.
[00:21:18] Bodie, if you trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life, amen, it is my honor and your mother's honor to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And Lake
[00:21:39] Point, this is Easton. Easton, if you trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life, well, man, it's my honor to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Lake Point,
[00:21:57] this is Asher. Asher, if you trusted in Jesus as your Savior and Lord of your life, amen, well, it is my honor to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:22:16] At Lake Point, this is Claire.
[00:22:18] Claire, have you trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life?
[00:22:21] Well, it is my honor to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:22:32] What's up, Brady?
[00:22:33] At Lake Point, this is Brayden.
[00:22:35] Brayden, have you trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life?
[00:22:38] Well, man, it is my honor to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:22:51] At Lake Point, this is Ryan.
[00:22:52] Ryan, have you trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life?
[00:22:55] Man, it is my honor to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:23:07] At Lake Point, this is Kelsey.
[00:23:09] Okay, I'll say, have you trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life?
[00:23:13] Well, it is my honor and your husband Ryan's honor to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:23:27] At Lake Point, this is Eric.
[00:23:29] Eric, have you trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life?
[00:23:32] Amen.
[00:23:33] Well, man, it is my honor and your mentor's honor to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:23:40] At Lake Point, this is Payne.
[00:23:51] At Lake Point, this is Brandy.
[00:23:52] Excuse me.
[00:23:55] Have you trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life?
[00:23:57] what is my honor brandy to baptize you in the name of the father the son and the holy spirit the lake point this is tootie tootie have you trusted in jesus as savior and lord of your life
[00:24:16] well man it is my honor and your mother's honor to baptize you in the name of father the son and the holy spirit the lake point this is joey you trusted in jesus as savior and lord
[00:24:36] of your life what is my honor and your mother's honor to baptize you name of the father the son and the holy spirit at a point this is pain pain if you trusted in jesus as savior and lord of your
[00:24:57] life. Well, man, it is my honor to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy

[00:25:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:25:01] Spirit. Well, hey, Lake Point family. Welcome, welcome to Lake Point Church Online. Hey, happy 4th of July weekend. Man, I love this weekend. Families gather together, good food, fireworks, slowing down a little bit, all of it. Hey, but in the middle of all of the celebration, I want us
[00:25:22] to sit in something deeper for a moment. This sermon series has been a reminder for us that real freedom isn't found in comfort, success, politics, or circumstances. Real freedom is found in Jesus. Galatians chapter 5 verse 1 says, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. So stand
[00:25:39] firm then and do not let yourself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. That phrase, stand firm, matters because freedom in Christ is not passive. It's something we choose to walk in every single day. And by the way, choosing freedom over old habits is choosing freedom over shame, freedom
[00:25:56] over the lies that try to pull us back into who we used to be and so here's the reality you were never meant to walk that out alone God designed freedom to happen in community people who know
[00:26:08] your story people who pray for you challenge you and encourage you and remind you who you are when life gets hard and that's the beauty of the local church and so welcome we're so glad that you are
[00:26:19] here and hey Lake Point family here's what you need to know it is because of your generosity by the grace of god in this season we're seeing that happen every single week through lake point people
[00:26:28] are meeting jesus families are being restored students are coming back from camp change people are finding healing through support and recovery ministries and by the grace of god also church online and our live free podcast they're reaching literally people all over the world and none of
[00:26:43] those things would happen without faithful people like you choosing to be a part of the movement and give and so one we want to say thank you for being a part of this moment thank you for your
[00:26:53] generosity and so if you want to be a part of what god is doing through lake point one easy way is for you to be a part by giving and so to give you can text the word give to two zero four one one
[00:27:04] or you can also go to lakepoint.church giving and now let me challenge you with perhaps a next step that you're called to have and so if you're here in the dfw area and you've been a part of our
[00:27:15] church online family for a bit we love for you to come find us in any physical location come experience one of our campuses in person find a location near you at lakepoint.church locations now maybe you are here and maybe you're outside of the dfw area we want to encourage you
[00:27:34] to get plugged in as well into a bible believing local church near you there is a list of churches lake point has planted and we'd love to share that list with you so text the word map to the number
[00:27:46] 20411 and see if there's one nearby you, wherever you are in the United States. Hey, also one more thing, freedom isn't the finish line, it is the starting line, and you don't have to walk it
[00:28:00] alone. Well, hey, right now, there is more happening in life of our church, so check this out.

[00:28:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:28:09] Hey, Lake Point, cue the popcorn and roll the tape. At the Movie starts next weekend, July 11th and 12th. It's my most favorite time of the year where we use movies to illustrate biblical truths
[00:28:19] in a way that's engaging, memorable, and easy to invite others to experience.
[00:28:24] Your favorite characters will be out in the lobbies each week, so be sure to come early and get your photos.
[00:28:29] Now, reminder, this is an in-person only experience and you don't wanna miss a week.
[00:28:33] Learn more at lakepoint.church slash movies.
[00:28:37] And hey, students, your summer just got better.
[00:28:39] United Summer Night starts this Wednesday and you don't wanna miss it.
[00:28:43] If you're in fifth through 12th grade, Join us for a night packed with worship, a powerful message, great friends, and plenty of summer fun.
[00:28:51] Doors open at 6.30 p.m. No registrations needed.
[00:28:54] Just grab a friend, and we'll see you Wednesday night.
[00:28:57] And Student Baptism Weekend is coming up July 18th and 19th.
[00:29:00] If you're a student who has recently given your life to Christ and are ready to take your next step in faith, we would love to celebrate your baptism with you.
[00:29:08] To learn more and register, text LIFE to 20411.
[00:29:12] Now, let's dive back into our series, En Fuego.

[00:29:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:29:15] All right, man. Hey, hey, Lakewood family. Good to see y'all again. Good to see you guys. Hey, let me just start right here. If you've got your Bibles, head over to Exodus chapter three.
[00:29:51] Let me just get this out of the way. And I'm excited about it. Happy 250th birthday, United States of America. Come on, somebody. All right. Hey, I just want to do this. You know, I want to do this real quick. What that book says right there, what the word of God tells us is that
[00:30:06] when we gather, what we're doing as a church is this is literally, it's like an outpost of an eternal kingdom. And so the whole reason we gather, we all know this, man. The whole reason
[00:30:15] we gather is there is a name that is above every name. There is a King that is a King of all Kings and our, our greatest allegiance is to an eternal kingdom more than any earthly little K kingdom.
[00:30:27] All right. But I love my country and you should too. And listen, man, this, it is an incredible privilege to, I'm thankful to God for our country. I believe it's the greatest country on earth. And
[00:30:43] I'm allowed to think that because I live here, I'm all in. And I, what I want to say is, man, in the words of George Washington, we have a responsibility in our nation as citizens. And
[00:30:57] the Bible calls us to be good citizens of whatever nation he puts us in. And so I'm going to quote George Washington this probably quote you didn't hear from your junior college professor George Washington said it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty
[00:31:12] God to obey his will to be grateful for his benefits and to humbly implore his protection and his favor that's George Washington and so what we would say what I'll say today is may God
[00:31:24] pour out reformation and revival for a resurgence of his purposes in our nation and in our day through us. Okay, there we go. Happy birthday, United States. Now, let's get to something even more important. If you got your Bibles, head over to Exodus chapter three. Pastor Mike Rowe, by the
[00:31:41] way, thank you, Pastor Mike Rowe, for being an awesome Bible teacher, loving the people at Lake Point. We love you. And what he has done is, man, we've been doing this series, preaching through the fire passages of the Bible, and he left me the one, the one I'm most excited about. I am
[00:31:58] fire it up for it. Okay, there we go. We are in Exodus chapter three today. Now I'm going to jump right into it. Heads up, I got a nasty upper respiratory thing and I'm out of preaching game
[00:32:11] shape. So you got to kind of roll with me. Here's what we're doing. Let me get a run and start into it. Exodus chapter three. Listen, all the Bible is equally true, but not all the Bible is equally
[00:32:22] important. If the Bible were a mountain range, Exodus chapter three would be Everest. If the Bible were the Rocky movies, it'd be Rocky IV. It's a height, it's a peak, okay? I'm the only one
[00:32:33] who thought that was funny in any service, in any service. Okay, here's what you, let me set it up.
[00:32:39] Here's what you got right here. From the end of Genesis to the beginning of Exodus is 400 years.
[00:32:45] For 400 years, the people of God have been under, the people of God, by the purposes of God, have been under the slavery and oppression of people who hated God in Egypt. Now, when you drop in in
[00:32:57] Exodus chapter three, what you got is God in his sovereign providence, he moved his people into Egypt in his sovereign and good providence to incubate his people so that they could grow, grow, grow so that he could prepare them to go take the land in Canaan and bring them in to all
[00:33:15] the blessings that he promised them back in Genesis 13 and Genesis 15. I'll get to that in a second.
[00:33:21] Now, what you have right here is for 400 years, they've been under the oppression of these people.
[00:33:25] Now check this out. Egypt at this time, let's hit, we're going to do some history nerd stuff for a second. Egypt at this time, it is the global superpower of the world. And Egypt will rule the
[00:33:37] world as the dominant global superpower for 1300 years. To put that in perspective for you history nerds, Egypt was the global superpower longer than the Greek empire and the Roman empire combined.
[00:33:52] So you have two, at this point, there's between two and three million Israelites that are enslaved in Egypt.
[00:33:59] And they've been crying out to God for delivery from the slavery to these people for 400 years.
[00:34:05] Side note, how many of you guys who have been on Team Jesus for more than like 60 seconds have figured out that your timing and God's timing are different?
[00:34:13] Can I get an amen?
[00:34:15] Because what you're gonna notice is, listen, here's what happens.
[00:34:17] They've been crying out for 400 years.
[00:34:19] And what they might've thought was that the silence of God was the absence of God.
[00:34:24] But as you're gonna see in a second, God saw, he heard, he cared, he knew, he remembered.
[00:34:29] His silence was not his absence, but his timing was different than their timing.
[00:34:34] Here's why I say that.
[00:34:35] What some people do, man, is just like you'll start fervently praying on Monday and if God hadn't miraculously worked by Friday, you're like, where are you, God?
[00:34:43] Well, his timing is greater than your timing.
[00:34:46] His thoughts are higher than your thoughts.
[00:34:47] His ways are higher than your ways.
[00:34:49] And this is what I've learned walking with Jesus for 30 years now is, listen to me, man, God is never late, but he is rarely early, rarely early.
[00:34:58] And what he does right here is that at the exact moment when he needed to work, he comes and he brings a calling to this guy named Moses. You probably heard of Moses. You saw the movie Prince
[00:35:07] of Egypt. He brings a calling to this guy named Moses. Now, when this, watch, when the call of God comes to Moses in Exodus two and three, like you're going to see right here, watch, Moses is
[00:35:18] 80 years old. Here's why I say that. If you're like senior Saint back half a life, if your age starts with a five, six, seven, eight, nine, maybe even a one and a zero, listen, the most important
[00:35:30] call on Moses life doesn't even come to him until he's 80 till he's 80. Listen, don't you ever, the Bible says that God has numbered your days before you were born. He numbered your days.
[00:35:44] Your birth date is fixed. And you know what that date was. There is another day that is just as fixed as your birthday, it's your death day. God has chosen that from before the foundations of
[00:35:53] the world. And until you reach that day that God has chosen, listen, if you're still breathing, he's still got a purpose. In the kingdom of God, it's like Advil and turkey have expiration dates in my fridge. But in the kingdom of God, people don't. If you're still breathing, if you still
[00:36:09] got a pulse, he's still got a purpose on your life. Don't you dare give up. So God's call comes to Moses when he's 80 years old right here. All right, now watch what happens. Check this out.
[00:36:18] the Israelites groaned in their slavery and they cried out and their cry for help because of their man I'm out of game shape their cry for help because their slavery went up to God God heard their groaning he remembered his covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and so God
[00:36:38] looked at the Israelites and he was concerned about them now pause let me just point this out Here's how the triangle works in Exodus 2 and 3.
[00:36:45] The people pray, their prayers move heaven, heaven moves Moses, Moses frees the people.
[00:36:54] Watch, you responding to the call of God on your life, you are the answer to somebody else's prayer.
[00:37:03] And listen, if you look at what God speaks to you today, you're gonna see it in a second, whatever God puts on your heart today, he might do something very specific.
[00:37:11] Your unwillingness to respond to the call of God on your life is somebody else's unanswered prayer.
[00:37:17] You are God's answer to somebody else's prayer.
[00:37:21] This is how it happens in this passage.
[00:37:23] Now watch what happens next.
[00:37:24] Now Moses, now we're in chapter three, was tending the flocks of Jethro.
[00:37:27] Now for you Bible nerds, in Exodus one and two, there was a guy named, I think it is pronounced Reul.
[00:37:33] That's my best shot.
[00:37:35] It's the same guy.
[00:37:36] So Reuel and Jethro, same guy, one dude, two names.
[00:37:41] It's like Kanye and Yeezy, same thing.
[00:37:44] So his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
[00:37:51] There, now this is, watch, watch.
[00:37:54] The angel of the Lord.
[00:37:55] Now, for some of you Bible nerds, you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, the angel of the Lord, but in a couple verses, it's gonna say that God spoke to Moses out of the bush.
[00:38:04] So Josh, which is it?
[00:38:05] Is it the angel of the Lord or is it God?
[00:38:07] Now, this is one of the most like mind-blowing Bible nerd things in the whole Bible.
[00:38:11] I don't got time to go into it.
[00:38:13] We deep dive it on the podcast.
[00:38:14] I don't have time here.
[00:38:15] What you have right here, almost every Bible scholar agrees is something Bible scholars call a Christophany, a Christophany.
[00:38:24] There is a difference in the Old Testament when you see the phrase an angel of the Lord.
[00:38:28] And then sometimes the Old Testament will say the angel of the Lord.
[00:38:32] Whenever the Old Testament says the angel of the Lord, Here's what you got right here.
[00:38:36] This is gonna blow your mind.
[00:38:37] Here's what you got right here.
[00:38:39] Moses is coming face to face with a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, the son of God.
[00:38:48] There are seven reasons that we know that's true.
[00:38:50] I go into it in the podcast.
[00:38:51] I don't have time right here.
[00:38:52] But this whole passage, when Moses is talking to the bush, he's talking to Jesus.
[00:38:59] Awesome, okay?
[00:39:00] Now, he appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.
[00:39:04] Moses saw that though the bush was on fire, it didn't burn up.
[00:39:08] So Moses thought, I love this.
[00:39:10] Moses thought, I will go over and see this strange sight while the bush does not burn up.
[00:39:15] Now, do you know why Moses went over and looked at the fire?
[00:39:17] Because he was a man and that's what men like to do.
[00:39:20] They like to see things burn.
[00:39:21] Listen, if you put a fire anywhere within eyesight of a guy and he's gonna walk over to it and be like, I wonder what's burning over here.
[00:39:29] You stick a bunch of, listen, you stick a bunch of guys around a campfire, they won't say a word.
[00:39:33] They'll just stare at a fire.
[00:39:33] That's what men do.
[00:39:34] So Moses walks over and he sees this bush.
[00:39:37] And now, one of the things I did in the last few weeks is I visited our kids' camps and our student camps.
[00:39:43] So real quick, if you were one of the kids or one of the students at any of our camps, if you were a leader at any of those camps, or if you had a kid at one of the camps,
[00:39:52] will you raise your hand where you're at, okay?
[00:39:53] All right, now check this out.
[00:39:54] If you were one of the kids or students at one of the camps, what I'm doing right now, let me be a youth pastor again for about 30 seconds and talk to you.
[00:40:01] I wanna talk to you if you're one of the kids in one of our camps. We had like 3,000 kids at camps. I'm talking to you right now. Here's my question to you. Why is it that God appears as a fire throughout the Bible? He always does this.
[00:40:14] It's like his signature move. Burning bush, Exodus 3, when God appears to Abraham in Genesis 13 and Genesis 15 to establish his covenant, he shows up as, quote, a flaming fire pot. When God descends
[00:40:28] to give the law at Mount Sinai, he descends as quote, a consuming fire. The Bible says when Solomon dedicates his temple, what he does is it says the glory of the Lord descended. It was like a fire and the smoke of the fire of God fills the temple. So the priest can't even stand
[00:40:46] in his presence. Fast forward to Revelation chapter two, resurrected Jesus shows up to his fishing buddy, John. John's looking at his fishing buddy, resurrected Jesus. And he looks in his eyes.
[00:40:57] he's like man it was crazy his eyes were like flames of fire is what it says acts two i'm gonna do one more i could do this all day i'm just gonna do one more acts two the holy spirit falls
[00:41:07] and what it says is the spirit fell and he was as flames tongues of fire divided tongues of fire that came down to them so if you're one of the kids or students you went to camp you got this
[00:41:18] big old camp high here's my question why does god fall like fire well here's why check this out The sign of an encounter with the presence of God is not emotion.
[00:41:28] The younger you are, the more you need to get this.
[00:41:30] The sign of an encounter with the presence of God is not emotion.
[00:41:34] Now, when you have an encounter with God, you will experience emotion, but not all emotion is a sign of an encounter with God.
[00:41:42] Here's how I know this.
[00:41:43] Before I was a pastor, what I did is I traveled and I just preached a bunch of youth camps all over the place, that's what I did.
[00:41:49] Now, here's the deal.
[00:41:50] I'm gonna give you a dirty little secret about preaching at camps.
[00:41:52] on the fourth night of camp you're all sleep deprived you had your little camp crush for the last four days you're emotionally dysregulated you've had all you burned all your secular cds that's what i did when i was a camp as a kid you did all that stuff you're all coked up on sugar
[00:42:09] all the stuff you got going on and i'm listen i'm a fourth night of camp i'm using my best illustrations my most emotional stories dirty little secret can i tell you something on the fourth night of camp, I could get you to rededicate your life to the Easter bunny.
[00:42:23] Bro, man, I got, listen, I can get you to do whatever I want. Now here's why. Because a lot of people, they mistake emotion with an encounter with God. That's not the sign of an encounter with
[00:42:34] God. What is it? Okay. Well, why does God appear as fire? Watch this. Remember chemistry class?
[00:42:40] Whenever something burns, it literally undergoes a chemical reconstruction. It was this thing and then it caught on fire and when the fire's done, it's a whole new thing.
[00:42:52] Watch, what is the sign that you've had an encounter with God?
[00:42:56] It's not emotion.
[00:42:57] The sign of an encounter with God is rearranged priorities.
[00:43:03] Watch, before I met God, I was this and then I had an encounter with a consuming fire and now I'm this.
[00:43:11] Before I was God, I loved to do these things and then I had an encounter with God and now I love to do these things.
[00:43:18] Before I had, listen, if you're a kid or a student, I need you locked in right now.
[00:43:23] Before I had an encounter with God, watch, watch, I loved the world and the things of the world and the applause of the world and fitting in with the world.
[00:43:33] And then I had an encounter with God and now you know what I love?
[00:43:36] I love his word and obedience to his word and knowing him in his word.
[00:43:42] Watch, why?
[00:43:42] because you were this and then you came in contact with a consuming fire and now you're something new and now you don't got to do the things you used to do because in Christ you're not the person
[00:43:52] you used to be see that's what this is man this is why God reveals himself as a consuming fire now watch this when the Lord saw oh man when the Lord saw that he had gone over to look God what's
[00:44:05] the word you say it God called we're going to talk about calling to him from within the bush Moses Moses. And he said, here I am, the Lord said. Here I am. The Lord said, I have indeed seen the
[00:44:18] misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers. I am concerned about their suffering. So I've come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians,
[00:44:26] to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, y'all. God is a good dad that loves to give good gifts to his kids. The land was the home of
[00:44:39] the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Termites, Kryptonites, and Cellulites, lots of ites.
[00:44:47] And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.
[00:44:52] So now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.
[00:44:59] Now, here we go, point number one, check this out.
[00:45:01] Watch, this is important.
[00:45:02] You gotta get this.
[00:45:02] If you're new to Team Jesus, you gotta get this.
[00:45:04] The Bible is not an old book.
[00:45:07] The Bible is an eternal book.
[00:45:09] and because the Bible's eternal, it means it's timeless and because it's timeless, it's always timely.
[00:45:16] So what that means is the Bible doesn't just tell us what happened, the Bible tells us what always happens.
[00:45:22] So this is about a calling that comes to Moses, but point number one, you gotta understand this, God has a calling for you.
[00:45:31] There's a calling God has on your life.
[00:45:32] There is something that God destined before you were born, things he destined you to accomplish and then his destiny resulted in your design he designed you to fulfill those things and that's the purpose of your life it's why you're on this planet check
[00:45:48] this out this is how the bible says it in ephesians 2 for we are god's workmanship watch you may have been your deadbeat dad may have called you a mistake okay you're your heavenly father's masterpiece of workmanship we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works
[00:46:08] which he prepared beforehand before you were born he prepped them that we should walk in them all right now here's what this means let's go a layer deeper what so why did you do this okay listen
[00:46:21] God doesn't need you God don't need you like at all he doesn't need you at all but because he's a good dad God delights to involve his children in the accomplishment of his will and the building
[00:46:35] of his kingdom doesn't need you but because he's a good dad he wants to do something with you so he can do it with you okay here's my best example of this let me move on okay years ago one Christmas
[00:46:46] when Hudson was really young my parents bought Hudson for Christmas a big like this Lego kingdom I think it's because they hated me and wanted to ruin my Christmas I think that's why they do it
[00:46:56] they bought Hudson's big Lego kingdom. So as soon as he unboxes it, Hudson's like, Hey, you know, dad, can we build it? And I'm like, sure we can build it. Yep. Let's do it, buddy.
[00:47:05] We are going to build it. Ha ha ha. So we, you know, we go over to the, you know, the little kitchen table and, and we built it for the next few hours. And, uh, I, I specifically remember
[00:47:16] like thinking like, like saying to Hudson, Hey, like, Hey buddy, are you building or you breaking?
[00:47:21] What are you doing right now? You know, like his help was very helpful. Right. So it takes us like 11 times longer than it should have taken and by the time we're done we get done and then Jana
[00:47:31] walks in the kitchen she's like hey what are you guys doing and Hudson holds it up or like points to it and you know and he goes he says I built this and I'm like
[00:47:42] I built this what I was thinking is uh wait buddy actually what happened is you distracted and frustrated me well I built that that's what actually happened and it actually I could have built at 11 times faster if I didn't involve you at all. But watch, the reason that I involved him
[00:48:03] is because I'm a dad and I like doing stuff with my son. It's the same thing with God. God doesn't need you. He doesn't need you. But because he's a good father, he delights to involve you in the
[00:48:16] building of his kingdom. So number one, you got to understand you were put on this planet to fulfill a calling and you'll never be happy. You'll never be fulfilled till you know what it is and you're
[00:48:28] doing it. And that leaves me a second thing. Check this out. Number two, you've got to discover what your calling is. What did God design you for? You've got to discover it. All right. Now the
[00:48:39] problem is most people never discover it. So they definitely never fulfill it. Now here's what I'm going to do in the next like five minutes. I usually am not like, you know, you can take notes,
[00:48:49] but I'm not like a huge, like you got to take notes guy. Honestly, for me, I just need a sermon to land on me and start changing me on the inside. That's how I am. In the next five minutes,
[00:48:59] if you were ever going to take notes on something, I would. What I'm getting ready to walk you through is like when I'm discipling guys, this is what I'll walk them through. So if I was going to
[00:49:09] do it, like what I'm going to show you is how to know what God's call on your life is. If you're going to take notes, this is your spot. Now what I'm going to do is I'm going to give you a Venn
[00:49:17] diagram. I'm all about diagrams. I've, you know, accepted Microsoft Excel into my heart. I love charts and graphs and all that stuff. This is a Venn diagram, okay? Now, this is straight out of Exodus 3, how you can discover what God's calling your life is. I'm going to tell you what it is,
[00:49:32] and I'm going to go there. Your calling is at the intersection of three things in your life, affinity, ability, and opportunity. Affinity, ability, opportunity. So here we're going to go.
[00:49:41] Number one, you got to ask, what's your affinity? Here's how this happens in Moses' life. Let me explain what I mean by this. The first time we meet adult Moses in Exodus 2, here's what happens.
[00:49:52] One day after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and he watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people, looking this way
[00:50:03] and that and seeing no one. He killed the Egyptian and he hit him in the sand. Now don't start killing people. That's not what I'm driving at. I don't want you to learn from Moses' iniquity. I want
[00:50:14] you to learn from his affinity. Here's my point. There was something that when Moses saw it, he couldn't stand it. Couldn't stand it. Okay. Here's a question to figure out what your affinity is. What can't you stand? What is it for the purposes of God that when you see it happen,
[00:50:32] or you see that it doesn't happen, it's just like, it almost, there's a righteous anger. It's like, I can't stand it. Let's ask it positively. What is it that like gets you going when you see it?
[00:50:43] it does happen the right way for the glory of God and the good of people. You're like, yeah, man, let's go. Team Jesus gets you fired up. That's your affinity. Okay. Now what you got to understand
[00:50:54] is it's different for different people. Let me untie a knot. Some of you struggle with churches have a lot of fights over this thing I'm about to say right here. Let me untie a knot.
[00:51:03] What you got to understand is people have different callings, which means they have different affinities, which means they get angry at different things. If you don't understand that you'll spend your whole Christian life being mad at people for not being mad at the same things you
[00:51:15] are. So, so what you got right here is people have different callings. So they got different affinities, very different. Okay. Me and Jana, I'm gonna give you an example. Super different.
[00:51:25] Jana is like super tender hearted. She's a weep with those who weep person. Jana's best, her favorite weekend is she stands out in that lobby and she prays with hurting people for three hours, walks back in at home, and she's like, I got to pray with people for three hours today.
[00:51:44] She likes writing widows in the church notes of encouragement. That's just how Jana's wired.
[00:51:49] She sees somebody hurting, and that's like where her heart automatically, she can see like an animal rescue commercial. And she's like, oh, her heart break. Oh, I love animals. I love animals.
[00:52:01] I see an animal rescue commercial. I'm like, I love animals too. Medium rare. I love them. I love animals. We're just very different. Very, very different. So that's Janice and Finney. Here's my thing. For me, if I see bad Bible teaching, it's just like something just sort of snaps in me.
[00:52:18] I can't stand it. I can't stand it. If I see somebody twisting the Bible to hurt people, families, societies, churches, it's just something, it snaps in me. We have different affinities.
[00:52:28] You need to ask the question, what is it that breaks your heart? Are you the type of person who you see kids and students going the wrong way with their life and something like stirs up in you
[00:52:41] and you can't stand the thought of a generation arising that knew not the purposes of God and the people of God.
[00:52:48] You can't stand it.
[00:52:49] Well, you probably need to be in kids and student ministry.
[00:52:52] See, start with what's your affinity.
[00:52:54] Now, number two, you gotta ask the question, what's your ability?
[00:53:00] Now, Moses, let me do a little bio.
[00:53:02] So Moses spent the first 40 years of his life being raised by Pharaoh's daughter.
[00:53:07] If you've ever wondered why Pharaoh didn't kill Moses during the 10 plagues event, a lot of Bible scholars think it's because Moses was like Pharaoh's adopted grandson.
[00:53:18] So what's going on right here, Moses is raised by Pharaoh's daughter.
[00:53:22] He's raised in Pharaoh's court.
[00:53:23] Let me ask you a question.
[00:53:24] Do you think it's a coincidence that the guy God raised up to lead the nation of Israel spent the first 40 years of his life seeing the inside of executive level leadership of the largest empire in the world.
[00:53:36] Do you think that's a coincidence?
[00:53:37] If you think that's a coincidence, bless your heart.
[00:53:41] So what God did is he deposited abilities into Moses and then Moses would later use them for the purposes of God and the advance of his kingdom.
[00:53:50] So here's the question you need to ask.
[00:53:52] Ask this question.
[00:53:53] What are you good at?
[00:53:55] Here's a safer question.
[00:53:58] Ask the question, what do other people affirm that you're good at?
[00:54:01] the reason I say that is because, listen, I love you.
[00:54:06] I just wanna warn you about something.
[00:54:08] Your whole life is the first three episodes of a season of American Idol.
[00:54:13] That's your whole life.
[00:54:14] Whereas like there are people who you're watching the episode and you're like, did nobody tell them they're terrible at singing?
[00:54:20] Did nobody tell them?
[00:54:20] They thought they were awesome and nobody told them?
[00:54:22] Nobody told them?
[00:54:23] Now, heads up, I'm like that, you're like that, we're all like that, why?
[00:54:26] Because there's one thing that you can't do.
[00:54:27] You can't not be you.
[00:54:29] so you can't step outside of you and watch you and you're not awesome at evaluating you.
[00:54:36] The heart is deceitful above all things so you need to ask the question, what do other people affirm that you're good at?
[00:54:41] Now, the reason that matters is watch.
[00:54:43] If you wanna know your destiny, look at your design.
[00:54:46] What's God made you good at?
[00:54:47] I'll give an example of this and then we'll move to the third one.
[00:54:49] So I got a pastor buddy that's up in New York City and he had this guy in his church that was like a converted drug dealer, get saved, converted drug dealer, like running the streets
[00:54:59] and had a whole little, you know, little organization going.
[00:55:02] And he gets saved and then, you know, he's on team Jesus, gets discipled for a little bit, following Jesus, cleans his life up.
[00:55:08] Well, then he gets into the churches, like they're equivalent of their next steps class.
[00:55:14] And the people in the class don't know anything about him.
[00:55:16] And they're like, hey, so they're trying to help him find his calling.
[00:55:19] Like, hey, so what are you good at?
[00:55:21] He's like, I don't know.
[00:55:22] They're like, what skills do you have?
[00:55:23] I don't know.
[00:55:24] So then they ask, well, what did you do before?
[00:55:26] you know and he didn't know you know he was like I he's like well I was into like like pharmaceutical distribution it's like what he said right and they eventually dig and they figure out
[00:55:39] like okay this guy's got testimony oh yeah that's the deal and and and they now remember this guy's been walking with Jesus for a few years cleaned his life up a little bit and they eventually
[00:55:47] they're like hey they figure out what he what he what he did and they they figured out man this guy's actually got some street smarts knows how to organize some things got a little administrative
[00:55:56] of skills. Now, again, after he's cleaned his life up, been doing all the things, they put him over some administration in the church and a church group. Now you see what happened. Watch in the
[00:56:06] same way God used skills from Moses past life, and then aim them at advancing the kingdom of God.
[00:56:13] This is what God will often do in your life. If you're new here and you're wondering like, how does a 30,000 person church, how does this, how do they do this thing? It's thousands of
[00:56:21] people doing this. Let me give you some examples. Okay. Thousands of people doing this. So the guy you probably never heard of, super important in our church. He's a guy named Ken Farr. He's Lake
[00:56:31] Point's CFO, chief financial officer. Before Ken Farr became the CFO of Lake Point, he was a CFO of one of the fastest growing IT companies in Dallas. He was voted one of the top 20 C-level
[00:56:42] executives in the entire city of Dallas. Then the calling of God came to Ken Farr. Ken took that calling and a big pay cut and he came to lake point and now he uses those skills to oversee
[00:56:57] our resources because it matters that we squeeze every ounce of god's glory and advance his kingdom out of every penny of resources we're entrusted with ken helps manage that stuff that's part of the reason shout out roy city campus that we were able to do stuff like we guys we built the roy
[00:57:14] city campus, all cash, no debt at all. Because of, watch, because of guys like Ken Farr managing the resources of Lake Point like super wisely. I'll give a couple others. Jordan Hill, kind of swole
[00:57:28] dude. It was on Lake Point News today, LP News, Jordan Hill. Jordan Hill before, what he does is he coaches life group leaders on our staff. Before he was coaching life group leaders, he was a D1
[00:57:39] baseball coach discipling guys on on a d1 baseball team at dbu so watch he was coaching guys for that team now he coaches guys on team jesus he took those skills translated them i'll give it i'll
[00:57:51] give a shout out over a firewheel campus this guy the firewheel campus name is sean ditch he owns a big old pest company okay so what he does is he removes unwanted critters all day
[00:58:03] every day so when we get annoying church members that's that's a joke that's a joke that's a joke That's a joke, that's a joke.
[00:58:11] No, actually, he takes the leadership skills that he got out there and he volunteer, as a volunteer, he oversees the production team at the Firewheel Campus.
[00:58:20] I'll do one more.
[00:58:21] There's a guy you probably haven't seen.
[00:58:22] He's like a ninja around here.
[00:58:24] His name's Scott McNeil, oversees all the security teams at Lake Point.
[00:58:27] Yeah, Scott's a good dude, okay?
[00:58:28] Scott's a good dude, shout out Scott.
[00:58:30] Blowing his cover right now.
[00:58:31] Scott, before he oversaw the security teams at Lake Point, what Scott was doing before he got here, I wanna make sure I get it right, He was a lieutenant in the LAPD over the Fugitive Warrant Division.
[00:58:43] Yeah, yeah, he was.
[00:58:45] Okay, I like it.
[00:58:45] I see you over there, okay.
[00:58:47] Now listen, what that means, now he oversees security teams at Lake Point.
[00:58:50] What that means is you're real safe.
[00:58:53] Here's what it means.
[00:58:54] Listen, what it means is if anybody ever tries to harm the people of Lake Point, here's the thing.
[00:59:00] Jesus loves you and will send you to meet him.
[00:59:02] That's what that means.
[00:59:02] That's what that means, okay.
[00:59:04] Mess with the flock, you get the clock.
[00:59:05] That's how it works.
[00:59:06] That's how that works.
[00:59:08] That's a joke.
[00:59:09] It depends, kind of, just kind of, okay.
[00:59:12] So you need to ask, what's your ability?
[00:59:13] Now, number three, now you gotta ask, what's your opportunity?
[00:59:17] Ask about opportunity.
[00:59:19] Check this out.
[00:59:20] Moses, because he was raised in Pharaoh's court, one, he's bilingual, that's interesting.
[00:59:25] Two, he was probably out of three, two to three million Israelites, the only one for whom the door into Pharaoh's court was open.
[00:59:34] Ask this question on opportunity.
[00:59:36] Ask this question, what doors are open to you?
[00:59:39] Or ask it like this.
[00:59:41] When you walk around the church and the kingdom of God, ask the question, what's the greatest need?
[00:59:46] Now, here's why this one's important.
[00:59:48] The first two, now go back, I wanna show them.
[00:59:50] The first two, affinity and ability, they were about you.
[00:59:54] What do you like?
[00:59:54] What are you good at?
[00:59:56] This one's real important because, hey guys, it's not all about you.
[01:00:00] This one, it's not about you.
[01:00:02] It's about God and his glory and his kingdom.
[01:00:06] Now, here's the thing.
[01:00:07] As a disciple, you gotta get this in your heart.
[01:00:09] Guys, your life is not just about you being fulfilled.
[01:00:13] It's about people being helped and it's about God being glorified.
[01:00:16] We gotta get that down in us.
[01:00:18] Listen, Jesus not for you, it's just not all about you.
[01:00:21] What life is all about, listen, what life is all about, life is all about a bunch of forgiven nobodies trying to tell everybody about a somebody who can save anybody.
[01:00:32] That's what life is about.
[01:00:35] So then you just gotta ask, man, where's the greatest need?
[01:00:38] what doors are open for me now okay here's how all this works okay when you figure out affinity ability opportunity you're going to find at least one thing that's at the intersection of those things that's your calling that's your calling now some of you you're never going to be happy
[01:00:54] until you're doing whatever that is never going to be fulfilled some of you for the first time in your whole life you need to step into a calling to serve the purposes of God what you need to do
[01:01:03] before you leave is you just need to text the word serve to the number 20411. We will help you get onto a team that is at that intersection. Affinity, ability, opportunity, right there, calling. That's it. That's what you need to do today. That's the thing. Now, here's the thing.
[01:01:21] Let me land it. Once it starts to dawn on you what that thing is, newsflash, you're not going to want to do it. You're not going to want to do it. Watch what happens with Moses. Moses doesn't want to do
[01:01:32] it. But Moses said to God, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? He gets all in his feelings. And he's like, man, God, I don't got what it takes. Now, real
[01:01:47] quick, I just want to say this real quick. It's not about who you are. It's about who he is.
[01:01:56] The first thing God does after Moses says this, I'm going to read to you in a second.
[01:02:00] Moses says, who am I?
[01:02:01] God reveals his name to Moses and he goes, here's my name, I am.
[01:02:06] Moses, it's not about who you are, it's about who I am.
[01:02:09] So hey guys, because God is with you, God can use anybody.
[01:02:14] I'm gonna riff these off, okay?
[01:02:16] Moses was a murderer, Noah was a drunk, Jacob was a thief, Joseph was a convict, Samson was a bully, Gideon was a coward, David was an adulterer, Eli was a failed parent, Solomon was a womanizer, Elijah had anger issues,
[01:02:29] Jonah was a racist Jeremiah was depressed Mary was a pregnant teenager Peter was a hypocrite Matthew was an extortionist Thomas was a doubter Paul was a terrorist Tim Tebow was a Florida gator God can use anybody he can use anybody okay anybody that's a Joby Martin joke that's
[01:02:46] hilarious joke God bless Tim Tebow now God can use anybody watch what God does and God said I will be with you and this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you when you have
[01:02:59] brought the people out of Egypt you will worship God on this mountain and Moses said to God yeah but suppose I go to the Israelites and I say to them the God of your fathers has sent me to you
[01:03:07] and they ask me watch what if they ask me what's his name what am I going to tell him now watch what God does God said to Moses now this is interesting in your Bibles these words are in
[01:03:21] all caps and you probably read it and didn't even notice or you notice you didn't know why I'm going to explain it. God said to Moses, I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the
[01:03:31] Israelites. I am has sent me to you. This is my name forever from generation to generation. Now let's go a layer deeper. What God does here is he reveals his personal name to Moses and it's these
[01:03:49] four Hebrew letters. Hebrew runs from right to left instead of left to right. So it goes from here to here as these four Hebrew letters. And they're called the Tetragrammaton is what, uh, what Bible scholars call them. That just means four letters. Those letters are, were considered
[01:04:07] so holy by Jews throughout the centuries that they would frequently not even speak them. In fact, when you hear somebody say the word Jehovah, all they're doing is they're taking these same four letters and they're putting in different vowels with those same four Hebrew letters because they
[01:04:27] consider God's name Yahweh to be so holy they won't even speak his name that's what Jehovah is it's that with different letters out of reverence tetragrammaton in English that's transliterated YHWH Yahweh now what Jewish rabbis have talked about for centuries check this out is remember
[01:04:48] God calls himself the breath of life. What's interesting about these letters in God's name is that some rabbis have pointed out it's literally like breathing. Watch, watch like this.

[01:05:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_07]
[01:05:10] So the first time anyone is born, the very first thing they say, the name of God on their lips. And

[01:05:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:05:22] the last thing you will do before you close your eyes and meet your maker is one last time you will breathe. That tells Moses, that's my name. And what it means, watch, what it means is, so Moses is
[01:05:46] telling God think about this I don't got what it takes I'm not good enough and God goes here's my name throughout the old testament what God does is he takes his name I am and then whenever Israel
[01:06:09] was in like a time of need or they didn't have what it took to accomplish something he wanted him to God would attach his name to whatever was the thing that Israel lacked and he planted supply
[01:06:23] So like when you hear people talk about the names of God, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Jireh, I'm gonna do this here in a second.
[01:06:30] What God's doing is he's taken that name and then he's inserting the thing where they got a gap and he's going, I'm gonna be that for you.
[01:06:38] So you're gonna be good.
[01:06:41] I've heard these from another Bible teacher, but throughout the Old Testament, it goes like this.
[01:06:46] In Exodus, when the people of Israel were wounded and sick because of their sin, God reveals himself as Jehovah Rapha.
[01:06:53] you're sick that means I'm your healer in Leviticus when Moses laid out the law how we could walk uprightly with God and honor him and all the people looked at it and they were like well we
[01:07:04] can't do that nobody can do that God reveals himself as Jehovah Mekadnishkem it means I am your sanctifier I am the one who will enable you to walk with me when Jeremiah was discouraged because he was looking out at Israel's inability to walk faithfully before God and he's like how
[01:07:21] can we survive we're so sinful God reveals himself as Jehovah Sidkenu I am your righteousness what you can't be I'm gonna be for you in Ezekiel's day when the people of Israel were scared and
[01:07:33] alone and they were surrounded by enemies God goes here's my name right now I'm Jehovah Shema I am the God who is ever present when David felt lost and confused and he didn't have any friends
[01:07:44] in the entire world he felt alone he called God Jehovah Ra'ah which means I am the Lord your shepherd when Abraham faced an impossible circumstance no way out at all God said I am Jehovah Jireh I am the Lord your provider and to Isaiah when he wasn't sure how he was going to
[01:08:04] survive even another day God revealed himself as watch this Jehovah Sabaoth I am the Lord your defender the God that fights for you and then and then in the New Testament Jesus Christ who is the
[01:08:19] image of the invisible God and the exact representation of his nature. Jesus Christ comes and he ain't in a bush anymore. Now he's in flesh. And throughout the New Testament, Jesus takes the I am name of God and he applies it to himself. And he essentially goes, I'm him.
[01:08:36] And he takes every area of our greatest brokenness. And then he inserted what he was to supply our lack all throughout the New Testament. So it goes like this to anybody that hungers. Jesus said,
[01:08:49] I am the bread of life. To anybody that thirsts, Jesus said, I am living water. To anybody that's walking in darkness, Jesus declares, I am the light. To anybody that's like messed it all up,
[01:09:01] they need a fresh start, new place to go, Jesus is like, that's all right, I'm the door. To anybody that feels abandoned, Jesus says, I am the good shepherd. If you feel lost, Jesus says, I am the
[01:09:11] way. To anybody that feels confused, Jesus says, I am the truth. To anybody that's afraid of death, Jesus says, it's going to be all right because I am the resurrection and I am the life.
[01:09:21] And so what you can do in every season of your life is you can just look at whatever you feel like you don't have, a skill, your past is to check or whatever your thing is,
[01:09:31] why you can't do that thing God's calling you to do.
[01:09:34] And you can just go, whatever I'm not, he is.
[01:09:37] So if you're going, man, God, I can't be a good parent.
[01:09:39] He's like, I can.
[01:09:40] You're like, I can't make it.
[01:09:41] He's like, I'm gonna be with you.
[01:09:42] Hey, you're going, man, I'm so doubtful.
[01:09:44] He's going, I'm so faithful.
[01:09:45] whatever you're not he is and he's promised to be with you so you can walk forward with confidence and faith that the lord your god is with you wherever you go you step forward in confidence
[01:09:55] that's how you do it i'll be honest man yeah that's just my whole life really this is a story of my whole life 30 years just walking with jesus it's just 30 years of me going there's no way i
[01:10:08] can do that but i'm gonna say yes because you said two and i'm gonna jump and you're gonna figure out how I land. That's my whole life. And I'm gonna pray that some of you today, you're going
[01:10:18] to take a step you've never taken before to step into whatever God put you on this planet to accomplish. So right now at all of our campuses, would you guys do this? Would you bow your heads
[01:10:26] and close your eyes? I want to pray for you. Father, would you please like right now, would you preach the sermon that I cannot preach inside the chest of men and women? I pray that literally
[01:10:36] right now that like specific things would be dropping into people's hearts. Things that some of them need to leave places that some of them need to go callings they need to step into names like specific names of people that are close to them but far from you and it's like they need to
[01:10:53] be that person that's going i'm gonna bring one more but father would you please lead them in paths of righteousness for your namesake i pray that for them they'd be so full of the spirit of
[01:11:02] god that this week it would be like your word says it would feel like there is a voice behind them saying this is the way walk in it and they would turn neither to the right nor to the left
[01:11:12] but they would fix their eyes on Jesus Christ the author and finisher of their faith so father move us as disciples towards your purposes I pray that in the crucified risen name of Jesus Christ and
[01:11:25] all God's people said amen amen amen amen amen amen hey help me thank pastor Josh for that message

[01:11:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[01:11:32] is awesome. Hey, listen, after every gathering at Lake Point, we have people underneath both crosses and in our Next Step Center that are standing ready to pray with you and help you navigate a spiritual next step or a decision that you may be walking through. Maybe for you today,
[01:11:48] maybe in response to the message, you're trying to navigate God's calling on your life and what your best next step to serve is. We would love the opportunity to meet with you and pray with
[01:11:57] you through that. And as you heard Pastor Josh mention, man, we need everybody at Lake Point.
[01:12:01] Some of you have gifting and calling on your life and you need to step in obedience into a next step and that's serving for you.
[01:12:08] And so we would love to hear about what God may be telling you in a way that you might want to, to jump in and join Team Jesus.
[01:12:15] We need everybody at Lake Point to help us in serving.
[01:12:18] So you can text the word SERVE to 20411 and step right into that.
[01:12:22] We would love to have that information from you.
[01:12:25] Hey, as we've mentioned already a couple of times at the movies kicks off next week.
[01:12:28] So I wanna remind you, your job this week is to invite someone Invite your friends, your neighbors, your community.
[01:12:33] You're one more.
[01:12:34] That's the person that's closest to you, the farthest from God to join you for At The Movies, to sit with you.
[01:12:40] Listen, we've learned that about 80% of the people who receive a personal invite to church, man, they're gonna respond and they're gonna come.
[01:12:47] It's amazing.
[01:12:48] So that's our best, best opportunity to see people come and join us for At The Movies and at Lake Point.
[01:12:53] But we've also discovered that like the second best way that we can connect with people is actually, it's crazy, but it's on social media.
[01:13:00] Yes, so many of you are on Instagram and Facebook and you're on there every day.
[01:13:03] Listen, we would love to ask you to partner with us in getting the word out about At The Movies.
[01:13:08] Just a few minutes ago, right at noon on the Lake Point Instagram and Facebook social profiles, we posted this graphic and we're gonna ask you, we're gonna ask you like right now, I want you to take your phone out.
[01:13:18] I want you to share this post.
[01:13:21] We've learned that when we do that, like all of us as the Lake Point family, when we do this, we actually have the ability to reach like millions of people because of all the people in your community
[01:13:29] that you're connected to.
[01:13:30] So would you jump in and help us with that?
[01:13:32] And let's get the word out about At The Movies coming next week.
[01:13:35] And listen, we're able to do At The Movies and so many of the different things that we do right here in DFW and around the world because of your faithful and consistent generosity.
[01:13:44] So thank you, Lake Point.
[01:13:45] Thank you for your giving and your generosity.
[01:13:47] It's amazing.
[01:13:48] If you're not already part of giving at Lake Point, we'd love to invite you into the blessing of generosity.
[01:13:54] Okay, it's really easy to jump into that.
[01:13:55] The best and easiest way to partner with us in that way is just to text the word GIVE to 20411.
[01:14:02] Also, in just a moment, we're gonna be passing buckets right here in the room.
[01:14:05] And then as always, as you leave in the back of the room, we have offering boxes available for you.
[01:14:10] But it has been a great, great weekend and a great gathering at Lake Point.
[01:14:14] So I'm gonna invite you to stand with us.
[01:14:16] We just need to go out singing about the goodness and grace of Jesus.
[01:14:20] So let's stand and worship as we give and as we sing.

[01:14:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:14:32] Hey, Church Online,

[01:16:19] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:16:19] Thank you so much for being with us today, especially on a holiday weekend.
[01:16:23] Like the fact that you came to church again, that's amazing.
[01:16:26] And we're so glad that you were a part of this amazing message that we got to experience together.
[01:16:31] In fact, I hope that what you heard reminded you that freedom in Christ isn't just something we celebrate, it's something we live every single day.
[01:16:42] That's really been the heartbeat of this Enfuego series, a faith that's alive, bold, surrendered, and fully dependent on Jesus.
[01:16:50] This message impacted you today.
[01:16:52] I'd encourage you, go back and catch up on the rest of the series on our YouTube channel.
[01:16:56] Every week really has been building up on the last one.
[01:17:00] And I really believe God wants to use these messages to strengthen your walk with him.
[01:17:05] And if you're in DFW, we'd love to see you in person.
[01:17:08] We have campuses all across DFW.
[01:17:12] And we have another one launching in the Lucas area, Cornerstone Church is joining the Lake Point family in Lucas and no matter where you are what I want you to know what I want you to hear from me in the church online community
[01:17:25] is that there is a place for you here and remember come back next weekend because there's something powerful about being in the room with the people of God also make sure you're subscribed to our
[01:17:36] YouTube channel and have notifications turned on so you don't miss live free Monday's episode is going deeper into today's conversation.
[01:17:45] And you don't wanna miss it.
[01:17:46] Like we want you to be there.
[01:17:47] So dive into that Monday morning when that episode drops.
[01:17:51] And finally, if you need prayer this week for anything at all, text prayer to 20411.
[01:17:58] Our team would be so honored to pray for you by name.
[01:18:03] Listen to me, they wanna pray for you and they wanna invite God into your situation on your behalf.
[01:18:09] In fact, let me pray for us as we end our time together today.
[01:18:13] God, we're so grateful for you.
[01:18:15] We're so grateful for your presence, Lord.
[01:18:17] I pray right now for every person watching, for every person listening, God, that they've experienced your power, your presence, your love, your joy, your peace, like never before in their lives, God.
[01:18:28] And that they, after this segment, God, that they will walk away knowing that there's a God that loves them, there's a God that's for them, that they have true purpose in their lives, Lord.
[01:18:37] God, I pray for every person and their weak, God, that, you know, regardless of what's going on, God, I pray that they seek you first, Lord, and invite you into every decision, into every situation that they're going through, Lord.
[01:18:49] And until we meet again, Lord, we just ask that you bless us in our coming, but also in our going.
[01:18:55] In Jesus' name, and everybody said, amen.
[01:18:59] Church, our family, we love you.
[01:19:01] We are so, so glad that you're here, joining us here online.
[01:19:04] And I just want to say, God bless you and your family will see you next week.