I Can See The Light - Week 4

Men, Amen, and amen less, let's finish up our series this morning.

I see the Light. Let's go to Second Thessalonians, chapter three,

verse ten. Second Thessalonians, Chapter three, verse ten. If I have

to give this one a title, it would be I See the Light,

Part four. So second Second Thessalonians, Chapter three, verse ten. It

says, for even when we were with you, we commanded you this.

If anyone will not work, neither shall we eat. For we hear that

there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at

all, but are busy bodies. I'm not going to look up because I

don't want to accidentally make eye contact with somebody. Amen, But I want

to do this, but I'm not going to now. Those who are such,

we commanded and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ, that they work in

quietness and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do

not grow weary and doing good. And if anyone does not obey our word

in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him.

That he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy,

but am admonish him as a brother a father. We thank you for your

word. See only change agent on the face of this planet. And today

changes at the core of our being, changes our thought processes, changes the

way we talk, changes the way we carry ourselves changes. Don't let us

leave the same in Jesus' name, Amen, Amen, and amen, He

says, listen, there's a there's this principle that every believer should follow,

and that is that we work, that we work to provide, that we

work for the Lord, that we work for one another. There is as

a matter of fact, it's the first thing that God did is he told

Adam to tend to the ground. The very first principle in scripture was work.

And then he begins to carry us down this transformation from physical labor,

and he shifts gears. And if we don't, if we're not careful,

we miss it. Because when he gets over there and he says, do

not grow weary from doing good, he's not actually talking about physical fatigue anymore.

He's talking about that process of life in which we have. But we

spend our days with the hand to the plow. It may be your fingers

to the keyboard, it may be your ear to the phone, whatever you

do for a living. He's not talking about that anymore. He makes this

transformative jump and he says, listen, but in the course of your physical

fatigue, don't allow yourself to grow weary from doing good. Don't allow the

fact that you do good and the repercussions of doing good to slow you down

from doing good. You know, there's a lot of times where, especially

in ministry, you deal with people. Somebody say, people, I tell

people this all the time. If it wasn't for technology, money and people,

I would have the perfect job in the world, be the most perfect

job in the world. But there always comes this place where we find ourselves

elves. Not weakened physically, not weakened even spiritually sometimes, but we find

ourselves in a weakened place in just simply dealing with people. Raise your hand.

If you've ever been there where you just feel like, oh, my

goodness, why can't they learn? See y'all waited until I said that,

and everybody said it was really cool to watch. It was like boom,

yeah, why can't they learn? You know, as we go through life

and we continue to pour ourselves out, and especially when God has called us

to a fixed group, come on, somebody where there's a sphere of influence,

and God has called you to minister in that sphere of influence. Maybe

you're a group leader here, or maybe you have a group of friends at

work, or some people you went to school with that you're still hanging out

with, that you still have influence over, and God has called you to

be a spiritual impact in their lives. And they just keep struggling with the

same things over and over again. And it's not even like it's that hard

to get away from. We're not talking about big things. Come on,

somebody, We're talking about just the simple, ordinary mistakes that people make,

and they repeat those mistakes even though we give sage advice, that we give

the words of wisdom and instruction and direction, because after all, we know,

I mean, you know what's best for them, right, I mean,

you can see what's best for them. I mean, after all,

you've walked a mile in their shoes, so you know what's best for them,

and they just and you reach that point where it's just like, I

just don't think I have anything left. You're not tired. You have grown

weary from doing good, and that weariness is preventing you from continuing to do

good. That weariness is preventing you from continuing down that path of repetition.

Even spiritual repetition is good when we're impacting someone else with it. You know,

there's a there's a principle in scripture that we keep on of longevity of

perseverance. Last week we talked about that word that nobody wants to talk about,

patience. That when patience is fully formed, we're perfect, lacking nothing.

And it's in the process of that spiritual maturity and spiritual formation that it

doesn't just unlock something in us, but makes a profound impact in others.

And here he says, listen, don't grow weary in doing good. When

Pastoral and some of these guys were coming through youth ministry, and you know,

we had this principle that I always taught Listen, don't date until you

know who you are. Let me say that again. Every young person needs

to hear me. Do not date until you know who you are, not

until you know who they are. Because it's easier to figure out who they

are than it is to figure out who you are. Because you will keep

a secret from you, You will trick you into thinking you're somebody you're not.

So don't listen. Don't just don't date, because the moment you start

dating, there's a blending of relationships. The first time you call it love

right, you share private things in the condaction, there's a blending of identities.

And if you don't know who you are, how can you blend the

unknown with the known? And listen. Pastor Clay, he I mean he

I never worried about well, let me just say so. I never worried

about where Pastor Clay was, was gay or not amen, never had thought,

never cross my mind because he liked the opposite sex. And he would

come in and he would say, oh, Pastive, my heart hurts.

I'm like, I told you, I told you so, old Pastor Steve.

We got back together, don't they don't do it? Go break up

right now? Oh no, no, it's different. We got everything worked

out, everything's gonna be perfect. It's different now next Wednesday, oh,

Pastor Steve. And I would say, I told you, I told you

so. And it wasn't just him, but this was advice that I gave

repeatedly. And every time I would give the advice, they would walk out

the door and I would just put my head down on my desk and think,

never gonna learn, never going to learn, to the point where,

towards the end of my time as a youth pastor, I went from a

six week dating series to a three week dating series because I thought that extra

three weeks I can spend it doing something else, amen something they might get.

I started growing weary of doing good. I didn't give up, but

there was a heaviness through that repeated impact we're trying to make in people's lives.

But here Paul says, listen, don't grow weary from doing good because

you're the only person that does good. That that person may see. The

good in you is a specific good that that person God has put you in

contact with. They need to experience that good from you. And we can't

give up and throw in the tiel. We have to allow that light to

shine so that people can see an Igalatians chapter six, verse seven that says,

do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man

sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows who is flesh,

will of the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the spirit

will of the spirit, reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary

while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not

lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to

all, especially especially to those who are of the household of faith, he

says, Listen, do good, persevere, be an impact, especially to

those who are of the house of faith. Now I know that I have

the proclivity that I have the natural slant towards I'm always reaching towards those who

are not yet here yet. Come on, somebody, I wake up thinking

that way. I wake up strategizing, giving, structure, planning. I

wake up always looking to the community first and then inside second. That's how

I'm wired, It's how I'm geared. Everything we do is with an eye

towards those that have not yet gotten here yet. But he says, listen,

when it comes to that, make sure that when you're doing good,

that you're not giving up up. Not only not giving up, but you're

paying special attention to the household of faith. Let me say, let me

say it Southern US style. Take care of your own, he says,

take care of your own, watch out for your people. Them's my folks.

All hollent, he says, listen, when we comes to one another,

have extended mercy and grace for one another, because sometimes those that are

in the faith still need to see a little glimpse of the light because maybe

they've grown weary. So stand strong and be there, and let me speak

to you plain. Right now, I want everybody to look at me.

Right now is that cornerstone. We do exist for our community, but we

exist for our community of faith also, And if you're ever in need,

we're here for you. Don't ever be embarrassed by having need. Don't ever

be embarrassed by that. If you need something, let us know. If

you need groceries, we have a food pantry. If you need help,

we will do everything we can to resource the help for you because we will

take care of our own and we will never grow weary. Pasturing people will

never grow weary. Making sure that you're prayed for, making sure that you're

provided for, making sure that you're taking care of those are things that will

never grow weary from doing because it's who God says that we must be.

And when we grow weary and we have those thoughts, put us back in

your court now and you have those thoughts, and every single time you think

to yourself, just not gonna get it. Remember that weariness doesn't strike like

a rattlesnake. It squeezes like a python. That weariness is not something that

happens. Weariness is a slow slide. That discouragement doesn't happen overnight, but

over a series of time and light that python every time. Y'll, y'all

know how python really kills its prey. Right now, we think it just

squeezes, but it doesn't. It does squeeze, but it doesn't just grab

you and just show it waits. It wraps around you, and every time

you go, it just takes up the space. So the next time you

breathe in it's and the next time you it takes up the space until there's

no space left for you to get another breath. It uses your own function

against you, and discouragement uses your own function against you. Weariness uses that

act of selflessness and no reception of that selflessness or a rejection of your selflessness,

and it squeezes a little tighter. It's that moment where we don't even

realize it's happening until we and we just can't breathe, and we find ourselves

in a state where we're no good to anyone. Weariness is a byproduct of

misappropriated priorities. In Matthew, chapter twenty two, verse thirty seven, and

Gesus said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your

heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is

the first and great commandment. And the second is like it. You shall

love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and

the prophets. He says, the key to growing weary is to have the

key to not growing with the key to growing wear just keep doing what we're

doing. The key to not growing weary is to make sure that the first

thing is first. Now, Jesus is writing to the churches and Revelation,

and he commends one of the churches, and he says, hey, I'm

so glad that you haven't grown weary. I'm so glad that you're doing what

you're supposed to do. That you hate evil. I'm so glad you're doing

that. But what I hold against you is that you've lost your first love.

And Jesus says, if you keep going the way you're going, you're

not going to be able to stand strong you're going to grow weary because love

is that first thing. Love is that thing that breathes the ability to overcome

into our lives, to continue to repeat and continue to reach and continue to

speak life. And we have to get those priorities aliveing because so many times

we get acts confused with God and we think that not growing weary is the

pursuit of God, that good works is the pursuit of God. But good

works are the symptom of a healthy relationship with God. It's not the pursuit

of God. And then we begin to lift up ministry or acts of service,

and those things become our God. And when those things become our God,

we become weary because it's impossible to hold up God. God is the

creator and holds us up, and he says, here is the thing.

I want you to understand that the first thing, the most basic thing,

is to fall in love with God. If you'll just fall in love with

my heavenly Father, weariness will take care of itself. If he is the

first thing, If spending time with him is more important than and when you

prioritize him and you spend time with him and you fall in love with him,

fresh every day. Then you have no trouble staving off weariness. Listen,

my wife is the most fortunate woman in the world. It's impossible for

her to get weary with me because I'm so easy to love. I know.

She wakes up every day and says, I'm the most blessed woman in

the world to have Steve. I just he just makes it so easy to

love me. I mean to love. I mean, I just I just

want to. I just want to pick up his socks out of the floor.

I just I want to wash his underwear. I just I just wanted.

That's not true, by the way. I'm a pretty difficult person,

believe it or not. But God does make it easy. God says,

I've done everything for you, and if you'll just breathe me in, I'll

make it easy for you to breathe me out. When you breathe me in

and fill yourself with love for me, when you breathe me out, it'll

come out as love for others. Play. You guys could come and get

ready if you'll just if you'll just fall in love with me brand new this

morning today, then you'll be able to fall in love with the humanity.

I've surrounded you with and you won't grow weary. It won't be a chore

to tell them one more time. It won't be a chore to just make

an impact one more time, to reach, one more time, to shine

your life one more time. It'll be easy and listen, the most devout

person here, we still struggle sometimes prioritizing our relationship with Jesus. That we

go through seasons of our lives and we look back and we think to ourselves,

did I even spend time with God at all this week? There's a

reason I feel the way I feel. There's a reason why I'm agitated,

and in the spirit of transparency, I want to stand right here and don't

you just pastor Clay, when do we put this? When did this sermon

series go on? I think I think last November, last November year ago.

Don't you just love it when something set up and God uses your own

life. It's an illustration for your sermon. You know. This past week,

my dad was in the hospital, and he's a unique individual legend.

He looks at things his own way. And I found myself just absolutely worn

out physically, just found myself in a place where I thought I've never been

this tired. Never ever in my whole life have I been this tired,

not through playing college ball, that never been this tired on this stage right

now. When I walked on this stage transparency right my number one thought was,

as soon as service is over, I'm getting in the bed and I'm

not waking up till tomorrow. Come on, somebody, I'm gonna catch up.

I'm tired. The reason I'm tired really has nothing to do with the

fact that I didn't sleep or I exerted myself, although those things are true,

because that's not the tiredness that discourages me. It's the aggravation with people

that discourages me. But what I did is I look back, and I

realized that I got so busy, but I didn't spend time with God the

way I normally do. I didn't have those mornings where it's just me and

Him, and I felt myself getting a little angrier and more short tempered every

single day. The longer that was missed, the worse at God. A

year ago we put this series in place. God positioned it for such a

time as this so that I could read these scriptures and realize what was wrong

in my life. Can I bet you, if you're honest, some of

that's going on in your life too. The holidays are the time that we

grow weary the quickest because there's such a demand on your time, on your

resources, the mental energy you you output. I mean, it's listen,

my wife exhausts me just going through the list. Now, we got to

buy so and so and that and that and that, and what do you

wanna do with so and so? By is you a gift? They ain't

getting one from me if they don't want to send me an email saying hey,

I'm getting you a gift. They don't get one back. Amen,

I don't. But it's exhausted because she just I just see it wearing her

out, and she just sits in the chair. She starts going and I

know she's looking at a list somewhere out there or three times maybe that's where

you're at. It just worn out. But here's the reality. This is

the time where hearts are the most open. You know, there's a reason

that Salvation army bell ringers don't ring bells in July. It's because people are

not generous in July. People's hearts are not open in July. But there's

something supernatural about the time of year that we're in as we approach the time

where Christians celebrate the birth of their Lord Jesus, that humanity is open.

We have a window to make an impact and the hardest hearts during this time

of year. So I need you charging your battery so you can be the

light to step into those moments when people are the most open and you're weary

from doing good. Everybody's staying with me all over the room. There's never

been I'm gonna say this just because it fits my message. I know it's

not proper. There's never been a good or act done. Then Jesus Christ

covering himself with flesh and being born as that innocent baby in a major for

the purpose of giving his life to humanity. It's as good as it gets.

And today his arms are open and he says, come to me,

all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you There

is rest in the arms of Jesus this morning. You're too valuable to run

on empty. You're too valuable for your tank to only be half filled.

You're too valuable to this church, You're too valuable to the Kingdom of God.

Today is the day where you just come and say, let me fall

in love with you again. Today, Jesus recharge me. The altar team

will get ready. You're here today. They say, I need rest.

I don't want to grow weary. I'm safeguarding myself from growing weary. I

just want my batteries recharged. I feel myself just not having the same compassion

for humanity that I normally have. During this season, I'm quicker to blow

the horn when somebody pulls out. I used to blow the horn when somebody

pulled out half a mile in front of me. Now it's a mile in

front of me. I just I find myself in a store and I have

so little patience that I just throw the stuff down when there's a line and

I walk out without buying it. Somebody did that in this room. I

didn't see you. I just feel that. That's how you know it's time

for a recharge. It's on the count of three. If that's you,

I want you to step out and make you way to the front. You

don't have to say anything, you don't have to tell them anything. Just

lift your hands and let them pray over you and experience his presence from the

count of three. Step out and move one, two three, step out

and move right now. Come on, I'm just tired, man, I'm

tired of being sick. I'm sick of being tired. I want to be

the one that Jesus uses to win the world during this holiday season the rest

of time. You just throw your hands up and begin to worship. Right

now, just throw your hands up and begin to worship. Patcha Clay.

Let's sing that song.