ABOVE ALL: Walking in the Victory of Jesus - Part 3: Discouragement | Pastor Pablo Morales

Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is

an international church in Bangkok, Thailand,

with dozens of nationalities worshiping together.

We invite you to connect with us from wherever

you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our

mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed

by this week's sermon. Above all, walking in

the victory of Jesus. The reason why we did this

series was because I wanted us to explore more

deeply what Jesus had accomplished as our Savior.

And what we discovered that the Bible says that

at the core of what Jesus accomplished is that

He came to destroy the power of Satan over creation,

over humanity, so that by breaking the power

of Satan, He can now save us from that, and now

that we can be reconciled to God and live forever.

for him. And the first thing that he overcame

was the power of deception. We learn in the first

study that Satan could not dupe Jesus into getting

confused about his identity and becoming compromised.

Jesus knew who he was, he knew his mission, and

he stayed true to it. In the second study, we

discover that Jesus was able to overcome Also

the control that Satan now had through the demons

on people's lives and his authority was superior

and demons had to submit to his authority. Today

we will discover that Jesus also overcame the

power of Satan to oppose and influence God's

work. I would like to start the study. By asking

you one question. And that question is simple

but very personal. Are you discouraged? Because

following Jesus takes us through seasons. Moments

in which we feel just discouraged. It's like,

I still believe in Jesus. I still follow in God.

But I just feel, what you say, kind of like deflated.

Like a balloon that went. I feel blah, I'm just,

you know, and it's hard to find words for it.

But we often experience these feelings of feeling

just exhausted, where our passion is not there

anymore, disoriented, where we're not following

with single heartedness. Now our heart is divided

and we just don't really know exactly what to

do. Now we have deep doubts in our lives about

whether this is worth it or not. Did I hear wrong?

You know, it's just I'm not fully committed like

I was before. My passion has dwindled. I feel

just drained. It's like the compassion, the care

for it has diminished. I feel discouraged. Welcome

to the life of following Jesus. There are moments

in which we feel like that, and that's not out

of the norm. However, Jesus did not save you

to live the rest of your life like that. It's

okay to feel discouraged. It's not okay to live

a life of discouragement. Jesus wants us to walk

in the victory that he already won for us, and

he wants us to walk in his freedom. And when

we're in discouragement, the Bible says, I'll

tell you exactly what you need to do. If you're

in a season of discouragement, do this one thing.

I don't know, what is that one thing? This is

what Hebrews chapter 12 says. Will you read it

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

aloud with me? Consider him who endures such

opposition from sinners, so that you will not

grow weary and lose heart. When you feel you're

losing heart, When you feel you're growing weary,

do one thing so that discouragement will not

sit in. Do one thing. What is that? Consider

Jesus and pay attention to what He did, what

He endured. Because once you realize what He

did, then your ability to reframe and to continue

to follow Him because He is worth following will

readjust again. And discouragement and confusion

will give to clarity. And that being deflated

will be inflated again. And you will be able

to enter a new season of commitment and passion

and strength. Jesus came to overcome the power

of Satan. And the word Satan in itself has a

very specific meaning. In fact, the word Satan

was not even a name. It's a word that describes

someone. It's an adjective. And once you start

describing the person, that person takes that

quality and becomes a noun. The word Satan in

Hebrew is Satan. In Greek it's Satanás. You know

what it is in Spanish? Satanás. Same as a Greek.

It's cool once you find out these little things

about language. It means one who opposes the

adversary. The one that is there to oppose you.

It's like imagine that you are playing football

or to our American friends, soccer. And you are

trying to score. That's the goal of the game.

But before you can score, you have all these

people trying to oppose you so that you don't

score. That is the Satan. That is the adversary.

The opposer is going to do something strategically

to try to make sure that you are deterred from

accomplishing the mission that God has given

you. And that is the reality that Jesus experienced.

And that is the reality that following Jesus

brings into the equation. Because often discouragement,

as you will discover, is being in a space where

you have lost your perspective and your focus

on the mission. And now you're experiencing the

symptoms of having lost that perspective. So

the Bible says, look, when you're in that space,

consider what Jesus experienced. Because he experienced

the opposition from sinners. And the very first

sinner and the most powerful sinner he experienced

opposition from was Satan himself. So what exactly

did Jesus experience that we need to consider?

The book of Hebrews tells us. During the days

of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers

and petitions. With fervent cries and tears.

To the one who could save him from death. And

he was hurt because of his reverent submission.

There is a moment as Jesus is following the mission

that he has received from the father. To become

the savior of the world. That as he is pursuing

that mission. He. Felt the weight of it. There

were moments. In which he was moved to tears.

And he would talk to the father. From this place

of hardship. And as he is trying. To pursue the

mission. And he is experiencing these things.

Hebrews says. Son though he was. Because he was

the son of God. We learned last week even demons

said it. Son of the Most High God. They knew

who He was. He knew who He was. But being the

Son of the Most High God in a human body incarnate

brought a whole different dimension of what obedience

looked like. What pursuing this mission looked

like. He was not pursuing it from His throne

in heaven. He was pursuing it in flesh and blood

here on earth. And that's why it says, even though

he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered.

And once made perfect, he became the source of

eternal salvation for all who obey him. In order

for Jesus to become the savior of the world,

And to be able to give that salvation to anyone

that now follows him. Before Jesus would become

the savior of the world. He had to learn obedience.

And he had to be perfected as the high priest.

In order to reconcile people with God. And it's

like wait. He had to learn obedience? How if

he is God. He is already obedient. he is holy,

how can he learn obedience? And then, if he is

God himself, and he is divine, how can he be

perfected? And this is where some people get

confused. And some people say, well, you see,

that proves that Jesus is not God, because if

Jesus was truly God, then he's perfect, and he

knows all things, so there's nothing for him

to learn. It's like silly people. That is not

what the text is talking about. Yes, Jesus is

God, 100%. True God. And we think of God, of

Jesus as, yeah, the one who walks on water. We

saw last week how he has authority over all creation.

He is the creator of creation, the Gospel of

John says. Everything was made through him and

by him. And we saw how he commanded the stone

to stop and it stopped. And the apostles were

like, what? Who is this guy that even creation

obeys him? Demons recognized him immediately

and would say, you are the son of the most high

God. We think of Jesus as this divine being.

But Jesus was not just God. He was also 100 %

man. And as man, he suffered. And as man, he

cried with tears to his father. And there's a

moment in which he says to God, God, restore

the glory that I left behind before I became

a human. We have to remember that Jesus is God

and man. 100%, 100%. And as a human being. As

he was pursuing the mission of becoming the savior

of the world, we learn in the first study that

the word of God says he had to become like us

in every single way so that by being like us,

he now could break from within the power of Satan

that he had over humanity. Which means that Jesus

experienced All these things that people in a

human body would experience. He experienced hunger,

fatigue, rejection, temptation, Gethsemane, and

death. We saw last week how he was so exhausted

that he fell asleep on the boat. And even a storm

would not wake him up. He was so tired. That

the only way that he was woken up was the crowd

of the apostles shaking him saying, Jesus, we

come, we are dying here. In the pursuit of the

mission to become the savior of the world, Jesus

accomplished the things he accomplished from

this perspective of being a human and God. And

as a human, he had to learn not just what it

was to obey. He already knew obedience, but now

he had to learn the cost of obedience. What would

it be like to be tortured and crucified and to

bleed as part of obeying? He hadn't experienced

that before. He will have to experience it. And

for him, he learned the cost of obedience. And

because he learned the cost of obedience, and

he remained faithful to the mission, then the

Word of God says, he became perfected as the

high priest. He was able to now, as he accomplished

the mission to perfection, become the intercessor

between humans and God. The one that can reconcile

us to God himself. Because he the God man died

for the sins of people. And is able now to pay

for their guilt. And therefore he is the one

that can give forgiveness. Because he has become

the supreme high priest. And that mission to

become the high priest. Had to be accomplished

100 % to perfection. If it was 90 % done. it

will be a failed mission. If he was 99 .9 % complete,

it will be a failed mission. It had to be a perfect

mission all the way till the very last breath.

He had to die sinless and completely obedient

to the T, as we say. The plan had to be completely

accomplished. This is who Jesus was. Hebrews

says. For him to become the savior. That we worship.

And we say you have overcome. You have overcome.

Yes he overcame. But to a price. What was it

like for him. To become this savior. And what

did he have to go through. In order to overcome

the power of Satan. To oppose him. But we'll

discover in the rest of this study. In that there

were moments in which Jesus. As he is pursuing

the plan. Pursuing the mission. Following it

faithfully. There were specific moments in which

the opposer. Satan tried to maneuver him around.

To try to prevent him. from accomplishing the

mission, but at every moment, Jesus was much

more skilled with the ball. And he was able to

pass them and continue until he scores the game

and wins it. The first one of all those, we saw

in the first study of this series. By the way,

if you have missed the previous sessions, you

can access them in our website or in our app.

In the first study, we saw how Jesus had been

tempted by Satan directly. But in this temptation,

there's something that happens in the very last

part of that temptation that is very unique compared

to the other ones because the very last thing

deals directly with the mission that Jesus came

to accomplish. And Satan is going to try to be

sneaky. And caused Jesus to derail. What did

he do? Well, Satan approaches Jesus. And we are

told that in the last part of the interaction

with Jesus at that moment. The devil took him

to the very high mountain. And showed him all

the kingdoms of the world. And their splendor.

All this I will give you, he said. If you just

will bow down and worship me. Isn't that what

you're after? A kingdom? You want to reign over

creation? I can give it all to you. Just like

that. It will just take only a couple of seconds.

First just bow down in front of me right here.

Go. A few seconds and you will get it. What Satan

didn't understand is that the kingdom was just

the outcome. Jesus was not after a kingdom of

his own. Jesus was after a mission. And the mission

requires something that Jesus knew very well.

So Jesus immediately turns to the opposer, Satan.

And says to him, away from me Satan. For it is

written, worship the Lord your God and serve

him only. I'm not here. To get a kingdom. I'm

here to serve the father. And him only. I am

here for a mission. And a mission I'm going to

accomplish. So no. Get away from me. You are

becoming an obstacle for what God called me to

do. Get out of here. Get out of my way. So he

did. Then the devil left him. And angels came.

And attended him. Satan tries. To take something

that is true. And twist it just a little bit

enough. To make the person. Lose perspective.

But Jesus knows. Clearly what his mission is.

And he is not going to be deterred. And this

is exactly how Satan works with you and with

me. Jesus, what is your purpose? To establish

a kingdom? No, my purpose is to defeat Satan

so I can establish a kingdom. And the Bible says

that that kingdom that he receives from the Father,

he will reign over that kingdom. Until all his

enemies are destroyed. And then Jesus will turn

the kingdom back to the fathers. So the father

can be all in all. So even till the end, it's

not about the kingdom of Jesus. He knows that

it is so much more than that. You know what happens?

Is that this work of opposing is very sneaky.

Twisting you just enough so that you lose perspective

of your purpose. And your purpose is not your

career. It's not your advancement. Your purpose

is not retire early. The purpose is not that

you will establish a good reputation. And that

people will admire you. And that you will have

enough money to live on. That is not the purpose.

Maybe before you came to know Christ, that was

your purpose. But the moment that we start following

Jesus, our purpose has completely changed. Primarily

our purpose is to follow Jesus. And we follow

Jesus to seek his kingdom first. Because we are

here pursuing a mission that has eternal perspective.

And everything I do, everything I am, everything

that the Lord positions me to do is aligned with

that. So yes, you do have a career. Yes, you

do have a position. And yes, you do have a paycheck.

But those are simply tools to seek God's kingdom

first. Not my kingdom first. And it starts moving

so slowly that before you know it, you have lost

your perspective on your purpose. A few years

ago, I was talking to a dear friend of mine that

was a single lady at that time. And she was so

discouraged that day. She was in her late 20s

and in her mind that was old to get married.

And she loved the Lord. She was serving the Lord

and very committed to Christ. And she was discouraged

because all the friends were dating. They were

getting married. And she was being left behind.

And there was no suitable candidate for her.

Guys were around, but no, not really. They didn't

really love the Lord. So she was so discouraged.

And she was saying, you know, I will never get

married. I'm just going to grow all alone. And

I'll have to get used to that idea. And now if...

I want to have kids. The only way to have kids.

I will have to do some kind of in vitro. And

sperm donors. And all that stuff. And she was

like. Feeling very weighty. Very discouraged.

And as we are talking. And she is letting out

all these. Stupid things going on in her mind.

Once you say it. You realize. I don't really.

I don't really believe that. But that's what

I'm feeling. And she's getting all these things

out of. And we realize. You know what? You have

lost perspective. On your purpose. Your purpose.

My purpose. Is to follow Jesus. That's why we

call ourselves disciples of Jesus. Followers.

And we are following for the mission. And our

mission is not to get married and have kids.

If that's part of the package, praise God. If

that is not part of the package, praise God.

But I will never turn the mission into this mission.

Because the moment you do that, that is when

you start feeling the anxiety, the discouragement.

The deflating is because you have lost your purpose.

So what is your purpose, may I ask you? Is it

to follow Jesus and seek His kingdom first? Ah,

so you have forgotten your purpose. That is why

you're feeling the way you're feeling. You are

just experiencing the symptoms. It is time you

come to the Lord and realize, Lord, I've been

duped. The enemy got me on this one. The opposer

has been opposing me. I see it. Thank you, Lord,

for the truth. But there's a second moment in

which Jesus is going to experience the opposer

trying to deter him again. And this time it's

going to be a little bit different. Because it's

going to come. From one of his dear friends.

You see Jesus has been now serving for about

three years. Since his baptism. And since Satan

tempted him at the beginning. And offered him

the kingdom. Just by worshiping him. And Jesus

has been pursuing the mission faithfully. But

for the very first time. He's going to start

giving more details. To his apostles. So the

word of God says that as he starts engaging with

the apostles. He starts telling them. He then

began teaching them. That the son of man must

suffer many things. And be rejected by the elders.

The chief priests. The teachers of the law. And

that he must be killed. And after three days

rise again. Jesus knew all of these things. He

knew that the mission required a cost. Look,

I am going to suffer a lot in the days ahead.

As we enter Jerusalem, lots of suffering will

come upon me. I will be rejected by the leaders.

The top people will think that I need to die.

I will be opposed by them. I'm going to be crucified.

And I'm going to be killed. But don't worry I

will resurrect after that. Jesus knew all was

coming. By the way if you are wondering. Why

is Jesus calling himself the son of man? Doesn't

that mean that he is not God? The son of man.

Actually that is the opposite. This is a phrase

from the book of Daniel. And there is a vision.

In which Daniel says, I saw one at the end of

history that was coming in the clouds. And he

looked like a son of man. He had the shape of

a human. This was a human, I don't understand.

A son of man. And all nations worshipped him.

And only one can be worshipped. God. So this

phrase, by the way, that's a little parenthesis

to the study. Jesus is saying, you know, the

Son of Man will come. That's me. Jesus. But before

that can happen, I'll have to suffer. This was

intel. Classified intel. He's giving the apostles

for the mission. And at that moment, guess what

happens? Let's keep reading. He spoke plainly

about this. And Peter took him aside. And began

to rebuke him. It doesn't tell us what Peter

said to Jesus. But it tells us that Peter is

trying to try to deter Jesus from accomplishing

and doing exactly what he just said he was going

to do. Jesus, I can only imagine. What are you

talking about? We cannot lose you now. We are

so close to establishing the kingdom. Look, all

the people that are following you, you cannot

lose all these followers now. You are growing

in popularity. Jesus, what are you talking about?

Getting in the wrong side with the religious

leaders? No, we need to gain their respect. Jesus,

can we revise this plan for a moment? And Jesus,

Says that when Jesus turn. And look at his disciples.

He then turns to Peter. And he rebukes Peter.

And he says this. Get behind me Satan. You do

not have in mind. The concerns of God. But merely.

Humans concerns. He knows. Who is behind all

of this. And he knows that the strategy is to

just try to move him a little bit to deter him

from the mission. And Jesus is not going to have

it. He didn't have it directly from Satan. He's

not going to have it through the mouth of Peter.

He's not going to have it. He knows his mission.

He knows that it's going to be costly. But it

is not the fact that it's going to be costly

that is going to deter him from it. So he wants

to make very sure from that moment, this is a

teaching moment for him. So he's going to call

everybody. He's going to regroup everybody. He

gets Satan out of the way. He tells the people,

look, this is what's going to happen. And now

he says to the rest of the crowd that is following

him, come. Because I have to make something very

clear. We are about. To accomplish this mission

in a few weeks. And I've just told you the intel

of what this is going to look like. And we all

have to be on the same page. And if you're going

to follow me. I have to make something that is

very clear for all of us. So then he calls the

crowd to him. Along with his disciples and says.

Whoever wants to be my disciple. If you're going

to call yourself my follower. You must deny themselves

and take up the cross and follow me. For whoever

wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever

loses their life for me and for the gospel will

save it. Following me is going to cost you. And

I want to make sure that you get it from the

very beginning. Your life is not going to be

easier. The moment you start following me, it's

going to be hard. Because there's a reality,

a kingdom of darkness that is going to oppose

you. If you get to score the goal, it's going

to come to a high price. You will have to sweat

it. So if you think that following me is about

making your life easier, let's make sure that

we revise the contract right now. And that easy,

let's remove that word from there. Convenient,

let's remove that word from there. I want to

make sure that in your contract, that you are

reading and signing, you see, take up your cross.

Costly. Hardship. Because humans talk about convenience.

Humans are concerned about those things. I am

not concerned about the cost. I am concerned

about destroying the power of Satan so I can

save humanity and reconcile them to my Father.

That is my business. That will be your business

too. Is that clear? Wow. You could see how straightforward

and direct Jesus was. At that moment. But he

had to make it very clear. Because things were

going to get harder. In a few weeks. And at that

moment. Jesus knows exactly what his priority

is. And his priority. Is not to avoid inconvenience.

Or to cost down the cost. Of the mission. What

is your priority? Because if you are feeling

discouraged, because you start feeling, you know,

it's not really worth it. It's too hard to follow

Jesus. You know, and now that I'm going to church,

I had to change my schedule. I have to get up

early. Sunday is the only day that I used to

sleep in. Now I have to get up early. And now

they're asking me to do this and volunteer with

that and this and that, you know. And now you

start realizing there's a cost. Welcome to the

kingdom of Jesus. In reality, the problem is

not whether there's a cost or not. Because following

Jesus is costly, but so it is not following Jesus.

And actually following Jesus is most costly.

Because you have to pay for eternity. Your debt.

Whoa. Jesus paid for my debt. I don't have to

worry about eternity. It's just following him

here and now. You know, the way this works is

very interesting because it's just so sneaky.

No wonder the Bible describes Satan as a master

deceiver. One who disguises himself as an angel

of light. Because a deceiver deceives you in

a very sneaky way. It's just enough for you to

lose sight of it. You know, these glasses that

I have, they are trifocal. Which means that I

have three levels. That's why they're more expensive

than just simple glasses. So if I want to read

my phone, I have to go like this, you know, the

bottom part. If I'm in the computer, it's like...

And then the neck, you know, oh, my neck hurts.

Middle and then distance on the top. I was explaining

to a friend from Hong Kong, you know, I have

these trifocal glasses and I need to do the...

and she said, trifocal, what does that mean?

She didn't understand the words, so she looked

at her phone, Chinese translation, and she says,

oh, glasses for old people. I thought, okay,

well, that's something about language. Let's

call it trifocal. And with this trifocal, you

know, at the beginning, It's hard because your

brain has to get used to all the three levels.

Some of you have it, that process of getting

adjusted to it. But it just takes a little bit

of movement and it becomes blurry. Just a little.

And a little bit more and now it's really confusing.

You cannot see clearly anymore. And that is how

spiritual opposition works. It's like you suddenly

have so much clarity and something happened,

just a little move. And now it's like I feel

a little bit disoriented. Now I don't have clarity

anymore. And a little bit more and it's like

now I'm really confused. Now I really want to

quit. Now I really... And you have no idea that

you are under spiritual attack and the opposer

is trying to oppose you. To deter you from pursuing

the mission. And there is going to be a cost.

And we must be willing. And I remember wrestling

with it. Wrestling to the point that tears came

from my eyes. And I'm talking to God about it.

I've shared in the past a few times. The process

of coming here to Thailand. At the beginning,

I remember walking in this place. We had rented

an Airbnb at that time. And I'm thinking, Lord,

do you really want us to go there? Is this you?

If it's not you, I'm not going anywhere. It has

to be you. And I'm wrestling. My wife was born

here in Thailand. Her parents were missionaries

in Thailand. In fact, she's a Thai citizen. And

I see you. Her idea of coming to Thailand for

her was coming back home. So she was excited.

You know, if it was up to her, it was like, can

we go tomorrow? You know, and I am the one wrestling,

wrestling in this space because I'm thinking,

what about this? What about that? And this and

that. And lots of things. I remember our oldest

son had just graduated from high school and now

he's going to college. And he's like, he's going

to college and we're all the way to Asia and

separated like that. And then it's like all these

things and the change of teams. And I'm saying,

Lord, if this is you, and I had to tell my wife,

you know, it's like God is baking me. It's like

in the oven, you know. Take time. So let me,

don't try to make the process go quicker. I'm

still wrestling with the idea. When God is done

baking me, it will be fine. But I'm still being

baked. So let's keep praying through this. And

at that moment, I was reading the book of Luke

and that's when Jesus tells the people, look,

if you're not going to do what I tell you, don't

call yourself my disciple. I was like, oh, you

couldn't be more clear. Because disciple is follower.

And I was asking all the wrong questions. Yeah,

but what about, that's not convenient. That's

not nice. That's not the best time. And I was

like the worst soldier in the army. And Jesus

used his word to say, let's make this clear,

just like he did with his apostles. Just sit

down, let me look in your eyes, and let me ask

you something. Are you my disciple or not? Because

if this is me asking you to do this, Are you

going to follow me? Because if you're not going

to follow me, I have something to tell you. Stop

calling yourself my disciple. Because you're

not. You either follow me or you don't. And if

I tell you go, you go. Because you're following

me. And that's when it was baked. God could take

that out of the oven. And now we can say, yes,

Lord. I was asking all the wrong questions about

convenience. Human concerns. And when you're

in that place, you can indeed become discouraged.

But don't let the enemy dupe you. You live for

something so much bigger than that. And the third

moment of Jesus' experience was till the very

end. Now he's on the cross. He has suffered.

He has been rejected. He has been crucified.

And he is 99 .9 % done with the mission. But

not completely done yet. Remember what I told

you at the beginning. If it's not done to perfection,

it's a failed mission. And at that moment, Jesus

is on the cross. And Satan is going to use all

these people that are under his influence and

power. And try to do Jesus. One more time. Maybe.

Now that he's in a place of weakness. And pain

and susceptibility. Before he was just hungry.

But now. He's really suffering pain. He's bleeding.

He's weak. Let me try one more time. And at that

moment. As Jesus is hanging on the cross. The

word of God says. Those who passed by hurled

insults at him. Shaking their heads. And saying.

You who are going to destroy the temple and build

it in three days. Save yourself. Come down from

the cross. If you are the son of God. Come down.

In the same way that he preached. The teachers

of the law. And the elders mocked him. He saved

others. They said. But he can't save himself.

He is the king of Israel. Isn't he? Let him come

down. Now from the cross. And we will believe

in him. He trusts in God. Let God risk him now.

If he wants him. For he said. I am the son of

God. Prove yourself to us. We have a little bit

of space to still be convinced. Just do this

trick. If you do this trick and you prove yourself

to us. Then we will believe that you are the

son of God. We will believe that you are the

king of Israel. We will believe that you are

the Messiah. That your father really is your

father. We will believe in you. Just come down

from the cross. Prove yourself to us. You see,

if Jesus did that, the mission would have been

compromised. Can you imagine in that moment,

after being rejected, doubted, questioned, still

being... In that place I'm hearing, hey, convince

us. Prove it. But Jesus thankfully was committed

to the mission to the very end. And he stood

there. He stayed the course. Hanging. Until with

very little energy left. Before he dies. It's

one of the things he says. Pay him full. He commends

his spirit in God's hands and he dies. And now

he becomes the high priest. Perfected because

he accomplished the mission to perfection. But

now, part two of the mission. Entering the domain

of death. To destroy the power of Satan. Completely.

And for that we'll have to wait for Easter. So

a couple of weeks on that. But Jesus. Perfecter.

Thank you Lord. That you stayed. True. To the

mission. Satan try hard. Opposed him. Time after

time after time. But he could not win. And in

that place. Of trying to prove for yourself.

Is such a sneaky place. Because everything that

Satan tells you is true. You are the son of God.

Isn't God your father? Aren't you the king of

Israel? Aren't you the Messiah? I want to believe

you. Just prove it. Sneaky devil. You will find

your final judgment one day and you will be no

more. But when you find yourself in that place

of proving yourself, it's not from God. God did

not call you to prove anything. He called you

to follow Him. Listen to me. God did not call

you to prove anything. He just called you to

follow Him. There's nothing to prove. Nothing.

What are you trying to prove? That you deserve

to be where you are? That you deserve that promotion?

That you have worked hard enough. And therefore

you deserve. And you need to be seen and respected

and valued. That that is what you deserve. So

you're going to show them. Listen. You and I

deserve nothing. The only thing we deserve. Biblically

speaking. Is to die and go to hell. If you're

talking about what we deserve. That's what we

deserve. Everything that we have. is by God's

grace. So stop trying to prove anything. Why

are you trying to prove that you are worth of

respect, that you are worth of love? God already

said that He created you in His image and likeness.

That's respect enough. And God already said that

He loves you so much He sent Jesus to reconcile

you to Himself. You are loved enough. There's

nothing to prove. Nothing. And as long as you

are walking in that space. That you need to do

something to prove something. You are going to

be governed by fear. And the need to control.

And the anxiety that comes with the whole package.

If that is how you are feeling. No wonder you

are feeling that. You are where the Lord bless

you. Doing what he called you to do. If that

is true, that's all that matters. The truth will

speak by itself. And the only one that you're

accountable to is God himself. And one day, you

will be accountable to him and truth will be

completely clear. Satan is opposing you. Open

up your eyes. And tell Satan the same things

that Jesus said. Get away from me. I am a follower

of Jesus. I am on a mission. And I'm going to

continue doing what God called me to do. Because

I live here to bow down to no one but to my Father.

I will not bow down to fear. Let the rest of

the world bow down to that idol. But I will not.

This is what Jesus did. Purpose clear. Perseverance

till the end. Perspective, never losing it for

a second. And this is how he was able to overcome

and break through the power of Satan. And now

that you and I are following him, he's asking

us to do the same. To follow him in his steps.

And what happens is that the moment you misstep,

the moment, you start looking through the glasses

a little bit off, instead of having clear purpose,

clear perseverance, clear perspective, instead

what you're going to be experiencing is deep

anxiety, a divided heart, and fear and control.

And if this is where you are today, I'm here

to ask you in Jesus' name, would you turn to

Jesus today and give Him these things and say,

Lord, Reframe my thinking. Renew my perspective.

Restore my heart. That I can follow you. In this

mission. Until the end. So there you have it.

Jesus becomes the savior of the world. And he

learned obedience through suffering. And he was

perfected in his role as a savior because he

reached a perfect mission, 100%. And now he's

inviting you to walk in that freedom. And if

God has shown you that you have lost perspective,

purpose, that the reason why you have a divided

heart and you have deflated, It's because Satan

has opposed you and duped you. This is the moment

to tell the Lord, Lord, I'm here for you. Satan,

get behind me. You do not belong in my calling.

Let's read together what the word of God says

to us. Therefore, Since we are surrounded by

such a great cloud of witnesses. Let us throw

off everything that hinders. And the sin that

so easily entangles. And let us run where perseverance

the race marked out for us. Fixing our eyes on

Jesus. The pioneer and perfecter of faith. For

the joy set before him. He endured the cross.

Scorning his shame. And sat down at the right

hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endures

such opposition from sinners. So that you will

not grow weary and lose heart. Lord. You invited

us to consider you. As we face discouragement

and we have discovered a Savior that knows what

it's like to be committed to the mission and

to suffer through it. Even when you pray, if

there was another way to do it. If there's anyone

that is worth following, it's you. And Lord,

if we have lost our perspective, If we fell for

the trap of trying to prove something or build

our kingdom or let fear control us. If we've

been asking all the wrong questions about convenience

rather than impact. We're here in your presence

and we're asking you in this moment, Lord, encounter

us here and reframe our souls in Jesus' name.

If God is calling you to support our ministries,

you will find giving options on our website.

And remember to join us next week. God bless

you.