CONSECRATED CONFIDENCE | ZACH MEERKREEBS

so um Eden mayir crebs my 8-year-old she

has like a lion's man of red hair and

like three teeth right now and uh you

probably have never done this before as

parents but I was short with her and

Rose my voice you've never done that

parents no good praise God um but I was

a punk and then I dropped her off at

school and then I just felt like trash

the whole day anybody relate to

that he he wooed feeling like trash so

let's do an ultra call come

here so I felt I felt like a punk so I

pick her up and I'm like babe like I'm

I'm so sorry Dad spoke to you in a way

that dads don't SP speak to girls to

daughters um and I just need to ask for

your

forgiveness and we get into the house

and I'm like wow she's like she's not

giving me an answer

like wow and she's like come sit

down I'm like all right

Reverend so I sit down and she's like

Daddy it's okay let's just do a little

bit better next

time and in my spirit I was like it took

you 14 hours to put on your shoes like

no just kidding parents get that joke

it's hard to put on their shoes and

we're sitting there and she's like let's

just do a little bit better next time

time and then she says something really

profound which is ultimately my my heart

and prayer for this time together she

says let do a little bit better next

time and look a little bit more like

Jesus by

bedtime and that's brilliant cuz some of

y'all this morning are giving Church a

chance and you're like I got to get my

life together I got to I gotta like

maybe if I go to church I'll be done

with that addiction or maybe if I go to

church like my marriage will get all

better Mar and sometimes supernaturally

that does

happen and someone is freed or there is

breakthrough but often the journey with

Jesus is Little Steps looking a little

bit more like Jesus by bedtime and if

you think about it if you look a little

bit more like Jesus by bedtime for a

year I'm not good at math I went to

Bible college but I think that will end

up looking a lot more like

Jesus you know I mean two years of

looking look a little bit more like

Jesus by bedtime that night you look a

lot more like Jesus and that is our goal

we're not here to gather information

we're not here to hear good music we're

not here to you know what I mean to

check a box of church we're here to look

more like Jesus so then our friends who

do not yet know Jesus would be

captivated by how you live out your

faith and then become curious and be

like why do you do marriage that way why

do you do parenting that way why do you

fail that way why do you post that way

well it's because I have the spirit of

God that lives inside me and I have a

best friend named Jesus and I'm belov

loved by the father and I act this way

if you're about this for some other

reason then you might be at the wrong

Church don't tell Luke I said that but

we're here to look a little bit more

like Jesus and and I've heard of this

Church's hunger who here has been

blessed even just in the last 10 days of

what God's doing here

amen praise God for Hunger because

hunger has a best friend I think when

hunger really really is present in our

spirit I really believe its best friend

is a is a

humility you can't be prideful and

hungry you can't be like I'm good and be

hungry you know what I mean you have to

be humble and I wish I had a word today

to like pour fuel on what God's doing

here about courage or lingering in

worship or the presence of God or tell

stories about Asbury University where we

saw God fall for 16 days tumors were

disappearing people getting out of

wheelchairs eyes were being open I have

a good friend who leads worship two

years ago she was blind now she's

not by the grace of God that's

awesome we saw we saw

47,000 people come to the Christ in 16

days and evangelism yeah evangelism I

wasn't even good at it you just kind of

say this is what's happening you want in

and you're like yes don't mind if I do

that's what happens when the Manifest

presence of God Falls

and it doesn't look like this if you go

to Asbury University the chairs give you

splinters they're so old we got no fog

machines there's like a LED wall here

that has like a dove flapping we don't

got

that but the Manifest presence came and

I wish I could tell you stories about

that and just be like okay take that and

plop in Orlando and you'll be good I'm

not going to say that the word I have is

hunger's best friend it's

humility I believe throughout scripture

God is confronting Pride I think this is

the ultimate like if you were to look at

the root of every sin it's

Pride it

is and if you were to look at the

character of God when he comes in

specific places on specific people

through the Old Testament and then he

comes in Capital H humility humility

personified Jesus in the New Testament

and then when Jesus ascends we get the

holy spirit that initiates and empowers

us to be humble to be captivating

countercultural deciples of Jesus the

message today is on

humility and it can't be on anything

else and I'm grateful for a church that

will go there I'm grateful for Luke and

Lindsay I want to tell you right now and

this is all say about Luke that's

confident and encouraging

I'm Luke is substantially more gifted

and impressive in private than what you

see for 40 minutes on stage on Sundays

and that is that is not

normal he is unbelievably gifted up here

it's one of the greatest communicators

I've learned I've listened and learned

from but he is substantially better in

private he's a man of God and I cannot

come to his house and not encourage his

church to be like y'all he's the real

deal this family is the real deal so I

want to pray over our time and then get

into our message so Jesus I pray a

simple prayer that anything from Zach

will it be forgotten would they even

forget my name would they forget uh

anything that's just woo or humor or

whatever we just consecrate that and set

that aside for whatever you want but

Jesus anything from you Holy Spirit

anything from you anything from your

word that's intended for their formation

and the impact of the Kingdom would it

find fertile soil in their hearts so

even right now if they have a hardened

heart soften it in Jesus name if they

have soil that's not that's not been

tended to if if I pray that you would

fertilize that that would be fertile

soil for the spirit of God to plant a

seed in jesus' name Jesus and we we pray

that they would not be impressed by

worship or Tech or creativity or sermon

but they would experience a

demonstration of spirit's power the

confidence would be in God and not in

Zach Jesus help me uh desperately need

you in jesus' name amen

so we're going to start with a exciting

uh doodle I was an art major you're not

going to be

tell that was my Disney

like so we're going to talk about

confrontation who here loves the word

confrontation no one because we're

Christians um confrontation is a Godly

thing confrontation when it's from God

is a good thing who here has been

confronted by God in a sin pattern or to

share their faith or has anyone been

confronted before some call it

conviction but we're confronted we're

confronted and there's this book called

invitation to a journey by author named

Robert

Mulholland uh it's tremendous book on

spiritual formation if you if You' like

a good read get that book and he talks

about how we will be confronted in the

points of our life that we're the most

unlike

Jesus okay it's not rocket science but

if this is Jesus his teachings his

character all the amazing things of

Jesus and this is me I'm going to

experience confrontation in the places

where don't I don't line up with Jesus

the most does that make sense so if I

have an anger problem or a purity

problem or an addiction

problem I'm going to feel that like a

confront ation sometimes now Jesus's

character says he's kind humble and

gentle but his kindness leads us to

repentance so looking a little bit more

like Jesus by bedtime would be

slowly allowing yourself to be

confronted maybe it's through church

maybe it's through quiet time maybe it's

through moments where you're Punk to

your kids and you have to

apologize maybe it's you can't find your

keys and you respond in a way that's not

godly maybe it's something that

that you you see on this on the road and

you you road rage and you're confronted

by it maybe it's something big like an

addiction has cost you a job or a

marriage whatever it is these

confrontations can destroy you or form

you and the reality is is you continue

to be formed that someday they don't see

a whole lot of you they just see a whole

lot of

Jesus and that's the goal but when we're

confronted we have two choices if we

simplify it's frustration and

consecration consecration is setting it

apart for God to use

it frustration is throwing up your hands

and being like I can't believe I'm going

through

this and often when we're confronted and

choose frustration we all recoil back

all to be confronted again and many of

us many of my friends who have left the

church I don't know if you have some

friends who have left the church they

have been confronted and choose

frustration and it just turns into this

wheel of frustration and confrontation

and then they start believing the lie

that Jesus doesn't have power the Holy

Spirit can't free them and it feels like

they're like hit by a wave you know when

you hit by a wave and you don't know

which way is up they just live like that

and then they leave the

church when maybe they could set

something aside even if it's an extra

spicy confrontation or extra

confrontation that they don't really

like what they're being confronted with

would they stay in it and say Lord but

I'm not going to waste confrontation

does anyone want to not waste

confrontation I don't know about you if

I'm going to be confronted I don't want

it I want to get I want to milk it for

all it's worth you know what I

mean so they choose frustration all to

be confronted again or they choose

consecration to say Lord whatever you're

doing whatever you're calling out in

this moment I want to say use it for

your will use it so at the end of this

situation maybe it's losing a job maybe

it's a breakup maybe it's a divorce

maybe you're a punk to your kid whatever

it is we set it aside for special use

for him to form in us a little bit more

like Jesus by bedtime amen and I believe

one of the most confrontational things

in this world we live in a world of

pride and

arrogance right doesn't matter what you

believe politically where you live what

city you live in what your faith story

is where you work you probably run into

a regular Cadence of arrogance and

pride so I believe one of the most

confrontational messages and one of the

most countercultural captivating and

compelling things a Christian can be is

humble is

humble so I'm passionate about in these

last couple years really wrestling with

because I've been captivated by Jesus's

humility you know I grew up an orthodox

Jew only Christian in my

family I was born in Israel moved to the

states every male in my family is a

rabbi then I was confronted by

Jesus and for a while I chose

frustration all to be confronted by

Jesus in his kindness and then in

November 29th 2006 I gave my life to the

Lord and consecrated my life and said

Lord whatever you got I'll

take this is not only spiritual

formation this is

salvation who here has been confronted

by the best news in the world not just

good news good news is we're getting

tacos later best news is Jesus died on

the cross for my

sins this is also not only salvation but

if you look at macro if you were to

layer this on Orlando or maybe if we

layered this on this church is this

possibly what God's doing at this church

is confronting this

church with his power and presence and

would this church not choose frustration

and just doing it like we always do but

saying Lord what do you want what do you

have for us we'll take all of

it and I believe a key part of that is

humility so here's my definition of

humility we're going to walk through

this and then we're going to go to

Philippians 2

5-11 humility is first agreeing with the

biblical assessment of who he is and who

I am you could stop right there agreeing

with the biblical assessment of who he

is and who I am

so the first thing we could ask is

what's the cost of disagreeing with a

Biblical assessment of who he is and who

I am what's the cost of just not

agreeing with what we believe Jesus is

who he is the cost is very high

disagreeing with a Biblical assessment

of who he is and who I am requires an

awful lot of

Pride it's like me looking at a

astrophysicist I said it right this time

and astrophysicist which I don't

honestly know exactly what they do I

think it's physics and space I don't

know it's like if I look at an

astrophysicist I'm like you know I know

you do physics in space I think but I

know Stars

too and I've watched Apollo

13 and I'm going to tell you what I

think you guys giggle because it's silly

it's prideful it would be foolish amen

well imagine if I look at the king of

kings the Lord of lords the one who

breathe out the stores the one who sent

his son to die on a cross for me the one

who like created all of this and said

you know what I know you say that about

me but you're wrong you didn't see what

I did into the seventh

grade how foolish and prideful can you

be so we have to agree with what kind of

assessment

what not your dad's assessment

not your mom's assessment not even

Church's

assessment not what Instagram says about

you or the mirror says about

you not what your bosses say about

you what you say about you but a

Biblical assessment first who he is and

in light of who he is who I am and some

of you guys right there you're

like when I really think of who God is

and who I am I feel like trash anybody

relate

some of that is called the conviction of

the Holy Spirit and some of that is

exactly where Satan wants

you

because though we are broken in need of

a savior he also says we're beloved and

adopted and some of you this this this

is something that I'm passionate about

some of you guys when I start talking

about

humility you're like I could not I

cannot stand a a season of humbling I

cannot stand this and I want to tell you

some of you guys are in a season of what

you think is humbling but it's actually

humiliation does anyone relate that

you're in a season where you just cannot

win and you just feel

humiliated you just feel like I want to

tell you this some of you guys need to

know this when when you're

humiliated humiliation and humility can

come from the exact same situ situation

the exact same story but it's narrated

by two different

people when you're in a season of

humiliation even if it's

rough and you let Satan or self or the

world or Instagram or whatever narrate

that situation you'll probably feel like

you're in a pit of

humiliation but if you let a situation

be narrated by the spirit of God in

scripture and Jesus's love for you you

will get humbled and humbled is good I

got fired from my first church because

of my pride and I projected myself in

such a way that I couldn't live up to

it I get fired from my first church and

I go from preaching at a church like

this to making

donuts and I remember I just feeling so

humiliated and Jesus met me as I'm

frying donuts and saying this does not

have to be

humiliating it can be

humbling and I think that that's an

invitation for some of us when we hear

about humility I want to remind you I'm

not in the business of humiliating

anybody and Jesus is not

either but if we're going to follow

Jesus we're going to follow him into the

places and purposes and characteristics

of our savior and that is

humility so we agree with the biblical

assessment of who he is and it's rooted

in belovedness from our adoption from

the father so we don't feel like trash

Romans 8:1 14-17 says those who walk by

Romans 8:1

the spirit are children of God does

anyone here walk by the

spirit four

people all right another alter call no

if you are a

Believer and he has imputed his

righteousness if Jesus put his

righteousness on you that means the Holy

Spirit rushes in and the father sees you

as a son and daughter and Jesus you'll

see soon sees you as a friend and the

Holy Spirit sees you as a temple to fill

so those who walk by the spirit does

anyone walked by the spirit thank you

are children of God they have not

received the spirit of slavery good news

but the spirit of adoption so they can

cry out ABA father and I love this it

says and the spirit of God testifies

within them of their adoption so I don't

even have to be good at preaching on ad

on adoption and belovedness I just can

look at my brother right here and be

like spirit of God bless my brother

right now and testify of his adoption

and that's a Biblical prayer and I

believe if he allows it the holy spirit

will remind him of belovedness cuz

scripture says it will so when you walk

into an interview and you feel like you

got no business going for this job would

you whisper spirit of God testify in my

adoption when you're shooting an email

and you just don't know how it's going

to go you can pray in that moment Spirit

of living God testify my adoption when

you're going to the In-laws you just

don't know where you stand it's been a

tough couple years could you pray spirit

of God I don't know how that guy thinks

about me but I know God father sees me

as a beloved Son testify in my adoption

and that's humble to know who you

are so we're rooted in belovedness and

it's walked out in

friendship I wrote a book on humility

and that's

hard and I have been prideful plenty of

times in writing that book and traveling

and speaking about it and I could feel

like trash about that or I could just

follow my friend who is a perfect

example of humility and gives me Grace

when I get it

wrong humility is walked out in

friendship with Jesus John 15:15 says

John 15:15

you are no longer a slave because slaves

don't know what the the father or the

the master is up to but you are a friend

because I will reveal to you everything

that the father has revealed to me do

you know when Jesus looks at you he does

not see you as a

slave religion makes you feel like a

slave Jesus calls you

friend and when we pursue this

characteristic of Christ we can walk it

out in Friendship but the sad reality is

is no one here actually wants to be

humble our flesh hates things of

God so that the Holy Spirit initiates

and empowers

us it says that the heart of man is

deceitful it says that our

flesh lusts against the things of the

spirit so if you have any desire to

pursue Jesus in humility I would give

thanks to God who lives inside of you in

his Spirit who is initiating and

empowering them but I would believe that

there's people in this room I'll just

call it out that hate that we have a

message on humility and usually I've

I've noticed that it's older men who

really

successful those are the people that

usually come and talk to me and I just

want to ask Holy Spirit initiate and

Empower us for the better

things would they not be compelled by

preaching or study but holy spirit

initiate and Empower us to look more

like Jesus by bedtime

amen so where do we go from here I think

it really matters because humility is

misunder OD by the church often it's it

leads us to being

subdued to being a pushover when we

misunderstand humility when we

misunderstand humility we're subdued we

become a

pushover I also want to tell everyone

that introverts just because you're

quiet and private doesn't mean you're

humble some people think we become weak

or humility is just neness some of you

guys need to know that the fruit of the

spirit does not include neness

includes kindness and some of you also

need to know who are all fired up about

Jesus in these prayer nights and Revival

also need to know that intensity is not

for the spirit either we can have some

fun we believe that we if we

misunderstand humility we're subdued and

it's often called false

humility we're usually projecting

something because we have a

misunderstanding of how carrying this in

a humble way way would

look we might be afraid of being

prideful or we might be afraid of being

cancelled who here is unbelievable at

something tell

me like super

gifted this happens at every Church no

one speaks up because we believe the lie

that we can't be exceptional at things

but if I've been given a gift from the

Lord it actually tells me to do it unto

the Lord so it should be

exceptional right so who here is

exceptional at something is uniquely

gifted at

something yeah what do you what do you

get

at public speaking I'll need some

coaching that's intimidating for you to

say that I'm just

kidding take that and and use it don't

subdue it who else is

gifted all of you the spirit of God

gives you

gifts but we often are subdued do you

want Luke to start not prepping for

sermons and and really kind of like

mailing it in on

stage no you want him to just consecrate

it unto the Lord do you want the piano

player to like have no clue what he's

doing no do you want your

surgeons to like mess up once in a while

because they're getting

cocky no do you want your accountant to

just flub once in a while because you

don't want him to get prideful

no don't subdue yourself I think Satan

loves when the church is subdued because

we should be the most vibrant

communities in the world this church

should be the most vibrant captivating

place in all of

Orlando not because we're prideful but

because the spirit of God Lives within

you and gives you

gifts and it's not for your own gain

it's not to grow this church it's to win

people to

Jesus we also have to understand that

Pride does not Auto just because you're

loud doesn't mean you're

prideful this is really key just because

you have convictions doesn't mean you're

prideful just because you believe that

there is a Biblical mandate a Christian

world view on what God says about

sexuality and gender does not mean

you're prideful just because you believe

that God says some things about our

neighbors and Aliens who come people

that aren't from here who come you can

have convictions you're going to have

convictions about the Holiness of God's

word that doesn't mean you're prideful

just because you're extroverted doesn't

mean you're prideful just because you're

strong and confrontational doesn't mean

you're

prideful humility is consecrated

confidence humility is consecrated

confidence it's everything that you're

gifted in everything that God says about

you everything you have just unto the

Lord if you got millions of dollars in a

beautiful car neat just consecrate

it if you got abs

I don't know what that's

like I don't I like

gluten but if you got him just

consecrate your body as a temple it's

not for other people it's not for your

own

Advantage if you're unbelievable at

business you don't need to flex it on

people if you're unbelievable at

speaking you don't need to flex it on

people if you're a really good Mom just

don't flex it it's unto the

Lord It's consec ated

confidence so where do we go if we want

to have consecrated confidence who is

the one who exemplifies consecrated

confidence Jesus Jesus isn't like well I

don't know you know no he comes and he

knows he's the son of God and he came to

seek and save which is lost he faced

Like Flint on the cross he

knew consecrated confidence so we go to

a picture of Jesus and one of my

favorite passages Philippians 2

5-11 if you desire to look more like

Jesus in humility these verses would be

a great passage to memorize and hide in

your heart like a

seed okay Philippians 2:5 through

Philippians 2:5–11

11 and this is called the ktic hymn Can

someone say ktic

hym this was a song that the early

church would

sing it was all about Jesus's humility

it's all about Jesus's humility we sing

songs about his Holiness we sing songs

about the lion with within us to sing

out en courage right we just sung those

songs but the early church sung of his

humility why do you think that

is to be reminded of it they lived in a

culture where pride and sexuality and

whatever you want to do you just do it

is

Rome don't you think they probably need

to be reminded that their life isn't

their own that if Jesus didn't Flex all

that he could do we shouldn't either

they were also being killed and

martyred they probably need to be

reminded that Jesus humbled himself to

the point of

death I wonder if we started singing

songs about Christ's humility to remind

us but Philippians 2:5-11 if you were to

Philippians 2:5–11

Doodle it out it looks like this it's a

stairs down

the canotic passage or the kosis uh is

this God is in heaven though he was

equal with God he did not see equality

with God as something to be grasped so

he came took the form of a servant a man

and he didn't only he didn't become man

to flex on us and rule over us but he

took the form of a

servant not just serving like really

rich people in beautiful places and not

getting dirt between his nails but one

who would die

and not only one who would die when he's

89 holding hands with his family

listening to music but one who would die

a humiliating death on the cross for

us he took stairs down when the world

tells us to climb stairs he takes stairs

down this is the life of Jesus so we're

going to spend the rest of our time

cruising through this and I'm already

way behind so first he did not count

equality with God as something to cling

to this is verse

six we cling to things that we're afraid

of losing cling things that we are that

feel scarce we often cling to things

that we think are mine I earn

this what do you cling to for value and

worth what do you cling to for your

agendas and your entitlement is it a

position is it a number of in your bank

account is it a car is it your role at

work is it your body is it who what your

spouse looks like is it what your

Christmas pictures look like is it what

your post looks like is it what how many

followers you have on your social media

is it a job is it a title is it the

neighborhood you work at is it the

school you went to or the degrees you

have what do you cling to and I'm not

saying we have to suck at what we do

unto the

Lord we should be exceptional but we

shouldn't cling to

it and the NIV it says who in the very

nature of God did not consider consider

equality with God as something to be

used for his own

Advantage what are you using for your

own

Advantage the Amplified version which is

a translation that kind of weaves in

commentary it says it dipped down to the

bottom it says he did not regard

equality with God as a thing to be

grasped or

asserted as if he did not already

possess it or was afraid of losing it he

wasn't operating in

security not knowing if he possesses it

he knew who he was consecrated

confidence but he and he also wasn't

afraid of losing it because it's not

about

him so he did not grasp or cling but

emptied

himself emptied himself the kakim or the

kosis passage that's the Greek word for

empty he emptied

himself in 2 Kings 4 it's a passage in

the Old Testament you can go spend some

time there this week if you want to

wrestle with this but in 2 Kings 4

there's a widow and a widow is going to

lose his her two sons to slavery

rightfully so she owed money and she

goes to a prophet and the prophet says

what do you have and the Widow says I

only have a little bit of oil so imagine

if this was just a little bit of oil and

she said and the prophet says go and

gather empty vessels and as long as you

pour out the little bit of oil in the

empty vessels they will fill up

miraculous you can sell them to save the

Next

Generation what kind of

vessels what big strong

ones Big Shiny

ones really well made

ones what

kind and what

happened when they ran out of empty

vessels does anyone

know the oil stopped flowing

miraculously

so as long as there was empty vessels

the oil was pouring and I want to

testify over the last two years since

Asbury I've traveled the world I've hung

out on college campuses and conferences

and churches and with politicians and

I've hung out with a guy named Luke and

it seems like the oil of God is pouring

out on this

church I feel like the oil of God is

pouring out on college campuses in a

very unique way right now I think God

you know yesterday there was a gathering

a global Gathering called gather 20 5 I

believe the oil is pouring out and if

the oil is pouring out what do we need

to make sure we

have empty vessels if Jesus were to be

looking all over Orlando all over United

States and said I'm going to pour out my

spirit would he find this church to be

an empty

vessel you know it's really hard to be

uh it's really hard to be full of the

spirit when you're full of

yourself it's really hard for a room to

be full of the Manifest presence of God

when you fill it with all your plans and

agenda all your ego we need to find

empty vessels Jesus was an empty vessel

and because of that he took the form of

a servant verse 7 took the form of a

servant being mourn into likeness of

man you know the King of Kings the Lord

of lords the one who was Seated on the

throne spent 33 years with limits as a

creature he had like he grew up and he

might have had acne as a

teenager he might have had like knobby

knees he probably cried when he was

little and he needed Mary he had limits

he burped he

farted he got

hungry and some reason the church

believes that we can't have limits as

disciples some of you guys live at such

a life and you engage spirituality at

such a way that you really believe that

you have to be a

superhero anybody do you

relate that you really believe that you

have to be superhuman when Jesus came in

the form of a servant in the likeness of

man he Delights in calling you a son and

a daughter substantially more than if he

could call you Superman or Wonder Woman

he does my counselor I go to counseling

every

week praise God for steuart Palmer

where's a big sweater has a thick

southern accent and he says Jesus did

not come to cancel your Humanity

but to encounter it use it minister to

it and

heal some of you guys need to know some

of the most practical steps you can take

towards humility is starting to live

within your limits because you're a

creature and he's the

Creator so he didn't grasp and cling to

the things he could have he emptied

himself to to become a servant not only

servant but a man becoming obedient to

the point of death even death on the

cross even death on the cross and now he

invites you to die that's the life of

discipleship that you would come and die

that you would come and pick up your

cross daily Galatians 2:20 says for I no

Galatians 2:20

long I've been crucified with Christ I

no longer live but he lives in me and I

live in this body by trusting in the Son

of God who gave his life for me do you

know that if you want to be humble

you're going to have to understand that

you've been you've been

crucified like if if if this room is

full of Christ followers than this room

each chair could be like a

tombstone and it would be a beautiful

Cemetery of of disciples who understand

it's not my life but his I've been

crucified with Christ I no longer live

some of you guys need to like remember

whatever number is on your seat and be

like that's when I

died that's when I died to self

and when we think about death seems kind

of scary but I want to go back to this

doodle we see death on the cross as his

lowest

moment the world would say a humiliating

death a criminal's death would be his

lowest moment would you agree and some

of you guys have had a humbling season

and you might see that God you might

think that God sees that as your your

lowest moment or the people around you

you might perceive that oh I'm just like

at my

lowest we serve a God that dwells in the

Low

Places we serve a God that descends

staircases to

beauty and many people on Earth would

have said when he was hanging on the

cross for our sins it was his lowest

moment but with Biblical worldview with

Heaven's lenses we would know that his

lowest moment on the cross was actually

the Pinnacle of his life on

Earth the highest moment of power and

impact was what the world would say was

his lowest moment hanging on the

cross what if we go lower and we

experience some of the most profound

things the Lord has for us what if your

family was healed if you just chose

humility

what if your business took off because

you stopped cutting corners and

projecting but chose

humility what if some of that conflict

in your relationship was healed because

we would go lower and not cling to

things we think we deserve and our

owed how amazing would it be if you led

that person to Christ in your living

room because you didn't Flex on them but

you went low and served them what if the

most beautiful moments in our lives

could be the lowest places of humility

there's a gentleman named Andrew Murray

Andrew Murray uh was a revivalist in

South Africa a long long time ago and

this is a

quote here's the path to the higher

life down lower

down some of you guys have come and you

want life to get better you want the

John 10:10 he has come to give life and

John 10:10

life abundant some of you guys want

something profound and I believe this

touches on something that when it comes

to Kingdom economics when it comes to

God the higher life is down lower down

and I love this image just as water

always seeks to fill the lowest place

when it rains it puddles up in the

lowest place when he pours out his

spirit I believe it is collecting in the

lowest places so the moment of God when

he finds men abased and empty his glory

and power Flows In to exalt and

bless just as water always seeks and

fills the lowest place just as Jesus's

most impactful the Pinnacle of impact

seemingly was the lowest moment of his

life that is when God will

come that's what we saw two years ago at

Asbury is a humble unimpressive place

there was 19 students that were fed up

of inauthentic love and suicidal

ideation and provision on their

phones

1,500 students left 19 students moved to

the front row and contended to

experience the love of God within an

hour the altar was soaked with

tears imagine if you put your hands down

on the Altar and you're like oh someone

spilled no someone

cried that lasted for days we have boxes

and boxes of smartphones that were

turned into us cuz they just didn't want

to mess with their addiction anymore

vape pens we have so we don't anymore we

had so much drugs it was

wild that's what happens when people

will go low and be encountered by the

Lord they are met might God meet us

today might we descend the steps into

here humility not climb the ladder of

worldliness here is the path to higher

life down lower down just as water

always seeks to fill the lowest place so

the moment of God finds men a Bas and

empty his glory and power flow into

exalt and

bless this church is experiencing

something really profound and

beautiful it's time to go

lower it's time to empty ourselves to

receive all that God has so in response

we're going to pray and there's

something in prayer about our

posture sometimes as beautiful it is is

like just opening up your hands does

something to your spirit because that

posture shows that you want something

you need

something sometimes it's getting on your

knees sometimes it's getting on your

belly sometimes you hold hands with

people because you need their strength

that I wonder if we as we go into

worship or whatever happens at this

church these worship Gatherings would we

start taking a posture of radical

humility would we go lower so as we

pray there's something about enthroning

Jesus when you behold Jesus you go

lower there's a moment in

Revelation that the only people that

should have crown

fall to his their knees and cast their

crowns before Jesus there's some people

in this room right now that their heads

are heavy with crowns and you're not

made to carry those crowns you're

supposed to put them at his feet they're

not for

you and if you're really good at what

you do that just means more crowns at

his feet not on your

head that's what happens when we're in

the presence of God we're in the

presence of God we Behold Him we go low

and we cast our crowns so I pray that

that would happen maybe even

today and that he could meet us so as I

pray to close I I invite you maybe you

take a posture of humility if you're

able maybe it's getting on your knees

maybe it's coming up and getting on your

belly maybe it's just opening up your

hands maybe it's bowing your head but

would we in these

moments take a posture of humility and

in these moments I pray Jesus would you

be generous with your voice and holy

spirit would you be generous with your

presence would you do a new thing so why

don't we take a posture

as we go back into

worship as you feel

led Jesus thank you so much that you

went

first that you descended that you came

as John 3:16 Says for you so loved the

John 3:16

world you sent your one and only

son to

come so thank you for your love that you

were willing to descend to be in our

midst so Jesus would we be men and women

that descend into

humility and just like the end of

Philippians 2 because you did that Jesus

you were highly exalted so would you do

the exalting not

us we pray that we would be comfortable

in the lower

seats that the host would invite us up

and we' walk in consecrated

confidence Jesus I pray for the

giftedness in this room I pray for the

vibrancy in this room the except iism in

this room I pray that you would

consecrate it and breathe life onto it

that this would be a vibrant

place not a subdued

Place Jesus would you teach us to go

lower would you even in friendship with

you hold our hand down those stairs CU

they sometimes feel quite

scary I pray for those who feel

humiliated I pray that they would stop

narrating their own story that they

would not listen to Satan narrating that

story

or the world but they would hear your

voice and that you lead them into

humility Jesus we thank you for today we

pray that anything from Zach will it be

forgotten fall to the ground like dust

but anything from you holy spirit will

it find fertile soil in their hearts

produce for their formation and for the

advancement of the Kingdom in Orlando in

this nation and around the world Jesus

we love you can't believe we get this

would you meet us do a new thing in our

midst amen