What Are You Looking At? | Pastor Jesse Jernigan | 6.21.26 (Sermon)

Position your heart to receive what the

Lord wants to do and grab your Bibles

and go with me to Matthew chapter 6. If

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

you can stand, I'm going to read two

verses of scripture. I promise I ain't

going to make you stand for too long

right now, but I feel like we stand for

everything else.

Hello, somebody. We can stand for the

word. I think that's important. Matthew

chapter number six and verse number 22.

When you get there, say, "I got it."

>> All right, I'll wait. That didn't sound

like the majority. We'll hold. We'll

hold. Hey, you got it. You [music] go,

babe. I'm proud of you. I I want to say

this as you're turning there. I just

want to thank God for my my precious

family. Uh Sister Alex got a chance to

testify about what the Lord did in their

house last night. I just want to give a

chance to testify about what the Lord

did in our house last night. My babies

and my wife, they came to me and said,

"We have something special we want to do

for you for Father's Day." And I was

like, "All right. When I [snorts] open

this envelope, it's going to be an all

expenses paid trip to Pebble Beach. It's

going to be great. No, I'm kidding. Any

golfers in the house? Come on. You know

what I'm talking about. But no, they

gave me something that money cannot buy

last night. And I wouldn't want anything

different for Father's Day. They sat at

my feet while I sat on the couch with a

bucket full of water, which Arley

thoroughly enjoyed playing in.

They sat there with a bucket full of

water and each one of them had [music] a

towel and they took turns speaking over

me and thanking God for who I was in

their life. And can I tell you that no

money can buy that. No, no gift can

replace that eternal gift. So, I want to

tell y'all thank you so much for doing

that. That did more for my heart than

you will ever know. So, I love you and I

thank you. You guys are amazing. You

made my Father's Day the best Father's

Day ever and I appreciate you so very

much. So, I just had to brag on my

family for a minute. So, amen. Let me

dry my eyes so I can read the Bible.

Hello, somebody.

Matthew 6 verse number 22.

Let's start reading there. It says, "The

lamp of the body is the eye.

If therefore your eye is good, your

whole body will be full of light.

But if your eye is bad, now he's not

talking about if you wear glasses or

don't wear glasses. So everybody take a

breath. All right? We ain't talking

about that. He said if your eye is bad,

your whole body will be full of

darkness.

But then there was something that I

don't know that I'll have time to get

into all this today, but this last

little statement of 23. If therefore the

light that is in you is darkness,

how great is that darkness?

What the writer was really saying in

this poetic term and terminology is

basically in that last line, he was

saying, if you believe what is in you is

right even though it's wrong, that is a

far greater darkness called deception.

And so today I feel the assignment of

the Lord in this moment. I want to read

it one more time. The lamp of the body

is the eye. If therefore your eye is

good, your whole body will be full of

light. But if your eye is bad, your

whole body will be full of darkness. And

so my question the Holy Spirit has given

to to everyone in the room, every

father, every mother, every child, every

teenager, whoever you may be. The

question for the day is this. What are

you looking at?

Look at your neighbor say, "What are you

looking at?" Now, you could get real

sassy with them and you let him and say,

"What are you looking at?"

But you may not like the answer that you

get if you ask them like that. Come on,

somebody.

any any kids back in the 90s, you know,

hey, that's that's you know, they always

look I'm not you figured it out yet.

When I let you I figure I'll let you

know. You know, that's crazy. But the

question remains and we have to grapple

with today is what are you looking at?

And today I have a wonderful opportunity

to dedicate a beautiful Bible for sister

Linda Carmichael given to her on

Mother's Day. It took me a minute to get

here, but I got here. We're here. And so

we're going to bless this Bible as we

pray. and we're going to bless the word

of God that he will speak directly to

our hearts. Come on, will you pray with

me today? Father, I thank you for this

word. I thank you, Lord, for what you

have done in our hearts and how you've

moved in our lives. And today, I'm

thankful I get to dedicate this Bible,

Lord, uh for the betterment of Sister

Linda, her family, God, for her

spiritual walk. Lord, everything, Lord,

that you have for her, Lord, I pray that

you would unlock it through this word.

Lord, let her see it clearly. Let her

understand it deeply, God. Let her apply

it to every part of her life. Let it be

a blessing to everything she does and

everything she says. God, we thank you.

And for your scripture today, God, we

give you honor. We give you praise for

how you've moved and how you've touched.

And Lord, today, help our eyes to see

what you want us to see and not see the

cloudiness of the world. God, today we

submit it to you. Help me, Holy Ghost,

to preach what you have me preach. In

Jesus name we pray. And everybody says,

"Amen." And amen. You may be seated in

the presence of the Lord today.

What are you looking at?

Now, let me say it like this. I believe

this and I know it to be true. The eyes

are a window to the soul of every human

being. What you look at and if I be if I

can be honest even greater than that,

what you focus on in your life gets your

attention. It gets your time. And watch

this. Eventually will get your

allegiance.

If you are focusing on something, if

your attention is grabbed and you're

looking at something, fixated on that, I

want you to understand eventually if

you're not careful, it will get your

allegiance. And that's either for the

good or for the bad.

focus is is one of, if not the greatest

battle of the last day believer because

the enemy knows if he can disrupt and uh

uh and and change your focus, he can get

you distracted and then ultimately he

can lead you into a dark deception that

will pull you away from a relationship

with the Lord. Can somebody say amen?

And the fact is the enemy is not content

with just distracting you spiritually.

The enemy has a design and a desire and

a mandate to lead you into deception. We

understand this that the enemy comes to

steal, to kill, and to destroy. Right?

That's John 10:10. But I'm thankful that

John 10:10

was not the entirety of the verse

because the part B of that verse says,

"But Christ has come that I might have

life and I might have it more

abundantly." Come on. How many say, "I

lean on part B today, trusting he's

going to keep me through the deception

and the mess of life." So he wants to

distract us but ultimately lead us to

deception because that will pull us away

from our place in God. AND SO I POSE THE

QUESTION this morning. When are you and

I the most vulnerable to distraction and

to de deception? And I have to answer

that question with simply this. You are

most vulnerable when you are tired, when

you are worn, when you are frustrated,

and when you are exhausted. Come on,

somebody. Oh, now y'all don't want an

amen right there cuz you know I'm

preaching good because when you are

tired, when you are worn, when you are

frustrated, and you are exhausted, these

are the moments when you are often the

most critical of everybody else.

>> I know I'm preaching real good, Pastor

Scott, because ain't nobody saying amen

right there. It's when you're the most

aggravated. And I'll be honest, if you

live in that space and you allow

yourself to be in that moment, can I

tell you that if you're not careful, it

will lead you to being faithless when

God called you to be faithful.

>> All right. now because the enemy desires

to get you away. He knows that if you

are full of energy and full of life and

you are connected and your mind is

fixed, your eyes are fixed on Christ,

that he does not have a snowballs chance

in hell of keeping you out of the

promises of God. But what I will tell

you right now in the name of Jesus is

the enemy wants to distract you and

deceive you. But I've come to BLOW THE

TRUMPET IN ZION AND LET SOMEBODY KNOW

IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP TO what the enemy

IS DOING. IT'S TIME TO BE AWARE of what

the in Come on somebody. I need some

dads that were in the room yesterday

THAT ARE WILLING TO FIGHT FOR WHAT THEY

believe and willing to fight for their

family, WILLING TO FIGHT FOR THEIR

CHILDREN. I DON'T NEED YOU TO BE PLYATTY

CAKE RIGHT NOW. I NEED YOU TO GIVE GOD A

LITTLE PRAISE FOR THE FACT THAT HE gave

you the authority, the ability to stand

up, look the enemy IN THE FACE AND SAY,

"YOU MAY TRY THAT IN ANOTHER FAMILY, BUT

IN THE NAME of Jesus, NOT IN MY HOME OR

MY FAMILY.

WE GOT TO DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND.

I'm not going to be tired, worn out,

exhausted, frustrated, and then be

critical of everybody else around me.

Because I'm being honest, if can I just

be honest right now? Most people are

more critical of what they see in other

people than the problems they see in

theirel.

And that's how it always comes out. When

I'm tired and things don't go my way,

the easiest thing for me to do is point

my finger at somebody else. But let me

give you this. When you point your

finger, you got four or three more

pointing right back at you. Hello,

somebody. Bible talks about that. Don't

worry about the plank or the little

speck that's in their eye. You got a

plank sticking out of yours. Come on.

That's not my words. That's Jesus. Take

it up with him.

We will not be critical because that

will lead us to separating oursel from

truth. And when we separate oursel from

truth, then we lend an opportunity for

the voice of the enemy to come in and

lead us to deception.

because we've been distracted. There are

seasons, watch this, of life. There are

seasons in your business. There are

seasons in your marriage. There are

seasons in parenting. There are seasons

in ministry. And these seasons, some of

them require us to be allin and all out.

Now, let me be clear. These seasons are

necessary and carry great spiritual

weight and reward. So, I'm not making a

plea for you throwing in the towel and

saying, "I just can't parent no more. I

I can't be a husband. I can't be a wife.

I I can't be involved in ministry. I

can't do all these things because the

pressures are too great." We're created

to push through some pressures with the

help of the Holy Spirit. But I want you

to understand, I know they carry weight.

But here's what I want you to understand

on the other SIDE OF THAT. THE WEIGHT

they carry, the reward is greater.

>> Oh, come on, somebody. It's greater when

I push through in a season of parenting.

Whenever everything feels like it's

chaotic and we get to the other side and

I realize this is what the enemy was

trying to keep my child from. But

because I got in the fight, now they're

stepping into their destiny, into their

purpose BECAUSE I DIDN'T BACK DOWN AND

GET DISTRACTED BY THINGS AROUND ME. WHAT

ARE WE LOOKING AT? We've got to SEE THE

END RESULT OF this thing. There is a

destination we're going to. IT'S CALLED

HEAVEN. AND MY JOB IS TO GET MY CHILDREN

AND GET MY FAMILY AND GET MY CHURCH INTO

THE PEARLY GATES. I'M READY TO GET US

THERE IN JESUS NAME.

>> They carry great spiritual weight, but

they also carry great reward. Which is

why when a season requires you to be

allin, be allin.

But watch this. It's part of the rhythm

of life and our spiritual walk. And we

must remain diligent and faithful during

these seasons. But we must also

understand God's rhythm when we are

outside of these seasons.

Because the problem is people get

wrapped up in allin allout seasons. And

when there's not an all-in all-out

season, they feel like they have no

identity because they were wrapped up in

what they do rather than who they are.

Come on, somebody. Woo. I've watched

this in church over and over again. That

whenever my hands are in it and I'm busy

and I'm all this stuff and everybody's

bragging about what I did that I can

show up and I can shout. But whenever

I'm in a season that God in a rhythm

season that God has called me to rest

and to navigate this and build my family

up, I don't feel like I have an

identity. Listen, do not get your

identity in what you do. You get your

identity at the foot of the cross

through the blood of Jesus Christ. You

are first and foremost a child of the

most high God. And if you are a child of

God, then guess what? It doesn't matter

what season comes or what season goes. I

am still locked in because I know what

I'm looking at. and I have my eyes fixed

on the one WHO BOUGHT ME WITH THE PRICE

of his blood.

We have to understand though, God has

rhythms outside of allin, all out

seasons. Go back to creation with me if

you will. When God was creating the

heavens and the earth, the Bible says

that one day he would create this, he

would step back and evaluate what he did

and then on the other end of that he

would say, "It's good. Come on." And

then the next day he would come in and

he would speak and it would be created.

He would step back. He would evaluate

and then he would go on the other side

and then say, "Wow, that was good." Come

on, go back and read it. He was

establishing that there was a rhythm and

a season for everything under heaven. He

didn't Ecclesiastes wasn't even written

yet, but he was displaying it in that

moment. BUT THEN WHAT PEOPLE DON'T LIKE

TO GRAPPLE with is he got finished with

creation. And guess what God did? He

took a break and he rested.

He worked for six days with everything

he had and said, "Oh, that was good."

And then he said, "You know what? Give

him my lawn chair.

Give him my Give him my heavenly

lemonade." Come on, somebody.

And sat back and rested. MOST PEOPLE

CAN'T UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE THEIR

IDENTITY IS WRAPPED UP IN BUSYNESS

rather than who God is.

I'm good as LONG AS I GOT SOMETHING

GOING ON, PASTOR. AS LONG AS DRAMA IS

BREAKING OUT OF MY LIFE, I CAN FUNCTION.

BUT THE MOMENT DRAMA CEASES, I DON'T

EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO.

HELLO.

Watch this. Why did God rest after he

finished creation? Was God tired? No.

He wasn't tired. He didn't stop because

he WAS TIRED. HE STOPPED BECAUSE HE WAS

SETTING EXAMPLE for you and I today

THAT WE HAVE TO have rhythms of rest,

recovery, replenishment so we can grow

into what God has called us to be. Now,

even in a Pentecostal church, this is

uncomfortable teaching because y'all

would rather let's just shout and dance

and all those different things. But

sometimes the most spiritual thing you

can do is sit your tail down and rest,

recover, replenish, and grow into what

God's called you to do.

>> Come on. will say, "Pastor, I better be

laid HANDS ON SOMEBODY." MAYBE GOD WANTS

YOU TO REST SO THE NEXT SEASON WHEN HE'S

GOT A THOUSAND PEOPLE FOR YOU TO LAY

HANDS ON. You have the ability AND THE

STRENGTH TO DO IT.

All right? MAYBE HE WANTS YOU TO REST

BECAUSE HE KNOWS THERE'S A FIGHT COMING

IN THE NEXT SEASON THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE

SOME AWARENESS ABOUT. And you can't be

frustrated. YOU CAN'T BE UPSET WALKING

INTO IT BECAUSE YOU'RE going to see it

through the wrong eyes.

Rest is not a cuss word. It is

spiritual.

Why are we talking about this, pastor?

Because I want to know what are you

looking at?

WHAT WHAT ARE YOU WHAT ARE YOU looking

at this morning? Watch this. Mark 2 2:27

says, "And he said to them, the Sabbath

was made for man and not man for the

Sabbath."

JESUS INSTRUCTED THEM. HE SAID, "THIS

MOMENT, THIS TIME, THIS RHYTHM OF REST

WAS NOT MADE.

or man was not made FOR THIS. IT WAS

made for man. And watch this. If you

ever

or rather not ever, if you never create

space to rest, time to recover, time to

replenish, you will never grow into what

God has created you to be in this life.

Now, watch this. I hear people say,

"Well, pastor, I ain't got no money."

Vacations

are not the only way to rest.

I love going to the beach as much as the

next person. My favorite place to go in

the entire world is Jackson Hole,

Wyoming. I would love to go there. I

love to spend time there. I love to

drive around and see all the wildlife

and see all the mountains and be able to

rest and relax. But can I tell you, I

can find rest right where I am. I don't

have to go 1600 miles away to find it.

Hello, somebody. So don't get it twisted

and say, "Pastor, I don't have money to

get rest." That is a lie from the enemy.

Come on. I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO GET

REST. THAT IS A lie from the enemy. Come

on. I don't have the ability to rest.

Right. You're right. Your mind is

running at 1,000 miles an hour and you

feel like you have to figure things out

and you have to be right in the middle

of everything. Can I tell you the devil

is a liar and he is trying to set you up

so he can wear you out. HE MAY NOT BE

ABLE TO look you look at you and get you

to confess that Jesus is not the way to

heaven. But I can tell you this, if he

CAN WEAR YOU OUT, he can GET YOU TO

THROW IN the towel and say, "It's not

worth it TO SERVE GOD ANYMORE." CUZ I

GOT NOTHING LEFT FOR THE REST of my

life. But in the name of Jesus, I'm

looking AT A CHURCH TODAY THAT we're

going to find a rhythm of rest. AND

WE'RE NOT GOING TO LET THE ENEMY WEAR US

OUT AND TEAR US DOWN. WE'RE GOING TO

STAND UP IN THE POWER AND THE MIGHT.

COME ON, SOMEBODY. OF THE HOLY GHOST AND

LET THE ENEMY KNOW THERE'S A CHURCH

RIGHT HERE IN BAKER, FLORIDA THAT'S

ABOUT TO TAKE IT TO THE ENEMY. AND WE'RE

ABOUT TO SEE PEOPLE SAVED, HEALED,

DELIVERED BY THE POWER OF GOD CUZ WE'VE

GOT PEOPLE THAT KNOW HOW TO REST IN THE

LORD.

Come on, somebody.

TO REST, WATCH THIS. ALL YOU NEED TO DO

IS UNPLUG from distractions.

Hit the off button on your phone.

Let me give you this one. To rest, you

have to DISCONNECT YOURSELF FROM

EVERYBODY ELSE'S DRAMA.

>> There's a fly trying to get on me. Get

away, fly. I don't know what's going on.

You got TO YOU GOT TO DISCONNECT

YOURSELF FROM EVERYBODY ELSE'S DRAMA.

WELL, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

NO, YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S going

on in their life.

>> IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE

COMMUNITY MORE THAN YOU KNOW WHAT THE

WORD OF GOD SAYS, COME ON. YOU GOT TO

GET THAT SPIRIT OF GOSSIP OUT OF YOUR

LIFE. COME ON. GET SET FREE IN JESUS

NAME. MAYBE GOD CALLED YOU TO BE AN

INTERCESSOR AND NOT A GOSSIPER.

>> I'm not mad at y'all. I'm just mad at

the devil.

>> Sorry, I got a little intense right

there.

We have to BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE the

strategy of the enemy before it gets to

us. We're not CALLED TO BE A a a a this.

We're not called just react to what the

enemy does to our life. We are called to

be proactive in the kingdom of God.

be proactive because watch this. When

I'm wrapped up in everybody else's

drama, I can't see the attack coming

against my own family. Now, God bless

you. I will pray for you y'all. I get I

get all the drama. Can I get a witness?

I hear it all. I see it all and I

navigate it with people. But I want you

to understand it is not my focus.

My focus is the mission that God has

called this church to do. And watch

this. If my focus is on all these other

things, then what is it going to do?

It's going to take time away from my

relationship with the Lord and my

family. And I refuse to let the enemy

steal what's most important and most

critical to my mission in these last

days.

Because watch this. When your focus is

all over the place, here's the danger.

You run on empty. And it's a lot easier

for you to self-sabotage when you're

running on empty.

Come on. If we're going to fulfill the

mission, we have to have some rest to

get there. We can't we can't just run on

empty. The fact is the enemy doesn't

even have to convince us that the gospel

is not true. He can just wear us out and

then we'll self-sabotage oursel.

So here's the here's the call.

Disconnect from distractions. Disconnect

from drama. And don't let them both

drain the best of you. Don't you let it

do it. Don't you let it have your focus.

Now watch this. Jesus teaches us that

the eye is the lamp of the body, the

window to the soul. And I want to say

this, whatever captures your focus

eventually influences your entire life.

Your focus determines your perspective

of life. Your focus determines your

attitude toward other people. Your focus

determines your decisions that you make

in life. And your focus determines your

direction. Now, watch this. The battle

has always been a battle for attention.

Even when you go back to the very

beginning in the Garden of Eden,

whenever you see this, Satan's first

attack against Eve was against her

focus. How do you know that, pastor?

Because he redirected her attention from

what God said to do to what God had

withheld from her. Come on.

>> He was trying to distract her. HERE'S

ALL LOOK AT ALL THESE THINGS THAT GOD

SAID you could have, but wait, he said

you can't have that.

SO INSTEAD OF TURNING AROUND AND SAYING,

"WOW, LOOK AT HOW GREAT MY GOD IS." She

look back and say, "Well, I wonder why

he wouldn't let me have that one thing."

Can I tell you, this is how we sabotage

our own relationship with the Lord. God

has opened up all these great doors for

us to do great things for him, but then

we look at the one thing that God said

no, and we get our focus on that, and we

hyperfocus on that, and we end up

self-destructing because we can't

understand why God would withhold

something from us. But if we don't

understand that he is a good father and

he delights to give good gifts to his

children, if he wants to give me good

gifts according to his word, if he says

don't go touch that, then there's got to

be a consequence on the other side of

touching that that he does not want me

to have to suffer as his child. So the

fact is it comes down to a trust issue.

DO I TRUST GOD OR DO I NOT TRUST GOD? DO

I REALLY PLACE MY TRUST IN HIM? DO I

KNOW HE'S GOT MY BEST INTEREST IN MINE

OR NOT? BUT I'M GOING TO STAND HERE AND

TELL YOU AS A WITNESS THAT I KNOW

THERE'S BEEN MANY TIMES GOD HAS TOLD ME,

"DON'T GO HERE, DON'T GO THERE, don't do

this, and don't do that." And I'm

thankful in the END BECAUSE I REALIZE,

GOD, YOU WEREN'T RESTRAINING ME. You

were protecting ME AS YOUR CHILD. HOW

MANY HAVE THAT SAME WITNESS TODAY AND

SAY, "GOD PROTECTED YOU FROM SOME THINGS

THAT WOULD HAVE DESTRUCTED YOUR LIFE.

BUT I'M STANDING HERE TODAY BECAUSE I

LISTENED TO THE VOICE OF GOD AND I SAID

YES TO HIM AND I SAID NO TO THE ENEMY

AND GOD BROUGHT ME THROUGH EVERY single

time. Look at your neighbor. Say, "What

are you looking at?" Oh, say it. Say it

nicer. Don't say with attitude. Say,

"What are you looking at?"

We've got to get to a position that we

understand just because God says no,

doesn't mean he does not love us.

It's a parenting issue today. People

refuse to tell their children no because

they're afraid they're going to flip

out.

Bailey knows. I tell her no all the

time. Where's Tara? I know. I saw Terara

somewhere around here. Terra. Oh,

there's L. Light. You trying to hide,

Li. Don't you be hiding over there. I'll

cover your face up.

They know that I'm going to tell them

no. Not just because I just like saying

the word, even though it's really fun.

No.

It's like off the elf. And y'all just

judge me if you want to. Francisco. What

a fun word to say. Fr. Nobody's ever

watched elf before. Oh my lord. We got

to culture these people.

But I'm going tell you, just because God

says no doesn't mean that he does not

love me. Matter of fact, because he does

say no means he actually does care about

me.

>> And as a parent and as a father, I'm not

going to let the reaction of the one I'm

telling no determine my standards.

So God's standards don't change as much

as you whine and cry and pitch a fit and

all this different stuff. God's answer

is still going to be no. You can cry.

You can pitch fit, you can whine, you

can go over here and say, "I can't

believe that that pastor told me this. I

can't believe he did that." And I said,

"I just can't." You're going to face the

same problem somewhere else.

>> Well, I got told, no, I got told I

couldn't serve in this area. Listen,

it's because God spoke to us and said,

"Listen, there is something over there

that's going to hurt you and damage you

in the future. One day soon, you can get

into that. But today, we've got to get

you to a place that YOU CAN BE BUILT UP

for the kingdom of God." That's called

pastoring people. Well, if you don't

want to be pastor, this is probably not

the church for you because we're going

to follow God's pattern.

When he says no, it literally is a

complete sentence.

Now, I don't know where that came from,

but there you go. You're welcome.

Shifted her attention from what God said

that she could have and could do to what

God withheld. And the moment her focus

shifted, everything changed in the

garden.

The enemy, watch this, used that tactic

then. And I'm going to tell you, he's

using it today.

The enemy's greatest strategy in the

last days may not be destruction or

persecution, but I believe it is

distraction and deception.

Because you've got these people all over

the internet trying to find every way

they can tear the local church down. And

they're trying to distract people and

bring them into deception when what they

should be doing is saying, "How do we

advance the local body rather than tear

the local body down?" I'm just being

honest. Be careful what you let your

eyes look at and fix your eyes on

because that will become the primary of

your life.

If we can, watch this. If he can get our

eyes off of Jesus,

he can get us off mission, off purpose.

And watch this last one. This is really

important. If he can get our eyes off

Jesus, he can get our eyes off of

preparation for the for the return of

Christ.

And that is the ultimate goal of the

enemy through distraction is he wants to

distract you from keeping your eyes on

Jesus.

And I want you to hear my heart today.

My heart and my mission for this morning

is to readjust our focus.

Readjust our focus. Because I'll be

honest with you, the church today is

living in an age of distraction. Never

before have people had so much

information and yet so little focus.

>> Come on. We are constantly being pulled

toward fear. We are constantly being

pulled toward politics and uh

geopolitical problems. And we are

constantly being pulled towards social

media and division and offense and

personal preference and even cultural

chaos. So pastor, why so much

distraction in the church? I'M GOING TO

TELL YOU WHY. Because the enemy knows a

distracted church becomes an ineffective

church. But I'm going to tell you, we're

not going to be a distracted church IN

THIS HOUSE. WE'RE not going to lose our

focus. WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT OFF THE

MISSION. We're not going to get off of

what God's called us to do. Matter of

fact, we're about to ramp this baby up

and get SO HYPERFOCUSED ON WHAT GOD'S

CALLED US TO DO THAT THE enemy is going

TO BE BEGGING FOR MERCY ON THE OTHER END

OF THIS CUZ I'M ABOUT to take EVERYTHING

FROM HIM. I'M ABOUT TO TAKE EVERY SOUL

HE TRIED TO STEAL FROM MY FAMILY. I'M

ABOUT TO TAKE EVERY SOUL HE TRIED TO

STEAL FROM THIS HOUSE. I'M ABOUT TO TAKE

EVERY HEALTH BACK. I'M ABOUT TO TAKE

EVERY BIT OF MONEY BACK THAT THE ENEMY

TRIED TO STEAL. I JUST NEED TO KNOW IF I

GOT A CHURCH THIS MORNING THAT'LL GET

RADICAL AND GIVE JESUS A SHOUT OF PRAISE

AND SAY, "LET'S TAKE IT BACK."

MY GOD, I WISH I HAD ABOUT A HUNDRED

MORE PEOPLE THAT WOULD GET UP AND GIVE

GOD A LITTLE PRAISE FOR THE FACT WE'RE

ABOUT TO TAKE SOME STUFF BACK. I'M ABOUT

TO TAKE BACK WHAT THE ENEMY STOLE. I'M

ABOUT TO TAKE IT BACK. MY [screaming]

EYES ARE FIXED ON JESUS. ONE, TWO,

THREE. GIVE HIM PRAISE IN THE HOUSE.

HALLELUJAH.

I refuse to be distracted.

I'VE GOT TOO MUCH AT STAKE. I'VE GOT TOO

MANY PEOPLE'S SOULS I'VE got to answer

for. Cuz here's what I WANT YOU TO

UNDERSTAND. WHY DOES FOCUS MATTERS SO

MUCH IN THE CHURCH? I want you to

understand THAT WHAT WE FOCUS ON

DETERMINES WHAT FILLS OUR LIFE. JESUS

SAID, "IF YOUR EYE IS GOOD," WHAT IS HE

SAYING, PASTOR? HE'S SAYING, "IF YOU

KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, IF YOU'VE

ADJUSTED YOUR FOCUS, THEN I WANT YOU TO

UNDERSTAND YOUR WHOLE BODY WILL BE FULL

OF LIGHT." I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND WHAT

WE CONTINUALLY FOCUS ON EVENTUALLY fills

our hearts. IF WE FOCUS ON PROBLEMS, we

become discouraged. IF WE FOCUS ON

CRITICISM, WE become defensive. If we

focus on people pleasing, WE BECOME

FRUSTRATED. IF WE FOCUS ON FEAR, WE

BECOME ANXIOUS. BUT I WANT YOU TO

UNDERSTAND, WE'RE ABOUT TO SHIFT THE

FOCUS. AND IF WE FOCUS ON JESUS, WE

BECOME CONFIDENT. I FEEL THE GLORY OF

THE LORD. IF WE FOCUS ON HIS PROMISES,

WE BECOME HOPEFUL. IF WE FOCUS ON HIS

FAITHFULNESS, WE BECOME STEADY. IF WE

FOCUS ON HIS MISSION, WE BECOME

EFFECTIVE. I WANT TO KNOW HOW MANY READY

TO FOCUS ON JESUS THIS MORNING. 1 2 3.

GIVE JESUS A PRAISE IN the house.

HALLELUJAH. I SAID GIVE JESUS PRAISE IN

THE HOUSE. I DARE YOU RIGHT NOW. SHIFT

YOUR FOCUS WITH YOUR PRAISE.

YOU SAY, "PASTOR, WHY YOU MAKE ME PRAISE

SO MUCH?" Because David had the he had

it right. HE SAID, "OH, MAGNIFY THE LORD

WITH ME AND LET US EXALT HIS NAME

TOGETHER." HOW DO I MAGNIFY A GOD WHO'S

ALREADY AS BIG AS HE'S GOING TO GET? YOU

CANNOT CHANGE YOUR GOD. BUT WHAT YOU CAN

CHANGE IS YOUR FOCUS OF HIM. I REFUSE TO

FOCUS ON THE PROBLEM. I'M GOING TO FOCUS

ON THE CREATOR. I REFUSE TO FOCUS ON THE

EMISSION. AND I CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON THE

ONE WHO HAS MY HEART.

He has my praise. So in this house, we

going to be a praising church.

>> Come on. Cuz praise get the attention

off of you and it puts the attention on

him. So I'm going to dare you to do

something for the next 30 seconds. If

you love God and you know Jesus has

called you, I dare you to jump to your

feet and give him 30 seconds of crazy

radical praise.

>> [applause]

>> Come on. IN SPITE OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING

THROUGH, IN SPITE OF WHAT TOMORROW MAY

BRING, JESUS, you are worthy of the

praise.

Hallelujah.

SOMEBODY SHALL STAY FOCUSED.

NOW, watch this. I must give us a

warning right here before we get the

craziest.

In between focusing on problems,

criticism, people, and fear, and

focusing on Jesus, his promises, his

faithfulness, and the mission remains a

crack of distraction.

Now watch this. The enemy will always

wait for a crack to insert his voice

because distractions

create a crack in the process.

The enemy won't speak when you're locked

in.

The enemy won't try to pull you away

when you're locked in. Matter of fact,

he won't even talk to you. Come on. Cuz

he knows you're locked in. Especially if

you got rest, he ain't going to want he

ain't going to worry with you because he

knows he's just up against a a defeat.

But the moment you're tired, the moment

you're exhausted, the moment that you

allow yourself to be distracted, the

enemy will say, "Oh, let me go talk to

him." Now,

when you are wore out from the battle in

your family and you have been fighting

with everything you've got and you are

exhausted, listen to me, man of God in

this house, you do not sit up at 2 or 3

or 4:00 in the morning surfing on the

internet for no good reason.

>> Come on. Oh my God. Can I just get real

with you?

God is calling some people back to

purity in this house. If you've been

going down the road of pornography,

guess what? In the name of Jesus, you

quit getting distracted by fake junk

that will provide you no lasting

satisfaction. But you stand up and you

say, "I'm a man. I refuse to go that

route. I'm going to fight and I'm going

to believe. I'm going to go lay in the

bed with MY WIFE LIKE I SHOULD." Come

on, somebody. I refuse TO BE DISTRACTED

BY THE JUNK OF THIS WORLD. I REFUSE TO

LET THAT DESTROY THE PROMISES OF GOD

OVER my life.

How else will the enemy speak to me?

He'll start saying, "Well, listen. I

know God promised that to you, but maybe

that pastor didn't get that right."

How else will he talk to you? Say,

"Well, you know that pastor, he's kind

of young and he's kind of crazy. He

probably don't know enough. Probably

should go find a pastor that's a little

older."

Y'all got really quiet on that one.

You know, he's, you know, I just I'm

gonna be nice and move on.

But the enemy will always look for a

crack to insert distractions because

distractions make room for another voice

and another voice can lead to deception.

What is deception, pastor? Deception

means you have convinced yourself or

allowed others to convince yourself that

you are in the right when you're

actually in the wrong.

I done talked myself into this. I know

that's not what I'm supposed to do, but

I done talk I feel good. I feel peace

about it. Pastor,

do you

maybe you have talked yourself into it,

but you don't feel peace about it.

Because when godly peace comes, not only

will you know it, but your spiritual

leadership will know it, too.

I know you don't like that kind of

preaching, but I'm gonna do it anyways.

You know why? Because I don't want you

to be distracted and miss the trump of

God when he calls. I actually want to

get to the pearly gates and look behind

me and say, "Hey, there's Liberty

Culture Church. Let's go, somebody.

Come." Every single one of them. Come

on. I want everybody to get into heaven

together. BUT WE GOT TO STAY FOCUSED ON

WHO GOD IS and what he's done in our

life.

That's good preaching.

Let's move on before I get in trouble.

Whatever fills us through distraction,

watch this men and women, will flow to

our families.

for your family, you must fight to stay

focused.

Because watch this. IF I AM FILLED with

anxiety, frustration, negativity,

cynicism, criticism,

all the sisms,

THEN WATCH THIS. MY FAMILY will be in

the same boat as I am.

You really don't have to ask much

questions. Just let the kids talk.

This is why it was always fun when we

had Sunday school. I wanted to be in the

room when they took a prayer request.

Y'all, Sunday school teachers has been

done that, you know, like you don't even

have to ask how the family's doing. You

just say, "Hey, anybody got a prayer

request?" Oh, listen. My mom and daddy

was yelling at each other last night a

lot. One of them slung something across

the yo, come on.

You get all the gossip right up in

there, up in the kids church or

whatever.

Can I tell you that it will just

naturally flow from you, father, as the

head to your wife and your family and

before you know it, there will be such a

distracted spirit and such a dissension

from the God that we serve that the

enemy will have a crack to get into and

he'll begin to wreak havoc in your

family.

That's why you as a family have to stay

focused. Look at your neighbor. Say,

"Stay focused." The pastor's not trying

to be critical. I'm trying to give you a

warning because this is the tactic of

the enemy. He cannot get you to walk

away from the faith. He cannot get you

to walk away and denounce the faith. But

if he can get you distracted and

divided, he can deceive you and pull you

away slit little bit by little bit,

compromise by compromise, a little way

at a time.

But I refuse to let him have that

because I'll be honest with you.

Anxiety, frustration, negativity,

cynicism, all those things, the family

will be the same thing. But on the other

side of that, if your family is filled

or if you and I as the leaders are

filled with faith, filled with hope,

filled with vision, and filled with

peace, guess what? My family will be

too. Come on now. I I don't know about

you, but I pick the latter over the

former. Can I get an amen? I want my

family to be filled with faith, hope,

vision, peace, grace, joy. Come on. I

want them to be filled with all these

things and be able to walk in CONFIDENCE

KNOWING THAT GOD has given it to them. I

know you say, "Pastor, I've been going

through a rough patch and it's been hard

to stay positive." I get it. I

understand there are circumstances and

trials and all these things that come

against us from time to time and the

enemy tries to tear us down and lead us

down a path of anxiety and negativity.

But I want you to understand, I want to

lock unlock something for you this

morning from the life of David. Cuz

David knew the key that when he was

going through his ups and downs and he

was on the mountaintop and that he was

IN THE VALLEY. HE WAS BEING PRAISED that

he was being having spear STONE IN HIS

LIFE. HE WAS IN A CHAOTIC SITUATION FOR

THE MAJORITY OF HIS LIFE. BUT HE had one

thing right. He encouraged himself in

the Lord. I know you may be in a

negative SITUATION RIGHT NOW, BUT THAT

DOES NOT CHANGE HOW GREAT YOUR GOD IS.

EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE THIS, GOD IS

STILL GOOD. SO, I'M GOING TO ENCOURAGE

myself in the Lord and SAY, "I KNOW IT

DON'T LOOK GOOD RIGHT NOW, BABY, BUT GOD

IS ABLE TO BRING me through every BIT OF

THIS. I KNOW MY BANK ACCOUNT MAY NOT

LOOK THE BEST, BUT I KNOW A GOD WHO OWNS

A CATTLE ON A THOUSAND HILL, AND IF HE

LOVES ME, HE CAN SACRIFICE A COUPLE OF

THEM TO TAKE CARE OF MY NEEDS. I KNOW MY

DOCTOR'S REPORT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD RIGHT

NOW, BUT I TRUST IN THE ONE WHO IS MY

HEALER, WHO IS MY WAY MAKER, WHO IS MY

PROVIDER. I KNOW MY CHILDREN ARE

RUNNING, BUT I HAVE A PROMISE FROM GOD

THAT MY HOUSE WILL BE SAVED IN JESUS

NAME. COME ON, LET'S SHIFT IT AND

ENCOURAGE YOURSELF IN the Lord.

You might even have to get on in your

bathroom and on your mirror beside your

sink, put some sticky notes and say, "I

am fearfully and wonderfully made." in

the image of my God. I am the head and

not the tail. I am blessed in the city,

BLESSED IN THE FIELD. I AM ABOVE AND NOT

BENEATH. COME ON. GREATER is he that's

in me than he that's in the world. I can

do all things through Christ who GIVES

ME STRENGTH. I'VE GOT TO ENCOURAGE

MYSELF IN THE LORD AND LET the enemy

know where I stand.

Because if you're honest this morning,

negative atmospheres

spread quicker than positive

atmospheres.

>> [snorts]

>> So, you're going to have to fight extra

hard as a father. You're going to have

to fight extra hard for faith in your

family. You're going to have to be a

man.

How about that? Come on.

David told Solomon on his deathbed, he

said, "Son, you're gonna have to prove

yourself a man." And so I'm not on my

deathbed, but I'm gonna stand here at

David's place and look at all my men in

the room and say, "It's time to prove

yourself a man."

>> Come on, somebody. Your man card is not

tied up in how many guns you own.

>> Hello, somebody.

Your man card is not tied up whether you

vote Democrat or Republican. Your man

card is not tied up whether you tote a

gun on your hip or not. Your man card is

not tied up whether you own a tractor or

don't own a tractor. Your man, Come on,

somebody. Your man card is not tied up

by how hard you work. If you work in a

field or you work in an office, your man

card is tied up in how well you obey the

commandments of God that he has passed

down to you. He is not looking at your

hands. He is looking at your heart. And

he wants to know, do I have any men in

the house that'll SAY, "I'M WILLING TO

FIGHT for my family. Do I have any dads

that ARE WILLING TO FIGHT WHEN IT COME

WHEN IT MATTERS? WHEN ALL THE CHIPS ARE

DOWN, I CAN PRAY. WHEN NOBODY ELSE CAN

PRAY, I CAN SEEK GOD. WHEN NOBODY ELSE

WILL SEEK GOD, I'LL STAND UP AND FIGHT.

WHEN NOBODY EVERYBODY ELSE RUNS AWAY,

I'M IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIGHT.

MHM. Cuz you're called to be a

thermostat,

not a thermometer.

What does that mean, pastor? That means

me as a man, I do not report culture to

everybody else. I set the culture.

>> A thermometer just tells you how hot or

how cold it is in the room. But a

thermostat comes in and says, "Hey,

listen. I feel like there's some doubt

in this room." Boom, boom, boom, boom,

boom. Faith is in the room. Now, come

on. You say, "Is it that simple?" Yes,

it is that simple. You as a man, as the

priest of your home, you have the

authority to walk in and set the

temperature for your house, even on the

thermostat. For real. Come on, somebody.

You knock that baby down below 70,

that's where it belongs. Anyways, can I

get a witness in the house? But I'm

talking about your spiritual

temperature. You get to the point that

you say, "I'm sick and TIRED OF THE

DEVIL MESSING WITH MY FAMILY. I'M SICK

AND TIRED OF THE DEVIL WREAKING HAV

AGAINST MY TEENAGERS." I STAND UP AND

SAY, "AS FOR ME IN MY HOUSE, WE WILL

SERVE." I FEEL THE GLORY OF THE LORD. AS

FOR ME IN MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE

LORD. WHAT AM I LOOKING AT? I'M LOCKED

EYES WITH THE ONE WHO HAS EYES LIKE THE

FLAME OF FIRE, WHOSE FEET ARE LIKE

BRASS. WHO? COME ON, SOMEBODY WHOSE HAIR

IS LIKE WOOL, WHOSE VOICE IS LIKE THE

SOUND OF MANY WATERS. I'M LOCKING EYES

WITH JESUS.

I got to hurry. I got to hurry because

watch this. We set the culture. We do

not just report the culture. And as

Liberty Culture Church, stepping across

this sacred threshold, I'll be honest

with you, has upset the enemy, creating

opposition and some distractions. Why?

Because vision always attracts

resistance.

Vision always attracts resistance. Talk

to me, Nehemiah. Nehemiah had the

mandate from God to go back and rebuild

the walls of Jerusalem. He thought it

might have been easy, but I'm going to

tell you this. He had it in back of his

mind. I know if I face opposition, I

don't just have a hammer in one hand, I

got a sword in the other hand. So, if

the enemy says a little fox will run up

on your wall and tear it down, I want to

tell you, no, no, no, devil. Because I

did not establish THIS HOUSE. I DID NOT

ESTABLISH THE VISION. I DID NOT

ESTABLISH the mission. I DID NOT

ESTABLISH THE CALL, BUT ONE DID. AND HIS

NAME IS JESUS CHRIST, WHO'S THE CREATOR

OF ALL THE WORLD. AND I DECLARE IF HE

ESTABLISHED IT, HE WILL BRING IT TO

PASS. SO I DECLARE, I REFUSE TO LET THE

enemy distract me. Nehemiah has Samuel,

Tobaya, Gisham, constantly resisting and

bantering against him, trying to take

the focus off of rebuilding the wall.

But Nehemiah doubled down. And this

morning, I want to tell you, at Liberty

Culture, we are doubling down. And it's

time to fight and build for the kingdom

of God. Because if I'm honest with you,

the enemy is not intimidated by

buildings.

Come on.

Hello. Can I just disrupt the southern

tradition of church? The enemy is not

intimidated by your building size. The

enemy is not intimidated by your logos.

He is not intimidated by names. But

there is one name that he is intimidated

by. And that is the name of Jesus. and

he is intimidated by a church that keeps

their eyes fixed on that name.

Because I'll be honest, I've got the

enemy pegged. Here we go this morning.

And I'm calling him out. The moment that

heaven gave us this mission to see

families restored, lives transformed,

and generations launched is the the

moment that the enemy decided he wanted

to stop what God was doing here. But I'm

going to say it like this. Look what the

Lord has done. Come on, somebody. Come

on. Can we go ahead and let God give God

a little praise and rub it in the

devil's face that we will see families

restored, lives transformed, and

generations launched for the glory of

God.

The enemy will give his best shot to

distract us so that we spend, watch

this, we spend all of our energy

debating everything else other than what

actually changes eternity.

Because distractions will make you feel

like, I got to fix this before I can

head forward. But that's the de the

devil is a liar. Come on. Distractions

are literally that. They are meant to

distract you or get you off track.

And so here's what I say. Distractions

are going to be here in this season. And

guess what? The next time we take an

advancement for the kingdom, they're

going to be there, too.

Come on, somebody. But I refuse to allow

the enemy to distract me because, watch

this, the distractions are all about the

mission.

Distractions are all about the mission.

I'm gonna get my my musicians come on up

and my singers. Y'all get ready. The

battle is about individual faith and

families.

Because the enemy wants individuals in

this house to be discouraged in their

faith. The enemy wants you to be

distracted in your faith. The enemy

wants you to live in a life of offense

and be offended at everybody so that he

can take you into a life of deception

and so you can be spiritually exhausted.

So watch this. His ultimate goal is to

get you isolated.

If you feel yourself getting on an

island, you better check what's going on

in your heart. And I don't mean that to

make you feel any worse than you do, but

I'm telling you that is the enemy's

desire and design is to get you

distracted so he can pick you off from

the kingdom.

That's what the enemy wants. The enemy

knows that if he can fracture the

family, he can weaken the church and

bring deception into the house of God.

So we we do see attacks against

marriages. It's the truth. There is a

huge onslaught right now against

marriages. And I'm not talking about a

marriage between a man and a man or a

woman and a woman. That is not God

ordained. But the marriage between one

man and one woman, that is the con the

the the covenant that God struck. And

the enemy is attacking that.

He's attacking that. He's attacking

parents right now that are doing the

will of God and leading their families.

He's attacking children that have a call

and anointing on their life to try to

destroy them before they even fulfill

the call of God. He's attacking identity

right now, even in this nation through

this month where they're trying to

embrace identity through pride rather

than through humility before the King of

Kings and the Lord of Lords.

He's trying to he's trying to uh attack

the unity of the house of God and he's

trying to attack purity.

And I'll be honest, the enemy isn't just

fighting church attendance. He's

fighting God's design for the family.

Because healthy families build healthy

churches.

Amen. Come on. How many thank God that

we're part of a healthy church where God

is doing great things. I dare you to

give God a little praise right there.

Come on over. Play me out.

The enemy knows that his time is short.

And if I can be honest this morning, the

scripture is clear that the return of

Christ is approaching.

And the closer that we get to Christ's

return, the return of the king, I want

you to know this. I want you to be

aware. The more distractions will try to

engage and or emerge and engage your

life.

Someone say, "Well, pastor, why why is

that? Is this because the enemy is

winning?" No, because Satan is not

winning.

I

>> I said Satan is not winning.

>> I'll be honest. I'm that guy. I went

ahead and read the back of the book

before I read the front of it. Come on,

somebody.

>> When I see it, he gets thrown into the

lake of fire and he gone forever. Can I

get a witness? What a glorious day that

will be. But watch this. until that

moment he will scrap and claw to get

your yourself distracted to get you

distracted.

It's because he knows he's losing.

And I'll be honest, Satan is a capital L

loser.

It's just the truth. His goal is to get

believers, watch this. If he can get

believers consumed with temporary

things,

he can get them to neglect eternal

things.

Come on.

If he can get you so focused and

hyperfocused on everything that's going

to burn up when we stand before the seat

of Christ,

then guess what? He has gotten us to get

our attention on something else. And

when our attention is on one thing, we

neglect something else. And we neglect

eternal things.

For the sake of our families,

keep your focus.

>> Come on. For the sake of our children,

keep your focus.

The greatest danger is not persecution

because persecution actually makes the

church grow.

is distraction because distraction

divides and it keeps the church chasing

things that don't matter. It keeps

parents, it keeps students chasing

things that don't matter, busy looking

everywhere except to Jesus.

And I hear the Holy Spirit say these

words to us. Lift up your eyes.

I feel the glory of the Lord right

there. Come on. The Bible says, lift up

your eyes. That's where my help comes

from. It doesn't come from earth. It

comes from heaven. And so today, the

Holy Spirit's cry is that in Luke 21:28,

Luke 21:28

now when these things begin to happen,

LOOK UP AND LIFT UP YOUR HEADS because

your redemption draws near.

It draws near. We are called to lift up

our eyes. Watch this. Jesus didn't say,

"Look around you."

Jesus didn't say, "Look at the chaos."

Jesus didn't say, "Look at the headlines

on the news and get depressed every 30

seconds." Come on. They are meant to

keep you in a constant state of fight or

flight. I'm mad at this person. I'm I

hate this and I don't like the way they

did that. They it the it the news is

meant to keep your attention and they

will say whatever it takes to get your

attention.

Even if it is Fox News,

CNN, MSNBC, all they are just trying to

get ratings so they can get paid.

He didn't say look at the headlines. He

didn't even say look at the opposition.

He said look up.

Look at your neighbor. Say look up.

>> Look up. Go ahead and play me out, son.

We got to look up.

Watch this. When everything that could

go wrong does go wrong, what am I

supposed to do, pastor? Look up.

Look up. When When my money is gone and

I don't know what to do, look up. When

my kids are running from the Lord.

>> Oh, come on. Y'all got this. Y'all got

it now. Y'all helping me out. WHEN MY

KIDS ARE RUNNING FROM THE LORD,

>> WHEN MY HEART IS BROKEN,

>> WHEN MY MARRIAGE IS UNDER ATTACK, WHEN

PEOPLE WALK AWAY FROM ME, WHEN I AM

OVERWHELMED,

because that's where my help comes from.

Come on. How many thankful your help

comes from the Lord? I Come on. I I if

you really are, I dare you to come on,

give God a little praise right there.

Let's give the Lord a shout. Just jump

to your feet and give the Lord a praise

FOR THE FACT THAT I CAN LOOK UP, MY EYES

CAN LOCK EYES WITH THE ONE WHO'S NEVER

LEFT ME, WHO'S NEVER FORSAKEN ME, WHO'S

NEVER ABANDONED ME. HE ONLY DRAWS ME AND

HE DOES NOT PUSH me out. And can I tell

you as we remain standing, I really

wanted to preach on the prodical son

today, but the Holy Spirit would not let

me. He says, "You're going to preach on

what are you looking at?" So look at

your neighbor, say, "What are you

looking at?"

But there is a key element in that story

that after the prodical son had ran away

and wasted his entire living on

craziness, Bible says he came to himself

and he said, "What am I doing in this

pig pin when my father's servants are

living better than I am?" And he made

his way back to his father. But what I

love about that story is the Bible says

his father was sitting on the front

porch.

As much as we would like to think we are

trying to get our eyes on Jesus, can I

tell you he has already fixed his eyes

on you? Woo! Come, I feel the glory of

the Lord. If you want the Father's Day

part, here it is. Because the father is

not waiting on you to look at him. He is

already locking eyes and saying, "When

are they going to come? When are they

going to show up? I'M JUST, OH, I'M

WAITING. I KNOW I GOT BUSINESS TO TAKE

CARE. I GOT A BUSINESS TO RUN, BUT I'M

GOING TO SIT HERE ON THE FRONT PORCH CUZ

I KNOW MY SON IS GOING TO COME DOWN THAT

ROAD AT ANY MINUTE. And can I tell you,

as much as we want to keep our eyes on

him, he is already looking for you

today.

He has already sent his Holy Spirit in

this room to begin to lock eyes and say,

"I see you. I see what you're facing. I

see what you're going through. And the

distractions HAVE BEEN IMMENSE. AND THE

PRESSURE has been intense. AND YOU MAY

HAVE FAILED. YOU MAY HAVE BEEN

DISTRACTED, BUT IT DOES NOT CHANGE THE

father's love for you.

And today, my father

who is in heaven,

you preached on that. So good. Pastor

Scott did an amazing job when if you

were here, come on, let's give God

praise. Oh my God.

Our father

in heaven is not disconnected from the

affairs of humanity on this earth.

He sees you where you are. And I want

you to understand all he's asking you to

do is not look at the mess that's around

you, but just look up for your

redemption.

For I say to you that my love for you is

never ending.

My compassion toward you fails not

today. My mercies are brand new. Do not

leave this place without knowing the

Father's love. Do not leave this place

looking for answers everywhere else. I

say to you today that I am here with

open arms to embrace you. No matter what

you've done, no matter how bad you've

been distracted, no matter how many

times you have failed today, my love is

greater, my mercy is greater, my grace

is greater than anything that you have

done. Run to me. I am waiting for you

today, says the Lord of hosts.

Can we raise our hands and thank God for

his word?

Come on. Give him some praise in the

house. Give him some worship in the

house. Oh, hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

Let me pastor and disciple for a second.

If you're new to Pentecostal faith and

the moving in the gifts of the spirit,

that's exactly what you saw defined out

in the word of God. The gift of tongues

and the interpretation of tongues

literally is God himself speaking to

this room through mere vessels of flesh.

And we want it all. I don't know about

you, but I receive the word that he has

given.

>> [snorts]

>> The fact is

that God is telling you, "Daddy, look up

for your redemption draws nigh."

[snorts] He's telling you, "Mama, look

up." He's telling you, teenager, look

up. Quit looking at all the things. Look

up.

He's got you. You [snorts] say, "Pastor,

what's our call today?"

The call is this [snorts]

for Liberty Culture.

We didn't cross this sacred threshold

just to become distracted.

We crossed it because God is positioning

us for the harvest.

We crossed it because there are families

waiting to be restored.

We crossed it because there are prodals

waiting to come home. We crossed it

because there are lives waiting to be

transformed. We crossed it because there

are generations waiting to be launched

in their God-given purpose. And we

cannot afford to lose focus. Now

Jesus

the ultimate king remained focused

while he was carrying the cross. He

could have been distracted by many many

things but the Bible described IT LIKE

THIS FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE

HIM. He endured the cross.

He endured it. And you know who he did

it for? He did it for you.

So, with every head bowed, every eye

closed,

if you're in this house today and you

don't know the father's love, and you've

never been saved, you've never received

Christ as your savior, and you say,

"Today, I want to start a real

relationship with a God who absolutely

loves me." Because I'm going to tell

you, he does. The simple gospel is he

came born of a virgin, lived a sinless

life, offered himself on the cross, went

to the grave, stole the keys of death,

hell, and the grave, rose on the third

day under his own power, and now is

seated at the right hand of the father

interceding for you. And here's what I

know. He will be your advocate when you

stand before God. If you are covered in

his blood, he'll stand up and say, "I'll

vouch for this one. This is my son. This

is my child." And today you can have

that assurance and you can say, "I want

to accept Christ." So with every head

bowed, every eye closed, if you're in

this house today and you don't know

Jesus as your savior, but you want to be

changed forever, you want to give your

life to him. I want you to slip your

hand up and say, "Pastor, pray for me

today. I want to make sure that my life

is right with him. I want to serve him.

I want to make sure I've got everything

right today. I want to begin a

relationship with him today. [music] I

want to give it all to Jesus." Come on,

anybody in the room, you want to give it

all to Jesus. everything you have. Are

there some in here, I'll say it like

this, that you've drifted through life

and you've allowed yourself to become

distracted, but hear the heart of the

father today calling for your attention,

saying, "Today, fix your focus. Fix your

eyes on Jesus. Don't look at the

distractions as many as there. There's

plenty. We can put our attention on

anything. But today, he's calling our

attention back to him." And so today,

here's how we're going to do this. If

you're in this house, you say, "Pastor,

I've been distracted and I need to

refocus." I want you to slip your hand

up so I can know who I'm praying for

today. Say, "Pastor, pray for me today.

Pray for me. I've allowed things to

distract me. I've allowed things to

distract me." Amen. Amen. I see hands

all over this house. Today is a day of

refocus for you and for your family.

Today is a day of refocus. And you don't

have to leave here the same way, but you

can leave here with my eyes locked on

Jesus.

My eyes locked on Jesus. Now, I want

everybody to look at pastor for just a

second. Here's how we're going to do

this. I felt the Lord move on me early

this morning about this and I felt him

lead me into communion. Y'all know me. I

don't do this on a repetitive cycle or

anything like that. Just when the Holy

Spirit moves on me, we will go into a

time of communion. So, I'm going to ask

my guys to go ahead and serve the

congregation if you don't mind so that

we can move quickly in this moment

because I don't want any distractions

when we leave this house to gain our

attention. I want our focus to be on the

king. I want our focus to be on the

king. Everything that I have, I give it

to the Lord. Every part of my heart, I

give it to him. And in this moment,

thank you, Marcus.

Every part of my heart, every part of my

life,

there is something that can fight for my

attention.

But today, I thought of no greater way

to get us to refocus than to come to the

table of the Lord.

Because here's what I'm going to tell

you. Everything we're doing in this

house is so that name Jesus can be

glorified.

Everything we do in this church is so

the name of Jesus can be glorified.

And I want that to translate into your

home. So that everything your house does

is so the name of Jesus can be

glorified.

How many you say, "Pastor, that's my

desire more than anything else that the

name of Jesus be glorified in my

family." Then I'm going to ask you to do

something crazy while they're passing

this out. Can we just lift our hands and

just give him a little bit of worship. I

I can think of no better way to approach

the table than in a heart of worship.

I can think of no greater way than to

stand here and say, "Lord, you're worthy

of all the praise. Lord, you're worthy

of all the glory and all the honor. God,

let my let my heart be fixed on you

above the distractions, above the mess,

above all the things. God, let my heart

be fixed on you.

God, I yield it to you. Every part of my

mind, every part of my spirit, every

part of my heart, Lord, every thought,

everything I think, Lord, let it be on

you continually

that you may receive the glory and

receive the honor. Lord, you are worthy.

You are worthy. You are worthy of all

the praise.

Can I tell you as they're passing this

out, the two things the Lord spoke to me

that I'm certain that you will hear more

about in the next coming days for the

season that we are walking into as a

church. The Lord gave me four separate

things this morning early, but I'm only

able to release just two of these today

and not even in their entirety. The rest

will come later. But I want you to hear

what the Holy Spirit is speaking to your

pastor's heart.

The first thing he gave me was, "Help

[music] us during this season to discern

what truth actually is."

Help us to discern what truth actually

is as believers that we will not be

deceived and distracted and pulled away.

And this another thing he gave me,

Pastor Scott, was this. Help us

recognize where and how God is moving.

Not only let us see truth, but Lord, let

us see how and where you are moving in

this time. How and where you are moving

because we don't want to miss the

moments that you've given us.

But today,

we're going to adjust our focus and get

our attention adjusted so that we are

not distracted by the enemy. And the

question is posed to us again. What are

you looking at?

Where are your eyes?

And so this sacred moment of communion,

has everybody been served? Is anybody

missing? I want to make sure. Does

anybody not have the elements for

communion? Babe, I'm going ask you to

come with me on the platform.

The statement that the Lord gave me for

this moment, this time of communion, is

this. Keep the main thing the main

thing.

Keep Jesus at the center of it all.