Making Life Count

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Morning, CCW.

Again, happy Father's Day.

Man, I'm so happy for the crowd of people that are here this morning in the middle of summer.

We know people are vacationing all they're doing, but man, I'm glad to see you and your faces.

This has been a good week.

I want to congratulate, they're not here today, but the newest fathers that I know of in our church.

John Wagner and his wife Kaylee Wagner had their new baby.

Clap for that.

And Ben and Jasmine and Delema had their baby this week.

So send them a text, send them your love.

We're looking forward to meeting those babies.

I do want to ask you to continue to be in prayer for uh the Teague family in the passing this week and be in prayer for the Morgan family because there was a funeral on Friday.

But God has been surely at work these last 10 days, and I'm so excited about this morning.

Um I was telling them they didn't know this.

I get to introduce a speaker to you this morning that had no idea that they were investing in my life for a handful of years before I ever was in Alabama.

Um Scott Dawson had put on what was called a student pastor retreat.

And I seen a lot of student retreats and run a lot of student retreats, but nothing for a student pastor and their wife.

And I'm gonna tell you what happened.

Sometimes you gotta click on a Facebook ad, folks.

This one came across my Facebook and it said$49.

Pigeon Forge.

And I was like, is this for real?

So I'm clicking and I'm like, it looks like a legit person.

This looks like a real human leading a real thing, and there were speakers' names on it that I had heard of, and where I said, I'm gonna try this out.

So I clicked on it, followed it, and next thing I know, we ended up, Heather and I, in Pigeon Forge, and we were loved on by Scott Dawson, his wife, his team, and everything was like paid for.

We stayed at a nice hotel, and we just got fed spiritually.

I'm gonna say for the first just intentional time in about six, seven years like that.

And so we, of course, came back, and we came back, and uh we loved that retreat and got fed for a few years through.

And the year we came to CCW, God was doing a work, the very last thing that I did was went to a Scott Dawson student pastor retreat.

And I was searching out a name, I was praying over a name for a student ministry as I was coming in brand new, and they showed the film Woodlawn.

I don't know if you've ever seen Woodlawn.

But Woodlawn is all about Tony Nathan and Alabama, and I was just getting pumped up, first of all, about football, trying to get in the mode, right?

Come from Indiana with basketball.

So I'm like, I'm getting pumped about it, and I watched this movie, and Tony Nathan he scored a touchdown and he threw a finger up in the air, and it pans over to the crowd, and there's a sign that says John 14, 6.

And Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

So I'm gonna ask any of our students wearing a green shirt, why don't you stand up?

Show them the back of that shirt.

God put something in my heart.

One-way students, it means something that Jesus is the way.

Thank you, students.

We heard from them earlier, but Scott had been invested in me and didn't even know it.

I'm so thankful for that ministry.

And uh, he has spoken to over a million people.

Scott is an evangelist with the heart of evangelists and goes at the heart of people.

So today I want to ask you if you would put your hands together for Scott Dawson and welcome him this morning.

All right.

Thank you, Pastor.

I about forgot something.

Behind any good man is a good woman.

Miss Tara, would you welcome Miss Terra today?

There you go.

Anything Scott's done, he's she's been better.

Thank you, Pastor.

Man, it is so good to be with you this morning.

Um, in fact, not only uh Tara and I have had an incredible journey of ministry, we have two children, and now we we are what you call grandparents, and so we still do student conferences, and so we were trying to figure out grandparent names.

In fact, it's the one of the very few, if you think about this, one of the very few uh aspects that God doesn't know about.

He knows children, but God has no grandchildren.

So as a grandfather, I was like, I want to be called something special, and being with students, I wanted to be called Mixed Master Scotty D.

Okay.

Um that didn't go over too well, so I am G Daddy.

I am G Daddy, and uh Miss Tara, if you ever get to know her, she is the epitome of a Southern woman.

She is called Sweet T.

Is that not just one of the most awesome names around?

And so we're getting a new experience with all of this, and uh it's in it's incredible because you get to fill them full of sugar and just send them home.

Amen.

So just continue to enjoy your journey for all you dads out there.

So thankful you joined us.

And uh, I just want to give honor where honor is due.

When I look around and see all the stuff that's going on here at your fellowship, my goodness, can we honor the man of God this morning?

Pastor Rick and First Lady Miss Tether, let's give it up for the Lord.

Thank y'all so much for what you're doing.

Uh, we can't minister to people who don't want to be ministered to.

So thank you for allowing us to invest in your life over those years and just to see what God is doing.

And then, Mr.

Benji, with uh your worship being led this morning, and you and I know each other even outside the church because um uh we got a building.

Now you gotta know this.

We got a building, and uh we moved in on November 21st, and on December 10th, we had an EF1 tornado hit our building on immediate impact, and within three hours we had 17 ser because the building's 203,000 square feet, so it's a it's a honking building, but uh the Lord showed up with 17 ServePro van.

And I know we don't want to give you know shameless plugs, but no you.

Thank y'all for being there uh so quickly and serving us so well.

So thank y'all for allowing me to be a part of this service this morning.

For all the dads and all the ladies, I was thinking, how in the world are we gonna be able to connect?

And then uh over the last several weeks, I started thinking about the Apostle Paul.

Now, most of you know his story, but if you don't, in Synopsis, we find him, first of all, as a man named Saul, his uh Hebrew name.

And Saul was a member of the Sanhedrin, uh, he was uh he was a religious leader of his day, and Saul really didn't like Christians.

The first time we hear of him was when Stephen, who was the first martyr of the church, was given the opportunity to either stand up for Jesus and die, or sit down and hush up and keep on living.

Well, Stephen, man, he gave them everything they wanted to know about Jesus, but were afraid to ask.

I mean, he went up one side of the gospel, down the other, and when he got done, according to the book of Acts, it says they were pricked to their heart.

That means he got to them, but then they started gnashing their teeth.

That means they were upset.

And they started they were gonna stone this man named Stephen.

And during that, the Bible says that they came over and laid their cloaks, that means they had laid their robes at the feet of this man named Saul.

All you need to know is Saul was a bad man.

You didn't want to mess with him, and and he was on the road to Damascus one day to persecute more Christians, and on the road to Damascus, something happened.

Now, this is where you got to zone in.

Don't miss this.

He met Jesus.

He didn't hear more information about Jesus, he didn't get some more uh uh understanding about Jesus, he met Jesus.

And when Jesus entered into his life, Jesus became so much more than just an addition to his life, Jesus became the transformation of his life.

And all of a sudden, to give evidence of the experience, we know that he's no longer being called by his Hebrew name, he's now being called Paul, and he becomes the greatest missionary the world has ever seen.

I mean, if you were to read the New Testament, a majority of the books were penned by this man named Paul.

God used him to birth fellowships everywhere he went, and he went to a place called Galatia.

Now, Galatia was a hustling and bustling city.

I mean, it was thriving.

Sure enough, Paul was there, God birthed the church, they started growing, and Paul went on his way.

Now, as soon as Paul left, there was another group that came in behind him called the Judaizers.

Now, the Judaizers started causing confusion in the church because you know what they said?

They said Paul was almost right.

You gotta have Jesus, but if you're gonna be right with God, not only do you have to have Jesus, you gotta add something to it.

And man, when the apostle Paul got wind of what was going on in Galatia, he started pinning through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the book of the Bible called Galatians.

And if you were to take the time to go through the book of Galatians, you would find that it's basically Paul kind of going up against the Judaizers saying, don't ever add anything to the work of Christ.

In Paul's mindset, it is Jesus plus nothing equals salvation.

Don't add anything to him, don't take anything away from him.

So as he gets to the end of the book of Galatians, this is where I want you to take your Bibles.

Turn with me to the book of Galatians, chapter six, because in order for you to get the relevance of this message, you had to understand the context, context from where Paul was coming from.

So in Galatians chapter 6, verse 17, I want you to hear how he lays out the emotion before the church.

Galatians 6:17

He says, From now on, let no one cause me trouble.

Basically, he's saying, from now on, case is closed.

I've refuted this.

We have stood firm, we know it's because of the work of Christ.

But then to give an exclamation point, look at the next phrase.

For I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

And it's on that phrase that we want to launch out this morning.

For I bear in my body, on my body, the marks.

Now, there's a lot of people out there debating.

What was Paul talking about?

Is he talking about the marks on his body, the beatings, the catam nine-tells that he went through, or is he talking about I have been the marks on the inside that Jesus has changed me from the inside out?

Well, here's the answer: it's not either or, it's both and.

Paul is going, man, I have been changed on the inside, and yes, I have walked through some struggles, but I bear on my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

It is that word marks that you've got to understand.

It is in the original language the word stigmata.

Now, what is that saying?

If you were to look at it, on the surface level, it would be like the chevron stripes of a uniformed soldier, okay, to represent their rank.

But Paul's mindset is so much deeper.

In fact, I'll be honest with you, if you were to get the real relevance of that word stigmata, you would have to go out and find a cattle farmer and watch them brand their cattle.

It's deeper than that of a tattoo.

What Paul is basically saying is not only have I been marked, it's deep, I have been branded by Jesus.

And if we're gonna make a difference in our life, dads, if we're gonna stand up and make a difference for this for this generation, moms, if we're gonna say, ladies and gentlemen, if there's gonna be a difference in our life, we're gonna have to be branded by Jesus.

So if you would, I would like for you to keep your Bible open and we're gonna go through Galatians chapter six, and I want you to see four marks we're all gonna have to have, okay?

Now I'm talking about if we're gonna make a difference, there's gonna be some marks in our life.

Well, I want you to start in verse one.

Listen to what Paul says.

He says, brethren, and that means everyone.

It means, brothers and sisters, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one.

If you have a pen or a pencil, I want you to circle that word spiritual, okay?

Because I want to come back and make an emphasis of it because um, quite honestly, I didn't want to use the term spiritual.

I I wanted to use the term uh godly.

I I mean, even if we were to use the term holy, people would at least go, I know what you're talking about.

But in Chelsea Westover, if you were to walk out on the streets and ask somebody, what does the term spiritual mean?

You're gonna get as many different answers as the people you speak with.

I mean, does that mean is it Christianity?

Is it some other religion?

Does it mean essential oils?

I mean, what does the term spiritual actually mean?

Okay, and then I started thinking, let's put it on the let's just let's just deal with it.

Do you know every person inside this room, you're in one of three conditions before God?

You're not gonna be in two, you're not gonna be exempt, but every one of us is in one of three conditions before God.

The Bible calls the first condition the natural man.

Now, the natural man is the person that's been born on this planet.

And I know you're sitting there going, wow, thanks for telling us that.

Well, it means something more because it means you were born in a fallen creation.

It means that every one of us inside this room has got, we've all got one thing in common.

We may live in different areas, we may pool for different sports teams, but there's one thing every one of us in this room has in common.

We've all sinned.

The Bible says, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

If you don't believe me, I'm gonna ask you a question.

If you've ever told a lie, not just today, you may have been good today, okay?

But I'm talking, if you've ever told a lie in your entire life, would you just raise your hand right now?

Just keep it up, keep it up, keep it up.

I want you to look around the room right now.

Do you see all the liars that came to church this morning?

Do you see that?

And by the way, for the few of you who chose to not raise your hand?

Liar.

I mean, how is that?

How in the world do we get to the point where every one of us has been infected by this same disease or this thing called sin?

I mean, do you do you do you realize that every one of us has gone through something that we we can't point our fingers, we can't blame each other, it's our own fault?

How did it happen?

You have to go back to the Garden of Eden.

It was in the Garden of Eden when the woman was deceived, but the man deliberately disobeyed.

And from that moment, sin has flown through the veins of every man, every woman, every boy, every girl.

We're sinners before I'm gonna go back to your pastor's words, a holy God.

I got news for you.

As much as I love preaching about the forgiveness of God and the love of God in which he is, I have never read in my Bible where it says three times he's loving, loving, loving.

I have never read where it says he's forgiving, forgiving, forgiving.

But just like your pastor emphasized this morning, all you have to do is read God's word, and you know what you hear?

He is holy, holy, holy.

Hey, bro, you can't sidestep that.

You can't treat the attributes of God like it's some buffet at the Chinese restaurant.

You can't say, man, I'll take some of that and take some of that, and I don't want any of that.

Understand, because of his holiness, I am separated from him.

Never to attain the right to be brought back into his presence.

And you could be sitting here this morning going, man, that's not good news.

Well, let me tell you the good news.

When I couldn't come to him, he came to me.

And for 33 years he walked among us.

I challenge you to read his word.

You'll never hear him say, Thank me.

You won't even hear him say, pay me.

You know what he says?

Follow me.

Why?

Because he knew his mission.

He knew because of our sin there had to be a debt that had to be paid.

And because God became man, Jesus Christ, and for 33 years walked among us and never, never committed a sin.

He went to the cross and he paid the debt that I owed.

He did something for you you could not do for yourself.

He paid the penalty for our sins.

So all I'm saying is if you're sitting here this morning and you've never received Christ, I'm not saying you're a bad person.

I'm not even saying you're an immoral person.

What I'm saying is, according to scripture, you're a natural person.

That means you're apart from this living God.

So not only is there the natural man, then in the book of Romans, Paul says there is a carnal man.

Now, when you start thinking about carnal, I go, well, how in the world am I going to describe carnal?

So for the sake of time, let me bring it to the Alabama language, okay?

Here's the way I think of somebody who's carnal.

A carnal person is someone who says who, I know Jesus, but by their lifestyle, they reveal they really don't.

I mean, they treat the gospel like it's a light switch.

They can turn it on and turn it off, turn it on, and turn it off.

It's kind of like watching one of those international movies that they've dubbed into English.

Have you ever done that?

I mean, that is one of the most, it is the most confusing thing here because their lips are not matching their words.

Now, a carnal person, you know what's going on?

Their audio is not synced with their video.

And then there's this spiritual man.

That's what Paul uses here.

First two, I can describe him then.

I start asking people, what does the term spiritual mean?

They go, I have no claw, I have no idea.

You know who the spiritual person is in this room?

Look at me.

It's the man or woman, boy or girl in this room who you know Jesus Christ.

He has changed your life.

Man, you could be sitting there going, Well, I'm not perfect.

Well, let me tell you what happens when Jesus comes into your life.

You know this holy God we've been talking about?

You know what he does?

He sees you through the blood of Jesus Christ.

And you want to know something?

In the eyes of your eternal Father, once you come into right relationship with Jesus Christ, you are perfect.

Now on this road, we're we're trying to be transformed.

He must become greater, I must become less.

And I know you're probably sitting here going, leave it to an evangelist.

Come in here, mess us all up.

I mean, I'm so confused now.

I mean, are you a natural person?

Are you a carnal person?

Are you a spiritual person?

Here's the question Has Jesus changed your life?

I mean, understand something.

I'm not I you live in the Bible, you are the we are the buckle of the Bible belt.

And if you're not careful, you can know all about him and not know him.

You you may meet a religious figure and forget about it.

You may go through a religious ritual and get over it, but you don't meet Jesus and get over him.

In fact, there is a Russian proverb, and I know we shouldn't be talking about Russia too much, okay?

They're probably listening to us right now, but this this is a 200-year-old proverb.

Listen to what it says.

Those who've been infected with the disease of Jesus will never be cured.

You take that through a pandemic.

I mean, I started thinking about it.

Uh, we were I was going on a mission trip, and um where they were where we were going, I'll go ahead and tell you now.

So uh you remember when Egypt was um basically taken over by the Muslim Brotherhood and there was a revolution going on, and uh we were I was part of that team, and because it was going in, we were the first Americans uh back into Here Square, and um it was um it was an amazing experience, but because there was not a lot of hygiene going on, what they told us we could catch, I was gonna be prepared for it, so that I had to go take some shots.

And so I got into my doctor's office, and I wish I could say this was pre-planned, but just like if you get to know me, most of the stuff that goes on is just you know, it's whatever happens.

So I I but I was in the doctor's office and he was about to give me a shot, and I stopped him and I said, Bert, what are you about to give me?

And I'll never forget what he did.

He stopped, he tilted his head up, and he started laughing.

I mean, he was amused at himself, and he said, Well, Scott, to be honest with you, I'm about to give you the disease.

But he said, Don't worry, I'm just gonna give you enough of it to where your body can build a defense against it, and he Here's what he said.

And you'll never become infected.

I want you to look right up here.

Because I'm speaking to some good people in this room.

But good people don't make it to heaven.

And if you're not careful, you'll there's just enough Jesus still left in our culture where you can dabble in this and dabble in that, and you can come to a service like this because these folks were talented up here.

You'll even listen to a sermon as long as it's not too long and there's a couple of jokes in it, okay?

And you can walk out of here.

And if you're not careful, look at me.

You won't be infected with Jesus.

You'll just be vaccinated against Jesus.

Here's the question Has Jesus changed your life?

Not your spouse's life, not your children's life, not your parents' life.

Has Jesus changed your life?

Because if you're gonna make a mark, you're gonna be marked with Jesus.

And just like when I came up here, I had to go through that door and come up some steps.

I want you to know how this message builds on each other.

So the first fundamental mark has got to be you're gonna know Jesus, that spiritual condition in your life.

But let me keep on building it, okay?

That's the fundamental one, but let's build on it.

If we're gonna make our lives make a difference, go down to verse, uh, go to verse three.

Here's what Paul says for if anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

So, so dads, listen to this especially.

Not only am I gonna be spiritual, I'm gonna know Jesus, there's gonna be spirituality.

The next mark that's gonna be in my life, the next step is gonna be that of humility, okay?

And it makes sense because Paul is the one who wrote the book of Ephesians, said, For by grace are you saved through faith.

It's a gift of God.

I I can't boast about it because I didn't do anything about it.

But I think he's talking about so much more.

I think I think he's speaking of if you think of yourself something when you're nothing, you deceive yourself.

So if I'm gonna live a life of humility, I have to escape the sin called pride.

Oh my goodness.

And one day I'm gonna come at you and talk about pride.

I'll never be invited back.

I understand.

So it's one of those words most of us just don't like to discuss.

I mean, we've heard it all of our life.

Pride comes before.

Now, I want you to write in the margin of your Bible this passage.

I have it written down, Proverbs 16, 18, because that's where we get it.

Now let me tell you what the Proverbs says.

Those with a haughty spirit shall fall.

Pride comes before destruction.

Now, a haughty spirit, that's nothing to joke about.

You know what a haughty spirit is when you have a warped view of oneself.

Every one of us has been in that situation.

Every one of us thinks a little bit more of ourselves than we need to, and we need to have friends that'll bring us back into reality, okay?

One of my favorite stories about this is Muhammad Ali.

Y'all know, y'all remember that name?

The greatest boxer to have ever lived.

The story goes that after the thriller in Manila, he walked into the plane, he had the championship belt on, and he was parading around.

The stewardess came up and said, Sir, please sit down, put your seatbelt on, we're about to take off.

To which Muhammad Ali quipped, Superman doesn't need a seatbelt.

To which the stewardess replied, Superman doesn't need an airplane.

Okay, sit down, put your seat down, we're about to take off.

That's a warped view of oneself.

A haughty spirit comes before a fall.

That's being brought into reality.

Pride comes before destruction.

By the way, pride by definition is a self-sustaining spirit.

It is when you get to the point where you're not listening to anyone else's advice, you're not taking anyone else's counsel, and you're bent on doing it your own way.

And by the way, there's two forms of pride.

The first one is the one we always hear about.

The first one, man, we are easily condemning that.

We immediately recognize it.

They walk in the room and you go, man, that man's so full of himself.

You know what?

It's the word arrogance.

But in church life, in ministry, it's not the arrogance I have to worry about.

It's the other form of pride.

It's just as dangerous, but sometimes it's overlooked, sometimes even applauded.

It's not arrogance.

It's false humility.

It is when I know how to turn all the phrases where I get the attention.

Because if we're going to make a difference in our life, we've got to realize God will share his possessions with us, God will share his people with us, but God's never going to share his glory with us.

And that word false humility.

It is when you're able to sit into a room when your preacher is preaching and they're tacking those issues that we struggle with, and we got our arms folded, we got a big smile on our face, and we're even nodding to the correctional instruction of God's word, but down deep inside, we know when we walk out of here, we're going to do exactly what we want to do.

Do you know in the Old Testament, when the people of God met, they expected God to speak.

Can I just ask you a question?

Because look, it's a holiday morning.

When you arose this morning, when you were dry, did you expect God to speak this morning to you?

Now, if you really study the Old Testament, the people of God, they already had their response anticipated.

So if we're going to make a mark for the cause of Christ, not only is there going to be a mark of spirituality, knowing Jesus, we're going to live a life of humility, realizing it's not about us, it's all about all about Him.

In fact, I'm going to share with you a story.

Have y'all ever seen the book, uh the book, the film Courageous?

Anybody ever seen the film Courageous?

Okay, some of you have, some of you have.

It's about some police officers.

Well, I was uh down in Albany, Georgia doing a devotional for the film crew, and uh I got done with it.

I was gonna come back to Birmingham, and right before I was walking out the door, the the producer scre I'll never forget this.

He screamed across the room, hey Scott, do you want to be in the movie?

And I acted just like every one of you would have acted.

I was like, Yes, sir, I do.

A star is born.

I mean, I knew I thought I had it made.

I went through wardrobe.

I I was the um when they were they were arresting the bad officer, they realized uniformed officers never arrest a uniformed officer.

So they had to get an officer of eternal affairs.

They had one suit on the set, and I promise you, with my hand in the air, I was the only one who could fit in the suit.

That's how I got the part.

Nine hours of filming.

I'm talking about it, it was like intense.

I had to rush in, and you know, I had all that stuff.

So we got invited to the Fox Theater.

We got a premiere seat.

I gave me a whole row.

I brought some of my friends.

And if you remember, I knew when it was happening because it was the most critical scene, and I was like, here comes, here comes, here comes.

Everybody was looking at the screen.

Well, if you've seen the movie, you know they they cut me out.

All you can see is the back of my head, okay?

And I'll never forget living that experience.

Everyone in the entire theater is glued to the screen except my rogue.

Jordy Henson is bent over laughing so hard.

And he's looking at me, he's like, Scott, you're not in this movie.

He said, and he used this phrase, he said, you're nothing but a glorified extra.

And I've never forgotten that phrase.

You know what?

After I come to know Jesus, it's no longer about me, is it?

All I am is a glorified extra.

He is the leading man of this presentation.

My biggest problem is not you.

And I want you to hear me.

Your biggest problem is not them.

My biggest problem is me.

I have to step out of the way.

Spirituality, humility.

Let me give you the third one because it's the sake of time.

I I want you to go down to the law of sowing and reaping and look in verse 9.

I love this because Paul says, and let us not grow weary while doing good.

For in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Probably the number one type of person I've met in the last four years are people who warm the seats.

They come to church, they sing the songs, you're doing the best you can just to survive.

But we've walked through so much since this pandemic started, and even some of you before then, I don't know who I'm speaking to in the room.

I don't know if I'm speaking to a father that's weary.

I don't know if I'm talking to a mother that's worn out, I don't know if I'm talking to a student that's searching.

I really don't know who's in this room, but here's my message.

Look at this.

Don't give up.

Mark it down, write it out.

Don't give up.

Because if I'm gonna make a difference, not only am I gonna be spiritual, not only am I gonna be humble, I'm gonna be persistent.

That's the word I want you to write down.

Persistent.

Because Barna tells us that after the pandemic, we've lost 30% of our roles.

I I, you know what?

I think we're gaining new people.

I mean, I'm looking around.

You guys are great crowd on a Sunday morning.

But here's the question I think we better start asking.

So don't answer out loud, but I want you to think about it like this.

What would it take for you to stop following Jesus?

Don't answer for anyone else and don't say anything out loud.

What would it take for you to just turn your back and say, that's it?

I'm done with this?

Because I hope your answer is nothing.

Because I can't stand up here and tell you that something's not going to take place in your life.

Do you realize we live in a fallen creation?

Most of us like to get away from the Garden of Eden, but can I remind you this morning, according to Scripture, creation moans because of the fall?

And because we live in a fallen creation, stuff happens.

And I'm not standing up here and saying God's mad at you.

I'm not standing up here saying God's trying to get back at you for something.

No, he's a loving God, a patient God, a just God, a merciful God.

But I'm saying because we live in a fallen creation, stuff happens, and I'm not saying God's not in control.

I'm not, man, I wouldn't go to bed at night and be able to sleep if I didn't go to bed understanding that he is in total control.

But we live in a fallen creation.

And the number one type person I've met is the person who's on the brink of going, man, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna throw my hands up in the air and just give up.

Don't give up.

If anyone should have given up, it should have been the Apostle Paul.

Think about him.

All he wanted to do was tell people about Jesus.

And wherever he went, people were like, Man, Paul, if you don't be quiet about Jesus, we're gonna beat you.

And Paul says, All right, go ahead and beat me.

They say, Paul, if you don't be quiet, we're gonna stone you.

And I'm talking about with rocks, not the, you know, all that other stuff, all right?

They could say, Paul, if if you don't be quiet, we're gonna whip you.

And Paul says, go ahead and whip me.

Somebody says, Paul, we're gonna throw you in prison.

And Paul says, throw me down there in Rome because that's where I'm trying to get.

There's a lot of prisoners that need Jesus.

And finally, somebody says, Paul, if you don't be quiet, we're gonna kill you.

And Paul says, Would you please?

Because Paul says to live is Christ, but to die is to be absent from the body is to be present with.

Paul says, You don't understand.

It's not about me.

It's all about him.

And whatever situation you're in this morning, whatever issues you're facing, I don't know how else, but just kind of blanket the statement and say, don't give up.

We will reap if we do not lose heart.

Let me give you the final one.

It's the word called passion.

It's found in verse 14.

I love this verse.

In fact, this verse is one of my favorite verses.

And you have yours, I have mine.

But listen to what Paul says.

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ah, you know what?

I want you to look at this one on the screen.

Because this is from the message Bible.

Now look, don't get mad at me.

It's a great, it's a great paraphrase.

And listen to what he says.

I may may I never boast about anything except the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Look at the next phrase.

Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died.

You know what he's saying?

Because of that cross, it changes everything.

Has that cross changed everything in your life?

Paul says, if I'm gonna boast, I'm gonna talk about other things, but if I'm gonna boast about something, I'm gonna boast about Jesus because he's the one that can change my life.

I love the story of heroes.

I mean, if there's a film about a hero, I love to watch it.

I read one about a hero named Lenny Skutnik.

Now you may not know Lenny, but Lenny was um was working at the uh Pentagon in January of 1981.

He was driving home during a snowstorm, and he was crossing over the K Street Bridge in D.C.

the same time that Air Florida 90 was taken off from uh Washington National Airport.

And because there was a problem de-icing the wings, the jet couldn't lift above the K Street Bridge, crashed into it, fell into the Potomac River.

There were 79 people on board at uh immediate impact, 74 had perished, but there were five.

Well, there were six remaining survivors, five that ultimately survived.

One of those five was a stewardess on the plane.

And because it was January in the Potomac River, hypothermia was starting to take over everyone's body, so they knew they were on a timeline.

So that as the helicopters were dropping the lifelines into the uh the river, the stewardess, now being frozen to death, could not grab the lifeline.

Well, Linett was crossing over the bridge, saw what had happened, and he did the unthinkable.

He jumped into the water.

He said that as he jumped in, it was like thousands of knives penetrating his body because of the cold water.

He couldn't grab the lifeline either, so in just desperation, he grabbed the stewardess, swam as hard as he could to the shore, saved her life.

Next day, front page news.

Lead story, every newscast.

He was a modern day hero.

The problem was, just like today, but much faster, news cycles happen, and so stories begin to fade in the sunset.

But something different happened this time.

Two weeks later, then President Reagan was given the State of the Union address.

He had done something that had never been done before.

Invited Linny to sit in the president's box next to then First Lady Nancy Reagan.

As he described the story that I've already shared with you, he acknowledged Lenny's presence in the Capitol, allowed him to stand, and then for the first time in the history of America, someone other than the President of the United States received a standing ovation during the State of the Union.

That was in 1981.

Our daughter works on Capitol Hill.

She'll tell you that weeks before the State of the Union, Capitol staffers will all be hustling around going, who's the Skutnik this year?

Who's going to be the one that the president portrays their story and acknowledges them inside of our nation's capital?

I thought that's a cool story.

But I'll be honest with you, ain't no way a bunch of senators and congressmen are gonna stand up for me.

You may have that opportunity, not so much for a preacher.

Then I realized I live for an audience of one.

How about you?

I started this message with Stephen.

Stephen was a simple but yet faithful servant.

And he had that one opportunity.

All he was doing was serving, and then he got his opportunity.

And he stood.

And it says, and if you have your Bibles, I I know this is not on here, forgive me, I didn't send it to you.

But if you have your Bible, would you turn back to Acts chapter 7 with me?

Acts 7 · chapter mention

And in Acts chapter 7, I want you to see something.

Acts 7 · chapter mention

You may have never picked this out before, but Stephen shared the gospel, and then it says in verse 54, when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart.

Now, I personally believe God started first speaking to this man named Saul by the faithfulness of this man named Stephen.

He was cut to the heart.

But then it says, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.

That means they were ticked.

Verse 55.

Stephen, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus, look at the next word, standing at the right hand of God.

And one of the few times in scripture, something is immediately repeated.

So go to verse 56.

And Stephen said, Look, I see the heavens opened.

And the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.

Now, if you studied Scripture, you know, according to the book of Colossians, the book of Hebrews, I mean, throughout Scripture, the Gospels, Jesus died, resurrected, ascended to do what?

To sit at the right hand of God.

But Stephen looked up and saw Jesus standing.

You're much smarter than I am.

But I Googled it.

First standing ovation.

8AD.

I go, nope.

767 years earlier, there was one man who received the first standing ovation.

And it wasn't Congress, it wasn't us.

It was Jesus Himself.

I can't help believe Jesus went, Stephen, if you're gonna stand up for me, I'm gonna stand up for you.

Can I just ask you something, sir?

It matters how we live.

Do you concern yourself with the things of God not only on Sunday morning, but on Tuesday morning, on Thursday afternoon?

It matters.

We're excited you joined us for today's message.

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