How to be Changed by the Resurrection of Jesus

Only one found worthy. There's a reason that

heaven is built the way it is. With Jesus at

the center. Right? Who else is worthy to have

created beings covered with eyes? beholding Him

24 -7 and in response, they cry out, holy is

this man. Our King is not dead. He's not a story.

He's not just a purpose. A person of history.

He's alive today. He's reigning. He's orchestrating.

And I believe He's powerfully moving among us

to bring His kingdom of heaven to earth. We started

out the service reading Matthew's account of

the resurrection. But now if we could, let's

turn to Paul's discussion on the resurrection.

This is 1 Corinthians 15. I'm going to spend

a few minutes reading this passage. 1 Corinthians

15. We're going to read verses 51 -58. The real

powerhouse, I believe, of the passage that we're

going to interact with is going to be mostly

verses 57 and 58 today. But as I was encouraging

the early service... If you want to just meditate

and read through a passage of Scripture that

will really strengthen the hope of God, the power

of God in your life through the resurrection,

you're like, it's Easter, it's Resurrection Sunday,

I want to really grab a hold of the revelation

of the resurrection of Jesus and what it means.

This is a very long chapter, 1 Corinthians chapter

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

15, but the Apostle Paul, The entire chapter

is about the resurrection, why the resurrection,

the power of the resurrection, how the resurrection

changes us. It's just a wonderful passage, so

I encourage you to meditate on it all throughout

the day. But let's pick up all throughout this

week. Today's fine too. But 1 Corinthians chapter

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

15, let's pick up in verse 51. So this is the

Apostle Paul. He's writing a letter. to the church

in the city of Corinth, right? And he's writing

about the resurrection and he says this, verse

51. He says, listen, I tell you a mystery. We

will not all sleep, but we will all be changed

in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the

last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the

dead will be raised imperishable, and we will

be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself

with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality.

Can I pause this for a second? All throughout

this chapter, the Apostle Paul's been talking

about it, but the context is he's talking about

the very near return of Jesus. When he comes

back, right? When the trumpet sounds and the

skies split in the east and the twinkle of an

eye, he's going to come back and the ground and

the ocean, the Bible says, is going to give up

their dead. Right? And there'll be a great time

of both celebration and righteous judgment on

the earth. And the Apostle Paul says, when that

happens, verse 54, when the perishable has been

clothed with the imperishable and the mortal

with immortality, then the saying that is written

will come true. Death has been swallowed up in

victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where,

O death, is your sting? Quoting from Isaiah chapter

Isaiah 25 · chapter mention

25. The Apostle Paul says, the sting of death

is sin and the power of sin is the law. Here's

where we want to camp out for a few minutes.

But thanks be to God, He gives us the victory

through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my

dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.

Always give yourselves fully to the work of the

Lord because you know that your labor in the

Lord is not in vain. Let's just... Let's surrender

ourselves to the Scriptures. Jesus, we come and

we surrender our hearts, our minds, the way we

think, our past, our theology, all those things

we surrender right now. And we are asking for

a powerful move of Your Holy Spirit through these

words to change us forever. We surrender in Jesus'

name. You say amen to that? Amen. When we look

at this passage, if we're allowed to entitle

kind of thoughts about the passage, today would

be entitled, How to be Changed by the Resurrection

of Jesus. How to be changed by the resurrection

of Jesus. I've mentioned a kind of joke that

I was born in the church. I was basically in

church, in the womb. All I can remember all my

life is going to church. And I've heard the crucifixion

and the resurrection story. I have no idea how

many sermons I've heard preached, how many coloring

sheets I've done. I mean... My whole life. And

for me, maybe not for anybody else, but for me,

there were large blocks of time in my life where

the story of Jesus had no impact on my life.

It was just that. A story that I had heard 10

,000 times. And so, in these days, when I'm...

experiencing revival in my own life, and my life

has been set on fire with purpose for the kingdom

of heaven on the earth, when I come to a celebration

like Resurrection Sunday, to me, I come with

it with the question, Jesus, how can you change

me? Because it has to be more than a holiday,

yes? The death and resurrection has to be so

much more than American holiday. Now, I'm about

to eat some ham, some yeast rolls, and I'm going

to enjoy it. I'm going to hang out with my family

today. I'm going to drive all over Texas so we

can be together. And I'm going to enjoy it. But

how many of you would be able to say the resurrection

of Jesus has to be about more than that? You

understand that... The death and resurrection

of Jesus is quite literally the turning point

of human history. Time is marked B .C. and A

.D. by this event. But even more than that, some

kind of human construct, what we're celebrating

today is the very power and turning point of

the story of mankind. Where mankind was destined

to hell. hopeless, and God rescued them. And

so when we come to this, and we come to this

passage, the apostle Paul says, on that day,

you're going to be changed. Yeah? So, he says,

I want to tell you a mystery. We will not all

sleep, but we will all be changed. Again, he's

talking about the Second coming of Jesus. There

is coming a day. It may be in our generation.

It may be our children's generation. It may be

their children. It may be their great -grandchildren.

But there is coming a day on the earth. You can

be assured of this. When the whole world will

come to a quiet pause. And the skies will break

open in the east. And there will be the sound

of a trumpet. That's what it says. It says, and

the trumpet will sound. I'm going to tell you

a mystery. Don't be mistaken about this. There's

coming a day that the trumpet will sound. And

here's where I want to encourage you today. On

that day, Jesus returns as the righteous judge.

And there will be a judgment on the world. and

the entire world will be changed in that day.

And for some of us, we're like, hallelujah, bring

it on. That's going to be a glorious day. But

for all these people we're praying for, not such

a beautiful day. Do you understand the perspective?

And so, here's what I want to encourage you.

Right now, you have the unique ability that not

all generations will have. you have the ability

to be changed by the resurrection of Jesus on

this side of the trumpet. Does that make sense?

There's going to be a mandatory change on the

other side of the trumpet. We're in the age of

the church in which we're in the great mercy

of God. So I've asked Christian Landbower to

come. When the Bible says the trumpet, it's actually

speaking of the ram's horn, the shofar. It's

the same sound that brought down the walls of

Jericho. And it's the very sound we're going

to hear at the return of Jesus. Christian has

a Bachelor of Arts in trumpet. I mean, you can't

make this stuff up. No pressure, Christian. You

better do good. But I'm going to ask him, can

you just for a moment, can you go to that place

in your imagination which is a gift from God?

sanctified and made holy by Jesus. Can you picture

the entire world getting still and the ground

shaking and the skies opening? Give it to us,

Christian. Great job. Didn't you do a great job?

Think about that. The Apostle Paul says, listen,

I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep,

but we will all be changed in a flash. In the

twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for

the trumpet will sound. And the dead will be

raised imperishable. So, what I'd like to do

briefly for the next few minutes is take a look

at these words from the Apostle Paul and say,

Jesus, how do You want to change us by the power

of the resurrection? Anybody choose to be changed

today? Would you just make the choice right now?

Jesus, by the power of the resurrection, change

me. I choose to be changed on this side of the

trumpet. You know why? Because if we're willing

to be changed on this side of the trumpet, these

folks have a chance to see Jesus on this side

of the trumpet. Everybody's going to see Him

in that day. Everybody's going to see Him in

that day. It's called the wonderful, awful, horrible,

glorious day of the Lord. Everybody's going to

see Him in that day. But you're the picture of

Jesus in the world right now. It's the church.

You are the image of Jesus to the lost world.

And I don't know about you, but that sparks a

little motivation for change in my life. Because

I'm not there yet. So, anybody have like a crotchety

old uncle or aunt or grandma and grandpa that

told you these things growing up? Boy, I tell

you, only two things guaranteed in life, death

and taxes. Anybody ever got a crotchety old family

member saying, death and taxes, boy. The only

thing that's guaranteed in life. Well, according

to the Apostle Paul, they were right about the

taxes, but not so much about the death. I mean,

if you're breathing in America, you're going

to pay taxes. That is a guarantee. But the Apostle

Paul says, I tell you a mystery, not everyone's

going to sleep. You think he's talking about

natural sleep? He's not. He's not talking about

like new parents and stuff that never get to

sleep. One day you'll get to sleep again. If

you read the Apostle Paul's writing, anytime

he talks about death, he calls it sleep. This

is his own personal language. And the Apostle

Paul says, I want to tell you a mystery. Not

everyone's going to sleep. You understand that,

like we've been talking about, there is a generation

on the earth that will not die. I don't know

when that will be. I would love for it to be

my generation. I'd love to see that. but that's

his business, not mine. A little above my pay

grade. But there is coming a generation that

will not die. Wow. So, in light of that, the

Apostle Paul says, verse 57, so thanks be to

God. For He gives us the victory through our

Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers,

the word there for brothers in the Greek, it's

mankind. It's talking about people. Therefore,

my dear brothers and sisters, mankind, stand

firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves

fully to the work of the Lord because you know

that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. I'd

like to... focus the next few minutes on those

practical changes that God can make in us. So

if you're writing down notes, number one, how

do I allow the resurrection of Jesus to change

my life? It starts with this. Number one, receive

total, I do mean total victory over sin and death

by salvation through Jesus Christ. This is where...

It begins. This is where the resurrection of

Jesus truly meets our lives. In that we come

into a place of surrender. And that's why the

Apostle Paul said, in that day it will be true

what has been said. Death has been swallowed

up in victory. And he said, and thanks be to

God, you have been given victory through our

Lord Jesus Christ. You're in Corinthians. Can

I just get you to turn with me to Ephesians?

1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians.

We're going to come back to 1 Corinthians 15

if you want to put a finger there. But Ephesians

Ephesians 2:1

2, verse 1. Listen to this. As for you, you were

dead in your transgressions and sins in which

you used to live when you followed the ways of

this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of

the air, the Spirit who is now at work in those

who are disobedient. All of us. also lived among

them at one time, gratifying the cravings of

our sinful nature and following its desires and

thoughts. Raise your hand if you used to be dead

in sin and transgressions. That's a freebie.

Everybody gets to raise their hand. Everybody.

Alright? Then look right here. But because of

His great love for us, verse 4, God, who is rich

in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when

we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace

you have been saved. And God raised us up with

Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly

realms in Christ Jesus. Have you... I asked the

early service, and I mean, we were up earlier

in here, a little earlier, so maybe they didn't

get to catch up. But has anybody been catching

up on the news about the rescued airmen? You've

been reading this story. You know, the backseater

was rescued, they said, early, early this morning

or late into last night. The F -15 was shot down.

The frontseater pilot was already rescued, but

the backseater weapons... systems operator which

is what my dad used to do in the air force and

the f4s uh ejected here oh we were talking about

this their plane was shot down in enemy territory

on good friday have you read the story and for

the last 48 hours he's been hiding in the cleft

of a rock Hiding in the cleft of the rock and

was rescued on Easter morning. Can you imagine?

I mean, we can't. But could we try to imagine

what could possibly be going through the man's

mind? I mean, I don't know if you've got to read

about it, but... You know, the president, of

course, calls it the most spectacular, the most

wonderful search and rescue that the world has

ever seen. But they said over a hundred special

operations soldiers and special operation aircraft

took place in the rescue. They said that they've

been in communication with him as he's been in

the cleft of the rock making their plans. They

sent the CIA into Iran with a deception campaign.

To put everybody off in the wrong area for them

looking for them. It said that they landed a

C -130. Does anybody know what a C -130 Hercules

is? It's a massive transport aircraft. They landed

it and I ran. It got stuck in the mud. They had

to evacuate the crew and then blow up our own

plane so the enemy didn't have it. All so that

this man could be rescued. Here's a man hiding

in the cleft of the rock. believing that His

country is moving heaven and earth to come rescue

Him. And it may be the greatest military rescue

mission in the history of the world, and I don't

know about you, but I can't wait to watch the

movie. But I'm telling you, it may be the greatest

military rescue in history, but it is not the

greatest search and rescue mission on the earth.

Because 2 ,000 years ago, and this is what I

was trying to do. I don't know if I communicated

well in the early service, but there are a lot

of parallels in my mind between what Jesus did

for us and this pilot that I was just explaining.

But there are some major differences. The major

differences are this. We weren't the good guys

that got shot down in enemy territory. We defected

against our commander -in -chief and willingly

walked into enemy territory and shackled ourselves

to the enemy. A little different, isn't it? Now,

is President Trump going to be so bold if a traitor

walks into the Iranian camp and says, hey, I'm

with the enemy now. You think he's going to move

heaven and earth to rescue that guy? I mean,

I like them, but that's the difference. We defected

in rebellion willingly, and He didn't send a

hundred special operations soldiers. He sent

one man, the Son of God, alone to walk into enemy

territory and rip us from Him. And you know what

the crazy thing is? For many of us, we went kicking

and screaming. I love that guy. I love this one.

And He still rescued us. So, number one, how

do you let the resurrection of Jesus change you?

If you have not surrendered your life to God,

if there's never been a time in your life that

you have gotten real with God and cried out to

Him, I need to be rescued. I can't do it. I can't

save myself. I can't set myself free. I've tried.

I need You. I believe that You, the Son of God,

came to rescue me. And by faith, I receive it

and I give You my life. If you've never been

saved, this is where it begins. The greatest

rescue mission in history was the Son of God

going into the grave of enemy territory. to rescue

us from the hands we could never get free from.

Please don't miss that opportunity. If you're

here and you don't know, you've never given your

life to the Lord, we've been praying like crazy

for you. We've been praying you would come today.

Why? Because we love you and not near as much

as He loves you. So at the end of service today,

we're going to have our ministry team. They're

going to stay. after service over on the wall,

and we're going to give you an opportunity. If

you need help with any of that, or want someone

to be a witness with you, and you want to get

real and get right with God, today's your day.

What better day than Resurrection Sunday? So

I would encourage you to do that. I know many

of you have been walking with the Lord for some

time, and so I just want to encourage you in

closing out number one. Don't settle for anything

less than total victory over sin and death. You

know what I'm saying? Jesus didn't do what He

did so we could live in mediocrity. So we could

live lukewarm lives. What did the Apostle Paul

say? And thanks be to God because we have the

victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus

purchased total victory. You know what the greatest

thing you could do today? The greatest gift you

could give Him is walking out of here a free

man or woman. Leaving some chains right here.

Leaving some habitual sins right here. Leaving

some things you would struggle with and you're

like, Jesse, I've given this to the Lord 10 ,000

times. Make it 10 ,001 today. Don't give up.

Keep going. Are you with me? Does he not deserve

to get what he paid for? He does. He's worthy

of that. So don't settle. I'm not going to settle.

You don't settle. We're not there. But we're

going to die breathing the breath of freedom.

We're not giving up. Alright? So, that's number

one. Thanks for letting me spend a little time.

That's kind of a foundational one. Salvation.

Total victory over death. Alright, let's move

briefly through these other ones. How to be changed

by the resurrection of Jesus. Number two, become

consistently immovable from the cares of this

world. Become consistently immovable. Look here

at what Paul says here in our passages. Verse

58, Therefore, my dear brothers, I was telling

the early service, I remember a preacher a long

time ago saying, when the Bible says therefore,

find out what it's there for. Right? And you

read in context saying, this is the total victory

that God purchased through Jesus. This is what

God has done. He has set you free. He has defeated

all your enemies. Now therefore, because of that,

he says, stand firm and do not be moved. Because

of what God has done through the death and resurrection

of Jesus, stand firm and don't be moved. What

the world needs to see in the church today is

not this politically correct, wimpy, sway with

the world's thinking kind of church. What they

need to see is a church that is immovable on

the rock of the foundation that is Jesus Christ.

And we're not swayed back and forth like the

world is with all the cares of the world and

all the distractions and all the things that

discourage us or encourage us. No, the Apostle

Paul says, because what Jesus has done, let the

resurrection make you stand firm. Not moved.

Why is it important that the world sees immovable

Christians? Now, when I say immovable Christians,

I'm not talking about stiff -necked, arrogant

jerks. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm

talking about immovable on the foundation of

Jesus. This is truth. He is truth. I am unmoved

by the world. Why does the world need to see

that? Number one, in my opinion, and I'm just

thinking through, our world is so shifty. So

shaky. There's nothing people can bank on anymore.

Everything is a deception. Even the videos they

see with their own eyes are created by AI and

they're not really what they are. Everything's

a deception. And the world is tired of being

continually duped by the church as well. Amen?

They're like, oh yeah, at least I can run to

Jesus. And they go to the church and they see

sniveling, wimpy, being moved just like the world.

I'm telling you, they're not interested in that

anymore. Or there'd be more people in the walls

today. They're not interested. What they need

to see is a church that is confident in who Christ

is, standing on the foundation and saying, I

will not be moved by the ways of this world.

A second reason, we've been... If you're a visitor,

we've been studying the parables of Jesus in

Matthew 13 about the kingdom of heaven. Remember

in the kingdom of the sower, when Jesus explains

the kingdom of the sower, what did He say choked

out the fruit of the kingdom of heaven in the

story? Anybody remember? What choked out? It

was the seed that fell on the thorns, the thorny

soil. It says, what grew up to choke out the

fruit of the kingdom? the cares of this world

you see the cares of this world the distractions

of this world and what jesus said the insatiable

pursuit of wealth those are the things that choke

out the fruit of the kingdom of heaven and why

the church needs to be immovable is the world

needs to see a church that is producing fruit

of the kingdom they need to see a church that

actually looks like jesus talks like Jesus, lives

like Jesus, walks like Jesus. They need to see

an immovable, consistently immovable church.

Hebrews 12, 28 says, for we are receiving a kingdom,

what? That cannot be shaken. Did you hear that?

Are we talking about the same Bible, the same

church? And we are receiving a kingdom that cannot

be shaken. My dad calls it panic proof. He says,

Jesse, we want to be men who are panic proof.

Anybody want to be panic proof when it comes

to the kingdom of heaven? Anybody ever fail at

that? I'm going to just tell you real quick.

somewhat funny, somewhat horrible story of a

huge failure I had in being immovable. I'm going

to do this quickly. I have a son. He's 20. He's

enlisted in the Navy. Five, six years he's been

planning to be a Navy SEAL. He went to Navy SEAL

training and failed. Was devastated. All his

dreams were over. Got kicked out of the BUDS

program. Failure. Went through a dark time. Kind

of, what am I going to do next? God opened up

a door. for him to go to a pretty rare program

and contract to become a special operations medic.

Like it's two and a half years of training, very

intensive medical, a lot of combat training.

And so he's on this new track. He's getting excited

about it. He just got shipped to San Antonio.

He's about to start school. And we're praying

for him, you know, because we want him to succeed.

I mean, we want him to do well. We felt horrible

when he fell. We want him to do well. So we've

been praying for him. Well, this was last week.

It started day one of his training on his new

contract track. And I had texted him something

that morning, just some personal stuff between

him and I. And I was waiting for him to reply.

I know he'll reply when he does, but normally

I get a quicker reply than I did. Time, time,

time. And then I get a text from him. And this

is what his text says. It's two brief texts.

It says, Let me see if I can... I want to make

sure I got it right. What was the word I used

at first service? I'm trying to remember. Yeah,

yeah, thank you. His text was... The program's

called ATF, Advanced Training Field or something

like that. But it's this high -speed program.

His text was, I just got cut from ATF. Next text,

we'll call when I can. And I was like... Jill

was there with me. I was like, are you serious?

This guy just fell out of the second program?

It's day one. I just started freaking out. I

was like, what could have happened? The guy's

been training. I mean, he's physically fit. I

don't think he's going to do something just illegal

and stupid. And I just started talking to Jill.

What is God doing? I can't believe this. And

I literally, nothing will cause you to have a

freak out moment like your kids. And I'm just

having this freak out moment. I mean, no faith.

No standing immovable. I'm just swimming in fear

and emotion. And I can't believe this is going

to happen again. I was just watching be tortured

in the last failure or whatever. And I'm just

like, ah. And so nothing. No phone call. No nothing.

Hours. Hours got literally. Hours go by. No nothing.

Finally, his mom's like, I've had enough of this.

They get the mom involved. She texts him. She's

like, what happened? He texts back to her immediately,

of course, because it's mom. What do you mean

what happened? Question mark, question mark.

She says, you text your dad that you got cut

from ATF this morning. What happened? Long silence.

And then a text. No, I meant I got released for

the day. I'm going to dinner. Like, He got released

from his formation and he would call me later.

So he's still in the program. But like the last

few hours, after I choke him through the phone,

and then Jill makes fun of me for a couple hours,

she looks at me and she says, Jesse, you really

failed that one. I was like, actually I defended

myself then, but I repented later. I failed.

I failed. But, I repented. And I'm coming to

the Lord today saying, I want to become, because

of what Jesus did, consistently immovable in

an unshakable kingdom for this world. So, if

you long for that too, let's just pause. We just

ask the Lord. If you're like me and you need

to repent right now for just being a person swayed

by everything the world says and does, or your

children, seriously, if you just need to repent

for that, just go ahead. Repentance is a gift

offered freely. And then let's just commit together.

Lord, we want to be... consistently immovable

so that we can show the world what it looks like

to walk like Jesus. Help us, Lord. Amen. Didn't

Jesus do a good job of that? I mean, He's standing

before Pilate. Pilate's like, I've got the power

to take your life. And he's like, you've got

nothing but what I give you. Silent before the

shearer. No panic. Facing the most horrible moments

of his life. Trust in God. And immovable. And

that's what we want to be like. Amen? Alright.

Number three, if you want to take notes, remain

fully devoted to the kingdom of God rather than

our own desires. How can the resurrection of

Jesus change me? I want to remain fully devoted

to the kingdom of God rather than our own desires.

Look what it says in verse 58. The Apostle Paul

says, and always give yourselves fully to the

work of the Lord. Don't you love how the Apostle

Paul has the ability to give you absolutely no

wiggle room whatsoever in this? He's like, hey

listen, by the power of the resurrection, therefore,

because of what God has done, always give yourself

fully to the work of the Lord. I know we've been

talking about this for a number of years here

at this church, but if you're new here, we understand

that God has called us to seek first His kingdom.

That's what the Bible says. Seek first the kingdom

of God and His righteousness and everything else

will be added to us. And so we understand that

we have a life mission as Christ followers. Our

life is no longer about us. It's no longer about

our pleasures, our wants, our desires. And that's

what I want to say like our kingdoms. You know

what I'm saying? Does anybody else have a problem

by being distracted by your own kingdom? I mean,

I do. I'm like, I got these four kids to raise.

I got bills to pay. I got hobbies I want to enjoy.

I got pleasures I want to stack up. I mean, and

if I'm being honest, like there are many times

where I'm losing sight of the kingdom in the

effort to build my own kingdom. And not like

intentionally like. Forget your kingdom, God.

I don't want anything. I know we're not doing

that. But in the way that we live our lives,

sometimes, we're no longer fully devoted to the

work of the Lord on the earth. My mom, before

she died, she wrote this devotional, 365 -day

devotional. It's really good. My dad and I talk

about it. It doesn't even seem like that. It's

our mom that wrote that. It's really anointed.

But in her devotional this week, she was talking

about this passage in 1 Samuel 12. In 1 Samuel

12, what's happening is God has been leading

the Israelites. He's their king. And they're

like, all these other people have a man for a

king. We want one of those. And Samuel's like,

no, man, you don't want a man for a king. God

is leading you. And they're like, no. We want

a man like everybody else. So God gives them

a king, and Samuel's coming to them, and of course

they go astray. You know, they're like us. Sometimes

really dumb. And Samuel comes to them and he

says this, and I swear he was speaking straight

to my heart. He says, you have done evil things,

but don't turn your eyes away from the Lord.

Instead, turn your heart to Him and serve Him

fully. He says, because the idols you're pursuing

can't do anything for you. They're useless. And

I was cut to the heart because in my own personal

life, I've been going through some personal struggles,

some difficulties, and to be honest, I've just

kind of been coasting in some mediocrity over

the last couple of months in my own personal

pursuit of God. And God just, cut deep to my

heart. And I got my journal out and I just began

to write this prayer of repentance saying, God,

I have gone to other idols that can't save me

or change me. But I'm not taking my eyes off

You. And I'm taking my heart and I'm turning

it towards You again because I want to serve

You and serve You alone. I just want to encourage

you. Maybe I'm not the only person in the room

that's been distracted lately. We've been pursuing

our own kingdoms, our own desires. And I want

to tell you that the power of the resurrection

says to you today, always be fully devoted to

the work of the Lord. It's the reason that you're

alive. The kingdom of heaven. How many of you

know, I know we talk about this passage all the

time, but we were reading Ephesians 2, the end

of the passage says, you've been saved by grace,

not works. It's the gift of God so that no man

can boast. But then the Apostle Paul says this,

and now you're God's craftsmanship. He created

you with His own hands and says, and now do good

works that God has ordained for your life. And

what I'm saying is, no matter where you are with

God, no matter what your job is, your occupation,

whatever it may be, no matter where God has placed

you, God has uniquely designed good works for

you to do for the kingdom. Are you hearing me?

Unique works for the kingdom that nobody else

gets assigned but you. That's what the Scripture

says. Ordained by God. Good works. And what we

have the opportunity to do through the power

of the resurrection today is say, God, forgive

me, take me back, and empower me to be about

those works and not my own. Because how many

of you know the other stuff outside the kingdom

is going to burn? It's going to burn. The apostle

Paul says, like I built you a foundation of Jesus.

Now build on top of that foundation, but be careful

what you build for because every man's life will

be tested by fire. And if what you build with

did not honor Jesus, it will burn up. And what

will be left will be what is built on the foundation

of Jesus for the kingdom. We all have all kinds

of opportunities in our lives. May we by the

power of the resurrection remain devoted. to

the kingdom that matters. Yes? Okay, let's just

take a moment and then we'll close out this last

one. If you just need a moment to repent, this

is where we're engaging. We're engaging right

now with the Word of God. If you need to repent

for the pursuit of your own kingdoms and you

realize that that doesn't come to the end that

you desire, just repent right now. And then let's

commit ourselves to be obedient to this Word.

Jesus, we want to always be fully devoted to

Your works. Would You help us to see them? Would

You help us to have courage to follow You? And

would You help us stay dedicated to it? We need

Your help, but we know that You've done it through

the power of Your resurrection. We receive it.

Amen? Let's just close with this. It leads right

into this one's last one. Number four, enjoy

a life of true meaning, purpose, and significance.

Enjoy. Enjoy your life with true meaning, purpose,

and significance. Look at the very last phrase.

The Apostle Paul said that the entire chapter

15, resurrection, resurrection, power of the

resurrection, purpose of the resurrection. And

then he says, now with all that said, therefore,

brothers, stand firm. Don't be moved. Always

stay faithful to the work of the kingdom. And

then look how he closes it. Because you know

that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. What

does that mean? Stay faithful. Don't give up.

Because the work of the Lord is the only true

purpose. You know that it won't be in vain. If

you work for the kingdom of heaven, you can bet

your life, you can lay down your head at night,

you can have total peace that what you have given

your life for is not in vain. It matters. And

that's a real problem in the world today. In

the law enforcement world. I was 100 % surprised.

at how many suicide threats and attempts we go

to in Weatherford, Texas. It's unbelievable.

Right, Gray? Is Gray here? I mean, any of you

guys that are in law enforcement, every shift

we're taking people to John Peter Smith Hospital

in Fort Worth that used to be the 10th floor

psych ward, but now it got so bad they built

a whole new wing for just mental illness. Feeling

insignificant? and without purpose is an epidemic

in the world right now. Jill and I were listening.

We took a road trip to take Adam his car. And

we were listening to History Tellers podcast.

I don't know if you listened to that. It was

really good. But we were listening to the story

of Lewis and Clark. You know, the great explorers

in the 1800s tasked by the president. You know,

they mapped 8 ,000 miles of... untouched, unmapped

territory over to the Pacific Ocean. All this

thing. I mean, came back, were held as heroes,

parades, parties. Did you know that two years

later in a little inn next to a river, Louis

the Explorer took his own life? You ever heard

that part of the story? The guy that mapped the

known world was celebrated as a hero, took his

own life. Because even that kind of success is

meaningless without an eternal kingdom. Let me

just give you a confession. 2005, 2006, 25, 26

years old, I get asked to pastor. first church

I pastored at. I'm not sure that anyone that

young should ever be given the opportunity to

pastor. But in that context of pastoring that

church, in that religious context, your worth

as a pastor is determined by how fast your church

is growing, how big your church is, and how many

baptisms you have on the count. Like literally.

And for those of you who have been a minister,

you know, like if your identity is a pastor,

then this is how you're judged. How fast is your

church growing? How big is it? And how many people

did you get dumped? And that's the measurement

of how good of a pastor you are. And so as a

26 -year -old, I can remember just... laying

in my bed at night and I'm going to church growth

conferences I'm going to all these things that

the seminary is sending me to so that I can make

a church grow and I can get people baptized and

I'm laying down at night and I'm wondering what

in the world is my life for I feel like no purpose

no purpose I'm in ministry and I feel like I

have no purpose I thought this is what God called

me to and I can't sleep at night And then I had

an encounter with God in 2007. I had a personal

encounter with God. And what I found out was

that my identity has nothing to do with my occupation.

But that I am a loved son. And the purpose of

my life is not to preach, is not to lead churches.

The purpose of my life is to serve Him. And you

know, Obviously, this is not a huge church. We

didn't baptize anybody today, this week. Definitely

not the fastest growing church in the area. And

I have such unshakable peace. And here's the

deal. I got questions all the time. Does anybody

else have questions about their life? I'm asking

God all the time. God, am I supposed to still

be pastoring? Am I supposed to be preaching?

You want me to go full -time law enforcement?

Sometimes I feel like that's the best way to

further the kingdom. I got this sphere of influence

in private security world. Do you want me to

do that? I got questions about God's plan for

my life all the time. What I don't have is a

lack of purpose. Because what I've come to realize

is it doesn't matter what my job is. Am I being

a dad today? Am I being a father? Am I being

a cop? Am I being a pastor? Am I being a security

guy? It doesn't matter. Because none of that

is my identity. Now I'm completely satisfied

in who I am. I'm his son. And I don't have to

earn your applause because he already loves me.

And he likes me. And I don't have to be the best

shot or the coolest cop because he likes me.

And He loves me. And all I have to do is work

with excellent at whatever He puts to my hand

and give Him glory. And I sleep like a baby.

Does that make sense? When the Apostle Paul ends

with these words, because you know that if you're

laboring in the Lord, it's not in vain. I want

to tell you, if you're living for any other kingdom,

you're going to struggle with significance and

purpose. But if you surrender to your identity

as a son or daughter loved by God, guess what?

You don't have to change your job unless he tells

you to, but I doubt it. You don't have to give

up your whole world and move to Uganda unless

he tells you to, but that's pretty rare. What

he wants is whatever's in your hand living surrendered

for him. And you can go from a dude that feels

like you're totally insignificant, have the same

job, the same family, the same house, the same

everything, and wake up tomorrow and go to bed

tomorrow night and sleep like a baby with total

peace because you said, whatever you put in my

hands, I know you love me, I'm surrendered to

you, and I work for your kingdom through this

tool you gave me. It's glorious. It's a glorious

way to live. And I want that for you. I want

that for you because I don't want to go to any

more insignificant life calls. You know what

I'm saying? This is Jesus died. That we would

have resurrection life and so that our life would

mean something. And it means something through

His kingdom. So, let me just say this. If you're

not living for His kingdom, repent and change

and just say, whatever you put in my hands, Lord,

I'm going to live for You. I repent. I'm shifting.

This job You gave me, it's no longer about my

career. It's no longer about my retirement account.

It's about Your kingdom and I'm going to let

You fill everything else together. These kids

You gave me, I'm going to stop griping about

all these kids you gave me. And instead, I'm

going to take these children that you put in

my hands and I'm going to mother or father for

the kingdom of heaven on the earth. You know

what I'm saying? Whatever your spot in life is,

just repent. You know what repent means biblically?

Change the way you think. Stop thinking about

that tool in your hand about your kingdom and

start thinking about His. It's going to work

out beautifully. And you'll find more favor,

more significance, and more productivity when

you turn it to His kingdom first. That's how

His kingdom works. Alright? And then if you've

been doing that, then I just want to say this.

Don't give up. Keep going. I know sometimes it

feels like, dude, I'm beating my head against

this wall. The kingdom of heaven is a narrow

road and it's not for sissies for a reason. Because

you're living for something eternal that goes

beyond you. I'd like to say you just surrender

it all. It's going to be roses. But then you'd

be here next week slapping me in the face and

I don't like that. Right? It's not all roses.

A surrendered lifestyle is a surrendered lifestyle

and that hurts. That means it's not about me.

Every day. But it will have eternal significance.

Would it be okay? Thank you for being so patient.

Could we stand? I just want to pray for you.

Ministry team, would you mind just being over

against the wall if anybody needs you? Again,

if you've never been saved, you've never fully

given your life to the Lord, could we help you?

Lord, I thank you for my friends. I thank you

that you brought us together. Father, I thank

you for the presence of Jesus and I thank you

for the Bible. We thank you for the Apostle Paul.

The knowledge You gave them and the words You

wrote through them. Father, here we are. We're

messed up. We struggle. We fail. We're far from

what we want to be at times. But by the power

of the resurrection, we hear Your words say to

us, You have the victory through the Lord Jesus.

Stand firm and don't be moved. Always give your

life fully to the work of the Lord. And your

life will not be in vain. We receive it. I pray

blessings on them. Blessings on their gatherings

today. Protection as they travel. And may they

enjoy you this week. In Jesus' name, Amen.