The Win

I have a confession to make, and that is I love to play games.

Does anyone else like to play games?

I love it.

I love it.

Remember the early days of my marriage, we'd we'd go to people's houses and we'd play, you know, party games like charades or whatever.

We'd play uh spades, hearts, uh things like that.

And uh even now to this day, and when we're driving in the car, oftentimes my wife and I uh we'll turn it on to the uh 80s channel on Sirius XM.

And the whole thing is when the next song comes on, but don't look, name the artist, name the you know, name the song, name the year.

It's like cool it now, new edition, 1984.

And uh truth is I'm the only one playing.

She doesn't, she's like, whatever.

Uh so in the early days, my uh my wife used to say to me, we'd be coming home from someone's house and after playing games, you know, and and you know, you're kind of clueless, you know.

I'm kind of clueless at times.

She said, You're so competitive.

Like when you were playing like that, you got all upset about this and that.

You're so competitive.

My reaction was like, I'm not competitive.

She said, Yes, you are competitive.

I'm like, no, I'm not.

Fast forward a few years later, here at Gateway Church, our staff took this thing called strengths finder, and uh it identified your strengths.

So, guess what my number two strength was?

Competition.

So that day I go home, you know, look like Charlie Brown, coming home to my wife, and I said, I'm competitive.

It's my number two strength.

And then I got upset because it wasn't my number one strength.

So I guess I am competitive.

Anyway, so oftentimes when I when I uh play a game, I always want to know how I can win at this.

I ask myself, how do I win?

How do I win at this game?

I think in life I think the same thing quite often.

How do I win?

How do I succeed?

And I would say that probably most of you in here want to be successful, right?

How many of you want to be successful at all of our campuses?

How many want to be successful?

I want to be successful.

And so I oftentimes ask myself, how do I win?

And I I in fact, I probably have not met hardly anyone in my life who doesn't want to be success.

Now, there is one guy, I remember, I was in college, uh, and I am dating myself.

I already mentioned the 80s, but I'm also dating myself because when I was in college, the big hot new electronic thing was the Nintendo entertainment system with Mario and Duck Hunt, and uh today it's called retro.

Back then it was cutting edge.

But anyway, there was this one kid down the hall from me in my dorm uh dorm room, uh, down the hall from me that he would not go to class.

I mean, he would just sit in his room with his door open because I noticed he'd always be in there, you know, boom, boom, boom, you know, on the doing the Mario thing, trying to save the princess or whatever he was doing.

Finally, I asked him one day, I said, um, why don't you go to class?

This is college, you know, where you kind of got to go to class.

And his response to me was was amazing.

He said, My motto in life is this aim low and you'll never be disappointed.

So I thought to myself, okay, so maybe there's one person I've met who doesn't necessarily want to succeed.

I don't know.

But I just want to say, I think, generally speaking, we want to succeed in life.

And I think a big question is, how do I win?

Today I want to talk to you about the win.

How do we win?

I'm gonna give you two ways that we win.

And after I give you those two ways, I'm gonna give you three steps to ensure that the win is the win.

So I'm gonna give you two ways.

First of all, two ways that we win, and then give you three ways to ensure that that win stays the win.

I want you to turn to two passages in your Bibles if you have those with you.

If not, pull out your iPhone.

Uh we all have that availability now on our iPhones.

Turn to John chapter 13 and Exodus 33.

John 13 · chapter mention

Again, John chapter 13, go ahead and turn there and put a ribbon, a marker in your Bible at Exodus 33.

John 13 · chapter mention

We'll get there in a moment.

So today I want to say, how do we win?

How do we win as a people?

How do I win as a husband, a father, you might say as a wife, a mother?

How do I win in life?

I only have this one life to live, and I want to win.

At the end of the day, I want to make sure that I'm a success when it's all said and done.

I want to make sure that I win.

So we're going to talk today about how we do that.

Here's the first way.

The first way is this with people.

With people.

Look at John chapter 13.

John 13 · chapter mention

I had you turn there.

John chapter 13, verse 1.

John 13:1

This is when Jesus is meeting with his disciples at the Last Supper.

Look at what happened.

Verse 1.

Now, before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come, that he should depart from this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

And supper being ended, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, he rose from supper and laid aside his garments, took a towel, and girded himself.

After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded.

Then he came to Simon Peter, and Peter said to him, Lord, are you washing my feet?

Jesus answered and said to him, What I'm doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.

Peter said to him, You shall never wash my feet.

Mr.

Foot and Mouth Disease, Peter.

Jesus answered him, look at this.

Jesus said, If I do not wash you, you excuse me, if I do not wash you, you have no part with me.

Notice he didn't say, if I do not wash your feet, he said, if I do not wash you.

I love how Jesus is able to talk on a multiplicity of levels at the same time.

Even in this service right now, he's talking to all of us differently, to the need that meets us where we are.

He says, If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.

Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

Wash me all over.

Jesus in essence says, Peter, shut up.

Jesus said to him, He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean, and you are clean, but not all of you.

For he knew who would betray him.

Therefore he said, You are not all clean.

Okay, so uh I grew up uh in relative to the size of Gateway, I grew up in a small Pentecostal church.

And growing up in my Pentecostal church, every so often we would have this service at our church called a foot washing service.

Have any of you ever been a part of a foot washing service?

Okay, just a few of us here.

It's disgusting.

So let me tell you how I really feel.

Okay, it's disgusting.

So it's where, you know, we get these basins of water and you wash each other's feet.

Really, it's taken after John chapter 13, what we just read, where we're called to wash each other's feet.

John 13 · chapter mention

Well, I hated it as a kid.

I mean, I would feign sickness in order not to be able to come to these things, touching somebody else's bare feet, uh their calluses and corns and bunions.

Okay, it's disgusting.

I hated it.

When I was a kid, I was like, I'm not into this thing.

I didn't understand.

It was just disgusting.

But hey, as disgusting as that was for me, I'm telling you, back in Jesus' day, it was even more disgusting.

Think about it for a second.

The people back in those days either wore sandals, open-toed shoes, or just no shoes at all.

And they would walk on the same road, the same path, as sheep and donkeys and cows and a bunch of animals that weren't very discreet at taking care of the business.

I mean, I can just imagine how disgusting it was.

And you don't know what you're stepping in because it could have dried, caked up, mixed with the dirt, rained, and gotten intermingled somehow.

Anyway, it was gross, right?

Just all these gunk people would walk, walk down the streets, you never know.

So when they'd get home, it was the lowest of lowest task for that slave.

The lowest and lowest slave in those days was the one who had to wash the feet of his or her owner.

It was disgusting because they would wash all that gunk off of their feet, not even knowing what all they were washing off.

Jesus washed his disciples' feet.

Look again at verse 3.

It says, Jesus, look at this, this is so crazy.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God.

In other words, Jesus had all power.

He had all authority, it was all his.

What did he do with that authority?

What did he do with that power?

He girded himself with a towel and began to wash his disciples' feet.

Disgusting.

I'm sure their feet were look on, verse 12.

So when he had washed their feet, taken his garments and sat down again, he said to them, This is what Jesus said, Do you know what I've done to you?

You call me teacher and Lord, and you say, Well, for so I am.

If I then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

For I've given you an example that you should do as I have done to you.

You see, he wasn't perpetuating infancy in his disciples to say, Serve me, serve me, serve me, that the disciples are always looking for Jesus to serve him.

No, he said, I'm washing your feet so you will understand what I've done for you, you do for others.

As I've washed your feet, as I've done a meaning, what you would consider a menial and dirty task, you do it for other people.

In fact, I would say this that the purpose that Jesus came on this earth was for people.

It was for people.

It was to serve people, not to be served, but to serve people.

In fact, he said it himself in Mark chapter 10, verse 45.

Mark 10:45

He says, For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.

He served to the nth degree to where he gave his life.

And I would say, if that was Jesus' purpose, listen, if that was our Lord and Savior's purpose for coming to this earth to serve people, I have an inkling, a sneaking suspicion that that's also our purpose.

That if that's God's purpose for coming, that Jesus came so he would serve us even to the point of death, that our purpose is to serve other people too.

If you've ever asked yourself, why am I here?

What is my purpose in life?

What am I, why did you create me, God?

I'm telling you the answer right now is to serve people.

To be all about people.

Here at Gateway Church, it's not just our slogan, it's who we are.

We're all about people.

If we're gonna go big on anything, we're gonna go big with people because people are the ones that Jesus came for.

Listen, people are amazing, people are exciting, people are unique, people are looking for answers, people are afraid, people are weird sometimes.

Don't turn to your neighbor.

People are draining, people are messy, and people are very costly, but people are the ones that Christ gave his life for.

So I'm gonna be all about people.

That's what I'm called to do, and as a church, that's what we're called to do.

I want to say it again.

If we're gonna go big on anything, let's go big on people in our in our businesses, in our lives, in when we're at the grocery store, when we're here at church, let's be all about each other.

Let's be all about people.

How can I serve you?

How can I stoop a little lower, gird my towel a little tighter, and serve you?

You know, one of the things that I love is uh my family, we've gone to to Walt Disney World or Disneyland quite a bit.

How many of you ever been to either Walt Disney World or Disneyland?

Uh we love Disney so much we've even gone to Tokyo Disney.

I mean, just love it.

But anyway, one of the things we notice, and you probably noticed as well if you've been to Disney, is that it's so clean there.

It's so impeccably clean.

I mean, there you you have to look hard to find a piece of trash on the ground anywhere.

And so I've I've noticed that for years, that compared to other theme parks, which we'll name unmentioned, that it's much cleaner there.

It's just so clean.

So one time my wife and I did a backstage tour with with someone that worked there, and they were showing us different behind-the-scenes aspects of the park.

And uh towards the end of the tour, one of the things that this lady said was, she again, she was someone that worked on staff there at Disney.

She said, uh, there are several people who work here, thousands and thousands of people who work here.

Some are um some work the attractions, the rides, some people work in retail, other people work uh maybe at the at the uh restaurants, some behind the scenes.

There's so many people that work at Disney.

But she said this, she said, but on everyone's job description, the number one thing that is on the job description is this, everybody's job description, the number one thing is this, is that they're a part of the custodial team.

Which means this, that no matter where you work, you are not too high or not too uh important that you can't bend down and pick up a piece of trash and throw it in the trash can.

And so I started noticing every time I went to the park, now I notice it.

I'll I look and I see these people that work for Disney walk around and they'll just that maybe they're heading one place to another, they'll just bend down, pick a piece of trash, throw it in the trash, and keep walking.

I mean, they're just Johnny on the spot, and this place stays clean.

Well, I want to say this if you're a believer in Jesus, the number one thing on your job description is you're part of the people team.

We're all about people.

Jesus came for people, so we're gonna be all about people.

I want to say it again at Gateway Church, we're all about people because Jesus is all about people.

I'm on the people team.

If I'm gonna go big on anything, I want to go big on people.

Here's the second thing the second thing, how do we win?

Number one is people.

Number two, the presence of God.

The presence of God.

We need the presence of God more than anything.

Exodus chapter 33.

Exodus 33 · chapter mention

I had you turn there as well, put a marker there.

So turn to Exodus 33.

This is when Moses was on Mount Sinai and he was talking to God, and here's what Moses says to God, verse 13.

Exodus 33, verse 13.

Exodus 33:13

Now therefore I pray, if I have found grace in your sight, show me now your way, that I may know you, and that I may find grace in your sight.

And consider that this nation is your people.

And this is what God said.

And he said, My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.

Then Moses said to him, If your pre look look at this, if your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

For how then will it be known that your people and I have found grace in your sight, except you go with us?

So we shall be separate, your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.

Moses was saying this, God, if you don't go with us, we don't want to go.

If you don't go with us, we don't want to go.

And you know, I want to say that in my family, in my household, in my church, in my business, I want to say, God, unless you are with me, I can't make it.

I can't do it.

I'm like a beggar sitting on the side of the road with my cup lifted up, and I say, God, unless you fill my cup with your presence, unless you go with me, I will starve.

That's how desperately I need you.

In fact, Psalm 16, verse 5 says this, Oh Lord, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup.

Psalms 16:5

And then verse 11 says, In your presence is fullness of joy.

Aren't you grateful that with God's presence comes joy as well?

We need to say, God, if you don't go with us, we don't want to go.

We need your presence.

We need to proactively pursue the presence of God in our families, in our marriages, in our households, in our businesses, in every part, aspect of our life, in every nook, every cranny, every crack and crevice.

We need to say, God, I need your presence to proactively pursue your presence.

In 2 Chronicles chapter 5, a group of people proactively pursued God's presence.

2 Chronicles 5 · chapter mention

Look what happened.

This is when Solomon and the Israelites dedicated Solomon's temple to the Lord.

Verse 1 of 2 Chronicles chapter 5.

2 Chronicles 5 · chapter mention

So all the work that Solomon had done for the house of the Lord was finished.

And Solomon brought in the things which his father David had dedicated, the silver and the gold and all the furnishings, and he put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, in Jerusalem, that they might bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, which represented God's presence, up from the city of David, which is Zion.

Now, verse 11, and it came to pass, look what happens, when a group of people proactively pursued the presence of God.

And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the most holy place, for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves without keeping to their divisions.

And the Levites who were the singers, all those of Asaph and Heman and Hardname, with their sons and their brethren, stood at the east of the altar, clothed in white linen, having cymbals, stringed instruments, and harps, and with them 120 priests sounding with trumpets.

Indeed it came to pass, when the trumpeters and singers were as one to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord.

And when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals, you got the idea.

I mean, it's it's getting pretty loud here.

And instruments of music and praise the Lord, saying, For he is good, for his mercy endures forever.

That the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with the cloud, so that the priest could not continue ministering because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

They were proactive in pursuing God's presence.

They didn't wait for God's presence to appear before they started praising him, before they started declaring his goodness and his mercy in their lives.

They came in saying, God, I'm walking into this environment, whether it be uh, and I want to say for you, whether it be your home, whether it be this church, proactively pursuing God's presence, saying, God, I need you here, and I declare that you are good.

Your mercy endures forever.

You see, when we come together as a church on a weekend and we worship the Lord together, guess what?

He comes, his presence is here.

We proactively pursue his presence.

Another way of saying it is we are expecting God to be here.

We come with expectant hearts, saying, God, I expect you to be here.

And I just want to encourage you, in your family, in your household, in your business, to do the same thing, the same practice.

That's how we win, guys, is to proactively pursue his presence and expect him to be there.

In Mark chapter 6, Jesus comes back to his hometown of Nazareth.

Mark 6 · chapter mention

He had been gone for a long time.

He comes back to Nazareth, which is the town he grew up in.

Look at what happens when he comes back to his hometown.

Mark chapter 6, verse 1.

Mark 6:1

Then he went out from there and came to his own country, Nazareth, and his disciples followed him.

And when the Sabbath day had come, he began to teach in the synagogue.

And many hearing him were astonished, saying, Where did this man get these things?

And what wisdom is this which is given to him that such mighty works are performed by his hands?

Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon?

Basically, I know this kid, grew up with this kid, and are not his sisters here with us?

So they were offended at him.

Basically, they said, Who does he think he is?

But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.

Now look at this.

This is such a shocking scripture to me.

Amazing.

Verse 5.

Now he could do no mighty work there.

Except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them, and he marveled because of their unbelief.

Another way of saying it, they weren't expecting Jesus to do anything.

When we come here together as a body of believers, whether it be here in our youth service, in our gateway groups, equip classes, whatever it may be, we need to come in expecting God to be here and proactively pursuing his presence.

It starts with me pursuing his presence.

I have a part to play.

God, I want to pursue your presence.

I want to be like Jacob in Genesis 32, where he wrestled with God all night long and he said to God, I will not let go of you until you bless me.

And what did God do?

God changed his name from Jacob, which means supplanter, to Israel, which means prince with God.

We change our identity.

He changes our identity when we proactively pursue his presence.

Like Jacob, we need to hang on to God's presence and say, I want to bless you.

I want to bless you, and I want you to bless me too.

You know, even as King David, I love what King David said.

He said, I will not offer a sacrifice to God which has cost me nothing.

We're going to offer our lives to God and proactively pursue his presence.

Okay, so I've been a part of Gateway for a long time.

I've been here since 2000.

My wife and I came here in December of 2000.

You guys remember the year 2000?

Some of you may not have been alive yet, but back in Y2K, do y'all remember that?

It's like they were playing they were replacing computers with etchasketches just in case.

It's like, here, do work on this for a little while until we get this all.

Anyway, I came in December of 2000, and when we came, uh first came to Gateway, I'd come from Christ for the Nations.

My wife and I were on staff, and um and you know, Christ for the Nations, there's a lot of worship that goes on.

The students are hungry for God, they're proactively pursuing his presence.

I first came to Gateway, December 2000, brand new church, hadn't been going very long, and uh about a hundred people were here.

First time Led worship, I was leading songs like Shout to the Lord.

Y'all remember that song?

And yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes.

That song could go on and on and on and on.

Ten minutes later, yes, Lord, yes.

Or just like, I'm still saying yes, God.

Okay, but anyway, leading songs like that.

I noticed what it felt like to me, it probably wasn't real.

But it felt like to me was that, you know, I was leading worship and all I could hear were crickets.

I was like, oh goodness.

You know, the guy halfway back was just staring at me.

Kind of looking at me like, who are you?

This is weird.

You know, they say in Texas, like a uh a cow staring at a new gate, you know, that kind of thing.

But I remember thinking being kind of discouraged, thinking, oh, you know, come on, people, let's pursue his presence.

But I looked over during worship and I saw Pastor Robert on his knees pouring his heart out to God, even as he still does to this day.

And I thought, well, if that's if that's his heart, if he's proactively pursuing God's presence, I know that God's presence is going to be here.

I know that this culture can change.

I remember about five years later, I was worshiping, leading worship one Sunday morning, maybe five or six years later, at Gateway.

We have grown a lot.

And I remember that one morning I was leading worship and God said, Look at my people.

I mean, I was standing on the platform leading worship, and God said, Look at my people.

And I said, What?

You know, I didn't understand what he meant.

He said, Look at my people.

And I looked out and I saw the congregation of Gateway just pursuing God's presence, openly worshiping him.

And I thought, God, you are so faithful, you are so good.

We are now a people that pursues God's presence.

I want to tell you today, if you want to know what the secret sauce of Gateway is, it's the presence of God.

It's the presence of God.

That's what it's all about.

Amen.

So how do we win?

Number one, with people, number two, with the presence of God.

Now, here are three steps to ensure that this win stays as a win.

That after we said, yeah, people and the presence of God are the forefront, not only for our church, but also for my life, how do we ensure that it stays that way?

Number one is this keep first things first.

First things first.

And remember that the first things are this people and the presence of God.

Just keep it at first place.

First place, people and the presence of God.

In fact, look what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 22, verse 36.

Matthew 22:36

Someone comes to Jesus and says, Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?

Verse 37, Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.

This is the first and greatest commandment, the presence of God.

Verse 39, a second is equally important.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.

People, the presence of God.

In fact, 1 John chapter 4 says this.

1 John 4 · chapter mention

If anyone boasts I love God and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he's a liar.

If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see?

Look at this.

The command we have from Christ is blunt.

Loving God includes loving people.

You've got to love people in the presence of God.

As a people, that's how we win.

As a church, that's how we continue to win.

As a people in the presence of God.

So firstly, keep first things first.

Secondly, find our significance in God.

Find our significance in God.

Find the significance of who I am in God, not in someone else.

Look again at John chapter 13.

John 13 · chapter mention

It's the first passage I read to you today.

Look at this scripture, verse 3.

Jesus, knowing that the Father, this is so important, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God.

Look at that scripture.

Keep it up for just a moment.

There are two things that Jesus knew in this scripture.

Number one, he knew that he had all power.

In other words, he knew who he was.

He knew who he was.

But it also says that he knew he had come from God and was returning to God.

He also knew whose he was.

He knew who he was, and he knew whose he was.

Because he knew those two things and he found that identity, found that significance in God, he was able to gird himself.

The very next scripture, he girded himself with a towel and began to wash his disciples' feet.

I want to tell you today, if your significance is found in God and knowing who you are and whose you are, you'll be able to serve the best.

Have you ever worked for an insecure boss?

Hey, they're trying to find security in other things besides obviously their identity in God.

So what happens in those situations?

They're not going to serve.

I'm telling you, if you don't find your significance in God, you'll try to find it in other people.

Make other people let you know you're significant.

Hey, and when I stoop, when I serve someone, when I do something that serves someone, maybe something menial, it's me saying, I trust in you, God.

My relationship and my identity is in you, not in me serving this person.

I'm serving them because you love me and I want to love them as well.

I'm not trying to find my significance in that person.

Insecurity does not breed servanthood.

It won't do it.

We need to find our significance in God.

We need to even serve God to the point of embarrassment, to the point where other people don't take notice.

It's okay.

It's okay.

Maybe take advantage.

Maybe to the point of embarrassment, even public embarrassment.

And I've got a story for you where I've been publicly embarrassed.

I was leading worship here about five years ago.

Here's what happened.

Taking a step back for a second, I had gone to the dentist just a little bit earlier.

Our dentist goes to a gateway.

He's Dr.

Hunsucker at our Frisco campus.

And I told him, hey, I've got this space in my teeth between these two teeth, and it really bothers me.

How do I get it filled in?

Or how do I uh how do I get that not to be that space there anymore?

He said, You can do one of two things.

He gave me two options.

Number one, get braces, and which I had braces on as a kid.

I said, not gonna do it.

I'm not going back there.

He said, the second thing you could do is to get veneers.

And so I said, Oh, what's that?

And he explained the process.

I said, I'll do that.

And so he had to replace veneers from this side over to this side on my top teeth.

And he said, So what we have to do is we have to get you in, we have to saw your teeth down.

I said, What?

I have to saw your teeth down and then fit you for veneers.

So so I went in, had the procedure, they sawed my teeth down.

I mean, I looked like I hadn't had been on crystal meth a while, but anyway, um, sawed my teeth down, and then he put temporary veneers.

He said, These are temporary veneers with temporary glue.

Temporary glue.

So do not, while we we they had to send off to get the permanent veneers to put on, put in my teeth with permanent glue.

He said, while you have these temporary veneers, don't, you know, don't chew on corn on the cob, don't chew on a pencil.

Uh and if you can, he even said, because he goes to the gateway, he said, if you can, don't lead worship, you know, you might just want to take a take a week off.

I thought, no, I'll be fine, I'll be okay.

So I led worship that weekend.

I was leading worship that weekend with my temporary veneers.

And I was singing victorious or something like that, Victoria, but that V was real important to me for some reason.

Victoria.

And then Vict, the Victoria.

I was right here.

All of a sudden, my tooth, my center tooth right here.

One of them went right there, right between this guy's feet.

I mean, he was there, he was clapping.

Oh, pew, Victor.

He looks down, looks back and up, just keeps worshiping.

Of course, I'm so embarrassed and got this crystal math tooth now.

And and so I just held my microphone a little tighter like a rap star, you know, for the rest of the song.

I was like, Victor, I'm so embarrassed.

When the song was over, I could not wait because the next song someone else was leading.

I kept looking at the screen, saying, Okay, camera, get on the get off of me, please.

So when the camera went to the next worship leader, I bent down like this and I said, Could you hand me that?

He picked up the tooth, he said, This tooth.

Yeah.

So he gave it to me.

I picked it up.

Praise Jesus.

Click, picked it up on, just kept worshiping the Lord.

Hallelujah.

So the rest of the service I had my veneer on.

So, so I just want to say to you, find your significance in God, not in your veneers.

Okay.

So number one again is keep first things first.

Number two, find your significance in God, and then number three, focus on unity.

Psalm 133 says this, Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

Verse 3, for there the Lord commanded the blessing, life forevermore.

We need to focus on unity.

If you want God's command, God to command his blessing on your life, be in unity with each other.

Forgive.

It's not worth it.

You'll have opportunity for the rest of your life to offer forgiveness to people.

Forgive.

Get past it.

Be in unity with each other.

In fact, I want to say this unity and the presence of God are reciprocal in nature.

The more in unity we are, the more God commands his blessing and his presence is here.

The more his presence is here.

I mean, I've noticed at church before when God's presence is really strong at the end of the service.

I just love everybody.

I'm just so grateful and love people.

And I notice it when God's presence is there, the love increases.

So unity and the presence of God are reciprocal in nature.

The more I love people, the more I show that I love God.

The more I love God, the more I have love for people.

So again, how do we how do we make sure that we keep the main thing the main thing?

Keep the win as the win.

Number one, keep first things first.

People in the presence of God.

Number two, the second way to ensure we have a win is find our significance in God.

And number three is focus on unity.

Guys, one day very soon, one day very soon, sooner than we probably understand and comprehend this will happen.

Matthew chapter 25, verse 31.

Matthew 25:31

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.

The scripture goes on to say that he'll separate the sheep from the goats and he'll tell the sheep, thank you, basically thank you, because when I was hungry you fed me.

When I was naked, you clothed me.

When I was in prison, you came and visited me.

Verse 37, then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you?

Or thirsty and give you drink?

When did we see you a stranger and take you in?

Or naked and clothe you?

Or when did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?

And the king will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me.

The presence of God.

That's how we win.

Of all the things in this world, those are the two things that will last forever.

The presence of God.

I just want to ask you what we ask every weekend here at Gateway Church.

What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?

Right now, right where you are.

Are there ways in your life that you can say, Yeah, I need to show love for people more.

I need to forgive this person.

I need to let go of the shield that's on my heart, not allowing me to open up and show love to others because I've been hurt one too many times.

There's healing for you today.

There is healing for you today.

Maybe you say there's places in my work, maybe there are places in my home, in my family that I need to say, God, I need your presence.

I need to proactively invite you and pursue you in your presence, in my home, in my life.

And here is a church at Gateway Church.

Just want to encourage you, let's take it another step and proactively pursue his presence and also be all about people.

Are there areas in your life you can say, I need, I'm ready to take another step.

I need it, I need to plus this up a little bit.

I need to be more about people, I need to be more about the presence of God.

In just a moment, I'm gonna say a quick and simple prayer.

When I say amen, at every campus, every overflow room, the altar ministry team is gonna come down front.

And I just want to invite you.

If you'd like someone to agree with you in prayer, if you need prayer, I want to invite you to come down to the front of your auditorium.

We'd love to pray with you and agree with you, whatever the need may be.

Maybe it's even a healing, physical healing, maybe a relational healing, maybe it's a financial issue, maybe it's a family issue, maybe it's just prayer and agreement for forgiveness, for God's presence to be stronger in your family, in your life, in your business, ministry, whatever it may be.

In just a moment, I'm gonna say a quick prayer when I say amen.

We'll all stand together.

I'd like for you to come down.

We'd love to pray with you.

Lord, I pray that you draw everyone here, everyone to the front who needs prayer.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.