Jesus Is Lord, Is He Yours? - Pastors Denny Rodney & Sarah Duron

Hallelujah.

I'm so excited what God is doing in our church right now.

I'm so happy with how God is moving on our students.

We had a student-led meeting at our house on Friday night, and we had over 30 students sharing the gospel, worshiping together.

And right before I walked out, these two guys right here, Weston and London, they were leading.

Can you put your hands together for our students?

They're just, they're amazing.

God's doing great things.

God's doing great things.

But I'll tell you, every time the word of God is spoken, chains are broken.

Can I get an amen?

And I'm so happy to get into the word of God with you today.

And I get to preach with Pastor Sarah.

Come on, somebody.

We're gonna have some fun.

I'm so excited, but go ahead and bow your head.

Let's pray.

God, we love you.

We praise your name.

Thank you for what you're doing.

Thank you that you're so great and you're our God, you're Lord of everything.

God, I just plead the blood of Jesus over our students, this revival that's happening in their lives.

God, keep them going towards you and help you to be the center of everything that they're doing.

God, thank you for the men, the women, our kids, everything here at Shreepport Community Church.

Thank you that we are community.

And through community, we have life in you.

Bless this word.

Allow it to transform us today.

In the name of Jesus, we pray.

And everybody said, Amen and amen.

Hey, give someone a high five.

Tell them good morning.

And you can be seated.

Guys, before we get started, are you ready for the word of God?

Amen.

Me too.

Before we get to the word of God, I've got one more very important announcement to make.

Do we have any good news girls in the house?

Come on, let me hear you.

Come on, let me hear you for real.

Okay, do better than that.

Come on, I know we're seated, but are you glad to be in the house of God in the woman of God?

Are you as good news girls?

Thank you.

We've got our first ever one-day Good News Girls conference coming up.

This is such a wonderful step of faith.

God's doing so much among our women.

Mark your calendars November 14th.

November 14th.

So put that on your phone.

We have Dontry Wilkerson as our speaker.

And it's a one-day conference.

It's a full day where we're going to be in the presence of God, around the Word of God.

There's also going to be workshops, a party, merch, the whole nine yards.

But the theme of the event is outpouring.

And that just says it right there.

That's what we're expecting.

Don't miss that November 14th.

Okay.

Come on, that's so exciting.

Today is our last Sunday on Colossians.

So we're wrapping up this Colossians series, this letter that Paul wrote, and it's so powerful.

But I want you to envision something with me right now.

Just let's go to this situation.

Envision us that all of us are going skydiving together and we're getting up into this big old airplane.

Anyone been skydiving in this room?

Anybody?

You're crazy, okay?

Would anyone go skydiving?

Just anyone would do it.

Okay.

You're sick, okay?

That's crazy.

I would never, but for this exercise, we're going skydiving.

And we're up there and we're in the airplane.

I am your instructor.

You're in trouble.

So I'm your instructor.

And I tell you this: I got this parachute because this parachute is going to save your life.

And you're like, Amen.

And I say, I got this parachute because it's going to keep you safe.

You say, preach it, brother.

I've got this parachute because you've got to choose to put it on to have the best case scenario.

And you're like, yes, yes.

And then you just turn around and you walk towards the door without the parachute, and I like tackle you.

And I'm like, you didn't listen to a word that I just said.

And that's what can happen in the church of Jesus Christ sometimes.

And say, Amen.

That's so good.

I love it.

And then we walk out of the doors and we don't apply one thing to our lives.

Because here's the thing: Jesus, he's not here just to give us information.

Jesus wants to give us transformation.

He wants to transform our lives to something brand new in him.

So that's what Paul is writing to the Colossians.

Paul writes this, and that's what he's saying.

So turn with me in your Bible to Colossians 1, 9.

Colossians 1, 9, you can follow on the screen.

This is what Paul says.

He says, We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that, everyone says, so that.

So that so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord, so that he will be Lord of your life.

And you'll have the transformation power of Jesus.

Because I'm here to tell you today, Jesus is Lord, but is he the Lord of your life?

Jesus is the Lord of all, but is he truly the Lord of your life?

Because here's the danger for all of us.

We become very good at knowing about Jesus without allowing him to really transform our lives.

We know all about, you know, the Bible, but we still struggle to forgive.

We know God is Lord of all, but we still live in fear.

And that's what Paul is doing with Colossians, because Paul doesn't just want them to know who Jesus is.

He wants Jesus to be Lord of all, including their lives.

So I'll say it this way: 1 Samuel 15, it says, obedience is better than sacrifice.

Who's heard that before?

Obedience is better than sacrifice.

Here's how you can look at it.

We all love having a savior, but we can resist having a Lord in our life.

And you can see this like Marvel movies and you know, DC, all the Captain America, Iron Man.

Like, if you were in trouble and Captain America like saved you from some trouble and then brought you home, but then Captain America says, All right, now I want you to stop doing these things in your life and start doing these.

You'd be like, Hold up, Captain America.

Like, you can save me, but don't tell me how to live my life.

And if we're not careful, that's how we treat Jesus.

You want a savior?

Yes, me.

You want to follow the ways of the Lord and allow him to be Lord of your life?

Hold up.

Let's talk for a moment.

Jesus did not just come to rescue us, he's gotta be Lord of our life.

Everyone say Lord.

Amen.

Jesus is Lord.

Amen.

I want to read our passage one more time, actually, because I want you to really hear this.

Because it's not just Paul's letter to the Colossians.

This is God's will for us.

And this is our prayer for you.

It says we continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord.

What does living a life worthy of the Lord look like?

Well, Paul says it right here.

He continues, and please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience.

That is God's will for you.

Know him so that you can live that life.

Learn Jesus so that you can live Jesus.

Just like the parachute, the word of God was always meant to go from message to muscle, from doctrine to discipline, from revelation to reality.

Truth is supposed to transform us.

And that's the message of Colossians, actually.

The first half of the book, Paul is establishing that Jesus is Lord.

And then the second half of the book, he shows us how that truth should shape our lives.

Today we're gonna focus on that second part, but before we do, let's look back just for a moment at Paul's description of who Jesus is.

The NIV translation calls this section the supremacy of the Son of God.

I think that's so beautiful.

Don't you love that language?

Jesus is supreme.

I don't feel like we use the word supreme in our vocabulary a lot these days, unless you're at Taco Bell.

Come on, you section.

We love some Taco Bell.

They hate me now.

I love you too.

Okay, back to my notes.

This is what supreme really means having highest rank, ultimate authority, and total power over everything.

So when we say Jesus is Lord, when we say he's supreme, we're saying he has highest rank, ultimate authority, total power over everything.

In this passage, the supremacy of the Son of God is found in Colossians 1, starting in verse 15.

And it is the most clear and beautiful defense of who Jesus is in the entire Bible.

It says he's the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

In him, all things were created, everything was created through him and for him, and in him all things hold together.

Jesus is supreme.

He has no comparison.

All of creation exists and operates and thrives from the vast galaxies to the tiniest molecule, all because Jesus is Lord over the universe.

So then it makes sense.

If the universe is held together and thrives because Jesus is Lord over the universe, then the way for my life to be held together, the way that I was designed to thrive, is for Jesus to be Lord over my life.

When anything else is at the top of my life, it brings disorder.

But when we place Jesus at the top of our lives, everything comes into order.

Wow.

So the big question is this Jesus is Lord, but is he your Lord?

And how do we know if he's Lord of our lives?

Paul gives us four checkpoints to know Jesus is Lord of our lives.

Jesus must be Lord over our heart, our home, our habits, and our world.

So the first one is Is He Lord over your heart?

Is he Lord over your heart?

Proverbs 423 says, Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Everything flows from our hearts.

So how do we know if Jesus is really reigning?

What does it look like to give him the highest rank, ultimate authority, the power over our hearts?

Let's look at the words of Paul.

So this is what Paul says in Colossians.

So Colossians 3:5, put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, which is idolatry.

Colossians 3:5

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Don't lie about each other, since you've taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator.

Verse 12.

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion and kindness and humility, gentleness and patience.

Bear with each other, forgive one another.

If any of you has a grievance against someone, forgive as the Lord forgave you.

And over all these virtues is love.

Love holds them all together and brings us perfect unity.

Everyone say love.

It all flows from the love of God.

I love this language.

Paul says, you're gonna take off and you're gonna put on.

If Jesus is gonna be Lord in our heart, there are some things that have to come off of our life, and there's some things that we've got to add into our life.

I've got five children, and they all just grow like weeds.

I mean, they're just constantly growing.

I'm having to get tennis shoes and clothes, new stuff all the time.

And in order for it to fit in their closet, we got to get rid of the old.

Like just clean things out.

And we took all these bags to goodwill.

You gotta get rid of what's old for what is new.

And some of y'all hadn't cleaned out your closet in a really long time.

Y'all got some weird stuff in your closet.

Okay, some of y'all have those jeans from high school still, and you're like, I'm gonna fit in these jeans one day.

It's been 20 years.

Get rid of them.

Okay, be done with them.

Thank God the skinny gene era is over.

Can I get an amen?

Where you can't breathe.

Now you gotta go get matching pants with your wife.

Like, that's what you do.

We coordinated today, okay?

Get rid of the old for the new.

And that's what we've got to do with Jesus, right?

That's what's happening.

He's gonna, if he's gonna reign in our hearts, some things have gotta come off so new things can go on.

Some attitudes have been there for far too long.

Some offenses taking up valuable space in your life.

Some of the habits don't fit who God is calling us to become.

And we pray, God, give us something new.

I want something new while we're grasping on to the old still.

And it's like, God, I want, I want the peace.

God, give me peace, but yet we haven't surrendered to Jesus.

Lord, I want freedom.

Give me freedom, but yet we're holding on to the very thing that is holding us back.

We want Jesus to rule and reign over some parts of our life, but don't touch that, Jesus.

I don't want that.

It doesn't work like that.

You know, so many times we get excited and we say, well, Jesus has authority.

He has authority over cancer, thank you.

Jesus, over demons, over storms, impossible situations.

But does he have authority over your life?

Does he have authority over your temper, over your sexuality, over your words, your money, your pride, your offense?

Because Jesus, yes, he wants to transform what's happening to you, but he also wants to transform what's happening in you.

So here's the question: What is Jesus asking you to take off?

Everyone say repentance.

Repentance is taking off the old man and turning and putting on the righteousness of what Almighty God has for us.

So in the name of Jesus, I'm praying today that God will reveal some things to us we can take off and we can add what God has for us.

Because I just speak it over you right now.

Let him be Lord over your heart.

Amen.

Also, if Jesus is going to be our Lord, we must also ask ourselves this question: Is Jesus Lord in your home?

That's where the real test is.

If Jesus is going to be Lord of your life, he must be Lord of your home.

So what does that look like?

Well, Paul gives us the picture right here, Colossians 3, 18 through 21.

Wives, submit to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord.

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

Ladies, I know this is your favorite verse in the Bible.

So let's talk about it.

I know that there are some of you in here that cringe at the word submit.

And I understand why we have so misunderstood this passage, and we've even seen it abused at times.

But submission isn't about diminishing you, submission is a gift, and I don't want you to miss the heart of God in this command.

So often we think submission is obedience, but notice the language of the scripture here, how the scripture actually differentiates.

Wives submit, children obey two different commands.

So, what does biblical submission look like?

Well, this is how I see it.

Denny, will you stand with me?

Please.

Absolutely.

Master.

Oh my gosh.

I like this.

That was sarcasm.

I love you.

I love you.

That was actually not part of the illustration.

Okay.

Okay.

This is a picture of submission.

Okay, we are partners.

We both have a voice at the table, but at the end of the day, he's our leader.

And I am his helper.

And with Jesus in the midst of this, this is the greatest win-win of all time.

Thank you, baby.

But look, don't go anywhere yet.

Submission is me coming up under and supporting him.

And while at the same time, he is a covering and a protection for me.

That is an illustration and a picture of submission.

Thank you.

Okay.

Also, we don't submit only because we are women.

We submit because we're Christians.

We are all commanded in Ephesians 5 21, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

We submit out of reverence for Christ who's always worthy of our obedience.

But it's time to stop misunderstanding these passages.

Okay?

Listen, it's not just about the structure of a marriage, believe it or not.

It's really more about the spirit of a marriage.

Notice the order of the passages here.

Before Paul ever gets to marriage roles, he's already told us to address our own hearts.

He's already taught us to put to death sexual immorality, lust, and greed.

He's also already told us to take off anger, rage, filthy language.

And he's told us to put on compassion, kindness, love, humility, forgiveness.

So listen, if I am walking in obedience to the commands of chapter three, then the result will be a home that looks like chapter four.

What matters to God is how we treat each other.

Get the spirit right, structure will follow.

So many of our Christian homes have endless tension because we keep trying to get the cart before the horse.

Listen, structure cannot be forced.

Ladies, listen to me.

This is going to bring peace to some households today.

I think sometimes we mistake biblical marriage roles for a certain personality type we think our husband is supposed to have.

You think your husband leading means he's got to have this super spiritual alpha male energy.

But God actually called your husband to lead as the unique image of God that God created him to be.

God called your husband to lead as the unique image of God that God created him to be.

So let's not put on them what God never intended.

Who cares if it's always your idea to pray together?

I'm sure there are things that are always his idea to do.

You know, it's so funny.

We all can do this.

Am I right?

For instance, I'll have a friend tell me that her husband leads the family in devotions every night at the dinner table.

So what do I do?

I go to Denny and I'm like, babe, why don't you do that?

Do you even love the Lord?

Come on, right?

We do this.

Listen, on a serious note.

It's good that these things matter to you, but there are some things we've got to trust God with.

But maybe there are some things we need to let go of.

Because the bottom line is make Jesus the Lord of your home, starting with your heart, and he'll bring everything into his order.

And that's so good.

And I we don't want you to check out right now if you're not married or if you don't have kids.

You still have a home and you still have people that are very close to you.

You have intimate relationships in your life.

So the relationships that are closest to you, there's a lot of things you can apply from what we're saying.

And I just I want to speak to the men for just a second.

Men, if you're just going around demanding that your wife submit to you, submit to me.

If you're demanding submission, number one, good luck with that.

Umber two, you're missing the whole point.

Don't get so hung up on somebody else's command.

You miss your own command.

Come on.

Because you got your own command.

God says this husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

It says, Fathers, do not embitter your children.

Paul's saying, if Jesus reigns in you, it should show up first in the people that are closest to you in your life.

You gotta love your life, love your wife.

You gotta speak kindly with your tone, be patient with your kids.

You might say, no, that's not how I live.

I'm a manly man.

That's not what I do.

I wanna tell you this.

I don't think that it takes anything for someone to fly off the handle.

I think anyone can do that.

I think anyone could be angry.

I think it takes a real manly man to establish peace in their home.

I think it takes a real manly man to respond with compassion and to be kind with the love of Jesus Christ.

All throughout the Bible, it matters how we treat those that are closest to us.

It's all in Scripture.

The Bible says this, 1 Peter 3:7, in the same way, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, with great gentleness and tact, and with an intelligent regard for the marriage relationship, as with someone physically weaker, since she is a woman.

1 Peter 3:7

Show her honor and respect as a fellow heir of the grace of life so that your prayers will not be hindered or ineffective.

What does this look like at home?

I'll give you some ideas.

Put your phone down and listen and engage to what she's saying.

When you're wrong, apologize without, but you always do this.

No, just apologize.

I'm very convicted because sometimes I'll be at work all day long.

I'll have patience for every single person on staff, and I'm doing ministry, patience, and even with people I shouldn't have patience with, and then all of a sudden I get home and it's like my patience is gone.

Sarah says one thing to me, and I'm I'm snapping at her, and I'm being snippy, and I just have to stop and say, wait a minute.

This relationship means more to me than any other relationship that I had all day long.

So I've got to give the most patience and the most love to the one that I love the most, the ones that are closest to us.

Here's another thing God really cares how we treat our children.

It's a big deal.

It's a very big deal.

This is what the Bible says, Matthew 18, 6.

If anyone causes one of these little ones, those who believe in me, to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned to the depths of the sea.

It's a big deal.

Here's the goal of parenting.

The goal of parenting is not to raise a perfect child and the most impressive little child.

The goal of parenting is that your kid falls in love with Jesus.

The goal of parenting is that Jesus is Lord over their life.

So how can we get there?

Well, we gotta disciple them, show them the way.

We gotta be examples.

And does discipleship's very intimidating sometimes for parents?

And we want to help you.

I don't know if we have this screen, but there's something called the Parent Q app.

And you can download the Parent Q app.

It helps you disciple and grow and lead your children.

Here's what I'm saying: we cannot be two different people.

You understand?

We can't be the people that are kind and happy around everyone else, and then we get home and all of a sudden we're cranky.

We have no peace, we have no love for the ones that are closest to us.

No, we save what's best for the ones that mean the most to us.

And I'll just give you one more idea what you can do.

Apologize to your children when you're wrong.

It's a big deal.

Hey, daddy, sorry, talk like that.

I was a little stressed.

You know, I'm so sorry for that season.

Oh, it makes me look so weak.

No, it makes you look so strong.

Yes.

Because you're modeling what it looks like to be a son, a daughter of Almighty God, raising your children, the ones closest to us, have gotta be the we've got to give the best to them.

So, bottom line is this imagine what this looks like.

I mean, what if we lived a Colossians 3 kind of life where anger and resentment and all these things come off and we put on the forgiveness, the compassion, the kindness, but the love of Jesus Christ.

I'm telling you, he will be the Lord of your home.

Amen.

Awesome.

Then the third question we must ask ourselves for Jesus to be our Lord, we must ask, is Jesus Lord of my habits?

Is he Lord of my habits?

I can talk all day about the core values of my life, but if my habits don't line up with that, it's simply not true.

Um I do this with pickleball.

That's that's something I do a lot of this with because if you're close to me, we've probably had a conversation about pickleball, and I've told you I love it.

I love pickleball.

Um, I'm totally into it, actually.

We've played many times, and um it's let's we should get together.

Let's get together and play pickleball.

Hey, let's start a pickleball group.

And you would think that I'm, you know, Miss, you know, pickleball.

And in the moment when I have these conversations, I'm being genuine.

I really believe it when I'm saying it.

And then as I walk away, it dawns on me, I haven't played in two years.

I was really into it two years ago.

You know, it's the same with Jesus being Lord of our lives.

We can talk all day long about Jesus being Lord of my life.

But until I build in the right habits to support that, it's just not gonna be a reality.

Because what you repeatedly give your attention to will eventually shape your affection.

And what shapes your affection will ultimately shape your direction.

I'll say that again.

What you repeatedly give your attention to will eventually shape your affection.

And what shapes your affection will ultimately shape your direction.

There are habits that change with every season, but Paul gives us two practices that are non-negotiable for every season of life, and you'll recognize we've been talking about these, and we always come back to this because they truly sustain the Christian life, and they are the habits of prayer and the word of God.

Prayer and Bible study.

Colossians 4 2 says, Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Prayer is the most wonderful and powerful gift God has given us.

The most amazing thing that Jesus did on the cross when he washed away our sins through the forgiveness of our sins, through his shed blood, what that did was actually he gave us access to God through prayer.

The greatest, most amazing thing he accomplished for us is that we have access to God through prayer.

And through prayer, we get to partner with God in what he is doing in the earth.

Through prayer, we get to see his kingdom come, his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And notice Jesus even gave us those words in the form of a prayer.

Prayer is powerful, and we take it for granted.

One day we're gonna get to heaven and realize wow, my prayers were so much more powerful than I ever realized.

And I don't want to get there and regret not using something so special, so powerful, that I had all along.

I heard a story recently.

It was on a podcast.

We have some podcast lovers, and you know, I feel like I bring up podcasts every time I'm up here.

Um I love podcasts.

Um, I was listening to one recently, and the podcaster had a guest on his show that was a former leader in the Church of Satan, and he got radically saved.

And so he has him on his podcast.

Well, after the podcast is aired, the podcasters' home and family came under insane like spiritual attack.

They had night one insomnia, like wild insomnia.

By night two, everyone is sick in the household.

This is something that continued for weeks.

Everyone's sick.

No one can sleep.

There's a heaviness and a disorder in the home.

He even said he had a snake problem, literal snake problem, just wild stuff.

And so finally, weeks into this, he calls the guy and is like, dude, this is going on in my house.

And the guy was like, Yeah, uh, sorry.

I try to, you know, make sure, uh, let everyone know before they have me on their show, they might want to be prayed up and ready for an attack.

So the podcaster goes on his social media and posts, hey guys, my family is under spiritual attack.

Please pray.

That's it.

In less than five minutes, everything stopped.

Because there is no comparison.

There is so much power in your prayers.

If you could see in the spirit, it would blow your mind.

The power of your prayers.

Our prayers are powerful because of the one that we pray to.

And I want to remind you of who you have access to, who you are talking to.

And it's amazing.

I was thanking him this morning that you truly listen every time I talk to you.

He listens and responds, and he's there every time I'm willing to talk to him.

And he is the supreme one.

He is the king of kings and the lord of lords, the ancient of days, the God of the angel armies.

He is the one who has highest rank, ultimate authority, total power over everything.

And I have access to him.

So pray all day long.

And as we pray and make it a habit, we are bringing the Lordship of Jesus into every part of our lives.

So pray all day.

So good.

Come on, put your hands together for Jesus today.

We gotta pray.

Day 14.

Everyone say finish strong.

I want to encourage all of you be here this Wednesday night.

We're gonna pray, we're gonna worship, and we're gonna touch heaven.

It's going to be amazing.

And you might have noticed during this series, man, y'all have been talking a lot about the word of God and a lot about prayer.

Well, yeah, because they're both essential to our walk with Jesus Christ.

I'm so proud of our students, like I said, and they had their meeting at our house a few nights ago.

And what did they do?

Well, they spoke, and every single one of them spoke the scriptures of Jesus Christ and of the Word of God.

And then they prayed and God moved.

Let's simplify this.

Let's pray and let's get in the Word of Almighty God.

So I want to just focus on the Word for a moment.

Colossians 3:16, it says this Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Colossians 3:16

I love that word, dwell.

It's not like hey, just stop by or just for a second.

No, dwell, live there, reside, make its home in you.

It's gotta dwell.

And I just want to ask this question: what is dwelling in your life?

Because something is.

What is dwelling in you?

Is it fear and anxiety?

Is it the news or maybe social media?

Is it that offense that's replaying in your mind over and over?

Something's dwelling.

Something's there because when it's dwelling, it's discipling you.

Something is discipling you, changing the way you think, how you walk, what you do, how you think about yourself and others.

Something's discipling you.

And here's the point whatever you fill your life up with is what will spill out of your life.

One of my favorite small talks right now is I love talking with people about peptides.

Does anyone know about peptides?

Have y'all heard about peptides?

So peptides, they're compounds people use for weight loss and muscle growth, anti-aging to change your skin tone, anything and everything you can think of.

There's a peptide for it.

If you don't know, ask somebody.

You're welcome.

You're about to go on a great journey.

And there's a bunch of them: some maglatutide, terzeptide, reditutride, all these tides.

And here's the deal you couldn't say them six months ago, but now you're running like a health clinic in your home.

You're like helping people out in the front for your.

Why?

Because what you fill your life with is what spills out in your life.

And Paul's saying this fill your life with the word of God.

Fill your life with the things of Jesus so that Jesus spills out, the word of God spills out in our life.

I love that the Bible says this scripture is God breathed.

Friends, it's power.

It's the greatest treasure that you will ever get.

And don't ever take it for granted.

There's many, many countries and places where it's illegal to even own a Bible, and they've restricted it, and it's hard to get to it.

And we have a video right now, it's really blurry, but I want you to see this group where it's been restricted.

They get their first Bibles.

Check this out.

It's been so long to think about it.

Wow.

Wow.

Don't ever take for granted we have the freedom to open the very Word of God.

That is how we should value the Word of God.

What I love about that picture is it was them together, surrounded around the Word of God.

That's what we do.

We surround around the Word of God.

No, community groups.

Because in these groups, it's the Word of God, and people surround, and God becomes Lord of our life.

I want to invite the worship team up here.

We're closing.

And I just want to encourage you on these Wednesday nights, everyone say Wednesday nights.

Wednesday nights, we have something for every single person.

We have something for students, for children, for men, for women.

But everything we do on these Wednesdays in all the community groups, it's the word of God, and we surround what is the most treasured thing we could ever grasp, the living word of Almighty God.

If you love God's word, put your hands together for God's word right now.

Come on.

That video gets me.

The final thing that we arrive to, the thing that we build up to is this last question.

This is what it's all about.

Is we have to ask ourselves, is Jesus Lord in my world?

See, the ultimate goal is for Jesus to be Lord over our hearts, our homes, our habits, so that we can fulfill our mission to bring Jesus into the world around us and to make him Lord in our world.

That is what it's all about.

Um, Paul says, Colossians 4, 5 and 6, be wise in the way you act toward outsiders.

It's all about them.

Make the most of every opportunity.

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt.

We carry the most important mission in the whole wide world, and yet the method is so simple: conversations seasoned with salt.

A little bit goes a long way.

So it's just sowing seed everywhere you go.

Sow everywhere you go.

That's what it's all about.

And look, this isn't just some religious obligation that we've got to feel guilty about if we, you know, didn't check that off today.

This isn't a burden, guys.

This is a gift.

And just like a home, uh, Christ being Lord of our home is the result of him being Lord of our life.

Being his witness and making him Lord in the world around us is the fruit and the result, the outcome of him being Lord in our lives, of our hearts, our homes, our habits.

It's the outflow of that.

And it's so simple.

And this is again like we always come back to prayer.

We always come back to the word of God.

We always come back to your mission as his witness.

Because we need to be reminded all the time.

Amen.

It's as simple as sowing seed, giving every conversation a little bit of salt, sowing everywhere you go.

And I think of the parable of the farmer scattering seed.

And you've probably heard it.

He scatters seed everywhere.

And the farmer throws seed onto the path.

He throws seed onto the rocks, into the thorns, on the good soil.

He's throwing seed everywhere.

He's being wasteful, sloppy with it.

And it's like that's how we have got to be with our witness.

Everywhere we go.

And look, we are not cornering the poor lady at Walgreens.

It's a little bit of salt.

How are you doing today?

Do you go to church around here?

I like that.

I like that necklace.

You know, it's a cross.

Is it does that what does that mean to you?

You know, a little salt.

Just a little something everywhere you go.

And and if we look back, a lot of us in the room, it's the reason why we're really all here.

Just the other day, not the other day, a couple weeks ago, I ran into an old friend that I hadn't seen in like 15 years.

And she came up to me and she said, Isn't this crazy?

I'm here all because you invited me to church that night at that restaurant.

And I thought for a second, I'm like, oh my goodness, I remember that.

15 years ago, I'm in a restaurant.

I meet this girl for the first time.

It wasn't like this big spiritual moment of destiny.

It was just the most low-key, yeah, yeah, come to our church.

You should check it out, you know.

Well, she did.

And to this day, she's still in church.

She ended up being becoming the personal assistant to Christine Kane in her A21 ministry, became inspired, went to law school, and now is an attorney fighting human trafficking.

And I was just like, wow, reminded.

It's that simple.

A little goes a long way because the work is on the Lord.

Just sow some seed.

Yeah.

Sprinkle a little salt.

So everywhere you go, would you stand with us all over this place?

You know, I'm here because someone did that for me.

And I know that represents a lot of us.

I walked through these doors in 1984.

I know that's a long time ago.

I was six years old.

We weren't in church as a family.

I didn't know the Lord personally yet.

And I, it was my first day.

It was I was a new student at Evangel Christian Academy.

And there was a little girl in my class named Misty.

And she told me about this Wednesday night.

This is back when we had Wednesday night services, and they were packed like this on a Wednesday night.

Let's bring it back.

Who's with me?

Come on.

You're with me in your heart.

I know it.

So she tells me about this class.

It was back when we had missionettes and all of that.

If you know, you know.

And the six-year-old class was called Daisies.

I'm six years old.

I'm not aware of my need for a savior yet, but I know I like Daisies.

And that sounds great.

And I want to go to that.

And so I went home and told my mom, Mom, I gotta go to Daisy's.

You gotta take me.

And my mom chose to take me that Wednesday night to Daisy's.

And that's where it all began.

My mom uh brought us to church that following Sunday.

My mom gets saved, gives her heart to the Lord, and we become a household where Jesus is Lord.

It completely changed the trajectory of our lives, actually.

And we were in church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night.

That's how we did it in the 90s.

We were a church family from that point on because a little girl just told me about a Wednesday night class in the church, and it changed everything.

And a little bit goes a long way.

So everywhere you go, because if Jesus is going to be Lord in our world, that's up to us.

He has put that all on us, he has entrusted that to us to bring him to be his hands and feet, his voice, his message of the gospel of hope in the world around us.

So as we wrap this up, this is our invitation.

Jesus is Lord.

Is he your Lord?

Is he your Lord?

Maybe there's been disorder in your life, and now it's dawning on you.

There's disorder in my life because there are other things that are at the top.

There are other things that have the highest rank in my life.

Well, that today the invitation is it's time to put Jesus at the top of your life.

It's time to make him Lord over your heart.

What are some things that need to be taken off?

Cleaning out that closet.

What are some things that we need to let go of?

Put to death in our lives.

What are some things that we also need to put on and clothe ourselves?

Those things that are pleasing to God, we need to start to wear.

Maybe your home has been in total disorder, and you know it's because Jesus needs to be Lord of your home.

And now the invitation is repent for having other things in his place.

Confess that you've got it wrong in a few areas in your home.

And today's the day we're gonna make it right and make Jesus Lord of our home.

Today's the day to make Jesus Lord of your habits.

I'm not a praying person.

That changes today with the declaration and the decision I will devote myself to prayer from now on and to the word of God, to the community of God, those practical decisions we need to make for God to be Jesus to be Lord of our lives.

And then maybe we need to lean in with a fresh fire, a fresh passion and commitment to making Jesus Lord in our world.

Just letting down that guard, quit making it complicated, quit being fearful as if it's about us, and just sow a little seed, sprinkle a little salt everywhere we go.

Maybe we just need to make a fresh commitment to do that today.

But all of us, the invitation is do you want Jesus to be Lord of your life?

Would you raise your hand right now if you want Jesus to be Lord of your life?

And maybe you know there's some areas that need to come into alignment so that he has raise your hand with me if that's you.

For Jesus, does he have full authority, highest rank, total authority, total power in your life?

If there are any area where he doesn't, now is the time to address it.

God, right now I pray for every person that has their hand lifted, every person whose heart is stirred in this room.

Lord God, we confess together we need you to be Lord of our lives.

Lord God, we pray right now that you pinpoint places in our hearts, in our lives, in our homes, our habits, our world, Lord, where we need to surrender to you in a new way.

God, we come to you in repentance.

We confess our need for a Lord in our lives.

God, be Lord over our hearts.

Help us to cast off those things that do not please you and help us to clothe our things, ourselves with things that make us more like you.

God, help us to make you Lord over our homes.

Forgive us for the ways we've all gotten it wrong.

Lord God, we surrender our homes to you, our attitudes, our prides, our mistakes, our unforgiveness.

We lay it down and release it today and ask you, be Lord over our homes today.

Heal our marriages, heal our homes, strengthen and heal our children.

God, thank you that it's never too late.

God, right now is the time for a fresh start.

Today, our homes can be redefined.

Today, the culture of our homes can be something entirely brand new because that is the power of prayer, because that is the power of the one we're calling out to.

Jesus.

God, be Lord of our heart, our home, our habits, our world.

We declare you have highest rank, ultimate authority, total power.

Have our lives in Jesus' name we pray.

Come on, everybody said, Amen.

Put your hands together for Jesus in the room.

And right now, we're we're not moving past this point.

We're gonna take a moment to continue in worship.

And I don't want your conversation with God to end right now.

As we worship together, I want you to continue this conversation with God.

And in the words of David, tell him, search me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there's any offensive way in me.

Lead me in the way everlasting.

Take this last few moments in this service as we worship to talk directly to God, surrendering places in your life to him you know he's pointing at right now, and allow him to be Lord in a brand new way in your life.

Let's worship together in Jesus' name.

Thank you for connecting with us today.

The first step to a new life in Christ is receiving the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.

If you have never received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, repeat this prayer after me.

Jesus, I believe you died on a cross and rose again for me.

I ask that you come into my heart and be the Lord of my life.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

Whether you committed your life to Jesus for the first time today or are already on your journey of faith, we would love to stay connected with you.

Please visit SCchurch.com and follow SC Church on all social media platforms.

And remember, the best is yet to come.