Press Up: Discovering Your Heavenly Citizenship || Pastor Diego Mesa

Wow, that's got to rank up as one of the

most creative Generosity moments we've had in a long time.

So thank you Professor Levy for instructing us along those lines.

And isn't an amazing Now the church Church is offering you,

you know, a financial university so that you could grow

in all realms, to come out of debt, to buy

a home, to have a second stream of income, to

understand what stewardship may look like in the Kingdom of God,

and help you to be a blessing to your family

and a blessing to others, creating legacy. And so I

know the church doesn't often like to talk about finances

within the church, but you have no problem talking about

finances outside the church. And so I'm glad that we

are coming in to resource our people. And so you

can go to now Generosity University, I guess, and get

a doctorate because some of.

You need one. So it'll be it'll be a great experience.

My next wow is that next week starts Saturday night service.

And you know what, I again, and I've always said this,

I love first So technically this is a reboot of

a first because we used to have it pre COVID.

So you know, it's been nearly four or five six years.

I can't math to do the math. You know, now

five years at least five years since we've had a

Saturday night service.

So it's a reboot.

It's going to meet the needs of people that work

on Sunday morning, that have things they do on Sunday morning.

I know this.

If I didn't have a position of leadership, and I

wasn't the pastor, and I was just a lay person

like you who came to church. I come to Saturday

night service, that would like be my service.

So it gave me the option.

If I want to go have breakfast at Denny's, I'd

get up and have breakfast at Denny's.

If I wanted to leap in, I sleep in.

If I want to go on a long bike ride,

I'd go on a long bike ride. I just love

Saturday night service. As a Catholic, I went to Saturday

night service. Are there any Catholics like me? Ex Catholics

that went to Saturday night service? One ex Catholic? Here,

God bless you in the name of the Father's Son

and Holy Spirit, sprinkle some dust on you.

Amen.

Anyways, I'm just excited about the people that will come.

And now tell your family and friends as you witness

and share that we offer a Saturday night service and

watch what God will do. We're going to pray, stand

on our feet for the reading of God's word, and

we are going to continue in this series on press.

Father, thank you for the few moments that we have.

Thank you that people pushed out through the bad rain,

through the bad weather, through the coldness, because it's important

for them to be here.

God.

They may not know and I may not necessarily know

what you are exactly going to say by the spirit

of God, but we anticipate that we're going to hear

from you God, whether it deals with our past, whether

it deals with our present, or whether it deals with

our future. We just open our heart to hear from

you now in Jesus' name. Amen, stay for standing of

the word. I'm going to read this scripture to you.

We've been in Philippians the whole month, and we're going

to continue here and finish it out. It says, but

our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await

a savior. He's coming back, the Lord Jesus, who will transform.

Our lowly body.

If you don't have a body you like today, it's okay,

You're not going to have that body forever, to be

like his glorious body, a redeemed body by the Lord

that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Connects to chapter four. Now, therefore, therefore, because you know

your citizens on your way to heaven, and your citizenship

is already sealed in heaven. Today, therefore, my brothers and

whom I love and long for my join crown, you need.

To stand firm against the adversities.

Of life, anything that threatens that citizenship, any difficulty that

you're facing in life. Stand firm in this knowledge. Thus,

in the Lord, my beloved, you may be seated. In

this series we talked through is Pastor Adam Adam, excuse me.

Pastor Aaron talk to us.

A little bit about pressing on and he talked about

crushing it, and that meant the brokenness of our lives

and what suffering God would challenge us to go through.

But we needed to press through that. And then Pastor Adam.

Challenged us with pressing in which dealt with spiritual maturity

and how we are to progress and grow. In the

last week, he talked about pastor Adam did about pressing

out and really talked about our influence and how we

will model and be an example. Today, we're going to

talk about pressing up. That's our up today and we

read it today in Ephesians of Philippi excuse me, Philippians

three twenty, which doubt was citizenship. We are going to

press up. How many of you have ever gone to

a gym and you're going to bench press? To be effective,

you got to press that weight up. And by pressing

it up, you are now building stamina in your life.

You're building muscle in your life, You're building strength into

your life. And only through pressing up in situations, through

God's strength, are we going to gain a spiritual strength

and a stamina in our lives. In worship a few

moments ago.

We lifted our hands, we pressed them up toward heaven.

What was that for? To recognize that I am dependent upon.

You God, I need you, I am not the source,

and I want to exalt you. And that's why we

need to live this pressed up life that reminds ourselves

we aren't in charge and we're dependent upon God.

And if you ever gone to an elevator and you

press you.

Press the up but and the button begins to mobilize.

It begins to activate.

And when you and I live a pressed up life,

we begin to be activated in the Kingdom of God.

With that in mind, I want to break this word

down that we talked about when he talked about citizenship.

Our citizenship is in heaven.

Paul is talking to the church at Philippi.

These are that's.

Where they lived, a city in the Macedonian region, Philippi, Colossia, Ephesus,

they were all they were all in this area, but

they were a providence of Rome, which meant they had

all the benefits of Caesar the Empire. The known strongest

nation of the world was Rome at that time, so

they were well boastrous, very proud of being a Roman citizen.

Even though they were in Philippi. They weren't physically living

in Rome.

They were miles away in Philippi, but their citizenship was

connected to the Empire of Rome. So whatever Rome offered them,

Philippi could benefit from. So they knew exactly what Paul

was speaking of when he talked about citizenship. So he

would say this, Philippi, you pride yourself on your Roman

citizenship and all its benefits that it offers you. Do

you equally pride yourself as citizens of heaven with the

same proudness and boastfulness, or do you consider earthly citizenship

far greater than heavenly citizenship? It would have registered in

their minds the number one country in the world. They're

over two hundred and thirty over two hundred countries in

the world. The number one country where people want to

join and become a citizen is what America? America. Now,

I'm not trying to say anything political, but why are

they all coming here? Are they coming here because they

want to be persecuted? Are they coming here because they

want to live in poverty? Are they coming here to

be slaves? Are they coming here to be in bondage?

They're coming here to America because they love our prosperity,

They love our liberty that we have, they love our

non biasedness.

How many of you hear what I'm talking about.

A diplomatic, democratic way of our nation functioning. And they long,

legally or illegally to become American citizens because they want.

The rights and.

Privileges that America offers them. Was here today, he'd say

don't you Americans love your benefits? God bless America, the red,

white and blue that I put on my house on holidays.

You're very very boastful, and you're very very proud to

be an American. But do you have equal, if not

greater pride in you being a Christian today?

That's what he would tell you. That's what he would

tell you.

I'm gonna ask you a question right now, kind of

put you on the spot. Is there anybody here that

was not born an American but you have now become

an American citizen?

Would you raise your hand? Okay, here you go. Look

at that, all right.

I have friends that have gone this way. Okay, they

all share the same thing in common. Tell me what

it felt like to be I'm an American citizen. Tell

me what you felt when you became an American citizen.

They said I cried, They said I was so joyous.

Some say I kissed the ground. Some say I held

that little flag with pride in my hand. I sang

the song with joy. They were overwhelmed. I want to

challenge you, is that how I feel about being a Christian.

I don't give a hill of beans. It's no bigie

it's you know what, Let me put it this way.

So here is my let's just say, my American. This

is my heavenly citizenship card. Okay, this is my heavenly

citizenship card. Keep it in my wallet here, right here,

It's in my heart. Okay, my heaven Oh yes, love

it so much. But I want to ask you a question.

I also I am a membership, a country club membership

because I love golf of the Beechwood Country Club. Here's

what I know. I love being a member there. Get

to tee off anytime I wanted you to walk around

with the VIP big shots. Come on, Pastor Garfield knows

what I'm talking. I don't have to ask for a

tea time. I'm a member. Show up at five, eight

or seven. You better serve me. They call me sir

at the Beechwood Country Club. I'm proud of my membership

at the Beechwood Country Oh. Here's one I'm proud not

in here, but in other church. I'm proud to be

a member of the Rhino Club of Spearmint Club. Come on,

you used to go to Rhino Club. You know what

I'm talking about. Spearmint Club. You're an active member there,

every Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday.

And night with my dollar beals member the Rhino Club.

And some of you aren't just the ones pain some

of you the words was the ones performing. But let's

move on. I'm a fraternity club member. Don't you know

where I graduated from?

I'm a furd.

So Roorday for Ton today, I'm proud.

How do you feel about being a Christian? Eh?

How much money you giving the Kingdom of God concerned it?

But your fraternity?

Eh?

How many home games you go to? How many parties

you go to? Anniversaries and the Kingdom of God? But

here you're all up into your fraternity. Let's get real personal.

I belong to the Dodger Club, Laker Club, Ram Club.

How many of you hear what I'm talking about?

Season ticket holder, never miss a home game.

She even traveling the visitors game.

But I don't know when the next time I'm coming

to church, though, hallelujah.

Premier Club of whatever that is.

I don't even know what that is, Premier Club, but

it's a club out there.

Some of you are proud of your Costco club.

Oh, I can have all these samples if I want,

Do you see this.

I'm a member of Costco.

You get which are those giant oversized shopping carts and.

You pack it up?

How many of you here I'm talking because you're a

Costco member? You proud of your Costco membership?

Hollywood Film Club here, or for some of you, you

like all those designer clos VERSACEI, Gucci.

How many of you know I'm talking. Coach, you're listen.

I'm a VIP member. They said I could come Friday after.

Hours or before the Christmas sale, and I'm gonna be

there because I love my membership.

But how do we feel again about this heavenly membership?

Does it have to compete with all those other memberships

in your life? That's what he was drawing from from

our lives, and so from that, I want to give

you three v's that will minister to us today. Three

v's to talk to us about the benefits of being

a citizen of Heaven. The first one is the victory

that you and I walk in. We walk in the

victory of Heaven today. I love this scripture and I'll

give I'll give them. I'll give two of them together

right now. But the first one, I'm sorry I lost

my point, my pipad is going really crazy right now

Ephesians two and verse nineteen. So you then are no

longer foreigners and strangers, but fallow citizens with the saints

and members of the household of God. An I'm not

a nobody, I'm not a worm, I'm not worthless.

I'm not even a sinner anymore.

I could still sin, but I'm not a sinner anymore.

I have the victory today.

Here's another great scripture that's found in the Bible in

Romans or Romans has go to Romans pleece. It says,

what then shall we say to these things?

What things?

The things that you are facing today, a bad marriage,

health issues, financial downturn in your life, job related problem.

What shall you say to those things?

Speak to them. Here's what you're to say those things.

If God before me, who can be against me? God

is for me today. That's a place of victory that

you and I have to walk in. I'm walking in

the victory today of Jesus Christ.

How he died on the.

Cross, how he went down to Hell, how he script

principalities and powers, made a show of them, openly triumphanting

over them in it. How he took the Gay's gate,

the keys of death, how and the grave against Satan

put our enemy under our feet today, and we are

seated in heavenly places. Christ Jesus, I'm victorious today. I

have problems, but I'm victorious today. I have challenges, but

I'm victorious today. I have opposition, but i am victorious today.

All because Jesus was victorious. I am victorious today. And

I will walk in the privileges of that, and I'll

walk in the authority of that. So when the enemy

comes against me, I will remind him that he is

a defeated foe, and that he is a liar in.

The name of Jesus.

And I will remind him of his future and what

that looks like when he is cast out into hell itself.

I'll remind him of what Jesus did to him when

he stripped him of his authority. So you and I

have a level of victory that you and I walk

in today. We have victory. We fail sometimes, but we're

not a failure. Peter failed, but he wasn't a failure.

David failed, but he was a failure. John Mark failed,

but he wasn't a failure. Jonah failed but he wasn't

a failure. Abraham failed, but he wasn't a failure, and

you're gonna fail.

But I'm not a failure. I'm not a failure.

Because I have the victory because I'm a citizen of heaven,

and failure people don't go Failure people don't go to heaven.

Losers don't go to heaven. I have the victory today

in all heirs of my life. I'm not fighting for victory.

I'm fighting from victory now. I want to say this

because this revolutionized my understanding when I was going through

terminal cancer stage four, and people don't understand this, but

I had to get the revelation of it because I

thought I was fighting for my health, I was fighting

for my healing.

I was fighting for my victory.

But when the revelation came that two thousand years ago

Jesus really bore my sicknesses and diseases on the cross

and that past tense by his stripes, I am healed.

I fast forward it through application into my life today

and the victory was wrought two thousand years ago. So

I'm healed today in Jesus' name. I'm not fighting for victory.

I'm fighting from a place I'm already healed sickness and

disease an enemy, and our enemy has already been defeated. Now,

diego walk in that, now, Diego rest in that now, Diego.

Now accept that it has to be a revelation.

And I've seen so many of my friends not understand

that you're fighting from a place of victory. When on

our fourth day, my wife's lovely Sindy try to impress

me by making me dinner, and so she made a

pot roast for me, and so I anxiously sat at

the table and she brought in this pot roast, and

you know, it smelled really good and it looked good.

How many have ever been a place where you didn't

know what to do when.

People asked you do you like it? What does it

taste like?

And you're not sure if you should give them the

honest answer or just smiles. Oh, this is the best

post row I've ever tasted in my life. Thank you,

as you are just chewing it two hundred times, looking

for a chainsaw to cut the meat with. Let me

see if I could be Do you have a wife

like mine? She's always watching the cookie shows. But I'm

waiting for it to every lived out in my home.

Why are you watching all these cooking show? Can you

bake a cookie for me? I's the least.

Anyways, let's back to the story. Anyways, I came to terms.

But I did not marry my wife for her cooking.

I married my wife for her heart. Jesus did not

marry you for what you could do for him. He

married you for what he could do for you. See

you and I walk and live in a place of

absolute victory in our lives. What is the opposite of victory?

Is it defeat? I'll give you another word. It's a victim.

And can I be honest with you. A lot of

us walk around as victims. Didn't have a daddy. That's

why I do what I do. I'll take care of mine. Listen,

you didn't have a man. Your husband cheat on you.

I don't trust these men out here. You got to

do for yourself, girl, victim. Hallelujah, praise. So I'm going

to church on saiday, you want to come with me.

The Bible says you have the victory. You're telling me

that no matter what devastation that has taken place in

your life, God cannot redeem it. So you're gonna go

your whole lifetime talking about what happened to you rather

than what's promised to you, and you can carry that

negative attitude with you. Woe is me, like Eyre, I'll

never have a husband, I'll never have a job, I'll

never be successful, never have a man loved me, will

never have anything good to me.

It'll never work, never work, never work, never work.

Victims victims, victims, victims, victims. I'm not walking around as

a victim. Yeah, bad things happen to me. I was dejected.

I was rejected. Who in this room hasn't been lied to, betrayed,

taken advantage of If we want, we could all be

change some massacres and kill the whole world away based

on what happened to us. What am I talking about?

I'm eight years old. I have a little red skateboard

with steel wheels, because that's what they look like. Back then,

when I was a little boy and I had a

sidewalk and there was a down it was a little

bit of a downhill grade that ended in a coda sack.

In my neighborhood, the only day you could.

Really play was Saturdays after you did your chores. So

you wanted to play all day. I'm only about eight

years old. I get my little red skateboard and I'm

going down. Don't even just have to push one time

and then gravity will take me. And there I go,

you know, going sound like this, clickcake, kick, kick, kake,

click take. As I'm passing the lines on the sidewalk,

go walk back up the little hill.

And I go down kick. I'm mine in my own business.

I'm eight years old, and all of a sudden, I

go kikeke, kickick, and a man crunk comes out from

the house and he says, don't be riding your skateboard

on this sidewalk anymore. I'm trying to get some sleep.

You could begin to see Diego and his nature. I

thought to myself, you don't own this sidewalk. So I

walked up that street again and went down kick, and

he came out and he looked at me, and he

shook his finger at me, and I just scared him down,

a eight year old boy, And I looked at him

and walked right up the street again.

Click CLICKI kick.

This time he was standing right in front of me.

He had a hack saw in his hand.

He got he.

Got the red skateboard, and he cut it in half

right in front of me, and he handed me both

gospel stores. It's your story handing me both pieces of

the skateboard. Today, if anybody has a right to be

a chainsaw killer and kill every one of you and.

Be a victim, I'm gonna get me mine and you

ain't gonna do me. And I'm making up.

For the fact that someone took my little red skateboard

and I would.

Have been a happy little boy.

I would have grown up successful, and I would have

been somebody. I probably would be a skater today. I

probably have a skating company. You probably hear about Diego

and not Tony Hawk. But I've got out jackedub. So

why don't I have a rat? I have a rat.

I'm a citizen of Heaven. I'm not a victim. I'm victorious.

Lady named Sarah. She's living in Manhattan. She's on her

way to a business meeting. The car picks her up

in Manhattan. She's dressed very nicely in a business suit,

wearing a blouse.

She blows her nose with a tissue.

When she does that, her nose begins to bleed, but

she can't stop it, and she's getting tissue after tissue

and it bloodies her white blouse. She can't go to

her meeting to work that way. She turns her asks

the driver to turn back around. She runs into her

flat and she changes into another white blouse. At that moment,

she feels her building shake and it's overwhelming the noise

that is taking place. She turns on the TV and

she sees the first tower on nine to eleven fall,

and that's where her business meeting was. And it dawns

on her that the blood covered and protected me from

dying in that meeting.

I have the victory.

Because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ that covers

me and my family and my children. That reminds the

devil that I am no longer his property. I am

off limits, I am protected, i am washed, I'm cleansed,

I'm redeemed, and I'm forgiven.

Oh, because I've been covered in the blood of Jesus Christ.

The second thing, the second thing, the second view, because

I'm a citizen, I have victory. The second one is

because of this, I have values in my life. There

are certain values that an American citizen lives by.

If you have a membership.

At a country club, or at a gymnasium, or you

work at a job. There are certain values that your

company carries and you are to represent that value. One

of the most exclusive clubs that people long to join

is something called Club thirty three. Does anybody know what

Club thirty three is? Half of you, only five of you.

The rest of you need to get out. You need

to come to You need to come to the university

Generosity University so that you could finance your money so

that you could become members of Club thirty three.

It's an exclusive club Disneyland where the Pirates of the

Caribbean is. It's somewhat of a ten to thirteen year weight.

You have to make a certain amount of money. They

take a certain amount of money. You got to give

them to.

Be a member of Club thirty three, to have Mickey

in your corner. And these people, if you know them,

they pride themselves on being members of Club thirty three. Recently,

it happened that Scott and Diana Anderson just got booted

out of Club thirty three all because Scott was seen

drunk walking the property of Disneyland.

He violated a value and.

Is no longer given membership anymore to Club thirty three.

That's Disneyland that has values. Your job has value. Marriage

is supposed to have values. What we do and what

we don't do, where we go and where we don't go.

We are to have values in raising our children, who

we hang around, what we watch, and what we listen to.

We need to have health values. This is what I

eat and this is what I don't eat. It's all

about values in our lives. And when we become citizens

of God and citizens of Heaven, then we are to

partake of the values that are in heaven. The values

that are represented in heaven. I name I have a

few of them. Generosity, holiness, obedience, love, respect, honesty, courage, faith, patience.

These are our values as Christians. We value coming to church.

It's a value. I value tithing. Financially, it's a value

of mind. You say, I value serving, sharing my gifts

with others. It's a value of mine. You and I

in the Kingdom of God ought to express our values. Now,

when I got saved, it took me a minute to

have certain Christian values. And so one of the values

of when I was in the world was that I

loved to drink, and my drink of choice was beer.

I grew up in a world where.

Yellow jackets are what my family drank. I could see

that nobody knows what yellowjackets are cores.

So I love to drink beer.

But it took me a minute to take on a

Christian value. Another thing that I had was I loved

to gamble when I lived in the culture of the world,

when I had the values of the world. When I

was a citizen of the world, I just was a

byproduct of my environment.

I was trying to.

Act cool, I was trying to act marchall. I was

trying to impress the ladies. I was a citizen of

the world. Therefore I acted like the world. But then

I joined the Kingdom of God. That privilege was extended

to me. He didn't discriminate toward me. He extended it

in love and mercy. He didn't offer me what are

you offering me? He offered me everything. And now I

want to have new values.

But I drink.

And I love to gamble. Shoe Nobody knows what I'm

talking about. The thrill that goes into you when you

lay it down, when you throw it down, when you

spin it, when you bet it.

Come on, you all get lottery tickets.

Y'all buy your lottery till you don't act like you

don't know what I'm talking about. Took me a minute

to change that value. I was a bull driver. Do

you know what a bull driver is? As somebody who

can't tell the truth. He'll lie to you and tell

you anything you.

Want to hear.

If you hear what I'm talking about, you're lucky. If

you get the truth out of me. All bull drive

you up and down?

What do you want to hear?

I have the gift of communication. I have the gift

of tongue. I have the gift of talk. I have

the swag in me. What do you want to talk about?

Like Jacob? Yeah, I was in the Olympics. Sure, nineteen

eighty four. I was in the Olympics. I was a

box sermon but man, they call me master Blast. I

was in the DJ industry. Maybe you saw them in man.

I was part of the disco movem. I guess think

I call crack.

Some right now? Watch ooh Yeah, it took me a

minute to change my values.

Tell me you it's taking longer than a minute. But

I'm glad you're here today because I'm here to tell

you that now you're a Christian who's a citizen of

the heaven.

And you now got to change your values. How do

you do that? Bro?

How do you do that? Because it's still a struggle

for me. I'm glad you asked.

See.

I have this nineteen sixty three Volkswagen Beetle, this bug,

and I bought it, and to get it insured, I

had to declare a value on it to get it

insured in case it got stolen and got in an accident.

So I got it and I put eighteen thousand.

Dollars, not what I paid for it, Okay. Then I

started putting money into it, but postery and you got

a paint job. So I had to raise the value

of it. Then I had a big engine put in it.

She could race a little bit and have fun. Not really,

but I did put a big engine in. So I

had a call and I raised it to thirty five

thousand dollars. How was I able to raise my value?

I called my agent and I asked him, can I

raise my value? Some of you need to raise your

value in the Kingdom of God?

How do you do it?

You can't do it on your own. The victory is

not in you. The victory is in him. You don't

have the strength to change. You don't have the strength

to be faithful to one woman if you're married. You

don't have strength as a single to stop forticating. It's

the victory is in him. He's the supplier of it.

So I went to my agent and I asked, and

he raised it. So your agent is the Holy Spirit. Say,

Holy Spirit, I can't give up that drink, and I

can't give up that fornication. I can't give up that masturbation.

I can't give up that pronongreation. I can't give up

that naggin. I can't give up that gossiping. But you

asked the Holy Spirit to now come so that he

could start raising your Christian values in you. It's the

help of the Holy Spirit that will help you to

raise your values. Values are not determined by times and

seasons and environments. They're not predicated on those things. Values

are based upon your fear of God and how much

you love God. I'll move on to my last point

with the three minutes that I have. Mcdonna will be

a picture behind you. Maybe you've seen this actor. He's

a pretty famous actor Neil mcdonna, and he has lost

been fired off of sets, TV and movie.

He has lost million dollar contracts.

He is now labeled by some companies as blackballed, on

the black ball list because he will not do any

nude scenes. He will not allow himself to see a

nude woman, he will not embrace a nude woman, he

won't take off his clothes. He now has elevated it himself.

He will not, in for a scene kiss another woman.

And this was a statement, the only woman that I

will kiss is my wife and not another.

Wow.

Values, does that challenge you? Because really, for us, it's

all about money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money mine.

I ain't turning down a contract. I'm walking away from cash.

And we got to raise our values. I'm not part

of this world system. I'm part of a heavenly system.

And the last word is the word vantage. Because I'm

a citizen, I walk in victory. Because I'm a citizen,

I have values, certain values in my life. Places I

go in, places I don't go, things I do, and

things I don't do. When I was in the world,

I maybe didn't possess those, But now I'm a citizen

of God. But now I have vantages in my life.

Vantages you've heard of this, like come to this point

of vantage. This is a point where you can see

things that you can't see normally.

They're called vantage points.

Everywhere you go there's like some kind of vantage point

on a cleft, like in a in a park, somewhere

around mountains, there's vantage points. And if you can get

to that vantage point, then all that can obscure your

vision is taken away. Like I go up here mountain

biking and from this one vantage point, I can see

Catalina Island, I see past Alay, I see past the ocean,

and I can see cattle, but I can't see it

from any other point than that vantage point. And when

I'm biking with somebody who's not been up there, I'll say,

come on up here, well, why it's higher, it's can

I No, don't come on, just come come come with me,

Come with me.

And so they follow me up and I'll say look

over there, and I say, wow, I'm glad I came

up here.

See, you have a vantage point. And the fact is

that you're going home one day. This isn't your home.

The Bible says you're a soul journer, a pilgrim, which

means a temporary resident on this earth, just passing through.

I'll be here for a minute, but I long for

my real home, the place that God has prepared for me.

That one day he will descend with a shout, the

voice of the archangel, the triping of God, and I'll

be caught up to meet him in the air and

forever be with the Lord. Then when I die, I'm

going to my real home called heaven. How many of

you have ever gone to a luxury vacation. I don't

care where it is. Name your favorite place you've ever

gone to. Somebody might say somewhere in Europe, or a

Hawaii or wherever it is.

How many of you enjoy it?

You loved it, but it wasn't your home, no matter

how pleasurable and enjoyable it was. I can't wait to

get home. And there's no place like home. No matter

what enjoyment there is on this planet.

It's not my home.

I wait to get home one day where I enjoyed

the majesty, the beauty. I'll look down at the rivers

of life. I'll see the tree of life. I'll see

the Foundations of God.

And all the Jaspers, and.

All the Emeralds, and all the Sapphires, all the jewels

of the world will be in the foundation. I'll walk

the concrete, the sidewalks they're in gold.

I'll walk into the throne room of God and.

I'll see his Majesty, and I'll see.

Him face to face.

No more stagnation, no more interruptions.

I will forever be the Lord. Now that I have

that vantage point, I want to take other people with

me so that they can experience that vantage in their life.

Thank you Lord.

As I end this message, the individuals that has to

raise their hands that became American citizens to be illegal

American citizens, then this is what you have to do.

You have to raise your right hand of some form

or fashion, and you have to repeat these words. So

this is what if you were going to be an

American citizen, you would have to say, I here by

declare an oath that I absolutely and entirely renounce, reave this,

and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any other foreign prince, ponent, state,

and sovereignty of whom of which I hear too fro

have been subject or a citizen. I'm turning my back

on the country that I'm coming from to embrace this

new country.

Am I doing that as a Christian? Watch?

Here's my Christian pledge that I'm going to add. I

hereby declare on oath that I absolutely entirely renounce Hell,

the devil, worldliness, carnality, and flesh, and I abjure allegiance

and fidelity. That means I reject allegiance and fidelity to

any idol, to any God of whom which and hereafter

here toofro I've been a citizen or subject a.

Bondage to watch.

A second pledge you have to make that I will

support and defend the Constitution and the laws of United States.

We need I think we need to.

Send this to all Americans again, because I don't think

we know what we've been living this out, that I

will support and defend the Constitution and the laws of

the United States of America against all enemies, even.

If they're nice, even if they're cued foreign and domestic.

Here's my Christian that I will support and defend the Bible,

the scriptures, and the Word of God against all enemies,

foreign and domestic, publicly, privately, at work or in my home.

Third pledge that I will bear truth and allegiance. It's

to the same that I will bear arms.

Look at this. You didn't even know you have to

do this.

Look at what it says you're supposed to do in

American City. That I will bear arms on behalf of

the United States when required by the law. An enemy

comes into your neighborhood, is going to abduct your children.

You got your right to pull out your glock and say, hey,

s you've seen John Wick.

You belt ready to experience John Wick right now. I'm

gonna love you, pray for you. You need to know. Do

you know Jesus as your Lord's Savior?

Because you're gonna go to heaven right now after I'm

done with you. But whatever WAT says, here's my Christian value.

That I will bear truth and allegiance to God the same, yesterday, today,

and forever more. That I will bear arms on behalf

of God in spiritual warfare against Satan and all his

devices when required by the law, fight for you, our family.

That I will perform non.

Combative services in the armed forces of United States when

required by law. Here's your Christian constitution that I will

perform non combative services, being a working Christian, serving, giving

and loving and praying in the armed forces of God

when required by God.

Amen, come on.

Hold your hand up, Father, in Jesus' name, we hold

our hands up in allegiance to you, Oh God, that

we are not earthly citizens, we are heavenly citizens.

And because of.

That, we walk in a victory that you have given us.

And we will display your values that represent who you are.

And we long for the dvantage of one day returning

back to our real home, the place that you have

been preparing for us. We want to see what you've

prepared for us. In Jesus' name, Amen, I'm gonna ask

that nobody moved. We're gonna walk out of this room

together in a matter of moments. Pastor Aaron, I you

praying us out? Who's praying us out? Pastor Adam, somebody's gonna.

Pray us out.

I'm gonna ask you not to leave until our pastor

comes out to pray us out.

Because how many of you, how many of you leave work.

Five minutes before you're supposed to, How many of you

leave work tomorrow? I want you to go to your

job and say I'm out.

Of here five minutes?

How many of you walk out before the end of

the movie. We're citizens of heaven. Don't treat God's kingdom,

God's work better than you do the world. Wait to

the very end. Life and death are held in the balance.

We got word again of another tragic thing that happened to.

One of our members. It grips our heart because we

see them.

We just saw them on Sunday, and it usually goes like, list,

how did it happen? And usually happens they were on

a highway.

Or a freeway. They got hit by a drunk driver.

Our heart's broken.

They went in for minor surgery, no complication, but the

doctor couldn't revive them. They bled to death. Oh my god,

how's the wife doing? How's the kids doing? They're doing

something they've done a thousand times.

It's not risky.

But a tire blows out, a glass comes, a piece

of metal comes, and it severs and kills them.

And we are overwhelmed.

I want you to live another hundred years, and I

don't want to put gloom and doom into your life.

I just want you to be ready, whether it's tonight

or whether it's one hundred years from No, just live

in a place. I'm ready when those accidents or times

not a heart attack comes or whatever it is that

you're going to transition.

Sometimes you don't have enough time. Jesus. Now I accept you.

I give my life to you. Now, I really believe

in you. Now you don't have time.

But if it's already done, you don't have to worry

about it. And when you die and stand before God,

you won't look at him at like a stranger, or

you won't be mystified to wonder what's going.

To happen next, and fear won't grip your heart. You

have said, oh this is Jesus. I can't wait to

see what he has for me.

I remember when I made him my Lord and Savior

at that church called Patreon a Sunday morning. It was rainy,

And now I'm at peace with what's about ready to happen.

I want you to have that assurance. You could be

like me, grown up in a religious institution but far

from God. Have all the Jesus you want in your head,

but it's not manifested in a lifestyle. Or today you

could say I've accepted Jesus, but you know what he

never left me. I've left him. I've wandered, I picked

up the ways of the world. When I count to three,

you raise your hand and we're going to pray for

you no matter.

Who you are. Don't be ashamed. One two, one, two.

Three, raise your hand wherever you are. I want to

say a prayer with you. Would you repeat eat these

words after me?

Say?

Dear Lord Jesus, you know everything about me. You knew

me and my mother's womb. You know my social security,

you know my blood type. I can't fool you. But

right now, in front of these people, I acknowledge I

need a savior. I can't save myself from my sins.

I don't have a heaven that I have created that

I could go to. But through you I am forgiven today.

I am cleansed today through your precious blood.

Jesus. Would you be my lord? Amen? Thank you about family.

Can we celebrate those There were hands across this whole

room this morning. Once you know God loves you and

today is the beginning of your new life, and so

we want to help you in your next steps. And

so if you would take a monk, if you just

accepted Jesus Christ and visit www.

Grow dour Faith.

We have a little book there to help you in

your next steps. It just explains a little bit as

what you just did when you roise your hand, what

does that mean, What is the role of the Holy

Spirit in your life? What does it mean to come

to church? What does it mean to find community and

walk with the Lord? And so we hope that you'll

visit that site and download that. And if you don't

have a home church, then we would love to see

you back here at Patriot.

Where you have a family. Will you stand with me.

We're gonna leave together family like we do at the

end of every service. We have an amazing prayer team

that will be up here at the altar. If you

are in need of prayer for anything that you may

be going through or coming up going into. We would

love to take a moment to stand in agreement with you.

So just come on down up here to the front.

We hope to see you this Wednesday or next month.

Let's pray. Lord. We thank you Father for this word Today. God,

we thank you Father for Jesus. God.

May we leave here God challenged God to press up more. God,

we thank you Father for the Holy Spirit.

In our lives.

God who help us, correct us, and guide us and

lead us. Father, as we walk this journey of faith

with you, Lord, we thank you Father for Jesus in

our life.

We thank you for your love.

We thank you for being our good shepherd in Jesus name.

Amen. God, bless Patrea.

Have a beautiful Sunday