The Doors of the Church Are Open | Pastor Brian Bullock

Luke chapter 4.

Luke 4 · chapter mention

Let's look at verses 16 through 21.

I'm gonna read out the out of the NIV.

Uh Union, we've come up now.

We we've come up.

You don't need to bring Androids here anymore.

No Samsung.

We don't you don't need it.

We're we've grown up now, okay?

So let's go on ahead and just bring those iPhones and iPads, okay?

Um but uh let's go to Luke chapter 4, verse 16 through 21.

Luke 4:16–21

I'm reading from the NIV.

Y'all ready to go?

Nah, I don't hear y'all.

Y'all ready to go?

All right, all right, all right.

Uh by the way, if you are wondering if this is a turn to your neighbor church, yes, we make you turn to your neighbor here in this church.

Is this a talk back to the preacher church?

It is a talk back to the preacher church.

It's uh is it a say amen church?

It's a say amen church.

But do me a favor, can you say amen?

And turn to your neighbor and say, What up?

I'm not playing, I'm playing.

Stop, stop, stop, okay, okay, okay, okay.

Luke chapter 4, verse 16 to 21 says, it's talking about Jesus Midhill, and it says, He went to Nazareth where he had been brought up.

Luke 4:16–21

And on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, and as was his custom, he stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.

Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written, The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.

The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

The title of my message today is The Doors of the Church Are Open.

Can you do me a favor?

I told you what I was gonna make you do.

Turn to your neighbor and tell them the doors of the church are open.

If your neighbor doesn't like you, just tap the person in front of you.

Tell them the doors of the church are open.

Come on, man, he'll Father, open up our eyes and our ears that we may receive a word from you that would change and transform our lives forevermore.

Hind me behind your cross.

Let your voice be louder than mine.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Everybody say, Everybody say, Amen.

Amen.

The doors of the church are open.

I was raised in a traditional Baptist church.

They used to call it a storefront church, and it's a church with red hymnal books, and a church where the choir uh would march in.

He shall rank forever.

And uh, you know, we do all kinds of dance moves and eight years old choir robe all the way down to the ground.

And and then uh I was raised in a church where on Sunday we wore all white.

How dare you come here on the first Sunday, didn't wear you all white today?

We we had communion service on Sunday.

If you want to know when we do communion here, we do it at Catalyst, at Catalyst.

But I was raised in a church where every first Sunday, yeah, yeah, and they would sing a hymn uh called Old Rugged Cross.

Y'all know anything about Old Rugged Cross?

Oh, I'll cherish the old rugged cross till my trophies at last I lay down.

I will sing to the Old Rugged Cross and exchange it someday for a Christ.

Y'all don't know nothing about that kind of church.

I I was raised where where where where the deacons and the and the deaconess cooked food during the service that you could smell coming up from the basement, and after service, we had fried chicken and oh whatever, all kinds of stuff.

We just ate afternoon service, four o'clock, Bible discussion, six o'clock, Sunday school started at nine o'clock.

That's trying to church I was raised in.

Anybody know anything about that church?

Anybody?

Okay, okay.

And so, and so what they would do in the church, I was raised in on first Sunday, they would open the doors of the church.

If you don't know anything about church, and you're like, Pastor, I don't know what you're talking about.

Here's what open the doors of the church mean it's a time where we invite you to become a member of our church.

And so the pastor would stand up and say the doors of the church open, and if you wanted to join the church, they would ask you to leave your seat and come all the way down to the altar, and they would extend their hand and give you something called the right hand of fellowship.

Y'all don't know nothing in here, y'all don't know.

By the way, if you want to become a member of Union Church, Growth Track is where we give you the right hand of fellowship, and we say, Come on in.

So make sure you go to growth track step one and become a member.

Let's go.

And so what I've been in church my whole life.

I'm a church kid, and I've seen them open the doors of the church, and people come marching down, ready to join the church.

And and and I see their face, and there's so much joy, and there's so much hope.

And part of the joy and part of the hope is now that I've joined the church, life is about to be sweet.

Now that I've joined the church, oh my good birds will be chirping in the morning, and and flowers will be blooming from the grass.

And now that I'm a part of a church, it's gonna be a lovely day.

Y'all don't know nothing about that.

15 older, 16 older, you know what I'm talking about.

And what begins to happen is because of this expectation that life is gonna be so phenomenal now that I've joined the church.

When life starts life and storms hit, and the wind blows, and challenges come and difficulty happens.

We oftentimes go back to the church and say, I thought my life would be better now that I'm a part of a church.

The church don't work, the church isn't it.

And I came to preach to somebody in the room and say, Maybe the church isn't the problem.

I have learned that joining a church and surrendering your life to Jesus are two different things.

Can I get an amen, man?

Hear me, hear me.

I want you to join the church.

Joining a church is beautiful.

There's community, there's connection, there are people, there are relationships, but do not confuse that just because I joined the church means that now automatically life gets better.

Life does not get better by just joining the church, it gets better as a result of surrendering my life, my heart, my mind, and my plans to God.

And I'm not inviting you because the doors of Union Church are open, but we're not just inviting you to a church, I'm inviting you into an experience with a savior who can change all things in your life if you know this savior that I'm talking about.

Just shout hallelujah in this.

Maybe I can explain this way, because many hills, some of y'all looking at me and some of y'all like I get it, and some of you say I don't.

Okay, okay, let me explain this way.

How many of you have ever joined a gym?

Okay, okay.

How many of you got more than one gym membership right now?

Yeah, gold is calling you.

Planet is calling you.

They're looking for you.

Have you ever joined a gym?

Imagine, imagine joining a gym and then going all and telling everybody, I I I joined the gym.

Now watch the weight just fall off.

It's gonna, it's gonna just it's gonna drip, just drip off.

Some of you have been a part of a gym for the last 30 years of your life, and uh uh you keep looking for it.

Don't look at nobody, just keep looking straight.

I'm not uh but uh but you you're still waiting, praise God.

Because joining a gym don't automatically mean that the weight just comes off.

Joining the gym was the first step, but the next step is now that I've got a gym membership, there's a treadmill that got my name on it, there's a stairmaster waiting to see me.

That there's a machine in there that I have to work, and what I've discovered about church people is we expect that just because I came to a church, that the weight I'm carrying is just gonna fall off by itself, but it don't fall off by itself.

You gotta come in here, you gotta go ahead.

Here come dumbbells for you gotta lift this word and you gotta work this thing until that weight comes off of your life.

Some of you are emotionally overweight, spiritually overweight.

Yeah, you you're carrying things that you were never intended to carry, and it's heavier than you think.

You're smiling, but you're carrying something heavy.

You're laughing, but you're carrying something heavy.

There's a weight that's on you, and I'm sorry, but you can have success and it won't take it off.

You can get a better job and it won't take it off.

We can get all the buildings in the world, but it won't take it off.

What's gonna take it off is you getting in the spiritual gym and saying, Jesus, I need you to do something in my life, and I've got to start to surrender some things in order to experience the freedom that you gave me.

Y'all understand what I'm saying?

Anybody, midhill, wave at your boy, men heel, just look at me.

Okay, this is why I read Luke 4, because in Luke chapter 4, Jesus makes it clear hey y'all, uh uh the spirit of the Lord is upon me.

Luke 4 · chapter mention

I've been anointed for an assignment.

What is the assignment he's been anointed for?

He opens up the scroll, he's reading uh uh the prophet, the prophet, the prophecy that was about himself.

He is reading it out loud, and he's saying, The spirit of the Lord is upon me to do what, Jesus?

To proclaim good news to the poor.

Everybody say good news, recovery of sight to the blind.

But then, and this is what I want to deal with.

He talks about I came and I'm anointed to bring freedom for prisoners and to set the oppressed free.

Here's what he did not say.

He didn't say the spirit of the Lord is upon me so that you can just join the church.

The he didn't say the spirit of the Lord is upon me just so you can hey shout and he didn't say the spirit of the Lord was upon me just so that you can have cool church sayings.

He he didn't say the spirit of the Lord is upon me just so you can have nice church attendance.

No, he said the spirit of the Lord is upon me so that you can have freedom.

He said, I came to get prisoners out of their jail cell.

He said, I came to set the oppressed free.

Jesus wants you to experience freedom.

Jesus said, I did not give my life just for you to have a church experience, I gave my life so you can experience freedom and be free indeed.

Some of you in this room, the desire of your heart, you don't know it, but as I'm speaking to you, you can feel it inside.

There's something in you that's screaming for some freedom, freedom spiritually, freedom mentally, freedom emotionally.

What good is it that you you some of us you you cute, but you're not free.

I mean, in the gym for 12 hours, you done got all the six pack you can have, but still bound.

You you how is it possible you've accumulated all of this wealth, yet your life still looks miserable?

And you try to get rid of the misery with more stuff and more purchases and more things.

I mean, sitting in a Lamborghini, bound, miserable.

Life is tight.

Yeah, yeah, you you it's funny because the world knows you, but your family can't stand you.

And when you walk in the office, you get praise, but when you walk in at home, it's like your family don't even know who you are.

And even though you're experiencing some successes in some areas, there's still something on the inside that says, I still feel like my life is not where it's supposed to be.

But can I preach some power and some hoping to you today?

You are leaving out of here free.

We are going to walk you through freedom over the next couple weeks.

Do I got anybody in the room that says, Pastor, I want to be free.

I'm sorry, you cute but bound.

That's not it.

And what we're not gonna do is keep celebrating a big life that is still in chains and in bondage and in misery, and you can't sleep, and nothing's going on.

No, I want you to have a life where you wake up with some joy, where you wake up with some peace, where you wake up with a purpose, where you stop just living for stuff and you start living for an assignment that's bigger and greater than you.

Is there anybody in the room?

I feel like jumping off the stair, that just says, I want to be free.

Somebody say, free.

He wants you to be free and free indeed.

So, so so so, PB.

How do I get to some of that freedom?

We're gonna talk about it over the next couple of weeks, but let's let's start dealing with it today.

Uh uh, because the doors of the church are open, and it's not just open for us to look like a big church, it's open for us to walk in freedom.

So let's start the process now.

Number one, write this down.

Recognize what has you captive.

Recognize what has you captive.

Jesus said, I came to set the captors free.

I came to set the prisoners free.

And one of the first things that came to your mind is uh, Pastor, uh I'm sorry, but I'm I'm not captive.

I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not bound.

That's for someone else.

In fact, my horoscope told me that I'm a I'm a free bird.

My my chakra.

This morning, I when I read that I uh that I'm a Libra and Libras free.

I can't I can't be bound okay.

Did I go too far?

Fine.

Let's let's stay away from horoscope.

Let's stay away from Christmas.

Pastor, as long as I have my coffee, I'm never bound.

I I just I just as long as I have my coffee in the morning.

You want to see a bound person?

Take away the coffee.

Nicole, I'm sorry, I'm not bad.

I don't know what's in there, but take away the coffee.

We take away the coffee, you will find out.

I think I'm addicted.

I think I'm addicted.

Anybody didn't know you had a coffee addiction until it was taken away, and then you just realized how fish, how fight, how good shit pushing neighbors, he's talking to you, not me.

I don't know why, but I'm laughing, but he can't be talking about me.

Okay, okay, man, here are y'all getting somebody this is crazy.

Okay, okay.

Uh uh what does it mean?

I I know you hear me say bound, and you hear me say captive.

Here's what I'm talking about.

Captive means being held or controlled by something that's limiting your God-given purpose.

Right?

It's being held or controlled by something that is limiting your God-given purpose.

Luther, can you come over here real quick?

Come up here, huh?

No, come here, come here, can you come here, come here, come around here.

We walk around the stage now.

This is this is a lot.

We got stairs and stuff.

Come here real quick.

Come real quick.

Come real quick.

It's like, it's like God is calling you and you're trying to go forward, but something is holding you.

What is it?

What am I doing?

You need me to bring one up for what you want.

What I'm saying to you, hear me, hear me.

Walk forward, go ahead, walk forward.

And you know I got a grip on you.

You know, you know this is strength, right?

Your height don't do nothing to me, okay?

Your height don't mean nothing.

Because hear me, you the addiction or the thing that's holding you might look smaller than you, but when it gets a hold of you, it's there to stop you.

There's what is in your life.

Every time God calls your name, it comes back.

Every time you try to move forward and you're making progress, but it just holds you.

You're moving forward, but it just holds you.

And what I gotta do is I gotta get whatever has you captive, whatever has you bound, whatever's holding you hostage.

We gotta get it to release you.

Can you do me a favor, real quick?

I felt a spiritual moment real quick.

Just say, release me.

Whatever's on me, release me right now in the name of Jesus.

Luther, you felt that strength, right?

You felt I work out, I go through my gym memberships.

Mm-hmm.

What's holding you?

What's what's making decisions for you?

What is what is what is what is training you how you ought to think, or or training you how you ought to respond?

Now, now we're laughing and we're kind of giggling, and uh men heal this is funny and and all that, but you know why you don't know you're held captive?

You want to know why you don't think you're so bound because you think you've got it all together?

And Pastor, you're talking about one of these lowly people.

No, no, we're talking about you.

The reason why you don't know is because we become experts at making dysfunction functional.

You you become an expert at normalizing dysfunction.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You you you you you you you explain being a shopaholic as just a reward for all that you've done.

No, no, no, no.

That Amazon truck would say something very different.

If you see an Amazon truck and you hear that is not ice cream, that's an Amazon truck.

You're paying a lot of money.

What is it that you have normalized?

What is it in your life that is dysfunctional?

And I know sometimes you can't always see the dysfunction, but this is why I gotta get in this Bible because as this Bible starts to reveal stuff to me.

Wait a minute, I'm not supposed to be this angry.

Oh, wait, angry is not a personality that I'm supposed to have?

Wait, you mean to tell me that I'm not supposed to cuss everybody out who don't do what I want them to do when I want them to do it?

Oh, you mean you mean I've I've got to treat my neighbor with some type of respect?

Hold on, you mean you mean not forgiving people?

That that's that's not how I'm supposed to live?

Wait a minute, you don't know how they crossed me, you don't know what they did to me, you don't know how they messed with me.

And you read that Bible and you start reading about a Jesus who looked at his enemies and said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

And then he looks to you and says, Because I forgave you, you got to forgive somebody else, and you start realizing holding all this unforgiveness is dysfunctional.

This ain't the way it's supposed to be.

You mean you mean me and my wife are not supposed, we're not supposed to threaten each other's lives every week?

You mean that's not normal?

You mean that's not wait a minute.

Wait, so she's supposed to, she's supposed to, she's supposed to respect me?

Hold on, I didn't hear amen, Pastor Stephen.

I didn't nobody, I didn't hear one amen.

It was I know it's a new building.

One, two, two.

You mean my wife is supposed to respect her husband?

Husbands are supposed to love their wives, fellas.

That's what I'm talking about.

You mean we're not supposed to live separate lives?

You mean we're supposed to join our lives together?

You mean we're supposed to like each other?

You mean we're supposed to talk well of each other?

You mean we're supposed to do date nights and hold each other's hand?

You mean that is not, yes, that's what it's supposed to be.

But when you were raised in an environment where all you saw was alcohol, all you saw was marriages button heads, or all you saw was I go to work, you take care of the kids.

That's what we do.

And we just come back, we'll meet up here on the weekends, and I know at some point Jesus starts to deal with you, he starts to work on the inside and say, Life is more than where you're at right now.

I'm preaching better than y'all saying amen, but I'm gonna keep going, man.

Hill.

You ever you ever going into a teenager's room?

I mean, and it looked like a hurricane and a tornado blew.

through the room and you're sitting there and you walk in the room and you're like look at how you're living you have a you have a you I've had you have a toilet teenage I was a I was a a youth worker at some point and and I mean we would we would go and and grab these kids and I'd be like you can't smell this does your nose work you can't smell the waiters bro you know what they can't they're nose blind you know what nose blind means nose blind means I've been smelling the same thing for so long I become desensitized to how crazy it smells and some of you your life your nose blind and because you're nose blind sometimes it takes somebody else that's why I love groups because in a group somebody get in there and say do you smell your life your life you can't smell this dysfunction see see see when you stink when you stink you're supposed to take a shower but because you don't like the process of having to go through the shower you try to spray something on to hide the smell what kind of spray oh what I'll here's what I'll do I'll just throw on a nice body no one will be able to tell how dysfunctional I am oh oh here's what I'm gonna do I'm just gonna go ahead and I'm just gonna I'm I'm I'm gonna I'm I'm gonna give me a nice house nice car I'm gonna go ahead I'm gonna be the baddest person out here I'm gonna spray that on so hopefully nobody can smell what my life smells like but Jesus said you cannot throw you you cannot throw stank on stank like you can't throw you you can't override the smell of the smell you got to get into the shower of the word you got to get into the shower of his presence that's why we got you in worship so that as you're worshiping God a shower can just fall on you that's why we don't want you just to watch us sing.

We want you to sing with us so that the shower of God can come through and you can experience some freedom in your life am I preaching to anybody in this room I want to move on but I like where I'm at right now so I just I'm gonna keep going I got one more for you just because you said keep going menhill you ever looked at the the roster of people you've dated you ever looked at your own roster and said I think I like them a little toxic.

I I think based on who I have dated I like them toxic forget your little podcast you like them toxic forget you give advice to everybody else but when we look at the people you be talking to what we realize is you kind of like them a little crazy you like them a little ha ha and what happens is you get so used to toxic that when God brings you a kingdom somebody you can't handle the level of peace because you ain't never felt peace before and so peace is strange to you and toxic feels normal but I buy that thing in the name of Jesus because I want you to know what peace really feels like you are not gonna have an appetite for dysfunction anymore appetite gone changing so hear me hear me hear me hear me here's what the Bible says in John chapter chapter 8 verse 3136 is Jesus talking to the Jews who did not believe they were in bondage of any kind they believe that because of their heritage that we are not in any bondage but Jesus to the Jews who have believed him Jesus said if you hold to my teaching he says you are really my disciples then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free they answered him wait we are Abraham's descendants we ain't never been slaves what are you talking about how can you be talking about freedom when I've never been a slave how can you how can I be set free if I've never been a slave but then Jesus replied Very truly I tell you everyone who sins everyone who sins this ain't got nothing to do with who using your bloodline he says everyone who sins is a slave to sin and now come on come on come on come on keep staring here for a second some of us say Pastor I ain't captive I ain't no slave that sin is is like a master and it's it's telling you what to do I don't know why I don't know why I just go off on people because that sin is like a master I don't know why I don't know why I keep doing that because that sin is like a master you a slave to it you know how I know you're a slave to it because you at this point you barely like doing it but you can't stop it's a mess when you do something you know you don't want to do but you a slave to it I I go through this every time I'm around oil cookies no no no no what am I doing what happened I was a slave and I'm talking about cookies but there's a person that calls you and you say no no but here's what Jesus said he said he said he said a slave has no permanent place in the family but a son belongs to it forever so if the son sets you free you will be free indeed and I serve notice on everything holding you captive I serve notice on everything that's got you bound up I serve notice on everything that got you tied up you are not about to free yourself but whom the son sets free is about to be free indeed and Jesus can and will set you free okay so let me let me help you out let me give you some questions to determine what's holding you captive I'm gonna give you five questions to determine what's holding you captive number one what keeps making decisions for you number two what do you keep returning to even after deciding to stop number three whose approval determines how you feel about yourself come on some of you don't even get dressed for you anymore you get dressed for someone else and if they don't say you look good then you don't feel like you look good.

That is a form of bondage.

Some of you some of the the things you do you're not even doing it for you you are doing it to get the approval of someone and here's the kicker sometimes the enemy will use somebody and and they're never gonna give you the approval that you want it just so that you can stay bound in that thing for the rest of your life here's the next question the next question is what do you believe you cannot live without we used to sing an RB song when I was in high school because without you girl my life is complete no no it'll be complete it'll be complete it'll be complete how many times did you sing that over yourself I'm I can't live without you and Jesus had to say wait a minute now I I know that you love them I know that you like them but do not say you cannot live without them they are not your savior they are not your messiah I am your savior be careful when you've got something in your life that I can't let what and then and then and then what do you keep saying just one more time to just one more time push your neighbor say he's definitely talking to you now not me this this this has nothing to do with me I I haven't said I've never said that before but how many how many times have you said just just this is this is the last time amen we're gonna get you free we're gonna get you free we're gonna get you free we're gonna get you free we're gonna get you free okay okay let's keep going let's keep going let's keep going let's keep going here's the second thing I need to do I need to believe freedom is available to you okay believe freedom many y'all catch what I'm saying believe freedom is available to you so often we come to church and we believe that freedom is available for everybody else but me we we we feel like we're a lost cause we we we feel like everybody in here you feel like your case is too hard like like yeah I can see freedom for you and I can see freedom for you but the idea of me being free pastor I don't really see that and so you say stuff like Pastor this is just the way I am I'm sorry but my mama was like this grandma was like this great grandma was like this is just the way I am I'm sorry but but but but but my best friends are like this and and their friends are like this and and everyone I went to school with we were all like this my my my sorority is like this and and my fret is like this and this is just us and you gotta ask yourself wait a minute do you believe freedom's available to you Pastor everybody in my family is like this this is this is we all do the same thing we we we all go through this this this is just the way our family is you you say stuff like I I've been this way my whole life and and there's no there's no changing about me this I've been this way for a long time you you say my life this is always the way it's going this is always the way it's been please hear me don't turn this is how I've been into this is all I can become don't turn this is how I've been into this is all I can become no life does not stop here you you are not in a death sentence and if you feel like you are then this series is for you because I gotta remind you this this this is where you now this is where you are now this is not where you will be and I I'm telling you right now don't get it twisted this is where I'm at now but I'm not always gonna be like this I'm not always gonna have this struggle I'm not always gonna be this defeated I'm not always gonna be this entangled oh no no no I'm going somewhere do I got anybody in menhill who can feel it in I'm going somewhere this is 2026 2027 got something different from me that was September this is October this month is a bit different that was last week this is this week you caught me yesterday but today's a Sunday it's a new week so you should have caught me yesterday because today is something different from my life and if you don't know how quickly things can change just think about where we were as a church last week it changed pretty fast it changed pretty quick and I came to preach to you that change looks good on you growth looks good on you forward movement looks good on you you cannot stay where you are forever you got to keep growing and going the Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17 it says this means that anyone anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person my old life is gone say my old life is gone menhill say my old life is gone no don't say it to nobody else you say it for yourself my old life is gone no a new life has begun because that's what Jesus does Jesus takes your old life and he makes things new y'all was tripping I was tripping I was tripping give me a second I was tripping I was tripping I was tripping Nicole you gotta excuse me for like one second I was tripping I was tripping I was tripping I was tripping because I was I was walking through the building I was walking through the building and as I was walking through the building I I saw someone trying to get into a room and uh and uh usually when I see somebody trying to room I'm used to calling the custodian and saying can y'all get the custodian to open this door but as I was getting ready to call him I said wait a minute I be the custodian and I said I got a key I took my key out I unlocked the door and I said look at what the Lord has done never going back to the way can I tell you what Jesus does Jesus walks by your room he sees you in the locked door and he says I got the key to let you out of that room I wish I had somebody in the room that can just look at your keys because that's gonna be a sign that Jesus is about to break that door open you might have been in that prison since you were seven you might have been in that prison since you was 12 you might have been in that mindset since you was 21 you might have been 30 years sitting in that room but Jesus is about to take his keys out because the keys are about to unlock a door I wish I had somebody that got a door you're locked in that you're saying Jesus can you open the door Jesus can you take me out Jesus can you get me out of this room can you take me out of this mindset can somebody do me a favor if you need Jesus to open any door in your life can you open up your mouth and just shout open the doors open the doors open the doors I don't want to be this bitter open the doors I don't want to be this sad open the door I don't want to be this depressed open the door I don't want to be this miserable open the door I don't want to feel like this open up the doors of my life Jesus will come by with some keys to open the door here's my last point here's my last point here's my last point here's my last point you got to recognize it has a captive and and then number two you you you got to believe freedom is available to you but then number three you gotta take a step toward living free you know what I discovered I discovered that Jesus can unlock a door he can open the door wide you still got to take a step out the room Jesus can unlock it open it up but until you're willing to take a step until you're willing to move towards the exit you are not going to find the freedom that God has for your life there are many of you are saying God open the door but the question is are you willing to take a next step I would love to tell you what your next step is and over the next couple of weeks I'll give you a couple of steps that are going to be important to you but but the truth of the matter is everybody in here got a different next step midhill everybody got a different next step for some of you your next step is making that phone call to talk to that family member that you have been fighting with for years and it's time to forgive for some of you your next step is going ahead calling that therapist and saying I got too much bottled up in me and I gotta sit down with somebody and talk about this or I'm going to break I'm gonna snap there's some of you in this room as I said that I just feel it you you you're here and nobody knows how close to the edge you are of just snapping one more bad email I'm gonna snap one more person reject me I'm gonna just one more disappointment I'm gonna break pastor I'm gonna break you you got on a shuttle and and there was you you're laughing and you're crying but people do not know one more person.

2 Corinthians 5:17

This is why you can be sitting in traffic and somebody cut you off and you will follow them for miles and you will just I'm gonna get them it's not them it's this is the last person who's ever gonna make me feel this way and I'm gonna get my revenge back because I'm on the brink of snapping maybe your next step is going ahead and cutting that person off by the way if you cut anybody off remember somebody is cutting you off too because sometimes you love to say I blocked them yeah but somebody got you blocked yeah I I let them go because they were too much yeah but you were too much somebody had to let you go so you have to figure out what's my next step sometimes you're not gonna like me cover your ears uh you're not gonna like me but but sometimes your next step is making a budget budget budget budget Pastor what is that I've never heard of that it's it's it's something that helps you get something called financial freedom you know what I'm gonna do a whole sermon on financial freedom can I do that can I just talk about debt and finances biblically I'm saying that to you to say hey hey what whatever it is whatever it is it's time to get free that I've I've got to get free and there's some of you in this room you're listening to me and you're saying Pastor this is great uh but I'm sorry I I I like my bondage don't mess with my mess this sounds good but I think I'll just let my life be what it is I'm just gonna I'm here for a moment I I'll just I'm here but just for a dash and then I'm gone and the only reason why you are feeling that comfortable with your prison is because you don't know how much it's costing you if you knew how much it was costing you you wouldn't want to stay there my my my mother-in-law is 76 years old and uh and uh she lives with us and and uh I I pay all her bills I take care of my mother-in-law shout out to all the husbands who take care of your mother-in-law shout out to shout out to all the husbands or whatever all three of us this is shout out to all of us who take care of our mother in laws and so I pay all her all her bills and one of the bills I pay is her phone bill I pay her her cell phone bill she's 76 years old so I pay her phone bill and uh over the summer she went to El Salvador if you don't know my wife is El Salvadorian and and uh and so and so her mom went back home to see some family so she spent the summer in El Salvador and all summer she would call us and say hey and we look into the phone and we say hey what's a Wheedy call her Wheaty Wheedy Awile Abuela and she called and we gather around the phone as a family and we just talk talk to Abuela and so and so and so all the time we would as a family we would say ain't it good that Wheaty calls us and we get together until I got a phone bill that was fifteen hundred dollars I told my wife if your mother ever call here again tell her don't call us tell her write us a letter pay for her own stamp I said I don't want to know whatever's happening I pray may the Lord watch between me and thee while we're absent one from another amen the call was cute until I found out how much it cost and I'm telling you there's some things you're doing in your life that's cute right now but you're gonna get a bill and when you get that bill and realize this is how much I paid for that this is how much this thing cost me and I'm telling you that's why we say Jesus paid it all and all to him I owe sin left such a crimson stain but he washed me while there's snow and the reason why is because whatever bill that you have collected while you were in your mess Jesus said I'm paying that bill today Jesus says now is the moment where I will come in and set you free and have you free indeed so we read Luke chapter 4 verse 21 that Jesus read he says then he began to speak to them the scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day and today let this be fulfilled in your life every head bow every eye closed can you do me a favor uh can you pray this prayer say Holy Spirit speak to me your servant is listening what is he saying to you just listen for a moment what is the Lord speaking to your heart what is he showing you who is he showing you I'm gonna pray for you in a moment but right now with every head bow and every eye closed many heal you too if you don't know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then the greatest freedom you can experience today is a freedom of you making a decision that I'm not walking out of these doors until I make him the Lord and the ruler of my life with every head bow and every eye closed I'm gonna ask you and give you an invitation to say yes to Jesus today.

Luke 4:21

Maybe you say yes to Jesus years ago but let's be honest you haven't been committed you ain't you haven't been following through with this thing but today you want to say hey I want to go all the way and make Jesus the Lord of my life maybe today you're saying yes but maybe today you're making a recommitment to your life with nobody looking around every head bow many heel you too every eye closed if you want to give your life or rededicate your life to Jesus today can you do me a favor but nobody's looking can you just throw your hand up and put it back down for me just throw your hand up put it back down nobody's watching I see your hand brother I see your hand sister I see your hand sister if you're in this room if you're in this room and you you want to give your life to the Lord or maybe you want to rededicate your life to the Lord today can you do me a favor just throw your hand up put it back down Jesus sees that hand Jesus sees that hand Jesus sees that hand the Lord sees that hand I see you brother come on man here if you want to make Jesus Christ your Lord just throw your hand up put it back down God sees you right where you are come on let's all pray together union as a family let's join those who are taking this very important step in their lives so let's all pray together come on say Father come on say with me father thank you for loving me thank you for sending your son the Lord Jesus Christ to die for me today I surrender my life I believe Jesus is Lord and today I make you the ruler of my life I believe Jesus lived Jesus died Jesus rose again and Jesus is coming back for me so today is a new day I am saved I am yours and you are mine in Jesus' name we pray can everybody shout amen come on everybody shout amen make some noise for every person that just said yes to Jesus Christ