[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hey, thanks so much for listening to this message. My name is Jason, and I'm one of the ministers here at the Madison Church of Christ. It's our hope and prayer that the teaching you hear today will bless your life and draw you closer to God. If you're ever in the Madison area, we'd love for you to stop by and study the Bible with us on Sundays at 5pm or Wednesdays at 7pm if you have questions about the Bible or want to know more about the Madison Church, you can find us
[email protected] be sure to subscribe to this podcast as well as our Sermons podcast. Madison Church of Christ Sermons. Thanks again for stopping by. I hope this study is a blessing to you.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: Matthew, chapter 11.
We were asked to give our favorite sermon.
And I started looking through my sermon, and I'm like, that one.
[00:00:59] Speaker C: All right.
[00:01:00] Speaker B: That one. That one could do.
And then I thought, you know what?
Why don't I just preach about the thing that matters the most?
Why don't I just preach about my favorite subject?
Y' all see the title?
Y' all know that guy.
I figured I'd just talk to y' all about Jesus.
And the reason why I say that is because if I'm talking to people in this world and I've challenged you groups and spoke in different places, and, you know, it's summertime, so you're going to camps and challenging people in all different types of ways, retreats and all types of things, and, you know, there was this continual push and for me to speak on certain topics, and all of those topics this year ended up being basically on the idea of who Jesus was.
And one of the questions that I asked and proposed to the crowd that I would talk to is, what is your favorite Jesus verse?
If you had to pick your favorite Jesus verse in the Bible, what would it be? And then the question would be, why?
When I thought about my favorite Jesus verse, it took a little bit of time because I liked a lot of them, right? I like the number one, John 3:16. Y' all like that one, don't you?
God's people for sure loves John 3:16, or maybe even loves John 3:17, right?
Jesus says that he didn't come into this world to condemn him, but to save it, right?
You know, I also thought about the Beatitudes of Matthew, chapter 6, verse 6.
Matthew, chapter 5, verse 6 is one of my favorite verses, right? Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because guess what? They'll be filled.
I lived a lot of my life Trying to be filled with other things. I don't know about you and I don't know where you're at, but I lived my life for a lot of it, trying to be filled by all the wrong things. But guess what? When I found Jesus with Jesus, became my king, when I submitted my life and gave it to him, guess what I realized when I continued to fill myself up with His Word and I began to do it?
[00:03:28] Speaker D: Guess what?
[00:03:29] Speaker B: There was a satisfaction that started to come that I never even realized. And I was hungry and satisfied at the same time.
Something you guys don't know about me, but I'm just going to tell you. There's only one type of food that really satisfies me, and that's Taco Bell.
It can satisfy me.
I can be hungry and satisfied at the same time, but nowhere near the level that this bread can give you.
This is spiritual nutrients that takes to the next level. Am I right?
So when I think about Jesus, I'm coming to you tonight, just for a little bit. And then I'm gone, man. I'm going back to Nashville, man, where the cowboy boots are.
I know y' all somebody got psychiatric.
We got one.
But I want you to think about this.
I don't know where you're at. I don't know how you got here. I don't know what has happened in your life today or what's going on with it. I don't know if you're tired, if you're searching. I don't know if you're trying to do the thing that we do so many times when we come to church. And that's act like we're good, but really not, right.
I went and spoke at a congregation and you probably heard sermons on this. Where I seen this mom, she was bringing her kids in and I mean, she had one and barely holding onto her and whipping an O when I walk it in. And I just knew she was having a tough time. And she got in there and I was getting some a drink out of the water fountain, and I heard the greeter say to her, hey, how you doing? And she said, doing great.
Like you ain't doing great. You are not doing great.
But maybe you're here with that attitude, you're really not good. You're really not okay.
See, let's just get serious for a minute. Maybe you're here and you're not okay.
Well, this message, I hope, will bring you comfort and will bring you peace.
I hope that this message will bring you strength to know that who you Follow. And who you believe in and who you trust in. The one that you call Lord and King loves you.
When I talk about my favorite Jesus Bible verse, it was 3 Matthew, chapter 11, verse 28. Look at this.
Y' all probably be really familiar with it.
You probably used it in your time of struggle. Maybe you've used it for a time of comfort, right?
Listen to what Jesus says. Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in part, and you will find rest for your souls.
And I love her, certainly.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
See, wherever you are, I gotta tell you something.
Something that's changed my life.
All that I can do is be a representative of the kingdom.
I like to introduce myself a lot of times as Matt Miller, a bond servant of Jesus Christ. Or better yet, Matt Miller, a slave of Jesus Christ.
I belong to him.
People have made fun of me. People have thought, whatever about me, it doesn't matter, because I don't serve you.
I serve a resurrected king.
And it changes the way I talk. It changes the way I live. I've been passionate about a lot of things, and I've done it the wrong way a lot of times. But you know what? There's grace and there's mercy. There's grace and truth. There's power and there's wisdom in a king, and he can make me be wise.
Jesus said, if you hear my words and you do them, I'll reckon you. Man, that's country, ain't it? I will liken you to a man who built his house on a rock. And when the rains came and the floods came and the winds blew and all those things happened, guess what? That house stood firm because you heard me and you did what I said. That's who I serve.
And I gotta tell you about it.
There's been days when I've been down and out. There's been days where I've been struggling.
But maybe you're here and this is the first time that you ever heard about Jesus. Or maybe this is your 150th time to hear about Jesus. I just want to tell you one more time, okay?
I need to tell you about Jesus.
I need to tell you about who you serve. I need to remind you, lady, if you've ever wondered, if God sees you, guess what? Jesus proves that he does.
If you ever question whether your life really has value, Jesus died to show you it Does.
Have you ever felt alone? Have you ever felt afraid? Have you ever felt ashamed of. I felt ashamed in my life.
I remember when I became a child of God. I remember trying to lay all those burdens down, trying to leave it at the cross.
The Lord said, I got you. I'm going to forgive you. But you know what I said? I don't know if I can forgive myself.
Never been there.
Never felt like that.
[00:09:28] Speaker D: It's too big, man.
[00:09:30] Speaker B: God will forgive me. I've been gone too long.
[00:09:32] Speaker D: I've been checked out too much.
I've come tonight for one reason and one reason only, to talk about the.
[00:09:42] Speaker B: Person that I love more than anybody.
[00:09:48] Speaker C: And I love my wife.
She keeps me straight.
I go off the rails a lot. And she just guides me back with grace and mercy.
She learned that from the King, I guess. And I love my kids.
[00:10:07] Speaker D: We all can link up with this. We all have people that we love and we care for. But there's nobody that I love more than Jesus.
[00:10:17] Speaker C: And I got to tell somebody about it.
[00:10:20] Speaker D: How long would you say it takes in your daily walk? How long does it take before your conversation comes up in an angle or a strategy or a way to talk to somebody about Jesus?
How long does it take before that conversation takes place? Well, I'm busy, Matt.
[00:10:37] Speaker C: I ain't got time to fool with that.
[00:10:38] Speaker D: I get it.
How many excuses can we run?
How many times can we just push it to the side? You remember when Jesus said, be perfect, like your Father in heaven is perfect. You know what we say? Well, I can't be perfect like that. So what do we do? We water it down. And we don't ever strive to be perfect.
See, that's the standard.
That's why he died for you.
He died on the cross so that you can be continually cleansed. I think that's what First John 17:9 talks about, that if we confess our sin, he's faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us and put us back into the righteous state. I got to tell you about a king. I got to tell you about a Savior.
Somebody in here needs to hear it.
Somebody in here is not going to let pride get in their way tonight. Somebody in here is going to hear it.
See, here's the deal.
In Acts, chapter four, Peter and John were faced with a very tough situation.
They were persecuted and about to be in big trouble for preaching Jesus. And you know what Peter said. We can't help but speak about the things that we've seen and heard.
Why?
Because it was a Big deal.
That's why I asked you, what is your favorite Bible verse that Jesus spoke? What is the favorite one? And why is that?
Why is it that one that gets you?
Nobody can compare to Jesus.
[00:12:12] Speaker C: Am I right?
[00:12:14] Speaker D: And nobody can love like Jesus. Am I right?
And there's no power like him at all.
And nobody can offer the things that he offers in this world.
[00:12:29] Speaker C: So let's talk about it for just a second.
[00:12:32] Speaker D: Let's talk about Jesus being the supreme.
In Colossians, chapter 1, verse 15. I want you to notice this. I want to build a case for you real quick.
And I want to base it off of this idea out of Matthew, chapter 11.
Jesus says in Matthew, chapter 11, verse 28, Come to me, not to somebody else.
Don't go to anybody else. Come straight to me.
Now why is that? Because he's supreme.
Look at this idea.
Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
He's the image.
When you think about an image and you look at the image, what do you see?
You see a person or a thing.
[00:13:22] Speaker C: Or whatever the image is of.
[00:13:24] Speaker D: This is a picture or an image of something.
When you think about Jesus, guess what? He is the image of the invisible God. Let me double down a little bit more. Y' all know this verse. Scholars. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
So the Word was in the beginning, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And then notice this. And the Word became flesh and he dwelt among us.
Let me tell you about Jesus. You know who Jesus is? God.
But you know what we do? We follow all the other things and we treat them like gods. You know, all the things that we chase will let you down.
All the things that we strive for, all of the things that we put all our energy into. You know what they are not true God.
But Jesus is the one who loves you the most, the one who will stand up for you the most. He's God.
But notice this one who being in the brightness of his glory and the express image.
So now, not only do I realize that this is God, but he's the express image. He is the express image of God.
What he says, what he does, that's what God does.
And how cool is it that Paul says in First Corinthians, chapter 11, you remember in verse one, he says, imitate me like I imitate Christ.
How many of you in here would say that you're doing a really good job at imitating Christ?
If you are, press on. If you are Keep going.
But maybe you're here tonight and if you had to be honest, you're not doing a very good job. Maybe tonight is the night that that changes.
[00:15:12] Speaker C: Why would you not want somebody to see Jesus?
[00:15:15] Speaker D: Why would you not want somebody to know about Jesus?
Why would you want to keep that inside of you? Why would you not want to tell nobody about it? You obeyed the gospel because of it. You loved Jesus enough to accept it and obey it and do the things that you needed to do. That form of doctrine. Romans 6, right? You were the one who said, you know what? I'm going to give my life to this guy because. Because I love him so much. But then in turn, we don't want.
[00:15:40] Speaker C: To say it to nobody, or it's.
[00:15:43] Speaker D: Not the time, or, I don't know, all the things.
See, here's the interesting thing that he's eternal.
[00:15:55] Speaker C: I just love Jesus and how he.
[00:15:57] Speaker D: Talks in the situation when he's talking to the Jews. You remember in John 8:58, all those leaders and everybody wants to pin him up continually. And the statement that he makes is something that they would know so well.
And he says to them that before Abraham was I am.
Well, they knew that.
They knew what the statement I am was.
They knew exactly what he was talking about. Exodus 3, verse 14. When the burning bush situation was happening with Moses, God reveals his name to Moses and he says that I am. Now, I want you to think about the beauty of that idea.
Jesus says that I am.
And you know that if we think about the idea of that word, here's what it is. It's an eternal person who is always existing. He's always unchanging, and he's always there.
And he'll always be what you need him to be.
Why wouldn't I want somebody to know about a person who could be anything that they needed him to be?
I don't know about you guys, but I've talked to people who are down and out. I've talked to people who don't have hope. I've talked to people who say, I'm ready to throw on the towel, Matt. I'm ready to not be here in this life no more. And I know a lot of people who aren't here anymore with that statement. And you know what I didn't say to him? I didn't give them something.
Something I knew why.
I'm too busy. I got stuff going on, man. It's summertime.
I got to go on vacation, man.
I'll catch that and pick that up in the fall. Right.
I'll catch that and pick back up on that later on, man. But right now, I'm just a little bit too busy for that. I do love Jesus. I. I'll go to church on Sunday, but I ain't going to Wednesday on vacation. That's just too much.
Now you asking too much.
[00:18:07] Speaker C: I love this thought.
[00:18:09] Speaker D: In Revelations, chapter one, verse eight.
[00:18:13] Speaker C: He says, I'm the Alpha and I'm the Omega.
I'm the beginning and the end, the.
[00:18:19] Speaker D: One who is and the One who.
[00:18:21] Speaker C: Was and the One who is to come.
This is the person who is in.
[00:18:26] Speaker D: Control of all the things.
You ever wanted to talk to the boss?
This is the boss.
This is the one who knows all of the things.
See, I read this quote and I thought it was interesting because. And it just pictures something really cool.
Only Jesus could stand in a moment of time and speak with the voice of eternity.
[00:18:59] Speaker C: Colossians, chapter 1, verse 16.
[00:19:01] Speaker D: For by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible. Rather thrones or dominions or. Or principalities or powers. All things were created through him and for him.
You remember what the apostles said? You remember what the men said? Who can this be?
Even the winds of the sea obey him.
Who do you know that could? I mean, I tried it one time. I preached on this and I thought, you know what?
[00:19:32] Speaker C: I'm going to go outside.
[00:19:33] Speaker D: It was kind of a windy day.
[00:19:35] Speaker C: And I said, I mean, don't laugh at me.
[00:19:38] Speaker D: But I did.
[00:19:39] Speaker C: I was like, all right, stop.
It didn't stop.
[00:19:46] Speaker D: In Jesus name, stop.
I don't have that power.
You know what I would do with that power? I'd put all y' all in order. I'd get all your lives straight, right?
And you do it for my glory.
But see, my glory would be different, not the Lord's.
This is why I got to tell somebody about Jesus. He's unlike anybody that we know.
He's unlike anybody. People in this world will die without hope. Does that bother us?
Does that bother us?
People that we will be in contact with, people that we have communication with will die without hope. And it could be. Could it be that we had the opportunity maybe to say something to him? I'm not talking about a pity party. I'm talking about right now, in this moment. We have a chance to say, from now on, I'm going to be Acts 8 folk.
I'm going to go out into this world, despite persecution, despite anything that's happening, and I'm going to tell somebody about the Biggest thing on my mind.
[00:20:51] Speaker C: And that's Jesus.
[00:20:56] Speaker D: See, here's the reality.
Jesus is not just a reflection of God.
[00:21:06] Speaker C: He's God perfectly revealed in human form.
[00:21:09] Speaker D: Think about the quote.
Only Jesus could stand in a moment.
[00:21:15] Speaker C: Of time and speak with that voice of eternity.
[00:21:23] Speaker D: Because here's the deal.
[00:21:26] Speaker C: The Lord knows all the things, doesn't he?
[00:21:29] Speaker D: You ever watched a movie with somebody and they know? They've seen that movie, like, 10 times.
[00:21:34] Speaker C: You know what I'm talking about?
[00:21:35] Speaker D: And you're.
[00:21:36] Speaker C: My daughter's the worst at this. She's 11.
She's like, dad, watch this movie with me. I'm like, okay, I'll watch the movie with you. And then as soon as we get in, she's like, oh, yeah, this is one of the good parts. It's not the best part, dad.
[00:21:47] Speaker D: I'm trying to watch the movie.
[00:21:51] Speaker C: This is one of the best parts, dad. So I pause it. I'm like, okay, what's up?
[00:21:55] Speaker D: Okay, this is the good part that.
[00:21:57] Speaker C: I mean, okay, go ahead and watch it, and then I'll talk to you about it.
[00:22:00] Speaker D: You know how that goes. And it goes on and on and on.
Jesus knows the movie.
He knows all the details. He knows how it's going to end.
Why would you not want to talk to somebody and put your faith in somebody and put your trust in somebody and tell somebody about the guy who knows all the things?
You want to know why we don't? Because either we're too cool, we know.
[00:22:24] Speaker C: It all, or we don't care.
Now, which one is it?
[00:22:31] Speaker D: Have we heard it too many times?
Have we heard it too many times that we've distanced ourselves from the truth to the point where it just doesn't even hit us like it used to? I'm here tonight to say, bring it back.
[00:22:48] Speaker C: Because here's the reality.
[00:22:50] Speaker D: Not only is he supreme, he's what everybody wants.
[00:22:56] Speaker C: I tell the story about the first time I got the courage to tell my wife I love her. I mean, I thought I was going to be so slick, man.
Come up there to her. You know, it's the end of the date. We was there. I'm like, all right, here we go.
Hey, babe.
She's like, yeah, you know, ain't no telling what I was looking like. I just wanted to tell you that I love you.
And you know what I was waiting for back?
And she said, okay. I like, what?
[00:23:27] Speaker D: Okay, that's terrible.
Okay.
Okay.
We want people.
[00:23:39] Speaker C: To love us, and.
[00:23:41] Speaker D: We want to love people.
You come to this idea in Matthew chapter 11 where he says, come to me, he says, all you who labor and are heavy laden. And notice what he says, I'll give you rest.
I care about you so much that I'll give you rest.
[00:24:01] Speaker C: That's love.
[00:24:03] Speaker D: He knows our world is chaotic. He knows the struggles he lived this life.
He knows the things that we deal with and he knows how it feels to be isolated and where you feel like nobody cares about you. He knows all of those things.
And you know what he said? If you'll come to me, the eternal one, the one who's always been, the one who's seen all the things, the way people have acted over the thousands of years, if you come to me, I promise you I will give you rest.
Sunday afternoon till Tuesday, I went with.
[00:24:42] Speaker C: The youth group on the stewards trip, we call it.
[00:24:45] Speaker D: We went to all these different places.
[00:24:46] Speaker C: And heard these great trip, heard about all these different people in different lives.
[00:24:51] Speaker D: Barbers, firemen.
[00:24:52] Speaker C: And they all talked about how they.
[00:24:54] Speaker D: Lived their life for Jesus at their work, right? Well, here's one thing that I didn't get on that trip any sleep.
Tuesday, as I'm driving back, I'm like.
[00:25:05] Speaker C: Lord, I can't wait to get into bed.
[00:25:09] Speaker D: You ever been tired?
You ever been wore out?
You ever exhausted all your options and figured out that there wasn't any way that you're going to be able to be successful in life?
Guess what? This message is for you because listen to what he says. Come to me and I'll give you rest.
[00:25:29] Speaker C: That's my promise.
[00:25:32] Speaker D: Because here's the deal that we know about the Bible. God is a promise making and a promise keeping God.
[00:25:38] Speaker C: Am I right?
[00:25:40] Speaker D: What he says, he does.
He said he was going to open up the Red Sea. And guess what it opened up?
He said he was going to resurrect Jesus from the dead. And guess what, he resurrected him.
So why would in this moment this not be a true statement?
See, I got to tell somebody about Jesus. I want somebody to know that message.
We're talking to people who are struggling in this life. We're talking to people who don't have it all together. We're talking to people who need some hope, they need some help. And brethren, we are the body of Christ. Jesus said, I came to this place for one reason, to seek and to save the lost. That's what he said. Is that what we're about?
[00:26:30] Speaker C: Philippians, chapter 2, verse 6 and 8.
Jesus being in the form of God, he didn't consider it robbery to be equal with God, but he made Himself of no reputation. And he took the form of a bond servant, a bondservant.
He humbled himself and became obedient because he knew what he was about to do.
Die on a cross.
What are you willing to do?
How far are you willing to go?
[00:27:03] Speaker D: Brethren, would we say that it's true that we've forgotten maybe a little bit, or we lost sight maybe a little bit of really what it's all about?
See, the idea was, I think the greatest, the two greatest commandments was, Love the Lord God with all your heart.
[00:27:20] Speaker C: With all your soul, with all your mind.
[00:27:21] Speaker D: Not love all your things and all those stuff that you got to do. No, love the Lord with all, everything that you got and then love somebody else.
Them things ain't even in that.
But I Also remember Matthew 6:33, where it says, if you'll seek first the kingdom, if you'll do exactly what I ask you to do, do, guess what? All these things will be added unto you.
You don't think that God knows that you want to go fishing?
You don't think that God knows you want to play ball?
You don't think that God knows you want to take care of your grandkids? You don't think God knows all of those things?
He absolutely does. But what is he asking you to do? See it through the right lens.
Put on your Jesus glasses.
[00:28:12] Speaker C: Let him be the one that shows you the way.
[00:28:18] Speaker D: So you think about Second Corinthians, chapter 8, verse 9. It says, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, that though he was rich, this is grace.
Yet for your sakes, brethren, for my sake, he became poor.
What?
I don't deserve this.
I don't even deserve this. None of you guys know me and my story and the things that happened to me. It doesn't really matter. And I don't want to promote all of those things. But my story is a struggle.
But you know what? I don't deserve this at all. But guess what? Through his poverty, I get to be rich.
I never thought that I'd be rich as the world would say it.
[00:29:04] Speaker C: A baller.
[00:29:07] Speaker D: I get to be rich.
How much pride and how much excitement do we have because of that?
Does that even touch us? Does that even come into our area? Is it something that we even think about?
We are the richest people in the whole wide world. Children of God are the richest people.
Why would we not want other people to be rich?
What are we holding back?
See, he came to the low to lift us up.
And you know what else he did?
You Remember this story?
Mark, chapter one, verse 40.
[00:29:53] Speaker C: Now, a leper came to him, a leper.
You remember how they treated lepers?
[00:29:57] Speaker D: And rightly so.
God said that command in order. Because people who were lepers could give leprosy to other people, right? So they had to stay out of the camp. They had to stay away from the people.
It was a very serious thing. They were very sick.
But notice this.
A leper came to him, imploring him, kneeling down to him and saying to him, if you are willing, you can make me clean.
I remember being in my house. I didn't have nothing. I was out of options. I didn't have nothing.
And I remember this statement, you can make me clean.
I don't even know what it looks like. I don't even know how to pray to you. I don't even know what that means, but you can make me clean.
You know what he did? Clean me up, man.
[00:30:49] Speaker C: White as snow.
[00:30:53] Speaker D: White as snow.
You ever looked at snow? That's why them skiers got them cool glasses, man. You seen them boys wearing them nowadays?
Them young boys got them glasses, this tall, yellow, orange, red, slack, all the things on it.
They gotta have them glasses on because the snow's so white.
That's how clean he makes us.
That's the illustration he gives us. Don't forget it. Have we forgot it? Have you forgot how clean you are, Brethren?
You don't want somebody else to be clean. We talk to people all the time who ain't clean. We talk to people a lot of this time, a lot of time in this world that are not clean. And you know what they want? They want somebody to help them. They want somebody to clean them up. And they don't know who it is.
I didn't know who it was.
I got to tell somebody about Jesus because he cleaned me up, man.
[00:31:54] Speaker C: You think about Luke, chapter five.
Remember, Jesus goes up to Levi. Matthew, the tax collector. You think them Jews like that? Tax collector.
[00:32:06] Speaker D: Remember the way that they treated him?
[00:32:07] Speaker C: Luke 19. I was going to use Zacchaeus, but.
[00:32:12] Speaker D: I mean, they hated them.
They took their money, they ripped them off.
Here's Jesus going to a levi. He's going to Levi, and he says, hey, man, I want you to follow me.
[00:32:23] Speaker C: And then notice what he does.
[00:32:24] Speaker D: He goes to his house.
He goes and eats with them.
And you know what the scribes and the Pharisees did? They complained against his disciples. And you know what they said? Why do you eat and drink with.
[00:32:36] Speaker C: Tax collectors and sinners?
[00:32:37] Speaker D: Why in the world would you be.
[00:32:38] Speaker C: Doing Something like that.
[00:32:39] Speaker D: And a lot of times it's sad to say. And I almost find myself doing this sometimes as well. Why do you want to eat with tax collectors and sinners? Why do you want to be around those people?
[00:32:54] Speaker C: And then I'm a reminder of what the King said.
Those who are well ain't got no need of a physician. You know what he teaches me? Humility in the moment. Man, we about out of time. We out of time.
Five minutes.
[00:33:13] Speaker D: Those who are well have no need of a physician.
Surely none of us in here are too well for a physician.
But he says, I came for those who are sick because I didn't come to call the righteous.
[00:33:32] Speaker C: But sinners to repent.
How close are we getting to people to where they want to repent of their sins?
I got finished with Bible class on Sunday and studied with the family the week before, so good.
So encouraged by this.
And the lady came up to me after Bible class in just desperation. And she said, I got to get baptized.
And we'd studied the day before.
I said, okay. And she said, no, seriously, I got. Right now I gotta get baptized.
Like, I don't want this sin on me no more.
[00:34:16] Speaker D: What?
[00:34:17] Speaker C: Let's go, girl.
We didn't even tell nobody. We just got up there. We did the conf. I didn't even know what to do. I was so excited.
Well, let's go, girl.
[00:34:31] Speaker D: Are we living our lives in such.
[00:34:33] Speaker C: A way that we're trying to show people how they can come closer to the Lord? And when that happens, you know what? People realize that they need him, that they need to turn from the way that they're living.
[00:34:45] Speaker D: If you're here and you're a Christian.
[00:34:46] Speaker C: You know that that's the thing that you did.
[00:34:49] Speaker D: That's the thing that you continue to do. Surely you don't want to bottle that up and keep that message only to yourself. Is it only you that Des?
Is it only you that gets to have that?
Here's the Pharisees and the scribes. They're the ones who have God's rules. They're the ones who are supposed to be leading Israel. And you remember what Jesus said in Matthew 23. Do what they say. Be respectful to the commands. But guess what? Don't do like they do because they're whitewashed tombs.
They say they got it all together, but guess what? Inside, they're full of dead man's bones. One of the things that I would never want. Want me to be is full of dead men's bones.
I don't Want to be a whitewashed tomb?
I don't want to tell people that I got it all together. Because guess what? The preacher struggles sometimes.
Sometimes the preacher don't make the right decision.
Is that okay?
Am I going to get tar and feathered and thrown up out of here?
We all struggling, we all trying to make it. We all trying to do it the right way. And you want to know where I find my peace? You want to know where I find my rest in Jesus. Only had a preach boy, preached to so many people that truth and seen them weeping and saying, I want that man.
[00:36:09] Speaker C: I said, you can have it.
See, brethren, here's the truth. He died so that we could live.
I love Romans 5, 8, don't you?
God demonstrates his love toward us and that while we were sinners, guess what? Christ died for us.
I think about John 10, 11.
Jesus said, I'm the good shepherd. And the good shepherd, you know what he does? He gives his life for his sheep. Brethren, what are we willing to give?
What are we willing to give?
[00:36:47] Speaker D: See, the measure of Christ's love is not how much he said it.
[00:36:55] Speaker C: But how far he went to show it.
See?
Talk's cheap.
See, Jesus is power.
He conquered the grave, didn't he?
Matthew 28. 6.
You remember?
[00:37:15] Speaker D: He's not here.
[00:37:16] Speaker C: Guess what? He's risen from the dead.
[00:37:20] Speaker D: You remember what Paul said in 1st Corinthians 15? If Jesus didn't resurrect from the dead, guess what?
[00:37:25] Speaker C: All of us are. Bless your hearts.
Most pitiable.
[00:37:30] Speaker D: But you remember the confidence that he speaks with. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and that changes the game. Because guess what? 500 other people saw the Lord alive, dead and alive, and go talk to them.
They'll tell you a movement started in the first century. And guess what, brethren?
[00:37:50] Speaker C: We're the ones who get to continue it. How blessing. How blessed is that.
[00:37:58] Speaker D: See, he conquered the grave and the Eternal One.
[00:38:01] Speaker C: You know what?
He reigns as the king.
I'm out of time.
I want to close with this, and I'll be quick. I know how it goes. People are going to be coming up in here.
The same Jesus that went into heaven is the same Jesus that's going to come back.
So what am I pressing towards?
Am I pressing towards the goal?
Because if I'm pressing towards the goal, I can't help but talk about that goal.
And you know what eternal Life is?
John 17. Three says, this is eternal life, that you know the Father and that you know the Son.
Because one day, brethren, guess what?
We're going to get to see Jesus face to face.
Oh, you think that you've got somebody that loves you? You ain't never seen somebody that loves you as much as Jesus.
And guess what he can't wait to do?
Look at you.
[00:39:11] Speaker D: He can't wait to look at you.
[00:39:15] Speaker C: Y' all pretty cute, but no, I'm just kidding.
Let's go to God in prayer real quick, and then I'm out of here.
Our Father in Heaven, we love you. Thank you for who you are and what you do. Thank you for these people, brethren. These brethren, Lord. Thank you for their heart. Thank you for their willingness to want to serve you. Thank you for this church again. Thank you for the ministers and the elders and the deacons and just all the people that do all the things here to make this place special.
But Lord, let us never forget that we can bring people to the person who can give us rest, and that is your son.
Let us never lose the zeal and the fire and the passion to proclaim that message to this world.
Lord, we love you. We pray this prayer in Jesus name, amen.
