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Two is Greater Than One pt.1 Pastor Conner Mason — Transcript

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0:00in God's word today. Are you excited to
0:02get into the word this morning? Yes, me
0:04too. I'm excited. We're going to be in
0:06Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verses 9-2
0:10in John 17 20 through 23. Uh if you
0:16missed last week, I want to encourage
0:17you uh to go back and watch that live
0:20stream. Last week we gave a major
0:23announcement on the the future of the
0:25church here as we have joined together
0:28with Lifeway Church in Kingfisher
0:30County, Oklahoma. And now our influence
0:33and impact stretches over state lines.
0:35So can we thank God for that together
0:37this morning.
0:40I'm so very thankful for what he is
0:42doing. And if we haven't got to meet, my
0:44name is Connor Mason. I'm the operations
0:46pastor uh at Lifeway Church here. And so
0:49I'm excited to be with you today. I love
0:51the word. I'm excited to dive in with it
0:54or dive in it with you today.
0:55Ecclesiastes chapter 4. Let's go there.
0:59Ecclesiastes 4:es 9-12. This is what it
1:01says. Two are better than one because
1:04they have a good reward for their toil.
1:07For if they fall, one will lift up his
1:09fellow. But woe to him who is alone.
1:13When he falls and has not another to
1:15lift him up. Again, if two lie together,
1:18they keep warm. But how can one keep
1:20warm alone? And though a man might
1:23prevail against one who is alone, two
1:25will withstand him. And a three-fold
1:27cord is not quickly broken. Now let's
1:31read John 17 because this is beautiful.
1:34You know Solomon writes this, "Two are
1:35better than one." But Jesus right before
1:38he goes to the cross, he says these
1:40words. He's praying to the father. I do
1:42not ask for these only. He's talking
1:44about his disciples that are praying
1:45with him. but also for those who will
1:48believe in me through their word. That's
1:50us in this room, y'all. That they may
1:53all be what? One. Just as you, Father,
1:57are in me and I in you, that they also
1:59may be in us. So that the world may
2:02believe that you have sent me. The glory
2:05that you have given me, I have given to
2:07them that they may be one even as we are
2:10one. I in them and you in me that they
2:13may become perfectly one. so that the
2:16world may know that you sent me and love
2:19them even as you loved me. Let's pray.
2:22Lord, I thank you this morning for
2:24unity. Unity is your idea. This is not
2:28uh some utopian idea, some perfect world
2:31idea we came up with. You know, I love
2:34the idea of unity. No, this is from you,
2:36God. And so I pray today that you would
2:39give us a revelation of unity. What it
2:42means to be truly unified in the name of
2:45the father, the son, and the holy
2:47spirit. Lord, we thank you and we love
2:48you. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
2:51You may be seated. Tell somebody next to
2:53you they're looking good today.
2:55Make something up. I like your new
2:57hairdo today. Even though if they, you
2:58know, maybe they didn't change their
3:00hairdo. It's the same as last week.
3:03But no, I'm excited today. And uh I'm
3:06not going to keep you long this morning,
3:08but I want us to focus on a few things
3:10uh in scripture that I believe God is
3:13directing us as a church family to
3:17follow in. And this is what I want to
3:20focus on here. This key text at the
3:22beginning in John 17 that they may all
3:25be one so that the world may believe
3:29that you sent me. What is the trumpeting
3:33factor of our faith?
3:35You know, when people walk into our
3:37church, I don't want them to necessarily
3:40remember how awesome the preaching was,
3:42how awesome the worship was, any of
3:45those things. When when they walk in,
3:46and this is the overarching thing I hear
3:48from people, it's this that you guys
3:51were together. I could tell you were
3:53unified. It was a good body of
3:55believers. It was a good family to join
3:58into. And that's what people should see.
4:01Our unity with one another is a
4:04testimony to the world that Jesus really
4:07did die and raise again from the dead.
4:10It's just as powerful. You know, a lot
4:13of people get caught up, well, I don't
4:14have a testimony like so and so. You
4:17know, they did every drug in the book
4:18and God freed them. And when they get up
4:20and talk about it, that's powerful, but
4:22I just kind of grew up in a in a good
4:24home. Well, let me tell you something.
4:26Your unity in being able to get along
4:28with one another is just as powerful as
4:31any other testimony you could preach.
4:34This is what's powerful. You know what
4:36splits a church? You know what splits
4:39people up? A lot of the stuff we're
4:41going to talk about today.
4:43We're going to talk about community
4:45killers. We're going to talk about
4:47things that Paul talked about in his
4:49epistles. We talk about so many things
4:51Paul talked about. We talk about the
4:53armor of God and Paul talking about
4:55getting caught up in into the third
4:57heaven. I knew a man who got caught up
4:59into the third heaven. But Paul almost
5:02always talked about unity more than
5:04anything in his epistles. You know why
5:07he talked about the armor of God? To
5:10guard against disunityity.
5:12That's why he talked about it. You know
5:13why he talked about walking in the
5:15spirit? Not for us to look powerful as
5:18those who are non-denominational and we
5:20follow the gifts of the spirit. No, it's
5:22to get along with your neighbor. He
5:24talks about agreement. You unity. If you
5:28want to know what this word agreement
5:29and unity means in the Greek, it's this.
5:31You can write it down. It means to be of
5:33one mind.
5:35I'm of one mind with the people that I
5:39go to church with. I'm of one mind with
5:42what God is doing. I'm of one mind. And
5:46where do we find the one-mindedness? Not
5:48in our opinions, but in the word of God.
5:51That's where we go back to. But this
5:54unity is an evangelistic testimony to
5:56the world that Jesus really did what he
5:59did. The unity Jesus purchased becomes
6:02the witness the world sees.
6:05A a big idea as we dive in. And I've
6:07I've got some points here that we're
6:09going to run through is this. What God
6:11has done for me and what God is doing in
6:15me is always bigger than me.
6:19It's bigger than me. It's bigger than my
6:22opinions. It's bigger than my past. It's
6:25bigger than the dreams I feel like God
6:27has for my future. It's about others.
6:32When Jesus came, Jesus When Jesus came,
6:35I want you to think about how unselfish
6:37Jesus was.
6:39When he talks about love your neighbor
6:40as you love yourself and love people as
6:43I have loved you. He's not talking about
6:46this, you know, weak love, this
6:48emotional love. Does that accompany it?
6:50Yes, of course it does. But he's talking
6:52about agape love. He's talking about
6:55that love that gives of yourself for
6:58others. This is like a paternal love.
7:02This is like when you look at your child
7:04and you don't even know how to put into
7:06words what you would do for that kid.
7:09That's what he's saying you should do
7:10with your neighbor. Love them as I have
7:14loved you. How do we even fathom that?
7:18We will plum the depths of that until we
7:20enter into eternity. That I'm supposed
7:22to love Troy Hubard as I love myself and
7:25as God has loved me. I'm supposed to
7:28love Hector Martinez and Celia Martinez
7:30and all these people that are part of my
7:32church family as God has loved me. That
7:35will make me quickly forget about me
7:38being bitter about stupid things.
7:42That will make me quickly forget about
7:44gossiping about people.
7:47that will make me quickly forget about
7:50these little tickytac ideas that I have
7:53that are causing separation in my life.
7:57A lot of us wonder why we can't stay in
7:59churches. We can't stay in small groups.
8:02A lot of us need to get control of this.
8:08Our tongue, the Bible says, is like the
8:11a rudder of a ship. It steers our life.
8:16And if you get this in check and you get
8:19this in check by help of the Holy
8:20Spirit, all this will take care of
8:22itself a 100% of the time. But if you
8:27don't get this in check, I want you to
8:28think about these fires that just broke
8:30out. One little word you send out, one
8:35little word you text out, one little
8:37word you call out, and then the winds of
8:41gossip take that through and destroy
8:43people. That's what the word says. These
8:46are not my ideas I'm giving you today.
8:49Your mouth has the power to bring life
8:52or to bring death.
8:56I want you to think about the last time
8:57you heard a report as a pastor. I hear
8:59this all the time of somebody that you
9:01really loved. They died.
9:04How quickly that just shook you and so
9:06you up. I want you to think about how
9:08you speak that way. When I speak, is
9:12this gonna be bad or is this gonna bring
9:14life?
9:16Unity. Unity. When we look, I'm telling
9:20you, that's why we have a cross up in
9:21here. When I look at that cross and I
9:24think about my life, everything is
9:26reoriented through the perspective of
9:29what Jesus did there.
9:32Every single thing.
9:34Every single thing. Are y'all hearing
9:36what I'm saying this morning? First,
9:38first idea is this. Unity is God's
9:41design. Number one, unity is God's
9:43design. He created us to be unified.
9:49Look at Genesis chapters 1, 2, and
9:51three. He wanted us to walk with him in
9:54the cool of the day. I want you to think
9:57about that. That's the God you serve
9:59every single day. He's there ready for
10:01the walk. Connor, when you wake up, I'm
10:04ready to take another walk with you
10:05today. Whatever you're going through,
10:07sickness, disease, joy, whatever the
10:10season may look like externally, I'm
10:13ready to walk with you into joy
10:15unspeakable and full of glory. I'm ready
10:17to walk with you into true and perfect
10:19love that casts out fear. Every single
10:21day, God's extending his hand and
10:23saying, "Come and walk with me." That's
10:25pure unity. And then you get to invite
10:28other people into that. And the unity
10:30that you perpetuate causes them to
10:32realize, man, this Jesus they're talking
10:35about, he's for real. This isn't some
10:38idea that somebody's making up to try to
10:40control my life and the church just
10:42wants my money and blah blah blah blah
10:44blah. No, God wants you to have life and
10:47life more abundant. And if you keep
10:50listening to all this chatter out here
10:52and not listen to the Lord, your life's
10:54going to look like what it may look like
10:56right now. Unity is God's design.
10:59I love this uh this quote from Harry S.
11:02Truman. It says this, "Amazing things
11:06can happen when nobody cares who gets
11:09the credit."
11:11Amazing things can happen when nobody
11:14cares who gets the credit. It's not
11:17about me.
11:22How many of y'all have heard that? Uh it
11:23just sticks in my mind all the time. The
11:25enemy is enemy.
11:30I mean, I'm to the first time I heard
11:31that, I'm like, man, I got to keep that
11:33locked up in my spirit because that's so
11:34true. Over and over again, when I look
11:38at circumstances, when I look at
11:40situations in my life, the first thing
11:42I've got to deal with is God, am I in a
11:45funk right now or am I walking in the
11:49fruits of the spirit? Because I need to
11:51get that right before I open my mouth.
11:57Ecclesiastes 4:9-12.
12:02Let's go back to it. We're going to talk
12:03about these few principles in this
12:05scripture that are so powerful that God
12:08gives us in his word. Two are better
12:09than one because they have a good reward
12:11for their toil. We're going to stop
12:13right there. Right there in your Bible,
12:15say this. Two accomplish more together.
12:18We accomplish more when we're together.
12:22That's why we fight for unity within the
12:24church. We want to be unified.
12:29We want to be unified. We don't want to
12:34divide. Well, Pastor Connor, the truth
12:36is like a sword and it divideth between
12:39soul and spirit, join and marrow. Yes,
12:42it does. But at the end of all of that,
12:45if you and the other person agree on the
12:47word of God together, don't let your
12:50petty differences split you up.
12:54Don't let your petty differences split
12:55you up. Don't allow that to happen. It
12:58ain't worth it. Two are better than one
13:00because they have a good reward for
13:01their toil. You need your brother and
13:03your sister in Christ. You need them.
13:06Let's go to verse 10. For if they fall,
13:10one will lift up his fellow. But woe to
13:13him who is alone when he falls and has
13:15not another to lift him up. Right out
13:17beside verse 10, two are able to lift
13:20one another up. Man, I thank God for
13:23church family. I cannot tell you how
13:25many times from people within this
13:27church, nobody knew that we had
13:29financial problems going on in our
13:31family and somebody would throw us an
13:33envelope of $500. Somebody would throw
13:35us an envelope of $200 and they lifted
13:38my family to be able to eat groceries
13:39that week, get groceries to sustain our
13:43life. People from within this church
13:46over these last 12 years that I've been
13:48here, that's what church family is
13:50about.
13:52lifting one another up when you're going
13:54through a hard time. Somebody's there
13:56and saying, "Man, I've been there and I
13:58know how to get you out of this rut.
14:00Come with me. I know the verse that you
14:03don't know." The Bible says this, "My
14:05people perish for a lack of knowledge."
14:07Could it be that your brother and sister
14:08have knowledge that you don't have? And
14:11maybe some provision in your life is
14:13locked up in relationships that you are
14:15trying to avoid.
14:18We have to break outside of these boxes.
14:21Learn to color outside of the box every
14:23once in a while. Learn to dream a new
14:26dream. Get past what has happened in
14:28your past and move into your future,
14:31especially in relationships.
14:33The next one is this. Two encouraging
14:35and strengthened. Verse verse 11. Again,
14:38if two lie together, they can keep warm.
14:41But how can one keep warm alone? In
14:44verse 12, this is a great one. Oh, let's
14:48go back. Go back one verse.
14:53Well, I think we're missing a verse
14:54here. Skip, skip forward. And though a
14:56man might prevail against one who is
14:57alone, two will withstand him. And a
15:00three-fold cord is not quickly broken.
15:02You need brothers and sisters when the
15:04enemy is coming at you with all that he
15:08has. You need brothers and sisters that
15:10know how to pray. You need brothers and
15:12sisters that know how to war in the
15:15spirit. You know, you need brothers and
15:17sisters who have walked through a few
15:19storms and know how to weather some
15:22storms. We need one another. And this is
15:26the vision that Paul lays out for us in
15:27Ephesians 4. Ephesians 4:es 1-6.
15:34Paul talking to the church at Ephesus.
15:36These are verses you should write down.
15:38I therefore, prisoner for the Lord, urge
15:41you to walk in a manner worthy of the
15:44calling to which you have been called
15:47with all humility and gentleness. Next
15:51slide. With all humility and gentleness,
15:54with patience,
15:56bearing,
15:58man, circle that underline exclamation
16:00point after that. Bearing with one
16:03another in love,
16:07eager think man eager eager to maintain
16:11the unity of the spirit in the bond of
16:17peace. Pause right there. A lot of us
16:20think about Isaiah 53 or 55. I quoted it
16:24just a minute ago. He was bruised for
16:27our transgressions. He was pierced for
16:29our iniquities. The chastisement that
16:30brought about our peace was laid upon
16:33him. And by his stripes we are healed.
16:36The chastisement that brought about our
16:38peace gave us peace with God, but it's
16:41also supposed to give us peace with our
16:43neighbor. A lot of us like to focus on,
16:46"Yeah, me and Jesus are good." Yeah, but
16:48are you rude to people? Do you gossip
16:51about people? Because they don't see
16:53that. They don't even know you follow
16:56God.
16:59Maintain the unity of the spirit in the
17:01bond of peace. Jesus paid for you to
17:04have peace with your neighbor.
17:08There is one body. Next slide. There is
17:11one body and one spirit. Look at all
17:14these ones. Just as you were called to
17:17the one hope that belongs to your
17:20calling. One Lord, one faith, one
17:23baptism, one God and father of all who
17:26is over all and through all and in all.
17:31I think Jesus cares about unity.
17:34Matthew 18:19-20.
17:38Agreement matters. Agreement matters.
17:40Remember, this is all about unity is
17:42God's idea. I'm giving you some
17:44foundation as we go on this journey to
17:46where we're going. Agreement matters.
17:48Remember, this Greek word for agreement
17:50is this. Of one mind. Of one mind. Again
17:54I say to you, if two of you agree on
17:57earth about anything they ask, it will
18:00be done for them by my father in heaven.
18:02Where there is unity, God commands a
18:04blessing, guys. For where two or three
18:07are gathered in my name, there I am.
18:11Where there is unity, God's blessing
18:15showers over the top of that. Where
18:18there is disunityity, what does that
18:19tell us? God's blessing is not there.
18:24So what does what does God say in his
18:28word? Man, see we don't like this
18:30because this causes us to actually live
18:31out our faith. He he says somebody comes
18:36to him and they're talking about
18:37forgiving. And Jesus says, "Before you
18:41come and bring a gift to me, worship to
18:43me, go to your neighbor and forgive
18:46them. Make things right with them. Then
18:48come back and worship me."
18:50I want you to think about that in your
18:52own life. You know, we're not doing this
18:54practically today, but when you come
18:56into the house of the Lord, you should
18:58always be seeking to make peace with
19:02people.
19:04Always seeking, well, you don't know
19:06what they did. Well, you don't Well, you
19:07just keep living that way and see what
19:09happens.
19:11But if you want to follow Jesus, seek to
19:14make peace with people. Listen, man.
19:18185,000 times in my own life I've walked
19:21through this where people have done
19:23outrageously stupid things to me and in
19:26my own life I've done stupid things to
19:28them and I've been forgiven but in other
19:31times I've had to extend forgiveness
19:32this is never ending you have to live
19:35with the Lord walking in this attitude
19:38of forgiveness
19:4010:es 24-2
19:45I promise I'm taking you somewhere
19:47And let us consider how to stir up one
19:50another to love and good works, not
19:55neglecting to meet together, as is the
19:58habit of some, but encouraging one
20:00another in all the more as you see the
20:03day drawing near. Don't neglect
20:07gathering together and encouraging one
20:08another. What's the vision here? What
20:10are we casting here? We're one church in
20:14two locations. One mission, one gospel,
20:17one body. Proverbs 18:1 says this about
20:21isolation.
20:23Whoever isolates himself, seeks his own
20:27desire, he breaks out against all sound
20:30judgment. Man, I've been there in my in
20:33my own life when things are going crazy,
20:35when there's lots of change, maybe
20:37there's a season in my life that's been
20:38really hard. I want a recluse. Leave me
20:42alone.
20:45But what does the Bible tell us? If I do
20:48that, I'm seeking my own desires and I'm
20:50breaking out against all wise judgment.
20:54I'm completely ignoring something the
20:56Lord is warning me about. You need one
20:59another. You need to find somebody. You
21:02need to talk to somebody. Not to gossip,
21:05but to make peace.
21:07This is what God wants us to do. I'm
21:10trying to help you today, church. The
21:12quote is this. If you want to fade fast,
21:15go alone. If you want to grow, go
21:18together.
21:20If you want to fade as a believer really
21:23fast, go by yourself. But if you want to
21:26grow as a believer, go together. Walk
21:29with your family.
21:32Second point is this. First point, God's
21:34idea is unity.
21:37Second point, what breaks unity? What
21:40causes unity
21:42to divide?
21:45Genesis 3, sin entered the world.
21:49In this moment, relationship with God
21:52breaks. Relationships with people break.
21:55And then we see the fruit of sin, which
22:00is death. Let's go to Genesis chapter 4.
22:05Genesis chapter 4,
22:09story of Cain and Abel.
22:12They're brothers, y'all. These guys are
22:16brothers
22:18of the same family.
22:21One gener, one generation removed. Mom
22:23and dad, Adam and Eve, sinned in the
22:25garden. In the seed of sin is about to
22:29bring something that we're not going to
22:31like. This is what it says. Now Adam
22:34knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and
22:38bore Cain, saying, "I have gotten a man
22:40with the help of the Lord." And again,
22:43she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was
22:46a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of
22:50the ground. In the course of time, Cain
22:53brought to the Lord an offering of the
22:55fruit of the ground. And Abel also
22:57brought of the firstborn of his flock,
22:59and of their fat portions. And the Lord
23:02had regard for Abel in his offering. He
23:06showed favor. But for Cain and his
23:08offering, he had no regard. So Cain was
23:11very angry
23:13and his face fell.
23:16The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you
23:18angry?
23:19Why is your face fallen?" Now, I want
23:21you to think about that. Did the Lord
23:22know why Cain was angry? Absolutely. Do
23:26you know as a father when your kids are
23:28angry and probably what they're angry
23:30about? Why is he asking Cain this
23:32question? To teach him something. To get
23:34him to recognize.
23:38God says to him, "If you do well, will
23:40you not be accepted? And if you do not
23:41do well, sin is crouching at the door."
23:47Believer,
23:49sin is crouching at the door for you.
23:53It It doesn't want you to make it.
23:56The devil is going to cash in on your
23:58life when it's most favorable for him.
24:01He's not looking for your opportune
24:03time. He's looking for his opportune
24:05time. In our sin nature, our first Adam
24:09nature is waiting for those moments. It
24:12reminds me of Jesus when he's talking to
24:15Peter. Peter's declaring his love for
24:17him. I'm going to do this for you and
24:19I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake
24:20you. And Jesus just stops him and says,
24:23"Peter, the devil has come to me and he
24:26seeks to sift you as wheat."
24:31Think about that. I bet that sent a
24:34little shiver down Peter's spine that
24:36the enemy is coming to Jesus talking
24:38about him. He seeks to sift you as wheat
24:42to see if you're really going to follow
24:44me. But Jesus says this, and I want you
24:46to know this in the core of who you are.
24:49The next line, but I have prayed for
24:53you.
24:55And when you're being tested, when
24:57you're being tempted, when it feels like
24:59all hell is breaking out in your life,
25:01you're probably on the right track. And
25:04Jesus is interceding for you. And he's
25:07fighting for you. And he sees you in
25:09your family. He sees your finances. He
25:11sees what you're going through. And he
25:14tells Peter, when you fall away because
25:18you're going to fall away, you will come
25:20back. And when you come back, strengthen
25:22your brethren.
25:24So he's saying this, you are going to go
25:26through hell for a little while. But
25:27when you come back, man, you're going to
25:29help lead this thing called the New
25:30Testament church. And there going to be
25:32some people gathered up in Canyon,
25:34Texas, and in King Fischer County,
25:36declaring the goodness of God and moving
25:38forward because you obeyed,
25:41because I prayed for you.
25:45sins crouching at the door. Its desire
25:47is for you, but you must rule over it."
25:49Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when
25:51they were in the field, Cain rose up
25:54against his brother Abel and killed him.
25:58Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is
26:01Abel, your brother?"
26:04He said, "I don't know.
26:08Am I my brother's keeper?
26:12And the Lord said, "What have you done?
26:16The voice of your brother's blood is
26:18crying to me from the ground."
26:21And in the church, we cannot have this,
26:23"Am I my brother's keeper?" attitude
26:28at all. You need to cut that out. You
26:31are your brother's keeper.
26:36I want you to notice,
26:38you know, uh, when you have kids, you
26:42walk with them through things. And I
26:44have really little kids, and so they're
26:46very mal maluable right now. You can
26:49really form their minds. They're they're
26:51hearing things. They're soaking up every
26:53word. Lord, let that carry in the
26:55teenage years. All of that's happening.
26:59But uh as a father, you you understand
27:03and know that I'm showing them things
27:06and telling them things so that they
27:08don't become fools. I don't want them to
27:11be foolish. And being a fool means that
27:14I know better, but I keep doing it. I'm
27:16like a dog returning to my vomit is what
27:18the Bible says. And when you come and
27:21you hear the word about unity, about
27:24whatever it is, I I want to encourage
27:26you. Don't be a fool.
27:29When you hear the words of God, store
27:32them up like a treasure in your heart
27:36that you go to in seasons that are tough
27:40and you have a well to draw from because
27:44when times get hard, what's in the
27:46bottom of the well will come up.
27:49It's going to come up. And you can't
27:52hide it. You can't joke about it. It's
27:54time. The time has come. Father, are you
27:58going to lead your family? Mom, the time
28:00has come. Are you going to lead your
28:01family?
28:03And listen, you hear the seriousness in
28:06my voice. And I'm not doing this for any
28:08other reason than this. We don't have
28:10time to waste. There is no time to
28:13waste. Your baby that's just a baby is
28:16going to be an adult one day. Some of
28:19you have adults that you wish you would
28:20have got as babies and taught them the
28:22word. And God can still turn that around
28:25for you. But what I'm saying is this,
28:27the time is short. Romans tells us the
28:31night is far spent, y'all.
28:35I I heard this story about a guy one
28:36time and he was in Vegas and he he went
28:40to Vegas and he was exploring
28:42everything, the casinos, the lights, the
28:44slots, the bars, everything. He loved
28:47it. It was lit up like a Christmas tree
28:50in the middle of the night. And he said,
28:53"I I fell asleep in the bar. I came out
28:56the next morning and when the sun came
28:58up in Vegas, it looked like hell.
29:03No lights on. I saw debauchery
29:06everywhere. And God spoke to me in the
29:08middle of this. And what I'm telling you
29:10right now is whatever that night is for
29:12you, that is going down. The sun is
29:15coming up. And I want you to be ready
29:18when the Lord comes back again to say,
29:20"Lord, look at what you did through me.
29:22I raised good kids. I had a good family.
29:25Everything I had, I exponentially grew
29:28it for your kingdom in your name's sake.
29:31And I don't want it to be too late for
29:33you. So, what I'm doing is I'm coming
29:36and I'm saying the light is coming and
29:38the light is here. Jesus has shown up.
29:41He has done the work and you can accept
29:43him today. You don't have to wait. You
29:46are your brother's keeper. But what does
29:48this tell us? Sin always divides.
29:52And the pleasures of sin are only for a
29:55season.
29:58I I love this quote. I watched the movie
30:00The Odyssey yesterday uh with with my
30:03wife and it was awesome. Love the movie.
30:05They did a pretty good job on it. And
30:08the if you've ever read The Odyssey,
30:10there's a moment in the story where
30:12Odysius, the main character, he's
30:14traveling to get back home after a great
30:18war. He wants to get back home to his
30:20wife and back to his family. And he's
30:23traveling on this boat and he has to
30:25travel through this place where sin is
30:27calling out to him. And these characters
30:30are called sirens.
30:33And to him, he he tells his men, "Tie me
30:38to the beam of our boat. I'm going to
30:40put wax in your ear so you can't hear it
30:42because you couldn't handle it. And
30:44you're going to tie me to this beam
30:45because I can't handle it either." And
30:47they go by and his men are watching him
30:51and it's tearing him apart. He's trying
30:53to come out of the ropes and his men ask
30:55him after this moment of anguish, "What
30:58was it like?" And he said, "It was
31:00everything I wanted to hear and didn't
31:02want to hear at the same time." And what
31:04I realized is everything that I wanted
31:07that I was listening for in them, I
31:09already had.
31:12I already had it. And that's what sin
31:15does. It leads you along this primrose
31:18path only to leave you empty when the
31:21greatest things you could ever have, you
31:23already had.
31:26Get off the rooftop, David. Stop looking
31:30over at Ba Sheeba. Whatever that is for
31:32you, allow the Lord to come in and sweep
31:35out the corners of your heart so that
31:38sin doesn't divide you. I'm tired of
31:41seeing sin take people out, take
31:43families out, take churches out. Feels
31:47like every week I'm hearing something
31:48new. And I don't want to hear that about
31:50anybody in our church ever.
31:53Galatians 5:19-21.
31:57This is what Paul says about the works
31:59of the flesh.
32:01This is New Testament, y'all. Now, the
32:03works of the flesh are this. Sexual
32:05immorality, impurity, sensuality,
32:08idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife. Let
32:11me let me define strife for you. Anger,
32:14gossip. That's what leads to strife.
32:16Strife is just a summation of those
32:18things. Jealousy, fits of anger,
32:20rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy,
32:23drunkenness, orgies, and things like
32:25these. I warn you, as I warned you
32:28before, that those who do such things
32:30will not inherit the kingdom of God.
32:35Paul's trying to warn us, the works of
32:38the flesh divide. Sin and the flesh
32:41destroy community.
32:44Philippians 2 1-5
32:48says this. So if there's any
32:50encouragement in Christ, any comfort
32:52from love, any participation in the
32:54spirit, any affection and sympathy,
32:56complete my Paul's saying to the church
32:58at Ephesus, please complete my joy. Boy,
33:01this is me as a parent with my girls.
33:03Complete my joy by being of the same
33:05mind, having the same love, being in
33:08full accord and of one mind. Do nothing
33:11from rivalry or conceit, but in humility
33:15count others more significant than
33:18yourselves. Let's pause right there.
33:19Let's go back. Man, that'll change your
33:23life. Get your eyes off you all the
33:25time. Get your eyes off you all the
33:28time. Next, next verse. Let each of you
33:30look not only to his interest, but also
33:33to the interest of others. Have this
33:36mind among yourselves, which is yours in
33:39Christ Jesus. Well, it's just hard for
33:41me to have that mind. Well, it's yours
33:43in Christ Jesus. You can have it. All
33:46you have to do is ask for it. You're in
33:49Christ.
33:51This one thought before I go to point
33:53three. Every division in church history
33:57started long before it becomes public.
34:00It starts privately in someone's flesh.
34:06You either gonna feed the flesh, you
34:08going to feed the spirit. All right.
34:11Number three, what keeps us together?
34:14What are the things that keep us keeps
34:16us together? The gospel keeps us
34:18together, y'all. Remembering the gospel.
34:21Romans chapter 5 12- 21. I'm giving you
34:24a lot of scripture, and I want you to go
34:26home and ponder on these things this
34:28week. Therefore, just as sin came into
34:32the world through one man, and death
34:35through sin, and so death spread to all
34:38men, because all sinned. For sin indeed
34:42was in the world before the law was
34:44given. But sin is not counted where
34:46there is no law. Yet death reigned from
34:48Adam to Moses, even over those whose
34:51sinning was not like the transgression
34:52of Adam, who was a type of the one who
34:56was one to come. But the free gift is
34:58not like the trespassing. For if many
35:01died through one man's trespass, much
35:04more have the grace of God, and the free
35:07gift by the grace of that one man, Jesus
35:11Christ, that abounded for many. And the
35:14free gift is not like the result of that
35:16one man's sin. For the judgment
35:18following one trespass brought
35:20condemnation, but the free gift
35:21following many trespasses brought
35:23justification.
35:25Listen to this. If because of one man's
35:28trespass, that's the first Adam.
35:30Theologically, you need to remember it.
35:31That's first Adam who I was in. Death
35:34reign through that one man. Much more
35:37will those who receive the abundance of
35:39grace and the free gift of righteousness
35:41reign in life through the one man, Jesus
35:44Christ. Circle that. That's a second
35:46Adam. I've been born again into a new
35:49family. We treat people differently. We
35:53live differently.
35:56I'm not a part of that old family
35:57anymore. Oh, brother, I'm just a sinner
36:00saved by grace. Just trying to make it
36:02through another day. Stop saying that.
36:06You're of a new Adam. You're of a new
36:10race. You're born again into a new
36:12family.
36:13You should look different. Therefore, as
36:16one trespass led to condemnation for all
36:18men, so one act of righteousness leads
36:20to justification and life for all men.
36:22For as by the one man's disobedience,
36:25the many were made sinners, so by the
36:28one man's obedience, the many will be
36:30made righteous. Your verbiage should
36:34look more like I'm the righteousness of
36:36God in Christ Jesus.
36:41Not Listen y'all. I I'm as southern as
36:44southern gets. Okay? I know every
36:47colloquialism, every little saying,
36:49every little oneliner. And we got to cut
36:52this nonsense because it's not biblical.
36:54You are the righteousness of God in
36:56Christ Jesus because of what he did. Now
36:59the law came in to increase the
37:00trespass. But where sin increased, grace
37:03abounded all the more. So that as sin
37:05reigned in death, grace also might reign
37:07through righteousness, leading to
37:09eternal life through Jesus Christ our
37:12Lord.
37:13We are a part of a new family. We must
37:16be born again. You know, a lot of us are
37:20trying to live born again without being
37:22born again. And that's where the problem
37:24comes. I heard this story not too long
37:27ago of a missionary's wife. And it goes
37:31something like this. This husband and
37:34wife, they're going out to the mission
37:36field. They're in the middle of the
37:38mission field. They love it. And
37:40finally, the Lord calls them there. They
37:42finally move into a home on the mission
37:45field. And the wife walks into their
37:47home and she realizes that the floor is
37:50kind of dirty and she, you know, being
37:52from the west, she doesn't like it that
37:54much. And so she's going to try to clean
37:55it up. So she grabs a mop. She grabs the
37:58sud. She gets everything together and
38:01she gets it wet. She's ready to go and
38:03she starts mopping the floor and she
38:05scrubs and she mops back and forth.
38:08Cleans off the mop. Scrubs and mops and
38:11scrubs and mops. And finally, after all
38:14of this work, one of the locals comes to
38:15her and says, "Ma'am, you're mopping a
38:18dirt floor.
38:20It's never going to be clean because the
38:22floor is dirt." And that's what we look
38:25like when we try to clean ourselves up
38:29without being born again.
38:32You have sin nature. You need the Lord
38:35to come in and do a overhaul and to flip
38:38over everything and put in new furniture
38:42and do a whole whole change in your
38:45life. But many of us were trying to
38:48clean herselves up. It's never going to
38:50work. The whole time this lady was
38:52trying to clean the floor and come to
38:53find out it was just dirt. We can't
38:57become one in our own strength. We can't
39:00remain one in our own strength. The
39:02gospel is what keeps us together.
39:07Trying harder doesn't create holiness.
39:09Trying harder doesn't create unity.
39:13You can't clean dirt into a brand new
39:15hardwood floor. Stop trying to do that.
39:19Don't try to live born again without
39:21being born again.
39:23When we are born again, as as the book
39:26of John tells us, we are now being led
39:29by the spirit. We're a spirit-led being.
39:32Romans chapter 8:es 5-11.
39:36This is what it says. For those who live
39:38according to the flesh set their minds
39:41on the things of the flesh, but those
39:43who live according to the spirit set
39:45their minds on the things of the spirit.
39:47To set the mind on the flesh is death,
39:50but to set the mind on the spirit is
39:52life and peace. For the mind that is set
39:56on the flesh is hostile to God, for it
39:58does not submit to God's law. Indeed, it
39:59cannot. Those who are in the flesh
40:02cannot please God. You, however, are not
40:05in the flesh, but in the spirit. If, in
40:07fact, the spirit of God who dwells in
40:09you. Anyone who does not have the spirit
40:12of Christ does not belong to him. But if
40:14Christ is in you, although the body is
40:17dead because of sin, the spirit is life
40:20because of righteousness. One of my
40:22favorite verses here. The spirit of him
40:23who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in
40:25you. He who raised Christ Jesus from the
40:27dead will also give life to your mortal
40:29bodies through the spirit who dwells in
40:31you. We have to focus on the spirit.
40:35What is the spirit? What is the spirit?
40:38Galatians 5. Y'all, so many of us have
40:41memorized this. If you have not
40:42memorized this, you should. The fruits
40:44of the spirit. Love.
40:48Love, guys. Love. Paul starts this with
40:52love because out of love all these other
40:56things flow.
40:59Joy flows out of love. Peace, patience,
41:03kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
41:05gentleness, self-control. Against such
41:07things there is no all. Let's keep that
41:08up. The fruit of the spirit is love, is
41:12joy, it's peace, patience, kindness,
41:15goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
41:17self-control.
41:20You don't know what they did, Pastor
41:22Connor. You don't know what I've been
41:23through. You don't know how this has
41:24made me feel. I'm not saying your
41:27feelings aren't real. I'm just saying
41:29they better come under subjection to
41:31Christ and his word or you're going to
41:33end up like Cain killing Abel.
41:37It doesn't mean your feelings aren't
41:39real. Listen y'all, I have feelings all
41:41the time that if I acted out on I would
41:44not be a pastor anymore.
41:46I would not be a pastor. I would not
41:49y'all wouldn't want me to be your pastor
41:50if I acted out on some of the things
41:52that come in my mind in traffic,
41:54different even dealing with family.
41:56Y'all listen, people are people and we
42:01need to heed the words of the Lord. But
42:04if you don't know his word, you're going
42:06to heed the word of social media, your
42:09favorite podcaster,
42:11because their life looks good. You think
42:14they care about you? Do you think they
42:16care about you? No, they don't care
42:18about you. These people in this room,
42:21those people in your house,
42:25we got to get first things first, y'all.
42:27We got to get first things first.
42:31Let's go to the end of Galatians 5 25
42:35and 26.
42:37If we live by the spirit, let us keep in
42:40step with the spirit is what some
42:43translations say. I want you to think
42:44about dancing. keep in step. Wherever
42:47he's leading, I'm following. And how do
42:50we do that? Look at this next verse. Let
42:52us not become conceited, provoking one
42:55another, envying one another. Unity is
42:59produced by the spirit. It is not
43:01contrived by our flesh. Get alone with
43:04God. Get alone with God.
43:08Number four, what does unity look like?
43:11How do we live this out? How do we live
43:13this out?
43:15Galatians 6 verse 2 and 10.
43:19Bear one another's burdens
43:22and so fulfill the law of Christ.
43:25Bear it. Put it on your back. How can I
43:28help you? How can I help you? Going out
43:32to that person. For any if if anyone
43:34thinks he is something when he is
43:36nothing, he deceives himself. But let
43:38each one test his own work and then his
43:40reason to boast will be in himself alone
43:42and not in his neighbor. Let's go to
43:43verse 10. All the way to verse 10 if you
43:45can. So then as we have opportunity, I
43:48really want you to get this as we get to
43:50our close here. Let us do good to
43:53everyone and especially to those who are
43:56of the household of faith.
43:59Okay? Let us do good to everyone.
44:01Especially to those who are of the
44:02household of faith. Stop looking to the
44:05White House to change your life.
44:08start living out your Christianity
44:10within the church house in our nation
44:12will catch up.
44:15But if you don't do that, if you don't
44:18allow the Lord to change you, that enemy
44:20that's enemy, if that doesn't leave,
44:23oh, good luck. Trump can't do it. Biden
44:27can't do it. JD can't do it. Marco can't
44:29do it do it. Who else do you want me to
44:31talk about?
44:33Those guys can't fix your life. Jesus
44:36can give you life though.
44:39Do you see what I'm saying? We have to
44:42change our mind.
44:44Repentance. Metaninoia.
44:47Why you think Jesus prayed so much? Oh
44:50my gosh, y'all. He prayed all the time.
44:56All the time. Why? Because you have to
44:59be humble enough to admit that you can't
45:01do it by yourself.
45:03You can't do it by yourself. You can't
45:06be a good dad by yourself. I can't be a
45:09good pastor by myself. You can't be a
45:11good mother by yourself. You can't be a
45:13good brother and sister in the church by
45:15yourself. You need him. We need the
45:19spirit to lead us and to guide us.
45:23Even when disappointment comes, pain,
45:26anger, whatever it may be, you and I are
45:28responsible for how we treat others,
45:31especially those who are in the
45:33household of faith. If we are believers,
45:351 Thessalonians 5:1,
45:38I'm going to hit you with some verses
45:40here, then we're going to be done.
45:42Therefore, encourage one another and
45:44build one another up just as you are
45:46doing. Something I do every single week
45:47in my life. You can write it down, take
45:49it. It was just an idea from the Holy
45:51Spirit. Every single week, I text
45:53people, talk to people. I encourage
45:55them, I empower them, and I see how I
45:58can elevate their life. Three E.
46:00Encourage, empower, and elevate. I'm
46:02always looking on how to lift burdens
46:05off of somebody else.
46:08You know why? Because Jesus told me to.
46:11That's why I do it. Not because I'm a
46:13good person. You know this if this
46:16church growing the things that God is
46:18doing, it's not because we're so smart.
46:21It's because God's putting his blessing
46:22on it. And if this thing does anything
46:25that it's supposed to do, it'll be
46:27because God did it. He brings the
46:28increase. We need to do what? Trust and
46:31obey. Trust and obey. Proverbs 27:17. We
46:35know this one very well. Iron sharpens
46:37iron. Just so one man sharpens another.
46:41Iron sharpens iron. You need one
46:43another. If you want to stay sharp, you
46:46need good, godly friends.
46:501 Corinthians 13.
46:55Man, I love this passage of scripture.
46:59I've been meditating on this for years.
47:02Love is patient and kind.
47:08Y'all can go home.
47:10Love does not envy or boast. It is not
47:12arrogant or rude. It does not insist on
47:15its own way. It's not irritable or
47:17resentful. It doesn't rejoice at
47:20wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
47:23Love bears all things, believes all
47:26things, hopes all things, and endures
47:28all things. And it goes on to say, "Love
47:30never fails." Let's go back to the top
47:32real fast. Love is patient and is kind.
47:35I want you to think about it like this.
47:36I heard a preacher say it like this one
47:38time. I want you to think about the
47:40exponential growth of love. Love is
47:42patient and it is kind. And while it is
47:46being patient and it is being kind, at
47:49the same time, it's not envying or
47:52boasting.
47:53And while it's not envying or boasting,
47:55it's not arrogant or rude.
47:58It doesn't insist on its own way. It's
48:01not irritable or resentful. Let's go all
48:03the way. Keep going in your scriptures
48:06one more time. It does not rejoice at
48:08wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
48:10It bears all things, believes all
48:13things, hopes all things, and endures
48:15all things. Love, that commitment of
48:18love just holds tight when everything
48:21else is falling apart.
48:24That's what we have to have. Love, true
48:27love. I love this quote from Dietrich
48:29Bonhaofer. Christian community is the
48:33school of love.
48:35This is where you come to learn how to
48:38love. Listen y'all, are there crazy
48:40people within the church? Yes, there
48:42are. People are people. You're gonna
48:45find crazy people everywhere. You still
48:47go to Walmart, don't you?
48:53As a matter of fact, our church should
48:54start looking a little more like
48:56Walmart.
48:57In terms of people, every type of
49:00person, every walk of life, they're
49:02welcome here. They're welcome here.
49:09Christian community is a school of love.
49:11When I think about this, I think about
49:13old Sunday school teachers. I have a
49:14Sunday school teacher. They celebrated
49:16something like 50 or 55 years of
49:19marriage this past week. And this lady
49:22and her husband, every Sunday, she would
49:26make a pizza pan of ch. It was a pizza
49:29pan, but it was one big chocolate chip
49:31cookie for us every Sunday with country
49:35time lemonade that was so sweet that we
49:38were all diabetic by the time we
49:39finished church. It was great. But she
49:42taught us the scriptures. She taught us
49:44hymns. She did all of this stuff. Why?
49:48Because she was operating the school of
49:50love. And when you see a kids worker
49:53back there that is helping keep unity in
49:56our kids area, you need to thank them
49:58for leading the school of love back
50:00there. When you see somebody that's
50:03doing something that's just, man, you
50:05know, they went through hell that week
50:06and they still came to church, you need
50:08to go love on them and encourage them.
50:10That's what unity looks like. If you're
50:12already thinking you should do it to
50:14help, just go do it. Don't wait. And I
50:18don't know what that Go help. Go
50:20encourage somebody. This is what God
50:22wants us to do as we close. This is it.
50:25John 17. We're gonna come all the way
50:27back to where we started. Jesus's high
50:30priestly prayer. You feel free to play,
50:33Bradley, as we close.
50:36He says this, "I do not ask for these
50:39only, but also for those who will
50:40believe in me through their word that
50:42they may all be one."
50:45I want you to picture Jesus
50:48in his greatest moment of anguish before
50:51he's to go to the cross
50:55and do what only we can picture in our
50:57mind maybe if we've seen the passion of
50:59Christ how terrible that was for him and
51:02he's thinking about his children being
51:05unified
51:07that they may be one just as you father
51:09are in me and I in you that they may
51:11also be in us so that the world believe
51:14that you have sent me. The glory that
51:18you have given me, I have given to them
51:21that they may be one even as we are one.
51:26He wants to do this within us. Not only
51:30because it's beneficial to us in the
51:33church, but it's a witness to the world
51:36that those people are together.
51:40Things have tried to tear them apart,
51:42but they're together. and they're moving
51:45forward.
51:47Ephesians 3:20, I talk about this verse
51:50all the time.
51:52Not to him who is able to do far more
51:54abundantly than all that we ask or think
51:56according to the power at work within
51:59who? Us. Not me. Us.
52:06Right after this scripture, Paul goes
52:08into Ephesians 4, which we just read,
52:11which is all about unity.
52:14How do we see
52:17exceedingly abundantly above all we ask,
52:19think, or imagine? We stay unified.
52:23We stay together.
52:26We don't give in to gossip. We don't
52:28give in to backbiting. We don't give
52:30into anger. We don't give into the
52:32spirit of murder. We don't give in to
52:34sin. But we stay together by the unity
52:38of the bond of peace through what Jesus
52:40did and the sending of his spirit to
52:42keep us unified. This is what he wants
52:45us to do.
52:47And today I want that to stick in your
52:50mind that Jesus saves us into a family.
52:53The spirit keeps us united and our unity
52:56becomes a witness to the world that
52:59Jesus is real. Amen. Amen. Lord, we
53:04thank you this morning.
53:06God, I pray for people in this room.
53:09Maybe they didn't grow up in unity and
53:11they don't even know where to start.
53:15God, they can start right now. They can
53:17be born again. And you can give them a
53:20new mind. You can give them a new heart.
53:23You can baptize them in your spirit and
53:25fill them with your spirit that brings
53:27about love, joy, peace, patience,
53:30kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
53:32gentleness, and self-control.
53:34Today, things can change for them and
53:37they can be a part of unity and not
53:40division.
53:42Lord, I pray for people that are far
53:44from you today. If you're in this room
53:47and you don't know Jesus and you want to
53:49be born again into this family of love,
53:52this family of hope, there is no hope
53:55outside of Jesus Christ. The darkness is
53:59too dark. The sin is too deep. Only the
54:02great arm of Jesus can reach into our
54:05dysfunction and bring us into the light.
54:08Wash us white as snow. the lust you deal
54:10with, the pain you've dealt with, the
54:12greed you have, the anger you have, the
54:16depression that might have you, all of
54:18that can be broken off of you today and
54:20you can begin a new journey. If you want
54:22to know Jesus today, I just want you to
54:24lift your hand up in this room. I want
54:26to pray with you today. Lift your hand
54:28up really high in this room.
54:33Anybody at all,
54:35lift your hand.
54:38Lord, I thank you today. God, I pray the
54:42prayer of Paul that the eyes of our
54:43hearts would be enlightened to know the
54:45hope to which you have called us in your
54:47glorious inheritance in Christ Jesus.
54:49Unify us, God. Let us be given over to
54:52your spirit and let us follow you. It's
54:55in Jesus name we pray. Amen. Let's thank
54:58the Lord.
55:00>> Amen. Thank you, Pastor Connor, so much.
55:03Man, I just love that prayer that Jesus
55:06prays in John 17 in his time of, you
55:09know, desperation, of hardness, of
55:11getting ready to be crucified and to
55:14take our sins upon himself, man, that he
55:17pray that we would be together and that
55:19we would be one as he and the father are
55:21one. And I just think, man, get in John
55:2417 this week. I would encourage you if
55:26you want something to hold on to this
55:27week is just get in John 17, read it a
55:30couple times between now and next Sunday
55:32and just, you know, hear what Jesus was
55:34praying in that place in the garden. So,
55:37man, Lord, may we be blessed, God. May
55:41we be unified and bound together in your
55:44love. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. If you
55:47want to meet some of us, we'd love to
55:49meet you in the lobby on your way out.
55:51Um, again, fill out a connect card if
55:53it's your first time. There's envelopes
55:55right outside those doors of a little
55:57gift for you. Uh we want to get to know
55:59you and we want you to be unified with
56:01us. So be blessed. Lifeway, Randall

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