A (0:00)

Sam. All right, who's glad to be in church today? Anybody? Oh, come on, give Jesus the best hand clap you have, everybody. Oh, come on. Give him what he deserves now, everybody. It is so good to see every one of you guys. Welcome to church. And welcome to week number three of our annual relationship series called Loveology. I'll tell you more about that in just a second, but let me pause for a moment, look into the camera. Say hello to all of our campuses, our locations across Alabama and Georgia. We are one church that meets in different rooms all across our states. And we're so glad you're along with us. We are also bringing this message, everything we are, as a church, into all 28 of Alabama's Department of Corrections facilities. God bless you guys. Yeah, go ahead and clap. It's fine. They love it. They love it. And we're doing the same thing in correctional facilities in Georgia. And, of course, people are watching online somewhere. I've got friends that are watching right now. So God bless you guys. Thank you for joining us online. And maybe later on demand. I want to give a special shout out to one campus today because Pastor Mark and Jill are over at our River Chase location. So how about we just. It's one of the original campuses. I mean, I think it was the third one. How about a big shout out for River Chase, everybody? Pastor Mark and Jill, God bless you guys. So today is part three, and it's the conclusion of this series. Next Sunday, Pastor Mark and the teaching team will start a brand new series that'll lead us all the way into Easter, and that's gonna be spectacular. Also next Sunday are new service times. So be sure that you know those, or you will probably end up at church a little late. You don't wanna do that. So make sure whatever service you attend that you know about those new service times next Sunday that we think are gonna serve you and your family. Well, today Pastor Mark asked me to teach on the topic of conflict. So let's get ready to rumble. Are y' all ready, everybody? All right. The Bible obviously has a lot to say about conflict. In fact, I heard it once said that marriage is like a deck of cards. In the beginning, there are two hearts and a diamond, and at the end, there's a club and a spade. Come on, everybody. Right, you ready to shoot them? Bury them? Yeah, get rid of them. All right, so that's funny. I don't care what y' all say. That's hilarious. But the reason why there's so much conflict in relationships, obviously, is because There are differences. And when we first get married, we love those differences. They say opposites attract, right? You know, in fact, they say 90% of every couple has married their opposite. And when you're dating, it's cute. You complete me. You know, like, we think that's all cute and everything. And then, you know, opposites attract. And then after your marriage, opposites attack. I'm ready to kill you. You know what I'm saying? Like, you're driving me crazy, woman. You know, like, so that. Yeah, so what do we do about all of that? In fact, I'll highlight the differences. We're doing a little poll. I need everybody to participate. Let's have a little fun at the beginning here. Just a little poll. How many of you guys. How many of you guys are real punctual, like it matters to be on time? Raise your hand. In fact, they don't even wave. Okay, how many of you guys are more. Go with the flow. See, like, you're even taking your time raising your hand. You're like, mm. Anyway, I don't know how you guys get anything done, by the way, but. All right, so how many of you guys are. When you're going on a trip, you're more of a destination person. It's all about getting to the destination. That would be me. I mean, let's pass up as many cars as we can. And how many of you guys are more of the journey? Let's take a picture of the cows, the trees, the flowers. Oh, what a. Whatever. Anyway, so. All right, all right. How about with money? How many of you guys are savers? Savers, raise your hand. Savers, spenders, raise your hand. All right, ushers, you see the hands? Make sure the buckets get past them. Just kidding. But keep them up for a second, please. No, just kidding. Here's the problem, and that is we always think it's the like in any relationship. And it doesn't even have to be marriage. You know, I feel like I have a relationship with Highway 280. And we have conflict because people are continually in my way that don't know how to drive. Can I get a better amen than anybody in Birmingham? Yeah. And so it rubs me the wrong way real bad. And so we think that it's always them. But here's the thesis of our series, and it's an important one, and it's one that if you'll buy into. You're gonna grow like crazy. You're gonna be a lot happier. Cause God's way is different from the world. But God's way works. Can I hear a good amen, everybody? It really does. And that is that healthy. By the way, I'm doing the passion mark today. Don't say it. Old dog can't learn a new trick. Here I am. I need my tv, but there you go, everybody. All right. Feeling a little insecure up here, but there it is. All right? And that is take notes. Come on. Write this down or use your app today. You'll learn more, you'll grow more if you'll take a few notes. And that is that healthy relationships start in. Say the last word out loud. They start in us. In us. And so that's why throughout this message today, especially today, I don't want you elbowing the person next to you. I don't want you thinking about somebody else. And everything we talk about, think about your role in all of this, because we're gonna talk about conflict. And I'm just really have time to bring one important truth out of God's word that is so countercultural and counterintuitive. You don't want to do it, and the world definitely doesn't do it. There's a verse I want us to read aloud together. Put it on the screen for me, guys. I would love to touch my screen, but I'm going to have to trust you guys to keep it up there. All right? Pray for me. I want us to read it aloud together. Here we go. Every voice, strong voice. Here we go. Search me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way of everlasting. We're going to read it one more time, and this time we're going to emphasize the words that I've highlighted. Here we go. Search me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there's any offensive way in and lead in the way of. Notice that the psalmist rightfully says, the focus needs to stay on me. Now, people do a lot of things wrong, but what would it look like if we prayed this prayer? Here's the case I want to make to you, and that is, if you have the guts to pray something like that, you're going to be the happier one on the other side of all of that. Like, what if I drive down Highway 280 and say, maybe I need to change? Maybe I need to go a little slower. Maybe it's just never gonna go fast. Why am I frustrating myself with. Come on, people. Why not just maybe plan a few Extra minutes, maybe let a few people go ahead of me from time to time, be a little more patient and see if I don't show up at the house with a little bit fewer wrinkles and gray hairs on my head. Right? What would happen if we allow that? And maybe, just maybe, that that's the purpose of relationship, one of the purposes. We know God puts people in our lives. Because there's. What a blessing Ms. Tammy's been to me and my whole family. But what if God was putting someone intentionally different and Tammy and I are polar opposites in every way? I mean, if I'm hot, she's cold. It's just in every way. I don't even go through the list. It's in everything. Okay? And perhaps God was saying, you know, there's a part of her that needs to be in you. Maybe you need to be a little sweeter like Ms. Tammy is. Maybe she needs to learn some things about planning and punctuality that are in me. What if. What if, Mary, you notice how I slipped that in there and you guys highlighted it? I was trying to let it be a little bit more subtle. Thank you. Now I'm gonna hear it at home. All right, so, no, what if. What if that's the purpose? What if we were supposed to say, you know, there's something in this that was there to refine me? What if that was the purpose of relationships, that I was supposed to grow in this? And what if we have the guts to pray this prayer? Lord, what are you trying to do inside of me? What are you doing in me? In fact, every place that something frustrates you, I want to challenge you to pray that prayer in the area that you hate the most. In the area for me, the traffic, I hate it. But what if I was in the car? Cause I'm gonna stop using Tammy illustrations, thanks to y'. All. Okay? I'm in the car and I say, lord, what are you trying to do inside of me here? Maybe. Are you trying to teach me something about patience? Right. And I promise you, on the other side of that is a very happy life. Now, today in conflict, I want to teach you a principle that's gonna be difficult for you to hear because, again, it's counterintuitive and countercultural. You're not gonna wanna go here. And some of you have. But I'm just saying the human nature is not to go here. And one of the things I want to make sure never happens before I even tell you what it is, what I want to make sure Is that you don't hear this the wrong way. Because what I'm not saying to you guys, when I talk about lasting relationships, commitment. And honestly, I'm a little frustrated with the world's disposable nature of relationships. The cancel culture, though you're one and done that I'm done with you and I'm going to. We almost enjoy it too much now. And we see marriage and every relationship really as quite disposable. And it's not supposed to be that way. Now, as we talk about this, the devil will talk to you too, if you let him. And he will start reminding you. Yeah. And you've already failed in that area, and you've already messed up in that area. And you look, don't ever look back. We serve a God. I call it the from this day forward kind of a God. I love that line in the wedding vow. From this day forward. In other words, I may have not messed it up. I may have messed it up in the past, but today, as I make this promise to you, God, and to you, Tammy, from this day forward, here are my intentions and my hopes. And I don't ever want you to hear anything that condemns you. Cause that's not God. That's the devil. You need to be free. You need to realize that his mercies endure forever. Everybody, that he loves you, he's gracious, and he will give you a blank page today, even in this area. So don't hear this the wrong way, but there are three phases that every relationship, and especially marriages go through. And. And the first is the honeymoon phase. In fact, I even love the word honeymoon. The word honey is sweet. The moon phase is 29 days. It was a sweet month. That's about as long as it lasted. Isn't that right, everybody? Okay. And then you get into this disillusionment phase, like, wait a minute, I didn't know you did that. And I didn't know you smelled like that, acted like that. I didn't know that. No, I don't think I want to marry that. What we did is we ended up marrying candy and roses and we found out some things that disillusion us. The question is, what are you gonna do then? Well, I'm telling you, human nature right now is to bail. We have a BAAL culture. I'm done. Whatever. We make very few commitments and covenantial type relationships with people. We have to get to this third phase, and that is the phase of commitment. I want to talk about commitment today because I think the key to conflict Is actually not always solving the conflict. Now, I would love to help solve some of the conflict. And we had a great marriage conference this weekend. Gave us loads of tools and tips and biblical truths of how to do that. And there are plenty of them and you can go read them. But there's one enduring truth in the middle of it you have to have, and that is Tammy and I can actually fight in a healthy way because we know we're not going anywhere. In fact, I always tell her, if you leave me, I'm going with you. Come on, everybody. Right? Okay. So I want to put inside of us a never give up kind of an attitude. Cause that's God's attitude towards you. And you sure like that one, don't you? In fact, I don't know if any of you saw the intentionality of our songs today. We sang about a faithful God. First song, second song, you, promises never fail. I mean, we're so grateful that we serve a God that. That never gives up on us. And if you're grateful for that part of your God, I'm gonna give you three seconds to show him some praise today right now. Come on, everybody. Right, But there's a verse out of the Song of Solomon that I wanna read us. It's the end of this love relationship. We've done series on this book twice. You can go back in the archives, watch or watch the messages. There are loads of fun. They're quite spicy. Cause you have them dating in one chapter, you have them courting in another. You have them married in another. You have them fighting in the fourth chapter. They get to the end. It's an eight chapter book. And at the end of the eighth chapter, it says this. And I wanna teach this for a moment. And it says, place me like a seal. In other words, we're gonna settle some things right now. And we're gonna settle them. Listen to me, church before we need them. So we're gonna put a seal on some things and we're gonna seal this over our hearts like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as. And notice the language, as strong as death. That's actually where we get the phrase in the wedding vow, till death do us part. And actually in the tradition to emphasize that thought they would literally at those wedding vows. Those weddings were a little bit more serious. I think ours were a little bit too playful now. Little bit too Instagramish now. If you're asking me, we think more about what the picture is gonna look like than the commitments we're making. That Day. But in their day, they took the whole thing. It was a serious thing. And they would actually take an animal and cut it into pieces and make an aisle. In fact, the tradition of walking down a wedding aisle was not roses. And you know, Pachelbel, Cannon and D. That's not what it was. It was they actually walked down an aisle of a cut up animal. And as they recited the vows, they said, may it happen to me like it's happened to these animals if I ever break this. And they reminded themselves of the serious nature of the relationship. For love is as strong as death. We see the same thing In Genesis chapter 15, if you want to go study it. God did that with Abraham. When he established his covenant with Abraham, he said, cut up an animal. And by the way, when the aisle walking happened, God put Abraham in a deep sleep. He says, I'm not even going to make you commit to it. I'm going to show you first. And he, in the form of a fire, walked down the aisle first. God walked down the aisle and said, I will never leave you. I'll never forsake you. I'm going to stay with you. I'll never give up on you. And then it continues. In the verse it says it's jealousy, unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like mighty flame. Watch this. And when the waters come, and there are many of them, and this isn't healthy water, this is destructive water, when the waters come that seem to wash things away and destroy something, it won't quench what we've decided to do today. Tammy and I've had some waters, we've had things that challenge. You have as well. Everybody has. Rivers can't wash away. What we're doing today, what is that saying? We know a bad day's coming and when the bad days come, we want to remind ourselves of this moment. In fact, if one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, in other words, somebody says, I'll give you a million dollars if you give me Tammy. First of all, I'm punching him in the face. Come on. Ain't that right, everybody? But no, she's not for sale. Our relationship, there's nothing that can make me change how I feel. It would be utterly scorned. Now, what is that? That's a different level that I think is eroding in our culture. And I want to teach us today about biblical covenant. Biblical relationships are a covenant mindset, not a contract mindset. And I'm going to submit to you that the World lives in more of a contract mindset. And we bring that from business and mortgages and things like that. I mean, you go sign a contract for a business, there's a stack of papers this high. You've done it before, right? To buy anything. And that's all the terms of if you break this promise. And so we get in this mindset of, well, I'm gonna. You know, I'm gonna make sure I have an out if this thing doesn't work out right where the Bible says, you know, that doesn't. That won't. That mindset won't work. And again, please don't think about your past. If you've had a failed relationship, God heals, God restores, God redeems, God will give you a fresh start from this day forward. But Malachi says, be on your guard and do not be unfaithful. And I would say to any relationship that matters to you, but here he's talking about the marriage. The man who hates and divorces his wife says, the Lord, the God of Israel, Watch. This powerful line does violence to the very one that he was supposed to protect. In other words, when you went through that tough time, you weren't supposed to bail on them. You were supposed to help them. You were actually the one they needed. When everything was going south. In the very early years of the church, as you can imagine, when we were very, very small, I mean, this is probably 23 years ago, I did some of the counseling with the team because we didn't have a very big team. I'm a terrible counselor. I think I'm actually a good counselor, but I don't give people what they actually want. They don't want a solution. They want to talk. Right? And I can see the problem in the first minute and solve it in the second, and they don't want that. So other people would counsel, but I was actually counseling this one marriage early on in the church, and there was adultery involved, unfaithfulness involved, and we were putting the pieces back together, when all of a sudden the lady just says, I don't think I can do this. And she had every spiritual, biblical grounds for that decision. And while I still appealed to her in every way I could, just trying to be someone to keep the. The pain of what would be torn apart together. You know, I didn't push too hard. I said, well, I understand that. And so, you know, and we're still friends to this day. She's still in this church to this day, but on her way out of this meeting, that she came to tell me about that decision. She said, oh, by the way, does the church have anything for people who are struggling with addiction? I said, of course we do. We have small groups. And by the way, church, we have small groups that people are struggling with any type of addiction. You can find tremendous freedom. They've worked very, very well. And I told her about what we have available. I said, why do you ask? And she goes, well, I have a brother who, I mean, for 30 years he's been dealing with drugs and alcohol and just. He's a mess. And, man, she goes, I'm constantly going to pick him up out of the jail and bail him out of this. I have to support him. I pay money every month. And I just, you know, and I'm still trying to help him. And I said, I just want to. I just have a question. It's very interesting to me how faithful you are in this one. Even though he's been a knucklehead for a long time, he's stolen your money, taken your money, been unfaithful to you in so many ways, and yet you just. The love and the commitment is so enduring in this case. It's just striking to me. And she went, ah, Pastor, Pastor. I said. She goes, we're blood. He's my blood brother. She said that. And I thought, well, maybe then maybe the problem of our relationships that matter to us aren't defined the right way. Maybe we need to see it more as a covenant blood relationship. We do that with our kids. Tammy and I have five kids. I would never give up on them if they went to the ends of the earth to do the most wrong things. I am following them to the ends of the earth, and I will never stop fighting for my kids. Can I hear a good amen? You understand that? And why are the other relationships more disposable than that? It's just a question that I'm not condemning you with. I'm asking you to grapple with. And maybe when we do commit and change and redefine relationships, maybe a power comes in that does things that you've never experienced. I'm just suggesting that. I believe it's true. And that's why it works. That's why. I mean, I think I've told this story before. It's over 20 years old now, this story of my son, one of my sons, getting into a little bit of trouble, and a police officer calls in the middle of the night. They were supposed to be together with some friends, and next thing you know, the Phone rings, and it's like, oh, man. And the police officer said, hey, we're gonna need you to come here. And so I get in the car and I go there, and when I get out of the car, the police officer goes, pastor Chris, I didn't know it was you. Like, oh, great. Hey, yeah, praise the Lord, my son. He goes, oh, man, I didn't know. And so. It's okay. It's okay. We'll work through this. It's all gonna be fine. And it all turned out to be fine. And I said, where is he? He says, over there in the backseat of that police car. I said, okay, well, let me go over there. And when I went over there, I passed by another dad who had gotten there before me, and he was berating his son that was with David, and just, I'm done with you. I'm sending you off to some boarding something. He was naming all these places that he had already researched and had found and was ready for this moment, you know? And, like, I'm sending you off, dude. I'm done with you. And I was scared, and I walked by and I thought, I gotta get this right. Like, this is a moment for me. And so I walk over to the car, and the back window was down, and he was sitting back there, and I just put my head in, went, how's it going, buddy? How you doing? And he starts bawling, crying, just sobbing. Oh, dad, I'm so sorry. I'm so stupid. I was just so stupid. I'm so sorry. I said, okay, man, you need to know I've never loved you more than I love you right now. And you've never needed me more than you need me right now. And we did work through all that. And just a few years ago, 17, 18 years since he walked up to me, little tears popping out of his eyes, he goes, dad, I was remembering that day, that night that you came and gave me a second chance. He said, changed my life. It was a defining moment. He started bawling, defining. He serves all my kids to God, be to the glory, are serving God and love the Lord. But you walk through those moments where you say, never will I leave you, Never will I forsake you. Look in my eyes and there's a power there. There's a power there. It's how God treats us. And I'm saying to you, for the relationships that matter to you, you need to redefine them in terms of covenant. What if we did that to kind of help us understand the two different types of Relationships very quickly, if you're taking notes. Covenant is based on mutual commitment, where contract is built on mutual distrust. In other words, I'm committed to you and I'm not even going through the reasons that I would call it off. There's nothing you can do. So I won't even make the list. Where a contract actually stacks the papers and says, okay, now if you stop doing this, then we have every right to break the contract. Covenant is a permanent relationship where contract is a temporary one. It's conditional. In fact, it's a commitment that says, I'm willing to be unhappy until we work it out. Covenant in the second list is surrenders rights and assumes responsibility. Where a contract protects your rights. And we have a society that I maintain is too much thinking about me, I gotta take care of me. Where Jesus says, if you want to serve your spouse, you lay your life down like Christ did the church. So for Tammy, I just, I give her my life. I'm not gonna keep records. That's why, as Pastor Charlotte said last Sunday, love keeps no records of wrong because you're not going to use them anyway. The last one is that Covenant has the interest of the other in mind, where contract just has me in mind. And at the end of the day, that's really what it is. It's. I'm going to focus on you instead of focusing on me and Tammy and I have not had a perfect marriage. We have an extremely wonderful one though, I'll tell you that. Do we have conflict and fights? Yes, we do. But we are deeply in love. In fact, in a few months, we celebrate 40 years of marriage, everybody. Yeah. And we've learned some things along the way. I would be very honest with you. This is not just being self deprecating. I was very selfish, like most people are early on. And then we learned that the greatest marriage is actually two servants in love. And the worst marriages are the two selfish people competing that the more you can become the served position. So this is how it plays out. And I'm not bragging, I'm just really telling you our story. So when I come home from the office at the end of the day, from my job now at Highlands College, literally what happens every time I walk in the door, I'm home. She comes, wherever she is, she comes to greet me. And first words are always, hey, run downstairs, sit in your chair, watch some news or something to catch up on the day. I'm gonna bring you something to drink. And I know what she's doing. She knows I'm Tired. And the people have probably drained me and things like that. She knows I'd probably like to kick my feet up. And my response is, no, baby, till next your day. Because her love language is quality time and she needs that. She needs to be known. She needs to be looked. She needs me to just look into her eyes. And you know, I said, no, baby, tell me about your day. How was your day today? She goes, no, no, no, that's fine. We'll talk about that later. Run downstairs. I want to bring you something. Drink. No, no, no. Tell me. And now we're competing the other. Are y' all following me? Everybody. Now, if you think that's pie in the sky, you try that. Just watch what happens. You get all afternoon this Sunday to try. Go try that and you will experience something that is God designed. In fact, this covenant relationship, it's the same word in the Hebrew and in the Greek as the word promise. The word promise comes from the Latin word and I won't try to pronounce it. I think it's something like prometer. Anyway, I told you I wasn't gonna try. Then I tried, all right. But if you break it down, it's two parts to the word. The pro part means forward and that second word means sin. In other words, I'm gonna make a promise. I am here, put the definition I am sending. I'm making a declaration that I make now that will be needed for the future. So I'm gonna send this promise into the future. Cause I don't need it now. Man, you're in that beautiful dress and can't even wait. I can't wait for tonight. I love the flowers and the music and the candy and the cake. I don't need this promise now. I need it for the day where I don't feel all that way. So I'm sending a commitment into the future. Watch this. To protect me from me. Protect me from changing my mind and being a feelings based person when I should have been a principle based person. Person. And said, I know I don't feel like sticking it out, but I said, till death do us part. And I'm going to be faithful to you even when I don't feel like it. Are y' all following me? Everyone, CS Lewis said it this way. Of the promise made when I'm in love because I'm in love. To be true to the beloved as long as I live commits me to being true. Even if I cease to be in love. A promise must be about the things that I can do and Actions no one can promise to go on feeling a certain way. So I'm not making a promise about my feelings. I'm making my promise about my decisions. Let me give you three and we'll go number one. That I promise then, therefore, to make the choice to love every day. So if I decide love isn't a feeling, it has feelings, but it's not a feeling, then I'm gonna choose it every day, especially when I don't feel. In fact, love really is giving someone what they need, not what they deserve. Love is getting up in the middle of night when your kid's throwing up. That's never fun. I don't go in there and go, I'm gonna have to go find your mama. You know I don't do that, right? No. You get a bucket, you sit by the bed, you get a cold rag, and you get a sleepless night. Wow. That's what love is. Love makes a decision to do something it's not. Not even really fun to do. And that's why Colossians says, above all of the virtues in the Bible. That's a strong statement, Church. Of all the virtues that are in the word of God. And notice the language. Put on love as if to say, it's not a feeling, it's like a garment. So you have to actively. I'm going to have to put this on because it's not on me right now. Put on love, which binds all the other virtues in the Bible in perfect unity. So I make a decision, I'm gonna decide it. That's why some of you need to do that today, secondly, is that I promise to prioritize our relationship. So if I'm gonna make a promise to Tammy, what I'm saying to her is that it's you and no other. It's you and other. Now, do I have other relationships? Sure. I do have relationships with other. The staff here, the team. I have good friends. I have other relationships. But she becomes the priority one. And you can never have a great covenant, promise level relationship with someone that actually will serve you well in the middle of all your conflicts, except when they're the priority relationship. And so what do I say? I say, you're first. In fact, when we were. I heard this, we were taught this. We did actually did some parenting curriculum. Actually, for seven years. Tammy and I had. Our small group that we led here at Highland was the parenting curriculum. We did it for seven years. And one of the things they taught in this curriculum was, is that don't have a child centered Home. And you do that by demonstrating, especially in front of the kids, that Mama's first and Daddy's first. So when I would come home from a trip, I would always bring the kids home some candy or something because they would always be excited. Dad was home from a trip, and I just wanted to have something to give them. But I always bought something for Tammy, too. In fact, I would go to her first, and the kids were running in, and even if they hit my legs, I'd walk past them intentionally. It was hard to do, you know, because the kids are jumping on you. But I'd say. And I'd go straight to her, give her a kiss. So good to see you. Here's what I have for you. Okay, kids, here's yours. In fact, on Christmas Day, Tammy will tell you this is true. She always got the first gift, not the kids. What am I saying? I'm saying if I prioritize this relationship, there's going to be a day when there's conflict in this home. And because of the foundation that's built on the truth of God's word, we're going to survive this. Many waters are not going to be able to quench a love like this. And that's why God has something, the audacity to say, seek me first. Watch what happens. All these other things, seek me first. Watch what happens. And that's why we have the audacity to tell you, put him first. Now here you are on. By the way, it's important that it's this day, because this is the first day of the week. We're saying before I go to work, before I do anything else, before I go to school, I am saying to you, by my presence, you have first place in my life. We do that with our giving. We do that with the different ways that we live. Why? You're first in my life, God, and watch what happens. If you don't believe that, you just try it. Watching what happens. And the third promise that I make is that I promise to keep God in the middle of everything. And I'm saying this to both mom and dad, but especially the dads, like, lead your home as a God first. Home. You pray the prayer of the dinner table. You. Hey, everybody, it's Sunday. Get dressed. We're going to God's house today. Hey, we're going to groups today. Hey, it's Wednesday night. Hey, kids, we're going to Motion. Boy, didn't you love seeing those college students pack buildings out hungry for God's word? Why? Because unless the Lord Builds the house. You're laboring in vain anyway. So we live out our faith not on Sundays, but on Monday, Tuesday. We make it all a priority. Now some of you are thinking, bro, you went for it today, didn't you? That's deep into the pool stuff. You don't know my story. That's too much. And I probably would agree if I heard it. In fact, a lot of this is too hard. Unless. So if everything I just said frustrates you. Thanks, dude. You just don't know. Let me tell you how you can cross that bridge. And it's the theme verse of the series. We started with it. I'll close with it. We now love. We can love because we experienced it. We love. I'm able to do that because I've never had somebody do that to me like you did God. So let me close with a story. Two thousand years ago, an aisle was created basically with the pieces of Jesus. He was butchered on a cross because God wanted to enter a blood covenant with you. And on the night before, Jesus would basically become the aisle of cut up pieces that would lead us to a covenant relationship with God. The night before, before he felt the pain, he made a promise. He sent it into the future of a day called Good Friday. And he told his disciples as he had the last supper with them, he said, this cup is the new covenant in my blood. He made a promise that night. I feel happy now. Reading a meal, hanging out together. Tomorrow, I'm not going to feel like it, but I'm making a covenant with you that I will never leave you. Listen to me, if you hear nothing else, he will never leave you. In fact, let me say it this way. Have you ever given God a reason to ditch you? The answer is yes, you have, and he didn't. His mercies endure forever. And God's people said it. Good. Let's pray together. So, Father, we receive that love now. Give us capacity to love and let us take every relationship that truly matters to us and especially the marriages in this room. And we're going to another level. That is. We're not. I'm not bailing on you. You. I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I'm. I'm gonna be there on the day that you need me the most. And if you're here today and you've never experienced the love of God and you want his peace and life inside of you, I would tell you God's not mad at you. He walked that aisle before you even thought about making the decision to walk it with him God demonstrates his love that while we were yet sinners he died for us and if today you want to receive the love of God and be completely forgiven I'm talking about he erases every sin you've ever done remembered no more and forever no matter even what you do he will be faithful to you. Then pray this prayer right there in your seat say Jesus thank you for shedding your blood to enter into a covenant so I could be in relationship with the Father. And today I receive it and I ask you to forgive me of my sin and today I make a promise to you to put you first to give you the best of who I am the best way I know how and when I fail I'll repent again I want to be faithful to you I will serve you I'll do that by putting you as the priority relationship be the first in my life thank you for saving me thank you for loving me. In your name I pray Amen God bless you church.