← Deepen with Pastor Joby Martin
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- [00:01]
A
Welcome to Deepen with Pastor Joby Martin. The Church of 1122 is a movement for all people to discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. And we're praying this message helps you deepen your relationship with him. Now let's dive in.
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B
All right. We have two high caliber preachers and I want to start with like a peel back the curtain preacher question. Okay. You can, you can probably tell me how many it was. 60 something verses.
- [00:31]
C
I don't know. I didn't count them.
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B
It was a lot of verses. How do you preach a really, really big chunk of text like that, like that's. That was impressive.
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C
Just verse by verse.
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D
Yeah.
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C
Just answer three questions. What happened?
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B
Yeah.
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C
What does it matter? And what do I do?
- [00:54]
B
Yeah. When you're up there preaching it, do you get worried that you're not going to get all the way through it?
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C
Not. I mean, I'm just going to preach.
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B
Right.
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C
And then if we got to cut songs and stuff for later services, then so be it. Right? Yeah.
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D
Yeah, that's good.
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C
Yeah, man. We, we are a Christ centered, word driven church, you know?
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B
Yeah. You ever, you ever read some of those old puritan sermons and it was like half a half a verse. Like sometimes they pick like three words. Like Spurgeon picked three words and.
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C
Yeah, that's actually not expository preaching.
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D
Right.
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C
That is using the word as a launchpad to say many, many true things.
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D
Right.
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C
And you know, the old spurs did a good job, no problem. I'm not, I'm not smart like that. I just. So part of what I'm trying to
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D
do,
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C
I wouldn't typically pick so much, but what I'm trying to do is this is all preparation to get us to the Great Commission. We're going to study the book of Matthew for the whole year. You know, if it was just kind of, if I wasn't trying to shepherd a flock, but I was just trying to write sermons, I would chop it up much tighter for, you know, for me to preach. But that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to lead us to green pastures, the still waters, which is the Great Commission. And so what I was trying. The reason I did so much is, I mean, I have in mind where I want to lead us to get to Easter. And I wanted to tear off the roof at Easter, you know, because it makes a lot of sense. And now we're aiming towards beach baptism. And if, if you, if you back up from the text a little bit. You mentioned this last time, you Were you were on pastor on a. You know, the king arrives and then he's going to declare the gospel. It says in Matthew 4 what he preached, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Okay? And then he fleshes that out through the. Through the great. I mean, through the. The Sermon on the Mount. So he preaches the gospel and then it goes into like, miracle festival, right? Well, if, you know, if you spend eight months on those miracles, you'll forget there's like a flow to it. This all happens just like real quick. And so all of these miracles, what he's doing now is he's demonstrating what the kingdom of heaven at hand is. These are not random miracles. No one's in isolation like the leper. This is for the Jew and gentile, like the centurion servant from far off. You know, you need eyes to see the glory of God. You need legs to walk on the streets of gold. This is what's happening here. Like, he's showing us there ain't no dead girls in heaven, bro. She's only sleeping. Get up. Nobody is defiled. That's a daughter in the kingdom of heaven. That's what he's doing. And so now what he's going to do, by the time you get to the end of nine and into 10, which is kind of a shame, that 10, the chapter starts where it does because it shifts when he says the harvest is plentiful, the labors are few. At the end of 9, 10. That's. That's the implication. And then here, here's the. Here's the application, right? And so now Jesus, he's declared the gospel. He demonstrated the power of the gospel to make one whole. And now he is going to deputize us and say, now you. You. You say you want to follow me. That doesn't mean learn what I teach. That means do what I do. So you have the authority. Now this, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Take grasp of this good news of the gospel and you go and bind and loose. Ready, break. And that's an us problem, bro. That's a church problem. There's not a need problem. The harvest is plentiful. And then he has called us into this glorious work with him, and so he sends us out.
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D
Yeah, yeah.
- [05:00]
C
So I don't want to repreach it, but that. So that's it, bro. So that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to get that, you know, and apply it into the life of our church right now, like with one more Baptisms and mission trips and missionaries and church plants and. So actually, we hired you on a. To do that, to be in charge of this sermon and the application in our church over the next.
- [05:28]
D
Let's go. Yeah, I mean, even that deputizing is coated and saturated in power, like you said. For a long time, I used to preach this text, or I would preach this text this way, I would get all the way to the end of Matthew 9 and then go, okay, amen, and then I'll see you guys next week. Thinking that there's this massive pause that happens between the end of 9 and the beginning of 10. But when he says, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out that word, like, send out, it's in the original. It's ekbalo, which is the same word that is used to drive out demons. And so I started thinking it's like, well, how do I pray when you're driving out. You're asking the Lord to drive out demons, to break chains, to. To release people from addict. It's no, dear Lord, if you have time today. No, it's earnestly. It is. It is the. The. The God of miracles, death, conquering miracle working like it's. It's intense. And so he prays that, and they go, amen. And then I can imagine the disciples open their eyes and they're like, oh, well, Jesus, no one showed up. And he's like, no, no, no. 12 people showed up. It's you now go. So that deputizing is. Is. I mean, the power that comes from that.
- [06:50]
C
So I want to give a shout out to our outpost leaders and hosts. That's why I wore this Bell Oaks hat, because the Bell Oaks barn is an outpost for 1122. And I spoke there a couple weeks. Few weeks ago, about 200 and something men showed up for just a men's night there. Okay, so. So our. To all of our outposts, and for those of you that don't know if you want to be a part of what God is doing through 1122 and you want us to partner with you to disciple people and reach people wherever you live, then the answer is yes. And you can start an outpost, and you're as much 1122 or as anybody that attends any of our campuses from Orlando to Jessup. And what those folks are doing that have said yes and open up their home or the Bellows people that opened up the Belloaks Barn or they opened up their dorm room, they're doing this thing. They're saying by the Authority of Jesus. The harvest is plentiful. I'll be a laborer. And I met some people from Lancaster, Ohio. I didn't even know there was a Lancaster, Ohio. And they host an outpost, man. And they've outgrown their home and they're moving into their next thing. They're doing this thing, and eyes are being open and souls are being saved. Amen. Demons are being cast out and addictions, chains of addiction are hitting the ground. I mean, that's what's happening, man. So shout out to the. To the outpost folks.
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B
Was there anything you wanted to spend more time on?
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C
Everything.
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B
Well, I think, you know, think your personal Bible study is similar, right? Like, you can go really granular and. And meditate on a few words or a verse, and then there's benefit to that. And there's also benefit to, like, reading the entire book of Romans in 25 minutes every day, you know, like, for a month.
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C
Like.
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B
Like, there's, like. Both are good. Because you. Like you said, you can lose the big. The big picture if you're just kind of like, picking through too much.
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C
Yeah, it's hard to go wrong studying the Bible, right?
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B
And there's so much there. So it's kind of like, man, it was a lot.
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C
It was kind of the way I do it. I don't know. Jesus says, all right, I'm leaving, and you should be glad because I'm gonna send you the Paraclete, the helper, and he's going to teach you. He's going to reveal to you, illuminate to you what the word says. So when in my Bible study, I don't. Honestly, I don't ever do a reading plan because they don't line up with what the paraclete wants me to know, you know? And so sometimes, man, I cruise through big chunks at a time, and sometimes a word like. Where'd that word come from? They just add a word. You know, it's been there forever. But the Lord just.
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D
Yeah.
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C
And there's no new revelation. This is the revealed word of God. But there is illumination to what has been revealed, and that's the role of the spirit. So if you read stuff, too, and you're like, I don't know what that means, well, he might not have that for you yet. And there's, you know, there's a ton of that. I mean, there's a ton in here. I mean, I could, you know, I could. I would totally love to preach a whole sermon just on him healing two blind men. And I'd love To preach a whole sermon just on the guy that was mute and like what we do with our mouth, you know what I mean? I mean, for sure. But I was trying to get, let us like get the, the big picture of where Matthew is taking us on this journey from declaring the gospel to demonstrating the gospel, to now deputizing and dispersing the gospel. We have been sent out.
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B
Yeah.
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C
And I'm telling you, what Jesus says in Matthew 10 is at odds with American Christianity.
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B
Yeah, sure. Yeah, well, we're gonna get there. You know what I read once that, that when you see the miracles of Jesus, a lot of times, blind, lame, mute, leprosy, it's all lined up. And there was a. In Second Samuel five, there's this. When David's coming against Jerusalem, there was this interchange about, I bet you can't do it because the blind and the lame are going to fight you off. And then it became this saying and it was like, the blind lame can't enter the house. And it was like it represented all that was outcast and cursed. And so when you see those specific groups called out of Jesus, healing them, he reverses the curse, you know, And I also wonder, that pretty much covers every category of a human ailment. Right. At the time you had skin problems, couldn't walk, couldn't see, couldn't talk. And then of course, all the demon.
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C
And then there's the. Yeah, the demonic oppression.
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B
Right.
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C
Which I mean, you know, we would have a tendency to put that in like a. Today in like a mental health.
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B
Yeah, yeah.
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C
Kind of problem.
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B
Yeah. We've talked about before. It's often placed just side by side with the physical ailment, you know, bent over from demon depression or, or other things like that. Well, these two blind men, they call him the son of David. And what's significant about that title?
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C
This is another messianic title of David. When God makes the Davidic covenant, a part of what he promises is that your heir will rule and reign on this throne forever and ever. Okay, so who's ruling and reigning when Jesus shows up on the scene? I mean, Pontius Pilates, you know, there is no throne.
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D
Yeah.
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C
And so, so Jesus is the son of David, the root of Jesse. That was his dad, David's dad. And. And again, to the people that are like, well, you know, the Bible never claims that Jesus is the son of God. I mean, bro, you just, you know, read slower. That would be, that would be like, you know, me sending, spending a season in a Spanish speaking town and them saying they never Said Joby. Because they said Hobie. You know what I mean, big bro? They were speaking their native tongue. The Bible is just speaking its native tongue to a bunch of people that are rooted in the old covenant prophecies of the coming Messiah. And Jesus just checks off everyone. Daniel said the son of man. Check. You know, the Davidic covenant said the son of David, check. I mean, just over and over and over. Moses says, his name is I am. Check. I mean, it's just he.
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D
He.
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C
All of the aliases are covered. That's what they're doing.
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D
And I can't get over the fact that it's two blind men that see this.
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C
Right?
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D
So. So the guys who. Who studied. I mean, that was their whole thing. They studied the Scriptures and they couldn't see this. And yet it. It's two blind men who. Who are going, I see Jesus in his humanity, in his humility, in his deity, in, like, the prophecies that have been declared over and over and over and over again. And we're not going to relent. I am. I could easily be the Pharisee to be like. I mean, we see even now, like, even the fact that they would partner him with, like, no, he's doing this in partnership with the prince. The prince of demons, the kingdom of darkness. Like, we can read that and go, oh, these guys are. These guys are crazy. But to hear testimonies of what God is doing here, like, you shared it, like, the baptisms, the people coming of faith. It's so easy to go, but really, like, is that really happening? No. Every single one of those people cried, have mercy on us. Why? Because they're seeing Jesus for who he is.
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B
It makes me think of when Peter preached his first sermon, the sermon at Pentecost. There's a lot in there about David. And he says, I can tell you with confidence that we know where he's buried.
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C
Correct. You know, I can take you to his tomb today. Yeah, today might be rough, but in
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B
general, yeah, he makes that connection.
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C
I love it that Jesus sits down with these guys and he's like, do you believe I can do this? Yes, Lord. By your faith, you are healed, bro. So that's the question, man. So then. So if you. This is why you always gotta allow the Bible to interpret itself. So, like, what does that mean? Does that mean that they got their faith meter up to miracle level and then they were rewarded because they've got elite level of faith? Well, no. Ephesians 2 says that whatever faith you have is a gift from God. So you can't even brag about that. But then James says that, well, Matthew 17 says a mustard sees faith is enough to move mountains. Jesus is also going to say that again in Mark 11 and I think we understand what he actually means there. Such a misinterpreted verse because in that context, Jesus has just come in the triumphal entry, the first thing he did is he went to Jerusalem. He looked at the temple and he's ticked curses the fig tree. As he comes back, Peter's like, boss, that fig tree, you ruined it. And he says, have faith in God. And then he says, if you have faith, to say to this mountain, move. And do not doubt it will move. Bro, he's talking about Mount Zion. He's talking about, hey man, you see that temple over there where they're sacrificing all these lambs and stuff? By the end of next weekend you're not gonna need that whole thing. That whole thing is done with that. Judaism is not a false religion. It's fulfilled and the person and work of Christ, that mountain is gonna be moved. That's what it means. It's not like you got a tough tax season. That's not what he's talking about. He's saying that when you put your faith in him, then the whole sacrificial system has been fulfilled, your sins have been paid for, the lamb has been slain. That's going to take away the sin of anyone who would believe that's the mountain that is moved and back to the fig tree. There is no such thing as a fruitless Christian. That's not going to be you. Because now I'm going to live in you and I'm going to produce what I produce, which is the fruit of the spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Put all that stuff together. Then James has the audacity to say, faith without deeds works. That's not faith, it's dead. So my favorite illustration that I mentioned is Acts 3. Peter and John are on their way to the temple. God asked for alms. Silver and gold have a number. What I have given to you, they say the words, they declare, in the name of Jesus Christ, arise and walk. That's not when he walks, it's not until Peter puts action to it and reaches out his hand. And so faith is this thing. It's given by God. So whatever amount of faith you have is the amount God gave you a mustard seed size. Faith is all it takes when you put it. It's the object of your faith, not the Amount of your faith, but then action accompanies it because faith is acting as if you actually believe that God keeps his promises.
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B
I think. I think Pastor Ben says this phrase, it's the currency of the kingdom.
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C
Yeah.
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B
Faith.
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C
And that's good because the Bible says without faith, it's impossible to please God.
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B
And it is. I mean, there's a. There's this passage in Romans 12. It says, Use your gifts in accordance with the measure of faith that's assigned to you.
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D
Yeah.
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B
Think of yourself soberly according to the faith that's given to you. So we. It's the operating system.
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C
Correct.
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B
For all of this stuff. And so I don't think that I give it enough attention to think.
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C
Yeah. And the word I mean, you know, faith is kind of mysterious. Just gotta have faith. Okay. Trust is a really good English translation. Better than believe. Believe in. Is a good one. Believe that is not a good one. Because even the demons believe that Jesus is who he says he is. And they tremble because they have not trusted Jesus. So. So. So if the blind men can trust Jesus for their sight, then cannot the disciples of Jesus, of which we are, can we not trust him with the command to go? And he goes. And it's going to be real hard. So you're going to need a lot of trust.
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D
Yeah.
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C
Because I'm not going to make it smooth sailing, which this butts up against, like, American evangelicalism. How many times have you ever heard like, well, I thought God told me to do this, but he closed the door. No, you just mean it got hard. Well, God didn't close. Well, yeah, he closed the prison door with you in it. But that's what he called. He said it's going to happen.
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D
Yeah, Right. And sometimes he's. It's the faith to go, well, the door's closed. He's actually calling me to get a sledgehammer. So then the faith comes.
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B
That.
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D
And it's like, let's bust this door open. So. So even that, it's like, I love trust.
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C
Trust.
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D
You want to get to a point where I'm gonna trust I may not see God's hand in this particular season, and he's preparing them for that. But I trust his heart. And his heart is good.
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C
Yeah.
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D
He's faithful.
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C
At the end, he gets a little encouraged. He's like, man, you see these birds? They're worth a penny, and nothing happens to them without passing through the sovereign hand of God. You're worth more than birds.
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D
Yeah.
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B
It's almost like when he says he's not Giving them new information. When he says, according to your faith, be it done to you. He's saying, let me just reinterpret what's happening right here, because do you believe that I'm able? Do you trust that I'm able to do it? They say, yes, Lord. He said, yes, Lord. This is what's happening. Faith is at work here, you know?
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C
Correct. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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B
You mentioned the word, which is a fun word. Splogito. My.
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C
From the bowels. Yes, that's what it means.
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B
Jesus saw the crowds and felt compassion. And then there's this amazing picture, which I think it doesn't say that it was spoken out loud. This is Matthew writing it about the sheep and the shepherd. But if you were a Jewish audience, you'd be like, wait, who? Wait a minute.
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C
Because 23.
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B
Yeah. Ezekiel 34, Isaiah 40. So, so how does that. The use of that specific word, picture a sheep and a shepherd. What does it tell us about what Matthew's communicating? Big picture.
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C
So let's take Psalm 23, because everybody knows that one, the Lord, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D, when it's translated that way in your Bible, that's the covenant name of God. So this isn't like Adonai. This is not Elohim. This is like Yahweh, the God that talked to Moses, the covenant name of God that cut a covenant with Abraham, that God, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, that God, David said, is his. My shepherd. So the cosmic king of the universe is like that. Okay. Very personal. And then Matthew's like, yeah, Jesus is him. This would once again be another alias of an Old Testament prophecy of the coming Messiah, that Jesus is God, the Lord is my shepherd. Jesus himself in John 10 is going to be like, I am the good shepherd. Same thing. This is huge.
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B
Yeah.
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C
And the implications to us are enormous. Like, what do you see when you see sinners? And I'm telling you, man, I can be the worst.
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B
Oh, yeah.
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C
Let me give you an example. Okay, so let's say I'm watching the news and the antifa idiots are out there doing their thing. And I'm like, just punching. Jesus sees those people.
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D
Yeah.
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C
And he's like, they're beaten and broken.
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D
Yeah.
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C
And he feels. I. I feel compassion when I see compassion, kids. You know what I mean? But my. My flesh very quickly thinks, I'm telling you, man, just confession. I think I'm better than you, I'm smarter than you. I know the scriptures, and you're living for the world. So no wonder you're that way. You know what I mean?
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D
Yeah.
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C
And Jesus's lead foot is not. He also sees religious people bound up in religiosity.
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D
Yeah, yeah.
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C
And feels the same thing. I mean, bro. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that I would gather you under my. Cut off my wings. He cry. He weeps over people that are bound up in. In religion, just like he weeps over the people that are beaten up and battered and bruised by this world like sheep without a shepherd. So I'm asking God to help me be better at that, to not see what I consider my opponents, you know.
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B
Yeah.
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C
But instead see them as. As trophies of grace for God.
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D
I think that's the prayer, help me to see what you see. And. And if we're following the trend, I mean, it. It start. You started off tonight. It's the. The blind who actually could see. And. And so, God, I'm blind. Help me see what you see. And that shifts. At least for me, it shifts because you're right. Even when I'm looking at someone who is in direct opposition to what I'm doing, what I'm believing in that moment, I can quickly just go, nah, enemy, I don't want you. But then to rather go, God, help me see what you see. And that's what Jesus sees. You know, the CSB says they were distressed and dejected. I mean, the language itself, the story is heavy. And there are so many people who are living in nice homes, driving nice cars with lots of money in the bank, and they are helpless and harassed.
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C
Yeah. Literally, in Greek, I think it means thrown down and battered.
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D
Yeah.
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B
I was thinking about, like, okay, I'm asking myself right now, when I feel compassion for a person that I see, why do I feel that? And I think it's. It's. You see somebody who you presume has some level of innocence or like, there's a. They're a victim of some injustice. And then. So then the opposite of. Is you see somebody and you say, well, they're not innocent or like, they're protest. You know what I mean? So what is it about Jesus that sees how these people have been victimized but in the perfect way? You know, like you.
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C
He knows that the battle is not against flesh and blood.
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D
Yeah.
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C
And so he sees the demonic dark forces that have beaten them down.
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B
Yeah.
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C
Bro, have you ever. Here's. Here's. Here's why. One of the things, one of the reasons going on a mission trip to another culture helps you so much with. Because you, like, preset your mind to love the people that you're going to see, and they're so different than you. And then what also all often happens is you get home and you're like, wait a minute. There are people different than me here. So what if I had that same sort of like, gospel saturated attitude going into it? Or have you ever met somebody and you're like, man, that guy's the worst. You know, and you're just. You got all these reasons, you know, and he's got crappy behavior or whatever, and then you get to know him and you hear a little bit of their backstory, and you hear about the abuse or you hear about the hurt, you hear about the pain, and you're like, I didn't know that. Well, man, if I would have. If I would have been in the same situation, I might be living out the same way. That's what happened. I mean, it's like three weeks in a row now. But I'm going to bring this up. But when those strippers would come to the gym, I mean, dude, I'm a youth pastor for years, all I've ever been doing is, like, stay away right from those people. Then those people started sitting across the counter and drinking protein shakes, and we just. And then they. They become people. People with names and stories. And, you know, you're like, golly. And. And, you know, you might be like, well, how could you feel sorry for somebody? I mean, they're making all that money and they're doing all these things. I'm like, man, if you'd heard the stories, the backstories.
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D
Yeah.
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C
Like, they ain't got, like, these loving relationships with their father. And they didn't grow up in the. Being raised in the admonition of the Lord. You know what I mean?
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D
Yeah, yeah.
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C
I mean, that's it. I mean, you begin to begin to feel what they feel. And there's a big difference between compassion and empathy, you know, I mean, empathy is just feeling stuff. Compassion does stuff. There's feelings involved, but there's action. Yeah.
- [28:24]
B
I think that's part of what a plentiful harvest is. Because when you see. As God sees, you see all the opportunity, there's nobody off limits.
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C
Right?
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B
There's. There's nobody who. You can't say, ah, there's something. There's something I can work with there. Some. There's a. There's an entry point there because of what they've been through.
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D
Well, right out the gates. It's because they're image bearers.
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C
Amen.
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D
So how many people are there around the world? What 8 billion now, image bearers. I mean, that alone. Like, if you start there and you go, it's because this person has been made in the image of God. Correct. So that's number one. And then number two is what we saw in the text is, well, it's because they're harassed and helpless, like they weren't designed for this. John 14:8. So we all know John 14:6, Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. But then in John 14:8, Philip says, like, it's almost like it makes sense for him in that moment. And he goes, then show us the Father and I'll be satisfied. Show us the Father and that'll be enough. That is the cry of every human heart, everyone who's been made in the image of God, show me the Father.
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C
Why?
- [29:37]
D
Because when I was created, the first thing that man saw was the face of the Father. So. So then I go, okay, then, if that makes sense, then. Then the harvest is plentiful and I should go.
- [29:49]
C
So now I'm going to teach you a little Southern culture here. You ready?
- [29:52]
D
Let's go.
- [29:52]
C
Gotta on YouTube, you need to watch this documentary called the Life of a Turkey.
- [29:57]
D
I'm excited.
- [29:58]
C
Life of a Turkey. There's this Auburn grad, and he's got his PhD in, like, Turkey life, Wild turkey, like, in this turkey season right now, Florida and Georgia. And so what this guy does is there's a thing that happens in a bird, and when it cracks itself out of the egg, first and foremost, if you crack it out of the egg, it will not survive because it builds the beak strength and the neck strength through the struggle of getting itself out of the egg that allows it to live. So that'll preach. And then what, what. What happens in a bird's life is the first thing that it sees is typically its mom is right there making all these little turkey noises, like, all this stuff. And when it sees it, it's called imprinting. And her face is imprinted on the little baby turkey. And they know that's my mom and I'm going to follow her and do what she says. So this guy finds some wild turkey eggs, incubate some, allows them to hatch, and as they come out, he puts his face right there by the eggs and they see his face and it's imprinted on these little baby turkeys. And. And then for the next year and a half of his. Of their life, he walks around in the woods and these wild turkeys just follow him around and he studies their language and he studies everything, man. And he can tell, like when they're. When they make certain noise for snakes and different ones for poisonous snakes and all these things. And then the male turkey is called a jake. And then as he begins to get a little bit older and come into maturity, he rejects the guy and attacks him because he wants to be dominant. This guy is not trying to preach the gospel that this is called the life of a turkey or turkey's life. Okay, wow. So in the beginning, God speaks everything to existence. He creates Adam. He forms together the dust of the earth. He breathes the rua of life into Adam. The very few. First human opens his eyes and he is face to face with his heavenly Father. And it is imprinted upon every single one of us. And that's what we were all created for. Like turkey.
- [32:05]
D
Yeah.
- [32:07]
C
That's why Philip says, just show us the Father, every single person. That's why the temporary things of this world would never satisfy. No, it just won't scratch that itch. God has been eternity in our hearts, face to face with Adam. And that's what we long for, and that's what Jesus offers. And like the jake, we get to a place where we're like, forget you. I'm going to rebel against you and live my own life. And then he's outside of the flock.
- [32:35]
D
Look at God.
- [32:36]
C
The life of a turkey. What? Fascinating.
- [32:40]
B
That's what I think. That's what some people mean when they say the God shaped void or whatever. That's what they're talking about.
- [32:46]
D
There's a song you would know this as Deep cries out to deep. And it's that God has placed eternity in the heart of every man. And so what's the only thing that can satisfy eternity is man.
- [33:01]
C
Yeah. Only an eternal God can satisfy the insatiable soul.
- [33:06]
D
Let me say it again. Let the turkey preach.
- [33:08]
C
Yeah, baby.
- [33:09]
D
It's a good one.
- [33:11]
B
C.S. lewis quote, right. If my desires can't be satisfied by anything in this world, it must mean there's another world for me.
- [33:18]
C
Amen.
- [33:18]
B
That I was made for. I'm fascinated by the. In the end of nine, when he says, he's talking about the harvest and the laborers, and he says, pray earnestly. And so I want to talk a little bit about the way that that prayer is action. Because you said it's not nothing. And sometimes we think of it as like, oh, I just pray. No, no, there's a lot more to it than that. So the prayer is action, but then action will flow out of the prayer.
- [33:45]
C
Here's what's crazy. He doesn't. You don't pray for the harvest. You pray for the laborers, right? Earnestly. So are you praying earnestly for the laborers? Are you praying occasionally and waiting for somebody else? I think most of us at church pray occasionally and we're waiting for somebody else to do it. And so I mentioned that Chandler and I preached in a prison in Dallas. Bridgeport is what it's called. And Praise God, man. 50 men got saved. We baptized 44 or something. Wow. And our people will cheer at that. And I'm saying, so why aren't you doing that or whatever, that it doesn't have to be, you know, but what is, what is your harvest? There's a big difference between praying earnestly that you would be a laborer and praying occasionally and leaving it to the pros. I mean, it's part of the shadow of the fact that like, full time, full time vocational ministry is like a career now. You know, you can be famous doing it.
- [34:47]
B
Sad, but you just, but you just said it. Like you don't. I think most of the time when we pray, we're saying we pray for the harvest or let so. And so my one more be harvested
- [34:59]
C
as you should, you know. But he's saying, but he's telling you
- [35:02]
B
pray for the laborers.
- [35:03]
C
Right.
- [35:04]
B
You know, and, and go be one. That's. That's a subtle but very, very important difference.
- [35:10]
D
It's like a farmer looking at his field. I mean, acres and acres and acres. It's acres we use here.
- [35:17]
C
Yeah, right.
- [35:17]
D
Yeah, acres and acres and acres. And, and it's ready. And now he's going, okay, where, where the laborers.
- [35:25]
C
Right.
- [35:26]
D
You know, and, and, and I can't imagine that farmer looking. And over time just going like this is. They're perishing because no one is going out. And yet we're all sitting in nice seats and comfortable homes and air conditioned and, and we're going, well, someone will go do it.
- [35:46]
C
No, no, no.
- [35:47]
D
Your neighbor. Your neighbor is waiting for you.
- [35:50]
C
It's also one of the dangers of a really big church because there's so many people. As we launch into Neighbors to Nations later this year, the moment you think, well, somebody else will handle that, bro, we are in trouble, man.
- [36:04]
D
Yeah.
- [36:05]
C
I mean, the biggest danger, I think I told you, you know, I was meeting with these business guys, these great guys at our church, really successful. God's really gifted them in leadership and vision, all these great things. And they, they love to ask this question, so what's, what's the biggest threat to 1122 and thought about it, you know, I think the biggest threat to the church is the pulpit. But as long as we're in good hands there, we're going to preach the gospel, period. We're going to do what this word says. So then it's. I think it's complacency, that success what man made. You know, when you measure it by. By man's standards, then you can get complacent, and then you'll have a. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are for you because you're waiting on the pros to do it. You're waiting on somebody else to do it. And listen, dude, you don't. You don't get credit. And when it comes to generosity, you don't get to show up in heaven and be like, oh, no, I went to a generous church. Like, that's adorable. What about you? What did you.
- [37:10]
D
Steward.
- [37:12]
B
There's a book by a guy called Os Guinness, and it's about calling. And he. He says that there's two.
- [37:21]
C
He.
- [37:21]
B
He names them the catholic distortion and the. I guess the Protestant distortion and the catholic distortion is what you're talking about, which is there's a special class of people out there. They're the holy one set apart, and they do the real ministry. And we don't want to fall off that side of the log, but the other side is to be like, well, preacher, the preacher, the believer. Everybody's got the same role. And what that does, it diminishes the office. You know, there are offices for a reason in the church. And so we don't want to fall off on either side.
- [37:54]
C
Yeah, but to that, biblically speaking, the three of us are not in ministry, that we are to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. Like we are at the. We're on the aircraft carrier now, and we are supposed to fuel up and send out now. We're supposed to have our own personal boots on the ground ministry, like reaching our neighbor and doing whatever role we have, but primarily our job. I mean, listen, I don't know if you, you know, I send out the notes to everybody. I put a note on it this time, sort. So what if we just started looking at what if success for us was not how well we did our job, but how many laborers we prepared. That seems to be the way Christ is going to measure whether we did a good job or not.
- [38:42]
B
There's a very famous story in John's gospel, Woman at the well of Samaria. And it's a passage that I love a lot because I led worship. And he says, true worshipers, you know, so it's one you. One I've studied. Right after he talks to the woman, and she goes and it says, she's telling everybody, come see this man who's told me everything about me. The disciples get back, and they're like, hey, do you want food? And he's like, I already had some food, and I have food that you don't know about. But he says, look, I tell you, lift up your eyes. See the fields are white for harvest. And what if he's seeing the. The people coming out of the village towards. Towards him to the at led by this woman.
- [39:25]
D
Yeah.
- [39:26]
B
To. To hear about what. What he was telling her already. The one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life.
- [39:35]
D
Mm.
- [39:36]
B
So this is really why this concept. I mean, Pastor Onay, and we're talking this week. So one of the reasons why he's here is to help us fuel and send leaders and disciple makers through the school of ministry. And we're working together on it. It's very exciting. And so let's talk about that, like, because it's really about this. Praying earnestly for the laborers to be sent out into the harvest field. We care a lot about it as a church. I mean, you were just saying, like, what if that's our success measure.
- [40:10]
C
Yeah, talk about it. Talk about what we're doing, what you're doing, how you're leading us.
- [40:13]
D
So one of the things that we're working on is the school of ministry. So that's about a kickoff this spring. No, the fall. August, and still stuck in my South African seasons. And. And if someone asked me, why are you so passionate about this? Well, number one, I love God. I love the Great Commission, and I want to be obedient to that. But also, I'm a product of this. I'm a product of someone who took time to say, hey, how can I come alongside you and see what God is doing in you? Help mold, shape that so that you can be all that God's called you to be. So two Timothy two. Two. I like to start with verse one. It says, Paul writes. Paul's writing to Timothy, and he says, well, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And then the things that you've heard me say in the presence of many witnesses and trust to other reliable men who will go and teach others. And so I'm Just going, well, I'm just going to continue to do that. And how can we continue to do that? At 11:22, God is clearly on the move here. And as we move into from neighbors to nations, then it's like, it's no longer a. An opportunity. It's a responsibility that we have. And. And so how do we raise up the next generation? But maybe taking a step back, how do we raise up this current generation? So even tonight, a guy came to meet you, and then I got to meet him, and he's a young guy, 18 years old. And. And he's. He's got. God has clearly called me, but he's like, I. I realize there's some things that I need to grow in. And I said to him, I said, bro, that's wisdom. The call is clear. What you're realizing is you need formation, and we'd love to do that.
- [41:54]
C
So that guy came to me and said, God has called me to pastor a church in Colorado.
- [41:59]
D
He was specific.
- [42:00]
C
And I said, why Colorado? And he said, God, that's what God clearly said. I go, okay, cool. Who are you discipling right now? That was my first question. If you didn't answer that, he wouldn't have made it to you.
- [42:10]
D
Love it.
- [42:10]
C
And he said, I brought a group of guys that I disciple. I go, great, let's come talk to on about our school of ministry. And I was like, there's a couple different lanes you could go, bro. You can kind of go the traditional, you know, go to Bible college thing if you want to, kind of. I mean, whatever. I'm pro. All the things, Whatever lane God puts you in. But you want boots on the ground and to kind of learn as you go. Be a Talmudine. This is an opportunity. But my first question is always, who are you discipling right now? Because there's this. Especially with the church planner craze, there's a little bit of, like, I feel called to stand on the stage with a lot of people looking at me like, that's not what this is, bro. Maybe for some of us, you know, but the. The step one is just to disciple people right where you are. I spent some serious prayer time a couple weeks ago. I've been listening to a lot of Philip Anthony Mitchell, and he's become a friend of mine and Tim Timberlake, who's a pastor here in town at Celebration Church. They're like best buddies or something. And. And he just says to me that Philip Anthony Mitchell's preaching gift is nothing but an overflow of his Prayer life. And it's just been a real challenge to me. And then when we, when I taught on the Lord's Prayer, you know, taught on prayer back in the. I just tried to turn up the, I'm losing all my reward in heaven, but I'm just, just trying to turn that up. And as we go on into neighbors to nations, I, I just, I had this, I don't even know how you would describe it. It was more like a meditation in the Lord's presence to answer this question. What is the singular greatest thing I could do that would have the biggest, biggest impact on the biggest problems in the world?
- [44:11]
D
Okay.
- [44:14]
C
Because I don't know if I'm a five talent guy or a two talent guy, but ain't going to be a one talent guy. So that's what I'm praying. And you know, kids are starving and people are dying of dirty water and people are lost and whatever all the things. Think about this. And the church is the, the greatest organization and organism that has ever existed. Like right now it's the biggest organization on the planet. Right. And I mean I'm praying and seeking the Lord and Bible verses are popping up and I'm going to read them. And I mean verses like that came up like Jesus had compassion on them, like they were sheep without a shepherd. Okay, long story short, and I'm a bit biased here, but the greatest thing I think we can do for this planet is plant churches. It's the only thing that has the potential to solve all the problems, the eternal ones and the physical, you know what I mean? And it's self replicating, it's diversified. Especially like we're not trying to plant 1122s everywhere, a lot of places around the world. It makes sense, you know, but we're raising up indigenous local pastors to shepherd flocks that make disciples. That make disciples.
- [45:47]
D
Yeah.
- [45:48]
C
That perpetuate itself over generations, apart from whatever founding kind of fuel that was required to get over that, you know, that needed that inertia to get started. And it is, it is the vehicle by which the answer to all of humanity's problems are found.
- [46:12]
D
Absolutely.
- [46:15]
C
That's it. And I can talk to you about it. And honestly, I didn't, we didn't hire you. I mean, you have a job description, but we didn't have a problem that we were trying to solve and then go find a person to do it. I met you and wanted you here and then you were uniquely gifted to do this thing. And so then that's how it actually worked.
- [46:36]
D
Yeah.
- [46:37]
C
Because what I do, man, like, if I. If you're an SEC football coach, you just recruit speed. That's it, bro. What's he gonna do? We'll see. The starting cornerback for the Bulldogs was a high school running back. It don't matter. He's just the most athletic guy out there. And Kirby knows if I just got the fastest guys, we win, you know, different sizes, further away you get from the ball, smaller you get, but you get speed, you win. Okay? And so around here, I just need gospel guys. I need guys that can grab a vision and then manifest it. Okay, I'll handle the direction that we're going, but I need to be able to hand it to people and be like, go. And. And then I need preachers, people that just handle the word of God. It doesn't matter what your job is. I just need you to rightly handle the word of God. And it just works out kind of good that you were gifted the way you are. I like you a lot. And it also helps that you come from another part of the planet to come to this side of the planet to train up some laborers.
- [47:42]
D
Yep.
- [47:42]
C
To sin. Because the harvest is plentiful. That's it, bro. So that's why we plant churches, and that's why we. We. And we don't. I mean, you know, we plant Todd in Montana. That's very American traditional, I guess, you know, in the last 15 years of church planting kind of thing. And we partner with Compassion churches, and we do them that way, and we partner with actually nine and the sin. Whoever, bro. I don't care who it is. They love Jesus and believe in the Bible, but it's very, very key to raise up these local leaders to lead their people, and we'll help resource and train and all of that. And so, you know, and a part of the way we've been able to do that is because. So what some people are hearing when they're praying earnestly for laborers, God is saying, yeah, man, keep raking in cash, and then do with it what you're supposed to do with it and invest in the kingdom of God and all, you know, and. And. And we got prayers and players and payers, and we're all three on some level. Right. But some of us maybe lean more in one direction than the other, and then God uses it for this kind of thing. I mean, one of the things. We hadn't talked about it lately, so we've planted over. We partnered to plant over 800 churches in the last, like, seven or eight years. And again, that's things like Todd Hickox Wood Bridger Church. And that's, I mean, countless in Eastern Africa and the Amazon and Brazil and on the edge of the 1040 window. We'll talk about that more in the fall. And there are more people attending the churches that we've planted right now than attend 1122 on a weekend. Praise God.
- [49:34]
D
Amazing.
- [49:35]
C
That's it, dude.
- [49:37]
D
And I think what some people might not know is. So my wife and I and a group of individuals, we planted a church 1112 years ago.
- [49:45]
C
So, so that's a good rooted fellowship.
- [49:48]
D
But, but we became a partner of 1122, of course. And, and so to like to see how God has been orchestrating this. So you asked the question about school of ministry. But even on this, the planting of churches was all around the world. Why would you be so passionate about this? I'm a product of it. And so to come here, I think just God's timing and God's sovereignty and I consider it an incredible privilege to be on the team. And so all of that, God goes, okay, for such a time as this, why not come over and let's continue? But let's see even more. Let's trust God for more. So I'm just, what a joy to continue to do the thing that I love to do and then to do it with you guys, you know, under your leadership and how God is using you to continue to do what Jesus said to these guys.
- [50:41]
C
The other thing, man, if I'm boasting, I hope I'm boasting in Christ here. I'm just not intimidated by talent at all. You know what I mean? And I mean, look at our teaching team right now. Got Matt Carter, Ryan Britt, you and Adam Flint. You know what I mean? And, but what I think about the way God has wired my mind is this, dude, I am the lead. I'm the, well, I'm the under shepherd. The lead shepherd is Jesus senior pastor. And lead shepherd means the same thing by the way, in Greek. And I work for him. And one day I will stand and give an account. Not for, like, if my sermons are good or not, but how I shepherded this flock. And when I think about it, like, what would be best for the people of 1122? Well, if, if I can build the best teaching team, I mean, just get all A plus preachers, bro, why would I not do that, you know? And so, man, I mean, hiring people that are smarter than me and better, no problem. Bring them home, bro. You know, I am very comfortable with the seat that God has set me in. And my job is to help navigate this whole thing. You know, it's a big old ship, and I just. I just want to get the best people around to accomplish this thing.
- [51:59]
D
Yeah, yeah.
- [52:01]
C
Right. So even that, I mean, you know, why would you get a one star Harvester? I mean, labor when you get some blue chippers out there, bro.
- [52:12]
B
Right?
- [52:12]
C
You know?
- [52:13]
D
Yeah.
- [52:14]
C
Now, what's cool about this passage is Jesus picked all the one star guys. They ain't a guy on this list. We would hire. There's not a guy on the list who would you hire? You know what I mean? Every time John's in a staff meeting, he's like, y' all know I can outrun Peter, right? Like, dude, you're. I can't. I don't got time for this. Like, I get to sit next to Jesus, say, oh, my gosh, bro. Seriously.
- [52:37]
B
That goes back to the development thing. He saw the raw goods and helped him grow.
- [52:42]
C
Well, the real testimony of that list, I mean, I. You know, and my favorite one, I hope y' all got it. When I was like, you know, I like about these two disciples. Nothing. The Bible doesn't say anything. I can't find anything on these guys. Imagine that you're one of the 12 and you're like, I don't. People don't even know who I am in the Chosen, bro. What do I get to do, Thaddeus? They just stand in the back, man. You'll. You'll be on the list. I mean, it's great. Isn't that great?
- [53:04]
B
Yeah.
- [53:06]
C
I mean, it is. It. It is. I've taught on it before. I didn't bring it up tonight, but the fishermen working for their dads is evident. They. They did not make it to the.
- [53:16]
D
Yeah.
- [53:17]
C
Graduate level of Jewish school. You know what I mean? Hebrew school. They're working for their dad. And so this is who Jesus chooses. And. Dude, how cool is this? Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector. Bro, if you think there are political differences here. I mean, bro, these guys were like, yeah. Mortal enemies against one another.
- [53:39]
D
Matthew would pray with his eyes open, I'm sure.
- [53:41]
C
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [53:42]
D
He's like, no, not today.
- [53:43]
C
Yeah. And the Zealots were like. They were. They were strapped.
- [53:49]
D
Yeah.
- [53:50]
C
They were locked and loaded and ready to revolt to take over.
- [53:54]
B
Well, you know, the chosen Simon the Zealot is on a mission to assassinate someone when he meets Jesus.
- [53:59]
C
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [54:00]
B
You know.
- [54:00]
D
Yeah.
- [54:01]
B
It's crazy. As we get ready to round this out here, I Want to ask about? Well, this whole back half like you, you said you gave that warning. Like you're going to love the first part. Second part, not so much because we have Jesus declaring, demonstrating and then deputizing and he sends them off and he's like, hey, you're sheep among wolves. He's like, you're, you're going to be brought before the councils. You're going to get mistreated. Oh, by the way, don't be afraid. And so don't even be anxious. And you, you said nothing keeps you on the sidelines of the kingdom like com. The idols of comfort and the fear of man. So what a, what a crazy juxtaposition. Here's Jesus saying, go do this thing. It's going to be tough. And also don't be anxious or afraid because he actually has it covered. That's the birds thing.
- [54:57]
C
Most people, including the three of us at this table, live for the pursuit of comfort and the approval of man.
- [55:05]
D
Yeah, yeah.
- [55:07]
C
I mean, bro, let somebody post some mean things about you. And praise God. It happened to me this week. You know, a little flare up of mean videos and stuff. Praise God. What a perfect. How good is he that this would be the text that he told me to preach a year ago. Wow. On the week that if. And don't go looking for I would. You could look for it. You know, everybody's like, oh my God, who said what? I'm gonna get them. You don't have to get them, man. I'm fine, I'm fine. Dude, the line of Judah's got my back. You know, Say whatever you want to say. Good, good. And, and so. But listen in comparison.
- [55:46]
B
Yeah.
- [55:46]
C
To our Nigerian brothers and sisters right now who nobody even talks about. Dude, where are all the college students that are walking out of class because powerful regime has killed people for religious differences. I thought that was a thing. Is that not a thing? That's you right. People just have a political agenda that they're. And these, these, most of these guys in Nigeria are beheaded.
- [56:14]
D
Yeah.
- [56:17]
C
By a demonic false religion. And even let me say this very clear. God loves Muslims, Islam is demonic. And you got to see the difference. Every Muslim was created in the image of God and they need to bend their knee to the resurrected Christ who is the son of David, who is the son of man, who is the son of God. And the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the father but through him.
- [56:47]
D
Yeah.
- [56:49]
C
And a demonic being revealed something to a wretched man that started a bloody revolution that continues Today. And not just in Nigeria. Because listen, man, from Jacksonville to Nigeria, it might as well happen on Neptune. They're like, well, whatever, I'm just telling you. But in the UK because of the influence of that same religion, by the
- [57:18]
D
way,
- [57:20]
C
what did I say? 12,000 people this year have been arrested for social media posts. But our whole idea of like freedom of speech and stuff was birthed there. Like the idea of common law based on the scriptures started there, not here. I mean, I think it was manifested better here. We took steps there. But dude, if. If you would have told the. The church and the king 300 years ago that people, that street preachers would be arrested for hate speech and disturbance of the peace for preaching the Bible. 20 pastors have been arrested in the UK. Not in Turkey.
- [58:03]
D
It's wild.
- [58:03]
C
Not in Iraq. It's not.
- [58:06]
B
Some in Canada too, right?
- [58:07]
C
Oh yeah, Canada. Canada's a joke.
- [58:09]
D
Yeah, it's a whole different.
- [58:10]
C
Yo, this is. This is toxic empathy. This is intolerant tolerance. That's what this is. So not to get political again, America, but we the people are supposed to run this place. If you don't think that our country is trying to be taken over by denom a demonic ideology, then bro, it matters. Okay? And I know we don't have great choices all the time, but you've got to pay it. You got to read your Bible and look at legislation and say who is going to protect things like freedom of speech and freedom of religion so that we can preach this good news of the gospel. Yeah, these things that. That is. That is demonic oppression, man. That is this world hating you. Yeah, these things matter.
- [59:02]
B
That's what Paul said. He said, pray for your national leaders that you could live peacefully because God desires people to come to know him. Something about the peaceful operation of society is conducive to this, you know, and he. He pointed it out.
- [59:21]
C
And the spread of the gospel is not by invasion, it's by invitation.
- [59:25]
B
So good. Yeah.
- [59:27]
C
But where freedom reigns, we. We are able. I'm able to do this tonight. And you can bring your own more, you know. Now the good news is, is that the church will prevail.
- [59:37]
D
Yeah.
- [59:37]
B
Yeah.
- [59:38]
C
Period.
- [59:39]
D
Yeah.
- [59:41]
B
Well, what encouragement would you give the person who is. And you gave plenty of examples. Who has that thing that they're sensing. I. I didn't go do that. And. And they're waiting for too much pre. I've got it figured out before they take that step. And it comes from the fear of man or a comfort.
- [60:03]
C
The first thing Jesus does is call you to himself, and then he puts you on mission. Okay. So first and foremost, do you know him as your Lord and savior? Okay. And I love. I mean, Peter, man, you know, he's. He's such a trained wreck. And then he says his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. And the way I understand that, the way I apply that to my life, If God has called you to it, he'll give you everything you need to accomplish what he has called you to.
- [60:30]
D
Yeah.
- [60:30]
C
So if you're waiting until you got everything to get, if you're waiting until you have everything you need, then what you don't need is trust. And that is the currency by which we please God.
- [60:41]
B
Yeah.
- [60:41]
C
Listen, man, I know it's going Good right now, 11:22. But when Pastor Jerry said, it's time, you're gonna plant, we're gonna plant you, I was like, all right, let's go, bro. I'm signing papers. Like, if it didn't go good, I think I'd go to jail or. I don't know. I mean, at least bankrupt. I would have been out dozens of dollars because they didn't have anything.
- [61:02]
B
Petey would have been out.
- [61:03]
C
Petey would have been in prison because he's got money or had money. So, you know, he gave it all away. So. But I don't. It was in the going that God provides. Here's the thing I want people to see when he says, on this particular trip, don't take anything. Don't take gold, don't take silver, don't take extra clothes, don't make a reservation. I'm going to cover everything. Okay? I'm not saying you got to be homeless and only have one set of clothes, but in reality, if you're honest with yourself, I want every single person to listen to this man. If you were to look back this week, where did most of your time, effort, and energy go? Did it go to your comfort, your money, your clothes? What people thought about you? Is probably. That's where we spent the majority of our attention, as opposed to spending the majority, the first of our time, our affection, our energy, The Lord, here I am. Send me wherever I am. And this and you know, and then whatever the good shepherd tells you to do, just do what he says. Do you know what? You know what Billy Graham's mom's name is? Me either. You think she did a good job? Seems like right? So to the stay at home mom raising babies. There's no more honorable labor intensive harvest ready call. Okay. Not everybody stand you know, I'm. I'm preaching all over the place right now. Okay, cool. That's just what God has for me in this season. But that started all the way back when I was 19 and I was a intern youth guy. And then I went to Beaver Dam Baptist Church in Mount Olivet and had three kids. I was like, man, I'm just gonna teach these kids. And then, you know, and then that moved me to Vinton, Virginia. And so I was like, oh, I'm gonna teach these kids. And then that moved me to Athens, Georgia, and I'm like, oh, now it's college students and high school kids. And that moved me to Jacksonv. And then that moved me to 11:22. It was just a series of yeses. And then the reason I went to prison this week, man, is because the harvest is plentiful. Like, if this was like a vocational, strategic thing, why would me and Chandler go there? Because, man, people need to hear the gospel and God behind bars invited us and so let's go. Yeah, let's go. Yeah, that's it. So whatever. Just do the next thing that he's told you to do. And it's in the going. We'll get there that at the end of the fall. But in Matthew 28, when he gives the Great Commission, okay, all authority in heaven and earth has been given unto me, therefore. So whatever's next, you better pay attention to go. It's literally as you are on the go or wherever you go, you make disciples of who? Everybody. You come in contact with every tribe, tongue, nation. Okay, so there's the Great Commission. We know this, right? You're going to teach them to obey everything I've commanded do. You're going to baptize them. Name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. And lo, now here's the great promise. Nobody ever talks about this, and I will be with you. What if I'm not going? In the general omnipresent sense, I'm with you. Yeah, in the salvific sense, I'm with you because I'm Emmanuel, but I ain't with you. Like, I'm with you wherever you go to the end of the age. That's different, man. You want intimacy with Christ. You want to grow. You want to deepen your relationship. Something called deepen? Deepen doesn't mean you know the book more and more and more. That's very helpful as a means to the end of knowing him. He says, abide me. I'll bind you. How, Jesus? Abide my word. I'll bind you. Why? This is just the playbook, man. If you just did film study and you never got on the field, you're not a football player. You're a film studier. You're a playbook reader. Right?
- [65:02]
D
True story, bro.
- [65:04]
C
If you just play war games, you don't go to war. You're not a soldier. You're a practicer. I don't know what you are. You know what I mean? Like, we. We've conflated. I think a part of it, man, is, like, when I could. Like, the priesthood kind of screwed us a little because it was. It became so academic.
- [65:28]
D
Yeah.
- [65:29]
C
You know, and it fell off the Catholic side of the log. Like, in order to do it, you got a lot of school and you gotta hear this funny hat. And then, like, we have the authority. Like, I had heard a guy criticizing me, and he was like, listen, man. I mean, solo scriptura. So now anybody that walks into Walmart can just read the Bible. Yeah. That's the whole point. He said. He said, yeah, okay, everybody has the Bible, but, like, we have the Constitution. We need a Supreme. The Supreme Court. That's what he said. You need to have a Supreme Court. And that's the church. Where. Where does it say that the Supreme Court is the Holy Spirit? That's who the Supreme Court is to guide you and direct you and say, no, that's not what that means. This is what this means.
- [66:12]
D
Mm.
- [66:13]
C
And so I'm in the camp with Martin Luther that every plow boy would. He would hear and heed this word just as much as any office in the church.
- [66:26]
D
Well, that's who changed the world, like, turned it upside down, bro.
- [66:30]
C
It's those guys, no doubt, to praise God for the bivocational pastor right now that's out there just grinding, bro.
- [66:40]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [66:41]
C
And if we could be any help to anybody. Come on.
- [66:48]
B
What I. One of the things I hear you saying is this is an invitation from God, like, to go on the adventure with him. And I think about the number of people who pray a prayer, like, I just want more of God or I want to know I'm more. And you're just saying, do you want to God. You want to know more intimately and deeply he's actually made a way for you to do that.
- [67:10]
C
Why don't you try to do something that if God doesn't show up, you will absolutely fall on your face? And if it happens, if it works, if it. Then you. Your only answer is going to be, but God.
- [67:23]
D
Yeah. Yeah.
- [67:25]
C
Look at him. He did it again.
- [67:27]
D
Use the word adventure.
- [67:29]
C
How?
- [67:29]
D
I came to faith, found myself at a Bible study. I was there for the wrong reason. And the guy that was leading the Bible study shared the gospel. I heard it clearly for the first time. And he spoke about the Great Commission, but he called it the greatest adventure of your Life. I was 19. I have not stopped talking about the Great Commission as the greatest adventure of your life. Whatever it is that you're doing right now and you think is pretty cool, great, but in comparison to the Great Commission will pale in comparison. Like, it's just. Like, it's nothing. It's. This is the greatest adventure of your life. And when someone looks at you and sees what you're doing and praise God for what he's doing in your Life, but at 19, and then every step after that, he's just fanning the flame. Fanning the flame. Fanning the flame to that point where you're just like, hey, guys, I'm gonna open up this word.
- [68:17]
C
And for a few of us, he's gonna call us, sell it all, and go, like, plan a church, be a missionary, whatever. For the overwhelming majority of folks who are the saints, he's going to say, now leverage everything I have given you. Okay? We have two guys in our church that own steel companies. He's not calling them to sell their steel companies. You know what they're doing? They donate steel to help us build our buildings so that we can do more faster. So the 610 people that got saved over the last five weeks, bro, when we get to heaven, that's fruit hanging on their tree, too. Every bit as much as mine. You know what I mean? And yours. And yours and every single person that's involved here. That's how this thing works.
- [69:02]
B
Yeah.
- [69:03]
C
And so that's it. Just like, Lord, as I am on the go, wherever I'm going, whatever I'm doing, stay at home, mom. Man, why don't you just raise you some disciples? You know, CEO Matt Chang has a book about how to leverage your business for kingdom influence. Read that. That's a good one. He's trying to make a difference in all the entrepreneurs and small business owners and all of that stuff. To. What does it look like? To. Yes. Pray at the board meeting and also leverage what God has trusted you with for the advancement of the kingdom. Yeah, it's that kind of thing. That. That's a. That's a laborer. And, bro, you don't think there's wolves trying to kill him, you know?
- [69:45]
B
Right.
- [69:46]
C
Oh, my goodness.
- [69:48]
B
Yeah.
- [69:48]
C
And so he's going to face a significant pushback. It's gonna be different than the Nigerian Christian. It's gonna be different than me. Because, you know, people, whatever. But you just, you be innocent as a dove, man. Pure, pure heart. And you be shrewd as a serpent. Be really smart out there.
- [70:05]
B
Yeah. And get after it looks like we sang tonight. You know, we are praying and believing that this is just the beginning, that we want to see God pour out and do more, exceedingly more, than we could ask or imagine.
- [70:19]
C
And send, by the way, in the church is what that. That that verse says?
- [70:23]
B
Yes. So why don't you close us with prayer with for. For exactly what Jesus said. Pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out his laborers.
- [70:32]
C
Dear God, we pray for laborers. Lord, we bring to you a broken and contrite heart. We repent that we pursue the applause of man and comfort God. May you rewire our minds and may our prayers just be Lord, hear my send me.
- [70:55]
D
Amen.
- [70:56]
C
Thank you for listening to the podcast the End. You nailed it.
- [71:04]
A
The reality is everything already belongs to God and when we give financially, we're acknowledging that we trust him. If you just watch this and feel led. To make a donation, text the word donate to 441-122 or visit coe22.com donate. Your generosity is not only an act of worship, but an investment so all people can discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus.