Sermon Transcript:

Wonderful see everyone today I trust you've had a good week and it is nice to cool off a little bit and see exactly what the Lord has for us going into the fall a lot of exciting things. And so that is true for our church as well. And so we're going to do a series, just just one part series really designed a series to be a one off one lesson on serving what that means. How can we learn that, really from the feet of Jesus? And so I'm gonna go straight to a passage that is all about this idea of Jesus teaching us His followers, how to serve. Now, most of us in our flesh are thinking great, I'm into serving serve me, right? I mean, let's let's be honest, that's what we like, we get images of, you know, maybe it was old school and you like, you know, somebody dropping grapes in your mouth or just somebody you know, bringing you a drink, or, you know, whatever it is, we like to be served. But then we do we really believe Jesus, His words, and it was repeated in Acts, verse 20, verse 35, Chapter 20, verse 35, that it is more blessed to give than to receive and and you maybe heard that before, right is more blessed to give than to receive. I don't know how you felt about that. But as a child, I remember adults repeating that phrase to me around Christmas time. And I never really felt it right. I never really believed I was like, I don't know what you're talking about. You're out of it. It is great to get it is great to get certain presents. That's why I'm making this list, and all that kind of thing. And so then it doesn't even help when our parents and adults around us repeat it. We just don't we don't get it. And then that message, it seems strange to our ears, if we're honest. And I know you're in church, and you heard of Jesus, and you know, all these kind of things. You're like, no, no, I get it. I've heard it, I believe it. But no, just think about it. It's strange, our ears because what we really want, right is we want comfort, we want ease, we want power, we want fame, we want to be recognized, or we're upset that others have fame power in our recognize, well, if that's who we are, if we're honest with ourselves, that's how we feel some of the time or a lot of times in our flesh, we're in a good place this morning. And so just going to talk right to where we're at right to our hearts and how we're thinking and feelings oftentimes. So Matthew, chapter 20, beginning in verse 20, says this right here, then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons, she knelt respectfully to ask a favor. What is your request? He asked, she replied, in your kingdom, please, that my two sons sit in places of honor. Next you want on your right and the other on your left? But Jesus answered by saying to them, you don't know what you're asking, are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering? I'm about to drink? Oh, yes, they replied, we are able, Jesus told them you will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say he will sit on my right or my left, my father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen. So what is all this talking about? Some of them may be evident right off. But But what are we talking about here? We're talking about Jesus followers on the way to Jerusalem, and two of his father followers, they have their mom with them and ask this question, seemingly respectfully, right. And if you look at other passages, you can this is the book of Matthew, look at the book of Mark, which Mark is a lot of times a shortened version of Matthew doesn't even mention the mom, it goes straight to the sun. So so they were all in cahoots with this question together. But what are they asking? They're asking something that would make sense from a worldly perspective, right? Think about this, if you'd worked hard for a man or woman to help start their business, their company, their movement or organization, you're thinking, okay, when this takes off, just like I put money in the stock market for a certain company, when it takes off, I want to make sure I get my share, I want to make sure I get my benefit. And so that's what they're thinking is that Jesus is going to Jerusalem, and he's going to set up some sort of earthly kingdom earthly throne. And much like those images we think of as a child in those Disney movies in those cartoons, we see a big throne room and we see, you know, people on the throne and they wanted to be there to the left and to the right, and their mom, of course with them. Because he said because they're asking you very clearly when you come into that kingdom, because we know you've been talking a lot about kingdom and establishment and forever. And that sounds good to us. Now, again, what's going on here? They're just simply thinking here. Now, what if we're all honest with ourselves? That's our natural bent, isn't it? You got up this morning and you were concerned if you got dressed and put one feet in front of the other, you may brush your teeth and ate and all these kinds of things because you were thinking about what do I need to do for the day even to get to church? And so what They're thinking as they're thinking earthly realm. And what is Jesus always calling his followers to do think heavenly realm, there is a kingdom that is coming, but is not a kingdom of this earth is a kingdom beyond here now it has implications for this earth, but this rain that you so much seek, it is not for the here and now it is for a time in a kingdom to come. And in establishing this kingdom, there is going to be a cup of suffering. Do you see that from those verses is that the whole idea of suffering or sometimes in the Old Testament is used as wrath, wrath from God. Now, again, we know that Jesus, remember he said this in the Garden of Gethsemane, Father, if it'd be your will let this cup pass from me, but not your not My will. But your will be done. So we know that that is the cup of suffering, that is the the cup of God's wrath, God turning his back on Jesus as he carries the sense of the world. But we also understand that we have a cup of suffering that we sometimes have to drink. And that's what he's talking about here. And he's like, Hey, do you understand that if you follow me, and you follow my ways, that it is a life of suffering? Like, look, we're glad we're able, right? Which is so interesting, right? How eager would you and IB to claim that? Well,

they're, they're claiming that why? Because they're still thinking, earthly, right? And he says, No, listen, you will, you will be doing this. And, but not what you think. So you maybe know that historically, you know that 11 of the 12 disciples died a martyr's death for the faith. And John was exiled on the island of Patmos. But this so they will drink the bitter cup. But you don't know what you're asking. Now, let's just be real clear. Following Jesus has always been hard. It's always been hard doing what Jesus asked us to do is always hard and being a follower of Jesus. And being puffed up with pride and self sufficiency, or self seeking is absolutely polar opposites. In fact, I don't know if you've ever tried to live the Christian life and live for yourself. You literally feel schizophrenic, right? It's that whole idea of like, I think I'm thinking I'm going polar opposites. Because you are, you're pulling your very heart, soul, mind and body in two different directions. One of the biggest barriers for you and I to lead in love like Jesus, and then we know that's what God's calling us to, and you're gonna see later, I'm not just bringing up that idea of leading, that'll come up later in the passage, in terms of serving, serving and leading, they go together. But if we're going to lead in love, like Jesus, one of the biggest barriers for you and me is self interest. Now, selfishness, and we just want to use that term. That's always been a problem, right? I mean, you can go back to all the way to the beginning, you have what I want, or I have what I have, and you don't get any. Right. That's why one of the earliest things we teach little two and three year olds is will you share, will you not be so selfish. So that's not a 2023 issue. But there are some things that have exasperated head that have made the issue worse, and mostly it has to do with what we now live in, in the Western American context of 2023 with the eroding of community and dependence on one another. And this is what makes it so scary. Because we feel this, we feel like we are like fish out of water. Because we feel like a lot of times where is the community, and if you are struggling before coping with community, it all of a sudden gets amped up a notch. Remember, COVID didn't cause anything it, it amps things up or amp things up to reveal what was already underneath the surface. Now I understand that cause death is not what I mean. I mean, the the issue and what it did to our culture. So we understand that where we are now living, the time that we just find ourselves in is just an eroding of community and dependence on one another. And again, this is an American context. But it's been here for a little while, and to make real simplistic sort of broad brushstrokes of history, but he think about it, what you've heard and maybe heard from your, from the generation that is quickly dying off the world war two generation, which is now 80 years removed. They very much had an understanding of some of these things. I'm not trying to romanticize them, but they had a understanding of some of these things of community and dependence. Now we think about our most recent wars, that some of you all in the room have been a part of Afghanistan and Iraq conflict that was intentionally not disruptive. You remember that? Remember, when we went to war in 2003? And really, we're in it for the last 20 years. It was intentionally Hey, it's not gonna be like World War Two, where there's sacrificing and giving up some things and contributing to the war effort with war bonds and all these kinds of things. Just go on as business as usual. And so that did something to us. That's when we were allowed to just keep going and enjoy what we've always in joy. That's not again, just just to tell us what we understood what used to happen. And where we find ourselves today, there was built in community and dependents, for those that came back from the war. And that really helped to build a lot of what we enjoy today came back in the 20th century, this is well documented from 1945, through the 60s, that that generation built much of the community structures independence that we enjoy today. So you think about all the community lodges, all the all the service organizations, even all the churches, a lot of that was either enhanced or built off of that generation that came back from the war. Now, when he got to the 60s and the baby boomers began to come of age, what did they do, they kept the dish, they kept the structure, but they defined it however they wanted. In other words, what you began to see in my parents generation, and what, now people who are in their late 50s 60s, and 70s is a lot of them. These are broad brushstrokes, they kept the structures, but they just changed all the definitions and meanings of words. You can see this quite clearly. over 20 years ago now, when Bill Clinton was arguing over what was the meaning of is, and then we get this rock quite clearly when we see the chaoticness of our two prominent politicians on either party, where they both accused the other one of being what corrupt, you'll see this was all Biden and Trump they both accused, the other one being corrupt, and criminalization and what are those words, even meaning and all the way up and down the line? Right? So what about children of the 80s? Me a lot of y'all in the room, we knew that there was identity and truth out there. And we were trying to find it. We were trying to harness it, right? The truth is out there somewhere and we wanted to know it and to be a part of it and to live it. But what did we need? Right? We were looking for some sort of Yoda. Right? Think about the movies that we enjoyed growing up in the 80s. And even into the early 90s. We wanted a Yoda we wanted a dark brown right from Back to the Future to guide us on our way in our adventure. We wanted a Mr. Miyagi, right, we wanted someone to just sort of sink this wisdom into us. And it certainly wasn't our parents, right? If you were very, it was very clear in all things that we were told in the 80s, that our parents are idiots, your friends may have some things figured out. So let's go ride bikes with them, and do whatever you want to do. But make sure you have some sort of, you know, wizardry or somebody to speak something into you. Here we are in last 20 years in the 2000s and following, and the answer is self. So we've gone from we've we've we've gone away from community we've gone away from please don't disrupt me and whatever it is I want to do. I'm not dependent upon anyone, the only person I can truly trust is myself. I'm self defining himself expressing no one can tell me what to do or what to think, even though that's hilarious, because we understand that we all get our thoughts and thinking from somewhere, but everything is fluid, and what is the highest value right now for those born in the 2000s. And afterwards, and what the oceans and the waters we swim in it's self expression, and to deny self is to deny your version of reality, right, it's very clear that we need to understand the times that we are living in, it is the exact opposite of what Jesus said and what we're gonna get into. So self denial, which is what the way of the cross is, which is the way of Christianity is in the opposite direction of what we are being told, through the airwaves and through our digital devices. Because we're told, keep in mind, at some level, and it said in a number of different ways is the highest value is self expression. And to deny self is to deny your version of reality, which is your valid truth. Now all these things are collapsing on themselves in various ways. So I'm not too concerned and again, we're not sometimes people will talk back about well, the courageous and the greatest generation was the war two I don't buy that there's there's people have courage and wisdom and strength in all times and cultures and places and generations. It's just to know that when we speak the truth of who God is, when I'm talking right now, what I'm going to call you to which is really straight from the words of Jesus, it is automatically hard for our ears, and then to digest it into our minds and hearts because of the waters in which we swim. So let's look to Jesus. What's he getting at? First point I have this morning is that we are to put ourselves in a position to love knowing it will lead to suffering first point wants to see this morning is that Put yourself in a position to love knowing it will lead to suffering. Now this makes sense when you look back at different callings. Think about the call of Moses, right that he's called out of the desert to go where to go back to Egypt, outside and with that being you killed somebody and you left and you're gonna go back, almost you left in chains and you're gonna go back in chains and try to tell Pharaoh something not gonna be fun, not gonna be pleasant, and you're gonna go outside of Egypt, and you're gonna lead these people who do not want you to lead them. And you're gonna end up wandering in the desert and because of your own shortcomings, you won't even get to take them into the Promised Land suffering.

You look at this in terms of Mary. And you look at the magnifique con right after the idea is just over and over again, just to let her know what kind of heartbreak she'll experience by carrying the Son of God and the Son of Man, Joseph choose either one, right? Think about Joseph in the Old Testament and, and the suffering that he goes through to accomplish what God has for him. And then the Joseph, in the New Testament, the ridicule, he must have felt and actually experience on carrying someone else's child, Paul, he is told, and I think we never read this right when we were little kids, we've already got the road to Damascus to great light, and Jesus speaking to him. But if you remember that passage, he's very clear, Hey, Paul, come follow me, I will show you how much you will suffer for my name. We all signed up, right? Sign up. And that's what's going on here and the disciples themselves, they need to understand that now, think about this in terms of our own lives. Listen, we're not people who suffer for suffering sake, we put ourselves in positions of love, knowing that in all likelihood, it will lead to suffering. Think about this with our own lives, think about what you and I agree to with the spouse, that you and I will stand before God and others and say, till death do us part, I will love you we will be together. Now, we have all kinds of rosy pictures of what that will be. And there's the romanticism of the 90s now is just all crafts, and very few people think about marriage outside of religious institutions or churches whatsoever. But just in our own heads and hearts. Even in the best case, we think this is amazing, I am going to do great, I'm gonna do better than everyone else. I'm not going to have any sort of struggles or trials or even if you think you're gonna have struggles or trials, you have no earthly idea what you're in for the love and the joy, but also the heartache, and the suffering. Think about this with children, how much effort it takes to get up in the middle of the night and help out with teething and crying and changing diapers. And it doesn't get any better with toddlers. And it doesn't get any better when they go into elementary school and then teenage years. And then when they leave the house. I'm not saying there's not joy and excitement and all these kind of things we'll get there. But we understand that in doing these things, in putting yourself in a position to love someone else in a spousal relationship to put yourself in a position to have children of your own or adoption or however means you get them or have them they may be married or brought into the family that it will lead to heartache. Think about this in terms of friendships. If you have friendships long enough in this world, you will experience what hurt heartache, some die, some walk away, some leave the area, some will betray you. And yet, we are called to do this. We know we are to do this. And we're to lay down our life for others cannot all balance I'm not talking about choosing suffering for suffering sake, there is joy on the other side. We're going to talk about that because it's all in this passage as well. We want to enjoy the fruits of our labor, whether it be financial or just the reward we get now and in the life to come we want to get there. We want to lead. We want Joy want happiness, we want good things. And I think this is all part of God's plan as well. There's no contradiction to that. And so we're gonna see this in the passage as we continue on, but we have to be sober minded, and admit to ourselves that when we choose the path of love when we choose the path of serving and laying down our lives for someone else, that there's real heartache and suffering that comes with it. Let's look at verse 24 says this, though, falling in the same passage, when the other 10 disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. Why Why were they indignant? Because they wish they had thought of it first right thing and I wish I'd have thought of that I wanted to be left or right, Jesus. Jesus called them together and said, Hey, this is teaching moment. This is teaching moment for us this morning as well. You know that the rulers in this world lorded over their people and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you, I remember I told you it was going to come up servant leadership. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant who ever wants to be first among you must become your slave. Again, we talked a little bit about just that idea of slavery, and why that is pictured and talked about in the Scripture so that we understand what we've been saved from the here's what's going on here, that there's gonna be some differences with the people of God, there always has been. In other words, like, we know that most people's default way of leading or getting things done is to push them through to plow it through to Lord authority over others, it happens in our community, right? If you take gas cards as a city, council person and pretend that you can now use that for whatever you want, for your own purposes, why do you do that? Because you falsely believe that you have the authority and the power to do so. I, I did this so that I can now achieve this position so that I can now do what I want to do? This happens in our workplaces, right? How many of us have had bosses that it's very clear that he or she is about themselves, they're not about the company, they're certainly not here to take care of us. But they are making decisions, they are doing things in ways that it is obvious to everyone who works with them, under them, that they are about themselves. And you feel it, I feel it when you feel the authority that is weighed over you this happens in our homes. How often do we think well, it just be easier for me to just make you do this, you get in line or else right now, again, sometimes we have to do that in extreme circumstances. But that not ought to be the default way in which we leave our homes, or our communities or our workplaces, because that's not the way Jesus has for us. Now, aspiring to leadership is not a bad thing it's talked about in here if you want to be a leader, but there is a cost and there's a way to do it. And here's the second point, I want us to see this morning, The way up is down. You may have heard this before, but the way up is down. If you and I want to aspire to things, whatever it is we want to do in terms of our life, or our workplaces, our community, whatever the way up is down. Now that should seem strange. Now again, I know some talking to some church people. Here's your like, I've heard this before. But no, I mean, really think about this, The way up is down. Jesus modeled it, John, the Baptist believed it and modeled it before him. Do you remember what John the Baptist said, He must increase, I must decrease, then some of y'all are sitting there thinking leadership, that's not me. So if you're thinking I know who a leader is, that's my ball. So that may be the person sitting next to me. And that's not true. In the simplest definition of leadership, leadership is influence that's not original with me. And that's a John Maxwell quote. But it's just that idea that think about it. When you're in a neighborhood at eight years old, and you're going down the street, playing basketball, or riding a bike, you are influencing the other neighborhood kids to do something, right, you and I are always either leading or following. And our leadership in any realm is to the degree that we influence others and all of us influence people. So then we have to ask ourselves, what kind of leader am I going to be? And what kind of leadership should I aspire to? What does this principle mean? This whole idea of the way up is down because I want to go up, I know what up is right, more likes more reels, more money, more prestige, greater stability for my family, whatever we know what up means. We all have our definition of that. Now, it says in this passage is way up is down. The term for this is servant leadership that you and I may have been familiar with. But I want to I want to say that the way I'm going to try to talk about this is to play to our own desires and needs. First off, so I would say in servant leadership, the reason why you and I should choose is not because just Jesus said so although that should be enough. But instead, it really is the only way to get what you and I want. In other words, I've sort of rattle off some things you and I have some aspirations, dreams, goals, that as long as they're good, right? There's nothing morally bad about them that we are free to pursue and should pursue.

But there's a way to go about it to actually get what you and I want and that is servant leadership. So you should consider this the way up down. You should just consider this purely because it works because it is true. You and I want generational wealth, we want promotions at work. We want a happy life. We want a happy wife all these kinds of things. And we're sitting here thinking how can I increase my wealth or influence or spiritual vitality, a servant leader? So this is what's so cool about servant leadership. What it does is it seeks The highest joy seeks joy out of those that we serve. Now, this is interesting, because it seems like well, if I'm about other people, then then there's not going to be enough left for me, right? This is how we naturally think, why would I give away my best stuff? Or why would I give away leadership? Or influenza? Why would I empower others? Or why would I do that to make sure they're taking care of I gotta make sure I'm taking care of. But what the Scriptures say is, if you will take care of them, you will be taken care of both in terms of spiritually, both in terms of financially, both in terms of making sure they're happy, if you have happy employees, then you in turn will be happy, therefore, your profits will rise or whatever it is, then the measurement of your organization, your soldiers will perform better your students will perform better your teachers perform, but whatever it is, and this brings honor to God. So this is crazy, if we will just shift this The way up is down, we will really take heart to being a part of servant leadership, wherever we find ourselves in life in any organization, whether you're eight or 88, we will find that this is the way to go. Because here's the spiritual principle here, a rising tide causes all ships to rise again, that's not original with me. But think about that principle that you and I understand that if you've ever been to a dock, and you've ever seen that tide rise, what happens to all the chips on the dock? What happens? They all they'll rise a little bit. And that's what we're talking about is that when we go out there and seek the good of others, and we seek to bring honor and glory to God, not only will will they be taken care of, but will be taken care of not only in elevating others, will they be honored. But then all cells will be honored. So the first thing I would just appeal to is if this is what you want. And I think you should want it the good life, whatever word however you define that as long as it's morally good and honoring to God. First thing I would say is good about servant leadership. Number two, we really get to take our cues from Jesus when it comes to servant leadership. This is what's so cool is that with your Bible, in your humble heart, your desire to say God you speak and to me what you would have me to do, don't look to your neighbor to your left and right. If you look to what they're doing, and say, well, I won't I want to take that. They got a big screen TV, I need a big screen TV, they got this kind of car, they got this kind of boat they got whatever it is, you're off, you need to ask, what do you have for me? What do you want me to do? You and I we don't need a Mr. Miyagi, a Yoda or dark brown, we have Jesus and that really is enough. So the first point is, you should go after servant leadership because it really will get you what you say you want. And you should go after servant leadership because you just get one boss. And that's King Jesus, and he's the greatest boss in the universe. Three, it really is the only way to finish well, how many of us have experienced from parents or grandparents or bosses, or pastors, those that stayed too long. Those that it seemed like they were for our good, it seemed like they were helping us out. But the longer you around them, the longer you're with the company, the longer you were with that church, it just seemed to be that they held on too long. They stayed in the job too long. And therefore, what ended up happening is they were not able to finish well, and everyone in this room. If you're conscious and you care, you're saying yourself, I want to finish well, I don't want to just get my get and while the getting's good, but I want to finish well, so that others around me can be better off because I was in their presence because I was their dad because I was their supervisor. A servant leader anticipates and graciously accepts the time for his or her dig decrease in that so cool remember John the Baptist did this so we have some models Jesus Himself did this but if you if you want not to look to the God man you want to look to a human you could look to John baboons to get he knew. When was it time to decrease let someone else take the spotlight sometimes we need someone to come alongside us and help us to know when our season is ends and as we don't recognize it, but here's the thing I want us to see is that servitude is in. Servitude is in let's make serving hip again right here at Life Church 15 at Joe battle, let's make serving good again. That is the only way that we're going to move forward at work at home at church. You see that? I see it and I think it's so exciting and cool that God gave us a template for how we can succeed not only in this life, but in the life to come. Alright, who we look to and all this stuff. The last verse, even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. That's what he wants to see is that He came to serve. It's just so obvious he makes it so clear. He says this in black and white. I came not to be served but to serve others. This goes back to what I was talking about. It kind of ties up the servant leadership principle that we are feat washers, we are chief people to love and serve others and delay our life down for something greater than ourselves. And we see Jesus do this first says He gave His life a ransom for me a ransom is everything. And what does that mean? I've heard of that before. But I've heard about that before in terms of like someone's taken and we got to pay him money in order to get them back. Well, that's that is the idea of a ransom in the ancient world. And we sometimes do this today, someone is captured by an enemy, right. And you have to pay off that ransom in order to get your comrade back. That's what's going on here in a lot of ways, maybe even the term of slavery that someone would a slave would be ransom that would be bought out of that slavery so that they were free. That's the idea here. And you and I have to come to grips with that we have been in chains, we have been in bondage to sin, that Christ has set us free. So what it's not about is whatever fantasy that we have. Remember, in the beginning, I said we all have different fantasies, whether it's, you know, being fed by grates in our mouth, or some sort of music video or Tik Tok real or that movie setting or you think about what's on your social media page, in my social media page, in terms of the perfect vacation, or the perfect view, and all those kind of things. We're realizing that that's not what it's all about. Now we can have those things and attain those things. But if you aim at those things that will kill you and kill your soul, and you probably won't get them anyways. And even if you do get them, it will taste like sand in your mouth. But if you aim for God, His glory, His honor, he will freely and generously give you all things. Again, what will happen though is is that as you are more obedient to who God is, in the scriptures, he will actually change your desires. You know, sometimes we like to turn that verse on its head, delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart and so we just we just quickly kind of run run roughshod over real quick over the dial yourself in Lord, okay, desires of my heart. That's what I want, Lord, I'll do this you get, it's like no, no, spend some time the lighting and the father and allow him to influence what our desires are, yeah, then then the rest will come. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will follow after you. We were we were all of us in this room. And in some cases, really bad shape. We had to be ransomed. I mean, let's just let that let that sort of sink in for a minute. You think I'm kidnapped? Or drunk? My pastor? I need to be bought back. Yeah. No, you and I need to be rescued from the yoke of slavery and sin and our feet need to be set upon rock. Now, what's this have to do with Life Church, and

what's this have to do with serving, we're gonna have to roll up our sleeves and create the life we want. I says this is this is where the rubber meets the road and, and we're gonna have to roll up our sleeves and create the life we want. Whether it's our individual lives or family lives or workplace lives, and for sure, our church life, what that means is, is that we're in a unique situation, where we have to create the community, we want to be a part of, I mean, I mean, let me say like this, how many of y'all have been to a school or maybe a workplace where it's, it's put together, it's a well oiled machine. And so you walk into this workplace and you know, that this is considered one of the one of the greatest country companies to work for, maybe in the country, or the world or, or you walk into a school and, and they have the best teachers and the highest test scores and the best facilities. And so you're coming to be a part of that because it all works. Well. I've been a part of this organization, there's nothing good or bad about that. It's just knowing where you're at. That's not where we're at at Life Church. Okay. What that means is, is that what we learned and a lot of nonprofits and a lot of churches learn this is that when we came out of COVID It was a time to rebuild and decide who we're going to be so like right now when you hear the pastor me or others up on this dais talked about community are loving one another are serving one another larger. Yes, God, I want to sign up for that. Like I want to be a part of that. So tell me, tell me Where's, where's the where's the small group? Where's the care group? Where's where's all this great things that I hear about? And I just want to say it's in you. It's in you. It's in me right now. You're part of something where we get to create the kinds of things Unity we want to be a part of. But that's a shift, you see the difference that has to occur in our minds and our hearts. One way is that we understand we're coming into something that is already sort of a well oiled machine that we're able to then just sort of be a part of and be a part of something as it's moving forward. The other is, oh, my gosh, this amazing vision, this amazing dream, if it is going to become true, if we're going to realize it, we're going to have to be a part of that to make it occur. And that's what we're talking about. Here, we talk about Life Church. So we talked about the area of serving, it's gonna have to be all of us. And we'll be real clear, it's gonna have to be all of us say, Well, I've only been here one week or two weeks, it's going to have to be all of us. And I'll say it again in the second service, because it's so important to see that the what we desire, this sort of accountability and fellowship and love, and all the fruits of the Spirit and all that we want to experience in the community of faith, the people of God, the hope of glory is in you. It's in me, and this is our church, it's not my church, and is as hard to think of, because we see the building, we see everything sort of sort of put together and air conditionings back on we think, okay, they've got some things going on here it is. well oiled, yes. In terms of facilities, but no, in terms of people, yes, we have people who come you come, our second service comes, but what I mean is that we've got to get in and be a part of creating that which we want to be a part of create the community you and I want to be a part of, and one of the ways I'm gonna encourage you to do that today is I'm gonna give you a key. So when we, when we exit this service, you're gonna see signup tables out there, and you're gonna see keys. And what I'm asking is that everyone is as a member, okay, well, you can go back to elementary school, you made an elementary school where the teacher be like, they would say a word. And I say, repeat after me so much you do. Okay, so I'm gonna say the word everyone, you say the word everyone, you're so everyone arrogant. So everyone is going to go out and they're going to take a key, and they're going to sign up for something. Now, again, all of us, myself included, we all like to sign up for anything. We do it with fear and trepidation, right? How many times when we check out, like, I just want like a, like, I don't know, sheets from a, from a company. And I have to unclick like, please don't put me on the mailing list, right? Because that I've signed up I just wanted to sheets, right? And so many of us, we came like I just want to hear message and you know, whatever. But if your worship, but but here's the deal. When you sign up and it's going to take us all, we're going to make sure that you're shepherded well, to the best of our ability. There's only four, four sections out there, you're gonna see kid life, you're not going to be stuck in a room by yourself with crying babies forever and ever. We need everybody to serve at least once a month in kid life if you're part of the kid life ministry, why? Because guess what, guys, we're going to one service. You can't just be missing service all the time. We don't want our killer volunteers missing service all the time. So that means that if you sign up for good live, guess how often you're going to work only once a month. Think about greeter ministry is that man that's holding a door being hospitable. Think about student life and talking about our Student Life camp. And some of y'all have sixth through 12th graders, others we all love that unique time period in people's lives, you can sign up for that, or worship in production. You've seen some times how, you know, we show kind of with sound and these kind of things so so you can be a part of helping that be smoother. And maybe you have a gift and a talent that you have hidden from us. Shame on you if you can play a musical instrument or saying he had told us right. But no, you know what I mean that we can this is an opportunity for us as a church to say, Alright, here's the keys. Jesus talked about keys before you remember when he was talking to Peter. And he said that I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven and the gates of hell will not be able to overcome it. What he meant by that is to say, Peter, it's going to be in you, not just him, right? Because we're not we're not Catholic thinking that the only the only priests and all of us are in an order like Peter, but we understood and we understood that confession that he made, that you are Christ and Son of the living God. That that hope that Pierre carried out we have in us and keys are really good because what if keys for their for doors are for getting in there for ownership. You have keys right now to your house, you have keys right now to your car, I am giving you the keys to the church because it's yours. This is your church. This is your church. And you're a part of something greater than yourself that I believe is worth being a part of for whatever season you're here. And when you've got to bail out because you got to leave town or something happened. We understand that right? Part of it is knowing when to stay and when to leave and when to when to buckle down and do things and when to pull back. Now is the time to move forward in what God has for us here. Life Church in the area of serving so won't you when you leave, sign up for one of those four areas to serve, take a key and remind yourself is my house. Yes, the Lord's house will be called a house of prayer. I understand that. But in terms of that you have ownership in this place for as long as you're here. Let's pray. Father, I thank you so much for everyone under the sound of my voice, I pray for those right now. Who are still curious, maybe even hurting, confuse. Help us to see that the way of Jesus is better than anything we could come up with on our own. But I help those in this room to know exactly the power that you have placed in them to be able to tap into that to be a blessing not only to the immediate family, their immediate surroundings, but to our church and then to ultimately our world. Help us So Father, we pray in Christ's name, Amen.