Foundations of Leadership | What Shaped God's People & Still Shape Us Today

We just want to take a moment as your pastors and as parents ourselves, one of the greatest privileges we have is coming alongside you as you raise your children to know and follow Jesus. And there is a space we believe every middle and high school student should be in. This 12th Conference is happening on July 21st and 22nd in Tampa. Look, there are moments in a young person's life that shape them forever. Not because they're in an arena or the memories that they're going to make, but actually because they stepped into a room where God was moving and hearts were open. And 12th Conference, it's without a doubt, it is one of those rooms. So for two days, students are going to get to break away from like all the noise of the world, be surrounded by worship and prayer, the word of God, and really other students who are running after God as well. Yeah. You know, as parents, you know how many voices are speaking into your students' life. But at 12th Conference, they are going to hear the one voice that matters most and that is God's. You know, we have watched students find confidence and purpose through the powerful sessions and intentional small group time. In that kind of community, it's priceless. And then on top of all of the things God does in our sessions, your students are going to have a great time because once again, 12th Conference, we're taking over Busch Gardens, right, for the after party. It's going to be an unforgettable night and really one more opportunity for them to build some great relationships that really matter. And then guess what, right? When your students sign up for 12th Conference, they're going to get a Busch Gardens fund card that lets them go to the park even before the conference begins, all the way through the end of 2026. So exciting. So amazing.

And we just want you to feel at peace knowing it is safe, it is intentional, and it is led by pastors and leaders who love your students deeply. You know, we prepare for months because we know the impact of these moments. So we want to encourage you to get your student in the room, give them a chance to encounter God really in a fresh way. And these experiences, they're going to build their faith, anchor their identity, and really help them walk with God for the long haul. So registration, it's open right now, and we would love for your student to be a part of this life-changing event. Well, hey, good morning, church. Welcome to church this morning. Come on, can we just put our hands together and welcome all those that are joining us online, at the campus, in the jails, and all across this world. Let's just welcome them to church this morning. Man, I am so excited to be here with you all today and to share God's Word with you all. If I've not had the opportunity to meet you, my name is Willie Gilliard, and my beautiful wife, Jessica, and I, we have the absolute incredible privilege and honor of serving as the campus pastors at Bayside Community Church's Fruitvale Campus down in Sarasota. But I'm excited to be here sharing God's Word with you all today. And I'm just so thankful and so grateful for our incredible lead pastors, Pastor Randy and Pastor Amy, that they've entrusted me to share God's Word with you all today. Can we just take a moment and show some honor and appreciation to our lead pastors this morning? When I think about incredible leadership, I think about Pastor Randy and I think about Pastor Amy, I think about some incredible leaders here within the church, but I think about the series that we are in. We are in a series that's called the Foundation of Leadership, where we get to learn about leadership from the life of Moses. And I just want to take a moment and silence something really quick that can happen. The moment you hear of a title called the Foundations of Leadership, it would be very

easy to say, well, that doesn't apply to me. I don't hold a leadership position. I don't hold a leadership title. But I want you to know whether you're here or wherever you are joining us, leadership is not about a position. Leadership is not about a title. Leadership is about influence. And so I tell you, if you are a parent, if you have a friend, if you have a job, if you go grocery shopping in the community, if you drive down 75, you've got influence, right? And so leadership is all about influence. So I think it applies to each and every one of us. And as we study the life of Moses, and over the last couple of weeks, we've been looking at his leadership principles, I want to encourage you, if you have not checked out the last couple of weeks, please go online and check them out. The first week, we talked about the identity of a leader. where some false identities needed to be removed from Moses so he could walk in the fullness of who God had called him to be. Last week, Pastor Randy did an incredible job about the posture of a leader, what we should be leaning into. And today we're going to go and continue this series where we're gonna study the life of Moses. And when we pick up where they are, they've already been freed from Pharaoh. They are now walking in freedom, but Moses understands something about leadership. It's one thing for people to be free, but it's another thing for them to be formed. And what's happening in this moment,

they are no longer, Pharaoh is no longer their issue, but they're walking in freedom. And God says, hey, now that you are no longer in Egypt, I want you to live in a new way. I want you to live according to my way. And God creates some principles for them to live by, not because he needs those principles for himself, but so that our lives can be completely transformed. And as we look at the life of Moses, it's still principles that we can apply to our lives today. So will you join me as we go to God in a word of prayer? Lord, we just come to you right now. So grateful, so thankful, Lord Jesus. God, I thank you that Moses understood something, God, that it's one thing to deliver people, but God, it's another thing to develop people. And so Lord, I pray right now, Holy Spirit, as we dig into your word, if we spend time in your word, Holy Spirit, that it would not be my thoughts, but your thoughts, not my ways, but your ways, not my words, but your words, not my will, but your will be done. I pray, Holy Spirit, that you would annoy every single word that falls off of my lips. And Holy Spirit, that anything you don't want me to say, you would stop me from saying, and just let your will be done. So Lord, we love you, we praise you, and we thank you. And we pray all these things in Jesus' name. And everybody says, amen, amen.

Well, before we jump into the message, there's something I feel like I need to let you know about myself, because it may happen in the message. I would like to consider myself a pretty well-educated guy. I got my bachelor's degree in elementary education. I went on and got my master's in educational leadership. I was in the school system for 18 years. But there's something I have a tendency to do that just happens. Sometimes I mispronounce words, and then sometimes I just make up words. And many times the words that I make up, I feel like should be a word, but I can't find it in the dictionary. So just recently at an ice cream shop, and I was looking at all the ice cream, and I was like, ooh, that looks so good, trifle chocolate blueberry. And, oh, it's not trifle chocolate blueberry, it was triple chocolate blueberry, right? Sitting in a car one time with Jessica, we're at a stoplight, and I saw the side of a bus. And I was like, academia of something. And Jessica's like, how about academy? And I was like, how about it, right? Playing a game with my sister and said what it was. And I was like, the word is chameleon. She's like, are you sure there's chameleon? And I was like, I know how to read. She looked at the card and she's like,

how about that's chameleon? And I was like, that'll work too, right? And then as an assistant principal, I would do our staff meetings, and I'd be like talking to the teachers, passionate, excited. Hey, we need to make sure that what we are doing is academical. And I said it boldly, I said it confidently, and my principal came up to me after about six meetings, and she's like, you know, academical is not a word. And I was like, are you sure? And she's like, I'm sure. And I was like, well, it absolutely should be, right? So when I think about this, all joking aside, first of all, you would be comfortable to know that I taught math, praise Jesus, right? But I could probably mess that up too, right? And so when I think about this word, and I think about the practices of a leader, it's funny when we talk about that, but I want you to understand that the first practice that we're gonna talk about as a leader is practicing the word of God, the word that never changes, the word that cannot be made different, the word that remains the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, this word is the word. We don't change it, we don't manipulate it, we don't switch it around.

This is the word that we are called to practice. And as we look at Moses's life, we are called as leaders to practice the word of God. Look at what it says when he came down off the mountain and he had gotten this moment from God. He got the 10 commandments. It says, and God spoke all these words. I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them. For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. My word, you shall not misuse the name of the Lord, your God. God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord, your God. On it, you shall not do any work, neither you nor your son or your daughter or your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.

For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land of the Lord, your God has given you. And all the parents said, amen, amen. Let's give a triple amen. Amen, amen, amen, right? You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. And what's happening in this moment, God gives Moses the 10 commandments. And he's saying, hey, you all have been in Egypt. The culture of Egypt has shaped you. You have been in Egypt enslaved, but you no longer are slaves in Egypt. You no longer live in Egypt. You no longer are tied to the culture of Egypt. He's like, I got a new way for you. And my new way is my word. I got something that looks different

than the culture you're used to. So I didn't just call you to live as free people. I called you to live in a new way as you walk in the freedom that I have for you. And I want you to know, if you do not know the truth, if you do not practice his word, then eventually you will believe the world's lies. And that's why we need to practice the word of God. We have everything trying to shape us, form us, and mold us. This word is what we're called to live by. But if we look at what's happening in the world today, social media is trying to shape us. Culture is trying to shape us. Politics is trying to shape us. Entertainment is trying to shape us. We have things that, we have a world that says, if you feel good, just do it. If you want it, just go after it. But we have a new way. And just as we studied when we were studying the book of Philippians, we are not citizens of this world as believers, our citizenship is in heaven. So we are called to live a new way and a different way. And that's according to his way and his word. So we have to practice his word. Come on, can we give God some praise this morning? Why is it so important for us to practice this word? Because Jesus modeled it for us. When Jesus was out in the wilderness

and he was being tempted by the enemy and the enemy would try to take the word and twist it, Jesus kept coming back with, it is written. The word says, it is written. The word says, we need to practice this word of God. So when culture lies to us, when enemy lies to us, when the world lies to us, we can do just as Jesus did and say, it is written. The word says, when I feel like I'm unworthy, I can speak to that lie and speak the truth of God's word. When I feel unloved, I can say, I've never been forsaken. I am chosen, I am adopted, I'm a son of God. When I feel like I have been forsaken, I can say, he will never forsake me, but we have to practice the word to know the word, to be able to speak the word. And so the first thing we have to understand is just what it says in Joshua 1, 8. Keep this book of the law always on your lips. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do some things, a few things, no, everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. I want you to know that when we are led by God's word, then we can lead people the way that God has called us to lead them. But the only way we can know the word is to practice the word. Practicing the word means spending time reading the word. Reading the word means we need to prioritize the word.

So when culture lies, when the enemy lies, and anything tries to come against us that is not lined up with the word, we can do just as Jesus said and say, it is written. Come on, can we give God some praise for his word this morning? Not only do we learn from Moses that we're to practice his word, God's word, but we're to practice the presence of God. Pastor Randy talked about this yesterday, or yes, last week, and what an incredible job he did. And he said, if there's nothing you leave here, please hear this. Our posture should constantly be leaning into his presence. So today, what I wanna do is take that, what Pastor Randy talked about, and now how do we practice his presence on a. What does that look like as we practice it? Well, Exodus 25, eight through nine says, then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell, everybody say dwell, among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. What's interesting in this moment, Pastor Randy talked last week about the 10 of meetings. We're picking up in a place where now he's given them instructions to build a tabernacle, very similar to the 10 of meetings.

It was a place where God's presence would dwell. But if you continue to read in Exodus, it's very specific what it's to look like on the inside, the outside, all the furnishings that should be in there. We could do an entire series just on the tabernacle. But what I want you to focus on is it says, he wanted to make a sanctuary so that he could dwell among them. They had been freed from Egypt. Pharaoh is no longer their problem. But God's saying, hey, I didn't just call you to be free people, but I also want to dwell among you. I want you to experience my presence. I just don't want you to live free. I want you to live free and experience my presence. It was all about God's presence dwelling among them. But in order for them to experience his presence, they had to go to the 10 of meeting. They had to go to the tabernacle. And all of this pointed toward Jesus. Because I got something exciting to tell you all today. I got something that excites me and gets me so excited. And I want you to understand this morning, we don't have to go to a 10 of meeting. We don't have to go to the tabernacle. We should still practice those moments, the practice of being in his presence. But listen, John 1 14 says, the word became flesh and made his dwelling place among us.

We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only son who came from the father full of grace and truth. Because of Jesus Christ dying on the cross, because of him overcoming the death and the grave, he ascended to the right hand of the father. And it says, Holy Spirit now dwells among us. That's his presence. That means his presence dwells among us. We get to meet with him wherever we are. 1 Corinthians 6 19 says, do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God. You are not your own. So as believers, because he dwells within us, where we go, his presence goes. When we show up, his presence is with us. We don't have to go to a place to experience his presence. His presence dwells among us. Come on, can we just give God some praise for his presence this morning? So what does that look like? How do we practice his presence as a leader? Listen, if all you do is practice his presence when you show up here on Sunday morning, you are missing out. He doesn't want his presence to be something that you practice just on Sunday. It's something that he wants you to practice every day,

every moment of your life. And you can practice his presence through worship, whether here, in your car, in your house, in your room. It may not sound as good as what it sounds here, but come on, it's all about lifting it up to the Lord, and he loves your voice. Other people may not, but he will, right? You can practice his presence in worship. You can practice his presence through prayer. And can I tell you, you can pray anywhere. You know where some of my most powerful prayer life happens? It's when I'm driving on I-75. Yeah, we all understand that, right? When I'm driving from my house down to the Fruitvale campus, Lord be with me, Lord be with the person that's driving in front of me at 50 in the left lane. They should get over to the right lane so I could go 87 in the left lane, right? I wouldn't say it, don't get that on film, because I don't go, I do not go 87, I'm just saying. I'll go to the altar later and pray. But it's about practicing his presence. Wherever we go, his presence dwells among us. It could just be still in his presence and knowing that he is God. It's about practicing intimacy with him. And at this point in time, in Exodus, they had to go to the tent of meeting, they had to go to the tabernacle. Can I tell you, for you,

it may be sitting in a rocking chair on your front porch. It may be sitting at your kitchen table as you're reading his word and journaling. It may be in your prayer closet where you get alone and you sit with him. It may be walking through nature, because as believers, his presence dwells among us. Then where we go, his presence goes. And I want you to understand, you don't just drift into his presence. You get in his presence by prioritizing it, by making time, not just by prioritizing his word, but prioritizing his presence. And I want you to know. know that as a leader, when you walk into your home, when you walk into your family, as you take a phone call, as you show up for a meeting, as you're planning agendas, the most important thing that you can show up in any environment with is his presence. When you walk in, the most powerful thing that you bring with you as a leader is the presence of God. That's why we must practice his presence. That's why we must prioritize his presence. You don't need more resources. You don't need more strategies. You don't need more knowledge. You don't need more. The most important thing that you have as a leader is practicing his presence because one moment in his presence can do what thousands of years

of thriving or striving can never do. We have to prioritize his presence. We have to practice his presence. We have to prioritize his word and we have to practice his word. How many of you are grateful that today we live in a place, in a space, in a time where we don't have to wait for Sunday morning to happen in order to practice his presence? We can practice it every day, every moment of our life. Come on, can we give him some praise this morning? So that leads us into a moment where there's now a shift. There's a holy God, a perfect God who desires to dwell among broken, sinful people. And there is a system that God puts in place as we move into Leviticus and it's called the sacrificial system. This is where they have to show up with a sacrifice. They have to show up with an animal that they bring before them in order to be able to experience and be in his presence. We don't only have to practice his word. We don't only have to practice his presence, but we should live a life where we practice sacrifice. As leaders, we must practice sacrifice. This is what it says in Leviticus one, one through four. The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him for the tent of meeting. He said, speak to the Israelites and say to them, when anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord,

bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock. If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. Leviticus 17, 11 says, for the life of a creature is in the blood and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar. It is the blood that makes atonements for one's life. In this moment, he's saying, hey, to experience my presence, you must bring a sacrifice. The blood of these animals that they would have to lay down and sacrifice was to be the atonement for their sins so that broken, sinful people could experience the presence of God by bringing a sacrifice. Now we live in a place today, you all didn't have to show up with a bull or a calf or a ram, right? You didn't have to come in and cut the animal, place your hand on its head before you got to experience the presence of God. But I'm here to tell you that just because we don't have to show up with an animal as a sacrifice doesn't mean that the principle has changed, the practice of what it looks like is different. We're still called to practice sacrifice.

We're still called to practice sacrifice. Now our life is to be a living sacrifice for the one who loves us, for the one who created us, for the one who went to the cross for us. We are to live our lives as a living sacrifice. Look at what it says in Romans 12 one. It says, therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Luke 9 23, then he said to them all, whoever, whoever wants to be my disciples must deny themselves. Come on, if you have to deny yourself, that is a sacrifice, right? But he says, you must deny themselves and take up their cross and daily follow me. In order to follow God, to be the leader that God has called us to be, it costs something. Moses understood that it costs Moses, his comfort. It costs Moses, his convenience. It costs Moses, his popularity. It costs Moses, his personal preference. And he did it all so that he could answer the. call that God had called him to do. He modeled for us what it is to practice sacrifice. So what does that look like in our lives today? Maybe for you in here today, maybe the practice of sacrifice is laying down your pride. Maybe for you is saying,

hey, it's no longer about what I want or about what I desire, but I'm gonna lay down my pride because I know that I have to sacrifice my pride in order to be and do who God's called me to be. Maybe it's sacrificing your comfort. We live in a world today where comfort comes like this. You need something, you can get it within seven hours from Amazon, right? Sometimes if it's a little delayed, we're so inconvenienced and we have to wait till the next day, right? But we live in a world where everything comes like this. I need it, I want it, I get it. And we live in a world where we protect our comfort. I don't really feel comfortable with that, so I'm not gonna do that. God, I don't feel comfortable with that, so I'm just gonna protect my comfort because I'm not willing to suffer for the call. But what I want you to understand is that sometimes sacrificing our comfort may mean that we have to suffer for a moment, but I've never found anyone who has had to suffer for what God has asked them to do and not found something powerful on the other side of suffering. Many times we have to sacrifice our comfort. We have to sacrifice our schedule, our convenience, our own plans.

Has anybody ever found that sometimes your plan doesn't line up with God's plan? Yeah, all of us have found ourselves there, right? I grew up in Hardy County my entire life, was planning my whole entire life to be born and raised there and die there. My entire family was there. And then about six years ago, coming July, the Lord had called us over here. And I was like, Lord, it was not in my plans to move. Did you look at my plans, God? And he's like, would you be willing to sacrifice your life for the call that I've asked you to live? Sometimes we have to sacrifice our own plans. What does sacrificing look like for you? Maybe it's forgiving when you don't wanna forgive. Maybe it's praying when you would rather sleep. Maybe it's serving when it's inconvenient. Maybe it's giving when it's uncomfortable. Maybe it's obeying when it costs you. See, the Lord has called us to model and to live a life of sacrifice. What is it that you've been holding onto? What is it that you've not been willing to sacrifice? See, a couple of weeks ago, I saw this modeled in such a beautiful, beautiful way. Nicole is a girl that serves on our worship team at the Fruitvale campus. Her and her husband, Josh, have four beautiful children. Nicole came in one Sunday morning,

get ready to serve and worship. She had the new baby strapped to her, carrying the other baby in her arms. The other two walking behind her. She walked in, set the two down, ran to the mother's room, changed the diaper of the one that she was changing, came back in, grabbed her microphone, put her in-ears in, helping lead worship with one baby strapped to her, holding the other one in her arms. The other two came up and were sitting at her feet while she was practicing. And Nicole continued to use her gifts and talents to be able to lead worship and what God had asked her to do. And I had the opportunity to be backstage with them at the worship team. And Nicole was saying that she had been struggling and been talking with God and was just like, maybe now it's not the season. Maybe now it's not the season for me to be serving. I have four kids, it's a lot, it's a huge sacrifice. But she said the Lord just kept telling her, say yes, say yes, say yes. And Nicole said in that moment backstage that she realized being able to serve and sacrifice her life to build his kingdom was a place where she was replenished, filled up, and it was a place where she was poured into. I wonder in here as a mom or a dad, do your children see you practice sacrifice like Nicole and Josh's children see them practice?

Or do they see you sacrifice his presence for your convenience? I wonder if you're in here single, married, wise, older, whatever may be, season of life. When people watch your life, do they see you practice sacrifice? See, what I would tell you is that Moses understood in order to be the leader that God had called him to be, he needed to practice God's word, he needed to practice his presence. And sometimes practicing his word is a sacrifice. Sometimes practicing his presence is a sacrifice because that may mean that you have to give up something else, not do something else in order to prioritize his word or to prioritize his presence. If he's called us to live a life of sacrifice, I want you to understand this morning that. He's not asking for a little bit. He's asking for all of it. Do you live a life that models sacrifice? When Jessica and I moved over here six years ago, when I first got here and I was driving, I looked like this. I'd have to turn like this, whatever I was doing, I had to do that kind of motion. I had like no movement in my neck. I was all messed up. I'm not there anymore, right? I can do it, praise God, right?

But we started going to a chiropractor. Now, her and her husband are dear friends of ours now, but at this point in time, I didn't know who she was, but I started going to see her three days a week. I trusted the degree that was on her wall. I trusted her medical degree, her experience. I trusted that I saw a bunch of people in the waiting room and they kept coming back. So I was like, well, if they're coming back, maybe this is a safe place, right? But I'd have to lay down on this table and it was a sacrifice. Three days a week I was going, then it became two and then it became one. And I'd have to lay down and she would have me lay in face up. You know, if you've ever been there, she grabs my head and she's like, now just relax. And I'm like, first of all, you're about to snap my neck and you're just telling me to relax, right? But I trusted her to snap my neck because of her degree, because of her experience. So she'd do it and be like, that's what it sounds like in my head, right? She did this other thing that was called an atlas. I call it a karate chop. She was like real quick, she'd be like, boom, like that. And it just something that just makes you be like, thank you, Jesus, right? And then she does everything else,

my back, all that kind of stuff. And I trusted my life into her hands because of her degree, because of her experience or because of what she knew. But how much more should I trust my life into the hands of the one who created me? How much more should I sacrifice my life into the hands of the one who knit me together in my mother's womb? How much more should I sacrifice my life to the one that says what nobody else in this world ever says, I'm his masterpiece? How much more should I sacrifice my life to the one who loves me, the one who sent his son to die for me, the one that will never forsake me? How much more should I surrender my life into his hands? And if we're honest with ourselves that this looks like the altar and this represents an altar, at that point in time, they were called to bring an animal to lay down at the altar to sacrifice. But Jesus isn't asking us to lay an animal down on the altar anymore. What he's asking is will you sacrifice your life? Will you lay down your life on the altar? Will you trust him with every aspect of what you have? Will you say, Lord, my life is yours. Lord, my talents are yours. Lord, my gifts are yours. Lord, my family is yours.

Lord, my marriage is yours. Lord, my brokenness is yours. Lord, my dreams are yours. Lord, my schedule is yours. Lord, my comfort is yours. Lord, my convenience is yours. Lord, I sacrifice my life and I lay it down all for you. Are you willing, I'm not going to sleep by the way. Yeah. Are you willing to sacrifice it all? Are you willing to say not my will, but your will be done? Not my way, but your way. You can have it all. Can you bow your heads and close your eyes for just a moment? As you're in this room or wherever you're joining us or wherever you may be watching us, maybe you're at a place where you've not been practicing his word. You've not been practicing his presence. You've not been practicing sacrifice. I want you to understand this morning that Moses understood something. In order to build what God had called him to build as a leader, you need to practice his word, practice his presence, and practice his sacrifice. So right now, wherever you are, whether you're joining us from wherever, campuses, online, in the jails, here,

just ask Holy Spirit, is there something that I've not sacrificed? Have I been neglecting your presence? Have I been neglecting your word? And this morning, if Holy Spirit reveals to you as a believer that you've not been prioritizing his word, prioritizing his presence, prioritizing sacrifice, you don't have to run in shame or condemnation, but conviction leads to repentance, repentance leads to change. You can start practicing today. Practice his word today. Practice his presence today. Practice sacrifice today. Maybe you're in this room or joining us online at the campuses and the jails, and you've never accepted. to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. Well, I want you to know that Jesus went to the cross and as he went to the cross, he gave up his life on the cross. His blood was shed and Jesus gave it all. He was the ultimate sacrifice. He paid every bit by giving his life. And his word says that if you confess with your mouth and believe with your heart that Jesus Christ is the son of God, that he is faithful to forgive you of all unrighteousness. If that's you today, no matter where you are or how you're joining us,

if you would say, today is the day. I no longer want to try to control my life, but I'm willing to lay down my life and give up my life because Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice. If that's you, I'm just gonna ask you on the count of three just to lift your hands where you are. One, two, three, just raise your hand if that's you. Amen, amen, amen. Those of you that just raised your hand, right where you are, just say, Jesus, I love you. Jesus, thank you for going to the cross for me. Thank you for dying for me. Thank you for loving me and thank you for forgiving me. Today, I confess my sins to you and I ask that you forgive me of my sins. Today, I confess with my mouth and I believe with my heart that Jesus Christ, you are the son of God. And today I choose to lay my life down. Today, I choose to give up my life so that I can walk in relationship with you. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for going to the cross for me. I love you, Jesus. And today I choose you as my Lord and my savior and we pray all these things in the precious name of Jesus. And everybody says, amen, amen. Come on, can we give God some praise this morning?