Relationship Enchancers

Well, good morning, everybody, and of course, we want to welcome those that are watching from somewhere in the Austin area, locations, people that are just in homes, not wanting to get out of bed, and 13 correctional facilities. You guys are important to us, and we count it an honor to be with you as well. And then we've got our Naples campuses, Naples, Italy. We're looking for people who'd like to be a part of the Dream Team in Naples, Italy. We will pay for all expense for a year. Who wants to go to Amalfi Coast and help us plant a church? And so, yeah, anyway, let us know. We'll see what the Lord is saying if he confirms that particular calling. Can we just say hello to everybody that's online today? Come on. It's a celebration. Good to see you guys. Lori is in Washington, D.C. with May Claire. She had her third birthday, and so she is ready to come home because she also means, and it does mean when you go as a grandparent, you're working your butt off for the next however many days. And we, I want you to be praying for us. We leave at the end of this week for Barcelona. There's from 15 different countries, pastors that relate to Celebration Church. This is what we do here, and this is what your giving is going towards, helping plant and helping to grow the churches in Europe, in a European context. I really do believe the heroes of the church are in those European areas where it is just hard and it's hard soil, and so we gather every year pastors. We bring them in. We help pay for them and give them what they need, and for two days, we just spend time with them, and we minister, and we hang, and so this year, we'll meet in Barcelona, and so 15 countries. It's pretty cool reach to see what God is doing through just relationships.

It's nothing that we're trying to build. We do call it strong church. There's nothing official. It's just based on the word of God and the presence of Jesus, and with the goal of strengthening the local church, and so be praying for that, and be praying for us, and for those pastors that their travels are easy, and as you know, all things in the travel world, it's just not easy, but that's okay. Father, thank you that you are going to speak to us today from your word. Thank you that, God, you are faithful, that when we're in your word, you get in our lives. Get in our business, Lord. Do whatever is necessary. Rearrange us. Move some stuff in us, Father, that we would be conformed into your image and your likeness. In Jesus' name, and everybody said, and if you have a middle schooler, high schooler, tonight, you don't want to miss WAVE. Make sure that your sons, your daughters are a part of WAVE. I hear that clap from Jackson, and tell them that they don't go on a vacation, they don't go to Six Flags, or they don't go to SeaWorld unless they go to WAVE tonight. Just make it that way. Make it plain, and I promise you, as we only have four of these a year, but this will be a great kickoff for the summer, and I really do believe that you're going to see your son and your daughter changed. I want you to turn, if you have your Bibles, to the book of 2 Peter, and as you're looking at Peter, and as we're studying, and even today looking at some verses from Peter, we're in this series for the whole month of May around relationships. Last week, you heard from Lori. As we were tag team preaching about parenting, I heard from probably no less than 20 couples that really were touched, not by what I said, but by what Lori said. How many would agree with me? I only do what Lori tells me to do.

Anything good about us and our kids is because of Lori's wisdom. If there's anything bad about our kids, like Jackson stealing my sunglasses, it's because he learned how to steal from his father. But today, I want to go a little bit further. It's not in relationship to parenting, but it is in relationship to what is to God a very big deal, and that is how you handle relationships. That's what we've been talking about, relationships, whether it's at home, or at church, or work. It's a priority, and you cannot dismiss, nor will you be dismissed from class when it comes to your mistreating of people. You won't be dismissed to go to another level in your life if you are mistreating people. God is, of course, the God who sees, and the Bible says He sees, and we live openly in front of Him. I think what gets God's attention, and if you want to find yourself on or in a season in which the Lord is not the happiest with you, I don't believe that what gets God's attention, or as it relates to His discipline in our life, quite like relationally. I think God is very, in fact, I know He's a merciful God no matter what happens, but let me just tell you, I think when it comes to your own private issues, like could be a sexual sin or some kind of situation as it relates to your own internal being, your own internal thoughts and struggles, that is one thing compared to when you start handling people with a heavy, forceful, irritating way. I think what gets God, you can go from the Old to the New Testament, and I've seen this with pastors, that they can have some private issues and some private deals, but let me just say, but when they start treating God's people in a way that is not conducive to His character and to His nature, I really do believe they begin to get God's attention. God puts a priority on relationships, and He puts a heavy priority. He puts that priority, and I want to give you a couple things about relationships before we go into 2 Peter chapter 1. Relationships are a priority because it's part of God's character. He thinks relationally. I mean, it was the last prayer of Jesus. Lord, I pray for them. I pray for my relationships to those that You gave me.

God the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Trinity, it's relational. It's community, and when you think about God and all that He does and all that He did and why even Jesus came, He came for relationships. He came to establish relationships. It's just His character. It's just His nature. So when you say, I just don't like people, and I get it. I've been doing this for almost 40 years, and I will say at almost 62 years of age, the older I get, I do believe, and I do like this, what I call Cajun theology, by yourself. How many enjoy being by yourself? Let me see. Like, the older you get, it's like, I'm happy by myself. And even though I'm an extrovert in many and most ways, I'm also, I think with age, you just start to go, yeah, go on. Y'all go on. I'm happy. Who likes that, when you've got time by yourself? Laurie's been gone. I went to Seattle. I got back last night, but I left Thursday and then preached at a conference and then got back last night, but I had a couple of days when Laurie was gone to DC with May Claire. She'll be back tomorrow. And I kind of enjoyed having the house by myself. Me and Goose, we just kind of walk around, enjoying our time. Can't sleep, but I do enjoy it. And what you and I have to see with God's nature and God's character is He is a relational God. God expresses Himself relationally. That's just His nature. The second thing that you've got to understand, if you will, theologically about relationships, and that is that they are a priority and it predicts our future. Your relationship factor, your ability to emotionally, spiritually, relationally connect to people is going to determine your future. Notice Jesus, He went about doing good. Look at this, Acts 1038. He went about doing good. As He was anointed with the Spirit of God and power, He went about doing good, healing all. In other words, He was highly relational, highly involved, highly invested with people, highly aware of people. He could feel people touching Him as we know in Scripture. He could see and feel people's pain, seeing their fear, seeing that they were sheep without a shepherd. And that was, in fact, that's because of the power of the Holy Spirit. To have a relationship to the Holy Spirit means you're going to have a relationship to people. It means you're going to be burdened, you're going to be grieved, but you're not going to be ugly to people.

Some of the most Spirit-filled people I know, quote unquote, are the meanest of people that sometimes I know. I question what spirit have they become a partaker of. They've got a religious spirit, not a Holy Spirit. And a Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit makes us highly connected to people. And it makes us sensitive to people. He went about doing good, healing all who were oppressed by the devil. And then those last words there at Acts 1038, it says, and God was with Him. I think in this way, because He was looking to do good, making a difference in the lives of people, God was with Him. Yes, God was with Him, therefore He went about doing good. But I also will say, you want God to be with you? Then go about doing good. Do what God did, looking to make a difference in the lives of people. Number three, relationships are a priority because it's where you're proven. The proof, the proof of your faith is not going to be in the context of being by yourself. Relationships are designed partly, in fact you saw one of our young ladies that she was leading worship this morning, the second song. She just returned back from her honeymoon. And I said, congratulations. I said, how's it going so far? She goes, I'm learning how to die to myself. Yes, marriage is a funeral. Marriage is more likened to a cemetery plot. Die, just die. How many have had to die? But I say that in this way. We go into the idea of thinking that marriage is just gonna be just living with my best friend, cooking with my best friend, being physical and intimate with my best friend. And it's not cheating like we used to. It's legal and holy.

And I know many of you did not, but most of you did. My best friend. And that's what you hear, my best friend. And then a year later, how's your best friend? Where's your friend? And unless you begin to see relationships are designed to prove or the proof of your spirituality. You say you're spiritual. Now prove it. How do you prove it? It's in the context of connections. It's in the context of community. And when you and I withdraw, the Bible says the man who separates himself from community, Proverbs says, is seeking his own world. He doesn't care about the world of other people. And God is the God who so loved the world, which means we have a burden for the world. And we have a burden for the world around us, beginning with our own home, beginning with our neighbors, beginning with our own community at work. But it is the proof. Number four, relationships are a priority because it prepares the next generation. In other words, I think we have in our country, the issues that we have in our country is because the dysfunction in the home just produces dysfunctional sons and daughters. When you and I come from a home that is filled with anger and fighting and bitterness,

it's everything is just out of control in many ways. And you didn't see healthy, functional community and how people relate to one another appropriately. It just gets into you. I was flying back from Seattle and I sat next to a lady and she just asked me, I write everything out on my iPad in handwritten form. I can't read typewriters. I know why I wrote it, how I wrote it, the emphasis. I like this penultimate. I like what this does because you can force the pen and get a larger impression. But she sees me and for four hours I'm writing and she goes, oh, are you an artist? I said, no, I'm an author. I was actually kind of impressed that she thought this, or it's probably sad that she thought these were pictures and not words. She said, what do you do? And I said, well, I pastor a church. She goes, well, what kind of church? And I said, well, it's non-denominational church. She goes, that's good. I'm one of those too. I said, so tell me about your background. She said, I'm Unitarian. Well, how many know a Unitarian is different than a non-denominational? And she thought that what I was saying is that I'm open to whoever God you would like to just go to heaven with

and all gods like cable television lead you to entertainment. And I began to just share with her and she began to share with me, but she has come to this idea that there is no one way and one name only because of the severe dysfunction that she saw in her home. So when you come out of a pattern, in fact, my family in the same way, my mom was raised Catholic, my dad was raised Baptist, but they were both spiritually in dysfunctional churches or dysfunctional faiths, dysfunctional manifestations of those particular brands. And of course you can find God and you can find the accurate Christ in those kind of places, obviously, but there are perverted, there are distorted dysfunctional local family churches. And when those are distorted, the people will be distorted, the next generation will be distorted. So when you don't realize the priority of relationship and why you need to do what you need to do and even learn what we're gonna learn today, you're not gonna be surprised one day when you hear your son and your daughter, or when you begin to see. Things that were like seeds sown into their heart. Jesus said you need to live with this mindset in Matthew 18 He says whoever causes one of these little ones Who believe in me to stumble it would be better for him to just? Hang himself with a millstone and be drowning to the dead pretty pretty hardcore

And there's a little bit more to bring to it, but the reality is is feel the weight of Your impact as a mother and a father feel the impact of relationships and and Yes, stumbling blocks come but vote of that vote of that dysfunctional person that dysfunctional family because it does affect the next generation It does have an impact upon our future number five relationships are a priority because it connects us to God's power Daniel mentioned it from the first Corinthians as it relates to the blood and the bread the body of Christ The Bible talks about if anyone eats in an unmarried manner or in a manner that is not consistent with Christ Watch this. This is even in relationship. He's not judging the body rightly He who eats and drinks and eats and drinks judgment to himself because he's not judging the body rightly for this reason This is what was happening in the church. There were people who were sick and even falling asleep and were weak Because they were all about themselves Literally Paul would say there were people after communion being taken out by EMS And they came to church to worship and to celebrate and to remember God's sacrifice and they died Who would have liked to been alive in the church day of the book of Acts? We wouldn't have a church after one communion service What he's saying is and you may say well, why don't we see that today? It's because of the origin or at its beginning. God is Extremely jealous to get the church off the ground. It's not to say he is not But in those early days in those early times just like a newborn baby how many moms are more protective of that baby that infant in its beginning and Then about two you're like go on just run out into the street or that first baby gets all the protection, you know how that works the first baby can't do anything and can't have anything in its hand or in this mouth without it being sanctified and washed by the blood of Jesus and And then you know what happens after a few babies You just let them eat whatever they want to eat and you lick the noonie In fact, you have strangers lick the pacifier put it back in the baby's mouth The Bible says that they were void

Being sick and falling asleep even in the time of their connecting to God in communion Because when they were taking communion, they were not waiting on one another They were so quote mesmerized with you If they could give a rip about people God goes no no power for you. And that's why they were getting sick That's why they were come under judgment And this is in the relationship to your future I'm telling you how you handle people and How you treat people is how I think your future will be treated How many want to have a future that's the kind of future that God has ordained? But what I can tell you You have to understand that it is within the confines now, not just your relationship to Christ, but your relationship to people So second Peter we come to the letters of Peter, but I'm going to jump to 2nd Peter chapter 1 Peter as you read Peter you have to understand remember Peter's life. What was Peter Peter was quite the failure Peter was quite the apostle of mistakes and of course he betrayed and Lied and you can go through various Things that Peter did and we all know them Well, he was constantly saying things and doing things and so when you read Peter you have to read with the context of Peter knowing who he was and what Christ did in his life and He says Simon, of course, he calls himself Simon Peter as the word says a bondservant an apostle of Jesus to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours a Faith of the same kind as ours the woman who was describing her Unitarian faith is not the same kind of faith as mine Her faith believes in all the gods and they all lead you to Christ That's what he is saying the faith that is like ours according to Christ according to him being the way the truth in the light I'm here thankful that this is not a buffet This is not an option that Jesus came to give us the answer to the mystery of who is God That's why he came to break the mystery to reveal the truth, that he's not hidden. Jesus said, you see me, you see the Father. When he says a faith of the same kind of ours, you've got to also know that not everyone that has faith is the right kind of faith. Just because someone says, I'm a man of faith,

in what? In who? In where? What's it based on? Of course, Peter's talking about Christ. He says this kind of faith that is like ours because of the righteousness of Jesus. It's because Christ has made us right. How many are thankful it's because of what Christ did? My faith is based on what he did, not what I do. It's done. And it's based on I am right with Father because he made me right in his nature. Grace and peace be multiplied to you. Peter can say, I needed a lot of grace and peace, and I needed it in many forms and in many fashions. How many are thankful that God multiplies grace upon grace? And Peter experienced that. And then he says, this was multiplied to me in the knowledge of God. In fact, he is saying, as I also grew in God, in the knowledge of God, I grew in grace. Many of us live in such a small element of grace. We live in such an insecurity. We have such an insecure outlook of ourselves, of God, because you have a low knowledge of God. When you have the knowledge of Christ, the knowledge of scripture, but the knowledge of who he is, the knowledge begins to take root into your heart and into your life, and it begins to ground you, and it begins to affirm to you who you are. And as he says, because of the knowledge of God, I understood the grace of God and the peace of God. Peter in his darkness had the revelation or the knowledge of God. Christ came to him. Tell, when he was raised from the dead, as he says, go tell my brother, and I've been raised from the dead, and Peter. He specifically said, oh, and Peter. It's like God stuck a stickum note and said, tell everybody I'm alive, and Peter, I'm thinking about you. Peter goes, that was where I got the knowledge of God in Christ, that he's gracious, and he's kind, and he's merciful, and he's forgiving. And then he says, seeing, verse 3, that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory, and it's excellent. It's virtuous. It's righteous. His power, his energy, his work has granted, it's bestowed upon us that transforms us into a life that is godly. It's a life that is righteous, and this is not just a time element. This is not a life that will forever go on. No, it's a quality of life, and that quality of life looks like Jesus. It looks like him. It doesn't look churchy. It doesn't look Christianity. It doesn't look holy or piety in the religious way. It's just right. It's just beautiful. It's together. It's excellent. For by these he has called us, or he has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the

divine nature of God. In other words, what Peter realizes is that as he began to walk with Christ, instead of leaning on his own understanding, trusting, of course, and coming to the awareness of who Christ was, his nature began to change. He was literally becoming like what they called Christians in the first church. When you and I were called, if we had been alive then, they were calling you Christians. That just meant little Christ, and that was meant to be negative, but let me just say something. You are the embodiment of Christ. You carry his divine nature. His nature is inside of you, so when sin is enticing you, when there's a desire to pull you away into a life that is opposite of God, because you have this nature, you have his divine nature inside of you, it makes you become protected. It makes you become resistant to that temptation, because here's the connection. You have escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. You don't escape corruption. You don't escape lust and however that manifests, sexual lust, it could be possessions, money, things, greed, but that doesn't come. That drive, that which we were originally born with does not ever leave, it begins to not have an effect on you only because the nature of God is bigger inside of you than your old nature. You're living to the new nature. And therefore you're beginning to escape, you understand the escaping of this corruption. And then we get to where I want to give today relationally. Now for this very reason, applying or we'll see this word applying, supplying, adding. He says to your faith for this, I want you to begin to understand Peter is saying, thank God for what God did and how you've come to Christ. And that journey has started maybe through that prayer. You prayed that prayer, Lord come into my heart. Amen. Yeah. God, nine years old, Sunday school, Ethel, Margaret, whoever was your Bible Sunday school teacher in 1941. However, you came to Christ or when that transaction happened in that prayer, that's great. But Peter is saying, that's awesome. And yes, it starts, but then he goes, but now you're going to have to apply all diligence in your faith. You're supplying moral excellence and then your moral excellence, knowledge, and then your knowledge, self-control, and then your self-control, perseverance, and then your perseverance, godliness, and then your godliness, brotherly kindness, or love, and then your brotherly kindness, love, for if these qualities are yours and are increasing. It's interesting. We so often have this connection only to what Christ did for us yesterday.

Peter says, take it from someone who failed the Lord. You can't run on yesterday's morals, yesterday's knowledge, yesterday's excellence, yesterday's diligence. Go through these qualities. He says, you need to add to it. You need to give to it. You need to supply. You need to bring. This is what he's saying. Thank God for what he did, but why is he giving us give, add, supply, bring, grow, invest, invest in your faith, diligence, invest in your faith, excellence, invest in your faith, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love, because he says, if all you had was what was yesterday, he goes on in verse 3, if these qualities are yours and are increasing by how you are approaching today and your future, they will cause you to not be useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of God. That word there means unfruitful, if you will, to be useless. It means that when you and I are adding, growing, supplying, it's the same concept that God gave Adam and Eve in the garden. I've put you in this divine place. I've given you my divine blessing, my divine nature, the garden of Eden. Did he just say, relax, don't do it, if you want to go do it? Where are my 80s people at? He did not say that. He said, tend it, keep it, grow it, multiply it, expand it. Your faith, and you go through these qualities, these characteristics of Christ, where not to just be kept, they're supposed to be grown. I've had some people say to me recently, Pastor Joe, you're not the same preacher that you were 25 years ago. God, I hope not. That's why no one came 25 years ago. And I hope you're not the same Christian that you were 25 years ago. I hope that you've added to your faith. I hope that you've added knowledge. I hope that you've added understanding. I hope that you've added self-control. I hope that you're not the same that you were when you first came to Christ. Peter says, that was my problem, I didn't grow. And I took for granted the precious gift that God had given me. I took for granted. And then he goes, when he says useless or unfruitful, what he is saying is, those words literally in the Greek, it corresponds to this idea, you will not be on God's unemployment line. It means you won't be rendered unemployable. How many want God to be able to employ you? Who wants God to work for you? Okay, 19 of us? Okay, that's great. The rest of you are like...

Or you're looking at your phone, that's fine. Peter is saying, because I wasn't growing, adding, supplying, giving myself to this relationship. Though he can't give and nor can you give to get salvation. But you can give yourself into God that brings you into His promises. That brings you into His nature at a level that God says, you will never be unemployed. You will never be hidden. But all relationships, whether it's to Christ or your own home, requires what this law says. You have to give. Well, I gave on the day we were married. I said I'd do that day. And since then you've been, I didn't. How many know you do every day? You do-do every day. I do, I do, I do. It's inappropriate, but you have to, you have to reconnect. Yeah, but we had a great first year. And what happened after that? We drifted. We assumed. This is what happens in all relationships. You just, what we hear all the time, we just drifted apart. We just didn't have anything in common. That's why Peter starts with,

to this context of relationship, faith, he says, diligence. Because what ends up happening, the first thing that he starts with is, then when diligence is applied, or when you're growing in your diligence, you're literally, you're growing in your energy. You are putting strength to it. You are intentional about your relationship to Christ. You're intentional about that relationship to that husband or that wife. Or in all relationships, they require intentionality. And it doesn't just drift into a life that is full. It will always drift into a life that is empty. That's what he is saying. Watch what he says. For if you are lacking these qualities, or when you are not in the mindset of giving to the marriage, giving to that relationship, beginning with Christ, and beginning in every context of your relational community, the moment you stop sowing, giving, adding to it, the Bible tells us you're the one that is blind, short-sighted, and you have forgotten what God did in relationship to your former past. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more diligent to make certain. Make certain. Make it certain about his calling and choosing you. For as long as you practice these things, watch what he says, you will never stumble. Some of us have fear that we're going to stumble. Some of us have a fear that we are not going to fulfill the call of God upon our life.

Peter says you don't have to stumble like I did. You just have to grow yourself out of it. You're going to have to make up your mind that I am not going to be casual or complacent about relationships. Beginning with Christ. This is what he is saying. When you are not diligent, when you're not adding, when you're not growing, when you're not investing, not just in them but in yourself to become more like Christ, every relationship is going to begin to fall apart. And when you see what Christ did, and therefore when you understand what he did in your life, your former sins in relationship to the past that he forgave, how could you not want to be prepared on that day when it says, watch this, for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. He literally is saying that live your life in such a way with these qualities, adding them, increasing in them, so that on that day that you stand before God, there will be an entrance that is grand for you. In other words, there is going to be people that you have affected waiting on you. There will be people that God is charging or giving their salvation to your account. Paul writes about people coming to Christ, and there are people as a result of coming to Christ, and because of your faith, They, and because of their name written in the book of life, God begins to put that to your account. So this past, and I don't even have time, I've got a whole group of notes to give you, but let me tell you what happened on the flight going to Seattle. Keep the thought adding, giving, growing, increasing, supplying to the faith that you already have, more faith. To the virtue or the excellence, more excellence. The knowledge, more excellence. Add to it. Self-control, add to

it. What self-control you had yesterday is not going to be enough for tomorrow. Case in point, I have airplane stories. Every time I get on airplane, there's a Bible being written for me, or a Bible being explained to me. So I'm flying, writing, preaching in Seattle, a couple conference messages. I'm leaning back appropriately, I'm doing what the seat allows me to do. I understand the seat when people are trying to eat behind you on international flights, but this is not international, though it's four hours, but nevertheless, I'm leaning back legally. And all of a sudden, I feel somebody hit me on my head. I don't think that's what it was, that was the Lord hitting me on the top of my head. Felt it again. I turn, and the seats behind me, the two seats behind me, there's a lady standing over me, my left shoulder going... I take out my earbuds, I went, excuse me, goes, move your seat up. Trying to get out. I'm looking at this lazy man sitting next to her. The reason why she can't get out of her seat, and out of her row to go to the bathroom, is the man, that's not even her family man, it's not even her companion, her friend. He's not getting up. Well, you can't get, I don't care who you are, you can't get out of any kind of seat unless the person beside you gets up and lets you out until... How many don't, have you ever been on an airplane? In fact, I just had to do that for the man that I was sitting next to. I got up, he got out, went to the restroom, he came back, I get up, he goes in, and I sit back down. She hits me on top of the head, and I'm thinking, why isn't this lazy butt getting up behind me? And so, flying out of Austin, whenever I fly out of Austin, there's about a 99% chance somebody from our church is flying out of Austin. So, I'm good on outgoing flights. So, I move my seat. That man doesn't even move. She gets out, she goes to the bathroom. Then I, as she comes back in, and I'm just thinking, what do I do, Lord? And then I go, I have to go to the restroom. Then I come back, and I just, as I'm getting to my seat on the right, they're kind of looking at me, and I'm just looking at them. I just gave them a little extra. How many have ever had things happen to you in life that you just want to say something? And in that moment, 2 Peter, add self-control, add excellence, add faith, add knowledge, add love, add brotherhood. I knew in this moment I had to add

something. Though I have something, it's going to take an extra something. Some of y'all are getting slapped upside the head by life, by a wife, by a kid, by bills. Maybe you were slapping each other all the way to church this morning, and you're thinking about saying something. You're thinking about doing something. And God goes, add, enhance, because what you had until this moment is not enough. See, this is why we better grow, because the battles this afternoon, tomorrow, and in your future that we see in this world, it's going to take extra. It's going to take more. Some of us are walking on yesterday self-control. And if I would have walked on yesterday... self-control. I would have said, can I just talk to y'all? Can I just first talk to you, sir? I got slapped in the head because she couldn't get out because you sat in your seat. You get yourself up next time when somebody has to go to the bathroom. I'm not the one in the wrong. I can have my seat back. What if I was asleep? What if God was talking to me in a deep manifestation of going to the third heaven? And I'm a man of God and I'm on my way to preach to the nation. Jesus is carrying me right now to Seattle and you disturbed the voice and the flow of the Holy Ghost in my life. And people are going to hell because of you and your laziness. And you, lady, you didn't even, when you came back to your chair, didn't even say thank you. Didn't even, didn't even say please. You just slapped a stranger. It's like, you don't do this anymore. How many don't, like, you don't, you don't even touch people's bags. You don't. This had to be God. God was slapping me on top of the head to give you an illustration. Because when I came here this morning during the first service, I was still wrestling with, God, I don't have that thing that is going to complete what Peter is saying. And during worship, in fact, during the last song, all of a sudden the Lord goes, remember when I slapped you through those stupid people behind you? No, you didn't say that part. But through those tag-team WDE wrestlers and how you, in that moment, realized people are watching. But not just that. I'm watching. You had to go extra in your love. You had to go extra in your mercy. Extra in your grace. Self- control. How many know self-control? Does anybody need more self? Who needs more

self? Is there anybody that has all the self-control? Well, why are you sleeping then? You can't even control your sleep. We need everything that Peter says so that we are not useless, unfruitful. And frankly, the reason why we still are stumbling is that we haven't grown since yesterday. Today's battles require today's faith. How many want God to increase your faith, your knowledge, your understanding, that word there, godliness, excellence? That's the standard of God. He's excellent God. He's the second-mile God. I haven't thought about it. In fact, I came off that plane with victory. I came off that plane with victory and went to go preach, and I had not thought about my companions behind me until God goes, yep. This message is not useless. It's actually useful to people. Some of you are getting hit, and it is an attack, and it is a moment that you're ready to say something. You're ready to go. I'm out of here. I don't care. I'll lose my career. I'll lose my family. I'll lose my wife. I'll lose my- I don't care. You get into that moment and that emotional place. I don't care if I ever fly again. I don't care if I ever- I'm on the do not fly list. This lady with her white sweater, and I can see it right now, her little shawl, carrying a little shawl. Shawshank is what you are, acting like you're all soft, sweet, red hair. I'm gonna rip that shawl right after you, shank you. The reality is it's not if that's gonna happen to you. It's gonna happen on your way home today. It's gonna happen. Now add. Right now, add. God, help. How many want God to add whatever you need? Who needs one of these? There's- you could go- there's seven. I see nine characteristics, including love is broken down into brotherly kindness and love. I like to see faith in there as well. Faith, diligence, virtue. You go through it. With every head bowed and every eye closed, I believe that God brought us here today to hear my failure. And maybe you're here, maybe you're the lady that was sitting behind me. Thank you for being an instrument of the living God to help me grow. Some of you are being challenged and it is everything in your mind and in your power to not Take matters into your own hands. God says, grow.

Let go, let go of that forgiveness, that bitterness, that anger. Let go of you wanting to give your mind and your emotions to it. And this will go for the rest of your life. As soon as you're about to say something that you know is not generated by the Holy Spirit, that's when you say, Lord, add to me right now faith. Add to me knowledge, add to me wisdom, add to my mouth wisdom, knowledge, add to my heart. Can we just say this out loud, Lord Jesus? I don't want to be the same. I don't want to be useless or unusable for your kingdom. I want to grow. I need you to do it by the power of the Holy Spirit. I yield myself to it. To become more like Christ. And before we go any farther, I want to ask, as heads are bowed, how many would say, Joe, I'm not even saved? Honestly, if I died today, I don't know if I'd go to heaven or hell. I really don't. You were singing those songs about being saved. I don't even honestly have the assurance. I can't sing that song, nor can I sing it with joy because I'm not saved. I don't have that promise of eternal life because I have not truly given it all to God as my Lord and Savior.

God's not asking for your perfection, nor can you truly be perfect, nor will you ever be, but the reality is you do have to lay down your life and surrender to be saved. If you're here today and you'd like to say, Jesus, my life is surrendered to you, would you just slip up your hand? I want to know how to pray this morning. How many people are here today say, Pastor Joe, include me in that prayer. I want to connect to God. So many hands. Bless you. Can we just say this with everyone together, Lord Jesus? Thank you for saving me, not by my works. Am I saved or forgiven? It's my faith in you, and you are the Lamb of God who came to take away my sin. I believe in you, Jesus, not in myself, that you are the way, the truth, and the life. You are my Lord, you are my Savior, and I believe you were raised from the dead. And from this moment on, I don't belong to myself. You bought me with the price of your blood. I'm yours, and I'm saved, and I'm safe. I'm saved. Jesus. Everybody said, can we just thank God for his kindness? Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, pulleygeys.

Hallelujah, hallelujah.