Teaching to Obey

Let's sing this song together. ♪ I remember when you made me new ♪ ♪ There in deserts that you brought me home ♪ ♪ I remember when you made me new ♪ ♪ There in deserts that you brought me home ♪ ♪ I remember when you made me new ♪ ♪ There in deserts that you brought me through ♪ ♪ I was shackled, but no longer now ♪ ♪ I remember, I remember this brand new star you're in ♪ ♪ My restless heart, I was broken down, but no longer now ♪ Sing, you are my God. ♪ Yes, you are my God and the one I seek ♪ ♪ You were the promised slave in all my inheritance ♪ ♪ The one I love and the one I need ♪ ♪ You are the King of Kings, you are my everything ♪ ♪ My everything, I remember, I remember ♪ ♪ This brand new star you're in, elevated ♪ ♪ My restless heart, I was broken down, but no longer now ♪ ♪ No longer now, you are my God, you are my God ♪ ♪ And the one I seek, you were the promised slave ♪ ♪ In all my inheritance, the one I love and the one I need ♪ ♪ You were the King of Kings, you were my everything again ♪ ♪ You are my God and the one I seek, you were the promised slave ♪ ♪ In all my inheritance, the one I love and the one I need ♪ ♪ And the one I need, you were the King of Kings, you were my everything ♪ ♪ You split the waters, you let me out ♪ ♪ With songs of victory and joyful shouts ♪ ♪ You took my sorrow, you took my shame, it's buried under me ♪ ♪ You are my water, amazing grace ♪ ♪ You call my morning, my feet to dance ♪

♪ I'm caught up in your deliverance ♪ ♪ You fill my heart with a song of praise ♪ ♪ I'm singing freedom for all my days, for all my days ♪ ♪ We sing it out, you are my God and the one I seek ♪ ♪ You were the promised slave in all my inheritance ♪ ♪ The one I love and the one I need ♪ ♪ You were the King of Kings, you were my everything ♪ ♪ You are my God and the one I seek ♪ ♪ You were the promised slave in all my inheritance ♪ ♪ The one I love and the one I need ♪ ♪ You were the King of Kings, you were my everything ♪ ♪ You split the waters, you let me out ♪ ♪ With songs of victory and joyful shouts ♪ ♪ You took my sorrows, you took my shame ♪ ♪ It's buried under amazing grace ♪ ♪ You call my morning, my future days ♪ ♪ I'm caught up in your deliverance ♪ ♪ You fill my heart with a song of praise ♪ ♪ I'm singing freedom ♪ ♪ For all my days, You are my God and the one I seek ♪ ♪ You are the promised land in all my inheritance ♪ ♪ The one I love and the one I need ♪ ♪ You are the King of kings, You are my everything ♪ ♪ You are the King of kings, You are my everything ♪ Let's stand for our next time of worship here. And it is such a beautiful thing to celebrate people's declaration of new life in Christ. And what you find is after you say yes to Christ, you find yourself needing to say yes and yes again. It's a constant dying to self

and saying yes to what the Lord has for you in his life. And so this next song that we're gonna sing is about saying yes to him in everything that passes through his hand to us as believers. ♪ No longer I who live, no longer I who die ♪ ♪ The Christ in me, who is the hope of glory ♪ ♪ Oh, what a privilege to worship him, to be for Jesus only ♪ ♪ Oh, what a privilege to worship him, to be for Jesus only ♪ ♪ Whether I live, whether I die, I'll let it be for Christ ♪ ♪ Whether I live, whether I die, your name be glory high ♪ ♪ Your name be glory high, Jesus, I give all of my life ♪ ♪ I'll live in sacrifice, I say yes again, I say yes again ♪ ♪ I'll live in sacrifice, I say yes again, I say yes again ♪ ♪ Oh, Father, not my will, but yours be done ♪ ♪ This is my fresh surrender, this is my fresh surrender ♪ ♪ Whether in joy or pain or suffering, oh Lord, you are my treasure ♪ ♪ Whether I live, whether I die, I'll let it be for Christ ♪ ♪ Whether I live, whether I die, your name be glory high ♪ ♪ Your name be glory high, Jesus, I give all of my life ♪ ♪ I'll live in sacrifice, I say yes again, I say yes again ♪ ♪ I say yes again, I say yes again ♪ ♪ Yes to the spirit, yes to surrender, yes on the mountain ♪ ♪ Yes in the desert, yes in this moment, yes forever ♪ ♪ Whatever it looks like, whatever it looks like, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Yes it forever, whatever it looks like, whatever it looks like ♪ ♪ I say yes to the giving, yes to the taking, yes to the going ♪ ♪ Yes to the waiting, yes for our families, yes for the nations ♪ ♪ Whatever it looks like, whatever it looks like ♪ ♪ I say yes to the spirit, yes to surrender ♪

♪ Yes on the mountain, yes to the desert, yes in this moment ♪ ♪ Yes and forever, whatever it looks like ♪ ♪ Whatever it looks like, I say yes to the giving ♪ ♪ Yes to the taking, yes to the going ♪ ♪ Yes to the waiting, yes for our families ♪ ♪ Yes for the nations, whatever it looks like ♪ ♪ Whatever it looks like, oh ♪ ♪ Whether I live, whether I die, how can it be for Christ? ♪ ♪ Whether I live, whether I die, your name be glorified ♪ ♪ Your name be glorified, Jesus, I give of my life ♪ ♪ I live in sacrifice, I say yes again, I say yes again ♪ ♪ I say yes again, I say yes again, I say yes again ♪ ♪ I say yes again, I say yes again, I say yes again ♪ ♪ I say yes again, oh Jesus ♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ There was a man in the light's way ♪ ♪ And death had claimed its victory ♪ ♪ The king of love had given up his life ♪ ♪ The darkest day in history ♪ ♪ He'd run across the land for sinners ♪ ♪ For every curse he's got atoned ♪ ♪ One final breath and he was finished ♪ ♪ But not the end we could have known ♪ ♪ For the earth depends on the snake ♪ ♪ And the veil was torn ♪ ♪ What sacrifice was made? ♪ ♪ The head of the beast roared ♪ ♪♪ ♪ All hail King Jesus ♪

♪ All hail the Lord of heaven and earth ♪ ♪ All hail King Jesus ♪ ♪ All hail the savior of the world ♪ ♪♪ ♪ There was a moment when the sky lit up ♪ ♪ A flash of light breaking through ♪ ♪ When all was lost he crossed eternity ♪ ♪ The king of life was on the move ♪ ♪ For in a dark cold tomb where our lord was laid ♪ ♪ One miraculous break it was forever changed ♪ ♪ All hail king Jesus, all hail ♪ ♪ All hail the lord of heaven and earth ♪ ♪ All hail king Jesus, all hail. ♪ ♪ All hail the Savior of the world ♪ ♪ All hail to Jesus ♪ ♪ All hail the Lord of heaven and earth ♪ ♪ All hail to Jesus ♪ ♪ All hail the Savior of the world ♪ ♪ All creation praises your name, Jesus ♪ ♪ So let every knee come out before the King of kings ♪ ♪ Let every tongue confess that he is Lord ♪ ♪ Lift up your shout, let us join with all of heaven singing ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, sing holy ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, sing holy, holy, holy, holy ♪ ♪ Holy, holy, sing holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy ♪ Lift it up, Tim. ♪ All hail the Lord, all hail the Lord ♪ Lift it up. ♪ All hail the Saviour of the world, praise Him ♪ ♪ Hey holy, holy, sing holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, hold on to me, hold me, hold me tight so tight so tight so tight that I'll keep moving my hips all night long.

Let my life give youSít, please, please. With my life I give youSít, please, please. With my life, I love youolé I will sing of the goodness of God. And all my life you have been faithful. All my life you have been so, so kind. With every breath that I am able. Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God. Of your voice, you have led me through the fire. And in darkest nights, you were close like no other. I've known you as a father. I've known you as a friend. And I have lived in the goodness of God. And all my life you have been faithful. Yes, you have loved. And all my life you have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able. Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God. Your goodness is running after. It's running after me, Lord. Your goodness is running after. It's running after me. With my life laid down, I'm surrendering now. I give you everything. Your goodness is running after. It's running after me. ♪ It's running after me, oh ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after me ♪ ♪ It's running after me ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after me ♪

♪ It's running after me ♪ ♪ With my heart laid down and surrendered now ♪ ♪ I give you everything ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running, it keeps running after me ♪ ♪ And all my life, you have been faith ♪ ♪ And all my life, you have been faith ♪ ♪ ♪ All my life, you have been so, so good ♪ ♪ With every breath that I am able ♪ ♪ Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God ♪ ♪ I'm gonna sing ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Cause all my life, you have been faithful ♪ ♪ ♪ And all my life, you have been so, so good ♪ ♪ With every breath that I am able ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God ♪ ♪ Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God ♪ Thank you, Lord. Amen. Lord, you are so good to us, Lord. God, so we remember your faithfulness, God, as we lean in this morning. Lord, would you speak to us through your word? God, we just open ourselves to you. We praise you in Jesus' name. Amen, amen. You may be seated. ♪♪ ♪♪

It's me, you, too. Well, good morning. Good morning. Let's pray before we open up God's word today. Father God, we love you. Thank you that we can trust you to fully surrender everything about our lives to you. Lord, I just pray that you fill this room today, that your presence is felt, and that you work on our hearts today, Father, and that anything that isn't of you, it doesn't take up any root, Lord, but that you speak freely here. This is your space and your time. And Father, thank you for the freedom to gather the way that we're gathered here today and to worship you the way that we get to. And I just pray for those around the world who don't have that freedom, that you just meet them there. Lord, and then I pray that you ignite this church to be a sent church, to seek the lost and the vulnerable and to have a heart like yours, Lord. Surrender us to obedience and complete obedience to who you are and what you've commanded, Lord. We love you and we trust you, and it's in Jesus' precious name that we pray. Amen. So we've been hanging out in the Great Commission and we've been taking it, not necessarily verse by verse,

but almost phrase by phrase. And as we've navigated this, I'd like to anchor us right back into the Great Commission. And then today we'll be spending a little more time specifically in verse 20. So if you open up your Bibles, we're gonna be in Matthew 28, starting on verse 16. It says, now the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him. And some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. We're gonna be hanging out and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And when I read this, and when I first started meditating on God's word there, the first thing that I realized is that obedience is taught. It doesn't come naturally to us. And I know that wasn't the case for me. And if you wanted to confirm that, my parents are here today. But we have to teach obedience. Jesus isn't just saying teach, but teach to obey. And then we're obeying all that he has commanded us.

But it raised a question. As I studied it, and it was why is obedience important? Why does it matter? Why should we obey God and obey everything that he has commanded and the Lord took me to Genesis and as I? read through Genesis We see that in the beginning God is creating and every time after he creates He says it's scripture said that the Lord saw that it was good And he creates again, and he saw that it was good And that's the theme for the first two chapters And then we come on to the scene in chapter 3 and God makes Adam, and then he makes Eve from Adam male and female he makes them and Shortly after that Satan enters, and there's a disobedience we choose to disobey what the Lord has commanded us and everyone in this room understands that but as we turn on the news or Swipe through our social medias or whatever it is that you do in your spare time How many of us can actually say that what we saw was good the way the Lord did in the beginning? We understand the brokenness of the world through death and illness and sickness through famine through destruction through war so we can see the Consequences of the original disobedience in Genesis rippling all the way out to today where we are So why is obedience important well? because disobedience God is here and Thankfully Jesus doesn't leave us in that hopeless world Of brokenness, but we have hope and faith in Jesus and when he did on the cross and so as we talk through This the first thing is Jesus sets the example Right Jesus was the first disciple maker in that design and then sent out his disciples To make disciples and those disciples made disciples, and that's why we're all here Because somebody was a disciple of somebody and they discipled you and me and shared the gospel the way that Jesus has commanded it But as I thought through discipleship I guess I landed on how we do that here, and there's multiple ways that we do that here We do it through life groups do it through mentorship programs There's a podcast and I got it wrong at the 8, but it's against the grain And it's episode 44 will actually be talking about Teaching them to obey all that I have commanded

And so there's different ways to disciple each other And one of the ways that we do it here, and that we're a scent church is through global missions and global trips And last year I got the opportunity to participate on a trip and go to Uganda And I never thought that I would go to Uganda I have never felt called to go to Uganda and so I asked myself. Why did I say yes to this? And on a very long flight to Uganda that was the question that kept bouncing around in my head and in my heart is Why did I say yes to this? Once we got to Uganda it was evident and clear that God is in Uganda That the people of Uganda know who he is and that his presence is felt consistently throughout, so I still wondered. Why am I in Uganda? The whole point of the of the trip is we partner with an organization named edify and we were going to teach 200 Ugandan students and walk them through A message that we had written beforehand One of the things that they don't practice consistently has a church in Uganda is solitude time with the father And so the Lord put that on my heart To have solitude time for them to do that for the first time and we actually have a video of 200 Ugandan students having solitude time for the first time But as you start looking at it, and as you start thinking through it and you realize It's actually not about just discipling but when we enter a relationship where we disciple God uses that relationship to sharpen us as well and Being in Uganda and seeing all these students have Fellowship with their Lord for the first time in such a cool way Was impactful I was with Lauren Adams, and I remember when we crossed on the road We both said this is the holiest moment We've ever been a part of you could just feel the presence of the Lord among his children As they were reaching out to him in that capacity for the first time Another thing that we did in Uganda Was they are gifted musically and rhythmically and I won't be an example of that today because I don't embarrass myself But it is so evident that God has gifted them in that way And so one of the things that we did as we taught them was they were going to write a song

About what we were teaching we were teaching them about being a godly generation, and I believe we have that song as well Just keep teaching and teaching until we come. So we can live a Godly life. We are young, young generations. We set an example to believers. You speak on a cloud made of purity. So we can live a Godly life. OK, yeah, amen. Watching those students in about 45 minutes to an hour making a song, watching them fill up a water bottle with rocks to create instruments was absolutely impactful, because my idea of worship was shattered. My idea of worship tended to be a band and music and lights. And they made it so clear that it's not about any of that. It's simply about giving worth to the one that deserves it. And so quickly in Uganda, I started realizing, I'm here to teach, but I'm receiving so much more than I thought I'd ever receive. And through watching the way that they love the Lord, the way that they worship with such a freedom, I realized that discipleship is a two-way street. It's not just I pour into you. But God tends to use that also then to grow the one who is discipling. And we should always be in a rhythm of discipling someone and being discipled by someone. Recently at the staff, we had a staff retreat. And we were being discipled by a woman named Jen. And she was pouring into us on how to seek the lost,

how to pray for them, how to have a heart for the lost, and how to engage them. And as we were doing that, the Lord convicted me with something that she said, that we should share what the Lord is doing. See, God is in the Bible, but he's also here today. And he's active today as well. If he's the same that he's been always in scripture, then today he's also still a miracle worker and a healer and a savior. And we tend to not focus on those. And for me specifically, it tended to be a shame piece or an embarrassment that if I shared, someone might not believe. So as I pondered through that and I realized I need to share the conviction came for one of the biggest miracles that God has worked recently in my life. Me and my wife have been married for a little over two years now. And one of the things that was on the table when we first started dating was that we likely wouldn't have biological children. Last time I was up here, I actually talked about the miracle that God was performing through that. And last Easter, my wife was pregnant. Well, on December 6th, this past year, our baby girl was born. I believe we have a picture of her. Yeah, I think she's pretty cute too. But we named her Grace

because she's an undeserved gift from the Lord. And there is no middle name because God's grace is sufficient. But Grace is a consistent reminder that God is still moving and God is still working, that God is still healing and that God does what God wants to do, even if we don't believe that he can do it. But now that Grace is coming to the picture, she's really complicated something for me because as a father, I've realized that I have to disciple and discipline her in my own household. And I have to discipline a little girl named Grace. And that's gonna be really difficult because just her name is gonna be a reminder of what I should be extending consistently to her. But there's a calling for us to make disciples and Jesus shows us how to do that. And Jesus washes our feet and then tells us that he is the example. He didn't just tell us what to do, but he showed us how to do it. And then ultimately he sent us out to do it. That's the design and the pattern that Jesus set for us. And it's design and pattern that we should follow if we want to teach people to obey all that he has commanded. But another way apart from discipleship that we can teach to obey is through that discipline. And thinking of my baby girl, there's different ways to discipline,

but discipline isn't just for parents to their children, it's from our heavenly father to us. And discipline is usually not something that people want. It's usually not something that we go out and seek. And I understand it's a very sensitive topic depending on what you've seen or what you've experienced. But we have some verses up for you here today on discipline. And I would encourage you, take a picture or write them down, but go before the Lord with an open heart of what he has designed for discipline, for you and for your children. I think it's important that we understand that there's no other book other than this one for the best parenting advice. There is no other book other than this one for the best way to live a righteous life. This is the ultimate authority and anything that says anything different than what scripture says, we should be aware and careful. But as I've navigated discipline, and I've thought about my daughter, and I realized that I also require a lot of discipline from the Lord We can go to Exodus and see that discipline Is something that God uses for his sons and his daughters in Exodus 8 verse 5 it says Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son the Lord your God Disciplines you so you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him So God consistently uses discipline to align us back to his will to bring us back to what God has established For us I recently got into gardening and growing up. We had a little persimmon tree. It's a little fruit It's orange it kind of looks like a tomato, but it doesn't taste like one And I got to buy one recently from Houston and when we drove it up here

It was in the back of a car kind of like this and when we got it out It was real bent and crooked looking now with the research that I'd done and my self-proclaimed expertise. I knew That that persimmon tree was not gonna Do well if I let it grow the way that it was growing and so we anchored a stake next to it We pulled them back and then in reading more and more I realized that I had to cut back his branches so that they would grow in a very specific way so that when my persimmon Tree God willing one day bears fruit. It can bear as much fruit as possible And if it was growing differently the wind or a storm could easily break that tree Well discipline is no different God has a plan and a vision for you better than what I have for my persimmon tree But for you to bear the fruit that the Lord wants you to bear He's got to prune you and he's got to discipline you He's got to take the things that you don't need and that are not of him and he's got to make sure you're growing straight So discipline is a tool that God uses and scripture says that the father that loves Disciplines so for us that are in Jesus discipline is actually an exclamation and a reminder of the love that the father has for each of us It's him taking ownership of you as a son or a daughter to make sure that you're walking in the way that you're supposed to and then the wisdom and Scripture is clear as well that all discipline in its moment is unpleasant or painful It's 1002. Let's let's pray Father God we we worship you today We're so grateful for the many ways that you show us your love and today Lord We ask that you just stir our hearts and hearts all over this globe To go out into the plentiful harvest that you have established Lord. Thank you even trusted us with such a great Privilege and such a great weight to be a part of your plan of salvation Lord So we pray today for hearts to be stirred to be sent all over the globe for your kingdom and for the glory of your name So Jesus name we pray. Amen So God uses discipline to remind us that we are his And that should be something that is a good thing for you and for me It's not a bad thing and discipline in its time will produce righteousness And then we can't walk in the things that the Lord has prepared For us and we're not walking in the way that the Lord wants us to walk because apart from him we can do nothing

So as you think through discipline, I'd like to encourage you Next time you're being disciplined by your Heavenly Father, let it be a reminder of how much he loves you Let it be a reminder that he is with you and that he is for you And that he wants you back on track because that's what's best for you Discipline is also An interesting topic because everyone will do it differently at different times and it's not do this like this every single time It takes a lot of discernment and the beauty that is Jesus left the whole world to serve Jesus left the Holy Spirit for us to guide us through that discipline When and how to do it why we should do it where we should do it and we should get into the habit of listening to the Holy Spirit of submitting to the Holy Spirit and in John Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is key for us and obeying the Lord So in John 14 Verse 26 But the Helper the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name I will teach you will teach you all the things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you So the Holy Spirit has a function And it's a very wonderful function for us Because of the amount of help and reminders that we require if you're anything like me It has to be consistent or you go astray. The Holy Spirit is with us for those of us who ever stray Christ Jesus and he guides us consistently and he's an important part of the Trinity the part that Jesus left Behind when he left to guide us and to perform this function but as we read this verse something that is important to notice that It says it'll bring to our remembrance the things that have been taught and one of the questions for me That was raised as I navigated that is can you remember something that hasn't been taught? And the Holy Spirit remind you of something that you've never heard before And that's the importance of God's Word. That's the importance of moments like this That's the importance of life groups and discipleship is the Holy Spirit as a function But we have to have his word in our hearts for him to bring it back up to us

Right. This is a personal commitment to Jesus, but it's not an alone walk. That is not the way that it was taught We are supposed to be a community of believers who sharpen and grow each other consistently so the Holy Spirit talks to us and for me in my walk, we grew up in a Christian household and My parents consistently spoke scripture to us and that was really what happened at every meal and it turned into arguments often But Later on at the moment I didn't believe half of it and I didn't think it would be Necessary or fruitful for me and I remember as I grew older and I believed and I came to faith in Jesus And I would end up in places where I shouldn't be in the first place and I'd be asked to do things that I shouldn't Be doing and there was a conviction Inside of me that would declare to me that I did not belong there and that I should not participate in those things For each of us in this room the Holy Spirit so personal he's done that for you in your own ways and in the ways that You've needed it But if you're in Jesus, you understand the conviction of the Holy Spirit to obey everything that Jesus has commanded Another important aspect of the Holy Spirit is he helps us fall in love with Jesus He teaches us about him he reminds us who he is And it's important for us To listen it's important for us to seek him and it's important for us to understand that When he speaks he's speaking out of love we talked about discipline earlier and the reason why by God's design a father that loves Discipline is because who's better hands for discipline to be than in someone that loves you Someone who actually cares for you someone who will do it in a godly righteous way for your benefit not their own And the Holy Spirit can help us in those moments of reminding us how to do that and when to do that Other ways that we can teach to obey or be taught to obey all that he has commanded Is through prayer to spending time in the word and then also through fasting For those of you don't know Ramadan started recently and Ramadan is a is a Muslim religious holiday for about a month They fast From sunrise to sunset

and what they're seeking is a closeness to the Lord and Fasting is one of the ways that they seek that closeness to the Lord but Jesus declared to us when you fast not if you fast and it's a Practice that we often forget about or don't do and so I would like to invite us in this season and for this week Not to fast with them, but to fast for them So whatever that looks like for you, whatever the Lord puts on your heart understand there are two billion Muslims That for about the next month will be seeking a closeness with God We know what they're seeking But they're seeking it in the wrong places and I would encourage you whatever that fasting looks like for you Maybe it's a one meal. Maybe it's fast like they do From sunrise to sunset. Maybe it's a full day for us in my household It's becoming pretty interesting because my wife is diabetic And so fasting while diabetic is a whole different game But we are called to fast as believers to weaken our flesh and surrender to the Lord to submit what we desire and what we request away and Just plead with him in this case for two billion Muslims. We've talked about being a sent church There's two billion people that for the next month are looking for a closeness with God in the wrong places And I pray that Jesus finds compassion on them like he did for us at one point Because they're sheep without a shepherd and they're yearning for what we yearn for before we found it at the foot of the cross When we look at the Holy Spirit, I think it's it can be difficult to talk about him It is he is a him he is not an it But there's a lot of mystery and a lot of questions behind them. What I'm confident is that he is present, what I'm confident is that Jesus sent him and that he's our great comforter and helper. And so I'd encourage you, if you've never thought through the Holy Spirit, that's a good way to do that. Having conversations about him, praying, seeking his presence, seeking his guidance. Those are all going to be beneficial things to you. I've written down the dictionary definition of obedience, and I think the contrast is clear. The dictionary says, compliance with an order, request, or law, or submission to another's authority.

As I thought about that, I realized that when I'm driving down the highway, I've never looked at a speeding sign and said, they put that up because they love me. Nor have I ever looked at a speeding sign and said, I'm going to slow down because I love them. So the way sometimes that we understand obedience is not the biblical way that it is taught. It's not the biblical way that it's asked for us to walk in. Jesus in John says, if you love me, you will obey my commandments. If you love me. So our obedience to God is directly attached to the love that we have for Jesus. And if you love him, the question is, do you obey him? I like to ask questions. So one of my questions is, why should we love him? Why should we love Jesus? And as I meditated on that, I was overwhelmed by the response that the Holy Spirit guided me in. But if for a moment, if you've been tuning out because you don't like obedience, or you have an issue with authority, now's the time to understand that we're going to talk about something so much greater than anything that any of us will ever understand. And it's the love of Jesus displayed throughout his life. We talked about Genesis and Jesus in the beginning was there when God was creating. And like we talked about, we quickly ruined that. And then God gave us multiple opportunities to reconcile with him. But we failed because we could not walk in perfect obedience to everything that the Lord was commanding. And I can only imagine what Jesus felt like being in a place where he is worshiped 24-7, where he is king of kings and enthroned in glory. And then he comes down here with us. Because the Father loved us, he gave up his son for us. So even then, he removes himself from his perfect kingdom to come here and walk among us. And he doesn't walk among us as a ruler or someone of power. He walks as the lowly scripture says, he had no place to rest his head. Even then, he was sacrificing for you and for me. And as Jesus continues his walk, he takes us in, he disciples us, he teaches us, he washes our feet.

All so that when he needs us the most, we betray him and leave him. See, the cross wasn't the only place where Jesus suffered. It was a moment, but he had suffered for us throughout his entire life. He was born into persecution from us. And as he walked towards the cross and those final hours approached him, he's beaten, he's flogged, he's humiliated. And as he hung naked on a cross for you and for me, he still intercedes on our behalf. And all I could think about is in heaven, could you imagine the heavenly hosts watching their king and the way that we were treating him. And at one command of Jesus, that would have ended, but he still hung on the cross because of the love that he had for you and for me. And on the cross, Jesus declares that it is finished. It is done. There is nothing you or me need to add to that cross. There is nothing we could add to the cross and there's nothing we deserve about the cross. But because it's a free gift of grace from the Lord, we get to participate with Jesus. And even now, Jesus isn't done loving you and me. He is preparing a place where we will spend eternity with him. Everybody in this room has fallen in love with someone or something for a lot less than that. Every single one of us has followed someone or something for a lot less than that. And if you believe the lie today, that you're not obeying anyone, all of us are obeying something today. If you're not obeying the Lord, you're obeying the world, you're obeying your friends, you're obeying whatever it is that you're obeying. But by design, we were meant to follow. So all of us are submitted and obeying to something. What is it today that you're submitted to and obeying? Jesus is the only one who is worthy of your full obedience. obedience of your love and admiration in the way that this talks about it. And as you look at his life, I would encourage you today, if you know him, take this time to remember

when you fell deeply in love with your Lord and Savior. And if you're in this room or watching online and you don't know him, this is the best decision you'll ever be. And if he's calling you to be his, I beg you, be obedient. To that call of Jesus, you won't regret it. You will experience a love and a faithfulness like you did not know could be possible. So as we walk and as we close this up, I'd like to pray this out and have a moment of solitude with the Lord. And in a moment, we're going to commission some global workers, Rory and Pam, who are also headed to Uganda. And what a gift it is to celebrate baptisms and obedience and then to celebrate how God is using this church to be a sent church, and we get to participate in that. And so just take this time to enjoy your Father. And if you're saying yes to Jesus for the first time, we'll have people up here willing to pray with you and for you. And if you can't find someone, find someone in the lobby. I know it's difficult, but be bold for this purpose. So Father God, we love you deeply and we are so grateful for who you are and the things that you do for us. Lord, thank you for sending your son. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for his perfect obedience, Lord, that we couldn't match.

And thank you for our inheritance through his obedience and his work on the cross. Lord, I pray today for all of our hearts just to be submitted to you, to everything that you teach us, to everything that you ask of us. Lord, make it a joy to follow you and give us the boldness when you ask us to do something to be obedient. Lord, I pray for every heart here as you work on it. You humble us before your throne, Lord, that you remind us that you are our friend and our savior, but you're also the king of the universe, Lord, and let us be reminded of that consistently as we walk in faith with what you've asked. Lord, we love you. It's in Jesus' precious name that we pray, amen. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Glenn Smith, and I am the global director here at 121. I just love this sent series that we're in right now. Jehudah has done such a great job this morning reminding us that we are set apart people for what God has for us. And in this time, we have this unique opportunity today to commission two of our 121ers to go out. They're gonna be sent out to Uganda, and we're gonna have a bit of a commissioning service for them today.

And so I'm gonna ask Rory and Pam to come up and join me. And I know there's a number of people in the audience that maybe has never been a part of this or understand why we do what we do. And so today, I wanna take a step back and look from a scriptural perspective. I wanna just look through three quick instances where we see people being sent out. The first is with Jesus in the 72. Jesus actually appoints the 72, and he sends them out with a specific task. He says that they're to go and preach where he is going to preach. And he gives them specific instructions, what they're supposed to take, where they're supposed to go, where they're supposed to stay, what they're supposed to eat, the fact that they're supposed to heal people. And so he gives very, very specific instructions. And as we've been talking about this past month, we have the great commission. We fast forward to when Jesus has been crucified, he's been resurrected, and he's with his disciples, giving his last words. And he asserts his authority. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. And he tells them what to do. He says, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son

of the Holy Spirit. He tells them to teach everything that he had commanded them. And he reminds them that they, and that he was gonna be with them always. And this actually took root. We see this play out in the early church as well, with Saul and Barnabas. I'm just gonna read a couple verses from Acts 13, verse two and three. It says, while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. So today we're gonna do just that. We are gonna commission Rory and Pam to go out to you guys. to be global workers, and this involves them personally, but it also involves us as a church. So today we are saying, Rory and Pam, you are gonna be an extension of 121. We are expecting you to go out and boldly and faithfully proclaim the gospel to the people there. We're expecting you to baptize new believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We're expecting you to teach the ways of the scriptures, not the ways of Rory and Pam. And we're expecting the body to take their part in this.

Sending is an ongoing responsibility. We are sending them out. You guys leave on Tuesday. We're sending them out not to be like, hey, they're on the other side of the world. We're to be praying for them regularly, praying for them earnestly. These guys are gonna face major challenges over there. They're going to live cross-culturally, speak another language, face persecution for the sake of the gospel. These are big deals, and they need our prayer support in that. We're also supposed to be financially partnering with them as needs arise. We're supposed to be an encouragement to them through communication. When they come back, we wanna invite them in, take them out to meals, and we wanna share and hear and ask good questions of what God's doing around the world. So this is an invitation for us all to be part of that journey. And so what I would like to do is we're gonna have a video that shows a little bit more of Rory and Pam's heart and how that was stirred to go to Uganda. And I'm just gonna invite anybody that knows Rory and Pam, we're gonna have a time to actually lay hands on them and pray for them. So if you know them, you're involved in a life group,

a care team, your family and friends, whoever it is, I just wanna invite you to come to the front so we can pray. And if you'll just show the video right now. When we came to 121, we just really sat and listened to the heart of the church here. And we were drawn to the heart of Global Missions because we were wondering what our next steps were. We were praying about our next steps. And at the time, Pastor Ross was in a series about Just Say Yes. And we happened to have gotten a call about this position of this ministry in very rural Uganda. And so we did just that. We said yes, not really knowing how or when, but just taking it day by day. I really think that our story begins with the story of adoption. God called us to adopt. And after we adopted our first three children, God then changed our hearts to foster care. And during that process, we opened a home and took in at-risk children. And then after that, God called us to Africa, to the place that had 50% of their population under the age of 20. And after we were there a while, we were asked to move on to Northern Uganda, where we did work with pastors and orphan care. I think that we were obedient much earlier than that.

I was in the corporate world. You know, we have the stock options and the paid vacations and all of that. And the other people I was working with, they were out buying Mercedes and BMWs. And we bought a used 15-passenger van for all the foster kids. And a day came when the Lord just told me it was time to move out of that. And you know, when that happens to you, you think, well, can I last for three months, six months? How long will I last? And it's been over 20 years now. We're going to a small remote area in Eastern Uganda, and we'll be working with a ministry called HEED Uganda. And HEED stands for Help, Equip, Evangelize, and Disciple. There is a school there, a primary school and a secondary school. And between the two, there's over 700 students enrolling this year. While we were there, we were so blessed after a five-hour church service to witness a graduation at the church. There were 73 students there that were graduating, and they were all presented with a Bible. They were all prayed over. And it just, as they were on their knees, praising the Lord, just tore our hearts.