The Pastor and His People | Tyrone P Jones | No Other Gospel | Full Service

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Good morning, CTC. Welcome to Sunday Morning Church. Favorite day of the week. However you're joining us, thank you for being here with us. However long you've been joining us, even if it's your first time here, thank you so much for joining us. It looks like a lot of you already have, but if there's any space in the middle of your section, if you would move into that space to leave the aisles open so as people come in, they got somewhere to sit. I just want to inspire our worship today. As we go into it, 1 John 3, 2 says, Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared, but we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him because we'll see Him as He is. I love that. And in all the things that we deal with in our day-to-day life, today let's look toward the eternal promise. And we haven't seen anything compared to what we will see when we see Him as He is. So I know there's work, and I know there's family,

and I know there's all this other stuff that we deal with on a day-to-day basis, but today let's set that to the side and let's look at our God who gave us eternal life, where there's an eternal promise and an eternal future where none of that stuff exists, and we shall be like Him because we will see Him as He is. Let's worship and pray with me. Father God, we thank You that You gave us eternal life, that You gave us the promise, the hope that comes through Jesus Christ. You gave us the ability to be here right now, to come into the throne room of God, to come into Your presence and to have a relationship with You. God, we give this service to You. We lift our hearts to You in gratitude and in worship. In Jesus' name. Blessed assurance Jesus is mine He's been my fourth man in the fire Time after time Born of His Spirit Washed in His blood And what He did for me on Calvary Is more than enough Oh, I trust in God My Savior, the One Who will never fail He will never fail I trust in God

My Savior, the One Who will never fail He will never fail Perfect submission All is at rest I know the author of tomorrow Has ordered my steps So this is my story And this is my song I'm praising my risen King and Savior All the day long I trust in God My Savior, the One Who will never fail He will never fail. He will never fail. I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail. He will never fail. He will never fail me, God. You won't fail me now. I sought the Lord. I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered. That's why I trust Him. I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered. That's why I trust Him. I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered. That's why I trust Him. I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered. That's why I trust Him. That's why I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail. He will never fail. I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail. He will never fail. Sing, I sought the Lord.

I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered. That's why I trust Him. I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered. That's why I trust Him. That's why I trust Him. Oh, you can be a God. We praise you in this place. Come on, sing it if you believe it. Come on, sing it if you believe it. I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail. He will never fail. Sing it if you believe it. I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail. He will never fail. He will never fail. All right, church, let's go ahead and turn our attention to the screen as we watch somebody go public with their faith. My name is Angelica. Before Jesus, I would drink and party every weekend. I'd be hungover, and it would take days to recuperate. I didn't care for my health and struggled with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. I always had a vague belief with little commitment to Jesus. The past three years, I have gone through a profound transformation filled by my deepening relationship with Jesus Christ. I went through a life-changing event that included physical abuse, which is what sparked my personal connection and surrender to Jesus. Jesus. I ordered myself a Bible and started reading and faced some confusion and some challenges. I sought guidance through prayer, Christian teachings and social media and now church here at CTC and the foundations class on Sunday morning. I'm determined to understand scripture despite my struggles. By dedicating time to God and journaling my thoughts I have

experienced significant changes in my life. I gave up smoking and alcohol. I strive for obedience as I tackle issues of overthinking, modesty, secular music, and entertainment and finding my purpose. My faith is Jesus is a guiding force in my life. I used to hear about church of the city but I was tired while going to new places or meeting new people. With the help of Jesus I'm here now. As I continue to navigate challenges in life I believe this is what is leading me even closer to him. I'm fully embracing my journey with Jesus Christ. Today I'm going public with my faith. In Jalika, Jesus says every disciple should be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and because of your confession of faith today I baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and according to scripture you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Marked by the blood of Jesus. Hallelujah. Let's continue to worship. It's getting harder to recognize the person I was before I encountered Christ. I don't walk like I used to and I don't talk like I used to. I've been washed from the inside. Come on if you've been washed. Oh I cannot explain but nothing's more real than this in the presence of God Oh what my heart experienced when my shame hit the wayside and my sin met the most high. I've been washed from the inside. I've been washed from the inside out. Every voice we sing. Hallelujah. I know it was the blood. It could have only been the blood. I know it's in your blood, your blood. It's never been about performance, perfection, or striving for acceptance. Let me tell you, it's only by the blood. It's never been about deserving or earning. It's a gift that's freely given. Let me tell you, it's only by the blood. Does anybody wanna be holy and righteous, purified and smiling? Let me tell you, it's only by the blood. Does anybody wanna be worthy, forgiving, just about any living? Let me tell you, it's only by the blood. Hallelujah, hallelujah. I know it was the blood. It could have only been the blood. Hallelujah, hallelujah. I know it was the blood. It could have only been the blood. ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Yeah, I know it was the blood ♪ ♪ Could have only been the blood ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ I know it was the blood ♪ ♪ Could have only been the blood ♪ Thank you. ♪ And you unravel me with a melody ♪ ♪ You surround me with a song of deliverance ♪ ♪ From my enemies until all my fears are gone ♪ ♪ And I'm no longer a slave to fear ♪ ♪ I am a child of God ♪ ♪ And I'm no longer a slave to fear ♪ ♪ And I am a child of God ♪ ♪ And I am a child of God ♪ ♪ Yes, I am, yes, I am ♪ ♪ I'm a child of God ♪ I'm from my mother's womb. ♪ From my mother's womb you have chosen me ♪ ♪ Love has called my name ♪ ♪ And I've been born again to your family ♪ ♪ Your blood flows through my veins ♪ ♪ And I'm no longer a slave to fear ♪ ♪ I am a child of God ♪ ♪ And I'm no longer a slave to fear ♪ ♪ I am a child of God ♪ ♪ I'm no longer a slave to fear ♪ ♪ I am a child of God ♪ ♪ And I'm no longer a slave to fear ♪

♪ And I am a child of God, yes, I am ♪ Come on, can we lift our hands to heaven across this place? Come on, he says we're sons and daughters. Yes, we are. ♪ Lord, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Lord, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ You split, you split the sea so I can walk by the river ♪ ♪ My fears are drowning, perfect love, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ You rescued me so I can stand and say, I am a child of God ♪ Yes, I am! ♪ You split the sea so I can walk by the river ♪ Sing it! ♪ My fears were drowning, perfect love, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ You rescued me so I can stand and say, I am a child of God ♪ Yes, I am! ♪ I am a child of God ♪ ♪ I am a child of God ♪ Yes, I am! ♪ I am a child of God ♪ Let's declare that. Come on, if you're a child of God, can you give Him praise? Such a good day to be in the presence of God, be in the house, amen? Well hey, we're going to prepare for the message, but while we do that, can you turn around to somebody next to you and greet them? Well, good morning to you. We're in the Church for the City where we will teach the Word of God, we'll encounter the presence of the Lord, and we'll spread the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful that you're in the house with us. It's good to be in a sanctuary where we can commune with the God who created us, who made us, who loves us so, and to be among His people.

I do want to give a shout out to the online campus and the prison campuses and those that are watching from the county jail. It's always good to hear the reports from them and to get to meet many of them as they're released. I want to acknowledge Chris Lerman and his team. They had done a wonderful job with the men's breakfast yesterday. It was great to be with the men and all the work that was put on, and it takes quite a to actually convert the buildings from one event to another. But the whole context of the service was good. The food was good, of course. Pastor Anthony Rozier and his wife, Jessica, are from Corrientes, Argentina, are with us. And Anthony brought a great message yesterday. So it was just very good. I want to also thank you for your generosity. Just your commitment, your faithfulness to give, trusting God with your tithe. It is a biblical truth that a tenth of our income is to be brought to the house of God for the work of the kingdom, the work of ministry. That helps us do what we do here locally, abroad, even with church planners such as Anthony and Jessica. And so those of you that are committed to tithing, I don't need to thank you because the Lord blesses you. Some of you all caught that. Some of you all didn't. I really don't need to thank you because the Lord blesses you. And so God bless you. If you're living in the blessings of goodness for being generous, man, come on. God is…you can't get no better than that. So thank you. And also on that same note, we want to pray. And as we do, we always pray for local churches in our community.

So we're going to do just that because we want to see the blessing of God up on every house of God that gathers in our county. So why don't you stand with me? If you have on a cap or a hat, if you don't mind taking that off as we pray. I'm going to pray and then we'll read the word of the Lord. Well, Father, I want to thank you for this opportunity to be in your house. It is joyful to be in the sanctuary, to be in the house of God, to be in a place, the scripture says, you inhabit the praises of your people. And so, Lord, as we worship you and lift you up, we know, Lord God, that you're here with us and we're thankful for that. I'm thankful, Lord, that with all of the things of life that we all have to deal with and walk through and experience throughout the week that when we come into this place, we get to be in the presence of the God who created us and absolutely sense a peace and a safety of knowing that we have a God that watches over us and covers us, protects us, and provides for us. So we thank you, Lord. I also pray for every church in our county. It's our desire. Lord God, that every church in Yuma County will grow, that the pastors will preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, that they will have teams around them that will help them in the work of the ministry. And Lord, we'll see more people in our county come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, among us are multitudes of families who have been affected by the government shutdown, some on furlough, some will probably eventually, of course, get their money, their wages. There's some, Lord, though, that are contractors that don't know when that work will begin. Lord, it's my prayer that you will guide our President, Vice President, the Congress, those that have to make these decisions, Lord, that you will guide them, that they will come to a place of unity because of so many family and lives being affected. I know there's a lot more that goes

into it than what we see on the surface, but our prayer is for the families that are affected. And however, Lord God, you will prove yourself to be faithful and true and a provider for them is the desire of our heart. I pray that every one of these families are able to endure through this process. May they know, even though it may be the federal government that has some kind of signature on their check, may they be reminded that the real paymaster is you, that you're the one, Lord God, that ultimately is the one that pays us all, that provides for us all, and that they'll work through this process through faith prayerfully, Lord. They have...financially, they've prepared themselves for times like this, but even so, Lord, I pray that you prove to them that you are the one who loves, the one who cares, the one who provides. I do pray also, Father, for peace in our land, for our military personnel that are out and about, and Lord, with so many pending things around the world, we do pray for readiness for those that are serving our country, and many of them, Lord, in some harm's way. But also, Lord God, for their safety, that wherever they are, wherever they may be, that they may carry out, Lord, what they are assigned to do and be able to come back home to their families. Lord, there's some among us that are grieving a loss. I pray that you comfort the hearts of the people who need the ministry of presence and the Holy Spirit, even right now. Father, we love you and we thank you. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen. If you don't mind taking out your Bible while you're standing, Galatians Chapter 4, we're going to look at verses 18 through 20. Galatians 4, 18 through 20. I'm going to minister from verses 8 through 20, but we'll just read these three. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, not only when I'm present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

So far, the reading of the word, you can be seated. Now, I've titled this, The Pastor and His People. And the his, of course, refers to the Lord, because we all know that we don't have people, but the Lord does. And Paul does something in this context now that's very interesting. He's, as you know, the first three chapters, even into part of Chapter 4 up to last week, he's doing a whole lot of theological stuff, a whole lot of doctrinal stuff. Being an apologist, per se, he's defending the faith. He's walking them through a whole lot of things concerning the truth of God, and the law, and justification, and what it means, really, to follow Christ, versus things that they may have been taught or embraced throughout their life. But he does it from a pastoral position. He's going to transition, and we're going to deal with more practical things on freedom, and the fruit of the Spirit, etc. But he takes this moment to kind of actually present to them the heart of a pastor, and... but he feels like that his role is. And we know biblically that pastors are designed sovereignly by God to be part of the maturity of the children of God growing up in the faith. Ephesians 4, 11 through 14 actually says it like this. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and pastors to equip the saints for the work of the ministry and build up the body of Christ. Those five things that I just listed there is what's called the fivefold ministry. I won't obviously take the time to go into all of that, but each one has a role in equipping the saints, preparing us for the work of ministry, building up the body of Christ until we all attain the unity of the faith

and of the knowledge of the son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes. So Ephesians tells us that every one of us need these people in our life for us to mature. We come into Christ, and the moment that you confess Christ as Lord and Savior, the spirit of the Lord comes in you. You are a child of God, but we're infants. And we go through the process of learning and growing that we may become more mature. So we go from an infant stage to an adolescent stage to eventually, the hope is that we may become more mature in Christ Jesus. And we need people to help us do that. We need pastors to do that. You've heard me say many times, and it's a strong conviction of mine, that everybody needs a pastor, including a pastor needs a pastor. Everyone needs a pastor for the very reason of what Ephesians 4 is teaching us. And the pastors are to take their cues from Jesus, who talked about the care of the flock as the good shepherd. John 10 and 11 says, I'm the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

And so pastoring is, or shepherding is not just exercising authority or exercising power, but it's caring for people from a position of humility that love and care may be given. And so the pastoral role has some responsibilities. There's some things that come with the role of pastoring. And one of them is to know the flock, to know the flock. And primarily, of course, depending on the size of the congregation, of course, when CTC was smaller, you get to know people a little bit more differently than you do when it's larger. But at the same time, every pastor should know their flock on a massive whole or on a macro level. Proverbs 27, 23 says, know well the condition of your flocks and give attention to your herds. I can bring this into context and say it this way. Every pastor should have a good idea, have a pulse of what their congregation as a whole may be experiencing, may be going on in their mind, what be going on in their heart. For example, I say a good example of that would be when Charlie Kirk was assassinated. I know for the majority of people in Christianity and certainly in CTC, that was on your mind. That was on your heart. That had an effect on many personally. A pastor would almost be tone deaf to not address that and speak to his people in that context of knowing what they're walking through, what they're experiencing, what their conversations are like

at home, around their table, throughout their week. It's knowing the condition of the flock. We live in a community here where, as I just prayed, many people in our congregation are affected by a government shutdown, affected by furlough. Again, I would be a tone deaf pastor if I didn't know the condition of the people and people walking in here and I'm sitting up here proclaiming how great God is, how good God is, how faithful God is, and you sitting there thinking, I don't even know when I'm gonna get another paycheck. Now, I get it that God is good, but can you help me understand God's goodness at a time like this? Are y'all following me on this? The pastor gotta know the condition of his flock. We can go through so many things like that. We're in a military community and if things get hot and heavy and we got people from our community all over the world, and then again, knowing the condition of the flock, I'm gonna be looking at people whose families are affected because a husband or a wife or a father or a mother is somewhere. or in harm's way, so it's knowing the condition of the flock, but there's also the intimate sense of knowing the people intimately. Jesus said in John 10, 14, I am the good shepherd, I know my own and my own know me. And so Jesus, of course, is talking from the sense of

he's the all-knowing God, so he can know everyone intimately. As humans, that's not possible for all of us as pastors, but in all reality, I'm gonna just say this, probably in any congregation, a pastor can probably know 100, maybe 200 families pretty intimately, where you know their birthdays, you know their kids' birthdays, you know their moms, you're at their parties, celebrations, et cetera. When a church gets over 500, it's hard to know everybody's name. I do pretty good, I think I do pretty good, but I do still have those moments where I'll be at the door with someone and greet them and say, so good to see you, I'm glad you chose to come to CTC, how long you been coming? Oh, pastor, I've been here three years. You know, so there's still those embarrassing moments that happens every now and then because, you know, you can't know everyone in that kind of intimate sense, but the heart of a pastor is to have such an intimate relationship with their congregation that their life is proven to be poured out for them and whatever that may call for at the moment. So it's knowing the flock, it's leading the flock, because sheep will wander. They'll wander from the pastor, they'll get into dangerous fields, they'll follow deceit, they'll get into darkness, it'll lead to despair and death. And I said that in the context, and you may be thinking just the context of a sheep, of a natural sheep,

but the Lord calls us sheep. And I know sometimes it's hard for us to accept the fact that we're sheep, because there's some things about sheep that none of us like to admit, you know, that they're not that smart, right? But, so by no means is the Lord demeaning people, but the Lord is definitely putting us in the context of our life saying, without a leader, a guide, you're gonna get off into stuff. You're gonna get into deceit, you're gonna get into darkness, you're gonna get into despair. And so the Lord says in Jeremiah 3.15, and I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will guide you with knowledge and understanding. And then there is the role of to feed the flock, to make sure that the nourishment from the word of God is given, is taught, is dished out, is given to the people. In all occasions, reminding us through his conversation with Peter that the love, actually, that a shepherd should have is the love to feed the people above all other things. It's interesting what Jesus did here with Peter in John 21.15 when he said they had, this is, of course, after Jesus had, he had resurrected but had not yet ascended. They were on the seashore and in John 21.15 and Jesus says to Peter, when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon, Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? He said, yes, Lord, you know that I love you.

He said to him, then feed my lambs. And there's a lot to be taught in there if you know the story, Jesus asking that question three times and there's a message in that and there is different words of love that's used. But I don't want you to miss the other point that Jesus was trying to bring out with Peter because he wanted to confront Peter with what should be his greatest love based on his calling and his position because the last time that Jesus was not seen after he was crucified, you might recall what Peter did because he didn't know where Jesus was and didn't know what he was to do. What did he say? I'm gonna go back fishing. Well, now they're in an occasion where Jesus knows in less than 10 days, I'm gonna be out of, I mean, sorry, in 40 days, I'm gonna be out of here again. Peter, last time that you didn't know where I was and you didn't know when I was coming back, you went to what you loved, which was fishing. I wanna know that you love these sheep more than you love fishing because when I'm gone, you need to stay here and feed the sheep. That's the responsibility of a shepherd and of course, it's to protect the flock from wolves and from missteps and from wandering and shepherds are to be wise, they're to be courageous. You know, at the same time, you gotta.

bring some firm and loving correction. But the heart of the shepherd is to know the flock, to feed the flock, to protect the flock. So in Acts 20, 28, it says pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. This is what Paul says to the shepherds in Ephesus, to care for the church which he obtained by his own blood. So I set the stage for that because I want you to see what the heart of a shepherd is, what the heart of a pastor is, what the heart of Paul was before he, before I dive into what he had to address. Because he had to address some problems among the community and if you read this, Paul was scolding them. He was questioning them but he was also scolding them and he made some conclusions about their mindset toward him but he gave a resolve. And so I wanna deal with what the problems were and then how Paul resolved this. Now mind you again, he's going from apostle and theologian and apologist, defending the faith. That's what we've seen so far. Apostle, theologian, apologist. Now we're gonna see his passionate heart for the people as a shepherd and one of the problems that was happening among them is that the people was returning to rituals as if their life depended on it. When I say life here, I mean the Zoe life, their spiritual life, not their biological life.

They started going back to the religious practices that they thought would earn favor with God. That's what they went back to, even though they had experienced freedom in Christ and were told and affirmed that they were sons, they started acting again like slaves and started doing things that they thought, I have to do this if I'm gonna earn God's favor. And so they went to some ritual practices that was actually religious in nature. Things like exact times of prayer as the Jews told them. You gotta pray at 9 a.m., you gotta pray at 12 noon and you gotta pray at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. you gotta go to the synagogue and you gotta make the sacrifices. They started doing the religious stuff that the Jews told them they had to do and certain holidays and certain festivals. And it was nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with doing any of those things. None of the religious practices we do are wrong except if you're doing them because you think your life depends on it, your spiritual life depends on it. And so I wanna read a couple of things. I don't normally do this but there's a commentary that I've really loved on this. And John Stott, he said a couple of things on this particular subject that I thought he says it better than I can read it. And here he refers to John Wesley.

He says, yet so many religious people are in bondage to their religion. They're like John Wesley in his post-graduate Oxford days in the Holy Club. He was the son of a clergyman and already a clergyman himself. He was orthodox in belief, religious in practice, upright in conduct, and full of good works. He and his friends visited the inmates of the prisons and workhouses of Oxford. They took pity on the slum children of the city, providing them with food, clothing, and education. They observed Saturday as a Sabbath as well as Sunday. They went to church and to Holy Communion. They gave alms, searched the Scriptures, fasted and prayed. But they were bound in the fetters of their own religion for they were trusting in themselves that they were righteous instead of putting their trust in Jesus Christ and him crucified. A few years later, John Wesley said this in his own words. I came to trust in Christ, in Christ only for salvation, and was given an inward assurance that my sins had been taken away. After he looked back on that, he says, I had even then the faith of a servant, though not of a son. Christianity is a religion of sons, not slaves. That's the truth, and Paul says that you know God. You already know God as a son, and even more important, God knows you. So you realize that your relationship with God

is not based on these rituals. It's based on love. It's based on relationship with him. And you know, we can define that even in the practice of marriage. You can define this. There's something that I. that I do, I love to do, and made it a habit to do, on Saturdays would fill up Lady V's car and bring home fresh flowers. Fill up the car, bring home fresh flowers. Couple of weeks ago, I walked into the kitchen and there were fresh flowers there. And I said, who brought those fresh flowers? She said, well, you didn't. So I went and got them myself. Now, I don't do that to prove my love to her, and nor was she saying that to say, you don't love me. It's a practice that I have to enhance my love and we're not out of love. I wasn't in the doghouse because I didn't bring flowers that day. Y'all getting the point. And so it's the same with the Lord. If I miss my devotional time, the Lord ain't looking down upon me and say, well, I guess you don't love me no more. We do these things to enhance our relationship. Again, I wanna read one more thing out of John Stott. He talked about John Newton,

who, as you know, wrote Amazing Grace. He said, a good example of this is John Newton. He was an only child and lost his mother when he was seven years old. He went to see at the tender age of 11 and later became involved in the words of one of his biographers in the unspeakable atrocities of the African slave trade. He plumbed the depths of human sin and degradation. When he was 23, on the 10th of March, 1748, his ship was in imminent peril, foundering in a terrific storm. He cried out to God for mercy and he found it. He was truly converted and he never forgot how God had mercy upon him, a former blasphemer. He sought diligently to remember what he had previously been and what God had done for him. In order to imprint it on his memory, he had written in bold letters and fastened across the wall over the mantelpiece of his study the words of Deuteronomy 15, 15. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, but the Lord your God has redeemed you. And the point he wanted to make with that is to constantly remind himself that he's no longer a slave, he's no longer a servant, he's a son of God. And that's what Paul is bringing out here, that you've returned to these rituals

as if your life depended on it because you no longer think of yourself as a son. The second thing was a state of dissatisfaction. In verses 12 through 16, which is there on the screen in the NLT, Paul said there was a time when you were so joyful to hear the gospel, so joyful. You were in so much gratitude. Paul is referring, we see this in Acts chapter 13, where he went to Galatia. We're not sure what caused Paul a sickness. Many commentators believe it was some kind of malaria that was ravishing him and even so much effect in his eyesight that he went to Galatia because it's a higher location to try to reprieve and to recoup from this. But when Paul got there, the people wanted to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in spite of how he looked, in spite of him not being able to see very well, in spite of the condition of his body, they were more concerned about hearing the gospel. He said, even when I was sick, even when I couldn't hardly see, you would have gave your eyes to me just because you were grateful to hear the gospel. And now he's saying the gospel is not even enough for you. It's not enough and you certainly don't wanna hear the hard truth. And so Paul, in that, I think he really does bring out a point to all of us, especially those of us

that are in pastoral ministry that the desire for you to draw people to you is not based on your personality, it should never be on your oratory skills or your physical presence, but that you're able to preach the word of God, that you're able to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I certainly know for me, listen, I'm gonna tell you, I ain't the easiest guy to get along with, not at all. Nobody say anything on this side of the room, but I'm not the easiest guy, that means you can be, I'm not the easiest guy to get along with. I butchered an English language. I really do try to speak better English. I know I mess it up, can't remember good vocabulary words, certainly not the greatest physical presence, but the absolute desire of my heart is that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is preached, that you hear the word of God that'll feed your soul. And then the other problem was that they were listening to false teachers, false preachers. And Paul makes a point in verse 17 and 18. and these people don't even know you or care about you. I've given my life to you, they don't even know you and don't even care about you. And yet, you pay more attention to them than the one that's laboring right in front of you. And that is difficult, honestly, for a pastor not to take personal. When week after week you wanna feed the people of God, and yet they wanna keep reminding you

what they're hearing on YouTube from this preacher and from this podcast and what they're watching online. And I often think when people tell me how great somebody is online and YouTube, I always think, well, just call them to come pray for you when you're sick. Call them to be the one to bless your child at a dedication. They ain't coming, they don't know you, you just seeing them on TV. Y'all liked me a minute ago, now y'all getting quiet. But that's what Paul is saying. You have more affection for folks who don't even know you, who don't even care about you. And yet, the one that is right in front of you that's poured out his life is the one that's given his life that you may grow in Christ. So he says this statement, I fear for you. Perhaps all of my work with you was for nothing. That's where Paul comes to. Now, he's taken somewhat of a pastoral posture here because he knows what his duty is, he knows what his calling is, he knows what his desire is, and he knows what his responsibility is. So he goes on to say, after scolding them, per se, he makes this statement about the travail. Even with all the concerns I have, he's saying, this is what I'm willing to do. He says, you're my dear children, and I feel like going through labor pains for you

all over again. Think about that. Think about that. Can I just say this, I don't wanna offend anybody, but it really does kinda mess me up when I hear somebody come to me and say, we are pregnant. You ain't carrying no baby. We are pregnant. No, you ain't. She pregnant. Now, you may have the joy of the, and I hope I ain't offending nobody because I know a lot of y'all didn't come to me and say, pastor, we pregnant, and I'm telling you what's going on in my mind. No, you ain't, but yeah, God bless you. I celebrate with you. But she's the one that's gotta go through all the travail of nurturing over that baby that goes from an embryo to a full child, and go through the pain of bringing forth that child. I've never heard a woman say to me, well, I gave birth to Tyrone Jr., and I'll do it all over again. But Paul is saying, the pain and the agony that I went through for you to become who you are in Christ, I love you so much, I'll do it all over again. I'll do it all over again because I want you to be fully developed and fully formed in Christ.

I certainly can understand this as a pastor. You're gonna see a video on the screen. It won't be with the sound, but it's Paul, it's, sorry, the illustration of what Paul is talking about because the desire for every pastor is for everyone that they minister to to be spiritually transformed and conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. That's a process, Romans 8, 29 says, for those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. This is what the scripture is teaching us. As fellow believers in Christ Jesus, the end goal for us is not just to become born-again Christians, but to be fully conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, absolutely transformed to become who he intends for us to be. You're watching on the screen a caterpillar going to be a butterfly. The end result of a caterpillar being created is not to stay a caterpillar, but to become a butterfly. And if the caterpillar never becomes a butterfly, it never fully developed himself to become who he is. We can be born-again Christians, but if we're not conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, we never fully develop to who we're supposed to be. And that's the goal, that's the objective, should be of every pastor, to love enough, to care enough that you fully become who Christ wants you to be.

Of course, we celebrate the baptisms that we see every week. Of course, we celebrate the number of people that give their life to Christ. But at the end of the day, I don't believe I'll hear, well done, my good and faithful servant until masses of people are fully developed and become the people that God wants you to be. He wants you to go from a caterpillar to a butterfly. And so, team, you can come. And Corinthians 3.18 says this, we all with unveiled faces are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same from glory to glory. This is from the Lord who is the spirit. That's the transforming work, that we go from glory to glory, being fully transformed to be spiritually mature people, that we got abiding fruit in our life, that no matter what season, when you see us as people of God, there's fruit being produced unto Christ and in the lives of others, and unity in Christ, where we're unified, where we're walked together in Christ Jesus, that he truly does walk with us and talk with us. It's not just a song, that when you get up in the morning, you remember that Christ is with you, that when you're at your workplace, you remember that you're unified with Christ. When you're having your lunch, you're unified in Christ. When you're having a discussion with your spouse, that you're unified in Christ. When you're having a difficult moment with your child, you're unified in Christ Jesus, being fully formed. John 14.4 and 5 says this, remain in me and I in you just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches, the one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit because you can do nothing without me. And so that transformation, that being conformed to Christ and becoming spiritually mature, abiding in the fruit, united in Christ, not only does it reflect so well for us all in our lives here on earth, but Christ formed in us prepares us for eternal glory. Notice what Colossians 1.27 says, which is actually one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

It says, God's plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. Listen to the secret. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means you will share in the glory of God. That should be our hope. That should be our desire. That should be our pursuit, that we share in the glory of God. What's living in you is the hope of glory that's living in you. And so this is where we'll get, if we both keep our eyes on Christ, obviously from the pastoral role to keep my eyes on Jesus, know how to feed the flock, lead the flock, guide the flock, care for the flock, but also you keeping your eyes on Jesus that you may become healthy and profitable and pleasing. The church needs people who, in listening to their pastor, listen to the message of Jesus Christ, and pastors who labor among the people and look for the image of Christ in them. Now, all of this is us doing the best that we can here on earth, but the true need, obviously, for you and for me, is the great shepherd because he's the one that never fails. He's the one that knows you perfectly. Shepherds on earth do their very best to know you and to be intimate and to help you and to guide you, but of course, we got imperfections, we got flaws, and we don't get everything right, but there is a shepherd who does, who knows you through and through, who actually knew you before you were even born. He knew you before your parents was born. He knew you from the very beginning. He knew what the course of your life would be, and he knew where he would be the God that would show up in your life when you needed him the most to guide you, to lead you, to care for you, that you may become his dear children. Ezekiel 34, 23 says, and I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them, he shall feed them and be their shepherd. This is a prophetic statement by Ezekiel.

David is long dead, but he said he's using David to portray that of Christ, that I'm going to set up a shepherd over them who will absolutely be one that will feed them, that will protect them, that will guide them. And Matthew 2, 6 proves to us that that prophecy is Jesus. Matthew 2, 6 says, and you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, and by no means least among the rulers of Judah, because of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people. Who we all need, no matter what walk of life that you're in, is the great shepherd, Jesus Christ. Men will fail you, people will fail you, but the Lord will never fail you. His love to you has been proven over and over again, but no greater display than him dying on the cross for you. No greater display. When Jesus dies on that cross, he not only says to you, I'm taking your pain, your sin, your agony, your shame, humiliation, I'm taking it on me and I'm dying for you, but the same blood that covers you is the same blood that says, I'm here for you to the end. I'm here for you to the end. Jesus is that great shepherd that we all need. Everybody stand, if you would, prayer team, you can come. I'm gonna pray and close out this time together. Now, I just wanna remind you that the prayer team is here for you. I never want people to feel like the prayer team is for people here that are just really jacked up. You know there's no scale of jacked up-ness. I learned that so many times. I can't look at Ed and say, he more jacked up than me. No, no, there's no level of jacked up-ness.

If you need prayer, if you need help, if you need someone just to come alongside with you and not only just pray for you now, but will carry that prayer for you the rest of the week, that's what these folks are here for. Whatever, and you don't never have to be ashamed. People ain't, they better not be in the aisle looking and say, oh, there goes so-and-so. I'm glad they going for prayer, they need it. No, you need it. Sit up there pointing at other folks. You need it, shoot. No need of you pointing at nobody else. I'm in pain for all of y'all. But no, anyway, I don't want to live out the illustration. But you need the Lord, you need a shepherd, you need Jesus. Father, I thank you for this opportunity to bring forth your word, and I'm trusting you that you will speak to every person wherever they're living. Some, Lord God, may have fallen into the trap that Paul talked about in doing rituals, maybe being dissatisfied with the gospel, or maybe listening to false teachers. Wherever they may be, Lord God, I pray that the Holy Spirit now will nudge them back to the right road, the right way, the right alignment, the right truth. But Lord, for all of us, every one of us, Lord God, need to be reminded here and now that each of us need a shepherd.

We need a shepherd here on earth, but more so, we need a relationship with you, the great shepherd. So may we open up our hearts and our minds to receive who you are to us, not just one who died on us and left us to our own, but you're a shepherd that says, I'm with you always, even to the end. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, amen. God bless you, have a great day. What a word. I really appreciate that we know that we have the good shepherd in Jesus Christ. I also very much appreciate our pastor, Pastor Tyrone, for being a good shepherd of this flock as God has given it to him, and being a good steward of what God has given him for the last 30-plus years. He did write a book recently, if you haven't heard, called Grip by Hope, if you have ordered it, your copies are up front. If you have not ordered it and you'd like to, you can order it up front after that. In this walk with God, we always have next steps. God's never done with us. And if you're not sure what your next step is, we wanna help you find that. And so there's a tap disc on the back of your chair, we have a connect table up front, or you can go to the website.

But there's a lot of different ways that we wanna come alongside you and find out what does God want you to do next. And we'd love to help you find that. What does God want you to do next? And we'd love to be part of that for you. Again, we have the altars open. If you would like prayer for anything, please come forward. We'd love to pray for you. We're gonna close out with a song, and then after that, you're free to go home. And we'll see you next week. ♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ ♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪ ♪ Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ Holy Ghost Praise God of glory Blessings flow Praise Him all creatures Here below Praise Him above In heavenly host Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost Thank you church

Have a blessed Sunday, you're dismissed Amen