Who Am I? | Rodrigo Vargas

let him touch you let him touch your heart he knows that you've walked in here with pain he knows that you've come here with shame he knows he's called you to him he's drawing you near to him let him touch your heart let him let him cut off all that doesn't belong let him cut off all the pain away let him cut someone let him with your faith believe that he can cut off that tumor let him let him heal that wound that you've carried for so long let him let him convict you allow him in let him rearrange your soul let him clean house today our worship has prepared the atmosphere for the great surgeon to walk into this place and do spiritual surgery on us let us not move from this moment too quickly let us not move from this moment too lightly let us allow the Spirit of God to minister to us to to operate on us to transform us let let this moment be a defining moment in which we walk out transformed no longer live in the way we walked in Holy Spirit we thank you for you are gentle you are graceful you are merciful you are compassionate and it's those things that draws to you for those people Lord I ask Holy Spirit that you make them feel comfortable in this space that this is a safe place to encounter your grace this morning we welcome them with open arms without judgment without hard rules to follow but simply paving the way for your grace to be enough to do the spiritual surgery they need Lord in this moment I ask you Spirit of God to move in this room like never before and begin to stir your people with words of knowledge with words of wisdom with healing and miracles we declare this place to be a holy place in the name of Jesus that this is the place a sanctuary where God meets us and he just doesn't meet us to entertain us but he meets us to minister to us so let the gospel be ministered to onto your people today let this service not be about timekeeping let this service not be about that we got to get out of here let this service not be about that we got to rush some musicians off but no this is a moment in which we are meeting you God this is the moment we are meeting you God for the weary Saints for the weary Saints for the weary Saint that might even be in the lobby now reluctant to come in and be in the presence of God because because he he or she feels as if the promises of God are not for them because something is not going right in their lives I asked you Holy Spirit to draw them unto this place that we are fostering a holy moment that we are fostering a viva miento en este lugar Lord blow blow on the dry bones the spiritual dry bones of your people on the Saints all those that grew up in church and are disdained are watching they don't they have a hard time trusting I have a heart for you but

guess what so does the Holy Spirit and he wants to heal that wound and he wants to show you that there is a different way to do this that you don't have to be lonely anymore that God has set up and established a church in which you can feel safe and feel his presence and believe in everything you believe before that pastor hurt you before that leader hurt you spirit of the Living God we need you there's not a word I will say after this that will matter if you're not in it we need you in it we need you in it we need you in this place mess our schedule up mess our comfort up inconvenience us Lord inconvenience us Lord because we need to be inconvenienced to have an encounter with you some of you have been wrestling with God some of you have been wrestling with God and you're wrestling with God because you want him to give you a new identity but here's what I want to tell you is he's not going to give you a new identity he's gonna remind you of the identity he already has given you even if you walk away with a limp he's gonna remind you of who you are he's gonna remind you that you are fearfully you are wonderfully made that you're a child of God that you are his and that you are chosen that you're a peculiar people you're not like the world let us not take this moment lightly for your word is life but your spirit is fire and we need fire in our lives we need fire your life we're not waiting to revival nice to store revival the moment has begun today the moment is here we're a certain revival we're gonna start the fire of God in people father God as we move from this holy moment we simply ask that you continue to be with us for your presence is sweet and your presence is life and your presence is refreshing and your presence gives us strength and all those things are needed in the house of God this morning so father God and Jesus mighty name made this a moment that we've just experienced spontaneously because you're here be a moment in which it has radically changed us and we begin to walk that fire out and everything we do including and how we receive the word

this morning and I pray this in Jesus mighty name and the people of God said a big old loud yeah many many many many I kind of just wanted to go back right back into worship to be honest in the spirit of God said hey pastor Rod this is not worship night yet you know I think I'm in worship night mode well it's good to use the text let me hear you out there come on now I know you're full of the fire of God this morning hey listen if this is your first time with us we want you to know that we believe in the power of prayer and that we love new visitors but more than anything you being at a honored guest a special guest you're an answered prayer you're an answered prayer as you as you walk out you'll see our prayer wall we love love praying and we believe that we have prayed you into visiting this church and we want you to know that Union Houston was planted it exists to connect people to God through the life-giving message of the gospel of Jesus and that gospel says something I hold near and dear it says that it doesn't matter what your past is like it doesn't matter what your problems are today doesn't matter how messy your life isn't it doesn't matter what your doubts are Jesus loves you right where you are you are. In fact, he loves you dearly but he also loves you too much to leave you where you are and I believe today he is going to be moving you forward. This promise is extended out to every man and woman that is incarcerated and watching us through the Pandoab Health Union. Houston, can you help me welcome our beloved Union President Kappes. We love you, we love you, you may be out of sight, never out of our hearts and we just can't wait for the day that you walk here in person. Now, it's so surprising to me we're in 21 days of prayer. We're in our last week of 21 days of prayer and I think that part of the presence of God that is happening in this moment and in this place this morning is part of it has to do with the fact that we've been fasting and praying, don't you think? And I've got a fresh word for us about Holy Ghost Revival. Now, I want to be clear because sometimes I get asked questions every year we teach on the Holy Spirit, okay? And I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm gonna be clear with you. If you're watching for the first time, if you're visiting for the first time, this is important you hear me out.

I am not going to teach you about the gifts, the power and the authority of the Holy Spirit even though those things are real and true and every one of those gifts benefit the church. Every single power we have is real power from on high and it has tremendous supernatural authority for the disciple of Christ in their lives. When we live filled and led by him, you gotta be, so I can't teach you all those gifts, I can't teach you all that power, I can't teach you all that authority if you don't get this part right. Filled, second part, and led by the Holy Spirit, amen? Now, to learn more about those things, we got a YouTube channel, I got many teachings on there, go in there you'll see but the Lord has impressed on me in my heart to teach you, to teach all the prisoners the importance of the evidence of revival, that there is a fruit that is produced when there is a revival, when there is an avivamiento, okay? Dead things come back to life, right? Because I tell you this because as you, I've told you this in the last few weeks, gifts can be faked. If you got a big budget, hey let me bring you into the church world, let me bring you into the way, if you got a big budget, okay? If you got big donors, if you got big gift donors, okay? And you're managing a multi-million dollar budget, you can fake the gifts, let me tell you, and all you have to do is google a little bit, in fact, I'll give you this, google Mike Winger and he'll put you on to all the fake prophets that have big budgets and are fooling the people and fleecing the people of their money, Mike Winger, that's w-i-n-g-e-r. I look, I want all the smoke because I'm tired of the fake, I don't do fake, in fact, a lot of times my mom gets me in trouble because I can't do fake. Power can be manufactured by other means, right? I can hire you and give you a real good salary and now I have power over you and your family because I can manipulate you to do and say things that you don't truly believe or are convicted because how you put food on your table is attached to how you make me feel. Wow! Pastor, you're airing dirty laundry. Yes, I am. Authority, well, authority can be abused. In fact, it has been well documented, it has been abused by pastors, by leaders, right? But can I bring a third aspect of how authority has been abused? By the saints. Yeah, you. We're going to bring this real because albeit that there are pastors that are snakes and wolves, there are leaders that should not be, they are totally dishonest. disqualified in fact I've been teaching in Timothy sessions all about the qualifications of elders and deacons servants okay they are clearly disqualified biblically so I know what I'm talking I am sure of what I'm

talking about okay but I'm gonna tell you something there are a whole lot more Saints that there are pastors and leaders I might can I get an amen and some of the Saints including some of us in this room have not been acting with the authority that the Holy Spirit has given you I don't want to use the word revival as a promo or as an event but rather what it actually is it is the awakening of the Church of God okay it is the away I leave I mean though so we've talked first week I talked to you about the number one fruit is repentance can I give you the summary of that in one sentence sinners recognize they need a Savior they need Jesus amen we got it number two last week pastor Steve talked about redemption sinners are welcomed to the Saints community and we call it the church well pastor that Ecclesia the way the the institution the ambassadorship that Jesus installed for layman's terms the church let's not get nitpicky about this today I want to talk about the third the third is reconciliation when there is a revival that has come upon a people a church there is a great sense of reconciliation in fact in 1906 when a one-eyed son of a slave named William Seymour went to Los Angeles filled with the Holy Ghost and he taught them how to be filled baptized in the Holy Spirit he taught these people and there was white people and there was Mexicans and there was black people and they all got filled with the Holy Ghost and they all began speaking in tongues that they all began healing and they all began giving words of knowledge and they all give words of prophecy and they immediately together as one people as brothers and sisters in Christ walked out into the streets and you know what they did they didn't show off speaking in tongues they went to minister those who were in need on the street that's why it's called the Azusa Street mission and revival are you with me there was a sense of reconciliation reconciliation answers the most important question of your soul are you ready are you ready who am I who am I today I want to answer that question for you or help you answer the question of who am I to reconcile means to restore what's broken to come into agreement with the truth to find a solution to make right what's out of line and when we are reconciled we finally know who we

are I want to tell you it is impossible for me to teach you all about reconciliation in one sermon this is a two-parter so if you want to get the full context of this teaching you will have to come back next week for part two today I'm gonna hit on reconciliation and next week we're gonna talk about the ministry of reconciliation reconciliation of which for both we need the Holy Spirit we need the Holy Spirit to be reconciled to God and we need the Holy Spirit to have a ministry of reconciliation faith in Christ begins when we recognize that we are sinners and repent turn away from sin and to him and he redeems us buys us back from Satan let me make sure you understand that when I say you have been redeemed it means that the blood of Jesus that ran down the cross at Calvary bought you back from Satan who owned you when you lived without him you want to know why I praise and worship the way I do why I don't care what I look like I don't care how bad I dance it is because I recognize I was owned by Satan and today the Lord owns me what he did on that cross is what reconciled us to him reconciliation is nothing more than sinners are adopted listen to this as sons and daughters of the most high God we become family God's family reconciliation is being made right with God reconciliation is being made right with God and each other I'm gonna let that each other part sit for a little bit because I believe that's the part you need the most work on true reconciliation when you got the Holy Ghost it's easy to say oh me and God have been made right I'm good with God and yet you beefing with your sister you got beef with your ex I'm gonna be real I'm gonna keep it 108 you got beef with your ex-husband what's your ex-wife you're not reconciled and you're not a child of God it's a heavy word today it's a heavy word today but it is the Word of God in Acts chapter 2 a reconciled Peter a denier of Jesus now a dedicated disciple of Jesus you got that in just a matter of days he went I don't even know the dude to willing to die for the dude he is now filled this is the key filled with the Holy Ghost and he preached to Jews from all over the world watch this I think that some of these Christians that like to get into the political realm and make a big deal about God's chosen people

and debate about these such things are missing the point that Peter a Jew who was a disciple of Jesus stood before Jews that were what's this I took this from the Bible they were Arabs they were Romans they were Africans they were how do we feel how did we miss this part go read it yourself on x chapter 2 it's right there in black and white it says that they were Jews and converts from all over the world you know how we say this at Union Houston all people always thank you and you know what they were told yes he welcomed them yes he was loving but he told them to repent he told them to stop being Jews and start being Christians that redemption is found in only one name and his name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth and when you say it that way when you preach it that way when you live it that way they were convicted to the heart they were cut to the heart the people around you three thousand of them were reconciled and were added to the church now I want to read a parable of Jesus taught in fact it's the same parable pastor Steve shared last week and it is a parable that means so much to me and the way I approach evangelism in church it is very important to me and my relationship with the Lord I'm gonna pick up in Luke chapter 15 again right after the lost son the prodigal son has decided he has come to his senses and he has decided to come back home he has repented changed his mind and heart and is going to ask his father for forgiveness so turn to your bibles Luke chapter 15 beginning at verse 20 stand for me as we read four verses out of the word of God so he got up and went to his father there is so much language here about relationship it doesn't say he went back to his master he says he went back to his father I want you to pick up I want the Holy Spirit to teach you today but while he was still a long way off now Jesus presents the father and this is the father his father our father his father saw him his father saw you in your pain in your shame with your past with your problems and was filled with compassion and you know what the father is filled with compassion for you he ran to his son he runs to his sons and his daughters he threw his arms around him and kissed him and I want to tell you this he was feeding pigs the son was dirty unkept and smelled like a pig farm and the father hugged him and kissed him I don't care what it is you did what I'm reading here in the holy scriptures is that it doesn't matter what sin you brought into the house of God when God's got the compassion in his heart he's gonna run after you

and he's gonna hug you and he's gonna kiss you and he's gonna welcome you you are welcomed in the house of God And the son said to him, Father, again, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Here's the part that it doesn't say, I am no longer your son. He says, I am no longer worthy. But he still called him father. I love it. But the father said to his servants, quick, bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger. Next week I'm going to talk about that. And sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate for this son of mine. This son of mine was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate. Father God, we thank you, Lord. Stir the fire of revival and evangelism for us to celebrate all the sinners that will come to you, for every person that will look for healing, for every person that will look to be delivered, Lord. Holy Spirit, be in my words as I deliver the best to deliver what you have downloaded into me. And I pray this in Jesus' name and the people of God said, amen. Can I ask y'all a question? Why is it that we don't experience that kind of revival every Sunday? Why is it that we don't experience that kind of moment every Sunday? You know, I know, listen. I don't want to be like, I don't want to do a pendulum swing when I'm going the other way and doing some radical stuff, but I just, you know, in my heart and as I sat on the

scripture, I began to think as I know people get saved. I know people get saved every week. I know I'm not trying. I'm trying to really kind of pull back and see God move like the celebration that we just read. It was the servants that went and got everything right. It was the servants that went to kill the fattened calf. It was the servants that were so excited because what the son that was dead is alive again. It was the servants who believed in and celebrating the fact that he was lost and now is found. It's a sense of revival throughout the house and I really do want to hear. I'm going to be honest with you that, you know, I rarely talk about this like this, but I really want to hear the mighty rushing winds in this place. Like I want it to be where, Whoa, what is that sound? I want to see what it looks like for tongues of fire to descend on his people. I want to see people begin to get healed. Captives set free the grieving field with joy. It's like it says in Isaiah 61. I want to see people that were grieving wearing garments of praise. I really do want God to disrupt my plans. It's been my prayer sometimes. In fact, I got to be honest with you. I had a whole idea of how I was going to preach to you today and I say, God, I want you to disrupt my plans and I'm going to tell you something. God is faithful. He is still right now, presently disrupting my plans. Like you, I have plans too, right after second service, I want to rush out of here. I'm going to still say hi to y'all, relax, okay? I ain't trying to be, you know, pastor Jeff does the Irish goodbye. You know, he taught me that one, by the way, I like that one, but I don't do that on Sundays, you know, but I'm going to be honest with you.

What I want most is for God to move in such a way that all my plans are messed up. My whole calendar has got to be rearranged. I'm talking about where I got it. Pastor Sarah's got to tell Jenna, Jenna, you're going to have to email these people because Pastor Rod got the Holy Ghost and he's out here ministering and he, we, you know, like, listen, he's got to change shirts on the go. I want that. Why is it that we don't see this in America every day? I had someone get so upset because they took some words out of context. I said, and I repeat, when I go overseas and I pray in the name of Jesus, I see miracles left and right. That has been my experience. But when I come to America, I don't see that. I don't see God move. It's not because of God. It's because, I'm going to say it again, we lack reverence. Because you want God to move for you, not because that's what he wants to do. I hope that clarified it for you. We are praying for it. We are believing for it. Revival. Are we not? But it doesn't get here. It doesn't get here. The late English revivalist, Leonard Ravenhill, said revival tarries. Now that's a fancy word because tarry means delayed. It means to be delayed. It means delayed. But it's delayed not because of God. It's not delayed because God is holding something back from us.

It's because we're holding back. I came to preach to you today. I told you it's going to take me two weeks. Revival is delayed because we lack reverence. Revival. Revival tarries because as saints, we come to church to nitpick what's wrong with it instead of finding where God is. You got more to complain about than to praise about. I'm going to tell you something. I can go to a little old Baptist church and if that preacher is preaching the word of God, I've said this before. If they're preaching the word of God and I feel the Holy Ghost just barely pass by, like, ah, hey, come on now, preacher. I know they're going to look at me crazy and be like we don't do that in this church. Well, I do that. What I'm trying to tell you is I'm going to have me some church. Because it's my faith in Jesus. I'm trying to get somewhere to you. Your faith is in the church. My faith is in Jesus. And what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to get you to have faith in Jesus, not faith in union. Ah! I'm going somewhere with this. I'm not crazy. God's disrupting my plans. Pastor Sarah is like these are not the notes I read from you last night. I know, baby. I told the Lord disrupt my plans. He's doing it right now actively. We've abandoned. Listen. Some of this is on pastors. But it's on all of us.

You with me? Revival is delayed because we've abandoned the fervent, arduous, agonizing, anguished field of prayer and holiness that revival requires. Because that kind of prayer will transform you. It will transform our hearts from what we want and think to what God wants and thinks. And some of us are still praying what you want and think. We pray, God, change my husband's heart. Maybe God wants to change your heart. God, change my daughter's heart. Maybe he wants to change your heart first. Pastors, you know, I said this, you know, they've got big budgets and lights and cameras. They prefer hype over holiness. Popularity over prayer. Fame over faith. And you know how you can tell fame over faith? They begin and sound like the culture. pander to the politics right they begin to say things in such a way that is not standing on the word of god and saying you know this is tough to swallow but this is what god says those are not your words those are god's words i'm gonna get to that in a minute we don't repent as much as we ought to our hearts get hardened and i'm gonna tell you what you know what happens when your heart gets hardened and you're a believer i'm gonna be very specific i'm not talking about heart and heart from from a lost person we know what that is okay the truth has been veiled from them so paul says but what happens when we we saints believers followers of jesus right we harden our hearts right it and hardening of the heart is just because we haven't repented in other words you heard hey you need to stop that hey you shouldn't be engaged in that conversation and you know it but you make an excuse about it you you harden your heart because you lack repentance in other words sometimes we correct i've said this before and it's still my theological thought there are many believers who have changed i'm going to show you something today theologically that have changed people that listen my recovery people many of us have stopped using cocaine we we stop popping the pills i got you but did you repent that you use them in the first

place because there are many believers right now who have accepted jesus as a savior and never repented of the sin they they they needed saving from that happens okay and so what happens is it hardens your heart this is what happens to a new believer that hasn't truly repented they get saved and they become self-righteous this is what happens i'm gonna show you why it's our heart and heart that does this they become judging they become religious they create their own style of religion okay why because an unrepentant heart is an un why says unredeemed heart unreconciled heart doesn't have the holy ghost and only the holy ghost can make your soft heart to feel the compassion that the father has are you following where i'm taking you with this and so we become self-righteous we become judgy and we become religious we don't welcome outsiders like we should but instead we have reservations because brother so-and-so is a little weird i'm gonna tell you something peter was a little weird it's right there in the text jesus even called them stupid am i lying no okay we look at people because whatever quirks and listen we welcome people that came from religious backgrounds and i'm confident in who the holy spirit is i am confident in my leadership i am confident in my shepherding i am confident in who i am i am confident how i address these things that i can address those things and let them be a little religious until the holy ghost what takes care of them but some of us we we we have unrepentant hearts and our hearts are hardened and so all of a sudden we look at it like oh how quickly we forget that we were once involved in sordid affairs i'm using paul's language from yesterday's timothy's decision sordid affairs what kind of sordid affairs listen i'm gonna tell you some of y'all barely got saved you barely saved like literally you barely saved bro you you you still smell like smoke saved you know i'm saying you barely listen you barely okay you saved a little while but you barely stopped fornicating in other words you gave your life to jesus you knew you needed a savior so you said yes to jesus but you still fornicate and we've been together a long time and we gonna get married one day when money's right when the timing's right i mean you know right we're not gonna do what what says God is right we're just gonna do it on our own time we we gotta get we got in America we

got in in in in in the bible you know when once you're convicted you make the change right there right here right now just like uh uh i married carlos and liviana right out there out out those doors they were convicted in here they went got a license came in on sunday pastor we cannot have this baby until you say you are married that's what could be either you don't need to invite your friends let me tell you something you don't need to invite your friends and organize some great engagement party and to get down on your leg and all that god don't care about that and she don't care about that she wants to be made right with God she wants you to be a man of God and man up pick up your nuts and get down on one knee and ask her to marry you we're playing with God you barely stop fornicating some of y'all barely stop smoking weed in fact y'all so new to not smoking weed you still got your bongs somewhere in the deep in your closet right because they're expensive and you're not sure if one day you barely barely stop smoking you barely stop getting drunk okay hell some of y'all still get drunk and think you're saved even though the word of God says don't be given to too much wine isn't that what the scripture says but because you come here's how you become religious but because you but because you come to union now you got opinions now you got reservations now now because you come to union because you come to church now you got suspicions of sister so-and-so she might be funny you know what I love I know some of y'all don't speak Spanish but my favorite meme is this brother can you put that picture up there for me let me tell you say every time you get suspicious every time you want to say but they did this in fact it's not even me that's the Holy Spirit telling you you need to shut your mouth and worry about the thought life you got going on I ain't playing around I really want revival and revival's gonna come when this church has been refined we I'm putting you through the refining fire of God why I'm gonna tell you why the Holy Spirit isn't in any of that that's why your religion is now understand this salvation comes by grace alone through faith although let me say that again you will be saved by grace alone through faith alone by grace alone you got it now remember this one show me your grace and I will see your faith when you don't know how to show grace I can see your faith if you got faith then you got grace

because that's how you were saved there is no amount of work you can do there's no amount of striving there's no amount of religious activity you can do there's no mind I don't care how many books you read how many seminars seminars you go to how many seminary schools degree you got I don't care how many podcasts you listen to how many sermons you digest on a week I don't care if you're my biggest fan you cannot earn salvation you cannot work your way into salvation you cannot become good enough for God you cannot do it Jesus saves that's it Jesus saves it's gonna be one of my favorite new revival shirts for he says Jesus saves and Jesus heals that's it no one else nothing else Buddha is dead doesn't say doesn't heal Muhammad he's dead doesn't save doesn't heal the Quran doesn't save doesn't heal Listen, Judaism without Jesus doesn't save, doesn't heal. Let me tell you something, yoga doesn't save, it doesn't heal, I don't care what you gotta say. Your horoscope doesn't save and it doesn't heal. I don't care how many stones you put around your neck, it's not gonna save you and it's not gonna heal you. Only the name of Jesus saves. Let's go. My God, it really is that simple. In fact, this is the only thing Peter said in Acts chapter 2 and 3,000 people responded and were saved. That same gospel is what Paul and Silas preached to a Philippian jailer in Acts 16 and they were saved. And then that same gospel, Paul writes to the church in Rome when he says in Romans 10, 9, believe and confess with your mouth and you shall be saved. We were saved by putting our faith in what Jesus accomplished through his death and resurrection. At the cross, Jesus paid the pride for your sin and the sins of the person that you are suspicious of.

The person you have reservations about. The person you don't wanna forgive. Now we have to understand this, it's not these words that save you. It's not my sermon that saves people. It's not the songs we sang that save people. It's not even knowing. Listen, what I'm about to tell you might get taken out of context. It's not even knowing the right biblical truth that will save you. But believing in the biblical truth that Jesus and only Jesus saves. That's it. That's it. And it is the Holy Spirit that draws people to Jesus. This is why I'm harping. This is why I'm refining us with fire because it is the Holy Spirit that draws people. They believe and he saves. It is he who draws sinners to salvation. It is he who draws his sons and daughters from creation back to the father and repentance, restores them as sons and daughters of the most high God, reconciles them, fills them up with the Holy Spirit. And this is exactly what we just read in Luke chapter 15. Jesus was painting a picture in a parable, in a story, telling them that this is exactly what God does. And in John chapter 12, verse 32, he says, and I, when I am lifted up,

and he's not talking about the cross, from the earth, I ascend to the throne and I take my position. I will draw all people to myself. How? Via the Holy Spirit. Jesus has been lifted up. He was lifted up on the cross. He rose from the grave. He ascended into heaven. And in Luke 1.8, he tells them the following. Listen, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. So you need the Holy Spirit and you will be my witnesses, not my spiritual police, not the ones out there judging and getting and doing people. You're gonna be witnesses of what I have done. In Acts chapter two, that spirit is poured out onto people. Okay? Jesus ascends, the spirit descends. Guess what? The church is empowered and they preach the gospel. Help me, Lord. They don't preach. They don't preach. My opinion, I'm not judging anyone. They don't preach how to make your marriage better. If you believe the gospel, I believe the marriage, your marriage will be better. They don't teach how to live the blessed life.

I believe that if you apply the gospel and you tithe to God, not a church, not a pastor, not your favorite organization, but to God through the church, I believe God will bless you. That is scripture. Okay? I don't believe in preaching and preaching gimmicky things. Can I say something? Without, I hope no one takes that. I don't need a movie to teach you the gospel. I've got the word of God right here and the spirit of God in me, and I believe in what he is telling me. I don't need a gimmick to get, and this is exactly what's happening here. We have succumbed. come to such a culture in which it no longer has power and authority we preach jesus we lift up jesus we testify about jesus we make jesus known he saves them when we witness preach serve love and proclaim the good news the holy spirit will draw people in not the sermon series not the bounce house not the event not the logo not the worship team his spirit draws convicts reveals awakens and brings people to the lord jesus christ we are the witnesses of that and he is the one that draws them but what we tend to become self-righteous we become judgy we become religious reserved suspicious and we become listen shots fired cliquish elitist exclusive the spiritual police you gotta watch out for that dude he might have the jezebel spirit on him why are we like this fam church why are we like this

can i give you the answer to that because we don't know who we are we we don't know who we are in fact brother said it right now before he hasn't read my notes we don't like dealing with what's inside so we never find out who we really are who we say we believe this but do that so revival tarrys the question i have for you today is who are you disciple follower or pharisee remember i said reconciliation is being made right with god and others pharisees thought they were made right with god but they weren't made right with others you didn't do anything to be reconciled to jesus you just believed he and he did it can i say something about that you just believed he and he did it can i say something before we leave they also don't need to do anything to be saved by jesus they don't need to jump through religious hoops to be saved by jesus they don't need to be at union for a certain amount of time before they are saved and filled and led by jesus they don't need i'm gonna say something that doesn't mean that you don't i don't want you to go to meet the team but they don't need to go to meet the team or connectors 101 to be saved by jesus they don't need your approval i don't know who died and made you judge of the saints i don't know who died and made you the all discerning factor on who gets in and who gets out what's interesting is that the every single one of us has a day in your mind this is why you need the holy spirit to help us to help us with our flaws jesus said don't worry about your your problems worry about your problems not the ones you're nitpicking and others because we're experts at judging others and we suck at judging ourselves and we need to understand this jesus already reconciled them and his holy spirit is what drew them here his mercy it was his kindness it was his compassion it was his grace that drew the wickedness of men and women of all mankind unto him and yes he indeed has reconciled them can i give you a testimony i am one of them and that's the gospel baby that's what makes faith in jesus different than the one that the jews who still have to atone for their sins that makes our faith different than the muslims who have to follow rules to avoid sin and others who has false gods who require sacrifice they got to bring little apples to the little buddha and light little things to it

so that they could get a blessing we believe and are saved we get the Spirit and He transforms but only if you listen and that's reconciliation that is what it means to be made right with God and others you have a hard time forgiving? you have a hard time welcoming new people? you have a hard time letting go of something in the past? or you have a hard time being judgy? maybe you thought you were a saint or a disciple but you actually are is a pharisee why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye how can you say to your brother let me take the speck out of your eye when the whole time there's a plank in your own eye Jesus says you hypocrite first take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from

your brother's eyes the people were Arabs, Jews, Romans, Greeks, converts and when Peter preached they were reconciled they were baptized and in Luke 15 this is exactly what happened to the son when he decided he felt the cut he felt the pain he was tired of the pain he reasoned with himself what am I doing working in these miserable conditions starving starving and that's where some of you are today tired heavy full of pain full of shame and instead of addressing your own soul you've taken it out on something else on someone else who are you? I want you to think about this week

because we want to pick it right back up next week and I'm not going to lie to you I think this might go three weeks because it's a lot and I think this is the biggest problem the church has is we just don't know who we are in Christ if you feel God moving in your heart I want you to do something about it today I want you to actually do something take an action step and this week pray Lord, show me who I am and that means He's going to show you where you're wrong that's going to show you where you're sinning He's going to show you where your wicked thoughts are but I want you to be rest assured this His grace is sufficient His grace is sufficient and if you simply repent and say I don't want to do that anymore Lord He will fill you with grace and faith and then next week you'll start to really put some bones around this sermon

who am I? would you stand with me? close your eyes and bow your heads for just a moment Father God thank you Lord thank you for disrupting what I had planned and most importantly I believe you disrupted because there's someone here in this room that needed to hear that God will you begin to minister to them and lead them to take an action step today with every head bowed and every eye closed I want to give an opportunity to the one that wants to come home the ones that wants to be saved by grace and faith alone here's what that means that you in this moment in your heart are making a decision to turn away from your sin ways from your sin from whatever it is you brought you here and you're making a decision to say I believe Jesus is the Son of God and he lived and suffered for everything I could have ever done and will ever do and when he bled on that cross he not only redeemed me but he reconciled me he bought me back from the devil and today I call him Lord because I believe he was lifted up from that grave and he lives on in a throne and he poured out his spirit so that I may be filled with it if that's you I want you to shoot up your hand real quick so

I can pray for you shoot up your hand shoot up your hand shoot up your hand yes Jesus Jesus thank you Lord I pray the Holy Spirit be in this place as prayer partners are up here and they're prepared to take down strongholds Lord they're they're here ready to set captives free they are here ready filled with the Holy Ghost to heal anybody that needs healing Lord bless them and be with them and everyone who raised their hands and I pray this in Jesus mighty name come on church can we thank God for his message this morning it is a time for reconciliation and revival