Don Ryal 0:00
now pour out your Spirit on all all these men and that your word is going to go out, and it’s going to touch us and draw us closer to you and keep changing us keep changing as father, that we might come closer and closer to that place where we’re just like you and we will be one day when we’re face to face. We praise you We thank you. We give you glory for everything that’s taking place here today. In Jesus name. Amen. When the Billy Bob Bob comes Billy Bob Bob and alone alone. Who Billy Bob, Bob and Billy Bob Bama will sing his own sweet song. Oh,
Unknown Speaker 0:47
get
Don Ryal 0:48
up. Get up there on the stage. We don’t care what you’re really Ah, the villain Bob. Bob, Bob and Bob, Bob and
Bob, Bob and
Billy, Bob, Bob. Bob, Bob, Bob and Laura. Whoa, get off. Can you sleep ahead, get up? Get up, get out of bed. The sun is red. live a life of the happy.
Bill Kauble 1:17
Wow.
Wow.
Wow,
Don Ryal 1:23
I got I got another.
Bill Kauble 1:26
You know, Glen and I were commenting these guys bring us into worship, give him a hand. Let’s get my hand. We warmly welcome you to influencers, Orange County, you have blessed us their Lord, with these men this morning. And it’s so great to see so many men. Here. I am staggered by the evil that we see every day. And I’m staggered that it gets worse every day. But Jesus said take heart. I’ve overcome the world. And that’s our focus. We say these words. And I hope these words become in your heart, not just words that you say remotely. But when the crisis comes, encourages required. God expects his men has such confidence in him that we are the dependable reliable ones. We believe with all of our heart that we are faith based, Christ driven. And what else
this is really poor here just this isn’t. We’re not the mass. So we have five tenants that we believe in five values. One, Jesus is not only our Savior, but he’s Lord of our life, to the Bible as a final authority. Three, we link with like minded men for men a prayer we give it away. Those are the words that we live by. And those are the words that we want to share and witness to the other people that are out there. Everything that we do is to bring men into intimacy with Jesus Christ. Our goal is that every man would be involved in a foreign group. Ron coming in second. And we have the privilege of having this precious man, lead us in this. Give us the word?
Ron Tovar 3:30
Well, it you know, if you looked at the world, it would look like everything’s going downhill. But for em is doing something about it. We are there’s something powerful about the Word of God in a man’s heart that gets expressed in faith. And it’s anointed. And when four men get together, and they strengthen each other and start encouraging each other and, and you get this rubber meets the road application to the Word of God. The body of christ just within for it strengthens and it heals and we’re pushing back. And what’s happening right now for him is that there there is a real strong foundation being formed. And we’re just like at the edge of the exploding, you can feel it you can see it, the giving it away. We’re giving it away. We’re given the word away. We’re given God’s love away. And when that explosion hits, you’re gonna see just duplication. We’re right at the edge of that we’re almost there. And so hold on, don’t give up. It ain’t over yet. Jesus is still on the throne. God bless you all.
Bill Kauble 4:38
Amen. Thanks, Ron. We are going to gather all of our shepherds and our co shepherds and those that are interested in leading groups up in Malibu. I think in June, we’re trying to get discussions with them. Now how many we could get we want to get 50 or 60 men up So I just pray for the forum. We want to fan the flame of time and borders. And we also want to fan why men lead anything that will draw men closer to Jesus Christ. So we want basically they do an offering right now. And john, if you could come forward to the offering. Father, we just thank you so much for these men, their generosity. You have blessed us for all these years. And we have remained steadfast and we will continue to remain steadfast. We asked you to take these offering, and bless it for your purposes. We thank you for Pete McKenzie, the Angel of this ministry, you have blessed us with him in his heart in the message that he’s going to bring this morning. We pray all this in Jesus name, amen.
Ron Tovar 5:55
love what you’re doing.
Pete McKenzie 6:06
Well, good morning, guys. Some other Words To Live By. Life is hard. Same, I made peace reality with that. It’s not about you. It feels like it’s about you, I know. But it’s not about you, you’re better off if you make that reality in your life. Here’s another one that you’re not in control. Now, that’s the one you hate the most. But you know, you think you are until you’re not. And we got a lot of reason to think maybe we’re not in control today. And then finally, you’re gonna die. And then a Christian group, that’s a hallelujah. We don’t die like other people. We don’t die without hope to blink of an eye. hurt him message this week about that it was very encouraging. You know, as I’m going to the Lord and saying, what do we need to hear today, what I need to hear is that I can pass along to the guys when he gave me Joshua 24. Now therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth. And put away the gods which your father served beyond the river in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it’s disagreeable in your sight, to serve the Lord, then choose yourself today, who are you going to serve? Whether the gods which your father served which were beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you’re now living. But as for me, and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve our other gods. The Lord drove out from before us, all the people, even Amorites, who lived in this land we’re living in now. So we also will serve the Lord now had been serving the Lord, but Joshua challenged him. And you know, what I want to focus on this morning. And there’s a lot to focus on in this passage. That serving 1234566 times in those two verses, 14 and 15. He uses the word serve, serving the Lord. Now serving the Lord I found in my life over the last 50 years, it’s a choice. But it’s also a commitment. And I looked up serve and serve means be an honest and serious. Now, serve means to be of use, to be worthy of reliance or trust, to discharge a duty to attend to, to pay attention to, to take charge off, to be a servant of one that serves others. So if we’re going to serve the Lord, we got to be useful. I hear guys all the time saying all I want to do is is serve the Lord and I say you servable are you able to serve the Lord because in a nother couple of verses after the ones I just read you and the people are saying we will serve the Lord and Joshua says, You can’t serve the Lord. For God is a holy God and God is a jealous God. And you’ve not been living in a way that you think that God is holy and that he’s a jealous God jealous in return. guards to your attention, your faith, your love for him your obedience. He’s jealous for that. Why is he jealous, jealous means that somebody got something you want, you don’t have it. Jealous means that I have something that you need, says the Lord. I have peace, I have blessing. I have kindness, I have fruitfulness. I have all the things that I created you to need. If you will come to me, I’ll bless you whether I’m jealous for you to have that. You don’t have it. But I’m jealous for you to have it.
But I can’t bless you with those things. And yes, you are blessing me. Unless you’re obedient to me, if my people not when my people, but if my people will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, then I will forgive their sins. So we have a responsibility. There’s something I have to do before I’m going to receive the forgiveness of sin and the blessing of God and the healing of my land, my family, my body, my marriage, whatever needs to be healed. I’ve got to meet his stipulations. His guidelines, it’s his that matter. His mandate, if you were getting a lot of mandates and guidelines these days, well, God’s got some too. We have to pay attention to the fear of the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth. That’s a spirit and heart and attitudes, sincerity and honesty and seriousness, being genuine and Gallus and pure. That’s how we serve the Lord. That’s the characteristics of a servant of God. He’s focused on that which is important and being in earnest. And it’s a commitment. Choose this day, whom you’re going to serve. You’re going to serve somebody who you who you’re serving right now, who you’ve been serving, who can you serve? What are the options? Well, I can serve myself. I can serve others. I can serve God. So I get a choice. And who am I going to serve, I can serve my flesh. And let me say, feed me, Leroy, feed me. If you ever saw that one. I can serve you. And I got some quotes on service that I want to share with you about that give some insight and what that means the call to serve God is an expression of his nature, not ours. So when I’m serving God, I’m not serving out of my own gifts, my own nature, my own personality, I’m serving out of his Christ in you the hope of glory. I’m crucified with Christ, so I no longer live Christ lives in me. So what I’m giving you in service, if I’m serving God, and I’m obedient to Him, what true services is me giving to you as he gave to me. I’m giving to you what his nature is in me, not what my nature is, as long as I consider my personal temperament. And think about what I’m fitted for. I shall never realize the true call of God on my life as a servant. What I’m fitted for, you know, I’ve been in missions for many years, and I’ve recruited a lot of people to missions and prayed with them and encouraged them in regard to those who are looking at the mission field. And when I hear a guy say, Well, what about bugs? I got bugs down there. What about the climate? You know, I don’t, I don’t do very well in those humidity. Field climates. What about the salary? What am I going to do? What am I going to live on? What about insurance in retirement? And I know that’s a wrong guy. It sounds like that’s common sense. That’s logical. That’s what we need to be doing. But that’s all fear based. It’s not faith based. We’ll see some more quotes which drive that home. The majority of us have no ear for anything but ourselves. So we cannot hear a thing God says here’s another one love for Jesus, Jesus Commission’s a man for service. There is no other way. So what motivates us to serve when we serve for Jesus and why do we love Jesus because of all he did to serve us? He served himself up even to the point of death on a cross. When you’ve really truly had an experience of salvation with Christ, you ended up loving Him and you love him because of what he how he loved you. But God demonstrated his love toward us and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, we hadn’t done anything, we didn’t deserve it, we couldn’t do anything to deserve it. So if that ever really gripped my heart, your heart when you’re serving your serving out of love for him Altru service stems from a knowledge of God Himself.
That’s where it gets back to his nature, not mine, in service. And that’s why you spend time in the word you spend time in his presence, she learned to hear his voice for yourself, you become a what we call a self theater, where you spend time in God’s word so that you have a knowledge of who he is you have an understanding, you’ve experienced it. It’s not just fact in theology learned in a classroom. It’s personal relationship that you learned and time alone with him. Reading the Bible praying, journaling. Being in praying without ceasing, missing the three foot getting stopped with a red light when you’re in a hurry to get somewhere. Little things then had Little Foxes spoil the vineyard in their big things. But praying without ceasing, acknowledging his presence, asking the right questions. Dad, what are you trying to teach me through this situation? What character trait of the Spirit of God? Are you trying to build into my life? Through this circumstance, though this person that you put into my life, or this thing you took out of my life? What are you trying to teach me? What is it? What are you building into my life through this? Is it patience? Is it kindness? Is it Grace? And go like that? Because God’s trying to build all of that into our lives? And how does he do that? He does it by giving us a knowledge of Him. I shared Jeremiah 24 seven with you last two weeks ago. In Jeremiah 24 seven says says I’ll put within your heart a desire to know me that I am the Lord. And you will be my people and I’ll be your guide. For you will return and this week saying this to the exiles in Babylon and you will return to me with a whole heart. He took him into exile for 70 years to deliver them from worshipping idols. Sometimes God puts us in remedial training. Some God times God uses pagan people to discipline his people never can ever was a pagan pagan god that God call never can Azur my servant. He called David, the man after God’s own heart is serving as well. So both were serving God’s purposes. God was using them you don’t think God’s gonna use everything the devil is throwing at us right now. He’ll use it to accomplish his goodwill, whatever that is. Whatever his purpose is in your life, and your marriage and your family and the state of California and the nation of the United States and in the world. God’s got a plan and a purpose. I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. My plans are always good. They’re not evil. They’re to give you a future and a hope. But God’s always working behind the scenes. And if you don’t have a knowledge of God, so that you see him working behind the scenes, how you’re going to minister anybody and give them hope. That’s the point. The grand secret power to serve in these days is faith in the presence in the Spirit of God. There is no work it can be done as a servant of god that’s gonna be lasting and fruitful. It’s not LED and emanated from the Spirit of God. And to do that that’s a reason that he said, don’t be drunk with the wine that’s dissipation. Be filled with the Spirit be controlled, that that means control. Don’t be controlled by wine, be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Be led the Get your wisdom from him and spend enough time in his presence so that you know His voice when you hear it. You can sit around a Christian group, a Christian circle, and there’ll be people that are speaking and it’s not his voice, but you don’t even know it. If you’re not spending time in God’s presence. If you don’t know his word, if you don’t have a knowledge of his character. His voice is familiar to you. You won’t know that they’re leading in the wrong direction. They have self serving motives. They’re diverse if they’re going to cause trouble. If you let them go, they’re going to ruin the fig basket of eggs. That’s what makes them rotten and no one wants to eat them. Because you get a lot of people that don’t know God’s we’re trying to serve him It must really grieve God’s heart. That so many want to serve Him who won’t take time to get to know him. God says you want to serve me, but you won’t spend time with me. That describes a lot of marriages. You want to get married, you want to have righteous sex, all the things that you get married far. But you don’t spend time together.
That was one of the prayer requests of one of our guys the other day said, we’re so busy, we got so much going on, that we don’t have time to spend together. Children jobs. All these things that tyranny the urgent. We have the same problem with God. Robert monger has a little book that he wrote my cry, heart Christ home, and he takes like he walked into a home and there’s the den and the kitchen, in the bathroom and study and the bedrooms, the basement, the attic, got all these different places in the home, and you invite Jesus into that home. And he wants to see every room he wants to go into every creaking corner. But you don’t want him to go in every room. You got this living room set up, it’s speaking span, it’s looking good. It’s got the right books on the table and the right pictures on the walls. It’s neat. Everything’s dusted and swept and vacuumed. So you want to keep him in there because you don’t want him to go into the den. You don’t want him to go in and we’ll see what you’ve been watching on TV. So he goes around and he comes into the study. And he says this is a really nice room, you know, it’d be great if you and I spent time together in this room. And the guy he was talking to and the homeowner said, Well, yeah, we could do that. He said, What about every morning? Why don’t you come in here every morning, we’ll spend time together. And he made a deal. He had to go do to do that. So they did nice. He started going in every morning in the study and spending time with Jesus. And that went on for weeks. And then every now and then he’d be busy. And he’d get up late and had if he couldn’t shave and go spend time with Jesus too. He didn’t have time for both arms. So he had shave and head out the door. Then he started missing more and more. And finally he won’t go in at all. And one day, he’s rushing down the stairs and heading out and he looks into study. And Jesus is sitting there. And he sheepishly walks in and says, uh, he’s still here. He says we made a deal. He said we’d meet here every morning. I’ve been here every morning waiting on you. How gracious is that? He didn’t say Where are you being you slacker. That’s what we would say we’d say something like that you I knew you wouldn’t be faithful to your promise. I knew you wouldn’t keep your vow. But he doesn’t say that. He just says I’ve been here all along. I’m still here. And I will be here tomorrow, whether you come or not because we made a deal. It must grieve God’s heart that so many want to serve him but won’t take time to get to know him.
living living to God inwardly is the only possible means of living for him outwardly. All outwardly activity must smooth by this tends to make us work without Christ and bring self into play. I dread great activity without great commission. Let me read that again, all outward activity which moves by intends to make us work without Christ, bring self into play, I dread greatly the activity that does not have the Great Commission. So what he’s saying is, if I’m going to administer correctly, outwardly I got to be right inwardly, I got to get my heart, right. It’s like putting on the mask in the airplane. Get it out. Well, gotta wear him all the time in the airplane now. The whole trip. But in case the cabin loses oxygen, which is not probably going to happen, they always say, and it hadn’t happened yet. For me, I don’t know about you. But the mask Oh, come down, put it on yourself first and then put it on your child. inwardly take care of your heart. Don’t try to serve out of an empty bucket. Serve out of a full heart having spent time with God when we had. I was pastoring we had a elders meeting. And I’d say to my elders, I don’t want you coming out of your office at work and coming into this elders meeting. I want you to come into this elders meeting out of your prayer room. I don’t want we don’t want to hear from you. We want to hear what God’s been saying to you. We want to hear what God thinks about this issue. What’s he saying? And that’s the only way we’re going to be able to serve and lead this church. And that’s another thing about leadership, leadership, we need leaders, but we don’t need superior leaders. We’re going to reverse on that in a minute. Oh, for laborers who after God’s heart, my present Christ, two souls, a real serve, and a real man of God is a greatest treasure in the world. I thought, wow, a lot of quote. What we’re in the business of around here is making men of God for such a time is this guy’s it? Have those five goals in their life that Jesus is Lord of their life, the God’s words, the final authority in their life, that they’re becoming men a prayer they link together with guys, like you see sitting around here right now, like minded men who are chasing after Christ, and then they give it away. We’re not trying to keep for em for ourselves. We want peace officers, for Christ to have it for them. So put it under their umbrella. Churches, if they ever want to use it, put it under their umbrella, Link scarf ministry, put it under their umbrella, we’ll help them we’ll encourage them, we’ll fan their flame, but let it be theirs. Give it away. And that’s how the body of Christ grows, it’s multiplication. And nobody cares who gets the credit. If you’re going to make it as a shepherd and servant of God’s sheep, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time with the great shepherd of the sheep. That’s what God told me. When I left the mission field, Pastor, which I did reluctantly, for good reason. He said, Pete, if you’re going to make it as a pastor, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time with me. And I wasn’t that good at spending time with him. But I learned to, I learned to go and spend a half day with him. And then I learned to spend a weekend with him. Then I learned to spend a week with him. And I had to learn it. I saw what other guys did. But that didn’t fit me. And God met me right where I was and the way he created me to meet with him and to hear him and to spend time with him. So there’s no one pathway. We all want to spend time but we do it in our own way with him, we learn how to spend time in his presence. Pete, if you’re going to make it as a pastor, he could have said that to me when I got married, if you’re going to make it as a husband, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time with me. If you’re going to make it as a dad, when my first child was born, you’re gonna have to spend a lot of time with me. But you can’t be the you’re not up to being the husband that you need to be is anybody discovered that? Can I get an amen from the congregation? That that job requires more than you have? Can I get an amen? punch that guy next to you, if you could reach him, saved less than happy he’s talking right to you.
You don’t bring to the table what you need to be the father your children need. You need to be walking with God, you need to be full of God’s presence and wisdom. I have so many decisions, so many responses. So many things you have to decide. So many responses you have to have, that you don’t you will not going to have them if you’re not filled with the Spirit if you don’t have the sermon and wisdom from God. And all they’re going to get to all that you have. What do you bring into the table? Are you fit for the job? To this day, whom you will serve? Are you serving the Lord? Is it you taking care of yourself in release so you can take care of your family outwardly? See, that’s the thing that we have to keep in mind. You might remember in Mark 10, James and john the sons of Zeus, he came up to Jesus saying, teacher we want you to do whatever we ask of you. How brash is that? Look, we want to ask you a question, but you have to promise to do it. I gotta ask you to do some if you don’t promise to do it. I’m asking. And he said to them, he was gracious to him. Now this is before they had a clue for Pentecost where they had the Holy Spirit, where they were just walking around with a real steep learning curve, watching everything he did in listening to everything he said. And it really bamboozled and they had no idea. They were trying to build a big ministry. And so Jesus gets up and says, if you don’t eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no part when they I can hear the disciples ever going. I wish he hadn’t said they’re going to be live their lives. Have a look. What’s his problem? We need to have a sit down with him. They said to him grant that we may sit one on your right and one on your left when you come into glory. But Jesus said to them, You have no idea what you’re asking. You have no clue. Now he knew it. And he was given him grace here, quite honestly. But he was took the opportunity to explain to them what it means to be a servant of God. You do not know what you’re asking. And then he asked him a penetrating question. Are you able to drink the cup that I’ll drink the cup of suffering and death? That’s what he’s talking about. You know, it says in another passage, another book on the same passage, it is it James and John’s mother put them up. This is Jewish mom, she put them up to that. You got to get first in line, you got to go ask you got to go get sit on his right and his left, I want my boys to sit on the sides, right and left when they comes into His kingdom, then I can brag on my friends at the well. Look at my boys. They’re doctors, they’re engineers. They’re architects. Can you drink the cup that I’ll drink and be baptized with the baptism which I’ll be baptized with? So you want to serve God and you want to be in the ministry? Well, you are a ministry, if you’re a Christian, wherever you are, whatever you do, and you don’t have to go on staff with some mission, organization or church. Everything you do and everything you say, everywhere you are your ministry, because you have the Holy Spirit in you, and you’re a servant of God, you have to consider yourself a servant of the Most High God. But Jesus said, You don’t know what you’re asking. And they said to him, Are you able, he said, and they said, we’re able. Yeah, man, we can do it. Whatever. Whatever you need. If you give us your right and your left, and we’ll we’ll be able to do it. And Jesus said to them, the cup that I drink, you will drink. Now he’s got prophetic. And you shall be baptized with the baptism which I was baptized. 11 out of 12 of the disciples were martyred. And they tried to boil the ball, john and oh, and he didn’t die. They exiled him to the island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelations in first, second, third john. But to sit on my right and my left, this is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. So God has a plan, and he’s prepared it all and we don’t have to worry about where we’re going to fit and where we’re going to sit and what part will we play? It’s all planned. It’s all prepared. Aren’t you glad you don’t have to fight the guy next to you to get first place in line? Sit on is right in his left. Hearing this the 10 began to feel indignant with James and john.
In other words, I say what makes you guys think you can be grown is right and left and they started they started to have an argument happens in churches all the time. People this, this ministry is getting more money in more upfront advertising in this ministry here. It’s like, all the different ministries in the church are fighting for a piece of the action. Find for a piece of the budget, buy in for more announcements, upset from the pulpit, for their for their ministry in the church, trying to see who can get the most first the best. And jealous of those who got it. calling them to himself and Jesus saw they start arguing and Jesus is watching them argue there for a few minutes. Then he called him said, Hey, come out. Gather around guys. So he took this as a teaching moment, calling them to himself. Jesus says you know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles, lord it over them. That’s, that’s the man’s way of leadership is to have power. And that’s what we see going. The whole thing it’s happening right now in our nation is who’s going to have the power. That’s why Republicans, five democrats over who’s got the power who’s got the most votes in the House and the Senate, who’s got the right guy and gal in the Oval Office. It’s all about power. It’s all about positioning. It’s all about lording it over, it’s all about being in control. No matter what the situation is. It happens in every corporation and every job and every small business in every restaurant. If you got people there. They’re going to be fighting for power and control to have a step up on the others. They’re going to be jealous of each other. One guy gets a promotion and other And he gets a raise and other guy, then he gets a cubicle, he gets an office. And it goes on everywhere all the time calling them to himself. He says, You recognize the Gentiles have a lorded over mentality, their leaders, their superior, they get the ZX egative washroom, the executive in the army, you got the non cops and you got the officers club, and they’re all separated. It’s always been that way. That’s what man does when he’s in control. in there, great man exercise authority over them. So they exercise authority, they want you to know I’m in control. I’m the boss here. Anybody that says it has to say I’m the boss isn’t the boss. And everybody knows it.
But and I love this. But it is not. So among you. Guys, you got a different standard here. It’s not so among you. You’re my followers. You’re my man, you’re my disciples, you’re my servants. So that’s not what you do. You don’t lord it over people, you don’t exercise authority over them. It’s not so among you. But whoever wishes to become great among you, which is john and James were wishing to become great. And all the other disciples were to or they wouldn’t have been arguing with them. whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant. So this is a conundrums, the paradox of the Christian life. If you want to live, you got to die. If you want to go up, you got to go down. If you want to be great, you have to humble yourself. If you want to be an authority, you have to be a servant. It’s an upside down Kingdom compared to what the world is. So if you’re thinking of being a servant of God, just keep in mind unless you’ve spent enough God time in God’s presence to be humble. And that’s why we have such a hard time with Second Chronicles 714. The first thing he says is Be humble. The first thing in the Beatitudes is Be humble. blesser, the poor in spirit versus the make the humble. That’s why we have such a problem. If you’re going to be a servant of the Most High God, it’s not so among you, you don’t lead. And that’s what’s going on in churches and mission organizations and Christian institutions, wherever you find them. They still have a hierarchy of you. Where’s the last time you heard a politician called a public servant? That went by the boards A long time ago. When’s the last time you heard an elder or a deacon or even a pastor called a servant? What does that mean? For whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. So when’s the last time you said Man, I want to be a slave of all I want to be a servant of all what’s a slave nobody aspired to be a slave two thirds of the culture was slaves in those days. But he who would be great among you will be first among you will be slave a law you’re gonna have to be faith based, not fear base, you’re gonna have to be humble and seek not the limelight But seek this live in the shadows. You’re willing to be in the limelight, but you don’t seek it that you don’t want to, you know, go after it. It’s not your goal. I remember back in the day when swindell was waxing so eloquently, Evie free and Fullerton and I was teaching a couple of class in the church and we had a bunch of students from Talbot seminary and their wives in our couples class. Now remember what I’m saying? Well, I said what are you going to do with your degree? You’re going to pastor you’re going to what do you look hidden for you? Uh, yeah, I want to be a pastor. I want to be on the radio and write books and stuff like Chuck. Now I happen to know that Chuck had so many death threats that he had a body guard that followed him all around every Sunday at church these days, they’re packing guns at churches and I guess for good reason. Because anybody anytime and they’ve done that, and it may happen some more, walk into churches of whatever ilk in start firing. So we live in those kind of days. But I knew that Chuck was there and I told the guys it might be your to go chat with Chuck on that. See if he recommends it. Is that what you’re seeking? you’re seeking notoriety and Limelight, then you’re not a servant of the most hi guy. God, as I said, you’re willing to be there but you don’t seek it and you don’t want it and you don’t strive after. It just happens. And that’s the way God raises up his leaders, his real true leaders. There’s a lot of leaders out there. But they’re superior leaders and they’re trying to build their kingdom on Jesus Christ Foundation, it doesn’t work and it won’t work. For in any finishes off, or even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. So there are no arguments. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. So you’re my disciple. If you’re my disciple, then that’s what you’re going to be to, you’re going to be given your life as a ransom for many not being served, but serving. Now people are going to want to serve you, they’re going to want to do for you. And that’s good and right and good for them.
It doesn’t so it’s not so whether people acknowledge you as a leader of knowledge you for your gifts, or appreciate what you say or do or have you act with your dad or a father or a preacher, missionary, whatever you are, that’s going to happen and you’re going to get criticism, you people are going to criticize you and have you for breakfast and lunch and dinner. not inviting you in they’re having you for the main meal. And that’s going to happen too. So it’s not so much where they praise you or criticize you. It’s how you respond to there. It’s not further whether you have or have not, it’s how you respond to having or having not. That’s why God’s interested in in his servants. We have the idea that a man to serve God requires him to be a different kind of being from other men. According to Jesus Christ, he’s required to be a doormat of other man, their spiritual leader, but never their superior. If you got to the point in your life, where you said, God, help yourself, because you’re not going to be a servant of God, if you haven’t asked God to help himself to your life was that mean? That means help yourself to my wife, to my children, to my time, too much money, to my hobbies. Everything in my life Lord, is sacrificed to you help yourself. Because that’s what a servant of God has to get to that place because you know what, he’s going to help himself whether you give him permission or not. You just do a lot better when you given him permission. When when he told us brightnesses, and brain tumor wasn’t about us, we felt like it was about us big time. But we had asked God to help himself. So he helped himself to one of my children. He helped himself to Sue’s and he’s helped himself to my time, my talent, my treasure. But God help yourself. If you come to the point in your life, where you don’t care what you do, or where you go, you just want to be in God’s will, no matter where it is. That’s what it means to be a servant and a follower of Christ to be His disciple you. You know, it’s like, hey, Pete and Susan, we’ll, Chuck Singletary said, a navigator. We’re moving to California. We’re going to be working out there. I want you to go with us and serve on the mat. Now team out there. Well, man that raised up a lot of issues. You mean leave the south and go out to the left coast. That was a big lordship decision. But I felt God was in it. And I’ve toeses and I thought so she said, Oh man need to think again.
But we just decided that we just want to be where God wants us to be doing what God wants us to do, how he wants to do it, where he wants to do it. And that’s not our call. It says someone asked me after Susan Dad, you’re going to move back to Alabama. I have no plans to move back to Alabama. I wouldn’t mind moving back down Alabama. Five people got killed there with tornadoes yesterday. So when I look forward to being back there, but I don’t look forward to the next earthquake out here either. But I said but that’s not my call. I don’t just decide I’m going to get up and move. I get up. I’m in an army and I get a move when I get orders. And that’s what it means to be a servant of God. You live where he wants you to live. He move when he wants you to move you stay put when he wants you to stay put. But if you’re not spending time with him And you’re not in his presence and you don’t know His voice and you haven’t said help yourself to my life my whole life is about the gospel. That’s reason you say Help yourself. It’s not about me, it’s not about my success. It’s not about what I accomplish. It’s not about my achievements, it’s about him being free to use me anyway wants to not use me at all I remember when he put me on the bench in, in AAA, and I was gonna play an in front of me was in the league in the Southern League with me and double it the year before and I was the all star to third baseman. And they had playing this manager, this Homer manager, this good old boys club, they had going with the Minnesota Twins, and they all do, was playing him I had a man I was upset about that. I went to Jesus and said, I want to play third base. When you come into your kingdom,
and he put me in the bullpen, I was on the bench. And then one night I was called in to pinch it and I said, Boy, I’m gonna get a hit and show this manager I need to play every day. And unfortunately, there was a guy named Pedro borbone on the mound, who was one of the starting pitchers for the World Series team in 72. And 73, which is about two years after this. And I have poor Pedro get to the big leagues. He struck me out that night. So I take some credit for that. That was my claim to fame in the minors, I helped a lot of pitchers get to the big leagues. So anyway, later that night, I’m grumbling and complaining. Now it’s written in Ken Taylor, they just come out with a Living Bible paraphrase. And I’m reading in Hebrews 12, it’s in Hebrews 12. He says, you know, God disciplines his children because he loves him. And if he’s not discipline you, it’s because he doesn’t love you. But that’s why the disciplines you, he loves you. But you know, the problem with discipline is it hurts. But what we see as a result is a quiet growth and grace and character. And God said p, we need to talk. He said, You know, you know how to be in the lineup. This is what you know, you know how to start every night you know how to be an all star, here’s what you don’t know. You don’t know how to sit on the bench and pull for that guy in front of you and help him be successful. And I thought, boy, right, you’re right about that. I don’t know that. That’s a statement and it odd me I couldn’t believe it. And what I couldn’t believe is a God of the universe who put every star in the sky who created everything on the earth, who just spoke it into existence cared about my character was using this to say Pete there’s some things you can only learn on the bench. You can’t learn in the game. And these are things so when you’re on the bench and you don’t feel like you’re being used and you feel like you’ve been passed over and abused. There are things to learn on the bench you can’t learn in the game. You can only learn I’m sitting on the bench. And so God’s raising up servants here But guys, it is not so among you not like he’s raising up leaders in Washington, DC. He’s, he’s raising up servants of him. And that’s what do we need right now we need servants of God and know how to serve and give and lay their life down and for their life out and even for those who don’t deserve it, especially for those who don’t deserve it. He’ll always ask the question Are you in or out? Choose you this day whom you are going to serve. It’d be a servant of the Lord, even today. Father that’s what we pray. Thank you for gathering us together and letting us talk about these things. Thanks for being the servant who said even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Help us be like him even today with our wives in our homes and our businesses. driving around town and the divine appointments you’ll give us help us to be your servant. reflect your nature and help people see you through us in Jesus name And all God’s men said give them heaven guys
Unknown Speaker 0:47
get
Don Ryal 0:48
up. Get up there on the stage. We don’t care what you’re really Ah, the villain Bob. Bob, Bob and Bob, Bob and
Bob, Bob and
Billy, Bob, Bob. Bob, Bob, Bob and Laura. Whoa, get off. Can you sleep ahead, get up? Get up, get out of bed. The sun is red. live a life of the happy.
Bill Kauble 1:17
Wow.
Wow.
Wow,
Don Ryal 1:23
I got I got another.
Bill Kauble 1:26
You know, Glen and I were commenting these guys bring us into worship, give him a hand. Let’s get my hand. We warmly welcome you to influencers, Orange County, you have blessed us their Lord, with these men this morning. And it’s so great to see so many men. Here. I am staggered by the evil that we see every day. And I’m staggered that it gets worse every day. But Jesus said take heart. I’ve overcome the world. And that’s our focus. We say these words. And I hope these words become in your heart, not just words that you say remotely. But when the crisis comes, encourages required. God expects his men has such confidence in him that we are the dependable reliable ones. We believe with all of our heart that we are faith based, Christ driven. And what else
this is really poor here just this isn’t. We’re not the mass. So we have five tenants that we believe in five values. One, Jesus is not only our Savior, but he’s Lord of our life, to the Bible as a final authority. Three, we link with like minded men for men a prayer we give it away. Those are the words that we live by. And those are the words that we want to share and witness to the other people that are out there. Everything that we do is to bring men into intimacy with Jesus Christ. Our goal is that every man would be involved in a foreign group. Ron coming in second. And we have the privilege of having this precious man, lead us in this. Give us the word?
Ron Tovar 3:30
Well, it you know, if you looked at the world, it would look like everything’s going downhill. But for em is doing something about it. We are there’s something powerful about the Word of God in a man’s heart that gets expressed in faith. And it’s anointed. And when four men get together, and they strengthen each other and start encouraging each other and, and you get this rubber meets the road application to the Word of God. The body of christ just within for it strengthens and it heals and we’re pushing back. And what’s happening right now for him is that there there is a real strong foundation being formed. And we’re just like at the edge of the exploding, you can feel it you can see it, the giving it away. We’re giving it away. We’re given the word away. We’re given God’s love away. And when that explosion hits, you’re gonna see just duplication. We’re right at the edge of that we’re almost there. And so hold on, don’t give up. It ain’t over yet. Jesus is still on the throne. God bless you all.
Bill Kauble 4:38
Amen. Thanks, Ron. We are going to gather all of our shepherds and our co shepherds and those that are interested in leading groups up in Malibu. I think in June, we’re trying to get discussions with them. Now how many we could get we want to get 50 or 60 men up So I just pray for the forum. We want to fan the flame of time and borders. And we also want to fan why men lead anything that will draw men closer to Jesus Christ. So we want basically they do an offering right now. And john, if you could come forward to the offering. Father, we just thank you so much for these men, their generosity. You have blessed us for all these years. And we have remained steadfast and we will continue to remain steadfast. We asked you to take these offering, and bless it for your purposes. We thank you for Pete McKenzie, the Angel of this ministry, you have blessed us with him in his heart in the message that he’s going to bring this morning. We pray all this in Jesus name, amen.
Ron Tovar 5:55
love what you’re doing.
Pete McKenzie 6:06
Well, good morning, guys. Some other Words To Live By. Life is hard. Same, I made peace reality with that. It’s not about you. It feels like it’s about you, I know. But it’s not about you, you’re better off if you make that reality in your life. Here’s another one that you’re not in control. Now, that’s the one you hate the most. But you know, you think you are until you’re not. And we got a lot of reason to think maybe we’re not in control today. And then finally, you’re gonna die. And then a Christian group, that’s a hallelujah. We don’t die like other people. We don’t die without hope to blink of an eye. hurt him message this week about that it was very encouraging. You know, as I’m going to the Lord and saying, what do we need to hear today, what I need to hear is that I can pass along to the guys when he gave me Joshua 24. Now therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth. And put away the gods which your father served beyond the river in Egypt, and serve the Lord. If it’s disagreeable in your sight, to serve the Lord, then choose yourself today, who are you going to serve? Whether the gods which your father served which were beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you’re now living. But as for me, and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve our other gods. The Lord drove out from before us, all the people, even Amorites, who lived in this land we’re living in now. So we also will serve the Lord now had been serving the Lord, but Joshua challenged him. And you know, what I want to focus on this morning. And there’s a lot to focus on in this passage. That serving 1234566 times in those two verses, 14 and 15. He uses the word serve, serving the Lord. Now serving the Lord I found in my life over the last 50 years, it’s a choice. But it’s also a commitment. And I looked up serve and serve means be an honest and serious. Now, serve means to be of use, to be worthy of reliance or trust, to discharge a duty to attend to, to pay attention to, to take charge off, to be a servant of one that serves others. So if we’re going to serve the Lord, we got to be useful. I hear guys all the time saying all I want to do is is serve the Lord and I say you servable are you able to serve the Lord because in a nother couple of verses after the ones I just read you and the people are saying we will serve the Lord and Joshua says, You can’t serve the Lord. For God is a holy God and God is a jealous God. And you’ve not been living in a way that you think that God is holy and that he’s a jealous God jealous in return. guards to your attention, your faith, your love for him your obedience. He’s jealous for that. Why is he jealous, jealous means that somebody got something you want, you don’t have it. Jealous means that I have something that you need, says the Lord. I have peace, I have blessing. I have kindness, I have fruitfulness. I have all the things that I created you to need. If you will come to me, I’ll bless you whether I’m jealous for you to have that. You don’t have it. But I’m jealous for you to have it.
But I can’t bless you with those things. And yes, you are blessing me. Unless you’re obedient to me, if my people not when my people, but if my people will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, then I will forgive their sins. So we have a responsibility. There’s something I have to do before I’m going to receive the forgiveness of sin and the blessing of God and the healing of my land, my family, my body, my marriage, whatever needs to be healed. I’ve got to meet his stipulations. His guidelines, it’s his that matter. His mandate, if you were getting a lot of mandates and guidelines these days, well, God’s got some too. We have to pay attention to the fear of the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth. That’s a spirit and heart and attitudes, sincerity and honesty and seriousness, being genuine and Gallus and pure. That’s how we serve the Lord. That’s the characteristics of a servant of God. He’s focused on that which is important and being in earnest. And it’s a commitment. Choose this day, whom you’re going to serve. You’re going to serve somebody who you who you’re serving right now, who you’ve been serving, who can you serve? What are the options? Well, I can serve myself. I can serve others. I can serve God. So I get a choice. And who am I going to serve, I can serve my flesh. And let me say, feed me, Leroy, feed me. If you ever saw that one. I can serve you. And I got some quotes on service that I want to share with you about that give some insight and what that means the call to serve God is an expression of his nature, not ours. So when I’m serving God, I’m not serving out of my own gifts, my own nature, my own personality, I’m serving out of his Christ in you the hope of glory. I’m crucified with Christ, so I no longer live Christ lives in me. So what I’m giving you in service, if I’m serving God, and I’m obedient to Him, what true services is me giving to you as he gave to me. I’m giving to you what his nature is in me, not what my nature is, as long as I consider my personal temperament. And think about what I’m fitted for. I shall never realize the true call of God on my life as a servant. What I’m fitted for, you know, I’ve been in missions for many years, and I’ve recruited a lot of people to missions and prayed with them and encouraged them in regard to those who are looking at the mission field. And when I hear a guy say, Well, what about bugs? I got bugs down there. What about the climate? You know, I don’t, I don’t do very well in those humidity. Field climates. What about the salary? What am I going to do? What am I going to live on? What about insurance in retirement? And I know that’s a wrong guy. It sounds like that’s common sense. That’s logical. That’s what we need to be doing. But that’s all fear based. It’s not faith based. We’ll see some more quotes which drive that home. The majority of us have no ear for anything but ourselves. So we cannot hear a thing God says here’s another one love for Jesus, Jesus Commission’s a man for service. There is no other way. So what motivates us to serve when we serve for Jesus and why do we love Jesus because of all he did to serve us? He served himself up even to the point of death on a cross. When you’ve really truly had an experience of salvation with Christ, you ended up loving Him and you love him because of what he how he loved you. But God demonstrated his love toward us and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, we hadn’t done anything, we didn’t deserve it, we couldn’t do anything to deserve it. So if that ever really gripped my heart, your heart when you’re serving your serving out of love for him Altru service stems from a knowledge of God Himself.
That’s where it gets back to his nature, not mine, in service. And that’s why you spend time in the word you spend time in his presence, she learned to hear his voice for yourself, you become a what we call a self theater, where you spend time in God’s word so that you have a knowledge of who he is you have an understanding, you’ve experienced it. It’s not just fact in theology learned in a classroom. It’s personal relationship that you learned and time alone with him. Reading the Bible praying, journaling. Being in praying without ceasing, missing the three foot getting stopped with a red light when you’re in a hurry to get somewhere. Little things then had Little Foxes spoil the vineyard in their big things. But praying without ceasing, acknowledging his presence, asking the right questions. Dad, what are you trying to teach me through this situation? What character trait of the Spirit of God? Are you trying to build into my life? Through this circumstance, though this person that you put into my life, or this thing you took out of my life? What are you trying to teach me? What is it? What are you building into my life through this? Is it patience? Is it kindness? Is it Grace? And go like that? Because God’s trying to build all of that into our lives? And how does he do that? He does it by giving us a knowledge of Him. I shared Jeremiah 24 seven with you last two weeks ago. In Jeremiah 24 seven says says I’ll put within your heart a desire to know me that I am the Lord. And you will be my people and I’ll be your guide. For you will return and this week saying this to the exiles in Babylon and you will return to me with a whole heart. He took him into exile for 70 years to deliver them from worshipping idols. Sometimes God puts us in remedial training. Some God times God uses pagan people to discipline his people never can ever was a pagan pagan god that God call never can Azur my servant. He called David, the man after God’s own heart is serving as well. So both were serving God’s purposes. God was using them you don’t think God’s gonna use everything the devil is throwing at us right now. He’ll use it to accomplish his goodwill, whatever that is. Whatever his purpose is in your life, and your marriage and your family and the state of California and the nation of the United States and in the world. God’s got a plan and a purpose. I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. My plans are always good. They’re not evil. They’re to give you a future and a hope. But God’s always working behind the scenes. And if you don’t have a knowledge of God, so that you see him working behind the scenes, how you’re going to minister anybody and give them hope. That’s the point. The grand secret power to serve in these days is faith in the presence in the Spirit of God. There is no work it can be done as a servant of god that’s gonna be lasting and fruitful. It’s not LED and emanated from the Spirit of God. And to do that that’s a reason that he said, don’t be drunk with the wine that’s dissipation. Be filled with the Spirit be controlled, that that means control. Don’t be controlled by wine, be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Be led the Get your wisdom from him and spend enough time in his presence so that you know His voice when you hear it. You can sit around a Christian group, a Christian circle, and there’ll be people that are speaking and it’s not his voice, but you don’t even know it. If you’re not spending time in God’s presence. If you don’t know his word, if you don’t have a knowledge of his character. His voice is familiar to you. You won’t know that they’re leading in the wrong direction. They have self serving motives. They’re diverse if they’re going to cause trouble. If you let them go, they’re going to ruin the fig basket of eggs. That’s what makes them rotten and no one wants to eat them. Because you get a lot of people that don’t know God’s we’re trying to serve him It must really grieve God’s heart. That so many want to serve Him who won’t take time to get to know him. God says you want to serve me, but you won’t spend time with me. That describes a lot of marriages. You want to get married, you want to have righteous sex, all the things that you get married far. But you don’t spend time together.
That was one of the prayer requests of one of our guys the other day said, we’re so busy, we got so much going on, that we don’t have time to spend together. Children jobs. All these things that tyranny the urgent. We have the same problem with God. Robert monger has a little book that he wrote my cry, heart Christ home, and he takes like he walked into a home and there’s the den and the kitchen, in the bathroom and study and the bedrooms, the basement, the attic, got all these different places in the home, and you invite Jesus into that home. And he wants to see every room he wants to go into every creaking corner. But you don’t want him to go in every room. You got this living room set up, it’s speaking span, it’s looking good. It’s got the right books on the table and the right pictures on the walls. It’s neat. Everything’s dusted and swept and vacuumed. So you want to keep him in there because you don’t want him to go into the den. You don’t want him to go in and we’ll see what you’ve been watching on TV. So he goes around and he comes into the study. And he says this is a really nice room, you know, it’d be great if you and I spent time together in this room. And the guy he was talking to and the homeowner said, Well, yeah, we could do that. He said, What about every morning? Why don’t you come in here every morning, we’ll spend time together. And he made a deal. He had to go do to do that. So they did nice. He started going in every morning in the study and spending time with Jesus. And that went on for weeks. And then every now and then he’d be busy. And he’d get up late and had if he couldn’t shave and go spend time with Jesus too. He didn’t have time for both arms. So he had shave and head out the door. Then he started missing more and more. And finally he won’t go in at all. And one day, he’s rushing down the stairs and heading out and he looks into study. And Jesus is sitting there. And he sheepishly walks in and says, uh, he’s still here. He says we made a deal. He said we’d meet here every morning. I’ve been here every morning waiting on you. How gracious is that? He didn’t say Where are you being you slacker. That’s what we would say we’d say something like that you I knew you wouldn’t be faithful to your promise. I knew you wouldn’t keep your vow. But he doesn’t say that. He just says I’ve been here all along. I’m still here. And I will be here tomorrow, whether you come or not because we made a deal. It must grieve God’s heart that so many want to serve him but won’t take time to get to know him.
living living to God inwardly is the only possible means of living for him outwardly. All outwardly activity must smooth by this tends to make us work without Christ and bring self into play. I dread great activity without great commission. Let me read that again, all outward activity which moves by intends to make us work without Christ, bring self into play, I dread greatly the activity that does not have the Great Commission. So what he’s saying is, if I’m going to administer correctly, outwardly I got to be right inwardly, I got to get my heart, right. It’s like putting on the mask in the airplane. Get it out. Well, gotta wear him all the time in the airplane now. The whole trip. But in case the cabin loses oxygen, which is not probably going to happen, they always say, and it hadn’t happened yet. For me, I don’t know about you. But the mask Oh, come down, put it on yourself first and then put it on your child. inwardly take care of your heart. Don’t try to serve out of an empty bucket. Serve out of a full heart having spent time with God when we had. I was pastoring we had a elders meeting. And I’d say to my elders, I don’t want you coming out of your office at work and coming into this elders meeting. I want you to come into this elders meeting out of your prayer room. I don’t want we don’t want to hear from you. We want to hear what God’s been saying to you. We want to hear what God thinks about this issue. What’s he saying? And that’s the only way we’re going to be able to serve and lead this church. And that’s another thing about leadership, leadership, we need leaders, but we don’t need superior leaders. We’re going to reverse on that in a minute. Oh, for laborers who after God’s heart, my present Christ, two souls, a real serve, and a real man of God is a greatest treasure in the world. I thought, wow, a lot of quote. What we’re in the business of around here is making men of God for such a time is this guy’s it? Have those five goals in their life that Jesus is Lord of their life, the God’s words, the final authority in their life, that they’re becoming men a prayer they link together with guys, like you see sitting around here right now, like minded men who are chasing after Christ, and then they give it away. We’re not trying to keep for em for ourselves. We want peace officers, for Christ to have it for them. So put it under their umbrella. Churches, if they ever want to use it, put it under their umbrella, Link scarf ministry, put it under their umbrella, we’ll help them we’ll encourage them, we’ll fan their flame, but let it be theirs. Give it away. And that’s how the body of Christ grows, it’s multiplication. And nobody cares who gets the credit. If you’re going to make it as a shepherd and servant of God’s sheep, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time with the great shepherd of the sheep. That’s what God told me. When I left the mission field, Pastor, which I did reluctantly, for good reason. He said, Pete, if you’re going to make it as a pastor, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time with me. And I wasn’t that good at spending time with him. But I learned to, I learned to go and spend a half day with him. And then I learned to spend a weekend with him. Then I learned to spend a week with him. And I had to learn it. I saw what other guys did. But that didn’t fit me. And God met me right where I was and the way he created me to meet with him and to hear him and to spend time with him. So there’s no one pathway. We all want to spend time but we do it in our own way with him, we learn how to spend time in his presence. Pete, if you’re going to make it as a pastor, he could have said that to me when I got married, if you’re going to make it as a husband, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time with me. If you’re going to make it as a dad, when my first child was born, you’re gonna have to spend a lot of time with me. But you can’t be the you’re not up to being the husband that you need to be is anybody discovered that? Can I get an amen from the congregation? That that job requires more than you have? Can I get an amen? punch that guy next to you, if you could reach him, saved less than happy he’s talking right to you.
You don’t bring to the table what you need to be the father your children need. You need to be walking with God, you need to be full of God’s presence and wisdom. I have so many decisions, so many responses. So many things you have to decide. So many responses you have to have, that you don’t you will not going to have them if you’re not filled with the Spirit if you don’t have the sermon and wisdom from God. And all they’re going to get to all that you have. What do you bring into the table? Are you fit for the job? To this day, whom you will serve? Are you serving the Lord? Is it you taking care of yourself in release so you can take care of your family outwardly? See, that’s the thing that we have to keep in mind. You might remember in Mark 10, James and john the sons of Zeus, he came up to Jesus saying, teacher we want you to do whatever we ask of you. How brash is that? Look, we want to ask you a question, but you have to promise to do it. I gotta ask you to do some if you don’t promise to do it. I’m asking. And he said to them, he was gracious to him. Now this is before they had a clue for Pentecost where they had the Holy Spirit, where they were just walking around with a real steep learning curve, watching everything he did in listening to everything he said. And it really bamboozled and they had no idea. They were trying to build a big ministry. And so Jesus gets up and says, if you don’t eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no part when they I can hear the disciples ever going. I wish he hadn’t said they’re going to be live their lives. Have a look. What’s his problem? We need to have a sit down with him. They said to him grant that we may sit one on your right and one on your left when you come into glory. But Jesus said to them, You have no idea what you’re asking. You have no clue. Now he knew it. And he was given him grace here, quite honestly. But he was took the opportunity to explain to them what it means to be a servant of God. You do not know what you’re asking. And then he asked him a penetrating question. Are you able to drink the cup that I’ll drink the cup of suffering and death? That’s what he’s talking about. You know, it says in another passage, another book on the same passage, it is it James and John’s mother put them up. This is Jewish mom, she put them up to that. You got to get first in line, you got to go ask you got to go get sit on his right and his left, I want my boys to sit on the sides, right and left when they comes into His kingdom, then I can brag on my friends at the well. Look at my boys. They’re doctors, they’re engineers. They’re architects. Can you drink the cup that I’ll drink and be baptized with the baptism which I’ll be baptized with? So you want to serve God and you want to be in the ministry? Well, you are a ministry, if you’re a Christian, wherever you are, whatever you do, and you don’t have to go on staff with some mission, organization or church. Everything you do and everything you say, everywhere you are your ministry, because you have the Holy Spirit in you, and you’re a servant of God, you have to consider yourself a servant of the Most High God. But Jesus said, You don’t know what you’re asking. And they said to him, Are you able, he said, and they said, we’re able. Yeah, man, we can do it. Whatever. Whatever you need. If you give us your right and your left, and we’ll we’ll be able to do it. And Jesus said to them, the cup that I drink, you will drink. Now he’s got prophetic. And you shall be baptized with the baptism which I was baptized. 11 out of 12 of the disciples were martyred. And they tried to boil the ball, john and oh, and he didn’t die. They exiled him to the island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelations in first, second, third john. But to sit on my right and my left, this is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. So God has a plan, and he’s prepared it all and we don’t have to worry about where we’re going to fit and where we’re going to sit and what part will we play? It’s all planned. It’s all prepared. Aren’t you glad you don’t have to fight the guy next to you to get first place in line? Sit on is right in his left. Hearing this the 10 began to feel indignant with James and john.
In other words, I say what makes you guys think you can be grown is right and left and they started they started to have an argument happens in churches all the time. People this, this ministry is getting more money in more upfront advertising in this ministry here. It’s like, all the different ministries in the church are fighting for a piece of the action. Find for a piece of the budget, buy in for more announcements, upset from the pulpit, for their for their ministry in the church, trying to see who can get the most first the best. And jealous of those who got it. calling them to himself and Jesus saw they start arguing and Jesus is watching them argue there for a few minutes. Then he called him said, Hey, come out. Gather around guys. So he took this as a teaching moment, calling them to himself. Jesus says you know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles, lord it over them. That’s, that’s the man’s way of leadership is to have power. And that’s what we see going. The whole thing it’s happening right now in our nation is who’s going to have the power. That’s why Republicans, five democrats over who’s got the power who’s got the most votes in the House and the Senate, who’s got the right guy and gal in the Oval Office. It’s all about power. It’s all about positioning. It’s all about lording it over, it’s all about being in control. No matter what the situation is. It happens in every corporation and every job and every small business in every restaurant. If you got people there. They’re going to be fighting for power and control to have a step up on the others. They’re going to be jealous of each other. One guy gets a promotion and other And he gets a raise and other guy, then he gets a cubicle, he gets an office. And it goes on everywhere all the time calling them to himself. He says, You recognize the Gentiles have a lorded over mentality, their leaders, their superior, they get the ZX egative washroom, the executive in the army, you got the non cops and you got the officers club, and they’re all separated. It’s always been that way. That’s what man does when he’s in control. in there, great man exercise authority over them. So they exercise authority, they want you to know I’m in control. I’m the boss here. Anybody that says it has to say I’m the boss isn’t the boss. And everybody knows it.
But and I love this. But it is not. So among you. Guys, you got a different standard here. It’s not so among you. You’re my followers. You’re my man, you’re my disciples, you’re my servants. So that’s not what you do. You don’t lord it over people, you don’t exercise authority over them. It’s not so among you. But whoever wishes to become great among you, which is john and James were wishing to become great. And all the other disciples were to or they wouldn’t have been arguing with them. whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant. So this is a conundrums, the paradox of the Christian life. If you want to live, you got to die. If you want to go up, you got to go down. If you want to be great, you have to humble yourself. If you want to be an authority, you have to be a servant. It’s an upside down Kingdom compared to what the world is. So if you’re thinking of being a servant of God, just keep in mind unless you’ve spent enough God time in God’s presence to be humble. And that’s why we have such a hard time with Second Chronicles 714. The first thing he says is Be humble. The first thing in the Beatitudes is Be humble. blesser, the poor in spirit versus the make the humble. That’s why we have such a problem. If you’re going to be a servant of the Most High God, it’s not so among you, you don’t lead. And that’s what’s going on in churches and mission organizations and Christian institutions, wherever you find them. They still have a hierarchy of you. Where’s the last time you heard a politician called a public servant? That went by the boards A long time ago. When’s the last time you heard an elder or a deacon or even a pastor called a servant? What does that mean? For whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all. So when’s the last time you said Man, I want to be a slave of all I want to be a servant of all what’s a slave nobody aspired to be a slave two thirds of the culture was slaves in those days. But he who would be great among you will be first among you will be slave a law you’re gonna have to be faith based, not fear base, you’re gonna have to be humble and seek not the limelight But seek this live in the shadows. You’re willing to be in the limelight, but you don’t seek it that you don’t want to, you know, go after it. It’s not your goal. I remember back in the day when swindell was waxing so eloquently, Evie free and Fullerton and I was teaching a couple of class in the church and we had a bunch of students from Talbot seminary and their wives in our couples class. Now remember what I’m saying? Well, I said what are you going to do with your degree? You’re going to pastor you’re going to what do you look hidden for you? Uh, yeah, I want to be a pastor. I want to be on the radio and write books and stuff like Chuck. Now I happen to know that Chuck had so many death threats that he had a body guard that followed him all around every Sunday at church these days, they’re packing guns at churches and I guess for good reason. Because anybody anytime and they’ve done that, and it may happen some more, walk into churches of whatever ilk in start firing. So we live in those kind of days. But I knew that Chuck was there and I told the guys it might be your to go chat with Chuck on that. See if he recommends it. Is that what you’re seeking? you’re seeking notoriety and Limelight, then you’re not a servant of the most hi guy. God, as I said, you’re willing to be there but you don’t seek it and you don’t want it and you don’t strive after. It just happens. And that’s the way God raises up his leaders, his real true leaders. There’s a lot of leaders out there. But they’re superior leaders and they’re trying to build their kingdom on Jesus Christ Foundation, it doesn’t work and it won’t work. For in any finishes off, or even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. So there are no arguments. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. So you’re my disciple. If you’re my disciple, then that’s what you’re going to be to, you’re going to be given your life as a ransom for many not being served, but serving. Now people are going to want to serve you, they’re going to want to do for you. And that’s good and right and good for them.
It doesn’t so it’s not so whether people acknowledge you as a leader of knowledge you for your gifts, or appreciate what you say or do or have you act with your dad or a father or a preacher, missionary, whatever you are, that’s going to happen and you’re going to get criticism, you people are going to criticize you and have you for breakfast and lunch and dinner. not inviting you in they’re having you for the main meal. And that’s going to happen too. So it’s not so much where they praise you or criticize you. It’s how you respond to there. It’s not further whether you have or have not, it’s how you respond to having or having not. That’s why God’s interested in in his servants. We have the idea that a man to serve God requires him to be a different kind of being from other men. According to Jesus Christ, he’s required to be a doormat of other man, their spiritual leader, but never their superior. If you got to the point in your life, where you said, God, help yourself, because you’re not going to be a servant of God, if you haven’t asked God to help himself to your life was that mean? That means help yourself to my wife, to my children, to my time, too much money, to my hobbies. Everything in my life Lord, is sacrificed to you help yourself. Because that’s what a servant of God has to get to that place because you know what, he’s going to help himself whether you give him permission or not. You just do a lot better when you given him permission. When when he told us brightnesses, and brain tumor wasn’t about us, we felt like it was about us big time. But we had asked God to help himself. So he helped himself to one of my children. He helped himself to Sue’s and he’s helped himself to my time, my talent, my treasure. But God help yourself. If you come to the point in your life, where you don’t care what you do, or where you go, you just want to be in God’s will, no matter where it is. That’s what it means to be a servant and a follower of Christ to be His disciple you. You know, it’s like, hey, Pete and Susan, we’ll, Chuck Singletary said, a navigator. We’re moving to California. We’re going to be working out there. I want you to go with us and serve on the mat. Now team out there. Well, man that raised up a lot of issues. You mean leave the south and go out to the left coast. That was a big lordship decision. But I felt God was in it. And I’ve toeses and I thought so she said, Oh man need to think again.
But we just decided that we just want to be where God wants us to be doing what God wants us to do, how he wants to do it, where he wants to do it. And that’s not our call. It says someone asked me after Susan Dad, you’re going to move back to Alabama. I have no plans to move back to Alabama. I wouldn’t mind moving back down Alabama. Five people got killed there with tornadoes yesterday. So when I look forward to being back there, but I don’t look forward to the next earthquake out here either. But I said but that’s not my call. I don’t just decide I’m going to get up and move. I get up. I’m in an army and I get a move when I get orders. And that’s what it means to be a servant of God. You live where he wants you to live. He move when he wants you to move you stay put when he wants you to stay put. But if you’re not spending time with him And you’re not in his presence and you don’t know His voice and you haven’t said help yourself to my life my whole life is about the gospel. That’s reason you say Help yourself. It’s not about me, it’s not about my success. It’s not about what I accomplish. It’s not about my achievements, it’s about him being free to use me anyway wants to not use me at all I remember when he put me on the bench in, in AAA, and I was gonna play an in front of me was in the league in the Southern League with me and double it the year before and I was the all star to third baseman. And they had playing this manager, this Homer manager, this good old boys club, they had going with the Minnesota Twins, and they all do, was playing him I had a man I was upset about that. I went to Jesus and said, I want to play third base. When you come into your kingdom,
and he put me in the bullpen, I was on the bench. And then one night I was called in to pinch it and I said, Boy, I’m gonna get a hit and show this manager I need to play every day. And unfortunately, there was a guy named Pedro borbone on the mound, who was one of the starting pitchers for the World Series team in 72. And 73, which is about two years after this. And I have poor Pedro get to the big leagues. He struck me out that night. So I take some credit for that. That was my claim to fame in the minors, I helped a lot of pitchers get to the big leagues. So anyway, later that night, I’m grumbling and complaining. Now it’s written in Ken Taylor, they just come out with a Living Bible paraphrase. And I’m reading in Hebrews 12, it’s in Hebrews 12. He says, you know, God disciplines his children because he loves him. And if he’s not discipline you, it’s because he doesn’t love you. But that’s why the disciplines you, he loves you. But you know, the problem with discipline is it hurts. But what we see as a result is a quiet growth and grace and character. And God said p, we need to talk. He said, You know, you know how to be in the lineup. This is what you know, you know how to start every night you know how to be an all star, here’s what you don’t know. You don’t know how to sit on the bench and pull for that guy in front of you and help him be successful. And I thought, boy, right, you’re right about that. I don’t know that. That’s a statement and it odd me I couldn’t believe it. And what I couldn’t believe is a God of the universe who put every star in the sky who created everything on the earth, who just spoke it into existence cared about my character was using this to say Pete there’s some things you can only learn on the bench. You can’t learn in the game. And these are things so when you’re on the bench and you don’t feel like you’re being used and you feel like you’ve been passed over and abused. There are things to learn on the bench you can’t learn in the game. You can only learn I’m sitting on the bench. And so God’s raising up servants here But guys, it is not so among you not like he’s raising up leaders in Washington, DC. He’s, he’s raising up servants of him. And that’s what do we need right now we need servants of God and know how to serve and give and lay their life down and for their life out and even for those who don’t deserve it, especially for those who don’t deserve it. He’ll always ask the question Are you in or out? Choose you this day whom you are going to serve. It’d be a servant of the Lord, even today. Father that’s what we pray. Thank you for gathering us together and letting us talk about these things. Thanks for being the servant who said even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. Help us be like him even today with our wives in our homes and our businesses. driving around town and the divine appointments you’ll give us help us to be your servant. reflect your nature and help people see you through us in Jesus name And all God’s men said give them heaven guys