Transcription
Jesus replied with this story. A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to tell the guests, "Come."
Listen to this command. "The banquet is ready. Come. [clears throat] The blessing is ready. Come. The door is open. Come. The job is yours. Come. The favor is already on your life."
Look at this. But here's where so many people watching me fail, verse 18. But they all began making excuses. Part one of this new series, I want to come from the topic today, I quit excuses. I quit excuses. So, so we heard this. When we say I quit, most of us grew up with this age-old adage that says, "Quitters never win and winners never quit." That's critical. In my mind, quitting was a bad thing. Growing up in my mind, quitting was a bad thing always. Part of that assumption was the programming of society. It plugged into our minds that for you to quit is a sign of weakness and a sign of failure. And the older I've gotten, I've seen, put this in your notes if you don't mind, the negative impact of people refusing to quit. The negative impact of people refusing to quit. Because of our identity as people or person who never gives up, we stay in jobs we hate, relationships we don't want, create a projects longer than we deserve, we hang around places that no longer serve us. All for what? So we don't look like a quitter. So many people are miserable in life because they are trying to save face for a group of people who have made the decision to get out of what you stuck in. Did you catch what I just said? And I would like to submit to you prior to this I quit series, quitting has been treated as something to be demonized. When in fact, it should be weaponized. Quitting has been treated as something that is demonized. So, Deonna, if I quit, I am demonized. You know what demonized means? That means they they ridiculed you. They tear you down. They attack you. I can't believe you quit. Oh, you if you hold on just a little while longer. That that is not a blanket statement. That is a statement that is precise to your particular assignment. I don't think you heard what I just said.
So, so let's do this. If you're holding on to a monkey bar and the blessing is one bar away and people are running to help you, if you hold on a little while longer, that is adequate for your situation. But if you're holding fire, something that is hot, that is burning your hands, for you to hold on a little while longer is ignorance. Put this in your notes. Quitting Pastor Mike, when do I quit? Quitting is when you have the right information. You never quit out of ignorance. And what I've discovered is we have people who are staying out of ignorance and people who refuse to quit with information. Michael, what am I trying to get you to realize? I have lived long enough. I have pastored long enough. I have seen enough, been around the block, and I I I I I a couple of times now that I've seen people and I've seen the negative impact of people who refuse to quit. Can I ask you a question? Somebody say quit.
Jesus is on the cross and he said, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?" Then the text says he gave up. He quit. If Jesus stays on the cross and continues to hold on to his life, you die. I'm going to say something that may mess you up. Quitting saved your life. Michael, [screaming] quitting saved your life. Had Jesus not quit or gave up the ghost, you would still be a slave to what you're in. But the reason you get a right to the tree of life is because he knew that the power was not in him holding on, the power was in him having the the the boldness to Somebody type I quit. This critical. So so so I've lived long enough to see the negative impact. Is that good? The negative impact of people refusing to quit. And I want to argue with you over the next several weeks, several weeks. I am going to be intentional and intense, intentional and intense. You may see me pop up on devotional, which is why a lot of you need to get your butt back on devotional. You have fallen off, the world has opened up and your spiritual life has closed up. Get back. You don't know when I'mma pop on. Download the app. You don't know when these pop-up sessions are going to happen. You don't know what Tuesday I'mma pop up and say we're live refocus group. Get ready cuz we're going to crank this thing back up cuz I I am I I refuse to allow you to be holding on to something that God has pronounced dead cuz you're worried about people who can't even give it life. Do I need to say that again? I refuse to allow you to hold on to something that God has pronounced dead because you refuse to let give up because of people who don't even have the authority to give it life. Can I ask you a question? When we find Lazarus dead in the tomb, the text says people were present. How do I know people are present? Because he tells them to roll the stone away. When we get to Jairus' house and his daughter is dead, Jesus puts people out, which means people are present, but they don't have the power to resurrect nothing. And what I'm trying to get you to realize is many of us are holding on to save face when sometimes quitting proves faith. Okay, let's go. Let's go. Somebody say I quit. Somebody type I quit.
All right, our working definition of what we mean when we say I quit is this. Please put this in your notes. To intentionally do less so that God can do more. I quit. To intentionally do less so God can do more. I quit. To intentionally do less so God can do more. To intentionally do less so God can do more. Here's a prophetic word that God gave us outside of a restaurant on 280 almost 5 years ago. A lady runs out of the restaurant. I'm with my staff. She says, "I wasn't going to say anything, but the Holy Spirit told me to say something. You are trying your best to do more when God said, I will do less. You're trying to do with many what God said he would do [music] with few." >> Wow. >> That's right. >> Which is why when Gideon got ready to go to battle, God said, "You have too many." So, what's our definition of to quit? To quit is to intentionally do less so that God can do more. I would like to argue that many of you watching me today, your problem isn't that you're grinding. Your problem is that you're grinding. >> Come on. Come on. >> You busy, but you not better. You got a lot, but at the same time don't have nothing. You got a full calendar, but ain't being productive. And I would like to argue that God, the reset or the pandemic, however you want to call it, the reset or the pandemic may have been God's way of getting us to realize you could do more with to intentionally do less so that God can do more. And what if God hasn't started the right things in your life because you won't stop the wrong things in your life. I quit. What if God hasn't started the right things in your life because you won't stop doing the wrong things? Pastor Mike, but if I stop, how am I going to be blessed? What if I told you there's a pattern in the Bible of people quitting or God asking you to quit? What if there What if I told you I can show you a principle or a pattern of God asking you to quit without saying the words I quit. Because whenever God wants to get you to another level, the word is encrypted. The word is encrypted or which is why in biblical terms we use the term revelation, which means that which is >> [music] >> revealed, okay? I'm I'm going to give you a statement, you tell me if you missed the quit. If you be still, quit. I'll start. If you stop swinging, I'll start swinging. It it >> [laughter] >> And what I'm trying to get you to realize is sometimes God won't start till you stop. I need somebody to just type Pastor, you own me already. Sometimes God won't start until you stop. And one of the greatest hidden treasures of faith is not just our ability to start and stick with something, but big faith is also seen in our ability to stop. I'm going to say something and I need somebody to just type all hands in the comment. Somebody type Michael in the comment. It takes faith to quit. Michael. It takes faith to quit. Who remembers when we had 15 services on Sunday? Who remember that? Praise team remember that. Remember we would start early in the morning, then get in the van, and then we'll go east side, come from east side, come all the way downtown, then come back west, then go back downtown, then we come back downtown. Remember and we were so proud. You remember Tip, you you remember Leslie? You remember when we got the commercial made? Welcome to Rock City, 18 chances for you to rock. We was creating it. Now, how many times we going to stream it? Them three services right there. 21 chances for you to rock. Join us Saturdays 9:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sunday, if you're on the west side, I mean on the east side, all the way downtown, or on our online. Then we created the Rock City Recap. Join us at 5:00 p.m. Hear me. All of that and could barely pay one bill. 20 services for less people. One day I'm standing on stage, Holy Spirit says to me, "Stop." I use my faith to quit. Michael! See, cuz the problem my problem with the 21st century preacher is not that we preach an inaccurate gospel, we preach an incomplete gospel. See, an inaccurate gospel is is your your purposefully or ignorantly misleading people. Our problem is not that we are inaccurate. Our problem is that we are incomplete. Make that make sense, PMJ. We only talk about faith to do. We never talk about faith to don't. Michael! We only talk about faith We only talk about the faith to move mountains. We don't talk about the faith to sit down. Michael! I need somebody who's listening to me today who says, "Pastor Mike, there's some stuff in my life I got to stop, but I am afraid if I stop, how is this bill going to get paid? How is my sanity going to be made whole?" And the Holy Spirit led me to tell you, "If you have the faith to trust me on part, I will start putting some stuff in drive. I quit." But God is not about to bless your lazy entitled decisions to quit. But you can't quit cuz you're lazy and you don't want to work for nobody. No, we we not talking about a God who wants to bless your preference. So, since you since you feel like you deserve See, I'm the type I don't have to work for nobody. Says who? Nothing in your life suggests you have bossed up before. So, don't try to use your faith on a major level when you have never used your faith on a minor level. Am I preaching to anybody? The same faith it takes to quit a job is the same faith it takes to be faithful over the job. You cannot pick and choose what when, who, and where you want to quit based off of your immaturity. It takes faith Michael to quit. To be in about well, but everything I ever wanted. And then it just say, "Hey, y'all we going to leave." It takes faith to quit. To be the first church in the state of Alabama to announce we're going virtual. And then have to watch Facebook ridicule you for not having faith. Well, how you a pastor and don't even got faith that he going to keep you? It took faith to quit. You couldn't have convinced me our church would survive if the doors were never open. But my God is able to do exceeding and abundant whatever you do even if you quit.
Over the past month, and I thank you guys for this small break you gave me, over the past month, I spent a lot of time in retrospective inspection. Retro, which means back, inspection. I've been looking back over my life, Tiffany, Tristan, looking back over my life, uh Miss Yolanda, trying my best to see where have I won, where have I lost. A proper assessment is the acute awareness of what in your life is an asset and a liability. Is that not good? And here's what I discovered as I began to look back over my life, I discovered I could have been more successful in areas had I had to faith had the faith to quit. Can I say that [music] again? As I look back over my life, I realized I could have been more successful in areas had I had the faith to quit. To quit. To quit. And I want to ask you a question right now. D, you just told me off camera, "Pastor, I'm here for a while." And everybody in the room was shocked cuz you do so much. Now we're about to see what can God do with you doing nothing. >> [laughter] >> I wonder how much of my baby's life I missed cuz I was doing church. Thinking I had to draw people to Rock City. When God said, "If you lift me up Please please put you in your notes. The first thing I need you to quit The first thing I need you to quit is assuming God's responsibility. I want to do this and I'm doing this on the spot. Pastor Darius, Pastor Leslie, Pastor Tiffany, Pastor Pastor Hollis, I am charging you guys in the next 24 hours, 36 hours, by Tuesday I want to be able to go live or they can watch it cuz I want to talk about the your resume. No, no, no. Your job description. I believe most of us aren't good Christians cuz we've never seen our job description. You got saved and assumed a title that you shouldn't have had. You should be servant, not savior. You should be child. Y'all missed what I just said. That's why I that that's why I'm realizing there are a lot of areas in my life where God could have done more had I done less. I've been spending time in retrospective inspection. Please put this in your notes. And without retrospective inspection, you can't properly ascertain futuristic expectation. >> [music] >> See, there is no futuristic expectation if there is no retrospective inspection. Make that make sense, Pastor Mike. If you refuse to honestly look back at yesterday, you cannot properly expect what for tomorrow. If you refuse to look back at yesterday, how do you know how to plan for tomorrow? As we prepare to return to church, as we prepare to return to church, and I'll be bold and make certain statements, we may never again worship in this room, never again because this room now is antithetical to what I believe. This room causes me to do more. And I have to now believe God for a place that fits my assignment. I don't think you heard what I just said. See, a lot of y'all, the reason God hasn't blessed you with what you're asking for cuz you're ignorant behind. Don't even realize you're praying for stuff that's antithetical to what God really wants to do in your life. You're praying for a promotion when God trying to make you an entrepreneur. And God is saying, "If you get out the way, I'll What are you believing God for futuristically? So, as we prepare to return, as we prepare to return, you know what I'm saying now? God, I'm looking back at yesterday, and there are certain non-negotiables in my life now. Certain non-negotiables. I've even been tested with it recently. Had an incredible opportunity to perform in Texas for one of God's greatest gifts in the world, and boldly I had to say no. That's my son's football game. Pastor Mike, this is a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but my son play on Thursday. I give up the opportunity, go to Mason's game, they win. Goes to Xander's game, the game is tight. They throw a deep route, Xander gets the interception, breaks out running, crowd goes crazy. He gets to the stands, looks at me, throws up the X. Me and D sitting next to each other screaming. Had I been busy, I had to quit trying to be great. See, because our inaccurate definition of greatness causes you to do a lot. If greatness, if your greatness is wrapped up in you being exhausted and busy, the text says, "Not by my power, not by my might, but by help, not by what I'm going to do, but by what I submit and allow God." [screaming] Quit. And hear me when I say this, [music] as soon as I decide to be different, Satan gives me excuses to stay the same. >> [snorts] >> So, to everybody who's listening to me today, and I want to make this very clear, and you're saying, "Pastor Mike, here are some things that I'm ready to quit." I want to make it very clear to you, the moment you decide to be different, the devil is going to give you every excuse to stay the same. So, can I ask you a question? What do I want to be different? Quran, is that not good? What do you want to be different? Baby girl, when you look over your life, what do you want to be different? Please tell me. Please tell me. It may take a faith. It's going to take faith. But the question many of us have to ask ourselves, and I'm telling you this isn't about good church. This isn't about shutting it down. This isn't about praise breaks. This is about your life, your destiny, and your future. Life, thank you, Pastor Hollis, is not about duration, it's about donation. Who cares if you live long if you never lived strong? What do you want? That's the question I'm going to ask you today. What do you want? That's important. Why, PMJ? It's so important because in our text today, Jesus teaching through a parable to the Pharisees. He's teaching through He's using a parable to talk to the Pharisees. The master of the house is God. Please put that in your notes. The master of the house is God. The great banquet is the kingdom. The [snorts] invited guest are the Jewish nation. All right? Now that you understand that, Jesus likened the kingdom to a feast to which many were invited, but for various reasons they all made excuses. Look at verse 16. Jesus replied with this story. A man I love when he says, "And a certain man." That's where you know he going to go in. A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to tell the guests, "Come, the banquet is ready." But they all began making excuses. Look at verse 16. A man prepared a great feast and sent out many what? Invitations. Verse 16, put this in your notes, we see invitation. We see an invitation. Invitation equals call. So so can you put verse 16 on the screen? There it is. So Dre, can you scratch out invitation and put call. So a man prepared a feast >> [music] >> and sent out many calls. So Dre, do me a favor, scratch out uh calls. I tell you what, erase invitation, erase calls, and erase great feast. There it is right there. So I want to I want to fill in the blank, all right? Here it is. A man prepared a blessing and sent out the call. A man prepared the anointing to be uh dispersed over those who were willing so he may the call. This is critical. Why is that important, PMJ? Because what we see in the text is an invitation. But what's a blessing to me about the invitation is right there in verse 16. A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. Look at verse 17. I'm going to show you what many of us miss. And he sent out many invitations. That's in verse 16. He sent out many invitations. So what does that mean, PMJ? Put this in your notes. The invitation is corporate, but the acceptance is personal. The invitation is corporate, but the acceptance is personal. Every Sunday I send out an invitation via text. >> [music] >> Only a couple thousand make it personal. And I want to argue a lot of you are waiting on God to call you when he's already called us. Yeah Pastor Mike, no. So I believe there's a certain moment where you should hear God call you into ministry, but we have all been called to be children of God. And children and that as children of God, there are certain things all of us should be doing. Oh my God, and I would like to submit to many of you, you need to quit making excuses about not accepting the invitation. Jesus Christ, the invitation. I'm talking heavy today. The invitation is corporate. Come to me all who are heavy laden. Was that personal or was it corporate? And I will give you. Personal. Come to me all, corporate. And I'll give you. Can I ask you a question? If Jesus knew >> [snorts] >> If Jesus thought everybody was going to come, the text would say, "Come to me all who are heavy laden and when I would and I would give y'all rest." He says, "No, I'mma put the call out cuz just like in my day, Pastor Mike Jr., it will be in your day that you can put the call out. Everybody not going to answer." I'm talking heavy today and I would like to submit to you the call has gone out. Who's going to answer? That this is a season where we should be praying, not playing. Who's going to answer the call? And the problem with many of you, and I'm preaching to a a few selective you right now, who the invitation that has been sent to your address is different. And because the invitation is different, it makes you hesitant about saying yes. So because you are too insecure to be different you hold on to being average. Well, after today I quit being afraid to be different. I am who I am. I need a hundred people to just type this is me. [laughter] This is me. I want to speak by faith that there are some things you got to quit. I quit worrying about people's opinion about the call that God has placed on my life. I quit being afraid to step out on faith and walk in the favor that God has given me. I quit. Somebody ought to shout I quit. And you have to be careful because what will happen is people will try to give you an invitation. Oh my God. Tiffany, I love you. Perry, I love you girl. But where God's taking me, you can't be my plus one. I love you Colleen, but where God's taking me, you can't be my plus one. See, the problem with so many people is you don't want to work. You don't want to give. You don't want to tithe. You don't want to pray. You don't want to be ridiculed. You want to plus one your way in the favor. No, no, no, no, no. Where God's taking us, you need a personal invitation. And God told me to tell you he sent out a corporate invitation. You got to have personal acceptance. Just because I tell God yes, don't mean that gets you in where you're going to get. My yes will get you blessed, but my yes ain't going to get you access. Am I preaching to anybody? My yes will get you blessed, but my yes won't get you access. The door is going to open for me. Now, I may walk back out the door and bring you what's behind the door, but the only way you going to get in the door is if you tell God yes for yourself. Somebody shout yes. Yes. Yes. [screaming] Because the invitation is corporate. Which means the acceptance has to be personal. Woo! Personal. My yes. It's my yes. Hear me when I say this. And for many of you, you got to quit being afraid of being crucified. Jesus looks into a cup and he sees his ridicule. He sees his pain. Yet he says, "Nevertheless." [music] He had every chance to quit. He did not quit till it was the right time to quit. Because like I told you in the beginning, our working definition of quitting is to intentionally do less so God can do more. Somebody shout, "I'm giving God yes." That's the wrong somebody. Somebody shout, "He got my yes." Why do you think out of all these songs we have wrote over the years with all these lyrics? Yes, they have been great, but Shekinah Glory wrote a song that shut the whole world down and they only said one word, "Yes." And I want to submit to somebody listening to me right now that God says when I get your yes, get ready for what eyes have not seen and ears have not heard. Not another level of finances, but another level of favor, another level of fight, another level of ridicule, another level of suffering, another level of pain. But trust and believe if you allow me to be God, my God will cover the very thing that causes me pain. But I got to quit. And I want to submit to you that the invitation leads to a decision. So when God gives you an invitation, he says, "Give and then it'll come back to you." That's the invitation. So to everybody who's not giving, to everybody who's not titheing, Pastor Mike somebody wrote me and said, "You the only pastor I know never really talk about giving." I can't force you to do what God invited you to do and you said no. No, the opportunity to give is not for me. It is from God. I am living proof that when you give God a yes, he blesses it. So the invitation leads to a decision. And the decision causes liberation or incarceration. Sit down. Sit down. Liberation cuz I shift or incarceration. The invitation leads to a decision. All right, come to me all who are heavy what? Laden and I will give you what? Rest, okay? There are three couple times he gives the invitation. He says, "Come, take up your cross and what? Follow me. Come to me all who are heavily laden and I'll give you what? Rest. Come let me." So so he's always giving out invitations which lead to a decision. Can I ask you a question? What are you going to decide? What are you going to decide? You going to cuss or you going to pray? You going to give or you going to save? You going to You going to live right or act a fool? What what The decision is yours. The decision is yours. The invitation leads to a decision. The decision leads us to, watch this, liberation or incarceration. I want I want to make that make sense to you. What's liberation? Freedom, okay? What's incarceration? Bondage, okay? Put this in your notes. Most people miss the breakthrough because they failed to realize that within the invitation is the exit. >> That is good. >> Within the invitation is the exit. All right, this this going to be heavy if you catch this. Uh, Dre, uh, can you shoot me and uh, can you widen this lens out so we can see Pastor Darius in the background? Thank you so much. Thank you. Uh, Darius, come. So in his ability to accept the invitation, it calls him out of where he was to where I am. Because within the invitation is an exit. Go go go sit down. I need you to catch this. Many of y'all keep waiting for God to come get you out when in this season he's calling you out. My God. He Lazarus. Jesus never goes in the tomb. He just calls him out the tomb. Yet there are certain people Jesus goes to. But if we examine the miracles in the Bible, most of the majority of the miracles, people had to come to him. He didn't necessarily go to them. Which means it requires participatory deliverance. Because within the invitation is the exit. So, I I need you to catch this. I need you to catch this. He says, "Lazarus, what?" Lazarus, let's make this make sense. I am inviting you out of the grave. All right, we heard a preacher say the old school preacher, "Why does he say Lazarus?" Cuz if he don't say Lazarus and all he says is come, everything dead going to get up. Which is why the Holy Spirit had to free me from the negativity and the criticism people say about me. I'm Lazarus. [music] You're Lazarus. You're Lazarus. You're Lazarus, James. Pastor Mike, what does that makes what does that mean? You were dead in sin. All right, so what happens is everything moving is really dead. When you get the call and they don't, it makes them bitter. And a lot of people in your life are bitter cuz y'all was in the same grave. Yet this invitation was personal. He says, "Come to me all who are heavy laden. Lazarus, come forth." [music] Because there are certain seasons where the invitation is direct. Can I ask you a question? What was Lazarus' response to the call? His response was never verbal. Many of you going to miss God cuz you're spending too much time talking to him. Y'all miss what I just said right there. That That now that's very oxymoronic. Somebody just said you can't never spend too much time talking to God. Yes, you can in battle. There's a certain time to pray, then there's a certain time to go into action. Hear me when I say this. If you want to do the If I stay with me in this series because when God calls Moses, Moses keeps making excuses. And here's a verse in the Bible many people overlook. God says, "Come in, Moses. I want you to go do so." I'm not ready. Moses, go speak to Pharaoh. I got a stutter. Moses, I can't do it. Then there's a verse nobody ever preaches. God looks at Moses and says, "Well, maybe I'll use your brother." >> [snorts] >> Maybe I You know what? Your brother talk better than you anyway. And many of you going to talk your way out of what God trying to do. Why PMJ? Because it's hard to execute when you're full of excuses. When you going to do it? So proud of Tiffany cuz she's bought so many uh houses and she's flipping all these houses now and just bought another one. But But for 11 years she's been talking about doing it. Finally she said, "You know what? I'm going to do one. I don't care what it take. I'm going to do what I got to do." Now she don't call the rhythm because she put away her excuses. Well, I don't have a mentor." Who said you needed one? It is wise to have a mentor, but sometimes, I hope you catch this, their experience don't trump your discernment. Can I be very simple? Professionals built the Titanic. An amateur built the ark. Cuz sometimes you can have the experience, but you don't have the discernment. You can have the know-how, but not the favor. Y'all don't like me today. And the Holy Spirit sent me to tell you with the invitation comes an exit. Look at this. He says, "A man prepared a great feast." And hidden in these two verses a principle we can't afford to miss. I'm going to read verse 16 and I'm going to see if you catch it. Jesus replied with this story, "A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to tell the guests, 'Come, the banquet is ready.'" Okay? Here's something that I saw in the text that I thought was hidden, but it is so incredible. Put this in your notes, the invitation and the command. Pastor, that is so cold-blooded. The the invitation and the command. Elder Elder Deion, this this so cold-blooded. What are you talking about, PMJ? I'm going to read it again. I'm going to read it again, okay? "A man prepared a great feast and sent out what?" Invitations. All right, so put a pin right there. As he's preparing it, he sends out an invitation. When it was ready, he sent out a command. He says, "A man prepared a great feast and he sent out invitations." When it got ready, he said, "Come." Jesus Christ. The invitation or the call is activation. >> [laughter] >> While the command or the come is deployment. Many of you are confused with God because you got activated but you haven't seen any fruit. And it's because God wanted me to tell you just because you say yes don't qualify you just to be blessed. Your yes is the first step. Your action is the next step. All right, here it is. All my parents, give me a what what? Have you ever called your child's name and they gave you a yes? Why did they get a whooping? Cuz you had to keep calling them. Mike! Sir? Mike! Sir? Mike! Sir? You don't hear me calling you? I never told him to come here. He should know when I say your name come forth. I am not going to give you a command from a distance. Your yes is the activation. The command is the deployment. And what God is doing right now for many of you watching in the body of Christ, it is deployment season. This is why I need more of you on devotion instead of the same 10 people. It's because everybody says yes, but we're full of excuses. Well, I would get on there, but I don't know enough. It takes enough for you to share your testimony. Well, what if I say something wrong? We'll fix it. We'll come in right at home when we don't particularly agree with what she said, but we understand what you mean. I need deployment. This is why so many people are giving up on God. Cuz the only person deployed is the preacher. And it's the new way of what people thinking if they don't have a platform, they can't be in purpose. That if I'm not called pastor or evangelist or or a prophet or prophetess, when God is saying if your title is the sum total of your identity. You, my friend, are what? So, what happens is God says, "I'm preparing it." which is the invitation. Now, I am commanding you to come. But, here's verse 18 and and I'm done. Verse 18, but they all made excuses. Oh my God. They all Now, Tiffany, this scripture I can I can see it on everybody's face. A lot of people looking at me like, "Why have I always missed this story?" I can see it on y'all face. Y'all looking at me like, "Pastor, where in the heck did this scripture come from? Pastor Mike, where did this I have never heard this story in my life." It's because we preach an inaccurate gospel. We murmur principles >> [music] >> and shout praise breaks. So, we say stuff like, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy." We shout the blessing. Murmur the burden. See, this scripture would make more sense if it was like there were 10 lepers, man. And they all had leprosy. And God healed them. But, then one came back and said, "Thank you." I want to suggest that y'all are the one. I can't No, no, no, no, no. It says everybody had excuses. And as the pastor of this church, shepherd of this movement, Holy Spirit sent me back to tell everybody in this room, watching online, and even the person talking, from the senior pastor to the person who just logged on, we all keep making excuses. There is more we could all be doing, but we make excuses. We brag about what white ministries do when we won't even unite as a black church because we make excuses. We dog out what politicians do when you barely raising your house. We make excuses. This world you will be remembered not just for the problems you solve but for the problems you cause. I would like to submit to you that when God calls you home you're going to stand before God and he's going to go through a list of your excuses. Because your sin is nothing more than an excuse that you have made understandable. The principle of the excuse is the lie you tell yourself to make the truth you should receive acceptable. The principle of the excuse is the lie you tell yourself to make the truth you should be standing on [music] acceptable. Go back to school truth. How I'mma pay for it? I ain't got time. Yet you kicking it. >> Yeah. >> Yet if you Yet if you swiped up right now, went to your settings, and we looked at your your screen where it showed you what how long you've been on your iPhone and all that, I could find 6 hours right there for you to do two classes. Four posts today? Four posts today? And you scrolled for 40 minutes? That was the first chapter of your book. We full of excuses. Full of excuses. Well, Pastor Mike, when we going to open up the doors of the church? I would love to open up the doors of the church. I would love to, but I'm trying my best to make a sound decision, a wise decision. But, even when we look at the statistics, Bryant-Denny is jammed. The Atlanta stadium for this game was jammed. Football fields are jammed. The club is jammed. Gas stations are jammed. >> [music] >> Airports are jammed. Concerts, in which I've done, are jammed. But, when it comes to the house of the Lord, excuses. >> [snorts] >> I just lost half the church right there. And I want to ask you a question today. What's your excuse? That's what I came back for, right there. What's your excuse? Well, ain't nobody going to support me. Show me in the Bible where the support of people was necessary. A prophet is without honor in his own home. Foxes have holes. >> [music] >> Birds have nests. But, the Son of Man has nowhere. Can I make that make sense? Foxes got a hole. Birds got a home. But, Jesus has no support. And you crying cuz people won't tweet you. What excuses are you using? I I want to give out an invitation, all right? I want to create an invitation. Is that cool? Can we create an invitation? Here's the invitation I want to create. All right. An invitation, I I want to say, "Dear uh fill in your name, okay? Dear fill in your name, okay?" Here it is, right here. You're cordially invited to blank. Can Can you do that for me? Uh you're cordially invited to blank. So, here here's the suggestion I would like to ask you right now. All right. So, here it is, in your notes I want you to put your name. Dear, put your name, you're cordially invited to follow me and change lives. Well, pastor, you know I work two jobs. Then change lives where you work. >> [snorts] >> Dear so-and-so, you are cordially invited to give and tithe. Well, pastor Mike, you know I got two two car notes. That you chose. Which to me sound like an excuse. You want to know the best sermon I'm ever going to preach in this church? It's the sermon where I tell you grow up and leave your excuses at the altar. We bring everything to the altar but what we should. I lay my excuse my excuses at the altar. What more could you be doing? What more could you be doing if you let go of your excuses? What could you do? I cordially invite you to pray with me. What's going to be your excuse? I cordially invite you to fast with me. What's going to be your excuse? I cordially invite you to love your neighbor. What's going to be your excuse? I cordially invite you to forgive them. What's going to be your excuse? And I want to stop right here because we all have, watch this, good intentions. The problem isn't your good intentions. The problem is, put this in your notes, good intentions equal me-centered. A good intention is about what you you're deciding to do. Good intentions are me-centered. The problem isn't we shouldn't have good intentions. The problem is we should have God intentions. Good intentions are me centered while God intentions are God centered. My decision should be centered around God. I want to give you three excuses that we see in this text and then we're going. You can play softly. The text reveals to us three types of excuses. The first man says, look at verse 18, but they all began making excuses. One said, I have just bought a field and must inspect it. The first type of excuse we see in the text is we need to quit being passive aggressive. We need to quit being passive aggressive. Make that make sense, Pastor Mike. A passive aggressive is a type of behavior or personality characterized by, please put this in your notes, indirect resistance. Passive aggressiveness is characterized by indirect resistance. Indirect resistance to the demands of others and avoidance of direct confrontation. As in procrastinating, pouting, or misplacing important materials. Jesus is exposing the heart and revealing their excuses. See, see whenever So So So So So So I'm I want you to finish this statement. Finish this statement in the comments. God knows my Okay, I'm going to say it again. I want you to finish this statement. God knows my What you're really saying is he sees my excuse. Offend the mind, you reveal the heart. All right, so I want to give you a new quote, all right? Pastor Mike McClure Sr., my father, raised me saying this, Michael, if you offend the mind, you reveal the heart. Mike McClure Jr. wants to add something to it and say, and if you challenge the faith, you reveal the excuse. So, if God wants to see your heart, he place you in a in a place of offense. If he wants to see your faith, your excuse, he challenges your faith. There was a man at the pool and he says, "Do you wish to be made whole?" And the first thing the man gives him is, "And if I have no one to throw me in the pool." >> [music] >> He says, "That's not what I asked you." Do you wish? Can I ask you a question? Do you want to be whole? I ain't ask you what they did to you. Too many of your prayer requests come with an explanation of your pain. If I ask you, "What what you need me to pray for?" Just pray for my mind. That's all We going to stop right there. I don't need to hear just pray for my mind cuz the people I'm No. Forget the people. The prison ain't people. The prison is you. Passive-aggressive. I want you to catch this. Luke chapter 14, verse 18 is arguably the weakest excuse of them all. Why, Pastor Mike? Because who buys land without first inspecting it? Look at verse 18. It says, "One said, 'I have just bought a field and must inspect it.'" Who buys something and don't inspect it? He is passively aggressively passive-aggressively saying no. Gee, y'all missed what I just said. When he could have authentically revealed the truth. Can I free you? You can't resolve what you don't reveal. Passive-aggressive people live with issues that are unresolved because they allow issues to remain unrevealed. So, they comply, which means they act a certain way, but never fully commit, which means it stays in their heart. Their actions say they're whole, but their heart reveals they're broken. You don't get involved in church because your actions join the church, but your heart says you're still hurt from church hurt. Your actions say you left them, but your heart says you're still with them. Your actions says I do believe in giving, which is why I will put something in the plate, not the right thing. Cuz I will comply by doing something, but I am not whole, which means I won't do the right thing. Which means, Pastor Mike, you put this in your notes. Am I doing okay? You are functioning, but not fixed. You're functioning, but you're not fixed. Oh my god, I have so many multicultural members now, so I can't say it like I want to say I want to use this urban colloquialism and try to clean it up so everybody can understand it. All right, so some of my intellectuals, you are functioning, but not fixed. To those who grew up from around the way, you are negro-riate. Everybody listen to me. How do you know you hood? Cuz you got a remote control at your house right now that don't even have a back on it. You didn't have to tape the back, but it work. So, so oh, ain't even no back on it. You just got the batteries in the back, which means every time it fall off the couch, you got to go pick it up. It's functioning, but it's not whole. Every time it gets hit, it loses power. Number two, I quit being pleasure-driven. First thing we got to stop is being passive-aggressive. The second thing we got to quit is being pleasure-driven. What are you talking about? Right here, verse 19. Another said, "I have just bought five pair of oxen. I want to try them out." Now, I want to pause. I How do you try out oxen? I don't know if he wanted to just see if they could carry the the plow. I don't know what that was, but
He said, "I want to try them out." All right. What if the excuse in Luke chapter 14 verse 19 represents those who are driven by pleasure? The excuse is more interested in their purchases more than their provider. God, I can't come to what you need cuz I just bought something. This is the equivalent of somebody who buys a new car and washes it on Sunday. You pray to God to get it, then you miss his service to clean it. This is the equivalent of somebody who prayed for a man, then allowed a man to make you stop believing God altogether. So, you prayed to God for something that he didn't send, you picked. The proof he didn't send it is the fact that it's pulling you away from him. I, I got to stop. I got to stop. I got to stop. Pleasure-driven is not when you have pleasures, but when pleasures have you. Wow. Pleasure is driving their life, not love. Pleasure is driving your life, not peace. Pleasure, not joy. Only committing temporarily to what benefits you, while rejecting what builds you. This is how you know you are pleasure-driven. You only ascribe to the things that benefit you, not the things that build you. Many of you stopped listening to me 40 minutes ago because this message, in your opinion, didn't benefit you. But for those who listen with a spiritual ear, it's building you. God, I feel God says, it's building you.
And the law of sacrifice states that you must give up to go up. That's the law of sacrifice. That's the law of sacrifice. Come on, the law of sacrifice says you must give up something to go up. All right, can I ask you a question? God creates a family and he calls that man Adam. From Adam, he creates Eve and he tells them to be fruitful in what? Multiply. He says, "Be fruitful and multiply." They fall. Now, his family is disconnected from God. He starts over with Noah, but Noah is from the seed of them. Which means even though he was doing right pre-pandemic, he comes out of the pandemic jacked up. That's cold. That's where all my saints who were doing right when you come to Bible study every Tuesday. Now, you just can't find yourself since the pandemic. Noah was righteous pre-flood pandemic. He became a fool after the flood pandemic. Watch this. Quarantine revealed what Noah was trying to conceal. And the law of sacrifice suggests you must give up something to go up. Put this in your notes, please. Put this in your notes. What must I quit so God can start? The law of sacrifice. That, that's enough to stop right there. The law of sacrifice. The law of sacrifice. Th- This is why I give the way I give, Tristan. I have to find places to sacrifice. And, and maybe one thing I have to quit as a pastor is worrying about being judged. I really need to start preaching the principles that I live by, not just the ones I teach. I'm a giver. Tiffany will tell you at the rate we give, at the rate we love people, at the rate we try our best to be a blessing. Karran, if you would adopt my giving, so much would shift in your life. Hear me when I say this, Carlene, if you would adopt my giving, that's one of the greatest attributes I have, the ability of understanding sacrifice. God had a family, but the family is disconnected. He sends Jesus, who's his only begotten son. Son denotes what? Family. Only denotes what? One. Begotten son. God says, "I'm going to sacrifice my son so I can reap a family."
>> [music] >> It is the power of sacrifice. >> [laughter] >> Abraham, God tells Abraham, "Sacrifice your son." Your Did he have another son? He What was the other son's name? Ishmael. What's the problem with Ishmael? Say it again. He was what? Conceived? No? He wasn't the promise. Ishmael wasn't the promised child. He says, "This is what I want you to do. If you sacrifice Ishmael, watch this, you will feel it, but it won't break you. Cuz that ain't the one that I was promised to you." Which is why the tithe is easy, but the sacrificial offering hurts. Cuz the tithe is what's expected. He says, "Take, take the thing that's near and dear to your heart. Sacrifice it." When he gets ready to sacrifice it, what happens? God gives him a what? What does a ram have? Horns. What's the significance of the horns of the ram? Anointing. That's where the oil. Since you were obedient enough to quit trying to protect your son, I will be God enough to give you anointing. Jeez, I got to stop. It's the law of sacrifice. Number three, and we're I'm done. I must quit being priority disordered. Verse 20 says, "Another said, I now have a wife, so I can't come." It was Saint Augustine who called this disordered love. The problem is not that we love the wrong things, but that we love the right things in the wrong order. Please put this in your notes. I want you to quit order. Make that make sense, PMJ. Your life should not order, your life should orbit. My life is not in order. It doesn't say family, Rock City, music, XYZ, XYZ. I would be a slave at that point. Cuz there are certain times when the church comes before my family, like it or not. If somebody passes and I have to get to the hospital, as much as I love my babies, the game just got trumped for somebody's life. Do you feel what I'm saying? So, my life can't be 1, 2, 3. The same way the solar system revolves around the S-U-N, my life must revolve around the S-O-N.
>> [music] >> Michael, I cannot have disordered love. So, he says, watch this, seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given unto you. Watch what it says in the NLT. He will give you I'm stopping.
>> [music] >> Everything you need. Somebody type I quit. I want to submit to you people are slow to admit anything and quick to justify everything. People are slow to admit anything, but quick to justify everything. It's not just about what I want in my life to be different, but what does God want to be different about your life? I quit. And today we discover I must quit making excuses. I want to look you in your eyes as your pastor, your spiritual leader.
>> [music] >> For some of you. I, I have to I have to understand that. Please put this in your notes and I'mma stop. DTR. DTR. Define the relationship. For some of you, I'm an inspirational teacher. For some of you, I am a transformational coach. For some of you, I am a spiritual leader. For some, I am a spiritual father. For some, a pastor. For some, a motivator. For some, just a teacher. Define that relationship. For those of you who really feel a connection to the call, not just on my life, but in my voice, and I really want to speak clear to this. What I need you to understand is that you're in a season, my friend, where it is time to quit your excuses. I cannot deliver a character flaw. I can't lay hands on a character flaw. Watch this. I'm going to free somebody to be. And I can't pray away your excuse. Because the excuse is justified in your heart. You decide to let that excuse go. I can pray that God give you faith. But you're going to behold, I place before you death and life. You choose. So today, I want to open the doors of the church and I want to do a sincere call that I've never done for those of you who need help getting rid of your excuses. Right where you are, do me a favor. I want to act of faith right here. Because somebody sitting at home feeling ashamed that they are grown and have to say, "Pastor Mike, I'm full of excuses." I want you to do me a favor if you don't mind. I just want you to type right now, no excuses, in the comments right now. If that's you, I want you to type it. I want you to see that you're not by yourself. I have a prayer team waiting to pray that you are not by yourself. We have to I feel God lay aside every excuse, every weight that so easily besets us. I want to speak by faith that when you quit your excuses, when you quit running from what God is calling you to, when you quit
>> [music] >> uh hanging around apathetic people who pacify your excuses, who cuddle and coddle you and make you feel justified because your lack of faith makes them comfortable in their lack of faith. It's time to let go of excuses, my friend. I stretch my hands. Father, in the name of Jesus. Ooh, can I get somebody to pray right there? Father, in the name of Jesus. I ask that you grant them the faith to let go. God, I want to say two words that we were taught never to say. I quit. I quit excuses. This day forward, God, I will pray at the level you called me to pray. God, because church is digital, I will never miss another Sunday in my life. God, let me change that back. I will never miss another message in my life. Even if I'm working, I can log on later that night and get my word. No more excuses. God, if I can binge watch clickbait, I can binge watch word that will change and transform my life. God, I pray right now. You can do what no bank can do. You can do what no promotion can do. You can do what no doctor can do. You can do what no friend or family member can do. God, do what only you can. In all my ways, I will acknowledge you, cuz I need you to direct my path. Father, I thank you in advance that I am free from excuses. Now, wherever you are, I just want you to repeat after me. Say, "Lord, I repent for every area in my life that was full of excuses." Somebody say, "I receive that right there." Can you stand with me? I want to challenge each and every one of you today. I want to sow a seed. We haven't sown a seed in a long time. The Holy Spirit laid on my heart about four days ago. Four days ago.
>> [music] >> That there is a cycle-breaking anointing that is about to be released in our house. Now, what's different about this cycle-breaking anointing? God says, "Michael, for the first season in your ministry, the anointing to break the cycle is on the house, not on the man." I need you to catch that. The anointing to break the cycle in this season is not on the man, these are these your pastor. It is on the house. There is a conglomerate of individuals who have been favored and have lived a life of cycle-breaking. Cycle-breaking. Many of you are the manifestation of a broken cycle. Then when you see the the level of success you're experiencing, the level of intentionality to your prayer life and where you reside, the Holy Spirit says, "Michael, there is a cycle breaking anointing resting on the house. And today I release ram asat tari masum.
>> [music] >> nis akana nam asik andre basik umbre sat. God, I release this cycle breaking anointing. I stir up the gift that God, we are getting ready to walk into generational wholeness. That God, we are breaking cycles off of our bloodline and off of our families. As we pray and I need you praying right where you are. I want you to give today and I want you to give based off of the cycle that you need God
>> [music] >> to break. The cycle that you need God to break. The number God put in my heart was 111. 111. I want you to sow that today because I feel the spirit of the Lord saying that as you sow, as you sow, God says, "I am releasing that equal anointing over your life. That anointing is being activated over your life that you will be the cycle breaker in your bloodline. You will be the cycle breaker in your family. You will be the cycle breaker who goes places that your family would have never went had you not been activated and called into the things that he has called you to be. God says for you are the Abraham of your family. Get ready to be the patriarch. Get ready to be the one who will birth many things in your family. Get ready. This is why you have to become whole because God says I cannot use you to break a cycle while you're still bitter. I cannot use you to break a cycle. I cannot make you successful if your success will only make you arrogant and a proving point to those who did not believe. God says, "I'm healing you in this moment. I am freeing you in this moment. I am delivering you in this moment. I am removing