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[Music] You. [Music] He. [Music] [Music] He. [Music] [Music] Hey. [Music] [Music] Good morning, church family. Let's stand and let's worship this morning. Come on. There is no shadow that is ever overcome your life, and there is no rival that could ever stand against your might. You've always been with us. Every battle, you've already won. We've already won. There is no way that has ever left a mark on you, and there is no army with the power to conquer truth. You've always been with us. Every battle, you won. Ready one. You won't ready. Show me one thing. He can show me a mountain. He can. He's the God of the. Anything is possible. Show me one that's. [Music] [Applause] To of the. Anything is possible. It's possible. Oh, there is a kingdom that's advancing at the speed of life, and in his kingdom, every dead thing is found to rise. Oh God, our Redeemer, he too will be. [Applause] [Music] Show me one thing. He can do. Show me a mountain. He can move. He's the God of the. Doing anything is. [Applause] [Music] Possible. Show me. Show. [Music] Me. J the God of the bre. Anything is Possible. [Music] Allar. I will shake off as I sing your name of victory dance. I will dance loud, and I will crush disappointment and break every chain. All of my fear, I will turn into grace. Shake off this as I sing out your name, a victory dance. I will dance, and I will crush this every my. I will turn into. Shake. Sing. Victory. [Music] [Applause] One thing. He can show me a mountain. He can. He of the is. [Music] In the mighty name of Jesus. Oh, we believe it. We believe it. Oh, you are Lord. We praise you, Jesus. Nobody like you. Yours is the highest name, Jesus. Come on, church. We sing the sun. The sun was. The heavens thundered, and for a moment, death had thought it conquered. But it wasn't over till you said it's over. Your word is greater still. The perfect sacrifice, your body broken as you restore to us what sin had stolen once and for all. You tore the veil wide open. Your power is stronger still. Sing all praise, all praise to the name above all names. Oh, Jesus. You, and you're the name above all names. Oh, Hallelujah. We praise the mighty name. Cuz you turn the grave into a new beginning. Our God is rising. You're alive and breathing. There's nothing that can rise against your victory. Your name is higher still. Oh, we declare your name is highest. Sing your PR to the name of above. [Music] All. Jesus. You. You're the name above all. Oh, nothing could hold you down. Death could not hold down the Risen King. Oh, Hallelujah. The cross still stands, and the blood still flows. The work is finished, and hell still knows that the grave is still empty. The stone is still rolled, and you're still high and lifted up. You're still seated on the throne. The cross still stands, and the blood still flows. Is in hell still go that the grave is. [Applause] Still high. Lift. Praise. All praise to the name. Jesus. See Jesus. Oh, your the. Sing Hallelujah. Sing Hal. [Music] Hallelujah. Oh, every voice will claim. There is no higher name. Hallelujah. [Music] Oh, to will sing. There is no higher. [Music] Hallelujah. Oh, every voice high. Oh, wa to we will s. All praise. Sing all praise. Oh, all praise to the name of the name. Jesus. Forever. You the name of. You are the name. Yes, you're the name of praise. Oh, you name above praise. Jesus, we give you praise. Oh, Jesus, we give you praise. Nobody like you, God. Oh, nobody like you, Jesus. You're worthy to be praised. You're worthy. [Applause] [Music] C. All my words fall short. I've got nothing new. How could I express all my gratitude? I could sing this song as I often do that every song must, and you never do. So I throw up my hands and praise you again and again. Cuz all that I have is a Hallelujah. [Music] Hallelujah. And I know it's not much. I'm nothing else for a king except for a heart singing. [Music] Hallelujah. [Music] Hallelujah. I got one. I've got just one more. With my arms stretched wide, I will worship you. So I on my hands and praise you again and again. Cuz all that I have is Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I know it's nothing. [Music] Else for. [Music] Singing. [Music] Hallelujah. King. We lift praise. Oh, give it all to you. [Applause] Praise you, Jesus. Oh, come on, my soul. Oh, don't you can't shy on me. Lift up your song. Cuz you got a lion inside of those songs. Get up and praise the Lord. Oh, come on, my soul. Don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song. Cuz you've got a lion inside. [Music] Praise you. Got inside. [Music] So I go my hand. Raise you again and again. All that I have is Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I know it's right. I'm nothing else for said for our heart. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. [Music] Hallelujah. Oh. [Music] Hallelujah. Somebody say Hallelujah. Hallelujah. How many of you know our God is great and he's greatly to be praised? And so that's what we're doing. We're not putting on a performance this morning. We're not worshiping because we have to or we just want to squeeze it into the order of service. We are worshiping because that's what we've been created to do, and it is our privilege to worship the King above all Kings. Amen. Today, uh, we're going to take just a moment and we're going to take communion. What we're doing, I want to make sure that it doesn't become automatic. It doesn't become routine, but that we understand the significance and the importance of taking communion together. Before we get in, uh, if you, I can't see you, FYI, but if you'll raise your hand if you do not have one of these, and we've got ushers that are walking the aisles looking, just hold your hand up nice and high. We don't want to miss anybody this morning. You don't have to belong to this church to take communion, but you do have to belong to the family of God. Jesus, on the night that he was betrayed, he took the bread and he broke it and he said, "This is my body, which is being broken for you." Bible says, in the same way, he took the cup and he said, "This is my blood, which has been poured out for you." So, what we are doing right now, church, that little cracker, you, we got a couple different ones, you may have to open it from the bottom or from the top, but that little wafer there, I want you to look at it. Don't look at me. Look at that wafer. That represents the broken, the abused, the tortured body of Jesus. I want you to look at the cup. That represents the blood that was shed for you and for me so that we could be forgiven, so that we could be redeemed, so that we could be saved. And so, right now, before I'm going to ask a blessing over the elements, but before we do that, listen to me. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And if there is something right now that you need to confess, do it. Don't wait. Don't let the devil beat you up over mistakes that you made. Jesus paid it all. So, just take a moment and just ask the Lord for his grace and his mercy. And what we're doing represents his forgiveness. Father, we thank you for Jesus. We would be lost without Jesus. We would have no hope without Jesus. But you loved us enough that you sent your Son, and he willingly gave his life so that we could live. So, God, we stop what we're doing. Search our hearts, Lord. Nothing is hidden from you. Search our hearts, God, today to honor you, to worship you, and in obedience to you, we partake in the bread and the juice. Church, let's take the bread together. Hallelujah. Are you thankful for Jesus? Let's take the cup together. Hallelujah. Hey, can we just take a moment and make some noise in appreciation and gratitude for Jesus? We love you, Lord. We love you, Lord. We love you, Lord. Oh, so I throw my hands and praise you again and again. Cuz all that I have is a [Music] Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I know it's my. I'm nothing else for except for a heart singing. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I know my head. You again and again. Our is the [Music] power. Hallelujah. I know it's not. I'm nothing else except for a heart singing. Hallelujah. [Music] Hallelujah. Amen. Amen. Come on, give God some praise this morning if you're thankful for Him. You're thankful for Jesus. Come on. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Aren't you thankful for that today? Lord, we just, we love you. We thank you for this day, Lord. I thank you for every person that's in this building, Lord. I thank you that when we woke up today, your mercies are made new every single morning. I thank you that when we woke up today, Lord, we woke up to the reality of the hope that we have in you, Christ. Lord, when we woke up today, we woke up to the reality that as long as we have you, Lord, we've got everything that we need. When we woke up today, Lord, we woke up knowing that nothing catches you by surprise. There's nothing that we face is too great for you. When we woke up today to come to the house of God, we came knowing and believing that we'd leave different than the way that we came because of your grace and your love, your mercy and your power. Come on, church family, if that's you today, if you woke up that way today, give God praise. You've been waiting all week long to come praise God today. He's so, so good. Hey, just a couple of things before we greet one another. You know, the Bible says to give honor to whom honor is due. And tomorrow, as a nation, we will take time to remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who gave his life fighting for freedom and equality so that you and I can enjoy the great country that we live in today. Come on. We cannot forget the people who have gone before us to enjoy the things that we have today. Come on. How many you are so thankful that we live in the country that we do today? What an honor and a privilege it is for us. And then, on a little bit of a lighter note, I want to bring to your attention. You know, you've been seeing all these teaser videos about the changes we have coming February 5th to our Wednesday night services. We're making a little bit of an adjustment. We believe it's going to be a blessing to you and your family. We're changing our service time from 7 to 8. We're going to move it back to 6:30 to 7:30. And, uh, in spite of those changes, one of the things we're going to do, it's going to be amazing, is at 5:00 on every Wednesday night, we're going to have a, uh, family-friendly, budget-friendly meal in our fellowship hall that we want you to come and enjoy. We'll serve that from 5 to 6 o'clock. What's on the menu, Pastor James? Thank you for asking. Hey, every week we'll have pizza and a great salad bar, and then we'll rotate something. And on the first night, we're going to start with the best first. Drum roll, please. Come on, give me a drum roll. The first night, we're going to have, uh, chicken sandwiches from Chick-fil-A. Come on, somebody say amen. There's an anointing on Chick-fil-A. If you don't like Chick-fil-A, there will be a special time of prayer for you up here after the service. Now, but we want you to join. It's going to be awesome. Hey, listen, you got great people around you. Uh, give go around, give someone a handshake, high five, or hug. Tell them you're glad they're at church today. If you love Jesus, say amen. Now, some of you didn't say amen because you probably didn't hear me. So I'm going to give you one more shot. If you love Jesus, say amen. I want to take just a moment and welcome you if you're visiting. We are honored that you're here. Maybe you've been here a couple times. We want to take just a moment and tell you from the bottom of our hearts, thank you. I pray that you keep coming. I am confident that if you do keep coming, that you're going to fit right in. You're going to feel like this is family, and you're going to discover this is a place that you can grow on your faith because that is a journey that every single one of us are on. Amen. We're trying to grow as the Bible says in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. So LFA family, I'm going to ask you to get loud. Make some noise and show some love for our guests this morning. Last week, uh, it's January, the first month of the year, and last week we began a series titled Raising the Bar. And we're looking at a few different areas that we want to get better at. We want to do better in 2025 than we did in 2024. Uh, these are areas that we want to grow in. How many of you know growth is important? Growth is necessary. Growth is healthy. Why? Because the moment something stops growing, it starts dying. So we want to grow. We want to grow in the Lord. And there's a few areas that I want to challenge all of us, and that challenge starts with me. Areas that we want to grow in. And so last week, we kicked off the series talking about raising the bar spiritually. This morning, we're going to talk about raising the bar sacrificially. I don't know if you know this, some of you do, but some of you may not. Um, if you don't know this, you need to know what I'm about to say. If you already know this, it's good to be reminded every once in a while. And that is this: everything that Jesus wanted us to do, he modeled for us when he was on Earth. The way that he wants us to live, behave, act. Jesus took time strategically to model that for us while he was here on Earth. Here was his strategy. His strategy was, he took 12 men. Now, he had many more followers than that, but he took 12 as kind of his inner circle, and they had a front-row seat to listen to Jesus every time he taught, to watch Jesus how he engaged and interacted with people. They had a front-row seat to learn from Jesus's example how to walk, talk, and live. And then, before Jesus leaves the Earth, he gathers his followers together. If you're a follower of Jesus, say amen. Amen. Okay, so then this is a word for us as well. He gathers his followers together and he says, "Now, I want you to go and make more disciples." But he gives us the strategy. He says, "I want you to make disciples by teaching other people everything you've heard me say. Show them. Make other disciples by showing them the way that I've showed you how to live." This is found in Matthew chapter 28. We call it the Great Commission. And one of the things that Jesus models for his followers, if you're a follower of Jesus, say amen. Amen. Okay, so one of the things that he modeled for us is the importance of living a life of sacrifice. Now, the ultimate way that Jesus models this for us is by dying sacrificially. We celebrated that, remembered that, honored that just a moment ago with communion, right? There's no greater example than Jesus willingly going to the cross, willingly putting up with torture and abuse and death for the sake of us. Aren't you thankful for that? So, there's no greater example of that, but he spent his time on Earth living sacrificially. And in doing so, he becomes a model for his followers. Last week, if you were here or you caught the message, we looked at Colossians, and we were reminded, Paul warns the church, he reminds the church, "Guys, there's a trap out there. I need to let you know. I need to warn you. Don't fall for it. Don't get sucked into it. It's a trap." And it's this trap of trying to live up to the world's standards. See, when we talk about raising the bar, another way to say that is standards, right? And Paul says, there's this trap. There's this temptation for all believers that we can get to a place in our life where we allow the world to determine where the bar is. We let the world raise the bar, and we let the world lower the bar. And Paul says, "Don't do it. That's a trap." And so he goes on to say, if you're a follower of Jesus, if you've given your life to Jesus, you don't get to set the standard. Don't let the world set the standard. God sets the standard. So, what do you mean, Pastor? Well, for us as followers of Jesus, the world doesn't get to tell us what's right and wrong. God does. The world doesn't get to tell us what marriage is. God does. The world doesn't get to tell us what our life's goals and priorities should be. Only God does that. And when God sets the bar, when God sets the standard, he sets it high. Not only does he set the bar higher for us than what the world would, but if you've studied the life and the teachings of Jesus, everything he taught us is is directly opposite of what the world teaches. There's a reason for that. 2 Corinthians chapter 6, it puts it this way: What do light and darkness have in common? We know from scripture that this world, the world that we live in, Bible says the devil is the prince of this world. He roams freely. He has power and authority. And it's easy to to realize when you look at the world, how many we know we live in a dark world? Okay? So, you got the dark world that we live in, but Jesus is the light of the world. So, every follower of Jesus, we are called to be light in darkness. So, often times, what the world tells us to do is going to be diametrically opposed to what Jesus tells us to do. Let me give you an example. The world tries to convince you, if you're not first, you're last. Jesus said the exact opposite: You can't be first until you first learn how to be last. The world tries to teach us, follow your heart. Very opposite of what Jesus taught. Jesus taught us that the human heart is wicked. Jesus said, "Don't follow your heart. Follow me." The world tries to convince you, believe in yourself. Jesus said, "Believe in me." The world is convincing an entire generation, "Just live your truth." Just live your truth. Jesus said, "I am the truth." So, what we see from the teachings, from the life, from the ministry of Jesus, is its complete opposite of what the world teaches. So, understanding that, why would we ever let the world set the bar for us? Yet, sometimes we do. One of the things that Jesus modeled, and this is what I want us to look at this morning, that is so opposite of what the world teaches and reinforces, Jesus modeled living sacrificially. Living sacrificially is about a race to the back of the line, not the front. And that's what Jesus modeled for us. And how many of you know that goes against our human nature, right? We want to be first. We want to be best. We want to be the most. We want to be the biggest. We want to be the strongest. But Jesus models for his followers, if you're a follower of Jesus, say amen. Okay, he models for his followers what it looks like and the importance of living sacrificially. I want to look at two main reasons why. I think there are more than two, but I want to focus on two primary reasons why did Jesus spend three years publicly modeling what living sacrificially looks like? I want to give you what I believe, according to scripture, are two of the primary reasons why Jesus taught us that and modeled that for us. Number one: because Jesus was trying to show us and teach us that giving means getting. Now, you should have an asterisk next to this point on your notes. Do you? Okay, there's a reason for for that. It was a typo? No, it wasn't a typo. I want to make sure that I am abundantly clear because sometimes what I say up here, people hear something else, or sometimes I don't communicate it effectively enough. And so I want to stop, put an asterisk to draw our attention to what I'm about to say. We should never give something to God with the motive of getting something back, ever. We should never give something on behalf of God with the heart and the motive of getting something in return. So, what do I mean when I say giving means getting? There's a story in Luke chapter 9, and it's a story, uh, you can find it in Matthew and Mark as well, but it's a story of the disciples arguing. Now, that's really no big deal because they were human, just like us. They argued. I'm sure they argued a lot. Um, you know, they were basically brothers. If you have a brother, you know, just kind of growing up, you just argue. That's one of the things that you do. So, the fact that they are arguing is not a big deal. It's what they are arguing about. What they are arguing about becomes the focal point for a lesson that Jesus was trying to teach them. You know what they're arguing about? They're arguing about position. They're arguing about, "When this is all said and done, Peter, Matthew, when this is all said and done, and we're in the presence of God forever, I'm going to have the greatest position." "No, I'm going to have the greatest position." "You've seen what I've done for Jesus." "I'm..." They're arguing about title, position, and a place of honor. "When we get to heaven, you know, I know you guys were good, but we all know the one who's going to get to stand beside Jesus is me." That's the place of honor, and that's where I belong. Jesus hears them, and in verse 47, it says, "Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him." Now, there's two things contextually that are really cool about this story. How many of you know we serve a strategic God? Our God's brilliant, far more brilliant than any of us. Back then, children were seen and not heard. Children did not have a voice back then. Nobody cared what kids thought. Nobody cared what their opinion was. And for sure, no child would hold any title or position of honor. Yet, Jesus chooses a little child. The other thing that's really cool and strategic and beautiful about what Jesus does here is he brings the child beside him, signifying a place or a position of honor. What Jesus was trying to do and show his followers is he was taking someone that had earned no position, they carried no title or respect, they received no recognition, and he chose them to position them in the place of honor. And then, in verse 48, here's the lesson from the Son of God: "He says, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who has sent me.'" Now, listen to what he says here. "It is for he who is the least among you is actually the greatest." Jesus was taking time to teach his followers, which is you and me today, that when you and I learn to give of ourselves, our agenda, our time, our finances, our preferences, or as in the case of the disciples, when we're willing to let go of our ego a little bit, Jesus was showing, when you give selflessly, when you give sacrificially, you actually get something in return. Acts 20:35, they were quoting the words of Jesus when they said, "It is more blessed to give than it is to receive." How many of you know from a human, a worldly perspective, that makes no sense? It's more blessed to give than it is to. I don't know about you, but I feel blessed when I receive. Pastor Kyle, Jesus said it a different way in Matthew chapter 19:33. He says, "The first will be last, and the last will be first." And what Jesus was trying to teach us was that when you and I learn how to live and give sacrificially, whatever we give, wherever we give, we reap a blessing because of it. Every person on the face of the earth is looking for the same things, whether we realize it or not. All of us want to love somebody, right? All of us want to feel loved by somebody. All of us want to feel joy and contentment and fulfillment. And Jesus tried to give us the answer on all this stuff. For example, when it comes to love, Jesus tried to teach us, if you want to feel loved, you got to first love me and love love others. But he also did the same with living a fulfilled life, a life full of contentment. And Jesus over and over again tried to teach us that when you're when you're stuck in self, when it's about me and what I got to do and my time and my agenda and my finances and all of that, Jesus said, "When you learn to let that stuff go and live sacrificially, that's when you learn what a full life feels like." When you and I give of ourselves, when we get out of just living, you know, life is busy, it's such a routine that we get stuck in where it's just focused on me and my needs and my desires and my priorities and my agenda. But what Jesus wanted you and me to know, and he modeled it for us, is that when we get to the place where we practice this stuff, where we learn to give selflessly, we learn to give sacrificially, that's when we discover the words of Jesus really are true: "It is more blessed to give than it is to receive." Jesus teaches us when we give, okay? And that's more than just money. We're talking about time and preferences and priorities. Jesus wanted us to know, guys, when you get to this place in your life where you understand it and you start to practice it, he wanted us to know, whatever you give will not even compare to what you reap. There's another reason why I think Jesus modeled this for us, why he stressed the importance, and why how he chose to live his life, because I think Jesus was trying to show us that you and I will reach more people by serving them rather than preaching to them. Making disciples is something every single one of us should be concerned with. Making disciples should be on every single one of our radar. Why? Because that's what Jesus told us to do. I referenced it a few moments ago, Matthew chapter 28, it's called the Great Commission. You and I have been commissioned by Jesus to go and make disciples. And can I tell you something this morning? Because I love you, none of us, none of us are exempt from what we've been commissioned to do. None of us are excused. I'm, I'm just being real, not my opinion, but God's word. None of us will stand before God and be able to come up with an acceptable reason or excuse for why we didn't make disciples. "Well, Jesus, you know, hey, great to see you, by the way. Um, I, I was just so busy. I got, I, I was trying to fix me. I was trying to work on my life, and I just got so focused, you know, just trying to live life and pay my bills and, and I got my 9 to 5, and my kids are driving me crazy, and, and so please excuse me for not using the time you gave me to make disciples." That's not going to fly. None of us are going to get to say, "I know what you said, Jesus, but it's me. I love you. You love me. We're a happy family. It's, it's all love, Jesus. It's all good. I, you saw what I was going through. I had a lot of personal stuff that I just, it needed my attention and my energy. So please, please excuse me for not spending my days on Earth investing in others and making disciples." What I love about Jesus, so many things, but when it comes to Jesus the teacher, what I love about our Savior is he never told us to do something that he did not model for us. When Jesus was here on Earth, he ministered, he blessed, blessed, he healed, he loved people. And by choosing to do ministry that way, he was modeling for all of us, all of his followers, the greatest way to reach people is by serving them. So, it's not a stretch for me to say, in fact, it's biblical for me to say this: If you are a follower of Jesus, you were created by God. You have been placed on this Earth to serve somebody else. I knew that wouldn't get a lot of amens. Pastor James, can I go one step further? You can't be successful at making disciples until you learn how to give of yourself, live sacrificially, and serve other people. What Jesus showed us so many times, there's example after example, is the way to someone's heart is by serving them. See, you and I can't change anybody's heart. We can't change anybody's spirit or their eternal destination. But because our God is so strategic, here's his design: is that when we learn to give of self, to give of time, to give of resources, God takes that act of righteousness and he uses it to reach people's hearts. If we're just willing to practice this stuff and live this way, God's going to use those acts of righteousness to change people's spirits and their eternal destination. And then, you know what that means? That means we are now living in obedience to what we've been commissioned to do. Jesus laid it out for us how he wants us to live, how he wants us to walk, how he wants us to talk. Here is the reality, though. The reality is that a lot of people don't serve because it requires sacrifice. See, because if I'm going to be committed to this stuff and and serve other people, there's going to be times I'm going to have to sacrifice my time. If I'm really going to serve other people, there will be times I have to sacrifice my plans. If I'm going to do it Jesus' way and really live sacrificially, there's going to be times where we have to sacrifice our plans, our preferences, our priorities, our agenda. And so, because serving others requires personal sacrifice, a lot of people don't do it. But what I want to bring your attention back to is the model. Jesus. And Jesus models for us. When we can learn to live sacrificially, first of all, you will reap more of a blessing. It won't even compare to whatever it is that you're giving. We're told that we're promised that in scripture. But Jesus also shows us the greatest way to impact someone's life, to make disciples, is learning how to live sacrificially. But yet, so many Christians don't. I think there's another reason why a lot of Christians don't serve. Number one, because it does require sacrifice. Like, if, if I'm going to serve, sometimes that means I can't go hunting after church. Sometimes it means I'm going to miss my football team. Sometimes it means I'm not going to be first at the restaurant. And it requires sacrifice. So a lot of people don't serve. But there's another reason why a lot of people don't serve, and I think it's because when we do sacrifice and we do begin to serve others, we don't see the results that we hope to see. And so we stop. When we sacrifice and we begin to serve others and give sacrificially for the blessing or the benefit of others, sometimes we don't receive the recognition or the admiration that we think we we should. And so we stop. One of the things that I'm so thankful for about our God is that God sees what I do, even when other people don't. Now, that's a good thing and a bad thing, right? God sees. No, Bible says nothing is hidden from God. In Matthew chapter 6, it's kind of the halfway point of the greatest sermon that was ever preached on planet Earth. We call it the Sermon on the Mount. And in chapter 6 of Matthew, one of the things that Jesus says as he is delivering this sermon, this message, is he said, "Guys, make sure when you do acts of righteousness, you're not doing it for personal gain." And then he goes on to say, "When we do give of our time, of our money, of our self, when we do give, Jesus said, when we do it with the right motives, God sees what we do, and God rewards us." How many of you want to be rewarded by God? Man, I do. That is my motivation at 42 years old. That is my motivation in this life. What can I do to get more of God's blessing, more of his anointing, more of his favor on my life, on my marriage, on my kids? And Jesus is teaching, and he says, "When we do these acts of righteousness, when we give of self, God sees and God rewards us." There's a reason why Jesus is saying this. Number one, for you and for me. But at this point in his message, he's directing this at a specific group of people. You know who it is? It's the religious people, specifically the religious leaders. Because back in Jesus' time, these religious figures, these these leaders would do acts of kindness. They would bless the widow. They would give the orphan food. But they always made sure there were people watching when they did it. They would bless that widow and give her money, but would choose to do it at the busiest place in the city, at the busiest time of the city. You know why? Because they were doing it for praise. They wanted people to notice what they were doing. You know that, Pastor Kyle, did you see what he did the other day? Giving that money to that widow. He's such a swell guy. Did you see Pastor Kyle yesterday? I mean, I, I'm sure you did because he did it in the middle of the town square at the most popular time of day. But did you see what he did when he picked up those orphans and he fed them and clothed them? He is so amazing. Jesus was calling them out, and he was telling them, "If that's why you're doing it, you've received whatever rewards you're going to [Music] get." Can I be honest for a moment? There are a lot of Christians today, and please hear me, especially if you're new and you don't know my, my kind of weird sense of humor and what I'm about to say, I say with no judgment. I say with no judgment. But there's a lot of Christians today that are doing a lot of great things, like feeding the homeless, or helping drug addicts, or, or, uh, people helping them out of prostitution. Great and wonderful things. But they're doing it with a phone in their face, or they're doing it with the phone in the face of the people that they're helping. And when I read the words of Jesus, if I'm interpreting them correctly, I don't think that's the way we're supposed to do it. When I think about living sacrificially and doing it the right way, doing God's way, you know who I think about? I think about people here. I think about the people right now that are working in the nursery. Right now that are working in Champions Club. I think about our ushers and our greeters. I think about the people who do valet. Rain or shine, hot or cold, they are out there helping people park their cars. I think about the people who are behind stage right now turning dials trying to make me look thin and make me look and make me sound good. That's a full-time job. But can I tell you why I think they do it? I think they do it because they just want to be faithful. They're not looking. They'll never get public praise or recognition, but that's not why they're doing it. They're doing it because they understand that's part of why they're created is to give selflessly, to give sacrificially, so that others can reap the benefits and the blessing. Stand with me this morning. God promises what you do, even if other people don't see it, he does. And Jesus said that there's a reward waiting for us. As we close this morning, I want to challenge you. I want to challenge you to raise the bar when it comes to living sacrificially. I want to, I want to challenge you to raise the bar when it comes to serving others. Listen to me this morning. I'm not going to have anybody raise their hand, but there's somebody this morning, and you're struggling to find purpose. If that's you, I want to challenge you with this question: Who are you serving? Who are you serving? If you're struggling to find joy and fulfillment and contentment in your life, if we were just talking, one of the first questions I would ask you is, "Who are you serving? Where are you serving?" Because we cannot be all that God wants us to be. We cannot live truly fulfilled lives. We cannot be obedient to what Jesus commissioned us to do unless we're willing to give of self. Maybe you're here this morning, and you're already doing this. You're already serving. Praise the Lord. You are a gift to LFA. I thank God for you. But as I said last week, we never get to a place where God says, "Okay, I've raised the bar high enough. You can just kick back and relax until I bring you home." So, if this is you, you're living this, I want to challenge you. I promise you, I don't know what areas they are, but I promise you, God is wanting to raise the bar in some areas in your life this year. So, I want to challenge you. If that's you, seek the Lord. Say, "Lord, where do you want me to take greater steps of faith? Lord, where do you want to raise the bar?" That's the challenge for all of us this morning, that we would raise the bar by living sacrificially. And I want to challenge you. I'm going to be bold, okay? And I'm saying this not to make you feel guilty. I'm saying this because I love you. I want God's best for you. If you're married, I truly desire higher God's best for your marriage. If you have kids, I want God's best for your babies. But I want to challenge you: make this year the year that you're willing to sacrifice time, agenda, preferences. Make this the year that you trust God and you start serving somewhere. Our staff has been praying for you all week, and one of the things that they're prepared for, because we believe God's going to speak to hearts this morning, they are prepared for an influx of new volunteers. So you will be welcomed with open arms. But if you're not serving, I think about how many more people could we reach? How much more effective could we be if every follower of Jesus was committed to living sacrificially? And I want to challenge you to serve and begin serving, not because I said to do it, do it because you understand and you recognize that's why you're here, to minister, to bless, to serve others. Amen. Do you still love me, church? Listen, as we close and worship, if you got a need this morning, there's no need too small, no need too big for our God. So, as we close and worship, come down and let us pray with you. Hallelujah. Father, I thank you for Jesus. That didn't just save us, Lord, you've redeemed us and rescued us. But Lord, you modeled for us how you want us to live. We've got a picture, we've got a model for how to live and how to engage and how to interact. And, and God, I just pray that you would move on the hearts of your people this morning that we would be committed in 2025 to becoming more like Jesus. That you would stir, Lord. And I'm talking about some seasoned saints this morning. It's not good enough to just come to church, love people, and go home. But God, I'm asking you by your Spirit, you would deal with us so that we learn to live sacrificially. And as we do, you will cause us to prosper. You will bless us. You will reward us. And we will play a part in making disciples of all nations. We pray it in the mighty, the matchless name of Jesus. Amen. And [Music] [Music] Amen. As the I follow away your spirit broken as my life may be, I will give you every piece. [Applause] I hear you call. I am available. I [Applause] say yes, Lord. I am. [Music] A. Here I am. With open in counting on your grace again. Less of me and more of you. I just want to see you move. I hear you call. I am available. I say yes, Lord. I am available. I hear you call. I am available. I say yes, Lord. I am. [Music] To where you are. We say yes to you. Here I am. Here I am. You can have it all. You can have it all. Here I am. Here I am. You can have it all. You can have it all. Here I am. Here I am. You can have it all. You can have it all. Here I am. Here I am. Jesus, you can have it all. You can have it all. Here I am. Here I am. You can have me. You can have it. [Applause] [Music] [Music] For the one who gave me life. Nothing is the sacrifice. Oh, use me how you want to. [Music] God thrown within my heart. I hear. I hear you call. I am available. I say yes, Lord. I [Music] [Music] Am. Good morning, church family. I hope each and every one of you feel the call and answer it to go and serve. I hope we're all feeling empowered. Listen, if this is your first time here at LFA, we just want to welcome you. If you will look in that seat back in front of you, you will see one of these connect cards. Go ahead, fill it out, take it to the atrium. We want to welcome you. Listen, if you decided that yes, you know, I want to answer that call and you want to be on our tech team and our worship team, Pastor Tyler and his team are going to be out in the atrium waiting for you. We just want to welcome you again. Can you please help me welcome our first-time guests? Church family, I hope you all have a great Sunday, and we cannot wait to see you next week. Have a good day, guys. [Music] [Music] To.