SM171008/How to Be a Successful Leader

Harvest messages are brought to you by harvest partners receive free email daily devotions were to become a harvest partner, please visit us online@harvest.org father were so glad that Christ is risen from the grave because he lives we will live forever and experience a dimension of life here on earth that the best of all death died when Christ rose but we think now of all those who were wounded and even passed into eternity last Sunday in Las Vegas and were praying now for your healing hand to be extended to all those who are in hospitals who are healing from their wounds. We think about all those people experience being exposed to this warlike conditions, what it does of their mind and were praying for them that you'll touch them.

Lord were praying for the families of lost loved ones that you, the God of all comfort will comfort them right now. We thank you for the first responders that rushed in with great courage and did everything they could to save life than Lord we just commit of the church is especially up in Las Vegas as they minister to all these folks right now.

Just be with them and strengthen them, and we commit all that to you now and we ask this in Jesus name, amen.

You can all be seated.

Yeah, you know, so, so heartbreaking. What happened last Sunday. I mean we did our first message in this series and one of the points that I made was our country's coming apartment would've ever thought we would have the worst mass shooting in the history of the United States happen just so unbelievable and so hard to explain. I met with a couple that attend our church. Here they are. Stephen Julia Gomez and their sweet daughter Angela was one of those that died in Las Vegas. She was shot and killed in the you know what you say to people like this, I mean this is so unbelievable.

I shared some of my own experiences after our son died in and my situation is different, but there are some similarities there, but you know at the time I got I what I said was at a time like this. We don't know why we can as the why question all day long. There are no answers that will satisfy us and we go to the one question in the who? Maybe I should revert to know who in the why question of who is who I turned to I turned to God.

Only God can get me through a crisis like this and what what do I do I choose to trust the Lord and stay strong in my faith and hang on to the Lord.

And so we just had time of prayer together were going to do the service for their daughter.this coming Tuesday with the following carrot harvest and were doing another service for another person that was killed and that horrible event in Las Vegas and I've been in contact with pastors from biggest and we offer our prayers and our words of encouragement. They've also said we want you to come back here and do to save them Las Vegas and proclaim the gospel and organa do that that the but I tell you what it says this so many sad horrible things that happen every single day. Reminds me of those famous words you've heard them before Houston we have a problem like but we could restate that America we have a problem. By the way, that phrase Houston we have a problem with the most famous words uttered in the history of space travel five words could have been Nassau's worst disaster ever. And of course it was Apollo 13 and astronauts Jim Lovell John Swigert and Fred Hayes were aboard the spacecraft 2000 miles from Earth. Five. Six of the way on their journey to the moon and Sims gases were released from the spacecraft and all other instruments went dead and they called back and said Houston we have a problem amended will. Fortunately, there's a happy ending to that particular story. There were able to get back again. But maybe you said that recently we have a problem there's an unexpected problem that is come your way in life. Your spouse just came to you and said they want out of the marriage are your child came up to you and said I don't want to be a Christian. Or maybe you found value of a serious health crisis or maybe your cat walked out the door this time. For the last time I was going to throw that into some random in the midst of all this puppy for that. Thank you. But seriously it's something beyond your ability to fit Houston we have a problem about this argues that it heavenly father, I have a problem we call out to God, we have crisis we call out to the Lord will were in trouble and that's what Israel was doing when their city lie in ruins. The temple agreement rebuild under Ezra, but the great walls of Jerusalem that once stood proud around the city protecting it were not aligned and charred burned out rubble entered Nehemiah the cupbearer who was going to bring the solution to the problem. By the way, Nehemiah was not a builder. Nehemiah was not an architect. Nehemiah, like I said was the cupbearer which meant that he tasted the food, the king ate before the king tasted it and he drank the wine before the king drank it was actually a great job because you lived in the very lap of luxury and in the palace with close proximity to the king, he may have been the second most powerful man in all of the kingdom the one day some of his fellow Jewish brothers came to visit him and he said hey how are things going back in Jerusalem it is that you really want to know things are bad and I think sometimes we don't want to know what's going on somewhere else.

Especially if it's bad news right I don't hear about the problem out of the mission field. I don't want to hear about that crisis over here. I don't want to hear about the problem over there. I think were afraid information may bring obligation, but it's true. It will but listen were all in this together and so some Christians are suffering we care about that because the Bible says when one suffers.

We all suffers and will one of us is exalted were all exalted so Nehemiah care when he heard this news about the way it was a day like any other day for Nehemiah in the corridor of the king and I was a day that would change his life. Just like it was an ordinary day when David went out watching this block and that was the day the prophet showed up and anointed him.

The king of Israel. It was a day like any other day, when Moses was shepherding his sheep when the Bush wouldn't stop burning and he heard the voice of God.

It was a day like any other day when Peter James and John were mending their nets after a night of failed fishing when Jesus called them to go fishing for men. And so is a day like any other day when Nehemiah was there in the court but when he heard the news of the plight of his fellow Jews.

He decided to take action listen. Some people talk about things other people do things. Some people are part of the problem.

Other people a part of the solution.

It's very easy to be a critic.

It's very easy to say, will I do like this. All you think this is good the way they do this to church, or the way that it will then be part of the solution just and run a critique it's a have an idea what we can do this more effectively, or be more efficient. He took action again. The walls of the city were in ruin. This all goes back to how Israel, God thrown in the captivity the Worshiping false gods, gods, and all right you like false gods all send you do idle central Babylon. Though they were There for 70 years. Well, Nebuchadnezzar ultimately replaced by his grandson Belshazzar were overthrown enters Cyrus in the Medo Persians and Cyrus that the first wave of them go back and Ezra the priest rebuilt the temple with the walls of Jerusalem are still in rubble. So a lot of time is passed now and then the news reaches Nehemiah in the king's court in the Arctic Xerxes. The ruling king is going to allow Nehemiah to go and do something about it to the walls of the city were important. Obviously they serve the function of protection, but they were more than that. They were a symbol and even more at the gates of the wall. That's where the leadership would meet and make decisions with the elders would meet walls better and walls better in our lives as well. The walls of faithfulness protect our marriages. The walls of marriage protect the family and the walls of the family protect the nation you could take almost every social ill in America today and trace it directly back to the breakdown of the family and sometimes a redefinition of the family as well, which is also part of the breakdown of the family is God created an intended you look at the rise in crime you look at out of wedlock pregnancies. You look at the drug at the epidemic and so many of the other problems in our culture today. Beginning issue so often the goes back to a broken home, a divorce told more specifically the lack of a father. It's been said that repeated this quite a few times that a family can survive without a nation but a nation cannot survive without the family, so America needs the family out of the people of Israel rebuild the walls answer one brick at a time. How do we rebuild our country answer one brick at a time, one home at a time when family at a time. It starts in your home and it starts in my so Nehemiah heard the news about the broken down walls in the Bible says he wept. He wept after his weeping team working.

Listen, you cannot lighten the load in someone else's life into you first felt the pressure in your own so Nehemiah takes action and really he shows us how to take action as I pointed out earlier, Nehemiah, many ways is a book about leadership were all called to be leaders in some way shape or form. So let's learn from the leadership example of Nehemiah. Let's start with point number one and this would be a little bit of recap of what we looked at them will dig into our text today. Number one. A good leader is first a good follower and acknowledges their need for God. Let me restate that a good leader is first a good follower and will acknowledge your need for God to diversify Nehemiah when he hears this news praise and says oh God of heaven. More the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands. So first he just acknowledges the greatness of God.

Here the all powerful, all-knowing sovereign God in heaven.

You Lord are awesome and that's how Jesus taught us to pray the Lord's prayer. He said pray this way our father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven before you hit God up with your laundry list stop and contemplate his glory. And if you do, your list will change. It will is your problem seem so big. Maybe you come to church today with a big problem but I think is you get a better idea of how big your God is you realize God is bigger than your problem so you start by acknowledging the greatness of God number two Nehemiah remind remind the God of his promises. He says in verse five you keep your covenant. Another was Lord you made a promise to Israel and they messed up and now were turning back to you and we want to make it right. So Lord keep your promise and he will and he did and he will for you to member. I pointed out, there's like 3000 promises in the Bible for the believer. Sort of like unclaimed gift cards such as leave them sitting in a drawer. Let's let's appropriate those promises in our life.

Number three.

Good leaders know they don't have all the answers and they confess their sins.

Good leaders know they don't have all the answers and they confess their sins.

Look at verse seven of chapter 1 of Nehemiah. I confess we've sinned against you. Yes, even me in my own family and I have sinned. Notice he says we in my own family and I have sent you know it's interesting as you look at the life of Nehemiah. Don't you don't really read of any sin in his life not suggesting he was sinless. What I am saying is he was a compromise, worshiping false gods, like others were yet he admits his sin which we all should do and he wants to be a part of the solution. Listen, it's true that prayer changes things. It's also true that prayer changes you and sometimes prayer changes you and you change things.

Think about it this way, God changed Nehemiah and Nehemiah change things if you want God to answer your prayer.

You have to be willing to be a part of the answer so you don't just pray about it. You say what role can I play in this. My friend James Merritt spoken here quite a few times said this and I quote, there's a difference between streamers and leaders, dreamers, dream about things being different leaders determined to make a difference." So a dreamer will talk about it.

A dreamer will dream about it but a leader will come up with a plan to something. And if we learn nothing else from the book of Nehemiah.

We learn this.

Whatever you face walls in your life that are falling down. Whether it's in your own life or the life of your family or at your job forever.

The first place to go is to God in prayer and ask him for help. Number four. Nehemiah was specific in his request to God. Verse 10 to 11 Lord, hear my prayer, listen to the prayers of those who delight in honoring you grant me success today. Listen, making the king favorable to me. Put it in his heart to be kind to me get up what he's going to go to the king and ask him to pay for it. Nehemiah was going to go to the king and say I'm building a wall and you're paying for it, get it that's reducing out if you know what I was referencing this dinner invitation.

A president from building a will you be for he wanted Artaxerxes to pay for it. That was the plan so he brings the plan to the king, reminding us that there is a place for this spiritual as well as the practical in your life. Every one of us is going to have a Nehemiah moment, a moment what we come to a fork in the road and one road leads to comfort and the other road leads to sacrifice one road leads to treasures on earth, the other road leads to treasures in heaven, it's a moment we you take whatever position you're in and you say I'm going to leverage this for God.

This is not about me. This is about God and his glory. This is really what it is to be a disciple.

Remember we were looking at what the Bible teaches about discipleship and Jesus showed us that if we want to be his disciple. We must love God more than anyone or anything else level more than our husband or wife or our son or daughter or career, or even her own life. Love God more than anyone or anything of number two, we learned that if we want to be as disciple we take up the cross and deny ourselves and then we find the life were looking for. And thirdly it we want to be his disciples.

We surrender our claim to everything that we have.

We realize, it belongs to God. So we get the title deed of our life over to God or we give the pink slip of our life over to God.

That's discipleship. That's what Nehemiah was about to do. So let's read his plan. Here's how it came down Nehemiah to starting the verse one early the following spring in the month of Nissan that's different than the month of Toyota during the 20th year of King Artaxerxes ring I was serving the king is one I've never appeared sad in his presence of the king, asking why you looking so sad you don't look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled that I was terrified, but I replied, long live the king how can I not be said for the city where my ancestors are buried in is in ruins and the gates have been destroyed by fire. Then the king asked well how can I help you with a prayer to the God of heaven.

I replied if it please the king, and if you're pleased with me, your servant said needed you to rebuild this to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried with the king with the queen sitting beside a mask. How long will you be gone one when you return, and I told him how long I would be gone that the king agreed to my that brings us to our next point.

Nehemiah spent more time praying the needed building, let me say that again. Nehemiah spent more time praying. Then he did building four months had passed before Nehemiah popped the question to the king. Sometimes the Lord will give you an idea to give you a vision to give you a concept but timing is everything. So you decide to wait for the right moment to go to the next place there and I think we don't like to wait you know we like everything everything fast.

I mean we used to have to wait for stuff a member when we first started being able to access movies and we go to Blockbuster member Blockbuster and you would buy something called a videotape which is where you would rent and die and then member the little sign.

Be kind rewind member that you rewind it and all you go down there.

They don't have the tape you want.

Then we moved to DVD technology okay nominal rent the DVD, then Netflix comes along and they mail you the DVD okay so you did order the one you want in life and it comes what it takes a day or two for it together for now we just stream it. We don't have to weigh printing we just click it and we stream it so everything comes fast to us, so when we hear about waiting.

That's an alien concepts in a culture that is used to immediate gratification.

But Nehemiah waited know this waiting time is never wasting time they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40 tells us.

Point number two or really point number six and whatever number you want. But it doesn't matter, but I next point Elsa, there's a time to pray and there's a time to move.

There's a time to pray and there's a time to move the king asked why Nehemiah looks so sad. By the way that the job description of a cupbearer was pretty specific. You needed always be there at the king's beckon call to taste the food and you would be encouraging because you know you'd be a counselor to the king up a confidant of the king, and so you know this was not a good job.

If you are one of those people that had a dour disposition right, we'll know people like that. They're just donor people and you know I sum them up as a couple. It's Debbie downer and her husband Bobby Bosco. Okay, so you're having fun with Debbie downer and Bobby buzz kill show up. The fund stops because they always have something depressing to say or negative to say are critical to say.

I just hope you're not those people the very opposite of them was BMI. I think it was a cheerful guy and up the upbeat guy, so much so that the king actually noticed he looks at one of the happiest guys I know you known to his pastor Ricky Ryan right, this guy is always happy people about speak what is he like in private, Jesus say he that way all the time.

He's excited about ordering food then he's excited about ordering dessert, then he is excited about going surfing in the morning, then he's excited about taking a nap later in the day, then he's excited about Bible study that night and he's excited about praying and he's excited about everything in these always smiling.

These just that God affect the smile so much that one time when I saw him not smiling and he was like Nehemiah like what happened while I knew it up like I was responsible for him and I were going surfing and died.

He had a brand-new surfboard and you know if your server and get a new board. You hate getting that first thing right so you were tying the board down on the top of the car. The rocks and he let me tie it down Christmas Day. I have no board tiedown skills set up at all ridiculous, so I untied the board down and I'm driving behind them were driving down to the beach. He's ahead of me.

I see the board stuck and all of a sudden the board just came off the top of the car just in the year just floating around in any given boom boom boom sparked so we both pulled over on the cold know now and Ricky gets out he was not smiling and I guess it inside down very well. Sorry all buy you a new one. Then he sort of smiled again, so that's Nehemiah, why are you so sad you're always smiling. Well I I'm sad because of the plight of my people. Now the king effectively offers him a blank check. How can I help you. Verse four watch and another so Nehemiah had a plan ready look good. Nehemiah chapter 2 verse seven. I said to the king of it please the king, let me of letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the you're afraid he's instructing them to let me travel safely to their territories. On the way to Judah and give me a letter addressed to ASAP.

The manager of the king's forest, instructing him to give me timber and I needed to make beams of the gates of the temple fortress of the city walls of her house for myself and the king granted these requests because the gracious hand of God was on me that so practical you Doug about having a battle plan. He knew everybody always have these over the wood supply so I need help there and I need this money that it all figured out. Nehemiah had already gone down the Home Depot. He knew what he needed. He just needed a purchase order signed by the king and he was golden and the king gives it to them because the king had so much respect. But yet just to show that he had a practical plan. He was yet still depended on God and he's praying and giving God the credit he says in Nehemiah 218 and the king granted these requests because the gracious hand of God was on see sometimes Christians go to one of two extremes. We become either hyper spiritual everything spiritual and we pray and we pray and we pray we talked about it and we never execute or we become so practical, we forget about God and then we take the credit. Personally know we need a plan and then we need to pray that God will help us with that plan. If that is the plan is given to us.

We have to find the balance in about three men that went on hiking they came to a large violent rushing river. They needed to get to the other side so the first guy. Pray God give me strength to cross the river and proof he had massive arms and legs this. This is true and the last to learn sewing told in and swam across the almost drowned but he made it over in about two hours of the second guy watches and he said God I pray that you will give me the strength and the tools to cross the river P2 of the bulging biceps, but he was given a little canoe with paddles. It took him a little less time he got over the river in about an hour after a lot of relief. He did capsize twice. So when he made it to the other side. The third guy what's in the first guy said, Lord, give me the strength give me the tools and give me the intelligence to cross the river and through you turn into a woman. She looked at the map walking couple of hundred yards and walked over the bridge that had been there. You girls like that. The guys are all like is a place of the practical and there's a place for the spiritual is happened Moses and the Israelites got it delivered them from Egypt they were allowed to finally leave and go back to their homeland is are making their way home they come to the Red Sea. Talk about an insurmountable obstacle is no way they can get across it and then they turn and see the Egyptian army and hot pursuit.

So what are they doing when they started praying Moses afraid. No, God help us in love would God says the Moses in Exodus 1415 the Lord said to Moses, why are you crying out to me.

Tell the people to get moving. Pick up your staff and raise it over the sea divide the waters of the Israelites can walk to the middle of it on dry ground. See, there comes a point we should stop praying and you should start doing. We have to find the balance pray pray pray good.

Amen. Pray now to what your plan. What's a plan of action once a first step in your pray Lord heal my marriage told God. My marriage is unraveling your husband, Lord help my marriage is now my wife flows she so messed up Lord heal and wait hold on, you two pray for yourself.

Pray that you be the husband.

God want you to be. Are you loving your wife as Christ loves the church.

Once you start there. Will she doesn't deserve it doesn't.should love her anyway. The Bible evinces love your enemies, you're not getting out of this okay buddy, so you're supposed to love her sacrificially. So the wife is Reno Lord change my because when he is such a loser. He's such a failure.

He such a disappointment job.

Maybe that's part of the reason your marriage is feeling did you say those things to him. What is the Bible say to you, wife.

The Bible says wives respect your husband once last time he showed them a little respect.

Once last time you complimented him or thanked him for the sacrifices he makes for you and the family to my point is, your pray about it. Make sure you're doing your part as well will pray Lord that person is wrong me. I pray that you give me the strength to forgive them.

Amen.

Good prayer. Now go forgive what you go do it just goes safe.

I forget I'm not doing that. I don't feel it mentally going to feel it. I don't need to feel it. You need to just do it because the Bible says be tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you just do it or your pray. No Lord save this person Lord just bring them yourself good. Pray for them. Maybe it's time to go share the gospel with them. Maybe it's time to tax them email them call him, whatever it's I want to talk to a little bit see there's a place of the practical. There's a place with the spiritual. They both work hand-in-hand. Nehemiah shows us that.

And so he not only gets everything he asked for, but the king sends an armed escort within this is amazing so he's got protection now any manners in this land.

And finally he gets her takes him about three months and arriving in time you think you just kick back and sleep for a week. No.

Immediately he went up by himself and surveyed the situation. Nehemiah 211 says he slipped out during the night.

With the few with them and he hadn't told anyone about the plans got a port in his heart for Jerusalem.

Many he walked around and rode around in these went to the dung gate to view the broken walls and burned again to interesting this work reviewed as a medical word that means to closely examine its use to describe a surgeon looking at a wound he was doing his homework bring me to point number seven leaders take initiative and risks for the glory of God.

They take initiative and risks for God's glory.

One good definition of a leader I've heard is a leader is someone who takes people or they don't necessarily want to go over they get there, but glad they went like God called you to be a leader you see a little further down the road sometimes more than others do. You get to see what we need to go and let's go and do this thing and so you rally people and that's exactly what Nehemiah did.

He came to the elders there and that a Jewish folk that had been there for some time and then settle for status quo and he says of them in verse 17 of Nehemiah to you know what trouble were in Jerusalem lies in ruins. The gates have been destroyed by fire. Let's rebuild this wall of Jerusalem and in this disgrace and he went on to tell them how the hand of God the been on this conversation with the king. The people had been discouraged, then been downhearted did settle for the status quo, but here comes a man on a mission here comes someone with the vision and someone with a plan in their hearts grow excited and they say let's do this thing bring me to my last point number eight leaders face opposition leaders face opposition, Nehemiah 219 one son Ballack told via an gesture in the error part of our plan.

They scoffed contemptuously, saying, what are you doing are you rebelling against the king.

Listen, here's how to know you're doing the will of God, whatever you doing the will of God is going to face opposition, sometimes it's even criticism from fellow Christians.

Sometimes it's opposition by by outright nonbelievers, but in some way shape or form. There's going to be pushed back when you're doing God's will and you might symbol Greg on ever face opposition that I never get tempted and I never get tested, then your worthless because the devil is in wasting this time on you but if you say to me all know Greg I get pushed back all the time I get harassment and I'm even persecuted the times I would indicate to me you might be on the right. Yes, you will face opposition when you're doing the will of God. Whenever God's people say let's rise and build the devil and his people will say let's rise and oppose Ellen Redpath a great British preacher whose now with the Lord said this and I quote there is no winning without warfare. There is no opportunity without opposition. There is no victory without vigilance. It's on the screen that's were throwing them on the way. No winning without warfare, no opportunity without opposition. No victory without vigilance in the conflict only escalated their let's think about the walls of your own life as we wrap this message up when I talk about walls. I'm talking about a person's relationship with God walls around your life. The wall of Bible study, the wall of prayer, the wall of involvement with the church the wall of your devotional life and so sometimes we neglect those areas when I neglect the areas those areas of my life. The walls will begin to crumble in the weeds will start to grow in, and other problems will follow. Here's a walls breakdown Proverbs 2430 says I walk with the field of the lazy person the vineyard of one with no common sense I saw was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds and its walls were broken down if you neglect walls. You'll soon be overgrown with weeds. I'm amazed at weeds the needs no attention at all. You know you can have your little plan that you put out there in your backyard in any water you weed around it. You keep the snails away and and yet you go and hang out with it that night you hug it even that weird because it's small, but you try to hug it in you play classical music for musical classical music for it and it slowly begins to grow.

Meanwhile a weed in a crack in the sidewalk is 20 feet hot the same time very conducted kid named Jack is climbing out right now right get it to be in stock so how does that work with just the way weeds are weeds grow quickly, and weeds. This take over everything ago.

Don't uproot the good growth in Jesus use that as an illustration to talk about what it's like to be a believer that there is real believers, but the devil comes in. In the parable that he told of the Wheaton tears and at night so these false plants are plants that look like wheat but are not week.

Tears are called that uproot the wheat and so the point of it is a in a church like this right now we have true believers sitting next to thank believers they look like believers. They talk the talk but they don't walk the walk and it's not real.

That's one of the ways a double works but in another thing that Jesus talked about was how the seed of the word of God is sown in some seed falls and ground that's embedded with weeds and the weeds choke out the growth of the good seed.

He says it's the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things. Another translation puts it this way are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do all the things they want to get in the stress Pringles what they heard nothing comes of it was in this sometimes good things can become bad things if they keep us from the best thing, let me say that again sometimes good things can become bad things and they keep us from the best thing see people when they sort of slipped spiritually. It's not always because of overt sin is just because of a lack of passion going in the right direction. They just sort of neglect areas of their spiritual life and let other things become more important. So like they say I don't like the Bible.

I don't believe in the Bible is a usually I'm too busy to read the Bible too much going on in my life I've all my social media accounts to manage and I have things to do in movies to go to and fun things to participate in. Those aren't evil things.

But it's a good thing takes the place of the best thing it can become a bad thing. Using and so there's other areas. I just let them become more importantly, will my career. It's all about my career I got to get ahead my career I don't have time for church I can go to church on Sunday. Okay a career is a good thing. But if a good thing takes the place of the best thing.

It just became a bad thing. So remember this see that Jesus is talking about is choked out by weeds which are the cares of this life. See if you want to stay strong spiritually, you have to constantly be moving forward heard it said that it doesn't land there always painting that they start on one end of the park and go to the other and then start over again. I've also heard that's true of the Brooklyn Bridge are always painting the Brooklyn Bridge, the P once I go to the other side. Go back to the side.

They started out again and do it again because by the time they finished it early coat of paint now needs to be repainted over again. That's the Christian life you never stop growing. You never stop learning, you never stop developing in the moment you do, you going to go the wrong direction to give her driving on the road.

You have him on the wheel. If you take your hand off the wheel is can appear to the side your hand off the wheel you because a private cell phone park in the garage perfectly.

No, it'll go off to the ditch on the side of the road and in the same way in the Christian life. The moment I stop moving forward, and if you're off on the wrong direction to know about you but when I drive. I think strategically. I wish I didn't think this way but I I will come to a light and I'm I'm watching everything and okay I try to get that open Lane I just tripped over that openly enslave no one of frenemy non-driving along and I need to get around the previous in the fast lane because princes are always in the fast Lane effect. I think when people buy a previously make some kind of about I really believe this.

I think previous owners all get together and they hold their hand and they say I found I will always drive in the fast lane under this speed limits. It has to be something like that because I see it too often try get around the previous right who made the valve and now owe Kevin to go appear, to get in this thing I want to get a job that that's the way I drive you that it's not on the team is good. Adjusting the where try but you know the Christian life is not about we live, move forward. I want to get over here and I want to do this thing them only use cruise and you take your hand off the wheel and off the side of the road so this is how walls get broken down a little bit of the time spent said this way so I thought reconnection, so an action, reap a habit. So I have it reap a destiny Houston we have a problem those of the words from Apollo 13 2000 miles from her almost at the moon.

They leak fuel in some kind of gas into the atmosphere and so now side change the mission the original mission was for them to go land on the moon. The new mission was to get the astronauts back to earth alive and so Houston began to work with those aboard Apollo 13 and thankfully they were able to get back to the earth alive again and it's interesting because Nassau classified that mission as a successful failure and an interesting phrase, a successful failure.

Wife will because they gain much-needed experience in rescuing a crew.

The crew survived know the original mission was not successful, but the new mission was they were alive. A successful failure so maybe you mess up in your life you make mistakes you make bad decisions and you call out to the Lord and ask him to forgive you of all of your sin, and he does that's called a successful failure.

Are you going mess up, and you make some do some things you should not of done and you come and say Lord my walls are broken down. I need you to rebuild them again.

I are broken relationships are broken promises that are broken so many things but help me Lord and he will and you will have a successful failure because hopefully you learn from your mistakes want to close this message by simply asking the question that this is your favorite part of the sermon. As I said closed yes. I'm almost done. My question is do you have a relationship with God. Different relationship with God that the most important thing. There is this young lady that I mentioned in the beginning of my message Angela is in heaven where she in heaven because she believed in Jesus. She was raised in a Christian home, she came to this church, she's baptized. Those are all important things.

But the reason she's in heaven is because she put her faith in Jesus Christ. And so when that became when she was called into eternity.

She was ready. Are you ready what if this were your day. What if tonight were you're not, you have complete confidence you would go to heaven or do you worry about that sometime will listen that can be resolved. Right now I'm making a guarantee to you that if you will ask God to forgive you of your sin and ask Christ to come in your life.

You can leave harvest today knowing you will go to help whenever that they will be you'll know it for sure because Jesus died on the cross and he defeated death of the cross. Oh yes believers die yes we do but death is not the end for us because there is life beyond this life. There's heaven and there's a hope that God gives to us and that's because we put our faith in Jesus.

And if you've not done that you could do it now as we close in prayer, there might be some of you here that have the walls of your life broken down and you need to recommit yourself to the Lord will help you with that as well.

So let's all pray father, thank you for loving us so much that you sent Jesus to die in our place. Lord Jesus, thank you for coming. And now we pray that your Holy Spirit will convict and convince those here that do not yet know you of their need for you and help them to come to you now. We pray on their heads about and her eyes are closed tomorrow.

Praying how many of you would say today. Greg, I need Jesus. I want to go to heaven when I die and I want to be sure that I'll go to heaven when I die I want a fresh start in life. I want a new beginning. I want this hole in my heart filled I'm ready to say yes to Jesus Christ right now.

Pray for me that your desire would you lift your hand up and let me just pray for you wherever you are, lift tremendously, and I want Jesus I want my sins forgiven. I want to go to heaven just raise your hand up publishing lifted a partner I can see God bless you and if you're raising your hand. Anybody else raise your hand. Now your that are watching the screens you raise your hand as well say yes I need Jesus right now anybody else raise your hand up, let me pray for you accomplish what I heads are still about. I want every one of you raise your hand.

I want you to stand your feet.

Right now I'm in the lead you in a prayer of commitment to Jesus, to stand up if you raise your hand. Even if you did not, but you need Christ in your life you need your sin forgiven.

Stand your feet wherever you are, nominally join this prayer you then watching the screen. Stand your feet right now I wait another moment to stand up. By the way, others are standing so you're not alone.

Others are standing away one more moment to stand up wherever you are aware of your seeing this or hearing this stand your feet and let me lead you in this prayer. God bless all of you standing now as I pray this prayer would you pray this out loud after me again as I pray pray this out loud after me right you stand.

Okay, pray this after me now Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner but I know you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead, Jesus I choose to follow you from this moment forward as Savior and Lord is God and friend. Thank you for accepting me and for giving me in Jesus name I pray. Amen. God bless each one of you that stood pray that prayer, follow