It's All About Jesus

Politicians, the media, this groupware that it seems everyone has an agenda these days. Today I'm destined for victory. You'll see that God has an agenda to coming your way next Pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message. It's all about Jesus. But before we get started. Pastor joins me now from his studio in California, here we are in the Christmas season so easy to get distracted with how the world positions Christmas and even the circumstances the last many months we been through now. The past I thought I'd ask you what's on your heart this season. How do we center our minds on the real meaning of Christmas. Well I'm thinking about the grace of God. In fact, last Christmas in the two Sundays before Christmas.

I preached about the grace of God as it related of course to the gift of Jesus coming into the world and as we move toward Christmas on the broadcast. This month I'm going to share those messages about grace. I started this series by asking people to reminisce with me. I said let's think about some of our most memorable Christmases in years past, and then as a true baby boomer. I walked down memory road to places the young people said what in the world are you talking I started in 1978 and talked about again called Simon that came out that was the big Christmas I remember the 78 and then I said 1980 there was the Rubiks cube and only a few folks knew what I was talking about them and then I said in 1983.

There was Cabbage Patch kids all born more folks came alive as I talked about that and then I talked about 1989 and I said by then stuff was becoming more technological. There was an 8-bit handheld cartridge based console called Game Boy. Before you know it more than 118 million units have been sold while in America, and then I said, just allow me one more old man memory I said in 1996 I was pastoring and I was amazed by this phenomenon called tickle me Elmo unbelievable that people lost their minds over tickle me Elmo. In fact I talk about the fact that one of the rumors was that one parent page $7100 you know someone who had bought an extra one. Just to make money off of it and somebody who said what I gotta get it for my kid and the guy chart $7100 on the audit Elmo are you kidding me. $7100 for Elmo and so I just told people, you know we've been through all kinds of things. But let's always remember at the end of the day and especially dealing with a worldwide pandemic that hasn't yet gone away.

Gotta deal with the rest of this. We've got a remember in the midst of all of this the one true thing we can rejoice in is the real meaning of Christmas and is not about our gifts not about our toys. It is about what Jesus did and the grace that gave us that blessing of salvation for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Pastor Paul, thanks for those words of encouragement about the real reason for Christ's coming of the reason we celebrate the Christmas season. Of course it's the reason this media ministry exists to introduce people to the Savior of the world as you help us do that today we are very special thank you gift to share with you introducing Pastor Paul Sheppard's new book lessons from the vineyard in lessons from the vineyard. Pastor Paul inspires believers to use their gifts to glorify God and bless others to become attractive as we bear godly fruit that brings honor to Jesus Christ and leads others to him.

That's lessons from the vineyard a book from Pastor Paul in our gift to you by request for your generous donation of $25 or more to destined for victory. Call 855-339-5500 or visit Pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online and of course you can also mail your gift to Destin for victory at PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 again destined for victory.

Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538 as I kick off this series I want to say today it's all about Jesus that the subject if I want to know.

It's all about Jesus. I am absolutely convinced that in these closing hours of time. We must get back to the Jesus agenda like never before. Pastor Paul Sheppard calls it the Jesus agenda and he'll tell you all about it next as he shares today's destined for victory message, Isaiah chapter 61 Celeste join him now for his message.

It's all about Jesus. Isaiah 61 and verse one. Here's what it says in the new King James version of the word of God the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor, and I want to talk over the course of these messages about overall, the theme will be the Jesus agenda, but I want to have some slope focuses along the way and as I kick off this series I want to say today it's all about Jesus that the subject if you are taking notes it's all about Jesus.

I am absolutely convinced that in these closing hours of time.

We must get back to the Jesus agenda like never before.

We are in the closing hours of time. I didn't make that up. The Bible lets me know that how does it do that. We know that the last days began on the day of Pentecost back in the first century of the church's existence days after Jesus ascended after his resurrection, you know that he spent 40 days on earth after his resurrection, showing himself alive and then before he left he told his disciples not want you to go to Jerusalem, stay there wait to hear from me and they did exactly that and days later after that weekend where he died and rose again. Days later, the day of Pentecost.

It and here's what we were told in first in the prophecy of Joel in the last days, says God, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.

And when Peter preached on the day of Pentecost.

Peter said what's happening now is that which was spoken by the prophet Joelle Joe said in the last days of so we can comfortably conclude the last days began with the day of Pentecost, where are we now we are in the 21st century of the church is existence and so this period of time. We've been in the last day what impact the how do you know that is not going to go on and on because Paul said in second Timothy, here are the things that are going to happen and if you what Paul said would happily sit in perilous times would come and then he begins to lay out, and when you see what he laid out. You can check one is after the other.

It's all happening now because we're in the last of the last days.

Jesus is soon to go.

Don't get comfortable because Jesus is soon to come on Harold camping. I'm not a false prophet telling you when he's coming because no man knows the time it will store years ago. I've always kept in mind a grandfather who was working his clock shop had his grandson with him and he was making the times sound and his grandson little real, very small grandson with learning account by the chairman and so grandpa the chicken made one clock chimed 13 times and he said to his grandson are not what time is it in the boy heard 1312 and he paused for a moment. He said grandpa I don't know what is later than it's ever been before.

Let me tell you something that is I can tell you exactly today common but I can tell you, according to the signs of the time, has given us in Scripture is later than it's ever been before and was of time. It is time for us to have a renewed commitment to Jesus, agenda, because at the end of the day it's all about Jesus, we gotta get back to him have gotten a lot of things other than Jesus in general has really gotten caught up in a whole now the churches they taught us what is a now a noun is a person place or thing a person's places and things that the church is stolen, and we need and get back to focusing on Jesus Christ is all about him, we will post it on people and whether it's your leaders or whatever we make superstars in the church and God the body of Christ leadership leaders.

The preaching and teaching and their vocational and their ministries at all the people. Scripture makes somebody a superstar. We gotta give him back his chart will focus on people with focus on places the church is not a building.

Thank God for the wonderful buildings God blesses us to build a place called to simply wear the chart on the building. Some of the greatest were experienced in a place that wasn't even cold, but we get into people, places, and God knows we get into a lot of things the church just catches these bad things get caught up in all kind of thought that has not been with Jesus and we gotta get back to what's important to Jesus church all my life. Notice I said been around church on my life simple. Make mistakes that have been in the church all my life and theology real quick church all your life. No one's been in the church all your life you will born in sin and iniquity. Amen. So you been around church, but if you truly know him into your life.

That's when he baptized by one Spirit into the body of Christ.

That's the day that you came into the church born again into the church of Jesus Christ.

I know I know how church folk role I could get a PhD on search and I'm telling you, not all of it is wonderful news church people can be a real and so it is time to get back to the Jesus agenda. Back when when church was 30 to 1030 Sunday school, church, 30 Sunday school and then there was a break 1030 to 11 was a great church growing up store around the corner all by Asian man and what and so he was in about 1030. We will come around the corner and we will all generate what we had just show up at church with close and when I was growing up we actually wore suits a little preteen boys. We had when we went to church but it was different.

We all do something. That was the way we went back around the corner before Jesus came to church go away were only about halfway through today's destined for the message with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. Subscribe to our podcast to get our program any time available it's bona fide podcast every once again here's pastor Paul with the rest of today's message. It's all about Jesus, we learn that we can worship any day any time and so now most of our churches have early morning service in a later morning service showed up till 11 Jesus and the choir will come in, and with all you know it backwards and forward and doing things that we've got to make sure that we get our focus on Jesus Christ and you and so we got the Jesus business in these closing hours of time we got to get back to him. We gotta make sure the world around us understands that it is about just walk you through the first and remaining time as I kick off this series of messages I want to walk you through some important things for us to think through what is said here in Isaiah 61 the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor hundreds of years before Jesus ever take the earth but I had a call by which the Lord not only show them things to come, but gave him uncanny detail that theologians often call the Eagle eye profit, meaning the ability to see far down the corridor time, but what he saw. He saw very clearly and throughout the property of examples of how very specific. He was, and this is one of those he's saying the spirit of Jesus and it is going to be there because the Lord is going on. Knowing him several things. One is the first thing he mentioned to preach to the poor. We know this referred to Jesus because when you get to the earthly days of Jesus about to launch his ministry recorded in chapter 4, for instance, what you find is that Jesus walked into the synagogue. One day, and when it's just time to read the scrolls.

He turns to the terms of this very passage and save the spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach the good news. And after he called some of that passage says that Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. It's happening right now. Jesus said, and so we know this is the Jesus agenda that will be taking a look at that we renew our commitment to proclaiming what is he say good news, good tidings, but is also translated good news to the poor. Let me talk to those phrases Lord is upon me, and has anointed me pause right there often talk about the anointing don't know what it is and so full, so it was all over what is now no anointing to help you understand see my job in the body of Christ. I am a pastor teacher. I believe in all of the offices got place in the body are still in the body. The original apostles were unique. No question about the apostolic calling this to people with a prophetic gifting and all this to be a prophet. There are people who are evangelists and they are people who are pastors and teachers, as offices in the body of Christ used in many ways and apostolic always end in prophetic ways and I certainly have a heart for evangelism but my real core. This is our pastor teacher and so when you know that I'm still to stand before the people you know that my job there is to do permanent damage to people's ignorance. That's my job as a teacher, pastor, Shepherd people leave them in the things of God. And I love pastoring and I love that I have a combined office of pastor and teacher because not all pastors and teachers, and not all teachers are pastors but God has gifted me and placed me in both offices and so I get the lead and feed teacher.

I'm not here to tickle people's fancy all the time when I think you'll be blessed will praise God but not a good message and I need you to just understand that that's all part of the calling going to damage the people's ignorance.

You can always make him happy. Sometimes you leave them with grunts and groans an old God help me because the supposedly getting your business sometime your growing conviction pastor always make you feel good. They can't do it sometime. They have to get the word but if you just what God is leading you to you wind up in a better place and so we need to understand here. Let me give you my working definition for the anointing because it's really important that people understand that the anointing is jot this down if you want to God's presence and power given to accomplish his purpose is God's presence and power given to accomplish his purpose. You see it in the passages Lord God is upon me, because God never knows people just because they want to be anointed is always tied to a divine purpose. Anointing comes the real purpose and doing nothing, and gives you a job to do. We love you so so anointing and you need to go him because he thought, spooky gifting's hole. I went to meet. You need to go to when he looked at all. They want to get looked at in his lap heart. My question is when you get up. You can have such an experienced between the anointing on your will that people see get. Think of yourself as a conduit.

God poor certain gifts into you so that you will go out and pour them out on others. That's all the time we have today, but for more information about Destin for victory or our special thank you gift reserve for you when you give your generous year-end gift visit pastor Paul.net that's Pastor Paul.net Jesus.

What only for poor people, as if he could speak to people about what the case was simply to say no much going for you. You have good news that's tomorrow would pastor Paul Shepard's message. It's all about Jesus. But until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory