Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] I do have. I don't know if you care to have this, but I upload the sermon notes on the Bible app. If you use the YouVersion Bible app, if you'd like to download the notes, you can scan that. It'll take you to our church, you can follow the church, and then you can get all my scriptures, all the points for today's sermon. Some of you like to take notes, which I appreciate you should, but if you'd like an easy way to access it. There you go.
[00:00:27] I want you to stand as we honor the reading of God's word. And I want you to turn with me to Haggai Chapter two.
[00:00:34] Haggai Chapter two. We're in a series right now.
[00:00:40] Pastor Jim, about a month ago, began down a road talking about greater glory. Everybody say greater glory.
[00:00:49] How many of you believe that God still has some good stuff in store for us?
[00:00:53] I believe it with all of my heart, and we'll talk about it.
[00:00:56] But Haggai Chapter two and verse seven, he says this. I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the desire of all nations.
[00:01:06] I will fill this temple with glory. Everyone say glory.
[00:01:10] These are the manifest attributes of God. When God shows up and does stuff in our midst, that's glory. I will fill it with glory, says the LORD of Hosts. The silver is mine, the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. The glory of the latter temple will be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. In this I will give peace, says the Lord of hosts. And then our text for today, 1st Chronicles 28.
[00:01:37] We've looked at the last number of weeks. David had a vision that came into his heart. He wanted to build a place of worship, a temple for the glory of the Lord.
[00:01:47] We've talked over that. You can go back and reference it.
[00:01:51] But we pick up today with some instruction to the next generation.
[00:01:56] David, you're not going to do this. You've shed too much blood.
[00:01:59] But we are going to fulfill this vision, and this is how we're going to do it. So pick up with me here First Chronicles 28 and verse 2. Then King David rose to his feet. He said, hear me, brethren, and my people. This was a massive assembly. Everybody in Israel had gathered. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord for the footstool.
[00:02:24] I made preparations to build it, but God said, you shall not build a house for my name because you have been a man of war and you have shed blood. However, the Lord God of Israel chose Me above all the house of my father, to be king over Israel forever. He's chosen Judah to be the ruler, and of the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father. He was pleased with me to make me king over all Israel and of my sons. Verse 5. For the Lord has given me many sons. He has now chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. He said to me, now, this is God now speaking to David. He said to me, it is your son, Solomon, who shall build my house and my courts. I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
[00:03:18] Oh, that's cool. Like, imagine. Imagine you're a dad and God says, no, he's not just your son. He's my son too. That's what's going on here. He's my son, and I will be his father. Moreover, I will establish his kingdom forever if he is steadfast to observe my commandments and my judgments. As it is this day. Now, therefore, in the sight of Israel and the assembly of the Lord and the hearing of our God, be careful to seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your children, after you, forever.
[00:03:54] As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father and serve him with a loyal heart, with a willing mind. For the Lord searches all hearts and understands the intents of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you. If you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
[00:04:16] Consider now, the Lord has chosen you, Solomon, to build a house for the sanctuary.
[00:04:23] Be strong and do it.
[00:04:26] Praise God. This Trinity Church is God's word.
[00:04:32] Believe it to be true. You may be seated.
[00:04:36] It's a powerful, powerful text.
[00:04:41] The idea is very simple. We believe that the glory of the latter temple will be greater than the former.
[00:04:48] And you'll notice this is actually a trend all throughout the Bible.
[00:04:52] There's a principle you learn in theology called progressive illumination. As time goes on, God reveals more and more of his nature. Adam and Eve had some understanding. Moses had some understanding. But as time has gone on, all of a sudden we meet Jesus and like, we realize, oh, there's so much more going on than what we originally thought. God reveals Himself more and more. And can I just encourage you, I say, on the authority of Scripture, the best is yet to come.
[00:05:24] Greater glory is ahead of us. The greatest moves of God are ahead of us. They're not behind us, not in History books. No, we have the joy of walking out this history with God together.
[00:05:37] Now you might say, Pastor Jacob, how in the world can you say this is true? Like, we see people getting stabbed on buses. We see public figures getting assassinated publicly. We see school shootings. We see hate crimes. We see. I mean, the list goes on and on. Poverty, we see oppression. We see. I mean, the list of evil is a mile long. And we could tell new stories every single week of what happened just last week.
[00:06:05] So how can we say that the greatest is yet to come? But yesterday I was sharing coffee with a friend and he reminded me, you know, Jesus prophesied that there would be wheat that was sown by the Lord and the sons of God and there would be tares that would be sown by the devil. And both of these are growing up together. We will see God's good fruit rise. We will see his glory increase, and we will see evil rise. We will see the works of the enemy made manifest. It's not going to be a tipping of the scale. Well, God's winning today, but in this season, the devil's winning. No, we're going to watch the glory of God rise. And yes, we will watch wickedness abound. But I'm just telling you, the Bible says that Jesus is coming back for a bride that has not spot, wrinkle or blemish.
[00:06:57] The church is going to continue apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, equipping the saints for the work of the ministry until the body of Christ looks like Jesus.
[00:07:08] And he's not coming back until we start really reflecting him. Well, so the church is going to become more and more glorious. Our impact is going to be more and more pervasive all into the world. Yes, wickedness will abound, but the glory of God will prevail.
[00:07:28] God wins.
[00:07:31] God wins.
[00:07:32] And so I want to be on board for this. I'm not just going to, you know, hold the Ford and watch the world burn around me. No, we're going to see the kingdom of God come to the earth. We're going to see heaven made manifest in our midst.
[00:07:46] How are we going to do this? Well, David, he had a vision for greater glory.
[00:07:52] He didn't think the battles that he'd won. Well, this is the apex of what God's going to do with Israel. He had something. I want to see something greater than a tent. I want to see a new temple. But he was not able. But the fact that he wasn't able did not stop him from pursuing this vision. It was in his Heart. And so he was going to make a way for his son and the next generation that would follow to carry out this vision. So pastor talked a couple weeks ago about how hearts were consecrated.
[00:08:23] Everybody say consecrated. This is an important word. Consecrated, defined means the transfer of a person or a thing to a sacred sphere.
[00:08:35] So to consecrate something means I'm all in.
[00:08:40] If David consecrated his heart and he led people like, we're going to consecrate our hearts. Consecration is not just a. A partial. Well, I'm going to give God my religion. I'm going to give God my Sundays. But the rest of the week is for me to do with whatever I want to. I'm going to run my business the way I'm going to. You know, when I talk about politics or education, my marriage, my family, I'm going to do things my own way. But yeah, Sundays, I'll do the church stuff. No, consecration means I'm all in.
[00:09:11] God has my heart. And so when I'm doing family, when I'm serving my city, when I'm doing church stuff, when I'm on vacation, when I'm hunting ducks, praise God. My heart is abiding in the Lord. And in all of these things, he is flowing through, and he is a part of all of it.
[00:09:34] You say, how has got a part of hunting?
[00:09:36] Well, in the book of Genesis, it says that he's given us all animals for food.
[00:09:42] Hallelujah. So anyway, just let that release your conscience. For some of you, I'm all in. Whole heart. Not just the 10th, not just Sundays, but my marriage, my work, yes, the church, everything that I do, my heart has been consecrated unto the Lord entirely, 100% his. So he has the right and the liberty to flow into my heart, marriage, into my finances, into my everything I do that's consecrated.
[00:10:17] And what's fascinating is David. He's got this great vision. But as he unfolds this vision and we see his heart, you begin to realize that this vision was in God's heart as well. Wasn't just David. Well, that's a good idea, David. But this is what it says in verse 2, 1st Chronicles 28. We read it a moment ago. Hear me, my brethren.
[00:10:37] I had it in my heart to build a house for the rest of the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for a footstool of our God. And I made preparations to build it.
[00:10:49] Now, here's what's interesting. David takes this vision, he shares it with a prophet in 1st Chronicles 17.
[00:10:56] And the response is, do what's in your heart, David? A lot of heart talk.
[00:11:03] What was in his heart was he wanted to build a place for the Ark.
[00:11:08] This, by the way, the ark is a beautiful picture of the glory of the Lord.
[00:11:13] It was a place where they could gather, they could worship. They would take this into war. And there was an awesome reputation. The army that carries the Ark of the Covenant into battle, God himself will fight on your behalf. It was a place. David had erected a tent. The doors were open. Anybody could come, they could worship, they could pray, they could bring offerings. It was an awesome place. It was a focal point that this is where God dwells. This is where we can meet God and talk to God and worship God.
[00:11:44] But he wanted a place where the ark could rest.
[00:11:50] You've shed a lot of blood, you've won a lot of battles, you have overcome a lot, David, but now it's time for peace. Now it's time to rest. And I think it's significant. You'll notice in verse two, he says that he wanted a place to be a thing, footstool of God.
[00:12:07] Footstool is very interesting language because you'll see it all throughout the Bible. Isaiah, a little while later, he says, heaven is my throne. This is the Lord speaking, Heaven is my throne, the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? And where is the place of my rest?
[00:12:27] Many years later, when Jesus is on the earth, he's quoting David. He's quoting, the Lord has said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool.
[00:12:39] And then the apostle Peter preaches that same exact verse in Acts chapter two, talking about the victory of Jesus. Jesus came, lived a sinless life. He died a death that all mankind deserves.
[00:12:54] He conquered sin, hell, death. He overcame death, rose again. He ascended to the right hand of the Father. He's seated at the right hand of the Father in authority, authority over the enemy. And the Bible says that the enemy has now been made his footstool.
[00:13:14] So the picture of footstool is this identity. It's a picture the battle has been won, the war is over, and God is now establishing that victory in the earth.
[00:13:30] Now, I hope, I hope that you find areas like you relate to David or you relate to Solomon. You know, maybe you've got a vision, you're stewarding and we. One day you're going to hand it off, or maybe you're retiring, you're transitioning, or maybe you're getting married or you're having kids. All of Those are moments for greater glory. You understand?
[00:13:47] You're a part of this church.
[00:13:49] There are constantly opportunities for greater glory.
[00:13:53] But one thing that I want you to understand is every single person within the sound of my voice.
[00:14:00] If your life, if your heart has been consecrated, given to Jesus, the victory that Jesus is seated in is your victory as well.
[00:14:12] It's not just him. He overcame. No, because the Bible says in Ephesians 1, 2 and 3, it's a whole wonderful study that you and I, when we come into the body of Christ, we are seated with him and in him, in heavenly places, far above principality, authority, every dominion, every evil in the earth, it has been made. In fact, that's what Romans 16 says, that the God of peace, wartime is over. Jesus won the battle. The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet. Not just under his feet. His victory has become your victory.
[00:14:48] So this is the vision. I'm telling you, David, he was way ahead of his time, man. He got the vision. We've won some battles, we've toppled some giants, we shed some blood, now, peace. And we're going to establish a foot place for God.
[00:15:08] We're going to walk in dominion. Come on, Solomon, you're going to enjoy peace, you're going to enjoy victory.
[00:15:13] So David, he presents this vision and he gives the people the opportunity to respond. We did this a couple weeks ago where we responded out of a consecrated heart by giving generously.
[00:15:26] That's what these people did as well. They gave big.
[00:15:29] Even knowing this is something that kind of trips me out.
[00:15:34] Many of them gave huge knowing they would not be able to participate in that greater glory temple.
[00:15:42] And this, my friends, this makes me very thankful.
[00:15:46] I remember when this reality became true to me. I was preaching next door in the annex years ago, used to run the Saturday night service.
[00:15:54] And, and I remember I was receiving an offering there on Saturday night.
[00:15:59] That building had only recently been completed. We were kind of new to having services in there. And I remember receiving the offering and thinking, every person that's sitting in this room, right? In fact, I asked the question, how many of you were a part of the giving campaign in the building project to build this annex? And there were only about five or six people in the room of a couple hundred who had been a part of that. Which meant everybody who was there receiving from the Lord, even that which I was able to minister in had been built by somebody else who had gone ahead of me.
[00:16:34] Somebody else gave, somebody else prayed, somebody else bought into a vision, somebody else labored. Other people came with their Hands and their labor, they built and they constructed. And then we as sons and daughters got to enjoy. People are still enjoying it to this very day.
[00:16:54] How many of you sitting in this room right now were a part of the capital campaign to raise funds for this facility that we're seating in right now? Can I see your hands?
[00:17:04] Look around the room. This is like 2% of the room. Do you know what that means?
[00:17:11] Every other person who's sitting in this room, you are sitting in the labors and the prayers, in the giving and the service of other men and women who have gone before. And you to make place so that you and I could enjoy the glory of the Lord right here in this place.
[00:17:30] Thank you for the several dozen who were a part of this. And we're all a part of it today. Can you imagine? Come on, we're going to be debt free. We're going to owe no man nothing. Hallelujah.
[00:17:42] So we're believing for glory. To glory. We believe this for our church. I believe it for your business.
[00:17:49] Believe it in your home, believe it in your finances. You apply this in whatever area you see fit. But I'm just telling you, if you're a part of this church, you're also a part of the vision for greater glory.
[00:18:01] And every one of you have a part to play. Not just the guys on stage, not just the people who lead Bible studies. You understand? Part of the beauty of this temple coming together was the idea that there were anointed fabric makers, there were anointed hammer workers, There were anointed encouragers. Literally, people were assigned to worship and to pray and to encourage the labor that was going on. Praise God. Somebody brought some anointed ham sandwiches to bless the. Not ham. These are Jews.
[00:18:37] Someone brought turkey. Is turkey clean? I don't know.
[00:18:43] Someone brought kosher dill pickles to refresh the people that were there. Okay, better move on. So how many of you want to be a part of the vision for greater glory? I want to be a part of it. Hallelujah. Here's what we must do. This is partially review, but I want to shed some light on this as well. If we were to steward greater glory number one, we must steward consecrated hearts.
[00:19:05] We talked about this. Not partially in. I am all in, 100% consecrated holy hearts. So what, David? I've got something in my heart to build. But as you get into the story, you realize this was part of God's idea. This ultimately would be leading up to the ministry of Jesus. And David, he's walking through this Okay, I can't build it, but Solomon can build it. And then God quickly comes behind and says, that's not your idea, David. That's my idea.
[00:19:35] You're his dad. But I'm his father, and I am going to be a father to him. He's my son. So this is where, like, you can get into fun theological debates. Was this in David's heart or was it in God's heart? Whose idea was it? And I say yes.
[00:19:55] I say yes, because here's the key. And you'll learn this about consecrated hearts. God's desires flow through consecrated hearts.
[00:20:07] God's desires flow through consecrated hearts. When his heart was given to the Lord, all of a sudden there's this intermingling of God's desires and David's desires.
[00:20:21] You see, in Psalm 37, in verse 4, you may know this verse. It says, delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
[00:20:34] Now, I remember taking that verse, and I want a new car. And this is in Bible school days. I'm praying for a wife. And I'm, you know, I had my list of things that I wanted, and I thought, if I delight myself in the Lord, he's going to give me the things that I want.
[00:20:49] And, you know, you're not off to a bad start doing it that way. But can I tell you, I don't think that's actually what that verse means.
[00:20:57] What that verse is indicating is when we have our affections, our heart consecrated entirely unto the Lord, what begins to happen is God says, you're giving me your heart. I'm going to give you my heart.
[00:21:11] There's an intermingling. There's a merging together of hearts and desires. So delighting yourself in the Lord, consecrating your heart does not just mean that he's going to give you stuff.
[00:21:26] It means he begins to plant his desires. I will give you the desires of your heart, his wants, his passions, his dreams. This, by the way, is also what it means to wait on the Lord. You say, well, how do I. How do I get God's desires to flow into me? Wait on the Lord. Psalm 25. 5. You are the God of my salvation. On you I wait day.
[00:21:53] Now, again, this is another verse that some will take out of context.
[00:21:57] I know students who graduated Bible school.
[00:22:02] They begin to pray, God open doors for me to work in ministry. And they literally sit and do nothing because they're waiting on the Lord. That's not waiting on the Lord.
[00:22:13] The word wait in Scripture is the Hebrew word kava.
[00:22:20] And it means to bind together, perhaps by twisting or braiding together. That is to collect and to expect.
[00:22:29] We're gathering, we're looking patiently, we're waiting upon, on and for the Lord.
[00:22:36] So it's this idea of being braided together. Think about this. When we come together and we pray, we come together and we worship, we gather around the Word. Do you know that you are. You are looking upon the Lord and as your heart is surrendered to him, God, I'm giving you my all. I'm giving you my everything. You're literally being braided together into the heart and the mind and the desires of God.
[00:23:05] That's a big deal, friend. You just start getting around Jesus and all of a sudden your. Your heart and your desires and your wants begin to shift. How many of you have experienced this? I just started coming to church and, man, I didn't want to do this stuff anymore. I didn't want to be around certain people anymore. And you had other desires? I never wanted to own a business until I started going after Jesus. I never wanted to run for office until I started falling in love with. Where did this desire come from?
[00:23:33] As you look upon him and as your heart is given to him, he is. He is literally braiding you together.
[00:23:41] In fact, even one of the applications of that word, you realize for a pregnant mom, that baby is literally waiting on you.
[00:23:53] So literally, yeah, it's just kind of hanging out, right?
[00:23:57] But every day it's receiving nutrition, it's receiving identity, it is growing, it is being strengthened as it's waiting on Mom.
[00:24:07] And this is the very same picture. As we wait upon the Lord as we honor him, as we serve him, as we, as we look, look upon him as we seek Him. You are being braided together into the very nature of God Almighty.
[00:24:22] Wow.
[00:24:24] I just wonder, man, did David.
[00:24:27] He's a shepherd boy worshiping God on the side of the mountain.
[00:24:30] Do you ever dream about temples?
[00:24:33] Do you ever dream. Dream about a kingdom? Do you ever dream about the sons that he would have or the giants that he would topple? I would submit to you. Probably not.
[00:24:42] But what happened? He was a young man who had a heart after God. And he gave his heart to the Lord. And all of a sudden, God began to birth a king in him. He began to birth a warrior in him, began to birth leadership in him because he had a heart that was consecrated unto the Lord. David is proof positive. You don't need a platform to build something for God. You just need a consecrated heart, willing hands.
[00:25:11] God, speak to my Heart. And I will do what you ask me to do.
[00:25:16] So David is presenting a vision. Consecrated hearts. You want to steward greater glory? Friend, learn to consecrate your heart the very same way David did.
[00:25:27] Secondly, we must steward steadfast vision.
[00:25:33] If you're taking notes, I want you to write that down. We must be a steward. You want to steward greater glory? Well, here's. Here's a very important. You must steward steadfast vision.
[00:25:43] You see this in verse 7.
[00:25:46] Moreover, this is the Lord speaking now. I will establish his kingdom forever if he is steadfast to observe. Everybody say steadfast.
[00:25:58] I like that word, steadfast. It means unwavering, firm, resolute.
[00:26:06] You must have a vision that is unwavering. Nothing is taking me off of this goal. I will accomplish what the Lord has asked me to do. Now you look at that verse again. He's steadfast to observe. Now watch this. My commandments, my judgments.
[00:26:25] And most people would stop right there. But the third part is very important, as it is this day.
[00:26:32] As it is this day. See, part of where people get in trouble.
[00:26:38] You don't know where a religious spirit comes from.
[00:26:42] So when people begin looking at the rule book rather than the rule maker, it's. This is where the Pharisees got into a lot of trouble. But it's all about the Sabbath. And they're missing the glory of paralyzed people getting up and blind eyes being open. You're missing the Messiah right in front of you because you're so focused on the judgments and the commands. Listen, judgments and commands are important.
[00:27:06] But the key to success in this is what David had in his consecrated heart and his steadfast vision. He had a heart that was given to the Lord, and he had his eyes set on not commandments and judgments.
[00:27:20] He had his heart and his eyes set on the Lord himself.
[00:27:24] And out of that flows judgments, out of that flows commands how many understand. Like obedience is a lot more fun. If I just look at the list of commands and everything I can do, and I can't do, man, that is stale, dead religion.
[00:27:43] But if I look upon the Lord and my heart is given to him, and I see him and oh, he's beautiful. And the vision he's laying out is incredible. And I want to be a part of it. Friend, I can't help but run after that. And I'm telling you, it will keep you on the straight and narrow so you'll walk in a greater level of integrity and holiness. Your whole life will be consecrated if your heart is consecrated.
[00:28:09] That was the Holy Ghost right there. Wow.
[00:28:14] Be steadfast to observe. That's vision. But watch what he says.
[00:28:20] It is this day.
[00:28:24] You know what he's saying? Solomon and the assembly. Remember, there was a whole assembly here and he's addressing everybody now. This isn't just David and Solomon. He's addressing everybody. You want to be a greater Glory carrier?
[00:28:38] I need you to see as it is this day.
[00:28:43] That's a big phrase. I need you to see as it is this day. David, you've done well.
[00:28:51] You've carried my heart.
[00:28:53] You fought the battles. You've overcome.
[00:28:57] You desire what I desire. But there was a shift that was happening here. What began in David's heart will continue in Solomon's hands.
[00:29:08] So I need you to hear me on this. To the next generation of glory carriers.
[00:29:14] If your heart stays consecrated and if your vision remains steadfast, if you desire what God desires, as the generation before us has, God himself will establish you.
[00:29:30] You'll never have to build your own reputation, platform yourself, create your own following, promote yourself. God himself will establish you. This wasn't just David's idea. This is my idea. God's saying, the problem is David can't have vision for Solomon. He has a vision that Solomon needs to walk out. But there has to come a point in time where Solomon can see for himself.
[00:29:58] He's got to see it. Here's the key. As it is this day, he has to see it like his dad.
[00:30:06] How did we come to this place, David?
[00:30:10] How did you get this vision? Tell me about your delight in the Lord. Tell me about what you have seen. A place for the glory of God to rest. A place. A footstool for God. Right here. Tell me, David, how did you come to this place?
[00:30:25] This is going to be the challenge for the upcoming generation, those who will carry on the legacy of moms and dads and the Spirit.
[00:30:33] Can we see like they saw?
[00:30:36] It's like Elisha in Second Kings, in chapter six. There's an army that's surrounding Elijah and a spiritual son.
[00:30:45] And the son feels, we're outnumbered. We're gonna. We're gonna die in this battle. Where are. Where are all of God's people?
[00:30:53] Elisha says, oh, if only you could see what I see.
[00:30:57] Lord open his eyes and may he see.
[00:31:02] And in that very moment, his eyes are open and he sees angel armies, chariots and horses blazing with fire all around. And all of a sudden, he realizes, oh, my goodness, there are more that are fighting on our side than those who are against us.
[00:31:19] He Needed a father.
[00:31:21] This is how you see.
[00:31:23] This is what I see.
[00:31:25] It's like a few years ago.
[00:31:28] This is a much less spiritual story, but a few years ago, I was diving in Hawaii, and I was with a Hawaiian friend, and we were in the water together. Had our snorkels on, had our fins on. And as we're going, he turns and he looks at me and says, did you see the taco in the water?
[00:31:47] I'm Mexican, so I'm like, no, I don't see any taco. This is a burrito down there. Like, what are we talking about? What I discovered was that taco is Hawaiian for octopus.
[00:31:59] So he saw an octopus down there. I didn't see it. I didn't even know to be looking for an octopus. And he's like, no, it's right there. Starts pointing. You see, there's a little hole in that. That coral down there. And. Okay, watch this. So he dives down about 20ft. He's got a little stick in his hand, and he pokes the stick in this hole. He's down there long time. And then I watch this tentacle wrap around the stick, and he grabs the tentacle, pulls the octopus out, the taco. Now he's got it. Ink everywhere. It's awesome. He's shaking this thing to clear the ink out. Comes back to the surface, and he hands me the taco.
[00:32:37] This is cool, man. I've got a picture on my social media. You can find it. But this. This octopus just, you know, his tentacles wrapped down my arm, and. And I'm holding it, and I. I'm just observing this thing holding it, and. And he's just, yeah, this is how they go. And this is where their beak is. And just walking me through the whole thing.
[00:32:56] And then go back into the water. And I release the taco into the water, and I watch this thing go away. I watch him go down to the reef and go into the hole. And something clicked in my brain.
[00:33:12] I don't know how to explain it other than I had a mentor showing me how to see the taco. But after that day, almost every time I would go snorkel in the water, I'd see a taco.
[00:33:25] I just saw the. I saw the tentacle. And I'd ask my buddies, did you see the taco? I didn't see nothing.
[00:33:30] And unfortunately, I. You know, by the time I dive down 20ft, I'm ready to come back up. So I could never fish him out the way that he did. But I learned how to see this is going to be the task for the up and coming generation. I'm just telling, and I'm speaking to myself in this. If we're going to carry on greater glory in the body of Christ, in the spheres of influence that you're operating in, you not only need to have a heart that's given to it, but you have to see. You have to have eyes that see the way dad saw. You have to have eyes that see the way mom did. Why did you do this? I hear in Pastor Tim last week talk about the breaking down of this church, the fall of a spiritual leader. And I want to go to these guys, and some of you are sitting in this room, like, why did you stay?
[00:34:18] Let me see through your eyes. Why did you persevere? Why did you still have hope that God was going to use this church in the midst of such horrible evil that was being revealed in that? Like, tell me why. Why did you give to this project right here when everything seem. Tell me the angel story once again.
[00:34:37] I mean, I'm telling you these. These moments are so precious.
[00:34:41] Friends tell the stories, share the testimonies. There's overcoming power in our testimony, and it encourages young hearts like mine to know, man, if God did it for you back then, he'll do it again for us here today.
[00:34:55] Oh, we need your testimonies.
[00:34:58] We need your testimonies.
[00:35:00] We need to have spiritual mothers and fathers, not just teachers. And that's one of the Apostle Paul's rebukes. He's like, we got a lot of teachers. Everybody wants a microphone, everybody wants to start a podcast, but we don't have many fathers, we don't have many mothers, we don't have many mentors.
[00:35:20] We need some people that man, let me show you why my heart burns for the Lord. Let me help you see the way that I see. Why do I burn for the city?
[00:35:31] Why did I want to start this business?
[00:35:33] Why do I think marriage is still a great way to raise a family in the earth? Why do I still. Why do I still want to have kids in this evil generation? Why? Why do I still believe that there's hope for this coming generation? Why do I still believe that the greatest days are ahead of us and not by I need to see through your eyes.
[00:35:58] Verse 8.
[00:36:00] Everybody still doing okay?
[00:36:03] Now, therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord and the hearing of our God, be careful to seek out the commandments of the Lord that you may watch this possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance.
[00:36:15] Your children, after you Forever.
[00:36:21] Greater glory is God's vision.
[00:36:27] It is God's desire.
[00:36:30] But it is also a holy inheritance we are receiving from spiritual mothers and fathers.
[00:36:41] I don't know if we got that.
[00:36:43] Greater glory is a gift from God and a holy inheritance.
[00:36:52] Yes, it's in God's heart and we're going to walk out his mission. But you also got to believe there are some people who've gone before you to blaze the trail, to break open the ground who gave and served and prayed and bled and died to make a way where there was no way.
[00:37:11] It is a gift from God and it's a holy inheritance. And if we're going to steward greater glory, you understand, when I stand here in this pulpit, I look around at what God is doing and we can see attendance growing and oh, is it because we did this advertising? We don't even do advertising. But is it because we did this program or we started this ministry? Friend, I don't even think about that kind of stuff.
[00:37:35] I'm looking back to people who persevered during a pandemic and didn't give up and continued to go after God. I believe what we are reaping today is because somebody was faithful yesterday.
[00:37:48] When I experience the presence of God and we see what the Lord is doing, man, I praise God for the new worship leaders and instrumentalists and everything that's joining us on, on stage, but I'm. They're part of what God's doing here.
[00:38:02] But we have 50 years of pouring into this worship culture and cultivating the substantive, substantive presence of God in our midst. We're reaping today what others have labored for generation ago.
[00:38:20] Don't ever get big in your head.
[00:38:23] We must reap. This is the third thing. I already said it. We must steward greater glory as a holy inheritance.
[00:38:31] Worship team, if you'll come, I'm closing with this idea.
[00:38:35] We must steward greater glory as a holy inheritance.
[00:38:44] Testimony I share about Pastor Nate.
[00:38:47] He's reaping today what he's been. He has been sowing for five years into Fair park the audience to preach the gospel to gang members. That did not happen because he walked up on the right place at the right time. No. For years, he's been investing into the lives of those people personally. And all of a sudden, I'll give you a platform to preach the gospel and to pray.
[00:39:12] Powerful.
[00:39:14] This last week, I witnessed what I believe was a powerful breakthrough moment.
[00:39:20] We were invited.
[00:39:21] Listen to what I'm about to say.
[00:39:24] We were invited. All of the pastors in Cedar Hill were invited to join all of the public school principals in the Cedar Hill School District by the superintendent of Cedar Hill.
[00:39:40] And this. This is powerful.
[00:39:44] I didn't know what to expect when I was walking into this place. You know, I thought, you know, we were going to do this. And at the end, now, let's receive an offering or can you guys do a Can drive at your church or something? You know, I thought that was. But I'm listening to this superintendent, and I'm telling you, I'm sitting there. You understand? Like, you get in certain settings, and it's like you'll listen to a politician, and it's just like, God bless you. And it's just like, you don't know God.
[00:40:10] Anybody know what I'm talking about?
[00:40:12] I don't know who popped into your brain when I said that, but we've all seen it. We've all watched it. You don't know the Lord.
[00:40:18] This woman was. Not that I'm listening to her, man. And there's more Holy Ghost, there's more love of Jesus coming out of this lady, this superintendent in Cedar Hill, than a lot of pastors I've sat under.
[00:40:30] I mean, it's incredible. She loves the Lord, had a heart for prayer, and is inviting pastors. Will you come in and mentor and disciple and pray? Pour into the public schools? Not the private schools, not the Christian schools. No public schools.
[00:40:48] I'm watching this, and I'm hearing this, and, like, you know, and we're praying together, and then I turn to the table, and I'm sitting at the table with the principal from Cedar Hill High School, and she begins to echo the same exact things. Like, no, for real prayer requests, not just a Bible club over in the corner when nobody else is watching. No. Like, do you guys want to do a school assembly, or do you guys want to do a program, or do you want to teach a class, or do you want to pray over the teachers? And how many chaplains do we have? And, yes, we have inspire in the school. Like, the doors are wide open, and I'm like, I'm floored, man. I'm watching this.
[00:41:27] But you know what comes into my heart in that moment?
[00:41:31] This is not just because we have a new superintendent in town.
[00:41:37] That's part of it. She's like, solomon, you're a part of the process, but you want to know where this is coming from.
[00:41:44] Twenty years ago, there were men and women of faith, people like the Sims over here, people like the Hennessys, people like. Like Jim and Sheila Hood and The list goes on and on. Who got together.
[00:41:56] Transformation, Vision. I believe that God could turn our schools for Jesus. I believe that God could do something in our government. I believe that God could do. In fact, we heard about this. We have prayer request boxes in all of the public schools. And just this last week, all of our, all of our government buildings said, hey, could we get one of those prayer boxes put up in our government buildings as well?
[00:42:20] You guys, this is huge.
[00:42:24] This is huge. We are reaping today what people 20 years ago, and I promise you, I promise you, sometimes they would go into schools and they were not wanted.
[00:42:35] They would pray in the heavens are brass. They would give, they would raise funds. They would say, hey, can we donate turkeys? Can we do something? And with varying receptivity, hard ground.
[00:42:47] But because they were faithful to pray and to serve and to give and to labor and to cry and to hurt and to care.
[00:42:58] 20 years from now, oh my goodness, we're experiencing breakthrough.
[00:43:03] Breakthrough.
[00:43:04] You know, there was a public school gathering. Our church came in, Pastor Matt, some of our team, these guys were doing a chapel. 200 students gathered together in one of our public charter schools. And over a hundred students surrender their lives to Jesus for the first time ever. A hundred students?
[00:43:27] What are you talking about? Pastor Jacob, you realize like I'm sitting in that room, but I understand that there have been mighty men and women of God who went before me, who had consecrated hearts, who had a vision from God and understood they were stewarding something. That's not just a good idea, but this is a God idea.
[00:43:52] So when I step into a setting like this, it's like I need to capture your heart and I need to capture your vision and I need to capture the.
[00:44:03] This is, this is not just an idea.
[00:44:07] This is a God birthed vision.
[00:44:13] This applies to our church, this applies to your home, this applies to your business.
[00:44:20] If I can leave one last challenge before we pray to this generation that's coming up right now, you understand everything that we're reaping the harvest, we're experiencing the growth in the church. Breakthrough in the city, in our schools, on and on and on.
[00:44:38] Because somebody was faithful. A generation ago, people have been faithful to pray and to give and to serve.
[00:44:47] So my commission to you is what David was encouraging Solomon and a whole generation that was coming up.
[00:44:53] Get the heart, capture the vision, continue to serve and give and pray and labor and weep and show up and care, be disappointed, get hurt, Hallelujah, it's all gonna happen.
[00:45:11] But be faith steadfast vision don't take your eyes off of it because God wants to do something greater.
