HSC: Holy Spirit : The Glory | Pastor Jude Fouquier

In this sermon, we dive deep into understanding how to live out the glory of God by embracing our unique divine purpose. Drawing inspiration from the Holy Spirit and foundational Christian teachings like the Nicene Creed, we explore how true fulfillment comes from aligning our lives with God's intentions.

Discover the transformative power of recognizing the Holy Spirit as the giver, guide, and source of glory and gifts. Learn how meditating on and contemplating these truths can lead to authentic transformation and a life fully alive with purpose.

Join us as we discuss:
- The often overlooked role of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.
- How right beliefs lead to right living.
- The journey to discovering and living your calling.
- The significance of embodying God's glory through our unique gifts and talents.

Throughout this episode, we reference key scriptures and offer practical insights to help you discern and develop the purpose God has placed within you. Whether you're navigating a new chapter or seeking deeper meaning, this message offers inspiration and encouragement for your faith journey.

📌 Key Scriptures:
- Acts 19
- John 17
- Isaiah 43:7
- 2 Timothy 1:9
- 2 Corinthians 3:18
- Colossians 3:4

Tune in to be inspired and equipped to live a life that reflects the glorious purpose God designed for you. Remember to subscribe, share, and leave a review if you enjoy the episode! Your engagement helps us spread these meaningful messages further.

#HolySpirit #DivinePurpose #GloryOfGod #ChristianPodcast #FaithJourney #SpiritualGrowth #PurposeDrivenLife

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- Website: cathedral-church.com

- Instagram: instagram.com/cathedral.church

- New to faith? Sign up for our 5 week daily devotional!

Transcript

 I personally had a great time at the conference and really you could tell a lot about a church by the name of their conference.

In Cathedral to have the audacity to name a conference Holy Spirit Conference shows really a desire of your heart.

In the day and the age that we live in

 not only in North America, I would say possibly even the world, our generation, you almost don't even hear of the Holy Spirit.

And in Acts 19, when Paul said, what were you baptized in?

They said, John's baptism.

He said, have you heard of the Holy Spirit?

Their response was, we have even heard that they're

 Is or was the Holy Spirit.

So it's almost like we worship one God in two persons.

Father, Son, however.

 We believe in one God, three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And so today I want to continue talking about the Holy Spirit.

And I really believe in the creeds.

And I want that to frame in, in a moment, it's going to come on the screen, a little bit of the Nicene Creed, which was written about 326 in the city of Nicaea.

 And really, it's an orthodox way to believe.

And it used to be when you were baptized, you would quote the creed.

You would state the creed, what you believed in.

And I believe orthodoxy leads to orthopraxy.

Or if you're from the south, you'd say it right.

Believing leads to right living.

 Any area in my life that I'm not living right, I'm not thinking right.

And so if you want to live right, believe right, and if you believe right, you don't have to try, righteousness will begin to grow from the inside out.

Amen?

And so today, we're going to read, I want you to read with me three statements from this creed.

And I'm going to ask you to do it out loud.

I know that's a bit awkward sometimes.

 uh because some of you just hate my voice just get over your voice it's going to be okay people sing karaoke at the chinese restaurant on every thursday night you could read a little bit of the creed so here we go we're going to begin to read the creed and i'm going to open up

 And we're going to start with the Father, Patres.

Here we go, out loud.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

I just want to stop right there.

If God made all things and he holds the whole universe, even beyond the Hubble telescope in the palm of his hand,

 He's got you.

And there's nothing in your life that he cannot handle.

And if you're saying, I'm losing it.

No, you're not.

You said that yesterday and you're here.

He's got you.

And even if you did lose it, he didn't lose it.

Amen.

Now let's go to one of my favorite ones.

Here goes the son.

It says, I believe in the one Lord Jesus Christ.

The only begotten son of God.

Love this part.

God from God.

Light from light.

True God.

 begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

Amen?

And then we're going to the Holy Spirit, and we want this to frame in what we're going to be saying today.

And it wouldn't be bad if churches throughout our nation would quote these three lines, because many people...

 believe that Jesus, Muhammad, and the Buddha are kind of triplets, three amigos.

And can I say, Muhammad never claimed to be God.

Neither did the Buddha, neither did Socrates, neither did Aristotle.

Jesus is completely God, completely human, and he's the only one that is able to deliver us.

Amen?

So here we go.

Spiritus Santos.

Don't make me speak in Spanish this morning.

 Here we go.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and Son, who with the Father and Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

Amen.

 And so we did a series.

And when I think of the Holy Spirit, I think of four things.

Number one, the Holy Spirit is the giver.

And it says that in the creed.

So anything really that we have ever received from God, we have been given it to us.

 by the Holy Spirit.

He is the guide.

And Jesus said, it's better for you that I go away because when I go away, I'm going to send the paracletos or the comforter, the one called along your side.

He'll be with you, but also in you.

And guess what?

 He is going to guide you.

And many people are living their truth, but it's not about me living my truth.

It's about me experiencing, encountering the truth.

And really my North Star, my GPS that causes me to get back on track when I'm off track is the Holy Spirit.

 He is the guide.

And then the next, He is the glory.

And we're going to talk about that today.

He is not only the giver, He's not only the guide, He is the glory.

And then He is the gifts, the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

You can look at the message from the conference and you can catch up on that.

But today, we're going to begin to talk about the glory.

And we're going to begin to define what glory is.

 And I want you to know this.

I want to ask a simple question.

Why are you breathing this morning?

And what is your mission?

And I saw it in the green room, a cool green room.

If you've never been in the green room, go in the green room.

I mean, it is just, I just want to sit in there and eat a Big Mac or something.

Come on, that's, and it's so, so cool.

But no, and don't look at me that you're all that Whole Foods organic Big Mac.

 They sell two billion burgers a year.

Somebody's eating them.

Come on.

And plus, the Bible says I could eat any deadly thing and it will not harm me.

So, okay, back to the message.

Back to the message.

What was I thinking?

I don't know.

Okay, now I know.

In the green room, it says, get this, encouraging people in their destiny.

I paraphrased it.

 And so I want to encourage you in your destiny.

So this morning, if you're taking notes, maybe you could write down or on your smartphone, use your thumb and just put, why am I breathing?

What is your purpose?

What is your destiny?

Now, Irenaeus, who is an ancient church father, said this, get this, get this.

 The glory of God, and I want you to reflect on this, contemplate on this, that the glory of God is man fully alive.

We could say it another way.

The glory of God is woman fully alive.

You show me a woman alive in her mind, her spirit, her life, her career, her relationship.

 And you will see the glory of God.

So the glory of God is humans fully alive.

But yet, we have fallen short of being fully alive.

And we end up escaping, numbing, and medicating to pretend we're fully alive when we're not fully alive.

And we watch Netflix drinking rosé all day.

 And to think that we're experiencing the life that God says, or Irenaeus says, God didn't say, but he maybe did through Irenaeus.

The glory of God is man fully alive.

Now get this, when God made the first man Adam, he made him from the dirt.

 And so all you have is black dirt, brown dirt, yellow dirt, red dirt, white dirt, wishing they were black dirt.

They go to the tanning bed, get sprayed in their orange dirt, but all he is is dirt.

And woman, she was not made from the dirt.

She was made from the man.

And whatever you're made from, that's what you know how to work.

That's why men like getting dirty.

But women know how to work men because they came from man.

 And men sweat, women glisten, and when God made the woman, she was so full alive, he said, I can't do any better than that.

He sat down, Michael, get me a latte, put a little vanilla and chocolate swirl in that.

 and and he said i'm gonna take a break can i say women i believe you are gonna be the crescendo of cathedral and show la what it means to experience the glory i've got three snaps i'm alive come on

 Can you say amen?

And so the glory of God is man or woman or young people fully alive.

Now, I want you to begin to think, what is your destiny?

What is your purpose?

Why are you breathing on this earth?

And just look at your hand or maybe you could look at my hand.

What is it if you have a finger and it's like, man, that is the best pointer finger that I have ever seen.

 It doesn't matter how great your finger is, if it's disconnected from the hand, it loses its purpose.

And I believe cathedral days are going to get brighter and brighter, bigger and bigger.

Because without the body known as the local church, people cannot discover and know their real function in this life.

 Amen.

And so the glory of God is this.

In the Hebrew, it's kabod.

And it means weight.

It means strength.

So for example, if you have a product and you get an influencer that has millions of followers and you give them a little bit of cash.

 And get this, they put their weight behind your product.

Your product is going to have some glory to it.

So when it says glory in the Hebrew, when it means weight, it literally means God putting his influence behind you.

 you and so that's why sometimes in a service people they overdo it they go glory did you feel that glow and they'll do ab crunches it's like and they have you ever seen that when they say the glory is there and they'll kind of refer to kabod that when the priest and it's true when the glory filled the temple the priest could not stand because of the weightedness of his presence

 Another one, it means majesty.

It means radiance.

It means the invisible beauty or the splendor.

When I begin to think of glory, and I want you to begin to think of what Irenaeus said, the glory of people is when they are fully alive.

And I think one of the reasons the local church has not revealed God's glory to our city and our region and our nation is

 Is we think glory only comes in 30 minutes or an hour and a half on a Sunday morning.

And that's the only time we feel alive.

God didn't create us just to go to service.

He created us to live and live to the fullest.

 Can you say amen?

And so I want to ask you this.

Why are you breathing?

Now, I was a youth pastor for 25 years.

Can you believe Jake and Nicole would have been in my youth group?

I would have been their youth pastor.

Yes, I am that old.

 And so we have officiated many, many weddings and we've officiated a lot of funerals.

And I want to ask you this question.

What will they say of you at your funeral?

Or let's do it another way.

What will it say on your tombstone?

Let's do this one.

Let's do it.

 Partied.

And died.

Okay.

How about this one?

Lived.

Made a lot of money.

Wouldn't be too shabby.

And died.

It just doesn't have the ring.

Lived.

Had a lot of influencers.

Follow me.

Then I died.

How about this one?

Lived.

Ate at McDonald's.

And I died.

What would that be?

McDeath.

Okay.

How about this one?

Lived.

 preached a really good sermon, and I died.

Or lived, had a great worship set, and I died.

I want to do what David did, and it's going to come on the screen, and it's a scripture that I've tried to model my life after.

It's not my favorite scripture.

 I'm going to tell you what they're going to put on my tombstone.

It's my favorite scripture.

But this is just one.

I wanted to be a North Star for me.

And it's Acts 13, 36.

And it says, David served the purpose of God in his generation.

Then he died.

 That he served God's purpose in his day, then he died.

And I would say, you say, what's your favorite scripture?

Oh, easy.

Psalms 25, 14.

Friendship with the Lord is for those who fear him.

So at the end, they're going to say, he was a friend of God.

And so I don't want them to say it at the end if it didn't happen in the beginning and throughout my journey.

Can you say amen?

 Now we're talking about the glory.

I want you to go with me.

Go to John chapter 17.

If you're trying to figure out, maybe you're a young professional, you're out of high school, and you're thinking, what should I do?

I think we have the best Bible college in the entire West Coast.

I have helped probably at least 12 to 13 churches start Bible college.

I have taught

 systematic theology for over 35 years.

I just filmed it this year, and Theo Hsu wants it, so we'll probably give it to him.

And I've taught Romans, I've taught covenants, Old Testament survey, New Testament survey.

And about five years ago, when I turned 60, I thought, I want to be a student.

I personally think you will never teach well if you don't learn well.

 And I don't want to be a student to preach.

I want to be a student because I love him.

I love that song.

And so I thought, you need to teach something new.

I'd been teaching, and up to that point, I'd also taught the book of Romans probably at least eight years.

I've read Romans probably at least 800 times, have memorized chapters 1 through 4, chapter 12, chapter 6, 7, and 8.

 in most of chapter 10.

And so I love Romans and I thought it's time to hand that off.

You need a new gig because I want to see another side of Christ.

So I had heard that the book of John is the greatest book ever written in history.

So greater than Homer, Iliad, Odyssey, greater than Shakespeare, greater than Tom Clancy, greater than the Twilight Saga.

Really?

 Yes.

And so I thought, well, if it's the greatest book, and again, I had read through the Gospel of John at least three to five hundred times.

Twenty-one chapters, I thought, I'm going to teach the Gospel of John.

And in the Gospel of John, the first eighteen verses of chapter one is a prologue.

And I'm going somewhere.

We're still on glory.

You know, where is he?

Where is he?

I'll tell you.

You're going to get there.

 Oh, you, you know, lay it out, people.

Okay, now get this.

The first 18 verses are a prologue, and a prologue is a story before the story.

So the entire gospel of John is in those 18 verses.

So I challenged our students, I said, will you memorize with me

 The first 18 verses.

I believe one of the greatest lost arts of spirituality is meditation.

And you will never meditate on scripture if you haven't memorized scripture.

And so we were going to do it for the whole year, but they finished it the first semester.

 and they said pastor jude what will we memorize the second semester this is very important and i said well if it's the greatest book in the bible the greatest chapter in the greatest book is john 17. and the reason why john 17 is the greatest chapter it's the only place in holy scripture where you and i can read where we hear god praying

 God knows how you pray.

Do you know how God prays?

Now, one of the top words in John 17, and it's known as Jesus' high priestly prayer, is glory or glorified.

 And we're going to look at verse number 4.

And it's going to begin to be a snapshot in how you and I can glorify God on the earth.

And so here it goes.

This is John 17.4.

You're turning there.

 So if you have a traditional Bible, just go to John 17, 4.

I know it.

As you're turning or you're on your smartphone, I'll just throw down and give you verses 1, 2, and 3 because I can.

Let's see.

Now, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, The hour has come.

Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come to glorify your son that your son may glorify him as you have given him.

 authority over all flesh that means people to give salvation to as many as you have chosen come on verse 3 and this is eternal life that they may know you the one true God and Jesus Christ whom you've sent bam I memorized verse 4 in Vegas and I could tell you what happens in Vegas ain't staying in Vegas

 He said, I glorified you on the earth.

How?

I glorified you on earth.

Did it mean he jumped up and down in the temple?

No.

I glorified you on the earth.

Did that mean he prayed all day?

No.

He was a carpenter for 30 years.

Many people think I can't glorify God unless I'm in the full-time ministry.

Christ spent most of his life at a blue-collar job working with everyday people and he glorified God.

 So he says, I glorified you on the earth.

How?

I glorified you on the earth.

How?

And then it tells you, I finished the work you gave me to do.

I want you to ponder on that, contemplate on that.

Many people start the work, but they never finish the work.

 And he did not say that I finished the work you gave someone else to do.

I believe one of the things that robs us from experiencing, or let's say it this way, reflecting the glory of God, is that we try to be anointed in another way that we were never created to be anointed.

The anointing, here it goes.

The anointing, here it goes.

This is going to be good.

I'm going to drop the mic after this, but it's a head mic.

How can I?

 The anointing is on the real you, not the you you want to be.

I tell you, y'all heard that?

Wow.

Okay, the anointing is on the real you, not the you you want to be.

You know what shows glory?

Have you ever seen an eagle?

When we lived in Seattle, an eagle flying, swooping down Lake Sammamish, getting the fish...

 It reveals its majestic, the very glory of God.

You see, an eagle isn't an eagle because it flies.

It flies because it's an eagle.

Your do doesn't reflect your who.

Your who creates your do, but when your who does your do, good God, I sound like Dr. Seuss here today.

 Where's Horton?

All I know is when your who does your do, then the glory of God is seen.

How about this?

A mother with an infant and the baby just relaxing.

It reveals the glory of God.

A fireman running in when others are running out reveals a part of the glory of God.

I want to ask you, why are you breathing?

What is your mission?

I'm here to encourage you in your destiny.

 I want to give you four words.

I don't know if I'll be able to explain all four in our brief moments, but I want to give you this.

You were created, write that down, created for the glory of God.

You were created for the glory of God.

Now, I was in, and why don't we read a scripture since I said that so we could back it up.

This is Isaiah 43, 7.

 You were created for the glory of God.

Here it goes.

Everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created for what?

For my glory.

I have formed him.

Yes, I have made him.

 everyone that's called by my name get this i created them i made them for my glory i was in australia years ago planning uh preaching for a big youth conference i love the way they say it we say planet shakers they go planet shake us i mean it just i mean they even make outback steakhouse and you know

 Awesome blossom, mate.

Put some shrimps on the barbie.

Okay, I do a bad Australia.

I know.

I'll go Australia and then it kind of goes Louisiana.

 Then I'm in Tijuana.

I mean, everything goes.

That's just me.

Okay, but they had a guy.

He was preaching.

He's a good friend of mine.

He's probably one of the best preachers I've ever seen or experienced in my life.

In fact, when he preached, you couldn't even take notes.

The whole stadium is on their feet cheering.

And then we're in the green room.

Not as cool as this green room right here.

 That we're in the green room and all the other youth pastors and leaders and people who are speaking at the conferences, you know, watch what he was saying.

Listen to what he was saying.

And they were almost kind of not, yeah, hero worshiping.

And I've done that.

We've all kind of done that, you know.

And it's like, oh, great one, great one.

And so he would say it and I'm imitating precisely.

He'd go, I was born.

 To preach.

I was born.

To preach.

And he said it again.

And everyone go.

Oh.

I was born.

To preach.

And I thought.

Because I'm from Louisiana.

I said no.

You weren't born.

To preach.

If you were created.

To preach.

When you step into eternity.

You.

 then you would be preaching and how will your sermon compare in the beginning was the word and the word was with God the word was God

 And let's say it another way.

In the beginning was a sermon.

The sermon was with God.

The sermon was God.

What are you going to do when Christ comes out of the only begotten, comes out of the Father and begins to throw down?

What are you going to do?

No, you were not created to preach.

You were created and born to worship, know, and love and serve God.

 No, you should write this down.

No, we're not.

And I've heard people, I was born to sing.

Well, I wasn't born to listen to you sing.

I was born to preach.

Well, I'm not called to hear you preach.

I've heard people even say, I was born to lead.

It's like, stop, turn around.

No one's following you.

You're on a long walk.

No, you're not.

 I've even heard people say, I was born to make some money.

You're broke.

No, watch this.

No, you were created to worship.

Follow me.

You were gifted to do whatever you were called to do.

Did you hear that?

You were created to love, know, serve, and worship God.

 You were gifted to do whatever God put within you.

But when you discern and you discover that thing that is in you by gift, which means it's unearned, it's unmerited, it's undeserved, then the glory of God is expressed through you.

Are you with me?

And so, no, no, no, no.

Please hear me if you're a young professional.

 If you could get it in your mind, you were not created to be a doctor, a lawyer, a politician, a fireman, an engineer, a small business owner, a preacher, a pastor.

You were created to worship God.

And by the way, worship is not music.

 In John 4, I read the book.

And it's really good.

You should read John 4.

God is a spirit.

And those who worship him must worship him in spirit.

Now, some people think that means doing this.

And reality or truth.

Now, get this.

He says why?

For God is a spirit.

Those who worship him in spirit and in truth.

God seeks worshipers, not worship.

 You say, well, why do they sing so long?

Because we're created to worship.

Now, music and singing isn't only worship.

It's just a little bit.

Worshiping is when you discern, you discover, you contemplate why you're breathing on this earth and what he's gifted you to do.

And you use that gift, then he will be glorified in the earth today.

 Excuse me for a minute.

I'm going to look for an amen.

Amen.

Can you say amen?

Okay, let's do this.

Next one, called.

 You're called for and by the glory of God.

All right?

I'm going to give you a scripture.

Really love it.

Who should I give this scripture to?

It's going to come on the screen.

I don't even need it.

Okay.

I will give it to the lady right there in the front.

You.

 You were here last year when I preached, right?

You're an amazing leader.

And truly, there is a gift of leadership within you.

I personally think you could lead LA, California.

You could lead anything because when you came out, that gift was there.

You even don't want to be a leader.

You don't even ask to be a leader.

You said, I just want to sit back, be chill, and just relax.

And then all of a sudden, you're leading.

And people come and say, do I have a sign on me?

I'm in charge.

 Honey, it's a gift that's in you.

So I have a scripture for you.

Second Timothy one nine.

It's going to come on the screen.

I'm not even looking because I don't need it.

I memorized the whole book.

 Okay, I have called you, ma'am, he says, with a holy calling.

Holy doesn't mean you're monkish.

It means it's something unique, special.

Like holy would be, the opposite of holy would be a paper plate that you throw away after it's used.

 Holy would be fine china that you use for special occasion.

In a house, they're vessels of honor, dishonor.

When you use the gift God put within you, it becomes a vessel of honor that brings glory to God.

Now, here it goes.

I have called you with the holy calling, not according to your own works, but according to his grace and purpose, which he gave you in Christ Jesus before time began.

 God gave you that before you took your first breath.

And so now in our life, we spend our life trying to discover, trying to discern, trying to develop that gift, that purpose he put within us that we may bring God's glory to the earth.

Now, I really like this.

This is John 10.

You should really read the Gospel of John.

It's now my favorite book ever.

I mean, greater, greater, so much greater than Harry Poo Poo.

 And I've never read that.

Why did I say that?

Because I have grandkids and they want to watch Harry Potter.

It's like the devil, you know?

And so, okay, here we go.

Here we go.

John 10, 10.

And this is my theology.

 This is my theology right here.

My theology is real simple.

Jesus loves me.

This I know for the Bible tells me so.

My next one, God is a good God.

The devil's a bad devil.

Here it goes.

The thief only comes but to still kill and destroy.

But I have come that you may live life to the fullest or have an abundant life.

Why?

That the glory of God.

Now, I think many people blame too much on God.

 Lord, you gave me the job and you took it away.

Then they quote Job.

The Lord gives, he takes it away.

And if they don't blame things on God, you know what they do?

They begin to absolutely over-blame things on the devil.

The devil got me fired.

No, you got yourself fired.

You showed up for work late.

You know, well, my boyfriend broke up with me.

Well, you didn't brush your teeth for a year.

Come on.

Don't blame that on the devil.

 Are you with me on that?

And so I want to be able to fulfill the purpose of God in my life.

Everyone say created.

Say called.

And so, okay, I have 12 minutes.

I'm going to invite the keys up.

They may be on a vape break, but they're coming.

Joking.

You never know, you know.

Okay, here we go.

I have a degree in business administration.

 And right after university, I worked for Procter & Gamble, and I was over $100 million worth of accounts.

And a good friend of mine, I had never been in a youth group.

I wasn't raised in this type of church.

We were Catholic, but I don't know, probably not committed Catholics.

But Daddy, I would say, was a spiritual man.

 In 1960, when my twin sister and I were born, I had a roommate.

And the guy goes, wow.

I mean, it happens.

People have twins.

We were born two months premature.

And my dad was a chain smoker.

And he prayed, God, let my babies live and I'll never smoke again.

And I don't believe in bartering, but I do believe in faith.

And God let us live and he never smoked again.

 And they named me after the Catholic saint, St.

Jude of Hopeless Causes.

So follow me, follow me.

I would go to university.

I'd have a job with Procter & Gamble.

I'm making more money than most of my uncles, and I'm kin to almost the entire state of Louisiana.

I have over 100 first cousins.

I married my fifth cousin.

We met at a family reunion.

Now watch this, watch this.

 I'm in my company car, and it just comes to me, I don't know if this is why I was created.

At that point, I'd have used that word, but the better way, is this what you called me to?

And a friend of mine would come and say, I think you need to be a youth pastor.

I literally said this out loud, get behind me, Satan.

Long story short, I would become a youth pastor.

 In three months after being a youth pastor, I could tell you, I then realized why some animals eat their young.

I'm not just like, I'm out of here.

I'm going back to the business world.

We were at a youth conference.

40 years ago. 1985.

 And after that conference was over, I was going to make my announcement.

See ya.

Don't want to be ya.

I'll never forget that worship set.

It was the last song.

I bow my knee before your throne.

I know my life is not my own.

I offer up a song of praise to bring you pleasure, Lord.

And right then, I encountered God.

 Through worship.

And he said you can go back into the business world.

And I am going to bless you.

And you will be incredibly affluent.

But I have called you.

To shepherd the youth of this nation.

And in that moment.

As much as I know.

God is a reality.

And Jesus is my savior and lord.

 That so much so, I was publicly water baptized.

And as much as I know the power and the gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I can tell you, I know that I know that I know what he called me to.

And there's not only spirit baptism and water baptism.

Paul speaks of being baptized into the body.

 And we go around and we begin to say, I'm the world's greatest.

You could be the world's greatest finger, foot, ear, tongue, nose, or eye.

But disconnect from a local church and you lose your purpose and you lose your function and you forget who you are.

 And in that moment, I stand before you as I even drove here today.

I have not been perfect.

But I would say, as Paul said, I have not been disobedient to the heavenly vision.

He didn't call me what he called you to.

When I stand before him, I will not give an account for Jake or Nicole or my wife or my children.

I will give an account for me.

 Did I discern the call?

Did I develop the call?

Did I encourage the call?

Years ago, I want you to write this word down.

Contemplate.

Oh, I have seven minutes and I got two points, but I'm not going to probably make them.

You're created.

You're called.

I want you to put this down.

Contemplate.

 I want to make a statement before I go to contemplate.

We are not saved to go to heaven.

Someone goes, is he right?

If you were saved to go to heaven and I was saved to go to heaven when we have water baptism.

Baptism?

We have water baptism here.

And crack a barrel.

Come on.

Uncle Herschel's, yes.

Okay.

 When we have water baptism, if you were saved to go to heaven, why are you being baptized today?

I love the Lord.

And why are you being baptized?

Because I love him.

And then we say, okay, then go be with him.

Hold her under.

Under.

How many people saved in cathedral this month?

21.

Where are they?

In heaven.

In heaven.

 No, you were saved for a purpose in this life.

And I would say being a Christian is not the greatest deterrent to a selfish lifestyle.

Vision is.

What's your vision?

For your life.

And if it doesn't include or a part of, I would say, the local church, just like a finger, disconnected,

 From a hand, it loses its purpose.

And we begin to finger worship instead of worshiping God.

Okay, here we go.

Here we go.

Everyone say contemplate.

Now, I'm going to read this.

Go with me to 2 Corinthians 3, 18.

2 Corinthians 3, 18.

It's coming on the screen.

If you didn't bring a Bible, lazy, mazy.

No, come on.

 It's a joke.

That's another Dr. Seuss.

It's the grandchildren.

We all, with unveiled faces, get this, contemplate the Lord's glory.

We will never have transformation without contemplation.

And contemplation begins when we still the mind, the emotion.

 And it's not an active form, it's passive.

And then all of a sudden, that night when the Holy Spirit came on, you could do this, but this is what I called you to.

In 1991, I had probably at least seven megachurches offer me a position as a youth pastor.

 One of them offered me a salary of $100,000 a year.

And in 1991, I was like, please, Lord, speak.

Your servant will answer yes.

I had a call to the youth of America.

My wife had a call to the malls of America.

She could have fulfilled her call.

The Lord said, this is not what I have for you.

 Get debt free.

A year from now, I'm going to send you to a church where they can't afford you.

And a year later, Judah Smith's dad and mom, Wendell and Jenny Smith, would call.

1992.

We don't have any money.

We don't have a building.

Will you pray about coming out here and helping us start a church in Seattle?

Not Texas, not Arkansas, not Alabama, where it's easy to get a church building.

Seattle.

Seattle.

 At that point, the most unchurched area of the nation.

And God goes, cha-ching, that's it.

And so when we get there, I wish everyone could do this, help start a church.

Before I helped start a church, I used to think the church existed to advance my vision and purpose.

When I helped start a church from nothing, you begin to realize that you exist to advance the church.

 So your singing should advance it.

Your giving should advance it.

Whatever you're gifted at should exist to build the local church.

Not just the local church.

Build your gift.

And many people today say, well, I really, I can't trust a church.

Because I feel used.

That's how they say it.

I feel used.

It's like, baby, you pray to be used.

 Oh, I used to sing it all the time in the 80s.

If you could use anyone, Lord, here I am.

Use me.

Okay.

Now watch this.

We get to Seattle.

They had no custodial people.

I had to clean.

Pick up, set up chair.

One day Wendell's wife, and they changed my life probably more than anyone.

 said, well, you vacuum the carpet and put lines in it.

And in my mind, I thought I put lines in the carpet.

She came back and she said, you didn't do what I told you, do it again.

And she didn't say it nice.

I wanted that sandwich, a big bread, you're cool.

Slither of meat, do it again.

Big bread, you're amazing.

No, we didn't get that.

 When she left, I was praising the Lord, but I was like James.

I was cussing under my breath.

Oh, no, she didn't.

And I kid you, and this is what I said, and I'm ending because I only have a minute.

Okay, this is for you, Nashville.

I literally said this.

They're squelching my anointing.

I don't even know if squelch is a word.

Let's roll with it.

The Lord said, no one can squelch your anointing but you.

 So what did I do?

I blamed it on the devil.

The devil spoiled my anointing.

He says, no.

Whenever I create something, I anoint them.

The day I created him, I anointed him.

And my gifts and anointings are irrevocable.

His anointing is now dark, diabolical, and twisted.

He is not seeking your anointing.

He has his own.

He's seeking your authority to release his diabolical anointing.

 In my kingdom, my church is not only built by the gifts I give my people, but by the authority.

And you only get authority when you come under authority.

Why don't you come under her and respect her?

Then I'll give you authority to release your anointing and bring glory on the earth.

Okay, stand up.

I got to end.

I have no more time, people.

Now, the last one is committed.

 You will never commit to what you don't contemplate.

Did you hear that?

You will never commit to what you do not contemplate.

Colossians 3, 4.

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you're going to also appear with him.

How?

In glory.

Can I say glory is not your man?

That was a great service.

I love John.

Did I tell you that today?

 Okay, let me quote.

I think it's the greatest verse in all of Scripture.

Whether it's Protestant or the Catholic added books.

By the way, the Catholic Church came with both lists.

It's John 1.14.

I can't believe it.

The humility of Almighty God.

I hear people saying, yeah, I'm going to have a talk with the big man upstairs.

It's like, you're going to be on your knees when you meet the big man.

Because his humility...

 Is staggering.

John 1 14.

And the word.

The logos.

In Greek.

Doesn't mean word.

Means the logic.

That's where we get the word logic.

In the logic.

Became flesh.

A human being.

And live.

Dwell.

Inhabited.

Amongst us.

And.

And.

 We beheld his glory.

The glory of the only begotten of the Father.

 I don't know what you've gone through, but if you ever give your mind to contemplation that God who is infinite, God that is all powerful, God that is all knowing would become a human being and be raised by sinful human beings.

Joseph was not a perfect man, but he was a good man and live amongst us.

Can I tell you, it should make you rise.

 And begin to discover why you're breathing on this planet.

Now, I want you to do this.

Put your hands out.

We're going to end.

And our other campuses are going to end.

I want you to shut your eyes and just take a breath in.

And I want you to breathe out.

I want you to breathe in God's will for you.

I want you to breathe out.

 Our own plans for our own self.

I want you to breathe in the Holy Spirit where you can begin to discern why he's made you.

You know how they say, don't act like the chicken, soar like the eagles.

Well, wait, what if God made me a chicken?

Then I want to be a chicken.

 Come on, breathe in his original design for you.

And all I know, if God can create the world out of nothing, he could recreate who you are.

 now breathe out father we come now and i ask that the glory of god would come in and on and through all of us and god we pray even with the ancient church father prayed your glory is when we are fully alive god we want to stop medicating stop numbing stop denying stop being so busy we can't feel anymore

 God, we want to discern.

We want to discover.

We want to develop how you gifted us so, Lord.

And when we do that thing you gifted us to do, your glory will cover this earth as the waters cover the sea.

We ask for the glory of God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.