Deeper Wk 1

Man, thank you worship team for allowing us just bringing us into a place of worship in. I'm excited about today, I'm always excited I see that every single time, but I'm always excited to be. In the midst of believers in my brothers and sisters in Christ, I've missed you guys. It's been two long weeks. Amen. Oh me. Come on now, I need you to talk to me now. Yes. If you're not happy to see me, let's just say we're happy to see another year, right? I don't know about you, but 2021. My God, I'm so glad to see 2022. I can't wait to 2023. I'll tell you. We all have a story to tell. We all have a story to tell about what 2021 was in store for us. So because of 2021 going into 2022, I'll have a Hallelujah. Do I have anybody else out there that has a Hallelujah praise. Oh. Hmm. How about a wake you guys up? Let's get on with some coffee. Because I don't know about you. Coming out of 2021 to begin to start reflecting what God has done in my life. Even reflecting on the things that has done God has done through our church and where God has taken us in 2022 now begin to think about Isaiah Chapter 54, verse 17, where the scripture tells us no weapons formed against you shall prosper. So I don't know about you, but for me, in 2021, I had an all-out assault against my calling, my life, and the church. And so I had to begin to remember that no weapons formed against me shall prosper, no enemy that may come against me will prosper, but then I have to be a go back and think about Genesis Chapter 50, verse 20. But as evil was, it was aought out for me. But God meant everything that was evil for me. That God is making it for my good amen.

And then I'm thinking about Deuteronomy Chapter 28, verse 13, where it says that the Lord will make me the head and not the tail. Is that your testimony today that you proclaim that you are above and not beneath? Come on, church. If you don't believe that. What about Psalms Chapter 18, where says that that that the Lord is my rock and my fortress and that he will deliver us? And if you don't like Deuteronomy, you can go to the New Testament and Romans Chapter eight verses 37 and 39, which says this and 37 says that all things were for me. We're more than conquerors through him who loved us. Because I am persuaded. Neither death nor life. Nor angels or principalities, nor the powers there, things present or things that may come. Nor height, nor death or anything that was created. Shall be able to separate me. So I'm making it personal church. That none of that will separate me from the love, which God, Is in Christ Lord, Who's in Christ Jesus. I don't know about you, I'm so excited to be 2021 leaving 2021 going in 2022 because I know where God has brought me from. And so, yes, I do have a hallelujah praise, I do have a but I do have a cry out in my in my heart and everything that I am. Because even in the waiting process, God is still with me. Even when God was telling us to wait. He still has to wait for a reason. I love this time of year, because, you know, it's not only Christmas time, it began to really highlight the birth of Jesus Christ, and we celebrated that this past past December. But you know what? This is the third day of 2022, and I remember that over 2000 years ago. Something else happened on the third day. Something happened on the third day. There were the enemy, were men kind of thought that they were going to crucify our Lord and Savior, but on the third day church, come on. He got up. He took all power and all authority, and he says he got away with that. And that same power that he has, we have today. So I want you guys to know - what I want you guys to know it, I need you to know it, that you know, that you know, that you have that power that dudadmas power, the dynamite power. So as we celebrate this New Year, a New Year gives you the opportunity to look at life afresh. It gives you an opportunity to look at your situation in a different perspective.

A new year gives us the opportunity to redefine our priorities. The new year gives you the opportunity to reset some goals. To redefine, reevaluate your purpose in life. You're calling. There's some things that you may want to forget about. There's some things that you may even want to change about your past, but I'm telling you today that all things. All things in 2020. Things in 2021. God is pulling it together for his good. The new year allows us to do a little planning - better yet it allows us, you and I, to d a self evaluation. Kind of doing like a spiritual inventory checklist, right? So I want you to. I want you to tell your neighbor this, this is what we used to say in my old church back in the day. It says ‘I'm somewhere in the future, and I'm looking much better than I look right now.’ So I want you to look to your neighbor, say I'm somewhere. In the future. And I'm looking much better. Then I look right now. And just because your neighbor really wasn't paying attention, you just forget them or go to your other neighbor, to the other side and tell them, I'm somewhere in the future and I'm looking much better. If not, just look at me and tell me because I’ll believe you anyways. I believe it. I believe it. Church, we are much better. And we're looking much better. Then what we were looking like in 2021. You know, last year was a year to move forward.

You know, our church for our visitors. I want to welcome our guests here today, our first-time guests. You know, God has given me, our church word for every year. Last year was the year to move forward because, you know, I was, you know, we're going through COVID. We're going to go move forward beyond all this craziness and all this, you know this this quarantine and stuff. But lo and behold, God has much more intel for us that I had no idea that we want to go have to be move away from. In the whole scripture that God gave us was Phillipians Chapter three, verses twelve. And it just says this this is not that I have reached perfection. But I pressed on that I move forward, To attain, to possess that perfection, which Christ Jesus first possessed me. The Paul writes, not that I have reached it or perfected it, or even at that I have achieved it. But I'm focused on that one thing. Forgetting the past. And looking forward to what is ahead. It says we move forward to 2022 as we walk into 2022. God is asking us. To dream dreams. So start walking in prophetic declarations. Start seeing visions that he has for you and your family, for our church. Dr. Miles Monroe once said that the wealthiest place on Earth. Is not a Wall Street. It's in the graveyards. He said that because that's where lost dreams and lost visions died. That never came to fruition. And so I want to encourage you today. Don't allow the dreams and the visions, and those prophetic declarations die with you before they come to pass.

So as we begin to walk in 2022. I'm asking what is your why? What is your why - why are you doing what do you do? Why are you even here today? What's what's your purpose? Will you contribute to the graveyard or will you give birth to what God has given you. We begin to continue to contribute to the graveyard where you begin to birth out, what God is giving you. So this year, as Pastor Jason has said, the word that God has given our church, one church is a year to go deeper. Some Ima let you know right now this the next eight weeks, I have two months of sermons planned out. That's how serious this thing is because I don't want you to know that we have to begin to go deeper as a church. We have to begin to go deeper as leaders. We have to be going to begin to go deeper as individuals. And so a three week sermon is not going to cut it. I want us to dig deep. I want us to go deeper than we've ever gone before. To begin to lay the foundation of what God wants for you and I. Deeper with intimacy with Christ, a deeper prayer life, a deeper commitment to the church. Come on now, a man. I want to be that church that's no longer is that 80/20 rule where 20% of the body of Christ is doing 80% of the work. If you have been called to fellowship and partnered with one church. We need you, we need you somewhere. Serving. Thank you, Jason. I believe God has called one church to be the exception to the rule. I believe that God has called us to break all the traditional things. We don't want to be the typical church because we're not the typical church. We don't look like the typical church. We don't worship like the typical church. And we are not a typical people. Because we don't serve a typical God. I need you guys to get it. We have to go deeper in our disciplines. Deepen our obedience. Deepen our dependence on the Holy Spirit. And deepen our relationships. So we got eight weeks of depth. And God may say, Ryan, go another two weeks, go another four weeks, so you know what? I have my service planned out through the summertime. So if God says pull back and do something different, we're going to do exactly that. Growing deeper, going out into the deep. Getting out of the boat of our comfort, this. We have to go deeper church, some ima let you know right now. Just buckle up your belt, get your seat belts or your bootstraps, whatever you call it. Just get ready. Because I believe this. The deeper we go in Christ, The deeper the attack will be. So I'm putting you on notice right now. We can't go deep in Christ and think the enemy is going to sit and watch us grow deeper in Christ and not test you. So you guys got to get ready.

Get connected. Psalms, chapter one. So my lesson today, Ima borrow, my 15 minutes, I'll let you guys have last week and a week before, so I’m just going to let you know. Got three scriptures there, we're going to highlight today. This particular script is not on our PowerPoint, but if you have your Bibles, turn to Psalms chapter one verses one. So Chapter one. If you guys know what the easiest way to do it, just flip it open in the middle and I'm almost positive you gonna hit Psalms. That's the easiest way to do it. If not, use your concordance and your table of contents. So chapter one says this. Blessed is the one who walks not walk in the step with the wicked or stand in the way that the sinners take. Or sit in the company of mockers. I think King James has fools. It's in the Bible. Verse two, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord. And who meditates on his law day and night. The person is like a tree planted by streams of water. Which yields this fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever they do. They prosper. So often, God, we use trees as a metaphor with his relationship with his children, us. So Jesus talks about the fig tree, Jesus even talks about I am the vine, the branches, that you stay connected with me, that you abide in me and I abide in you. Psalms chapter 1, what we see, is a tree is planted by the streams of water. We see trees all throughout the bottom. Olive trees, fig trees, cedar trees. Because what God wants us to really begin to realize is this.

Deep roots would determine how well the tree can survive opposition. Your depth. How deep you are connected with Christ. Should determine how you should be able to respond to opposition. Deep roots determined the storms, you know, deep roots to determine how we face our sword, deep roots determine how we face our test. See, deep roots in Christ determines how we survive life's battles. Deep roots, will let you know If you can be moved. So I love cutting grass. That's just that's my downtime, you know, just cutting grass and just being out in my yard, on my zero-turn. Deep roots. You know, I'm cutting grass and I'm beginning to think about when I'm out there pulling wheezing by pull weeds before. Or pull up a bush. Like a little Bush in front of our house, I'm grabbing it, I'm trying to pull in, I'm like, Oh my gosh, like why? I'm calling Ashtien, because you know he's kind of beefy, you know that dude beefed up over quarantine. And I’m like , Ash, come help your dad out, so as he gets out there, we're both pulling on trees and we're pulling a shrubbery and I've had to begin to realize the roots are deep. I just can't pull it up like any other root.

There are certain things in our lives. The God wants us to be unmovable in. The certain things in our relationship that he wants us to be unmovable in. I'm reminded first Corinthians Chapter 15 verses 57-58 says this, but thanks be to God. Who gives us the victory through Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my brothers and sisters. Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain. What I know about that is this. A tree that has deep roots. Is always connected to a water source. See the root system in a plant and trees and shrubbery, just anything that may be green as it as it makes its its home is habitat into the dirt, it’s searching for some type of water source. So the roots will begin to travel and go deeper and deeper and begin to spread out. Psalms 1 says blessed is the man, blessed is the woman blessed is that a child who delights in the law of the Lord that he meditates on the Lord day and night, not just on Sunday mornings. Now, just a Wednesday night. seven days a week, 365 days a year, it says day and night should be like a tree. Planted. By the rivers. Of water. And see, this is not just any type of water. We're not talking about Dasani or Voss or smart water, dumb water, whatever you want to call it. This is not the type of water. Whatever your favorite H2O may be. The water that he's talking about is the living water. The living water that Jesus was talking to the young lady when he meets a lady at John Chapter four verses 13 and 14, where Jesus answered Everyone who drinks this water with thirst again.

You can drink this all day long. All morning long, and I promise you, you’ll still be thirsty. But verse 14 gives us an assurance to know that whoever drinks of this water that he gives us, shall never thirst. Because the water that he gives, Come springing up of eternal life. Do you have that eternal water? Are you tapping into that water system where you know that you have eternal life? Which brings me to my first point. We have to consistently stay connected. We have to stay connected to the source. See the key to going deeper is to stay close to the source. And its consistency. not complacency. So if you're complacent. You go which in every way that you want to go, you're OK. You just, you know, you kind of move from place to place or you may do whatever but consistency. You’re remaining steadfast and immovable. Because going deeper is not for me. Going deeper is not for my benefit. But for those who are connected to me. If you look at Psalms chapter one, it says this. Let me find it real quick. It tells us that a tree planted. Verse three that a person is like a tree planted by the streams of water, which yields fruit in season.

See a tree, going deeper is not for me, because the tree doesn't benefit from his fruit. It’s for those who are connected to so that they could benefit from the fruit that the trees produce in. What benefit does the tree have to give fruit to itself? It’s for those around you? Not only does it provide shade. But it's a source of nutrition. And so I'm asking you. Go deeper. Because I need your fruit. Our church needs your fruit. Our community needs your fruit. Your family needs your fruit. See staying connected consistently requires us to be connected to the source. Because going deeper is not for me, it's for someone else, maybe for that single mother who's raising their children, maybe for that marriage that's going through a hard times, maybe it's that teenage son who's struggling with their identity. Maybe it's their teenage daughter who is struggling with homosexuality. Maybe, just maybe it's for that atheists who's at your job? Who have questions about a God who allow a loved one to pass. See going deeper is not for your benefit, it's for those that you are connected to. Mark, Chapter four says this on the same day. Verse 35 evening had come, and he said to them, let us cross over to the other side. Now, when they have left the multitudes, they took him along in the boat as he was. And others little boats were also with him. And a great windstorm arose and the waves beat into the boat so that it was already filling. But he was in the stern. This is Jesus. Jesus was sleeping. At the stern of the boat on a pillow. And the disciples awoke him saying, teacher, teacher, do not care that we're perishing. The Jesus rises up. And rebukes the wind and said to them, peace be still. And the win ceased. And there was a great calm.

Point number two. We have to consistently proclaim. What do you mean, Pastor Ryan? It says this. On the same day when evening had come, he said to them, let us cross over to the other side. Now where they have left the multitudes, they took him alone in the boat as he was. Look at verse number 36. And Mark, Chapter four, it says this. Now where they have left the multitudes. The disciples took him. So if we will read the scriptures, it will brush over that, but this integral. And I believe this. The disciples was intentional in taking Jesus to the other side. The scripture could have wrote that Jesus wanted to go to the other side, that he needed to go to there, but they took him with him. So we have to consistently proclaim who Jesus is everywhere that we go. Truth be told, there's good times with my walk in faith where, you know, I was a Christian sometimes and I wasn't a Christian a otther times. Y’all know what I'm talking about, right? That you won’t take Christ everywhere? You know what, because I'm going out with my homeboys, Ima set Christ down, down to the side, but when I get back to church, I'm going to church up, right? This is real talk. Youth, y’all know what I'm talking about, it's cool to do church in church, but what are you doing at school? What conversations are you have, you know, down the hallways, in the locker room, on a football field, off the football field? What type of conversations are we having at work on a lunch break and a 15-minute break and on a lunch hour?

The disciples took Christ with them. They were intentional to making sure that Jesus was going to be with them when he said, we have to go to the other side. But Verse, 36, says this. Now we have decided to leave some people behind. Everyone is not in the same place you are on your journey with Christ. So there may be some people that you have to leave behind. For you to go where God wants you to go. That's tight. But is right. You may not like that where God wants you to go. There may be some people that you have to cut off. There may be some side chicks that you’ll have to cutoff. Let me tell you, when my wife and I, we were dating. She said, brother. I need you to get your act together. So like, are you going to do us? Ima do me which is send you the peace sign. That's what she told me. Feleceia, were you at? She didn't say like that, but in Ryan’s interpretation that's how she said it amen. There had to be some people that I was willing to let go. To go where God was calling me to go. It could be in relationships. There could be some friends. Man, we know we all have those friends that used to hang out with and just party with and cut up with, you know, you have your good friends and you have some friends that you can call, we want to do other things right. Boy. I'm preaching to myself, OK, it's all good. We have to decide to take Jesus everywhere we go and not use him as a convenience.

Verse, 36, says that they took him along with them in the boat. Point number three is this. We have to consistently ask. Consistently ask. Matthew, Chapter 14 says this. Versus 28 to 31. A very familiar scripture. Lord, if you Peter, replied, tell me to come to you on the water. Jesus replied, Come, he said, that Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, came towards Jesus, but when he saw the wind, he was afraid and he began to sink, cried out, Lord Lord, save me. Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. He says, Ye of little faith. Why did you doubt me? We have to continually to ask God what he wants for us, what he's want us to do. In a sales business, there's a term that we say. Where we had say that you have to ask for the business. And I'm out meeting with clients and, you know, I'm trying to sell contracts and meet with corporate people, and I'm talking about Fortune 500 companies. And you know, my job is to help build revenue for the hotel arena. Back then, when I was full time in the hotel industry. And so many times I left business on the table because I'd never asked for the business. I never asked him, would you like to partner with me, would you like to partner with our company and what we're doing?

Let me tell you the reasons why the benefits that you have with partnering with our industry. And there was so many things that are left on the table that God is saying, right, ask me for the business. Flipping sellers that let your gentle gentleness be evident to all that the Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in every situation. In every situation by prayer and petitioning or by asking. With Thanksgiving, present your requests to God. There's so much that God has for you, and now all we have to do is just ask. What are you leaving on the table that God wants to give you? But you have not asked. James says the four tests that we have now because we ask that because we ask with the wrong motives. What is your motive for asking? And I was begin to land this plan as I begin to close down our service for this morning just to lay the foundation about going deeper. So we talked about going deeper with the roots. We talked about going deeper into, you know, our faith as we begin to get out of the boat, walk towards God.

See, Mark, Chapter four, I to read the rest of that verse, 38, says this the Jesus was sleeping in the boat and the disciples woke him up and he says, Don't you care if we drown? Jesus gets up and rebuked the wind, the waves. And he says, peace be still. Then he asked, then why are you that with little faith. in the Matthew chapter 14, 29 and 31 says this that Peter got out of the boat, that he stepped out of the boat, he stepped out of his comfort and began to walk towards Jesus. And then he began to sink because of the storms that was taking place around him. And two of the scriptures that I read today, Mark and also Matthew, there were storms in both of the assignments that God had told the disciples to do. So whatever God is calling you to do this, you just know that storms are going to come. That opposition is going to come, that you will be tested. But know that Christ is with you. And why do I know that because the promises that he tells us. He tells us that he would never leave us nor forsake us, but I love this in Matthew Chapter 14, where Peter got out of the boat and never saw this before. Peter got out of the boat, Jesus reached down, picks him up and hold him, pulls him out of the water from sinking.

And it says this verse, 32, and when they climb back into the boat, the wind died down, they rose back in the boat and they worshipped him. And when they climb back into the boat. Watch this church. This is Peter walking out. He starts sinking the boat back there. Verse, 32, says when they climb back in the boat, how did they get back into the boat? Jesus and Peter was walking on water back to the boat. Do you see that - whatever storms that may be taking place in your life? Jesus is walking with you? Even the opposition that you may face, Jesus will be walking with you because scripture didn't say that Jesus picked Peter up and carried him back into the boat - that they climbed because Peter walked out from the boat to a destination to meet Jesus. The back end of that is that they walked back into the boat. So when stores come, remember that Jesus Christ is with you along the way. As we begin to grow deeper over these next eight weeks - that we have to stay consistently connected.

We should consistently proclaim. And we should consistently ask. Because you never know how strong you really are. And to be strong is the only option that you have. You never know how strong you're really going to be until that strength is going to be tested, your faith will be tested. So church over these next eight weeks. We're going to hit eight different principles about going deeper, and there's so many more, but we just want to cover just a few of them. And so today. We're going to close out with a song that says I give myself away. And I want to encourage you today that you guys will rally along beside the church. And commit yourself to going deeper. Deeper for your family. Deeper for yourself. We can no longer be lukewarm Christians. We have to be hot or cold. Because there's so much that God has called us to do and God has called us to become. So let us stand. So you begin to sing I give myself away. The song says Take me as I am. Take me for what I am. But God, I give myself to you today. Is that your anthem, is that your plea, is that your cry? I pray that it is. Because we have to go deeper. We need you to go deeper. We desire that you go.