Podcasts about we what

With Certified Sports Life Coach Jane CebrynskiWINNING STRATEGIES1. Rituals and Routines: This tool will help you to stay organized and manage your time, energy, and emotions. 2. Me and We: What does my team need? We must be for each other. You know how to be a great “me” – now, it is important to merge that with the Power of We from an “And” standpoint compared to “But”. 3. The Power of Team: 1+1=3. How do your actions impact other people? Show up anchored in a place of grace and compassion to ignite the power of team and work together towards your common goal.Ask for help and be a CHAMP10N for your wellbeing.www.championwellbeing.com

FearScape is back with a very special ALL-NEW EPISODE! The Spooky Crew is joined by the Senior Editor of the SCU Review, the publication from the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies. We talk about Government disclosure, UAPs and UFO’s, Matt’s history with the Phenomenon, and so much more! This week’s Listener Story comes from a man from North Carolina named Mitch Jones and is portrayed by Voice Actor and host of the Youtube show, We What?!, Brad McQueary. Tune in now and make sure to hold those blankets extra tight as Stefan & Josh take you deep into... the FearScape! Listen every Wednesday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Just search FearScape! #MattTiller #SCUReview #UAP #ExtraTerrestrials #USNavy #Unidentified #Aliens #LuisElizondo #UltraTerrestrials #UFO #PodNation #Disclosure

ALL-NEW EPISODE! Join Lance and Stefan, the Misters of the Dark, as they take you through all things horror! This week your favorite serial killers kidnap Brad McQueary of the youtube channel, We What?! and make him review the 1988 Cult Classic, Killer Klowns from Outer Space!!! Will he survive this clownishly deadly film? Will he survive the murderous intentions of the Misters of the Dark! Listen and find out if their latest victim survives! Listen every Monday on Google Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox, and more! Just search Misters of the Dark! #KillerKlownsFromOuterSpace #Clowns #KillerKlowns #HorrorFilm #horror #PodNation #Podcast #HorrorPodcasts --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/motdpodcast/support

Pastor Daniel preaches from Martin Luther King Jr. Park out of Luke 7:1-10. Please excuse the poor audio quality as this was recorded in a park. When Jesus Marvels Luke 7:1-10 Exegetical Main Point: Jesus finds greater faith in a Gentile centurion than in all of Israel and heals his dying servant. Main Point of the Sermon: Your faith is what matters most about you to Jesus. Intro ME: It’s easy to assume that God is most pleased with us when we’ve got everything together. Isn’t that true? There have been times in my life where days and weeks have gone by that I wore shame on my head like a blanket, whether for blowing it in some way or just feeling like a failure for not doing enough. This has been a major struggle in life and one that I think many Christians struggle with. This week’s text surprised me. I was reminded that God is not looking first and foremost for what we expect him to look for. In trials, in my sin, in plenty, and in want, there’s one thing in particular that makes him marvel at us, one thing that especially pleases him. WE: What do you believe that is? What do you believe is most important about you to God? Let’s see. GOD: Here in Luke 7 the action picks back up and we see Jesus again moving towards the poor, the captive, and the oppressed, the same people he said he was sent to in Luke chapter 4. 1-5 Is anyone worthy of God’s salvation? And the scene Luke paints for us today is in Capernaum, a bustling business town in Galilee, not too far from Jesus hometown. And it’s there that we are introduced to a certain centurion who had a servant who was deathly ill. Now, historically, a soldier of this rank would have had charge of about one hundred soldiers. In this time he would have been the overseer of that region keeping order ultimately under the command of Herod Antipas. So, he was a man of great authority. He was also a caring and compassionate man. We’re told that his sick servant was “highly valued” by him. This person meant a great deal to the centurion. Perhaps some of you have been or are in a similar circumstance. Someone close to you is sick and dying and apart from a miracle, you will not have them much longer. There are not many things in life more difficult. This man was experiencing the same sort of desperation for his servant and friend, the kind of desperation that leads you to do anything or go anywhere. He was even willing to go outside of his own faith tradition to get help. I want to quickly remind you. Death is not original to God’s created world. God created man and woman and put them in paradise in his presence. But they disobeyed God, they sinned against him, which brought death to them and ultimately to the whole world, who would live and die outside of the presence of God, the source of life. Ever since that day, the world has been looking for a solution to this great problem of death and evil. This reality is the why(?) behind all of the world’s religions, our medicine, even down to our politics. People are looking for someone, something to hope in, something to relieve the pain. Pause Look at verse 3. “When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.” He heard about Jesus. There’s something so powerful about these words. How sweet it was when we heard about Jesus, this man who had power to heal. Oh that every man and women in this city could have a story like this written about them. When he heard about this man who could heal he moved to action to get him to come. Apparently he had a relationship with the elders of the town. In fact, this centurion was also held in high esteem for his generosity towards the Jews. This is highly unusual. Remember, these soldiers were not friends of the Jews; they represented the oppressor and the evil empire. We don’t know his ethnicity or that he was a covert to the Jews, but from what we do know it’s clear that he was a Gentile who “loved” Israel and had even personally funded the building of their local synagogue. From human standards, this was a good man. The elders thought so too. Listen to how they talk about him with Jesus. Verse 4: “When they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy to have you do this for him, 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.’ Now, we need to focus in on these words because they let us in on the way many Jews thought. Let’s read them again: “He is worthy to have you do this for him…” Why? 5 for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.’ Do you see that? The Jewish leaders measure the worthiness of the Centurion for Jesus’s healing based on what? His works. They say, essentially, “look at the kind of man he is. Look at what he’s done for us. He is worthy of your attention.” I need you to see this because of the sharp contrast that is set up in the centurion’s response to Jesus. In fact, there’s a word play on this word “worthy”, which will show up two more times in the text. And I need you to know that this is common thinking of a religious person and sadly, we easily fall into the same thinking. You see, Religious people believe that God owes them for their good works or behavior. If I do this, then God must bless me. Many in that time believed that if they were flawless before God, if the leaders kept everybody in check just right, then God had to bless them and destroy their enemies. But something is severely off in this understanding of God. We know this because these same people would ultimately reject Jesus, their Messiah. In fact, in Matthew 11, Jesus is recorded pronouncing a judgment on Capernaum worse than Sodom’s. He said, “For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day” (Mt. 11:23-24). Friends, there’s a problem with our understanding of God if we think that he will accept us or save us on account of how well we are doing. Perhaps you feel like after you read your bible, or shared the Gospel or overcame a temptation that God owes you blessing. But when things still go poorly for you, you shake your fist at God saying “didn’t you see what I did for you?!” Don’t you see how ugly this is to God. This thinking ignores the pervasive reality of our sin and its offensiveness before God? It ultimately removes the need for a Savior because it puts trust in me, myself, and I rather than Father, Son, and Spirit. If Jesus is just a prophet who can help worthy people, if God is just a genie who can give us what we want when we say the magic word or jump through just the right hoops, than we are all in serious trouble because no one is truly worthy. That’s why God sent a Messiah. But if Jesus is the King, the ultimate healer, the one and only Savior sent from the Father to deal with the sin that is killing us then we must cling to him on his terms. We must cry out “Have mercy”, not “You owe me.” Do you see? Nonetheless, verse 6 tells us that Jesus went with them. And why does Jesus ever go the hurting? Why does he ever save the lost? Do you think Jesus came to this man because he was impressed with the Jews great description of this man? No, in fact, it’s just the opposite. But it is the grace of our Father who in his mercy reaches down from heaven to touch us, to heal us. Through his incarnated Son he comes to us, he mends our wounds, heals our diseases, and forgives our sins. He moves toward humanity out of his love for us, not because of anything we’ve done. That’s grace. That’s the Gospel. That’s the difference between every other religion and Christianity. 6-9 What faith looks like Look with me at verse 6 where we will see what God is truly after. “When [Jesus] was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 Therefore I did not presume (i.e. I did not see myself worthy) to come to you.” Notice the difference between the centurion and the Jews response to Jesus… First, out of respect and submission, he addresses Jesus as “Lord,” and instead of “I am worthy,” as the Jews had said about him, he says, “I am not worthy.” Out of respect, the centurion still does not even come close to him, but instead sent friends to report these words. Culturally, this man knew he should have nothing to do with Jesus and Jesus should care nothing about him. What is God looking for? He is looking for a heart that comes to Jesus with reverence, acknowledging his lordship and our need for him. Let’s continue in verse 7: “But say the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” So, the centurion sends word and says, “Jesus, I believe that all you have to do is say a word and my servant will be healed.” Just say the word! “I tell my soldiers to do something, they move, immediately, because I have that kind of authority. And Jesus, I believe you have the authority to heal in the same way.” This is incredible. This highly respected centurion who knows something about authority is here admitting that Jesus is far superior in ranking to him. Jesus’s authority far surpasses his earthly authority. He confesses belief that Jesus has power over heaven and earth, to command the created order and move things. The man recognizes and embraces, not just accepts, but embraces, Jesus’s authority over all things. He doesn’t turn to Herod or Caesar. Instead, he turns away from self and all other man-made solutions and saviors to the One who has true authority. He believed that nothing was too hard for One with this authority. He believed that Jesus could command with a word – from a distance, mind you – whatever illness was killing that man to leave him and that he would be restored to health. That’s not how I think when I’m praying for someone. I’m often thinking about how not to look to foolish when the prayer doesn’t work… That’s not how I’m thinking when I’m living in shame, when I’m staring at myself. The centurion recognized who Jesus was. He understood that he had authority that far surpassed any human authority and he said, Jesus, “just say the word and it will be done.” Let’s see Jesus’s response. Verse 9: 9-10 What causes Jesus to marvel? 9 When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” Jesus heard these words and he marveled. He marveled. He stood amazed. There are only two times in the New Testament where Jesus is said to marvel. One is in Mark 6:7 where Jesus marvels at the unbelief in Nazareth, and the other is right here (DeYoung). What caused Jesus to marvel? The centurion’s faith. Do you see that? The thing that causes Jesus to marvel, the thing that moves him, that matters most to him about us, is not our good deeds, but our faith. This is what pleases the Lord. But Jesus is said to marvel about another thing. What is it? Unbelief. Lack of faith. Pastor Kevin DeYoung writes, “Two things… make Jesus step back and say “Wow!” 1) Those who believe when it’s not expected they would. 2) Those who disbelieve when there’s every reason they should.”[1] Do you hear the indictment in those words from Jesus? “Not even in Israel…” “not even amongst my own people”, if he were speaking today he might say, “not even in the church” have I found such faith. These are painful words, to hear, and maybe more, for Jesus to say. Those who have every reason to believe, who have seen his miracles, have heard his teaching, who have been with him and seen how he fulfilled the prophesies, these are the ones who reject him. But a Gentile, a pork eating, unclean, foreign soldier, is the one to receive him with this faith. Faith or lack of faith is what makes Jesus marvel. Verse 10 tells us that “when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.” The man’s faith moved the Lord, and though we are not told how or with what words, the man’s faith was rewarded with the healing he desired. YOU What is God looking for in you? He wants you to come to him humbly with faith like the centurion that believes that if Jesus says “do it”, it will be done. If he says, “Forgiven,” we are forgiven! The Bible teaches us that without faith it is impossible to please God. This is one of the most fundamental aspects of Christianity. Why? Why is faith so important to him? Because faith puts him in his rightful place, it puts him back on the throne of our hearts. When Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan, they took their eyes off of God and put them on themselves. They dethroned God in their hearts. And even today, when we look to ourselves or other human saviors, we do the same thing. But God calls us to simply turn our eyes away from self to him, away from our supposed sufficiency to his true sufficiency, away from our deficiency to his sufficiency. So this leads me to ask, are you like the Jewish elders or the centurion in your response to Jesus? When you come to stories like these in Scripture you should be asking yourself which character is most true of you. And if we’re honest with ourselves it’s easy to quickly pat yourself on the back – “oh yes, I do believe in Jesus, I’m not like those religious guys….” Not so fast. How do you relate with God today? Are you like me and the Jewish leaders believing that I somehow can earn God’s favor? Or do the blessings and trials of life cause you to come with humble submission to the king of the universe like the centurion, saying, “I am unworthy even to have you come into my house, but I need you, I trust you, I thank you, you are able.” When we simply bow before the king, aware of his identity, power, and authority, to accomplish everything we need, God is pleased. He is moved. Yes, good works will and must follow our faith, but they can never ultimately gain his approval. We don’t work for approval, but from approval. I need you also to remember, faith is not just a one and done deal. No, but all of life requires the same trust in Jesus. When you trust him in extreme suffering or in material need, I believe he marvels at your faith. When you turn from sin in the face of the worst temptation, I believe he marvels at your faith. When you give up your comforts for the mission of God, I believe he marvels at your faith. But maybe you sit under the teaching and preaching of the Word week in and week out, you’ve grown up around the Scriptures and around the church and have seen miracles of salvation and perhaps healing and other things, but still there is no zeal for Jesus, no desire to know him or to make him known. This, I believe, also makes Jesus marvel. How does Jesus marvel at you today? Does he marvel at your faith or does he marvel at your unbelief? WE All Peoples Church, we are in a time not like many others. We are likely to see many more trials this year and certainly in our lifetime. How will we respond? Will we respond to these mini-floods with faith, clinging to Jesus, or will we cling to something else? Will you trust him for healing, trust him when he doesn’t heal, trust him when he gives, trust him when he takes? Will you trust him? This is what he desires. He is worthy of our trust, friends. He came and healed the sick, raised the dead, and overcame death itself by going to death. He is worthy of our trust. When Jesus went to the cross he was there in your place. He was performing the death you deserved for the sins you committed. And if Jesus was punished for your sins, that means that God no longer has a reason not to be pleased with you. Even more, when he rose from death, he rose on your behalf so that you could live a new life in him, a life of faith in him rather than yourself. And if God gave the Son for you do you think he would hold back anything else you need. Don’t be found on judgement day having heard and seen so much about Jesus and yet still clinging to your own righteousness or anything else. In these next few minutes together, if you are not yet trusting Christ, I want you to turn to him with this simple prayer, “Jesus, I believe you are who you say you are. Please, save me.” And if you love Jesus already, I want you to turn to Jesus with this simple prayer, “I believe, Lord, but help my unbelief. I want to make you marvel at my faith in you in this moment.” Let’s pray. Lord, you said that without faith it is impossible to please you. We want to please you. Thank you for coming for us. Forgive us for all of our daily unbelief and help us trust you more. In the name of Jesus, Amen. [1] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/what-makes-jesus-marvel/

FearScape is back with an ALL-NEW EPISODE! The Spooky Crew is taking a strange look at the enigmatic case of the self-proclaimed time traveler, John Titor. In Part 1 we explore his beginnings as well as a basic look into how he claims to have traveled through time. The listener story this week comes again from our friend Jerry Archambault at Haunted History of Kentucky and is portrayed by our Voice Over Actor and FS Friend, Brad McQueary, who has a new Youtube show called We What?! That you can check out at www.youtube.com/wewhat. Make sure to hold those blankets extra tight as Stefan & Josh take you deep into... the FearScape! Listen every Wednesday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! Just search FearScape! #Paranormal #TimeTravel #JohnTitor #UFO #Spooky #TheFuture #PodNation

The True Measure of Greatness Luke 3:15-23 Exegetical Main Point: While many wondered if John the Baptist was the Christ, he taught that the Christ far surpassed him in greatness. In his baptism, God himself declares Jesus Christ’s identity. He is the divine Son of God. Main Point of the Sermon: Since there is none greater than Jesus, our greatness must be measured by him. Me: I remember growing up seeing performers, athletes who were the best of the best and dreaming of becoming like them. I would see the singer hit that high note and the crowd go wild, or the guitarist mesmerizing crowds with his licks, or the home run kings step to the plate… I wanted to be like them and in many ways what I spent my time doing, for a lot of my childhood, was trying to be great like these people. I was and still am so often mesmerized by greatness. Now, I’m not trying to become a baseball or Rockstar anymore, but my vision of greatness has changed with my season of life. Now, it’s the best preachers, song-writers, writers, and church leaders who catch my attention. It’s the beautiful and the winsome that catch my eye. We: What makes someone great in your mind? There have been many great men and women throughout human history beyond our 21stcentury ideals: prophets, teachers, reformers, and the like who have lead masses, helping shape human history sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But of them all do you know who Jesus said was the greatest? His cousin John, known as John the Baptist. I’ve always wondered why Jesus said that. What made him so great? Was it how hardcore he was? The fact that he ate honey and locusts? That he wore sackcloth and lived in the wilderness? He never married. He never wrote a book, probably never traveled outside of Israel. John was a prophet like many of the Old Testament prophets who came preaching repentance, but John’s ministry lasted only six months before he would be imprisoned and beheaded by king Herod. Could it be that John was the greatest because his entire life pointed to the greatest of all, Jesus the Messiah? We saw in last’s weeks text that John the Baptist, had masses following him. He was considered a great prophet by many. But in the moment of his spotlight, he turned the attention away from himself to the one coming after him. This is what made John the Baptist great. Is this your measure for greatness? Tonight I want to show you from our text: 1) Jesus is the greatest of all 2) The true measure of greatness 3) Jesus was baptized so that even sinners could be great Main Point: Since there is none greater than Jesus, our greatness must be measured by him. Text: Jesus is the greatest of all 15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ… If you’re new with us, we are taking a journey together through the Gospel of Luke. Luke was the Apostle Paul’s personal physician and travel companion who wrote his Gospel most likely to a new believer named Theophilus. He tells us that the purpose of his writing is that those who read might be certain of the things that have been told them concerning Jesus. Here in chapter 3, Luke records that John the Baptist, came out of the wilderness after the Word of God came to him and he preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Verse 7 tells us that crowds were coming to him from all over and being baptized by John. People from every walk of life, the rich and poor, soldiers, religious leaders, and common people came to him, and the word was spreading quickly so that people were in expectation and wondering if John might be the long awaited Messiah. He was the headliner of the show, the celebrity pastor – he was famous, and he had every opportunity to live in the glory of that moment. But listen to how John responds to the crowds. Verse 16: 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. John doesn’t take the glory for a second but rather points to the one coming after him who is “mightier” than him. John doesn’t stop there though, he wants us to understand how much greater the one coming is. He says, “I’m not even worthy to unstrap his sandals.” In his time only non-Jewish slaves would perform this task of unstrapping sandals. The roads were filthy with mud, animal urine and droppings, garbage and the like, so this was a servants task of the lowest rank. And yet John says that he is not even worthy to take on this task. John goes on: “I baptize you with water…but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” In other words, John was saying, “I work on the outside – external baptism, but the one coming, works on the inside – he can make your heart clean. He can cause you to be born again. He has the power to give the Holy Spirit.” But not only will this Messiah wield the Holy Spirit and fire, he also has authority to judge. Look at verse 17: “17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” John paints the picture of judgment with that of a thresher at harvest gathering the wheat and putting it in his barn but removing the chaff – which was the excess shells and waste of the crop – to be burnedwith unquenchable fire. This one coming after John actually has authority to judge whether one would receive salvation or eternaljudgment under God’s wrath. These descriptions should leave you asking like it would have his listeners, “Who then is this man?” This was not just any man. John’s description of the roles of the Messiah, in fact, describe the very roles of God as seen in the Old Testament. Psalm 50: The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge! Likewise, Joel 2 says that Yahweh would pour out his Spirit on all flesh. God is the one who has the power to give the Spirit, and God is the only one with authority to judge. But this one coming, John the Baptist taught, will have the same power and authority as God. Luke is putting the pieces together for his readers. John the Baptist understood that he was making a highway for God who was about to show up. He knew that he was one prophesied about in Isaiah 40, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepar[ing] the way of THE LORD (All caps in your Bibles). He was preparing the way for the one true God, Yahweh… John believed that this one coming after him was the Lord. He was far superior than John. He was indeed the greatest of all. Luke’s account kind of leaves the reader hanging, just like the crowds would have been, wondering what this coming would look like – wondering who this person would be. The text would suggest that not even John the Baptist knew exactly who this person was. John only speaks in pronouns about this great One. But then beginning in verse 21, Luke tells the story of the revelation of the Messiah. Imagine the expectation you would have if you heard this message for weeks and months from John the Baptist leading up to this day. Let’s read it together: 21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Luke’s account of Jesus’s baptism should make every reader stop and marvel like I can imagine those who witnessed this event did. Masses of people were being baptized by John. It was a day like any other. Nothing spectacular had come about. But then this man Jesus shows up in the wilderness at the Jordan and wants to be baptized by John. Matthew’s Gospel says that John was hesitant to do so because he was aware of his own sinfulness before God. But after Jesus was baptized everything changed. John the Baptist, though he knew his cousin, and doubtless had heard the prophesies about him, and seemed to have some understanding of Jesus’s identity, came to know with certainty that Jesus was the divine Son of God, the promised Messiah. Anyone who knew the Scriptures and the prophesies about the Messiah would have recognized the significance of these events. Listen to Isaiah 42:1:Behold my Servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. Or Isaiah chapter 11, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse [that is, from the line of David] and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him… The Spirit rested on Jesus in a unique way just like the prophecies had said. Like a dove gracefully descending to perch on some object, or like the tongues of fire that descended on the disciples at Pentecost, the Spirit descended on Jesus in bodily form. What was happening here? The Father was preparing his Son with his Spirit for this task ahead. This is not “divine begetting” or adoptionism or even his becoming the Messiah, but rather equipping for ministry. He was already king; he was already God’s Son, but this was God’s affirmation of that reality for the sake of those listening, as well as the anointing for the work ahead. Jesus was equipped by the Spirit for ministry to show us the way that he would equip the Church for ministry by the Spirit. Accompanying this amazing Spirit baptism was the affirmation of the Father from heaven, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am pleased…” In this moment, God the Father was identifying Jesus as his uniquely loved Son. This was God’s “only Son” from the Father (Jn. 1:14), the Word made flesh. But not only was he the divine Son of God, he was a son pleasing to the Father for his holy life. Out of his identity came his action. Here, the Father is offering his seal of affirmation for the way Jesus had fulfilled the Law perfectly. He is the second Adam, or the faithful Israel, who unlike the first Adam or Israel, lived his life spotlessly. This spotless life is what made his sacrificial death on the cross a pleasing sacrifice to the Father on behalf of his people. Notice also that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all present in this moment. Father affirming his Son, Jesus submitting to his Father as the Savior of the world, and the Holy Spirit sent from the Father to empower Christ for the mission. What a beautiful picture of all the members of the trinity present right at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, like a poised team ready to take on their holy mission. That’s what made Jesus so great. This was the Son of God in the flesh, who had lived his life perfectly before the Father. He was the hope of the world come from God. That’s why John the Baptist talked the way he did. “I must become less. He must become more.” When the masses stopped coming to John but started going to Jesus, John told his disciples: “It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom’s friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success” (John 3:29). John was content to lose his ministry and even his life to be able to watch the greater one exalted, to see the Bridegroom King get to come and take his bride. He was content with his calling to get people ready for the king. Now, you may have noticed that Luke goes out of chronological order here in the description of John the Baptist’s life. We know from the other Gospels that John was the one who baptized Jesus, but Luke doesn’t mention this in Jesus’s baptism story, but rather records John’s ministry as coming to a close in his imprisonment. He preached this message of Good News until he was imprisoned and eventually beheaded by Herod, who was angry at John for his rebuke of his adultery, recorded in verse 19 and 20. I don’t think Luke’s order is an accident. Luke is trying to show us that Jesus picks up where John left off. And just like that, in John the Baptist’s short 33ish year life and only six month long ministry, it was over. He made much of Jesus, got to baptize him, and confirm to everyone that Jesus was in fact the Christ. But his mission was complete, and Jesus would later say that amongst those born of women, no one was greater. This is similar affirmation to what the Father said about Jesus. This was like John’s “well done, good and faithful servant.” God was pleased with John’s life. This is what made him great in the sight of God. Let me ask you today, is this the measure of your greatness, of your success? If John was called greatest among men when he had focused his entire life on bringing Jesus glory, how should we measure our greatness? The True Measure of Greatness Your greatness should be measured by 1) what God says about you 2) how your life brings glory to God in Jesus. Let me explain why this should be the measure of your greatness. When God created mankind, he created us in his image. Our lives were meant to be little pictures of God spread all of the world, like mirrors reflecting his image, making his glory shine. But the reality is, rather than living in that incredible purpose, we have all been like king Herod and have taken what is not ours. Rather than making much of God and seeking to reflect him with all of our lives, we have all set ourselves up as kings and queens. We’ve created a god in our own image and demanded that he submit to our desires and be our genie. Rather than hearing the Word, we have turned our back in rebellion and hardened our hearts. We’ve taken God off of his throne and put ourselves in his place. My desire as a kid, and still so often, to be the best, most praised, is a hunger to be seen by others, not by God. You and me and all the world are glory thieves. Like Satan we have marveled at our own beauty, and set ourselves above God in our hearts in pride. If God is the sun, we were meant to be the moon, but we have all made ourselves the sun in our hearts, and in so doing we have subtly demanded the worship of others. The greatest temptations I see in the church today – and I know this largely because of my own sin – is the desire to be seen as better or holier than we are. We want our families to look so put together. God forbid someone see us fight or have a hard day. We might confess our sins, but only in such a way that it doesn’t sound as ugly to those who hear it. We keep some of its ugliness hidden. As singles we try to present ourselves to others as always put together, always cheerful, adventurous, beautiful – this is especially exacerbated by the social media world. But in trying to paint this picture of ourselves, prettier, holier, more exciting, we are redefining what makes us worthy of another’s attention, we are being dishonest with ourselves and with others, and we are doing nothing but making ourselves more anxious, more self-conscious, and more crippled by one another so that we are not able to serve God or others. Every one of us are glory thieves. Every one of us deserve God’s unquenchable fire for our failure to reflect the creator like we were made to. But I have Good News for us today. Jesus was baptized so that even sinners could be great This is why Jesus came. Jesus didn’t need to get baptized! This was a baptism of repentance. Those who did it were fleeing from the wrath of God. Jesus didn’t have the wrath of God hanging over him. The Father was pleased with him for his holy life. But when he got down into the filthy water of the Jordan and was dunked backwards in the water, Jesus was showing us that he would not flee from God’s wrath but that he would run into it for us, that he would be crucified for our sin. This is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus took the baptism of death for you. He took the judgement that you deserve for your glory stealing so that by faith in him you would have God’s pleasure as his faithful and beloved child. This is the Gospel. When you believe in Christ and get baptized in his name, you are making a profession of faith that you are identifying with Jesus’s perfect life and with his death for your sin. But it doesn’t end there. When you come out of the water, you are identifying with the resurrected Christ who is ascended to heaven and seated now at the right hand of God. Because we have put on Christ in this way, like new clothing, when the Father looks at you he can say, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” This is the true measure of greatness – to be accepted by the Father in Christ. Jesus said in Luke chapter 7 that though John was the greatest born among women, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. What this means is that if you are in Christ, your righteousness exceeds that of John’s because of Jesus. Our oneness with Christ means that just as Jesus is greater than John, so is the person who is least in the kingdom who believes in Jesus. Your place in the kingdom is contingent not on your works, not on your Bible reading faithfulness, not on your beauty or competence, not on your net worth, not on those you’ve lead to Christ, but by your union with Jesus. But the question for you today is this: is God pleased with you in Christ? Are you following him? Will Jesus come to you in peace like a dove or as a judge with a winnowing fork? How you respond to Jesus determines whether his baptism of the Holy Spirit is one of salvation or of judgment for you. Jesus is no longer in the grave. He is seated as the judge of all humanity at the right hand of the Father, ready to take up his winnowing fork. If you are not already, I urge you today to turn to him and receive his mercy. What is the true measure of greatness? One, it is to measure our success, our greatness, by what God thinks of us, and two, by how well our lives bring glory to God through Jesus. What made Jesus’s life pleasing to the Father? A life lived in loving submission and reverence to God. What made John’s life pleasing to God? A life lived in loving submission and reverence to God. What will make your life pleasing to God in Christ? A life lived in loving submission and reverence to God by turning the attention away from self to Christ. This identity as God’s beloved child will never end in apathetic, unfruitful living. A true child of God, united to Christ by the Spirit will look like Jesus, bearing fruit to the glory of Christ. So let me ask you, does your life show your co-workers, friends, and family that you believe that there is no one greater than Jesus? We are commanded in Colossians, “Whatever you do, in word or deed,do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17). Our aim at this church is to follow Jesus in everyday life and to help others to the same, especially those far from God. This happens in the way you eat, work, play, spend money, date, marry, and on and on. If I asked your neighbor or co-worker or boss what about your life showed that Jesus was the most important thing to you, what would they say? Better yet, if we followed you around for a day, would your life show that Jesus is the most important thing to you? Are you intentional in the way you seek to know him, obey him, and serve like him. Conclusion: So, I ask again, what will be the measure of your greatness in life? Will it be your own good works, accomplishments, net worth, the praise of men, marital status, friendships, number of children? Or will it be the praise of God that can only come as a child of God united to the perfect Son of God? Will it be to hear the words of God on the last day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Oh that this would be true of us all! Church, there is no one greater than Jesus. Let us live for him intentionally before the world. If you are in Christ, God is pleased with you in the same way that he pleased with his own Son Jesus who lived a perfect life to the glory of God. So, let’s stop pretending that we are better than we are and glorify Christ in our weakness. If you are in Christ, he has given the same Spirit to you who descended on him and empowered him for ministry so that you might point to Christ like John the Baptist. This is the true measure of your greatness. So church, let us focus our energy not on making much of ourselves, but of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Forevermore, we will turn our eyes upon the greatest of all. So let’s take our eyes off of ourselves right now and worship him.

Who are We? What is our Mission? What are We Doing? What are we Responsible For? What is the Church? This week Mike and Chad talk about the vision of the church. Scripture in this episode: 1 Peter 2:9-10, Romans 4:17, Ephesians 2:19-22 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/roguetabletalks/message

Show Notes for Episode 1 of Fit Phat Chat: In this Episode, you will learn who Big Red and Black Addict are as well as why we decided to start a podcast. Here is a basic outline of the episode: Introduction Disclaimer Who are We? What are we about? Introducing Big Red and Black Addict (embracing our uniqueness) Body Positivity and Movement Phat = abundance, Fit = mind, body, soul, but not weight Shattering Yoga audience stereotypes The "Weight" talk at the doctors office Mindfulness and Joy Body Positivity An exercise in self love. We ask each other to name something about ourselves that we love about ourselves: mind, body, spirit. Listener Love We asked listeners to help us interpret a fortune cookie and the responses were hilarious. Congratulations to the three people won passes to our classes. Take Away Tips Christy and Ayanna each have a small change in mindset/habits that can make a big difference over time. The 411 B Free Retreat happening on October 5, 2019 ... save the date... come change your life! Zumba with Christy L. Ray class schedule listing. How to find us: Ayanna (B Free Coaching and Wellness) Christy (Zumba with Christy L. Ray) and Fit Phat Chat B Free Coaching and Wellness: www.bfreewell.com Zumba with Christy L. Ray: www.facebook.com/ZumbawithChristyLRay Fit Phat Chat email: fitphatchat@gmail.com FB: www.facebook.com/fitphatchaT Twitter: @fitphatchat Instagram: Youtube: Gratitude We want to thank everyone who has encouraged and helped us along the way... including but not limited to... each other, our friends and family (Jason Parrent), our listeners, our fellow "Phatties" ... our vibe tribe, our Zumba squad, "Sushi Club" members, True You Wellness (Reva Joly and Alice Curran), B Free Coaching and Wellness community, Christy's Zumba class members, E for All, Salty Broad Studios, and Cape Cod Media (Jay) for helping us with the technical aspects of developing a podcast. Closing Comments Thank you for listening! "Sending peace, love, and light to you and yours. Live Fit, Phat, and Free. " Bloopers Mentioned in this episode: original photo credit to Salty Broad Studio LLC... on FB: www.facebook.com/SaltyBroadStudios