Chris Hodges - Guard It (Aniversary Sunday)
Oh, it’s so good to see everybody here today, and today, before I bring the Word of God to you, I have some very exciting news to share with you about the future of our church. And before I share it, I wanna be really, really clear, I wanna just make sure you know this right on the front end, that I’m not going anywhere, everybody, I’m gonna live here the rest of my life. Come on, everybody, is that okay with everybody? All right, thank you, that makes me feel so much better. I am gonna be here, my home is here. I will, I will, this will always be my home. My heart is here, my presence is gonna be here, my tithe is here. Come on somebody, right?
I’m going nowhere. But today I am just delighted to announce a transition of roles that is gonna take place here in our church. Just over two years ago, Pastor Mark Pettus came into my office over at Grandview, said something very interesting that kind of started something that was already, be honest with you, it’s been happening in me for a number of years. He came to me, and he said, «Man, I really love Highlands College». And you gotta understand, this man really built our college. I gave the vision for it, but I turned him loose. I mean, I didn’t go into any architect meetings. I gave the vision, and he did all the work and led it through eight years of accreditation and et cetera, et cetera.
And he said, «I really love the school, but every day I wake up with vision for the church. My heart is moving toward the church». And I said, «Well, Pastor Mark, that’s interesting, because I deeply love this church. This will always be my family of faith and, my goodness, I’m the founding pastor here, you know, and I just, I love the church, but every day I wake up with vision for the school». And I said, «I think we need to go through a process here of just exchanging some roles here in the church». And for the past two years, Pastor Mark and I have talked with each other, probably every week for more than two years now, and we pray together. We’ve actually received counsel from our elders. And then on the outside, we actually got people who’ve already been through the transition process and just said, «Teach us what you guys know». And we’ve went through that process.
Recently, over the past three or four months, I’ve been meeting with our elders. If you’re new to our church, we are governed in three areas. We have, we have staff elders that more of their responsibility is the vision and direction of the church. We have non-staff elders, that’s kind of more the official board of the church and non-staff obviously so that there’s no conflict of interest. But these, these men actually lead our church financially with the buildings and all those types of things. And then finally we have a group of what I call apostolic elders. We call them overseers. These are people that are, that just can speak into my life and be that source of strength and support, and you guys know about, about that.
And I met with all three of them, and they were unanimous in not only the «who» but the «when,» not only who it would be but when it would be. And actually, I even met with my own personal family. My family has taken this journey with me for 24 years and has honestly beared both the blessing and the burden of this in the most remarkable way, and I honor my incredible family. In fact, I’m delighted that my son, David, and my daughter, Sarah, who live in Texas, actually flew in to be a part of this moment. I want Miss Tammy and all my children and their spouses, would you stand up and let the church honor you and all that you’ve done? I love you, Sarah. Love you, Michael and Katie, David, Isabel, Johnny and Grace, and Joseph, come on, Miss Tammy, everybody. Love you guys so much, thank you so much.
Y’all can be seated, thank you for that. But I met with them over Christmas. Of course, we talk, we talk about everything all the time. And the family said, «Yeah, Dad, we really feel good about this as well». And so I’m just delighted to let you guys know something that we are all unanimous in. In fact, I met with the staff on Thursday, and they’re 100% as well on board, that Pastor Mark Pettus will become lead pastor, and I’m gonna take on a new role in our church. Again, not going anywhere, but I’m gonna take on the role as founding pastor.
As founding pastor, y’all, I’m still gonna be speaking here, is that all right with everybody? I’m still preaching. Okay, that’s good to hear, I’m glad you thought that. In fact, I’m beginning a brand-new series next Sunday, and Pastor Mark has asked me to preach. I’m going to preach the Sunday before Palm Sunday, Palm Sunday, and Easter. It’ll be my 25th Easter, and I can’t wait to celebrate the risen King on Easter. But this new role as founding pastor is actually going to allow me to increase my efforts over at Highlands College as chancellor. Right now it’s been about 80% church, 20% school. And honestly, I have so many things that I wanna do that require that to flip. And I’m still gonna be working hard, y’all, all right? I’m not retiring, I don’t plan on retiring as long as God gives me breath in my lungs, I’m gonna serve Jesus, okay? No rocking chairs and golf in my future, okay?
So, I’m not retiring, I’m not burned out, I am not tired. In fact, I have more energy and passion than I’ve had in a long time, everybody. But this transition of roles is actually gonna let me live out my ultimate calling, and let me tell you what that is, and that is I’ve always felt led to empower other leaders. I see the church that way. That’s why we started Highlands College, that’s why the Dream Team for heaven’s sakes. From the very beginning, I’ve said, «This church is not gonna look like me, it’s gonna look like the vision and the ideas of the people in our church». That’s why we have Grow, that’s why we have ARC. We have constantly been empowering other leaders, that’s who I am. But I’m getting older, and I’m just finding I see the world through a different lens, no longer kinda as a father but as a grandfather. In fact, that’s the best analogy to let you guys know how I feel.
A number of years ago, my kids grew up and left the house, to God be the glory, everybody, all right? And Miss Tammy stopped getting pregnant, to God be the glory, everybody. That’s just a wonderful thing, right? I mean, we enjoyed those years of homework, and getting up in the middle of the night, and taking kids to school, but we’re glad we don’t do that anymore. Now we have grandkids, and they come over, and then we get to tell them, «Y’all have a good night, see you later, everybody. Y’all go on to the house». And we love being grandparents, and that’s how I feel right now. In fact, let me tell you this, if you’ve loved me as a father, you’re gonna love me as a grandfather around here. You know, they call me PC for Pastor Chris. Well, keep calling me PC, but it’s gonna be Papa Chris now, everybody, all right?
Okay, I just, all this feels so right in my spirit, and I have the greatest confidence and belief in Pastor Mark and Jill Pettus. They’ve been a part of our church for nearly the whole journey, 23 years, been on staff for more than 20 years. Again, he took the vision I had for Highlands College, made it a reality, took our school through eight years of accreditation and led that beautifully. He started the Motion movement. I call it a movement, one of the largest, if not the largest, student conference in America. In fact, when he brought that first vision to me, I remember telling him, «Mark, I don’t know, man, I don’t know if we should do that. That’s a, that’s a lot of kids downtown, brother. I don’t know». Thank God I let him say yes. That’s one of the best things that’s happened in our church.
And Pastor Mark and Jill are true spiritual son and daughter to me. And so, today we’re beginning this season of transition. Pastor Mark is gonna be the lead pastor, and I’ve asked him to take a whole year where I’m not gonna put any pressure on him to, you know, to have all new things right off the bat. But I asked him to take a year to develop vision in this year of new beginnings, everybody. He’ll step away as president of Highlands College, our board, he’ll continue to have a strong voice as a board member and pastor of the church, but our board of directors will begin a new search for a president. We’ll give you more details about that. But in the meantime, our executive team and myself will be leading in that capacity.
But today marks the beginning of the 25th year of Church of the Highlands, and I truly believe that this decision sets us up for more people than ever to know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference, I believe that! So, before I preach today, I’ve invited some of our overseers, in fact we have three of our five overseers in attendance today, Pastor Larry Stockstill, my pastor, Pastor Tom Mullins, and Pastor Jim Laffoon, and I’m gonna ask them and Tammy to come up on stage along with Pastor Mark and Jill Pettus. Would you please stand and honor our overseers? And would you give a handclap for Pastor Mark and Jill Pettus and Miss Tammy? Come on, come on, give them a good hand, everybody!
So, I want to say this. Y’all stay standing for just a second. Mark and Jill, I am… y’all come over here so I can see ya, all right? I am so proud of y’all in every way. I have just the greatest belief in you, and I just know great things are ahead. I’ve already heard what God has in your heart, and I’m excited about it. This church does need to be led by a younger generation, and I believe you’re the man with all my heart. In fact, I don’t even believe it, I know you’re the man. And I want at the church right now to receive Pastor Mark Pettus and Jill Pettus.
To God be the glory, everybody. All right, we’re 24 years old, and our creative team put together a little tribute video. Go ahead and take your seats and turn your eyes to the screens, thank you.
Come on, give God all the praise, everybody! Oh, it’s our 24th anniversary, come on, everybody, whoo! What a miracle this whole story is. And again, happy anniversary, Highlands. Let me take a moment, look straight in the camera, say hello to all of our 26 locations that are joining us right now. And what a joy and privilege we have to bring not only Sunday services but all that we are as a church into all 28 of Alabama’s Department of Corrections facilities right now. God bless you guys, the men and women there. And then of course we have people that are watching online or on demand later. Now, Grants Mill, show how much love you have for everybody on the other side of the camera, God bless you guys. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
And before I bring this very abbreviated message today, I wanted to give you a few announcements because we didn’t show you a Highlands news video. Y’all, I am your Highlands news. Okay, here we go, everybody. That today, because it’s a first Sunday, we always have water baptism on the first Sunday of every month, and we have it after every service, and your campus pastor will describe where that is at the end of the service, because they’re in different places, obviously, at all 26 locations, but it’s today after every service. And if you’re one of the, get ready for this now, everybody, If you’re one of the 3,665 people who gave their life to Jesus in January alone, everybody, just this past month, come on, now, no golf tournament clap, come on, give God the praise for that, okay?
Salvation is a decision you make in your heart with God. It’s not really with a church yet. We think you should make a commitment to a local church. But the first one you make is a, it’s a private decision between you and God. But then God’s first instruction, Jesus said, «Once you make that decision, you’re to go public with your faith». And it’s not a suggestion, it is a command to be water baptized. And what water baptism is, I call it the wedding band of Christianity, it’s the public expression that you belong to someone. And so I wanna encourage you to do that. And you say, «Well, I didn’t bring clothes, I didn’t bring any», we have everything you need, we have underwear, we have dark clothes to wear, we have photographers, we have towels, we have hair products. No excuses, everybody, if you’ve not been water baptized, just join us right after this service, and let’s celebrate your changed life and congratulations on that.
The first Sunday also marks the beginning of three classes that we make available to those of you who are new to our church, and we call these classes the Growth Track. And the Step 1 of the Growth Track is our membership class. It’s where you get to hear about our doctrine, our finances, our government, just how the church functions. Because if you’re going to join a church, you deserve to have information. But I do want to encourage you to be a member, not just an attender, of a local church. Doesn’t have to be this one, just find you a good church. There’s a bunch of them in our area. Find one and commit to it, because there’s tremendous benefits whenever you commit to a local church. That’s today at 6 pm. We have childcare and food for you, so just join us. You get to meet your campus team. It’s a wonderful time together. Today also marks the beginning of a 13-week Small Groups semester. We’re a church of Small Groups, which means we’re a big church on Sundays, but we’re a very small church between Sundays.
So we gather, this is kind of the Sunday school, so to speak, of Church of the Highlands. This is where you can study the Bible, get discipled. This is the place where, even if you have a unique need, like, I want to understand parenting from a biblical perspective, or I want to get out of debt, I want to get my finances in order, we literally have over 5,200 options for you. And they say, «Wait a minute, that’s too many to sort through». You’re right, that’s why we built an online search engine, which means you can put in some parameters, like, «I can only do Tuesday night, and, you know, I’m a guy, so I just want to hang out with guys, and maybe I want a lunch group because I don’t have another evening» or «I want an evening group,» whatever.
You put all these parameters and the 5,000 groups reduces down just to a handful, and there’ll be a little blurb that’ll describe it and a phone number of the leader and just call them, and you’ll know whether that’s the one you should attend. And then I give you permission to shop for a group. You don’t have to commit to the first one you go to. Just shop for a group for a couple weeks and find the one that’s perfect for you. But I want everybody, everybody to get in a Small Group. In fact, right now, we have everybody in our church in groups, right? In fact, there are more people who attend groups than attend Sundays, which really hurts my feelings. But anyway, all right, but get in a Small Group.
I also want to let you know that in three days, we have our monthly First Wednesday service, and by the way, this is a little bit more in-depth teaching. I like to call it almost a biblical master class. Like, if you really want it deeper on certain topics, that’s what this is all about, and it’s also the place where we have public Communion. So we’ll receive the Lord’s Supper together. The worship’s a little bit longer. So if you like it a little bit deeper, a little longer, this is a great experience for you. I wanna invite you to that. And then as I said, next Sunday, I’m beginning a brand-new series, verse by verse, through the eight chapters of the Song of Solomon.
Now this book was written by Solomon, King David’s son, and it gives a beautiful explanation of intimacy, marriage, purity. Even the honeymoon night is in two chapters. And we’re gonna have it, we’ll tell you when that week comes so you can make sure you have your kids in our excellent childcare services everybody, all right? Because we’re gonna get into the depths of even what marital intimacy looks like according to the Bible. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. And I want you to join me next week, and I’m gonna kick it off. And then right in the middle of that, we have our annual Marriage Conference. This is the last thing I wanna let you know about, and I would love for every married couple to register for this. It is filling up fast, so do it soon.
And last thing I will say that is if anything we do as a church that has a fee attached, and this does, it has a fee attached, if you don’t have it, don’t let that be the reason why you don’t come. We always build in scholarships, and we would love you to come regardless if you have the ability to pay or not. We just want to invest in your marriage. I have just a few minutes to share a couple of thoughts with you, and it’s a verse that I want to show you, really one single verse that I want to build off of that is something that, it’ll make sense to you in a minute why I’ve been thinking this and feeling this. As you can imagine, I’ve been in this transition really in my own heart for a number of years.
In fact, about five years ago, I knew this day was coming, and I started even more developing our young leaders. I’ve always loved developing young leaders. That’s why I love Highlands College so much. I just really love pouring into young leaders. And, and the apostle Paul was really a person who developed a lot of young leaders. In fact, a lot of the books of the New Testament, if you’ll notice, some of them are mentioned, like they’re cities, like Philippi is the book of Philippians, so that was written to the whole church in that city of Philippi, the book of Philippians. But some of them have people’s names, like Timothy, Titus, and these were the individual young leaders that Paul was pouring into. And instead of writing the letter, or this book of the Bible, to the whole church, he wrote it to the pastor.
So he was investing, and these were young guys, I mean very, very young, young leaders. And the last, chronologically speaking, last book of the Bible that Paul would have written is 2 Timothy, and this is what it says. And so he’s, he’s saying to his young protege, who he is pouring his life into, and now it makes sense why I’ve been thinking this, right? Because I’ve had this conversation not only with Pastor Mark and Jill but with our entire lead team, our elders, and I basically have said this, «What you have heard from me,» over 24 years, and really for 41 years of ministry from me, «I want you to keep,» everybody say «keep».
There’s one thing to find something, it’s another thing to keep that thing, right? «Keep as a pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus». And then he says, «Guard the good deposit». So a lot has happened over these years and try to put in some values, we put in a few systems, and we put in a few things that, that are almost like distinctives of our church, that, like, this is, if you’re going to describe Highlands, this is who we are. «You got to guard that deposit that was entrusted to you,» because I’m, I’m giving it to you to make sure it gets passed on to the next generation, «guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you». And you said, «Chris, why are you talking about this»?
I’m talking about this because a lot of people don’t guard it and don’t keep it. We’ve seen this sometimes in our own children. Maybe some of your kids totally grabbed your values, and now they’re a family, it doesn’t look exactly like it, but man, people tell my kids from time to time, «Man, that sounds like your dad». Well, praise God for that, maybe there are some things that I passed off to my kids that they both kept and guarded. And really, the tendency is, is actually, if we’re not careful, let me say it this way, if we’re not intentional about it, you won’t guard it, and then you’ll look up a few years later and say, «My God, look how we have drifted». Is everybody with me so far?
ears ago in 1763, so this is even before America became a nation, of course, we were colonizing and we were over here, you know, people claiming territory, there was a guy who actually basically invented his own city, and he named it after one of his dear friends, Rodney, and it was in Mississippi. It was called Rodney, Mississippi, and you can Google this later. Rodney, Mississippi was on the Mississippi, and I don’t know if you know much about the Mississippi River. I grew up in Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River, and it’s just a bunch of S-curves, S-curves, S-curves. But you also notice if you’re ever flying over it, there’s a bunch of C-shaped lakes, they call them oxbow lakes. They’re C-shaped lakes that are just, you know, just a bit away from the Mississippi.
That’s where the Mississippi once was, but then it just changed course. Well, Rodney, Mississippi, in 1763, was bought by this wealthy businessman. In fact, it was such a prosperous city because it was on the Mississippi that it missed being the capital of Mississippi by three votes. They instead chose Jackson, Mississippi, as you all know. But by the 1900s, the town of Rodney, Mississippi wasn’t no longer on the Mississippi. Debris had built up in the curve, and by the 1900s, Rodney was three miles away from the Mississippi River. And today, this is a current picture of the city, and now, it’s a complete ghost town, and nobody lives there.
This is a church that was built, and now it is boarded up. And nobody lives in Rodney, Mississippi because they didn’t guard it. They didn’t clean out the debris. They weren’t able to recognize, «Hey, we don’t allow that,» and moving some debris out of the way. Are y’all following me everybody? Okay, so one of my responsibilities, both now and forevermore, as the founding pastor of the church, is to remind ourselves, and I do this with my grandkids, «Let me tell you who a Hodges is, let me tell you what we believe in, let me tell you what we stand for».
Today, I want to give you a list of just four. I’ve already talked to our teams, our elders, our leadership. I’ve given them at least 12, what I believe to be distinctives that we have to guard and keep, but I only have time to give you guys a few, so let me give them to you. Number 1, we’ve gotta guard our passion for God. In fact, let me add another descriptor. We need to, we need to guard our dependence on God. Now we have always been a church of prayer. Can I get a good «amen,» everybody? We have always been that. In fact, if you know our story, the reason why our anniversary is on the first Sunday of February and not January, which is the best time to start a church, because everybody’s trying to get their life together around their New Year’s resolutions, we actually waited an entire month, started it on the first Sunday of February, so we could pray and fast for a month first before we ever launched the church, you know the story.
And from the very beginning, we have been and we will be for now and forevermore a church that says, «God, we are completely incapable of doing anything unless your presence and your power is with us». Are y’all with me? And so we seek God. And I don’t know really when we kind of caught the momentum. I don’t really fully understand it, to be honest with you, how we have thousands and thousands gathering at 6 o’clock in the morning for 21 straight days. It still blows my mind. I give God all the praise for that. But I truly believe the reason why, reason why we’ve seen all these tremendous things happen over 24 years, y’all, you don’t have a great pastor and we’re not a great church, we have a great God, everybody.
I’m telling you, that’s just the truth, and I truly believe that with all my heart. And not only our passion for, for prayer, but just our passion in worship. We’ve always been kind of known as a church that’ll go after God. And I tell you, it took us a number of years to bring it to what I really believe how the Bible describes praise and worship. Now maybe this is the first time you’ve ever been in a church service, you know, where people are jumping around and lifting their hands, and maybe you thought, «My goodness, they’re a little fanat», you know, if you do it on a Saturday, they call you a fan, if you do it on a Sunday, they call you a fanatic, all right?
But I’ve always said, I’ve been teaching y’all this for years, that really, I think that, that the, that the book of Psalms looks more like Saturday at one of our football stadiums than it does look like the, you know, church on Sunday. Because the Bible says clap your hands, shout, lift your hands, leap for joy, make a lot of noise, and we don’t have any problem doing that on Saturdays. In fact, in Alabama, we’re kind of known for it, isn’t that right, everybody? But God needs that kind of praise, too. God deserves that. I just decided a long time ago that, I mean, I don’t mind getting a little excited on a Saturday, but I’m not gonna give all my praise to a bunch of 19-year-olds who don’t even know me and be silent for the God who made me.
Come on, somebody, here’s your chance right now to give him some praise like you would do it on a Saturday in a football stadium, whoo! That’s right, and did you know that the first warning that Jesus has for the end-time church, and you go read it yourself, the book of Revelation, of course, is the, the, really the picture of the end of time.
The whole book starts with seven warnings, guards, seven things to guard or to keep, and the very first one is, «I know your deeds,» like, «I know you got 26 campuses, and I know you’re in 28 correctional facilities, and I know you’ve worked hard, and I know you’ve hung in there,» and, «I know you persevered and endured hardships for my name, and you haven’t grown weary. But I hold this thing, one thing, against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first». And I’m just asking every single one of us, can we just guard our passion for God and never lose just the wonder of all that he’s done in our lives? And every time we gather in this place, can we give Jesus the praise that he really deserves? I know you’ve clapped a lot, but one more time, give him praise, everybody. I can’t stop praising him.
All right, the second one is I wanna guard our pursuit for the lost. Now, we decided when we began the church that we didn’t want to build Highlands for people that were just Christians. We wanted to make room for those who didn’t even agree with us. We wanted to make room for people who wanted to kick the tires a while and say, «Is this for me»? And we’ve always been this welcoming church in saying, «Hey, you can bring your friends, and it’ll be a safe environment for you to bring your friends». And we’ve always had this pursuit for people that are far from God, and the reason why we had this pursuit for people that are far from God is because this is who Jesus is and was.
In fact, you just go read the three parables of Luke chapter 15, and in all three parables that Jesus told, it’s about lost things. And in these parables, he said, «I’m willing to leave the ones that I have found to go find the one that is lost». And so we just decided, if that’s Jesus’s attitude toward the world, listen to me everybody, it needs to be ours as well, that we are going to do everything we can to reach people that are far from God. I’ll tell you this story, if you attend our Membership Class, you’re going to hear it twice today, but I’ll tell a brief version of it. I have five kids, and I know that’s a lot of kids, everybody, all right? I don’t know where the line is, but Tammy and I crossed it. Isn’t that right, everybody? It’s like, that’s a lot.
But we were on a vacation a number of years ago, and our youngest, who’s on the autism spectrum, we lost him in the middle of this very crowded village. And man, I’ll tell you, I was freaking out, we were all freaking out. There was about 20 of us together. We were vacationing with two other families. And it was the most panicked moment I’d ever had. I was truly convinced that he got kidnapped right from underneath us, and I was just frantic about the whole thing. And, and while we were searching for Joseph, there was never a moment that I thought, «Got four others, you know, 80% ain’t bad».
You know, I never thought that, not one time. You know, in fact, I really wasn’t thinking about them much at all, because they were already with me, and I was actually incredibly distracted by the one that was lost. And this didn’t happen, but can you imagine if one of those four said, «Hey Dad, hey Dad, I know we’re looking for Joseph, but what are we doing for dinner tonight»? Well that’s a dumb question when Joseph’s lost. Now, it’s a good question if he’s not lost. And can we all agree maybe what our prayers might sound like to God sometimes? «Hey Daddy, hey Daddy». «Like, really, you wanna talk about that with four billion people who don’t even know my name»? And we just decided that we were gonna be just intentionally focused on those that are far from God.
And God has done some amazing things. This is called being a Great Commission church, that Jesus gave us this assignment, it’s an assignment. He said, basically, when he left to go to heaven, after he ascended into heaven after his Resurrection, he looked at the church and said, «I got something I need you to do,» and that you need to go get the lost saved, the saved need to be pastored, the pastored need to be discipled, and the discipled need to be mobilized. We call this the Great Commission, and it all begins with this passionate pursuit for the lost, that we never stop searching for lost people, because God never stops searching for us, and that we will do anything short of sin to reach as many as we can. Can I get a resounding «amen» from everybody in this room?
All right, absolutely. That he is literally entrusted to us. He says, «If anyone is in Christ, you’re a new creature,» and a lot of us wanna put a period right there and say, «Praise God for what he’s done in me,» but it doesn’t end there, that once you become a Christian, he says, «All this is from God, who now reconciled us and then gave us that ministry of reconciliation». So you get to receive it, but now you get to be, be one who gives it, «that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And then committed to us the message of reconciliation».
And I want every voice to read this verse out loud, here we go, «We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through… us». And that’s what we’re going to do. We are always going to be a church that leaves these doors every Sunday and goes on mission. Now listen to me, you don’t have to go out there and reach every single person, but I’m telling you to put your antennas up and just look for those who are hungry for God and then, I’m not even asking for all 52 Sundays, I’m just saying 2 out of the 52. Have somebody far from God sitting next to you in church and let’s just keep winning the loss to Jesus. Can I hear a good «amen,» everybody?
Number 3, and that is that we are gonna guard the priority of relationships. So one of the misnomers that people say about us is that we’re just a big church, and big churches, you know, you can’t get to know people in a big church. Actually, it’s not true. You can go to a church of 100 people that don’t want to talk to you, and that can be a hard church to get in too. It’s not a size, it’s an attitude, don’t ever forget that. And that’s why you saw on that little video tribute, people who had gotten connected. Yes, this is a big church. You know why it’s big? Because, because the world matters, all of the world matters. And we will never stop searching for lost people because heaven and hell are realities.
We have no option of being big as long as those are realities. But we also have to be small, because not only the world matters, you matter. And we all need a place to connect relationally, and that’s why we’re a church of groups. I’ve already told you this. You say, «Well then, why do we have to guard it»? Because the Bible even admits that it’s easy to forget this value. And so the Bible says, «Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,» because it’s easier to say, «That’s too much work, and I’m not even sure I want people to know my business. And I don’t know, maybe I’ll try to see if me and God can work this out one more year».
And we have these fears of actually working through the issues that are inside of us. Like, literally, freedom is right there, but we have a fear of going toward it. Anybody that’s my age or maybe a little bit younger, you would remember the story in 2001 when Elizabeth Smart, the little girl from Utah, was abducted out of her bedroom at 14 years old. And for 9 months, she was in captivity by these two very perverted people who abused her in every way you can imagine. And they got so confident of their ability to hold her captive, they used to hide her out in the bush and just out in the desert of Utah, but they got confident about their captivity of her, put her in a white robe and veiled her in a white, you could only see her eyes, so nobody could recognize her. They brought that girl to a public library in the town.
A police officer once was just 2 feet away, and she was so afraid that she was captive and that if she said anything that they would harm her, even with her freedom two steps away. All she had to do is go, pull her veil down and go, «I’m Elizabeth Smart». Her poster was all over town already. Her freedom was 2 feet away, but fear kept her. And even though the police officer was right there, she never said a word out of fear. I wonder how many of us have freedom right there, and all we need is the confidence to pick up that phone, go through that directory, find somebody. And is it easy? No, it’s not easy. That’s why we have to guard it and keep it, so we can find the freedom, come on, everybody, that Jesus has already paid for. He has that for you. May 2025 be the year of your new beginnings as well as you find freedom in Jesus’s name.
And finally, there’s so many I could have told you about. I wish I had time to tell you about our unique view of finances, that we have worked very hard to never put any pressure on you guys, to run the church on much, on much less than what we give so we can do so much more for missions. To God be the glory, we’ve given over $150 million to missions in 24 years. Are y’all listening? All these values. But the last one, I want to leave, because I just want to leave with a little joy in our hearts, and that is we’re gonna guard praise in our spirit. What’s praise? Praise is your attitude, it’s your laughter. We built this church on laughter, joy.
In fact, not too long ago, I was just out in the city, and this lady struck up a conversation with me and didn’t know I was the pastor of a church. And she goes, «What church do you go to»? And I said, «Well, I go to Church of the Highlands». She goes, «Oh, that happy church». And I said, «What’s the opposite of that»? Like, «You go,» I was just trying to figure that out, you know what I’m saying? And from the day one, we decided the joy of the Lord was gonna be our strength, I was gonna bring you a Boudreaux joke when I could, and we’re gonna laugh. You know why? Because when you guys come in here, you’re coming out of a world that is so heavy, and sometimes, and I’m just saying how I feel it, but sometimes, you know, sometimes religious things can put heavier things on you, the obligation, the burden, the guilt, like, I mean, I grew up in a church, before I got saved, I grew up in a church that my pastor talked about hell every Sunday like he was born and raised there.
Come on, somebody, right? And his finger always pointed at me. It was nobody else, it was just right there. And the Bible says it’s the kindness of the Lord that leads people to repentance. We just decided, we just going to make it the most life-giving environment here. Jesus said of the anointing, he said, «The Spirit of GOD is on Me, He’s anointed Me to preach good tidings». The gospel is good news, it ain’t bad news. Gospel isn’t, «You’re going to hell, turn or burn. Get right or get left». That’s funnier than y’all heard it, I just promise you. No, «He sent Me to heal, He sent me to proclaim liberty for captive,» not remind them how bad they are, «To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD».
We taught that in the last series, the year of jubilee. Hey, you get a do-over. He’s a fresh start kind of a God. He says, «To comfort all those who mourn, to console those who are mourning, to give them beauty for ashes, and the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of,» not worship, «praise». I love worship, but we gonna start off with some happy songs, like we gonna dance a little, shout a little, get excited a little. «Garment of praise for the spirit of heavi.». why? because there’s a spirit of heaviness. Y’all heard the story, I think I’ve told you all this, about the dad who had his little crying baby in the grocery cart, and that baby was screaming bloody murder, and he’s trying to shop.
And he’s walking through and trying to be calm. He says, «Oh, Albert, please, Albert. Albert, wait till we get home, Albert. Albert, it’s gonna be okay. Albert, Albert, it’s gonna be just fine. Albert, oh, please, Albert». And the lady walked up, she says, «Oh, I admire how calm you are with little Albert». He said, «Dear lady, I’m Albert». Whoo! Come on, church, we’re gonna choose some joy of the Lord in this place! That’s right! You come here, I promise you, you’re gonna get the oil of joy for that spirit of heaviness in your life.
So Father, I pray today, God, as we step into the next 25, help us to guard it and keep it. Every one of us now become responsible for all that’s been deposited. And, Lord, I’m asking you, let us be guardians of it, guard it, keep it, so that we can keep all that you’ve done in us. May it continue, I pray, for 25 more years.
With every head bowed, eye closed, maybe you wandered in this place today and you feel far from God. You know, the best way for me to describe somebody who’s far from God is God seems a million miles away. And the Bible says in Ephesians 2 that Jesus came to bring you and God close again, to make you close, that every barrier and everything that’s between you and God, your sin or just life that is separated, Jesus brings you together.
And if you’re here today and you say, «I need Jesus, I need my sins forgiven,» or maybe you’re a Christian, and you just have so wandered away from God, and you’re ready to come home, listen to me, your one heartfelt prayer of repentance and surrender, your life completely changing in a moment. And if that’s you, then just pray this, whisper this prayer right there where you are, all of our campuses. Come on, right there where you are, say:
Jesus, I need you, I need you, and today I’m turning my life to you, I repent. I change my direction of away from you, now to you, and I do it by surrendering my life completely to you, I give you everything. I want you, to be the Lord of my life, your will, your way. Because I believe you’re the Son of God who died on a cross, rose from the dead, and today I put my faith in you. Thank you for saving me, I give you my life, in your name I pray, amen.