[00:00:00] Speaker A: You're listening to the message podcast of High Ridge Church, Longview, where our vision is to help you know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and ultimately make a difference. We are so glad that you're here and we pray that this message impacts your life as you apply the spiritual truths from God's word in practical ways.
[00:00:18] Speaker B: Let's listen in.
Thank you so much. How about make some noise for Jesus this morning.
I'm so glad you're here. Welcome to church, everybody. I'm glad that you made it. Welcome to you who are watching online from all around the world. Come on, High Ridge family. It's welcome in all of our online friends want to give a very special shout out to all of you living in Cameroon. The Berry family, we love you and we're so excited to hear what the Lord is doing in your area of ministry. So one time just for the berries, let's bless them for this morning. You, if you wouldn't mind, we're glad that you're here. We're glad you're here. Grab your Bibles, if you would. Open up to Matthew chapter two. We're going to spend all of our time there as we continue on with our series called Legacy. Somebody say legacy with me.
When you think about your legacy, you need to, you need to take that seriously. I want you to think about for a moment, what lies will people have to make up at my funeral to try to make me seem like a better person than I actually was?
What things do you want people to say about you when you're gone? And I know for many of us, we don't think about our legacy until it's probably too late.
But when it comes to a legacy, a life that you can look back on and say that that's important to me, these were, these were great defining moments. Here's what you need to understand. It has a lot more to do with your relationship with God than just your own accomplishments. And some of the people that are that, in my opinion, are very short sighted when it comes to their legacy. And some people just peaked in high school. Like their legacy ended right about their senior year. And that's as far as they go. Come on, let's not point any fingers, but you're probably sitting next to one of them like, oh, you have any idea what I did? I scored four touchdowns in a high school football game. Cool, man. That was 40 years ago. Like, I mean, was that, is that the crowning achievement of your life? Well, I did the prom queen or whatever. It was okay, you know, I was the homecoming queen like you probably should have just stopped with the four touchdowns in the game, bro. That got weird.
What was.
Think about your legacy. How will people remember you? What are you going to be, what are you going to be talking about and thinking about as you, as you move on in years? And what does it mean to have a legacy that lasts?
What does it mean to have a legacy that is defined more than just what you've accomplished, but how it lasts beyond your lifetime?
Because there is, there is something important for us to see in God's word as we, as we think about what, what it means to have a legacy that lasts. And so in Matthew chapter two, we're going to see the story of, of some wise men, some wise men that, that approached Christ that were presenting him great gifts. And here's the thing, the legacy doesn't really start there with the wise men, but there's something that is, let me say it this way, it's probable, it's not provable, so I can't prove it beyond all shadow of a doubt, but probably this is where the wise men came from. They can be traced all the way back 600 years to the prophet Daniel. So if you know the story of Daniel, Daniel was removed from Israel, he was placed in Babylon, modern day Persia, and he becomes the kind of the captain over all of the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, anyone that had the, that had special gifts when it comes to the things of the mind. And Daniel becomes the leader. And no doubt he's teaching them prophecy and how to look for the Messiah. And we understand that Daniel becomes the leader of this. And so 600 years later, there's still the legacy of Daniel's life that is guiding these wise men to even find Christ. And we see a legacy that goes 600 years past his lifetime to 2,000 years, past the wise men's lifetime to today. That's a legacy that lasts.
That's a long legacy of people recognizing that my life is bigger than just me, but what God can do with my life gives us a legacy that goes far beyond your years.
And here we find a legacy that lasts.
So we come to Matthew chapter two and we find some wise men that have traveled, it says, from the east and they find their way to modern day Israel. Matthew chapter 2. Pick it up in verse 1, if you wouldn't mind. It says now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, wise men from the east came saying, where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star and have Come to worship him. And when Herod the king heard this, he was troubled. I bet he was.
Put yourself into the story for just a moment. Imagine you are the king, and some wise men that are wealthy come from a different land, and they. They stand before you as the king, and they're like, where is the king, baby? You looking at him? I'm big daddy here. No, no, no, no.
What did you say to me?
No, we're looking for the real one, like the Messiah, like the good king, the one that's going to reign on David's throne, the one that's going to make all the things right in the world. We're looking for the real king, not you. That. That.
That would not have set well with him.
Where's the real king?
Said Herod was terrified. He was. He was troubled. I bet he was.
When King Herod heard this, he was troubled. And he gathered together all of the chief priests and he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, in Bethlehem, for it's written by the prophet. But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah. For out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.
And then Herod, who had secretly called the wise men, he sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search carefully for the young child. And when you have found him, bring back word to me that I may come and worship him also.
Liar.
He's lying again.
He doesn't want to come to worship the king. He's there to kill that king. Why? Because I'm the king. I don't want anything that ever takes me off the throne. We find the heart of American Christianity right there.
I don't want Jesus to take me off the throne of my life. I want to be in charge. I just want Jesus to take the wheel when I don't like things that are happening in my world.
Do you see the difference?
Harry says, oh, let me go. I want. I want to worship him too. No, you don't.
You still want to be in charge. And when the king. When they heard the king, they departed. And behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. We know that by the time that this story is happening, Jesus is already between the ages of 1 and 2. So he's, you know, pulling himself on. Up on stuff. He's probably taking his first steps because the word does the. The Bible doesn't use the word for. For baby, uses child and also, Herod issues a proclamation having all the children underneath, the age of two killed. So we see that Jesus has now moved beyond just the silent night. You know, Mary, did you know, the little drummer boy? Like, we. We've moved on into early baby Jesus.
And now it says this.
When they came to the house and. Sorry, back up. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come to the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented to him gifts of gold and frankincense and. But wait, there's myrrh. Sorry, that was. That's not a good joke. I'm.
I'm going to move on.
Like, you know me. You know, it doesn't get better than that. That's. That's. That's all I got. Then, then being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, and they departed for their own country.
Another way, when it comes to looking at a legacy that lasts, there's a reason why we're still talking about these wise men.
And it's not just their. Their natural wisdom, but it's that they followed more than their natural wisdom. They followed Revelation.
What is God saying? There's something special happening, and they. They leave their country and they come to present themselves before the new king.
They give generously, they're obedient, they're following him.
And that leaves a legacy worth remembering. When it comes to your legacy, what does it mean to have a legacy that lasts beyond just how many children I had? Or did they go to college or not? Or did they stay out of prison like that? There's more to your life than just raising children. There's more to your life than just paying a few bills. There's more to your life than just having more toys than your neighbor. It's about leaving something that made a difference when it comes to that. I want to give you three things that are so important for us to remember today. Things that scream out of this story of how critical it is for us to think about our legacy and what we do for the Lord that matters.
Here's the first of three things. If you're a note taker, you might want to write this down. Number one, a legacy that lasts prioritizes Jesus.
It prioritizes him, and please hear me, it doesn't prioritize you.
You're not the one in charge. He's the one in charge. And there's One of the reasons why we're still talking about these wise men today is because, just like today, it's the same as back then. The world is surrounded and consumed with the thought of, who am I? Who am I? What is it for me? What can I get? It's all about me. My legacy is about me. They're asking not those questions. They're asking the right question. Their question was, where is he?
Our question is, who am I?
But the right question is, where is he?
I'm looking for the King. He's my priority. And there's the difference between just leaving a legacy that's all about you and a legacy that prioritizes Jesus. Because that legacy will last far beyond your years.
Now, notice when Herod hears these words, he calls together all of his chief priests, all of his wise men. They surround him and he says, hey, what are these guys talking about this king? And, and here's the thing. They dig into the scriptures and they give him the right answer.
Are these wise men correct? Are these priests right? The answer was yes, they're right. Well, where's this baby going to be born? In Bethlehem?
Is he going to be king? Yes. Is this the chosen one? Yes. That is the star. Everything these wise men are saying, the chief priests echoed it. Here's my question. Why didn't they go?
If you read the word, if you studied it your entire life, if it's pointing towards Christ, why didn't they follow those wise men?
Because I believe that those chief priests have the exact same problem that many of us still have today. When it comes to actually obeying what God is doing, when it comes to sensing what the Holy Spirit is saying and us actually stepping out into it is that we can know the truth, but still choose comfort over calling.
Well, I'm a chief priest. I got a great job. I can't risk all that.
Let me remind you what we talked about in week one. Like, anytime you determine that you're going to follow after Christ, there is real risk, there is real world consequences for what it means to step out in faith, to step out of the boat and onto the waves, it costs.
And these chief priests, they get it right. They've studied the Word, they know it, but they don't go.
The wise men go, why would they? Why would they? Why would they come from a different country? Why would they follow a star? Why would they follow it all the way to a child or present him these extravagant gifts? Why would they do that? Why? Because following after the Lord is the greatest thing you can do with your life.
Inside of each of us, there's something special.
God's spirit compels each of us to a life that's bigger than ourselves. It's bigger than you and it's bigger than me. It's bigger than even what we can do. Me and you together, it's it. It encompasses the entire body of Christ. And when we all begin to be obedient to what the Holy Spirit's saying, when you're hearing the word of God, when you're sensing his spirit and you start actually stepping out in faith and prioritizing Jesus, something special happens.
God begins to do more with your life than you ever thought possible.
Here's the second key that we see from this story about a legacy that lasts beyond our years. Number two, a legacy that lasts will be led by the supernatural.
And this is the beautiful part about actually saying yes to Jesus, following after him and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. You're going to start seeing some things that a little bit cuckoo. Things that don't happen in normal world. I'm just telling you, you start following after Christ with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. You're going to start understanding that these wise men are being led by the power of the Holy Spirit. And you start seeing the supernatural things happen around them, they're going to start happening around you.
You'll start seeing miracles.
You'll start seeing things that. I can't explain that except God.
Notice this, that they're following a star that appears in their country and then they follow it to another country. And then the star doesn't just start and stop, but it appears and reappears. Stars don't do that. There's a reason why people navigate by the stars, because they're always in the same place.
And when a star moves, it doesn't start and stop and move from country to. That doesn't happen. This is something supernatural. But. But they're watching, they're paying attention.
And then it says that they were warned in a dream. It's one of the only times in scripture you're ever going to find that it says they had a dream. Like it's a shared dream. Like, can you imagine waking up? Like, I had a strangest dream. I had a strange dream too. You were in it. You were in my dream. Do we just become best friends when all of you guys start having the exact same dream at the same time? That's a little cuckoo.
But God warned them divinely. Don't go back the same way that you Came, you're going to walk in a different path, something special. We could go into that. But every time you meet with Jesus, you're never going to leave the same. We could just say that I could preach there for a little while. But notice this, that they're led by the supernatural.
And by the way, when Jesus shows up on the scene in full ministry 30 years from this point, he begins to give us a great scripture. Not only saying that you're going to follow after the call of Christ and you're going to follow the signs, but he says the signs are going to follow you.
Look at this. In Matthew, chapter six.
I'm sorry, Mark 16, it says, and these signs will follow those who believe in my name. They're going to cast out demons in my name. They're going to start speaking in tongues in my name. They're going to start doing supernatural things. Why? Because they believe.
Here's what we see. When you start following God's signs, God's signs, they start following you.
Remember that these wise men, they're not Jews, they're not priests, they're not preachers and pastors. They're just men that believed and were willing to take a step of faith.
And I love that because that includes all of us. If you're willing to believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, if you're willing to believe that the Holy Spirit can lead your life, if you're willing to step out in faith and do more than just say, I believe, but actually step. Step out and start doing what he's asking you to do. You're going to see things that don't make no sense, and signs will start following you.
You'll start doing things that don't make any sense.
You'll start doing things like, that ain't me. I would not normally do that.
Why?
It's part of your legacy.
And God is establishing that.
These incredible wise men are leaving a legacy that lasts. And it's led by the supernatural. Here's point number three. A legacy that lasts is built on two things. Obedience and generosity.
Obedience and generosity. I think all of us would love to say. I would love to leave a fantastic legacy, a life that made a difference for the cause of Christ. But if it means that I have to obey what the Lord says, I'm probably out. If it means I have to submit my will, I'm probably out. If it means I have to say I'm sorry or I repent, I'm probably out. I don't want to. I don't Want to choose calling over my comfort.
But this is the cost.
Obedience and generosity.
And so we see as these wise men approach, the child says, they open up their gifts, these extravagant gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. We could talk at length about what each of these gifts represents. And there's wonderful sermons to be told about each of those gifts and how important they were.
[00:16:03] Speaker C: And.
[00:16:04] Speaker B: But here's, here's, here's the main point I want you to see is that remember we. When Jesus goes to the temple to be dedicated, his parents offer two turtle doves when they're supposed to offer a lamb. The only time that they get to offer turtle doves is if they're extremely poor.
That's all they can afford.
So we know that Jesus is not born into some extravagant circumstances. He is fully God, King of kings and Lord of Lords. But he became fully man, the lowest of low.
And he was born to a young couple that was struggling.
Born into the struggle. That means he understands, he gets it.
He knows what it's like to be desperate. He was born into it.
At the same time, remember that King Herod gives a proclamation. Every child that is a male underneath the age of two is to be slaughtered.
How do you protect your family when you can't even afford to. To bring the right sacrifice? You can't even even afford a lamb. How do you protect your family when something like that happens?
God begins to provide supernaturally because wise men were obedient and generous.
For anybody that's ever traveled outside the US you understand an important principle. International travel is expensive.
Expensive.
It costs a lot to just get up and leave. And remember this. Joseph doesn't have some job waiting for him in Egypt. He doesn't have a whole career path lined out. And, oh, I could just network there and pick right up. And we're going to make a ton of money. That's not what we see. We see a desperate couple that don't know how to provide for their own family having to trust God and lean on the generosity and obedience of those that are willing to step out in faith. Here's what we know. These wise men, they gave to honor a king, but God used it to fund a rescue plan.
There are wonderful ways that you will step out into generosity and obedience that you might not have any idea the difference it's making around the world.
As a matter of fact, legacy is all about showing you some of the places, some of the people that have been literally, not just figuratively, not just spiritually, literally set free because you've been generous, because you've been obedient.
And these wise men, they had no idea when they set out from their country to go and follow this star, how important their generosity was going to be to a young couple that was desperate for it, but God used it to fund this wonderful rescue plan. Think about this for a moment. What if the wise men would have said, you know what?
It was good enough that I just showed up.
What if they'd have said, they sure are glad to see me.
What if they would have said, yeah, you guys should ask your friends and family. You guys should ask your church to do something about it.
They should do something. You know, what if they'd have had the same attitude that many of us have?
Somebody should do something. What if? That would have been their attitude?
But it wasn't.
They gave God their preemptive yes from the moment that they set out.
I'm gonna go and I'm gonna be a blessing. I'm gonna take a step of faith.
I'm gonna go and find the king and give him the honor and the worship that is due his name. They're the first to worship the king like that as a child. Imagine what that might have felt like to a young mother watching these wise men that have traveled so far bringing these extravagant gifts. I imagine her response would have been, like many of us in that same predicament, she would have said, you guys have no idea.
You guys had no idea how desperate we were. Thank you. Here's what we know is that God uses our generosity and obedience to meet needs we don't even know exist yet.
And when you determine that you're going to be led by the Holy Spirit in your generosity and in your giving and your tithes and you're giving in that way, you need to understand that there might be a thousand ways that the Lord uses that. That you never get to see this side of heaven, but it's there.
And so as we're finishing up this wonderful series, I want to just take a look and show you what your legacy has done. And by the way, that has very little to do with inside this building and the kids ministry, women's ministry, the men's ministry, and the babies, and all the. All the money that it takes to Just to fund a weekend service. We've talked about what we've done in our city and being voted nonprofit of the year. We've talked about what's happening with God behind bars and in prisons, all the wonderful ways over this past week that your generosity has helped lead a lot of people to Christ. Let me just tell you, there are even greater things that we're doing globally. And so we'll start with this. You need to know that there are multiple missionaries that we have sent out from this church that are serving Jesus in a place where we can't even tell you where they're serving.
They've asked to be completely anonymous. Why? Because where they're serving Jesus, it ain't legal. And the things that they're doing underground and doing the underground church, it is extremely dangerous. But they rely on your support. There are people that are counting on us to be generous. There are people that their lives are literally on the line for the cause of Christ and you are their support. You need to know, I can't mention their names. I can't tell you where they're serving, but they're there and they're there with you in mind.
They're there thankful for your generosity and your obedience.
We've also been able to partner with some wonderful people.
Some of them that you know, some of them that you may not know. But many of you have met Danny and Peggy Thornton, who are fantastic missionaries. They've been sent out of this church many, many times. I think they're going to be in third service today. So if you see them on your way out, make sure you give them a big hug. But they do wonderful things like teach street evangelism to people all over the world. Mime and dance are kind of their forte. And you're going to get to see people receiving Christ in great places. By the way, their Panama conference this year had 252 people get saved. That's a huge deal. And we're so proud to support Danny and Peggy Thornton. What God is doing around the world through their ministry. If you guys are watching today, you need to know that your church family loves you very much and we are very proud of you. We're praying that you would do what you've always wanted to do and that's finish well. We love you and we support you. We're going to move on from there to what's happening in the Czech Republic. We have a small team that has gone out into. Into Prague, into some surround.
I don't know if you know, but the Czech Republic only has 11% of the country that are actually believers. And so it's a tough place. We call this in ministry terms, you're plowing through concrete.
And so we've been able to develop some relationships with there from John and Karen Bull and The team that sit there and hopefully to encourage and build up and form great relationships for some new future ministry things that's going to be taking place next, I hope.
Let's move on from there to Cameroon to the Berry family who are watching right now. And we kicked a shout out to you earlier, but they are serving the Lord in Africa and we love what they're doing there. They went by way of France. They spent a year in France at language school learning the French language, which is the national language of Cameroon. And what they've been able to do there has been fantastic. So the director of their organization said, look, in a few months when they're in France, they're going to kind of hit emotional rock bottom. And they need more than just a check. They need more than just thoughts and prayers. They're gonna need you to really make an effort to take good care of them and let them see that they're not alone. That's a big deal. When you transition from just life in Longview, Texas with your church family to I got nobody.
And so we were able to just send a team. We got on a flight, by the way, we flew all the way to France on Christmas to tell them Merry Christmas. Your church family loves you and so they want to just be able to share kind of what's happening with them in Cameroon. So check this out.
[00:23:34] Speaker D: Elisa Berry, and we're serving in Yonde, Cameroon, along with our children, Naomi, Joanna and Levi.
I am the director of technical services at Rainforest International School.
[00:23:46] Speaker E: I really have a heart for community, for people. And so I've been just developing relationships with the neighbors outside of our compound. We live on a little dirt road in the middle of kind of the outskirts of the city. And so I've gotten to know the kids. It's a small Muslim community right there. And so I've gotten to know the Muslim ladies and just some of the neighbors, neighbors there. And then we work with a Cameroonian ministry that focuses also on the unreached. Just basic health. Education has been very life changing for them and they know that we're followers of Jesus and that's great. So it's been good to kind of get my feet wet and to do some things that way as well.
[00:24:24] Speaker D: We've been part of High ridge for over 15 years and been nice to be able to grow through this process with High Ridge alongside us.
[00:24:35] Speaker E: The leadership at High Ridge is not afraid to ask us hard questions and that's really good because it pushes us and it challenges us and it's been really Beneficial for us in so many ways.
[00:24:44] Speaker D: When we started out, we went to language school in France and the first three months, there were three most difficult months of our life.
And then all of a sudden I sent visitors and they showed up as a surprise on our doorstep.
And if you take away occurrences with Jesus, occurrences with my family, that's been the most life giving moment in my life.
[00:25:16] Speaker E: It's the little things. Just getting a text from some of our church family, hey, we're praying for you. We're thinking about you today. Pastor Tim says something from the pulpit or just. It's just sometimes it's not the big things, it's just to know that we're supported and cared for in the little things and the daily things is very life giving to us.
I think High Ridge is very small group focused, very community focused and I think that's kind of shaped who we are as people and it's affected how we live our lives in Cameroon. We're very community focused. We're very small group focused. We want people in our home, we want people involved, we want people.
So I think it's shaped who we are and how we do ministry.
[00:25:55] Speaker D: So we're influencing, supporting the mission community there as well. And I think those are the kind of practices that were instilled in us as we served and worshiped here at High Ridge.
[00:26:09] Speaker B: So you are loved very family. Your High Ridge church family loves you very, very much. We're proud of you and what you're doing.
Next time you're on video, George, don't wear shorts.
I'm moving on to the Dominican Republic and what is happening. We love you, Dee and Kathy. You guys are amazing and you guys led an amazing team right there to the heart of the Dominican Republic. So there's a fantastic video we want to show you of what's happening right there.
[00:26:35] Speaker F: Hey, high rich family. This is Pastor Murray and I am so excited to say that we are in the Dominican Republic.
[00:26:51] Speaker G: I'm Dee Thurston, this is my wife Kathy. We are work camp directors and organizers for missionary action projects.
We've been involved down here personally for a little over 20 years.
The particular project we're working on here in the mountains is a little town called Arbacoa. We have been working on the construction of the church for about the last three years. You can see the progress behind us. We work very closely with Pastor Carmen, her husband Francis. Not just for construction of the physical building, but doing ministry in the community with children, with women, with whatever they see fit. We follow their lead and we're here to equip them and give them the things they need to do the work of God.
[00:27:40] Speaker H: On this particular trip, it's a little different than our previous trips because we have brought in a lot of children to get to have their very first mission experience. And it has just been so awesome watching them work so hard, play so hard, and just, man, what an example they've been to us.
[00:28:02] Speaker G: This particular project, we are pouring concrete. We've got the block laid up on the roof for our parapet wall. We're building a platform so they can begin to have services on this. We're also constructing and building the security bars. As soon as the bars and the doors are up, the church here in Arbacoa, they will move out of a building that they have been renting for 15 years, and this will be established as their church home.
Thanks to Howell Ridge and Pastor Zach and Pastor Murray, we've been able to incorporate some awesome leadership training. We brought pastors in from all over the Dominican Republic to Arabicoa this week, and they've been some great time. There's been some. Just some tremendous tools that they can incorporate into their ministry. They're already speaking about coming back next year, taking it to Santo Domingo to the capital, and looking forward to just what God has in the future for that part of our ministry.
[00:29:02] Speaker H: This particular congregation in Arabicoa ministers to a very impoverished community who live along the river. The children there come out. Pastor Carmen and her team minister to them. We got to participate in dancing and giving lessons about Jesus and giving them some gifts with things that they need on a daily basis. So that has been a blessing for us.
[00:29:32] Speaker F: And so we're excited to say, hey, let's look at what God is doing here.
Let's pray about what is our involvement in the future, in the next years ahead, and how can we pour in and help this amazing project, this amazing country, and. And amazing people here in the Dominican Republic.
[00:29:50] Speaker G: So if you're interested in coming on one of these trips, if you're interested in contributing in any shape, form, or fashion, just know that there is a place for everyone on these trips. No matter if you're 4 years old, if you're 80, if you have a special skill, if you don't have a special skill, the Lord can use you here. We would love to have you here.
Get in touch with us, get in touch with the staff at High Ridge. We'll have another trip planned, coming in a few months or maybe next summer, and we would love to have you with us.
[00:30:25] Speaker B: We Love that and appreciate it.
Dee and Kathy, would you guys stand up, let people see you. This is Dee and Kathy Thurston right here.
Thank you for doing that.
So if you have any questions about that, these are the people to talk to. We'd love to get you plugged in on that. It's a wonderful thing to be a part of the mission trip, and it's a. It's a unique thing to be able to take your children and let them see people that are a lot less spoiled than they are. Come on, somebody. It's a good thing for your children to see. We're going to move on from there to a new ministry that we've started supporting called Exodus 5:1. We love our relationship with Pastor Brandon McNas and what is happening in Pakistan. In case you don't know, there are almost 4 million people that are still living in slavery today. And many of these in Pakistan work at brick kilns, and they've made bricks and every day of their life. And this is something that is. It's. It's not slavery like we would think about it. This is generational slavery. Not only are their children enslaved, but their parents are enslaved, their grandparents enslaved, and they have generational debt that they somehow owe someone. And it's. It's a crazy thing to understand because they don't even know what debt they're working off. They don't have any concept of how much it would take to even buy my freedom. How long do I have to work to be able to. To be set free? And here's where Exodus 5:1 comes in to buy those people's freedom and, and then to give them a place to stay, to give them six months of food and shelter, community, to plug them into a local church, introduce them to the things of the gospel.
And I wish I could share all the different stories with you. It is incredible the things that we could talk about at length. I will share one quick story. One family that had gotten set free and finally moved into their own place, which you guys helped to provide, by the way. This family called and said, we don't understand what this is. And they had never. They had never seen a bed before.
They had no concept of what that, like, do we eat on it? Do we lay on it? Do we sit on it? Like, what is this? They didn't have the concept. This is 2025, like, not understanding what a. What a bed is. And these are people, like whole families that have been set free. And there's over 16,000 people that have been set free with Exodus 5. 1 in the past three years. And it is a wonderful privilege to be partnering with Pastor Brandon, who's probably watching today. We love partnering with you. I want to show you a little bit of what's happening with Pakistan and some people being set free.
Sa.
Sam Sat, thank you so much for your partnership and for your generosity. From the bottom of my heart and the team at Exodus 5. 1. Again, we just want to say thank you. Thank you for making impact not only where your church is located, but around the world. Hope you guys have a great day.
You literally get to see what it's like for people to be set free and I love that. Love what's happening in Exodus 5. 1. Let's move on from there to an organization called One Child. In case you didn't know, every time that you were a first or if you are a first time guest here with us today and you see the connect card on the seat back pocket in front of you. Every time that you turn in one of those cards to one of our giving stations, we give $5 to an organization called One Child. So we've developed a fantastic partnership with them. They bring hope to a lot of children located in a lot of impoverished places around the world. Our relationship is getting better and I love what's happening with them. So I want to give you a chance to just to show you a little bit about what's happening with One Child and we love our partnership with them as well. I'm gonna move on from there to letting you know and just reminding you that there are several that we can't talk about. They're organizations that we can't mention. Much of this is being broadcasted and they're not safe. But they depend on you. Please hear me. They depend on you. You are their lifeline. God is using what's happening in Longview, Texas to fund things around the world. This is our legacy. It's your legacy. It's bigger than you, it's bigger than me. It's bigger than what one or two of us can do together. It takes all of us. And so as, as we're, as we're focusing on this, I want to remind you, because of your generosity already, our finance team was able to confirm to me this morning every single one of those missionaries received a Christmas bonus. By the way, $2,000 for each of those from you. Thank you so much. Reading Generous.
I love that you guys are an amazing and giving church. And once again, I'm not here to put a bunch of guilt on You, I would never do that. I'm not sitting here saying, you better give or I'm not going to do that. I want you to simply promise me this, that you will pray and whatever the Lord tells you to do, you'll do it. Because that's what biblical giving looks like. Lord, what would you ask of me? What would you ask of my family? And in a season that's consumed with greed, we would say, lord, what can I do?
What can I give to fund your work?
So there's some wonderful things that Lord has been been able to help us do this year. I wish I could share all the stories just in the interest of time where we've run out of it, but I do want to. I do want to finish up the year by showing you what happened since we met together at Legacy Sunday last year. One of the important things to consider is that everything that we do starting at the beginning of the year is led by the word of God. We fast, we pray, we bring in some prophetic voices and they begin to lay out what the Lord would have for us specifically to do. And my hope is that if you're generous, if you're obedient to whatever God tells you to do, we can give God our preemptive. Yes, we already have it in place. Lord, you just tell us where, where is this money going? And this is the thing that I think makes us a little bit more unique as a church. We're going to show you where the money goes.
I want you to see the people saying thank you. I want you to see people getting set free. I want you to see people doing things that you could never do, maybe on your own, but together it's supernatural.
This is our legacy.
This past year we've seen over 500 people get saved right here. That's a big deal. It's our all time record for salvations and that matters.
We've seen so many wonderful, powerful, glorious things that have happened because of your generosity. So want to finish up our service and our time together here by showing you an end of the year recap video from everything from December of last year to this year. Check it out.
[00:38:02] Speaker I: The Church of Jesus is standing at a crossroads. God's people are being pressed to choose between the ancient paths of God or go the way of the world.
[00:38:11] Speaker G: Some areas are dealing with historic flooding.
[00:38:13] Speaker B: At levels only seen every thousand years. You have the S&P 500 losing three and a third percent, losing almost nine percent since its record high.
[00:38:23] Speaker I: It is especially critical now to pray, worship fast and Seek God together in the temple courts and from house to house.
[00:38:32] Speaker B: Now to a disturbing cry where a young woman was murdered by a stranger. ABC's Perry Russom has more on how it's putting a spotlight on the judicial system as well as how we handle mental illness.
[00:38:42] Speaker E: We just started getting word just a.
[00:38:45] Speaker B: Couple of moments ago that Charlie Kirk has been shot.
[00:38:51] Speaker H: Story of genocide in Nigeria.
[00:38:54] Speaker B: Islamic terror groups slaughtering Christians.
[00:38:58] Speaker I: We're in a moment of refining.
It's leading us to renewed consecration. Being set apart for the things and the ways of God.
[00:39:10] Speaker F: Stand tall and be counted, for the Lord has identified you as his own.
You are a unique people.
You are being called out of comfort and into the spotlight.
Remember what is most important to me.
[00:39:31] Speaker B: My people.
[00:39:35] Speaker F: Every person matters.
[00:39:39] Speaker J: As we transitioned into the New Year, we started by celebrating Jesus, the light that shines in the darkness.
We came together to shut out the worldly noise around us and hear from heaven.
And God spoke.
When fear and isolation consumed the world around us, we chose love and connection.
We gathered around the truth that changed our stories. Jesus, death and resurrection for our freedom.
In a culture that sings to be noticed, we chose to sing so he would be known and he was present in our praise.
In a time when men often stand alone, we stood shoulder to shoulder, laughing, connecting, sharpening one another where women divide and compete. We gathered as sisters lifted, lifting our voices and sharing our stories. Secure in his favor, we celebrated our dream team, the heroes who make ministry tangible, beautiful and real.
[00:40:49] Speaker B: I really wanted to take another step and try to be more like Jesus and have more love in my heart.
[00:41:01] Speaker J: I struggled a lot the last couple.
[00:41:03] Speaker B: Years with my mental health.
[00:41:04] Speaker J: Now I finally realized that God is what I need.
The One still matters to God. These numbers aren't just metrics, they're people.
Each one is a soul of crisis.
[00:41:21] Speaker B: 1.
[00:41:22] Speaker J: Each one has the potential to change a family line, influence a city and carry the hope of Jesus into places we may never go.
So in a culture obsessed with progress, we look back with deep gratitude, amazed at all God has done.
And from our hearts we want to say thank you.
God is not done yet.
Imagine the ripple effect of your radically obedient yes, one act of service in a world that celebrates comfort.
One surrendered heart in an age that glorifies self reliance.
That's the legacy God is inviting us to build.
Just imagine the legacy waiting to be written.
[00:42:20] Speaker B: How about that?
Invite my wife up as we finish up the service.
And on behalf of my family, on behalf of our elders and our pastors, let me just say from the bottom of my heart, please hear me. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. It's been such an honor, it's been a privilege of being your pastors here for the past 10 years. And I cannot wait to see what God is going to do for us and through you in the future. Let me tell you, our best days are not behind us. They're in front of us. God is not done with you yet. God is not done with us. He has a great future and he has a hope. So there's important, important things that we want to tell you that are, that are coming up about the future. So first of all, like, next Sunday is a special Sunday.
[00:43:07] Speaker C: Church on the couch.
It's online service. Next Sunday.
[00:43:11] Speaker B: Yep. So if you want to come to church here next Sunday, sweep the parking lot because I ain't coming. We sitting in our pajamas. And so we've got a special, a special bag for your little ones. And when you start watching the video at the same, at 10:30 next Sunday, your little ones will have a little message that's specifically tailored for them. So there's some bags that they can be sitting home with your little ones from children's ministry. Can't wait for that. But that is church on the couch next Sunday. Also, we have Christmas Eve services coming up this week.
[00:43:36] Speaker C: That's right. 3 o', clock, 4:30 and 6 o'. Clock.
[00:43:40] Speaker B: So if you, if you're looking for comfort, probably not going to have that. Those services usually get really, really packed. We should probably do more services, but I ain't gonna because I'm getting old and y' all are a lot. No, I'm just kidding. So three o', clock, 4:30 and six.
It's going to be fantastic. We do have something special for the little bitty ones. We don't have children's ministry for everybody because the kids will be in here with us.
[00:44:04] Speaker C: That's right.
Infant pre K. Your kids can go to the, the kids ministry. Yes.
[00:44:12] Speaker B: So that's just infant to pre K. And then we will be, of course, on a break through the, through the end of the year, but we start.
[00:44:19] Speaker C: Back on January 4th.
[00:44:22] Speaker B: January 4th. So that will, that will lead off our new year. And it walks from there right into a time of prayer and fasting. If you've never fasted, if you've never taken yourself off of food for a couple days, let me just tell you, prepare yourself, don't just cold turkey food, like start preparing yourself now for that. Because if you get serious about prioritizing the Lord if you get serious about prioritizing your relationship with him and what God has for you, next year, it's going to blow your mind. I'm just going to challenge you. Give God one year. Give God. Give this church and God one year of your life and go all in and see if God can do what only God can do and it'll be better than what you thought, better than what you imagine. I want to challenge you, by the way, if you've never, if you've never given to this church, if you've, if you've always been a consumer, never a contributor, I want to challenge you. Give God one year where you say, lord, I'm just going to say yes.
One year, One year of your life where you say, I'm going to prioritize the Lord first. Do this every time you get paid. Give God the first of your paycheck before you pay any bills, say, God, I'm going to give you this first because you are the priority here. When you do that, you're going to be shocked with what God begins to do. God can do way more with your income, with our income, with our generosity, than what any of us could do by ourselves. We are living proof of the favor and the blessing of the Lord. So I want to challenge you with that. So would you go ahead and stand to your feet together today, and I've asked my wife to pray over us as you, as, as you consider, as you think about your generosity and your obedience. If you've never given, I want to invite you, I want to challenge you to give here. But the most important thing I'm going to ask you to do is to pray and just say yes to whatever God tells you to do. So I do think it's important if you're here with your spouse, it's important that you guys agree together.
One of the things that we do when we, when we determine that the Lord is asking us to do something is we pray and I ask the Lord, what's the amount that you would have us to give? And inevitably, this is what happens. He always comes up with a higher number than what God's telling me.
And we always go with the higher number.
Because if you don't, by the way, it kind of tells your spouse that you can't hear God and you don't want to do that.
You want to say, okay, Lord, we're going to trust you and take a step of faith. Whatever you ask us to do, we think that whatever the Lord is going to ask us to do next Year will be based upon our preemptive yes right now. So I want to challenge you to think about your generosity, your contribution, your giving. And if God has called you to call this place your church home, we've shown you where the money goes and we're going to ask you, would you consider taking a step with us?
So my family is here. We're going to pray together and then there are a couple different ways you can give. Highrichlv.com give. You can give on a church center app. You can also give at the giving stations at the back of the room. We're not going to pass baskets and put a bunch of guilt on you. We would never do that. We're simply going to say, would you pray and listen. Would you be obedient to whatever God says to do? Would you pray for us? Yes.
[00:47:08] Speaker C: Father, I thank you for each person that's here today.
[00:47:12] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:47:13] Speaker C: I thank you so much for what Hybrid's church has been able to do locally and in our nation and even globally. Lord, what an honor it is to serve you that way. Thank you so much, Father. And Father, I just pray that you would speak to each heart, that you would challenge each person and Father, that you would give them the courage to take that step. Good Father, I ask that you would bless each person as they leave this place that they will have an incredible week. In Jesus name, amen.
[00:47:50] Speaker B: At this time, we're going to call our elders forward. These guys are going to be available to pray with you about anything that you might need prayer for. As always, by the way, your gifts are completely tax deductible. So if you're looking for an end of the year tax donation or tax write off, holla at ya boys. We would love to be the recipient of that. And for everybody else, let me pray for you and bless you as you go. Father, would you bless my friends with a wonderful week as they go? We ask that you would cover them, protect them, help them have a wonderful merry Christmas in Jesus name. And all of us said together, Amen. God bless you as you go. Have a great day.
[00:48:19] Speaker A: Thank you so much for listening in today. Our prayer is that you are encouraged and strengthened by the message. If you haven't done so yet, be sure to subscribe to this podcast and leave us a review wherever you're listening. If you want to be a part of our online community, connect with us through Facebook or Instagram with the handle hyridgelv or you can check out our
[email protected] lastly if this ministry has impacted your life and you'd like to support its work, visit highridgelv.com give we appreciate your support and we're believing with you today for God's best in your life. Have an incredible week and we will see you next time.
