Play Where It Lies
Pastor Aaron Batchelor Preached on 6/21/2026
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60:50
Summary
Using the golf analogy 'play it where it lies,' Pastor Aaron Batchelor challenges fathers and individuals to stop letting their past define them and instead choose to serve the Lord from their current circumstances.
Key points
- •Faithfulness is not an accident; it is the result of daily, intentional choices to serve God rather than drifting with the culture.
- •Legacy is not built in a single moment but through the steady accumulation of recovery shots and small acts of devotion over the course of a lifetime.
- •Regardless of your upbringing or past mistakes, you can choose to be a first generation believer who starts a new godly heritage for your family.
- •Godly leadership in the home is about bringing children up in the training of the Lord rather than exasperating them through inconsistency.
Scripture
Faith
Family
Discipleship
Authority
Purpose
Life application
Evaluate a 'bad lie' in your life right now - a difficult situation you did not choose - and commit to honoring God from that exact spot this week rather than waiting for circumstances to improve.
Reflection questions
- What 'idols' from your past or pressures from your present are competing for your loyalty to God?
- In what ways have you been analyzing the 'shot' of faith rather than actually committing to the swing?
- If your children or mentees only remembered one thing about your devotion to God, what would it currently be?
- What is one practical way you can bring the word of Christ into your home conversation this week?
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Full transcript
0:00faithfulness. [music]
0:00>> Declare it over your life right now. I'm
0:00still in your
0:03>> This is my confidence.
0:06You've never failed me. [music]
0:11No,
0:13>> you've never failed me. Oh, let's lift
0:16up our hands and our voice to our
0:18heavenly father this morning. Can we do
0:20that in this place?
0:22Oh our Father, which are in heaven, we
0:25thank you that you're a safe place.
0:27You're a refuge for us. Thank you that
0:30you're an everpresent help in a time of
0:32need. Thank you, Lord, that your glory
0:35fills this tabernacle right now. Thank
0:38you, Lord. My promise in you, it still
0:40stands, God. Hallelujah.
0:44Oh, I give you glory today, Jesus.
0:48Oh, what a father you are.
0:52Thank you for your promise.
0:55Thank you for your peace. Thank you for
0:57your joy that is our strength.
1:00Thank you, Lord, that we are your
1:02temple. We are your house for your Holy
1:05Spirit. Thank you, Lord, that you've met
1:07with us today. Thank you, Jesus, that
1:09you're in this room right now.
1:13Oh, thank you, Lord. Hallelujah.
1:17Thank you, God. Thank you, God.
1:21>> [snorts]
1:22>> Hallelujah.
1:23Anybody thankful today that this house,
1:26your house is still standing in spite of
1:29adversity and the winds,
1:32everything that's blown against your
1:34life, it still stands because greater is
1:36he that is within you than he that is in
1:39the world. Anybody want to just love on
1:40him one more time? I I don't want to
1:42rush through a moment like this where we
1:44just love on our heavenly father. It's
1:47all about him. It's all about him. I
1:50love you, Jesus.
1:52I love you, Jesus.
1:55Hallelujah.
1:57Hallelujah.
1:59Praise God.
2:01Oh, he is a real a real good father. And
2:05he's in this room today. If you don't
2:08know what a good father is like or
2:12you're finding out a way to be a good
2:14father, let me point you to the perfect
2:18father.
2:19He is the father of lights with whom is
2:22no variableness, neither shadow of
2:23turning. He is the father that is the
2:26same yesterday, today, and forever.
2:28Whose love is everlasting. His peace
2:31surpasses understanding. His truth will
2:34set you free. His mercy endures for all
2:38generations. Is somebody thankful for a
2:40father like that? Never gives up on
2:42[music] us and he calls us his own.
2:46Praise God. Amen. Thank you worship
2:49team. Thank you for leading us into the
2:51presence of the Lord. Thank you
2:53congregation for coming ready to worship
2:55God. Not making this a place of pure
2:59performance but of worship and [music]
3:02prayer. Thank you for that this morning.
3:04that makes a difference. And we feel his
3:06presence with us today because of where
3:09your focus is at. And I want to say
3:11thank you to the congregation for coming
3:13with a fire and ready to pray and ready
3:16to praise. Amen.
3:19Well, happy Father's Day to all of our
3:21dads. We love you so very much.
3:25And I won't let this moment pass me by
3:28while I have a microphone in my hand to
3:31publicly. I've already privately and
3:32will again today say how much uh I honor
3:36and love my father and I'm so very
3:39thankful for his faith. I'm very
3:41thankful for [music] his diligence and
3:44work for his love uh of education
3:48educating people and children and
3:51students in the way that they should go.
3:52I'm thankful for his godly example as a
3:54father, as a husband, and I'm very
3:57thankful for his good jeans.
4:02Thank you for this. I just want to say
4:05it's a burden I have to bear, but I want
4:07to say thank you.
4:10I love my dad today and I'm I give him
4:12honor. Of course, I want to say a happy
4:14Father's Day to my father-in-law. I give
4:16him honor. God's blessed me with a
4:18godly, honorable man [music]
4:22who against all odds, he let me marry
4:24his wonderful daughter, his firstborn.
4:27Thank you so much for that. and I give
4:29him high honor today. The Lord has
4:32certainly blessed me. Amen. So thankful
4:35to be here with you today. And uh
4:37thankful for my children who made me a
4:40father. I'm very thankful. Breley,
4:43Reagan, Gentry, I honor them today. They
4:46love the Lord. They love their mother.
4:48They love their family. And I honor
4:50them. I'm so very, very, very proud of
4:52them. Amen. I love to laugh. My children
4:56love to eye roll. So this is just a
5:00match right now made in heaven.
5:03In this moment right now, I brought my
5:04dad jokes.
5:07Get ready. Get ready. Why did the
5:10chicken cross the playground? To get to
5:12the other slide.
5:15You know why cannibals can't eat clowns?
5:18Cuz they taste funny.
5:21My landlord wanted to talk to me about
5:24my extremely high heating bill and I
5:26said, "Sure. My door is always open."
5:31[snorts]
5:32My wife's really mad at the fact that I
5:35have no sense of direction, so I just
5:37packed up my stuff and I went, "Right."
5:42Yeah. PE people keep telling me I'm
5:45addicted to brake fluid, but I can stop
5:48anytime I want to.
5:50Did you hear about the guy who stole the
5:52calendar,
5:54Bishop? He got 12 months. That's right.
5:58And f Where'd my music go? That was
5:59really feeling I was really feeling
6:00that. I think they were there was a
6:03move. There was a real strong move.
6:05Okay, last one and I'll let you go. Why
6:08should you never date a tennis player?
6:11Because love means nothing to them.
6:15There you go. There you go.
6:19complete with the eye roll. Thank you
6:21very much. [laughter]
6:23Oh, it's good to be in the house of the
6:25Lord. Have a good time. And uh we're
6:27going to go to the word of the Lord now.
6:28Joshua chapter 24. If you're a guest
6:31with us today, welcome. We're so glad
6:33that you're here, that you decided to
6:35worship with us at New Life St. Louis.
6:38Welcome. If you're a dad visiting from
6:40out of town, we honor you today. So glad
6:42that you're here, and we want you to
6:44feel right at home. Joshua chapter 24,
6:47two verses of scripture in your hearing,
6:49and then we'll get right to what the
6:51Lord wants to say to us today. Now,
6:53therefore, fear the Lord, serve him in
6:57sincerity and in truth, and put away the
7:00gods which your fathers served on the
7:02other side of the flood and in Egypt,
7:05and serve ye the Lord. And if it seems
7:08evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose
7:11you this day whom you will serve,
7:14whether the gods which your fathers
7:16served that were on the other side of
7:18the flood, or the gods of the Amorites
7:21in whose land you dwell. But as for me
7:24and my house, we will serve the Lord.
7:28Amen.
7:30There's there's a statement that's made
7:32in golf and uh it says play it as it
7:36lies. You got to play the ball as it
7:39lies. Bobby Jones was known to say that
7:41quite frequently. In other words,
7:42wherever the ball lands, you play it
7:45where it lies. You don't move it. You
7:47don't get unhappy about. You just have
7:48to play it where it lies. And this
7:51morning, every one of us have been dealt
7:54a hand in life. No matter where your
7:56past or your history or who your father
7:58was or is today, whatever you have, you
8:01have a choice to make today. And I'm
8:04praying today, and I have been praying
8:05that everyone under the sound of my
8:07voice or anyone who may be watching
8:08online will choose this day whom you are
8:12going to serve and play it as it lies.
8:15So, I'm going to preach from that this
8:16morning. Play it where it lies. Heavenly
8:19Father, thank you so much for your
8:21beautiful presence in this place. You
8:23are truly the ultimate perfect father
8:25that we look to. I thank you for every
8:28dad that's in this place. Lord, those
8:30that have gone on before us. Those, oh
8:33Lord, who have served you faithfully and
8:35led a good example. We honor them on
8:38this Father's Day. I pray peace. I pray
8:40grace upon your people. [music] And
8:42Lord, we release faith right now in the
8:45name of Jesus. Let the gift of faith be
8:47in operation as the word is preached so
8:50that it will profit those Lord that hear
8:52it. So we won't just be hearers only but
8:55doers of the word. And we'll give you
8:57all the thanks for it. In Jesus name we
9:00pray. And everybody said amen.
9:02>> Before you're seated, tell somebody play
9:04it where it lies.
9:05>> And you can be seated in Jesus name this
9:08morning.
9:14Today we're honoring fathers,
9:17grandfathers stepfathers spiritual
9:20fathers, mentors, and every man who's
9:22invested in the next generation.
9:25And I've discovered that Father's Day
9:27and golf have something in common. Both
9:30reveal what's really in a man because
9:33anybody can look good on the first tea
9:35of golf. Everybody's smiling.
9:37Everybody's confident and laughing.
9:39Everybody has a fresh scorecard and then
9:42the round starts and that's usually
9:44where my game falls apart. The ball will
9:47slice into the tree, the putt lips out,
9:49the sand trap finds you, the weather
9:51changes, and suddenly character starts
9:54showing up on the green. And that's when
9:57others discover how you respond when
9:59things don't go your way, how you handle
10:02frustration, how you treat people around
10:04you. And golf has a way of exposing
10:06what's already inside. In fact, Arnold
10:09Palmer, arguably one of the greatest
10:11golfers ever to play the game, he once
10:13said, "Golf is deceptively simple and
10:16endlessly complicated." I think life is
10:20like that, too. Deceptively simple and
10:23endlessly complicated. One of golf's
10:25greatest legends, Bobby Jones, said,
10:27"Golf is the closest game to the game we
10:30call life." I think he may be right
10:31because every round is a series of
10:35choices. What club am I going to use?
10:37How aggressive should I be? Will I play
10:39it safe or am I going to take a risk?
10:42Will I keep my composure after a bad
10:44shot? And here Joshua is standing before
10:47Israel at the end of his life. And
10:49essentially what he says is life is a
10:51series of choices. And the greatest
10:54choice you'll ever make is not where you
10:55work or where you live or who you'll
10:58marry, but the greatest choice you'll
11:00ever make is who you will serve.
11:03Joshua, he's an old man now. He's led
11:06Israel through the conquest of Canaan.
11:08He gathers all the tribes at Sheckchum.
11:11Sheckchham, that's a place that's soaked
11:14in covenant history. God first appeared
11:17to Abraham and Abraham built an altar
11:19there. Jacob bought a land in Sheckchum
11:21and he dug a well there and it's where
11:24Jacob later buried the household idols
11:27his family had carried for generations.
11:30Joshua chose that spot on purpose in
11:33Sheckchum. It's the place where idols
11:36had once been buried in the dirt. And
11:38he's bringing Israel right back to it
11:41before he passes off the scene. And now
11:43Joshua standing before this new
11:45generation. He reviews the entire story
11:47of God's faithfulness from the time that
11:50their ancestors lived beyond the
11:51Euphrates River and served other gods
11:54through the call of Abram, uh, from the
11:56Exodus of Egypt, the wilderness
11:58wanderings, the miracle conquest of the
12:00promised land. And then he issues that
12:02challenge. choose you this day whom you
12:06will serve. Will you serve the gods of
12:08your fathers that they served beyond the
12:11Euphrates River? Those idols of wood and
12:13stone, the moon god Suin, or the gods of
12:16Egypt, or the golden calves your fathers
12:19made, or the gods of the Amorites in
12:21whose land you dwell like Baal or Asher
12:24or Moolik or Deeon? In other words, will
12:27you serve the gods of your past or the
12:29pressures of your present? Will you
12:31serve the gods your fathers worshiped or
12:34the gods your neighbors worshiped or
12:37will you serve the Lord?
12:40A few verses later in Joshua 24, Joshua
12:43says, "Put away the strange gods which
12:47are among you." So that means some
12:49Israelites apparently still possessed
12:51idols while standing at Sheckchum
12:53listening to Joshua preach. They had
12:56crossed the Red Sea. They had seen
12:58Jericho fall. They possessed the
12:59promised land. And yet some still had
13:02idols hidden in their homes. Joshua's
13:06message, it wasn't just for pagans. It
13:08wasn't just for unbelievers like this
13:11message this morning. It's for God's
13:13people who were trying to keep one foot
13:15with Yahweh and one foot with other
13:18gods. Joshua wasn't asking Israel
13:21whether they believed GOD EXISTED. HE
13:23WAS ASKING them whether God would be
13:25their only God. And then Joshua in that
13:28famous statement steps forward and he
13:30says, "And as for me and my house, we
13:34will serve the Lord." This morning I
13:37want to talk about the choice every
13:39father, every person, every individual
13:41under the sound of my voice must make
13:44because the most important shot is the
13:47one you choose to take.
13:51Every round of golf begins with a
13:52decision. You stand on the tea box. You
13:54assess the direction of the wind. You've
13:57visualized the dis the distance, the
14:00hazards. You choose your club, your
14:02target. There's no neutral option. You
14:04either swing it or you don't play.
14:08Choose you this day whom you will serve.
14:11Joshua doesn't say feel this day whom
14:15you'll serve. He doesn't say think about
14:17it someday. He doesn't say consider it
14:19eventually. He says choose. Somebody say
14:22choose. Somebody say choose. Because
14:25serving God is ultimately a decision you
14:29must make every single day. One of the
14:33greatest deceptions I believe in our
14:35culture is that people drift towards
14:37God. That's not true. They don't. People
14:39drift away.
14:41Nobody accidentally becomes faithful.
14:44Nobody accidentally develops a prayer
14:46life. Nobody accidentally builds A GODLY
14:49HOME. THOSE THINGS HAPPEN BECAUSE
14:52SOMEBODY CHOOSES.
14:54Moses said in Deuteronomy 13:30 and
14:56verse 19, "Choose life." Jesus said in
15:00Matthew 7:13, "Enter ye in at the
15:03straight gate." You got to choose. The
15:05scriptures littered from cover to cover
15:07with a call to decide. That golfer
15:10standing over a shot eventually has to
15:13STOP ANALYZING. HE'S GOT to swing. He
15:16can study the wind. He can consider the
15:18distance. He can evaluate the hazards,
15:20but eventually he's got to commit. MOST
15:24PEOPLE SPEND THEIR LIVES analyzing God,
15:28studying faith, thinking about
15:30repentance and baptism and commitment,
15:33considering surrender, but they never
15:36commit. They never swing. And the Bible
15:39says, "A double-minded man is unstable
15:42in all their ways, in their finance
15:45ways, in their business ways, in their
15:47RELATIONSHIP WAYS." JOSHUA FIRST SAYS,
15:50"CHOOSE." [clears throat] Somebody say,
15:51"Choose."
15:53>> You've got to choose. But once you
15:55choose, there's another reality that
15:57every golfer understands. Not every shot
16:01lands where you hoped. Not every
16:04fairway's perfect. Not every lie is
16:07favorable. Which leads me to my second
16:10point this morning, which is also our
16:12title. You got to play the ball where it
16:15lies.
16:17Got to play the ball where it lies. One
16:19of Bobby Jones's most famous observation
16:22that I mentioned earlier in this message
16:24was you have to play the ball where it
16:26lies. You don't get to move it when
16:28you're unhappy. You don't get to pretend
16:30the sand trap isn't there. You don't get
16:32to complain your way onto the fairway.
16:34Not if you're going to play golf, right?
16:36You play it where it lies. You don't get
16:39to choose where the ball starts, but you
16:41do get to choose where it finishes.
16:44That's life. Nobody chooses their
16:47family. Nobody chooses their childhood.
16:50Nobody chooses every hardship and every
16:52wound and every disadvantage. WHICH IS
16:54WHY IT'S dangerous for us to compare.
16:56It's unwise for us to compare our lives,
16:59our situations, our pedigrees, or where
17:02we came from BECAUSE YOU DON'T GET TO
17:04CHOOSE WHERE YOU CAME FROM. BUT
17:06EVERYBODY chooses what they do next.
17:10>> That's what Joshua understood because
17:12Israel had generations of dysfunction.
17:16Abram's family had problems. Jacob's
17:19family had problems. Moses's family had
17:22problems. The wilderness generation had
17:24problems. And yet Joshua refused to let
17:28yesterday determine his today and
17:31tomorrow. Joshua, he was a 12thg
17:34generation descendant of Joseph who had
17:38a dysfunctional family too. Joseph who
17:41was sold by his brothers into Egypt.
17:44Joshua was born into slavery in Egypt.
17:48Joshua was one of only two men IN HIS
17:51GENERATION THAT WANTED TO OBEY GOD.
17:54WELL, EVERYBODY ELSE of his peer group
17:56in his ages were too afraid. They were
17:59too scared. But Joshua wasn't. And yet,
18:02with all of that history, being born as
18:04a slave in Egypt, going through the
18:06wilderness, having to circle the
18:07mountain with all these unbelievers and
18:09waiting until that generation perished
18:12and died off, and then stepping up and
18:14and and having to fight battles that
18:16others should have stood to to to fight
18:18with him. He could have been bitter. He
18:20could have been angry. He could have
18:22been disengaged FROM EVERYBODY, BUT HE
18:25STEPS UP AND HE SAYS, "As for me and my
18:28house, we will serve the Lord." He made
18:32a choice.
18:35I want to thank God today. I just want
18:37to take a moment in this message for
18:39fathers who chose God. NOT PERFECT
18:42FATHERS, NOT FLAWLESS FATHERS, BUT
18:45FATHERS WHO MADE A DECISIONS. FATHERS
18:47WHO BROUGHT US TO church and fathers who
18:49prayed and WHO TAUGHT US RIGHT FROM
18:51WRONG. FATHERS WHO MODELED FAITHFULNESS.
18:54Some of you are HERE TODAY BECAUSE
18:57SOMEWHERE IN YOUR FAMILY TREE, A MAN
18:59DECIDED LIKE JOSHUA, AS FOR ME and my
19:03house, we will serve THE LORD. AND I
19:05WONDER IF WE COULD TAKE A MOMENT OUT
19:07RIGHT NOW AND JUST THANK GOD FOR THOSE
19:09kind of men this morning. [applause]
19:13Thank you. Thank you, Lord. Thank you.
19:20Thank you, God. Praise God. Thank God
19:24for those men. Thank God for those men.
19:27We need to honor those kind of men. You
19:29know, they told me a long time ago,
19:30Bishop, you get what you celebrate. And
19:32I think we need to celebrate the men
19:34that step up to the plate, the men that
19:36say, "As for me in my house, we will
19:38serve the Lord." Now, I know some of you
19:41are thinking this rightly so, "Pastor,
19:44that wasn't my story.
19:46Maybe your father wasn't saved. Maybe he
19:49didn't model faith. Maybe he wasn't even
19:51present in your life. Maybe a father
19:53wounded you. BUT I'VE GOT GOOD NEWS FOR
19:56YOU TODAY. YOU ARE NOT LOCKED IN to the
19:59choices of previous generations.
20:04The good NEWS ON THIS FATHER'S DAY IS
20:07you still get to choose.
20:11EVEN IF YOUR FATHER NEVER MODELED THIS
20:13DECISION, EVEN IF YOUR FAMILY BACKGROUND
20:15IS LESS THAN PERFECT and pulled you in
20:18another direction, the choice IS YOURS
20:20TODAY. JOSHUA DIDN'T SAY, "As for me in
20:23my house," BECAUSE THAT'S HOW DAD DID
20:25IT. HE SAID, "AS for me and my house, we
20:28will serve the Lord." You can choose
20:31differently. I WANT TO HELP SOMEBODY
20:32HERE TODAY. CUZ SOME of us spend so much
20:35time wishing life had been different
20:37that we prevent ourselves from moving
20:40forward. We say, "Well, if I had
20:42different parents, if I had more
20:43opportunities, if I had been raised in
20:46the church, if I hadn't made those
20:47mistakes, if my marriage had gone
20:49differently, if my upbringing had been
20:51better, BUT GOD IS NOT ASKING YOU to
20:54replay yesterday. He's asking you to
20:56trust him today."
21:00I want to help somebody this morning cuz
21:01you are not required to repeat every
21:04pattern you inherited.
21:08>> You may have inherited some things from
21:11your background. You may have inherited
21:12FROM YOUR FAMILY, BUT THROUGH JESUS
21:15CHRIST, THE GOSPEL SAYS YOU CAN begin a
21:18brand new legacy. 2 Corinthians 5:17
21:22says, "If any MAN BE IN CHRIST, HE IS A
21:25NEW CREATURE. Old things are passed
21:28away. Behold, all things are become new.
21:31I know there's some of you with THE
21:33TESTIMONY THIS MORNING THAT WHEN people
21:35look at you, they define you by a
21:37wonderful past. Maybe you had a good
21:39upbringing, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW THE real
21:41story THAT IT WAS GOD WHO BROUGHT you up
21:43out OF THE GUTTER, WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT
21:45OF ALCOHOLISM AND BROUGHT YOU FROM ABUSE
21:48AND BROUGHT YOU FROM A FAMILY THAT WAS
21:50DYSFUNCTIONAL. BUT YOU'RE HERE BY THE
21:52GRACE OF GOD. YOU DON'T LOOK WHAT YOUR
21:54PAST. YOU LOOK LIKE WHAT JESUS can do.
21:59Any witnesses in the house today say,
22:01"His grace was on me. My heavenly father
22:04took care of me. He's a sure foundation
22:07for me." ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO TESTIFY
22:09TODAY AND SAY, "WHEN the winds of
22:11adversity blew against my house, I'M
22:13STILL HERE BY THE GRACE OF GOD."
22:19You can be the first. You can be the
22:22first believer. You can be the first
22:25prayer warrior. You can be the first
22:27faithful father, the first spiritual
22:29leader of your home, the first
22:31generation that changes everything.
22:36>> In conversation yesterday at lunch, as
22:39we celebrated my in-laws 46th wedding
22:41anniversary and Father's Day, we talked
22:43about Granny Great and Poppy. They were
22:45first generation. What a faith that they
22:48had as they stepped out. But they made a
22:50decision. As for me and my house, we
22:53will serve the Lord. They could have
22:54gone a lot of directions. They could
22:56have kept on with their normal life and
22:58what everybody else around them in their
23:00neighborhood was doing. But somebody
23:02knocked on their door. Somebody invited
23:04them to church. And somebody made a way
23:06for them to find Jesus. And they made a
23:09decision. They made A CHOICE IN SPITE of
23:11their upbringing. They made a choice
23:13that says, "WE WILL SERVE GOD."
23:17You've got that OPPORTUNITY TODAY. YOU
23:19HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TODAY. NOBODY MADE
23:22ME DO IT. THE SONG SAYS, "THIS IS HOW I
23:25DECIDED to live. This is HOW I CHOOSE TO
23:28LIVE."
23:31>> You've got a choice today. It's a
23:33beautiful choice. And Joshua calls
23:36Israel to choose.
23:38And when we learn that our starting
23:41point doesn't determine our ending
23:43point,
23:44there's one more truth that may be the
23:47most important of all. Your life is
23:50written one round at a time.
23:54Golf is not one on one hole. Now, we
23:58like to celebrate that, that one whole
24:00shot, man. And we think it's just
24:02amazing. But it is 18 holes of steady
24:05choices,
24:07recovery shots, and perseverance. You
24:10don't win the Masters simply because you
24:12played one hole and had a good shot.
24:16Whenever you win the Masters and you get
24:17to put on that green jacket, whenever
24:19you go through golf, it's because you
24:21made decision after decision, round
24:24after round, in spite of whether you had
24:26good shots or bad shots, you kept moving
24:29forward.
24:31This is what great ones understand in
24:34the game of golf. You think of Jack
24:35Nicholas at the 1986 Masters. He was 46
24:38years old, written off by a lot of
24:41people. And yet with his son Jackie
24:43carrying the bag as his caddy, his
24:46family was watching him. He summoned one
24:47of the most legendary final rounds in
24:49golf history. And he won his sixth green
24:52jacket. That victory for him was more
24:54than just about trophies. It was about a
24:56father and a son sharing a game they
24:59loved and a champion who refused to
25:02quit. You could think of Tiger Woods in
25:042019 after years of injuries and
25:07personal struggles and public failure.
25:09He stood on the 18th green at Augusta
25:11with his children beside him. The
25:14embrace, the tears, the way he later
25:16said their love and support had carried
25:19him through the darkest days. That was a
25:21father choosing to be present and to let
25:23his children see what perseverance and
25:26redemption look like. Phil Mickelson has
25:28often spoke about deliberately putting
25:30his role as a husband and father ahead
25:33of the next tournament, even when it
25:35cost him opportunities. These men, they
25:38understand what real legacy is all
25:40about. It's not the hardware and the
25:41trophy case. It's the character and
25:43faith passed on to the next generation.
25:46And that's just in the game of golf. But
25:48Ephesians 6:4 gives us fathers this
25:51charge. It says, "Fathers, do not
25:54exasperate your children. Instead, bring
25:57them up in the training and the
25:59instruction of the Lord." You have a
26:02choice as a father whether to irritate
26:04and anger and exasperate your children
26:07or you can bring them up. That training
26:10HAPPENS ONE SHOT at a time. It is
26:13bedtime prayers. It's honest
26:15conversations about failure. It's
26:18showing up at church even when you're
26:20tired. It's apologizing when you blow it
26:23and pointing your kids to Jesus as their
26:25only SAVIOR. THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT. One
26:28round after another.
26:31The older I get, the more I realize how
26:34quickly life seems to move. Joshua, he's
26:38near the end of his life. He's fought
26:40battles. He's buried friends. He's
26:41crossed rivers. He's watched miracles.
26:44And now he's thinking about legacy. What
26:47will remain
26:49after I'm gone? I think that would be
26:52good for every man in here to consider
26:54that question of your life. What remains
26:58after you're gone?
27:00what's left over. Will it merely be your
27:03possessions
27:05or will it be of faith? Young men, you
27:08can make that choice and that decision
27:10today, right now. You don't have to wait
27:13until you're 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 in
27:16order to be the kind of man that God
27:17wants you to be. You can make that
27:19decision now. Man, you got to ask that
27:21question. Will your children only
27:23remember your hobbies or will they
27:25remember your devotion? Will they
27:27remember that church was essential or
27:31just optional?
27:33Will they only remember your work habits
27:35or will they remember your walk with the
27:37Lord? And it wasn't just to the fathers
27:40and to the men. Paul wrote to the church
27:42in Colasse. Colossians 3:16 says, "Let
27:46the word of Christ dwell in you richly."
27:52Because this gospel that Paul preached,
27:55this faith that was passed on, it was
27:58never intended to stay at the temples
28:00and the synagogues, it was intended to
28:02move into our homes. It was intended to
28:06move into the places we work and we live
28:09and we breathe. It was intended to move
28:12and go home with you today. Prayer in
28:14our homes. Worship in our homes.
28:17Scripture in our homes. Grace in our
28:19homes. Forgiveness in our homes. Bishop,
28:23whenever I came first to New Life St.
28:25Louis
28:2718 years ago this year, you were in a
28:30three-year theme of this church.
28:33Whenever I was that was it. Whenever I
28:35was dry or flying back to Fort
28:37Lauderdale, Florida after preaching a
28:38youth week before I was youth pastor
28:41before anything of of of that sort had
28:43happened. I was just on my way merrily
28:45back
28:46to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. And the
28:49Lord spoke to me in that plane. He said,
28:52"I want you to pastor a new life."
28:54And I thought when I became youth
28:56pastor, that was the fulfillment. But
28:58there obviously was a little more to it.
29:00Thank the Lord.
29:02And I said, 'Lord, I asked him while I
29:04was 30,000 feet in the air. I said,
29:07'What is the purpose? Because I hadn't
29:10had grandure ideas of coming to New Life
29:13and pastoring. It never even crossed my
29:14mind. I never thought about coming to
29:16this church thinking, "Wow, this is the
29:18kind of church I could. Never thought of
29:19that. I WAS JUST DOING WHAT GOD HAD
29:21CALLED ME TO DO." AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE
29:22LORD SPOKE TO ME? HE SAID, "I WANT YOU
29:24TO BUILD their faith." Yeah.
29:27>> And so when I came, Bishop, and you're
29:29in that three-year theme, it was not
29:31just a confirmation for what God wanted
29:33to do in my life, but it was a
29:36trajectory for where this church should
29:38continue to remain. Cause the theme for
29:41those three years was building faith at
29:44home. We still believe that around here,
29:46don't we? We I know you I know you do.
29:49Cuz we still believe in prayer in the
29:51home, RIGHT, BROTHER POACHERS? WE STILL
29:53BELIEVE THAT THE WORD OF GOD SHOULDN'T
29:54just be preached from the pulpit, but
29:56across THE DINNER TABLE. WE STILL
29:58BELIEVE THAT WORSHIP IS NOT RELEGATED TO
30:00A GROUP THAT PRACTICES EARLY IN THE
30:02MORNING, BUT WE CAN worship when we're
30:03in the car. And we can sing praises to
30:06him when we're at work. AND WE TALK
30:08ABOUT JESUS NOT JUST IN SUNDAY SCHOOL.
30:10WE TALK ABOUT JESUS WHEN WE'RE in the
30:12grocery store. WE TALK ABOUT JESUS when
30:14we're at the job. We talk about Jesus
30:17everywhere WE GO. BECAUSE FAITH IS NOT
30:20RELEGATED TO THIS BUILDING ALONE. YOU'VE
30:22GOT TO CHOOSE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL
30:25SERVE. AND NOT JUST ON SUNDAY. You got
30:27to choose on Monday. And then you got to
30:30choose on Tuesday. AND THEN YOU GOT TO
30:32CHOOSE ON WEDNESDAY. CUZ THAT'S HOW A
30:34LIFE OF FAITH IS BUILT. IT'S NOT BUILT.
30:37I KNOW YOU KNOW THIS, BUT IT'S NOT BUILT
30:39FROM SUNDAY TO SUNDAY AND service to
30:41service. It's built on a LIFE THAT SAYS,
30:44"I CHOOSE HIM. EVERY MORNING I WAKE UP.
30:46Every afternoon I GO TO I WALK THROUGH
30:49THE DAY. EVERY EVENING I GO TO BED, I
30:51CHOOSE JESUS.
30:54[applause and cheering]
30:55Choose you this day. You've got a choice
30:59today. It's freedom.
31:02This is the freedom that Jesus purchased
31:05whenever he went to Calvary. WHENEVER HE
31:07LIFTED THE burden of sin to all of those
31:10who had put their faith IN HIM. HE GIVES
31:12US FREEDOM to choose. two thieves on the
31:15cross side by side.
31:19And one thief decided, I'm just going to
31:22curse and rail accusations at this man I
31:26don't even know on the middle cross. But
31:28the other thief, the other thief said,
31:31Lord, remember me when you come into
31:34your kingdom.
31:36Both thieves in a bad situation at the
31:39end of their life, but both thieves had
31:41a choice.
31:43Even as awful as the choices that they
31:46had made that put them on their crosses
31:48that they deserved. Jesus didn't deserve
31:50his, but those thieves did. They had
31:52done a lot of wrong and they had to pay
31:54the price for it. Even with all of that,
31:57Jesus still gave them the choice.
32:00If you want to come with me, to this
32:02day, you'll be with me in paradise, but
32:05you can come with me. Isn't it
32:07surprising that in that same
32:09environment, in that same instance, yes,
32:11all the agony and all of the pain, but
32:12in that same environment,
32:15there were still two people that didn't
32:18make the same decision.
32:21Wouldn't you have thought that the
32:22second one whenever he heard what Jesus
32:24said that maybe a little faith would
32:26have risen in his heart and he said,
32:27"Wait, hey, if you're making allowances,
32:29I want you to allow me in. Hey, if
32:32you're making allowances, then I want to
32:33come with you in your kingdom." I I just
32:35in my mind I think that Jesus would have
32:37been so gracious as to say, you know
32:39what? Yeah, you're coming with me, too.
32:41But that man, the Bible didn't say he
32:43said anything else. Didn't say anything
32:45else. One man coming with Jesus, the
32:49other dying, a lost, broken sinner on
32:53his way to hell.
32:55And here we are in the same environment.
32:58We're in the same place. Some of you
33:00sitting on the same row, but you still
33:02have the choice to make today. Every one
33:05of you have the choice to make. Will you
33:08follow Jesus or not? Cuz like Joshua,
33:12Joshua knows that every game is going to
33:15end sometime.
33:18Every game is going to end. Doesn't
33:20matter your race, your age. Doesn't
33:23matter your pedigree, your background,
33:24how much money you make. None of that
33:26matters. The race is going to close.
33:29It's going to end sometime and you've
33:31got a choice that you've got to make.
33:34What are you going to do with the ball
33:36in your life? You got to play it where
33:39it lies.
33:41You got to play it where it lies. We
33:42can't go back. We can't fix everything
33:45that went wrong in your life. We can't
33:47go back to all of the abuse, all the
33:49words that were said, all the hurt, all
33:51the mistakes you made, all the things
33:53that people did against you. I wish we
33:54could, but we don't do it that way.
33:56That's not the way God intended. We
33:57don't go back. He keeps us moving
33:59forward.
34:01And he says, "I go to prepare a place
34:03for you that where I am, you may be
34:05also."
34:07So you got to keep moving forward. You
34:09got to play the ball where it lies. So
34:11I'm asking you, I'm I'm done. I'm coming
34:13to a close here today. How you going to
34:15play this today?
34:17How you going to play this tomorrow when
34:19you wake up tomorrow?
34:22How you going to play this on a Tuesday
34:25whenever it gets hot?
34:27Whenever life throws you a curveball you
34:29weren't expecting. Whenever you had
34:32things planned out and it didn't go your
34:33way, how you going to play it? You got
34:35to play it as it lies. And today, like
34:38Joshua,
34:40I'm speaking to this wonderful
34:41congregation today. And yeah, I know I'm
34:43not speaking to a house full of
34:45unbelievers. I'm not speaking to a house
34:47full of pagans.
34:50That was a good place for you to say
34:51amen. But I but just don't blow your
34:53cover. Don't blow your cover.
34:56I mean, I give you opportunities. I
34:58don't know. I give you opportunities.
35:01[laughter]
35:03I know I'm speaking to people that know
35:05God. You love God. You believe in God.
35:08But I'm not asking you if you believe in
35:09him. I'm asking if will you choose to
35:12serve him?
35:14Will you choose to love him when it's
35:17not easy?
35:19Whenever you you take a swing and you
35:21mess up and that ball of life slices to
35:24the right and while everybody's on the
35:27everybody's on the fairway, everybody's
35:29on the green, you're thinking, "Man, I
35:31wish my ball was over there." And you're
35:33over here in the rough.
35:35You got to play it where it lies. But
35:38you're not alone.
35:40You're in the rough where it's grief.
35:42You're in the rough where life just
35:45seems like weeds all around you. But
35:47you're not alone. You got the master
35:49there with you. He'll never leave you,
35:52never forsake you.
35:55You've got a choice to make today. You
35:57can walk away from him. You can do it
36:00your own way. Or you can let his Holy
36:02Spirit guide your hands. I love that
36:05video that we saw today with Daniel and
36:07Camden and he's teaching his boy how to
36:10hit that ball. Here, son. Let me show
36:12you. Let me teach you how. And like
36:15imperfect dads, we don't always get it
36:16right. divot after divot. Just
36:23But our father, our heavenly father,
36:25he's perfect. He's never made a mistake.
36:29He'll envelop you in his love.
36:31He'll wrap his arms around you. And he's
36:34so patient. He's so patient with us.
36:38He's longsuffering, not willing that any
36:41should perish,
36:43but that all should come to repentance.
36:45You got a choice to make today.
36:48Choose you this day whom you will serve.
36:52And if your fathers didn't serve God,
36:55didn't live for God, that doesn't matter
36:58today. Today you get to choose. [snorts]
37:02Today you get to make the decision. Am I
37:05going to live for God? Am I going to
37:07allow him to direct my life? You get to
37:10make this decision. You could have lived
37:11for God for 25 years, 60 years, and
37:14today you still get to make the
37:16decision. I choose to live for Jesus.
37:19Stand with me all over this place if you
37:21will.
37:23I don't want to invite anybody up to the
37:24front right now at this moment, but
37:27wherever you're standing in the balcony
37:28or on the floor, wherever you're at, or
37:30even if you're watching online, I want
37:32you to make that place where you're at
37:34an altar. I want you to make that place
37:37a prayer time with your heavenly father.
37:39I want you to really consider what will
37:43be left after your life is over. What
37:46will be left when the lights go out?
37:48When the casket is lowered, what will be
37:51left when it's all done? Will you choose
37:54to serve the Lord? I want you right now
37:57to close your eyes all over this place.
37:59Would you just make this a house of
38:00prayer for a moment? Would you take a
38:03moment right now where you're at? Bring
38:05your life, bring everything into focus
38:07with Jesus. Say, "Lord, here I am. I'm
38:10going to offer myself to you right now.
38:12I implore you, brother, sister, right
38:15now to give yourself to the Lord, to
38:17turn your life over to him. You're not
38:19here by accident. And no matter what
38:21life has done to you, you still have a
38:23choice here today to play it where it
38:25lies." So, heavenly father, I pray right
38:28now in this moment in the name of Jesus
38:29that you would speak to each and every
38:31one of us through your Holy Spirit. Draw
38:33us closer to you today. God, I pray that
38:37no matter their past, no matter where
38:39they've come from, I pray that today
38:41they would choose to serve you, that
38:44they would choose to lay their burdens
38:46down, that they would choose to be
38:48faithful and choose, God, to put you
38:50first in their life. I pray in the name
38:52of Jesus, for every brother, every
38:54sister under the sound of my voice that
38:56you would draw them closer to you.
39:00Oh God, help them. I pray to consider to
39:03consider their choice right now.
39:08If you got a voice, lift it up in prayer
39:10right now. Would you do that? Believer,
39:12would you lift up your voice to your
39:13heavenly father right now? Make that
39:15place a place of prayer in your pew
39:17right there. Come on. In the name of
39:19Jesus, he said, "My house shall be
39:20called a house of prayer for all
39:22people." So, you're not left out of this
39:24if this is your first time being here.
39:26You're not left out of this if you feel
39:27like a sinner. If you feel lost, this
39:30house is for you right now. This prayer
39:32is for you. You can lift up your voice
39:34and you don't have to pray in the King
39:35James version language. You can just
39:37pray in your own language. Pray with
39:40your own voice and say, "Jesus, I need
39:42you to help me to choose you, to put you
39:44first in my life. Help me to put away,
39:47Lord, all the idols. Help me to put away
39:49all of the things in my life that keep
39:51me from you, that keep me blinded and
39:54depressed and bound up. Lord, help me to
39:57put those things away. I'm surrendering
39:59myself to you right now, Jesus. Oh God,
40:02I pray that you would hear every father
40:04today. Hear every man in this house
40:06today, oh Lord. Hear their faithful cry
40:09to you in the name of Jesus to put you
40:12first in their life. LORD, NO MATTER
40:14WHERE LIFE HAS BROUGHT US, GOD, WE TRUST
40:16YOU. We trust YOUR SALVATION. WE PUT OUR
40:19hope in your word today, knowing that
40:21you'll never leave us, that you'll never
40:23forsake us. God, I pray that you would
40:26speak to every man and every woman right
40:28now, oh Jesus, those, oh Lord, that are
40:32been wounded and hurt on the inside,
40:35feel like they've been cast aside, I
40:37pray that you would bring a peace into
40:40their heart. I pray that you'd fill them
40:42full of the Holy Ghost today. Fill them
40:44up full of your spirit right now where
40:47they're at in the name of Jesus. We're
40:49standing at the point of decision, Lord.
40:51And as for me in my house, we're going
40:54to serve you. As for me and Brianna, as
40:56for me and Gentry and Reagan and Brily,
40:59we will serve you, God. We're making the
41:02commitment today that my house is going
41:03to be a house of prayer. My house is
41:06going to be a house of worship. My house
41:08is going to be a house of sacrifice and
41:10love. Lord, BY YOUR GRACE, OH GOD, I can
41:13make it. By your grace, I can keep on
41:16moving forward. Lord Jesus, hear the
41:19prayers of your people right now. every
41:21woman and daughter under the sound of my
41:23voice. Oh God, I pray that faith would
41:25fill their hearts right now in Jesus
41:28name. Draw them close to you, God.
41:32Oh, in Jesus name. That's it. Go ahead
41:34for a few more moments right now. Go
41:36ahead and keep talking to him. He's in
41:38this place. Your heavenly father is
41:39here. He's calling you closer. He's
41:42calling you closer. Come on. right now
41:44in the name of Jesus.
41:49He wants to heal your heart. He wants to
41:52strengthen your spirit. He wants to save
41:55you this morning. Oh Jesus, [laughter]
41:59I feel your presence in this room right
42:01now. Lord, I feel your grace in this
42:04room right now. God,
42:07we choose today to serve you. We choose
42:11today to live for you. Oh God.
42:15Oh God. I need every man that's in this
42:18house right now. I don't care what your
42:20age is, whether you have children or
42:22don't have children, but I want every
42:23man that's in this house. I would like
42:25for you. I'm going to ask if you would
42:27lead this church right now. I'm going to
42:28ask if you would lead us by your faith
42:31and by your actions. If you are making
42:34the [music] choice and decision today to
42:36say, "I will serve the Lord." Or if you
42:38need some prayer in your life to say, "I
42:40need some help and I need some strength
42:42for my life." Would you please make your
42:44way down to the phone? We want to pray a
42:46blessing over you, but I also want you
42:48[music] to pray over us. Would every man
42:50help me out right now and lead in this
42:52church? That's all right. Would you just
42:54come down forward to the front of this
42:56place? Ladies, would you just clap your
42:58hands to the Lord for every man that's
43:01making their way down to the front of
43:02this place and thank God for our sons
43:04and our fathers and the men of this
43:07church. Come on. Would you thank the
43:08Lord together, ladies in this house?
43:16That's it. Come on down. Go ahead.
43:18Squeeze on down.
43:25Oh.
43:27Oh. Thank you, Jesus.
43:29Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for coming
43:31from the balcony. They're still coming.
43:32Keep on coming down. Squeezing on in.
43:39Oh,
43:46brothers, we know.
43:49We know it's not easy to take a stand
43:52for what's right. Not in this world,
43:56not in this darkness. It's not always
43:57easy to stand up for what's right. You
43:59just ask Joshua. Out of 12 men that
44:02could have made the decision and could
44:03have led Israel right into the promised
44:05land, only two of them only two of them
44:08said, "We we can do this. We can go." I
44:12believe here at New Life, there's more
44:13than two.
44:14>> Look, I I believe there's more than two.
44:16Look around at you right now. I believe
44:18there's more than two that'll say we can
44:19take this. We can do this in Jesus name.
44:22What I'd like to do before I pray a
44:23blessing over you is I wonder if you
44:25would just lift your voice and lift your
44:27hands right now. If you would pray over
44:29these wonderful women of God, every
44:31daughter, every son, every home, every
44:34house in this church and in this
44:36community as a men of God, would you
44:38lift up your voice BY FAITH? SAY, "GOD,
44:40WE WILL HAVE REVIVAL. GOD, WE WILL SEE A
44:43BREAKTHROUGH. GOD, we will see miracles.
44:46Heavenly Father, we will see sons and
44:48daughters come back to you." Brothers,
44:50would you just lift your hands and lift
44:52your voice of faith right now?
44:56Ladies, go ahead and join us in the
44:57back. Go ahead and lift your voice right
45:00now as these brothers pray for you in
45:01the name of Jesus. Heavenly Father, we
45:04come to the front with faith. We step
45:06out and despite, Lord, all the things we
45:08may have been through and how this world
45:10is going, we choose to serve you and
45:12we're here to declare in Jesus' name
45:15that you are the light that shines into
45:17the darkness, God. That you are the
45:19hope, Lord, of this generation and this
45:21world. We're here to declare that
45:24victory is ours in the name of Jesus.
45:27And we're here to commit to you that as
45:29for me and my house, we will serve the
45:32Lord. So we pray grace on our children.
45:35We pray grace on our grandchildren. I
45:37pray grace upon this church and this
45:40community in the name of Jesus. Father,
45:42if you're looking for men, we're right
45:45here. If you're looking for men to step
45:47forward and step up, God, and to be used
45:50of you, we're right here. We've chosen
45:52to serve you. We've chosen to live for
45:55you in the name of Jesus. Hear our
45:58voices. Hear our prayer right now. Of
46:01every father, of every man. I pray that
46:03you would hear their voice of prayer
46:05right now in the name of Jesus. I thank
46:08you, Lord, that you're not done with
46:09this city. I THANK YOU. YOU'RE NOT DONE
46:11with our community. I thank you, Lord,
46:13that you're blessing our children and
46:15our families. I thank you that you've
46:17kept us. I THANK YOU, LORD, THAT YOU'RE
46:19LEADING US, that greater things are
46:21ahead. Oh yes, God.
46:27Thank you, Lord, for these men right
46:29now. That's it, man. Come on. Let Let
46:32them hear your VOICE JUST FOR ANOTHER
46:34moment right now. Lift your voice just
46:36in prayer for another moment right now.
46:51to live for you. We make the
46:53[singing and music] choice to serve you,
46:54God. We make the choice to faithfully
46:56follow after you, oh God. We know that
46:59you have mercy.
47:01Thank you that we belong to you, oh God.
47:03Thank you, Lord, that we are your
47:05people, the sheep of your pasture, Lord.
47:08[music]
47:12Oh, our hearts you
47:15Lord Jesus.
47:37Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The Bible says,
47:40"I will that men everywhere, lifting up
47:42holy hands, that they would pray without
47:45wrath and without doubting everywhere."
47:47God, I pray that you'd make these men
47:49prayer warriors everywhere that they go.
47:52Lord, I pray that you'd fill their life
47:54with your spirit and that you would
47:56prophesy through them. I pray that you'd
47:58speak good things through them. Lord, we
48:00pronounce a blessing on every man right
48:02now in the name of Jesus. God, we call
48:05down your grace. We call down YOUR HOLY
48:07FIRE. I PRAY that you'd burn brightly in
48:10them in the name of Jesus. Give them
48:12boldness. Give them confidence, Lord.
48:14Let them not be fearful, Lord, of
48:17anything that would come in the day or
48:19the night. But I pray in the name of
48:21Jesus that you'd fill them with your
48:22Holy Spirit till they're overflowing in
48:25Jesus' name. Everywhere that they walk,
48:28let them walk with the gospel of peace.
48:30Let them walk with confidence and
48:32boldness and faithfulness. Lord, if
48:34they've committed any sins, forgive
48:36them. If they've made some mistakes, I
48:39pray that you'd pick them back up. Lord,
48:41I pray that your grace would cover them.
48:43Your love would cover them. Empower them
48:46in Jesus' name. I pray a refreshing on
48:49every one of my brothers today from the
48:51youngest to the oldest in Jesus' name. I
48:54pray that they'd be strengthened by the
48:56power of your might. Give them
48:58understanding Lord for every decision
49:01that they have to make. Give them
49:03wisdom. I pray in Jesus' name. Every
49:06challenge Lord they're facing in their
49:08life. I'm asking God for your glory to
49:10be with them. I'm asking that you'd
49:12order their steps Lord. For you said
49:14that the steps of a good man are ordered
49:17of the Lord. And I pray that you'd order
49:19their steps. Let them be established in
49:21the name of Jesus. Let none of their
49:24words fall to the ground in vain. But I
49:26pray they'd speak faith. I pray they'd
49:29speak life. I pray they'd speak hope. I
49:32pray that your joy would be their
49:34strength. Restore unto them THE JOY OF
49:38YOUR SALVATION. That they are the head
49:41and they are not the tail, Lord. They
49:44are above and they are not beneath and
49:46that there are more for them than be
49:49against them in the mighty name of
49:52Jesus. We call angels down, angels to
49:55walk with them. Angels to be at their
49:58side as the angel WAS WITH JOSHUA. LET
50:02YOUR ANGEL be with these brothers today.
50:04Let them walk out of here with their
50:06head lifted high, with their spirits
50:09free and soaring, with their faith
50:11firmly fixed in you. In Jesus name we
50:15pray.
50:17In Jesus name. Those of you that are in
50:20the balcony on the floor, would you just
50:21stretch your hands forth right now to
50:23these men? Brothers, if it'd be all
50:25right, would you just throw an arm
50:26around another brother? Pray a blessing
50:28over them. Pray grace over them. Come
50:32on, lift your voice up for them. God, we
50:34need men in this generation. And I thank
50:36you that you found them at new life.
50:39We need righteous men that'll pray,
50:41that'll seek your face. And I thank you
50:43that you found us at new life.
50:47We need men of character and integrity
50:50and holiness. And I thank you that you
50:53FOUND US AT NEW LIFE. I thank you for
50:55these men of faithfulness. I thank you
50:57for these men of holiness. I thank you
51:00for these men of prayer.
51:06Thank you for these men of prayer.
51:14Unite us together like one army. Unite
51:17us together as one voice. UNITE US
51:19TOGETHER as one man in the name of
51:21Jesus. Uh you're [laughter] the head,
51:23Lord, OF THIS BODY. YOU'RE THE HEAD OF
51:25these men. UH YOU'RE THE HEAD OF MY
51:28LIFE, LORD JESUS. [music] AND I GIVE YOU
51:30PRAISE. Uh and I GIVE YOU GLORY. I'M NOT
51:32ALONE. I give you praise, God, that
51:35there are more with us, Lord, standing
51:37beside us, shouldertosh shoulder, God.
51:42Oh yes, Jesus, I praise you.
51:58>> [music]
52:22>> Hallelujah. Thank you father. Thank you
52:25father.
52:29The Lord spoke to Joshua.
52:32He said, "As I was with Moses, so I'll
52:35be with thee." And every one of us as
52:38men have heroes of the faith that we've
52:41looked to whether they were in our home
52:42or not. We've got people that we've
52:44looked to that the Lord was with them,
52:48identifiably with them, notable miracles
52:51with them, strong men of faith. The Lord
52:54was with them. And I'm here to declare
52:56and prophesy to you in Jesus' name that
52:59the same God that was with them is the
53:01same God that's with you. I'm going to
53:04speak it right now into your spirit till
53:05you believe it. But the same God that
53:07was with them, the Lord is with you. The
53:10Lord is with you. Don't discount
53:11yourself. Don't look DOWN ON YOURSELF.
53:13GOD is with you. He is fighting for you.
53:17His spirit's in you. And he's already
53:19given you the victory in Jesus name. THE
53:22SAME GOD WITH MOSES, WITH ABRAHAM,
53:25JACOB, and he's with you.
53:30So, we want you leaving here today with
53:31your faith high. If you have never been
53:35baptized in Jesus [music] name, repented
53:36of your sins, today is a good day to
53:39choose.
53:42Choose you this day. If you've never
53:44received the baptism of the Holy Ghost,
53:46speaking with other tongues, today's
53:48your day.
53:49Today ought to be your day that says,
53:50"I'm not going home without it. I'm not
53:52leaving without it cuz I choose to serve
53:55him."
53:57Fathers, we love you, men of God. We
54:00thank you. We thank you for your godly
54:02example. Thank you [music] for coming to
54:04the front. We bless you in Jesus name.
54:07And how many so very thankful for our
54:09men's director, Brother Casey, and
54:11everything that he's put together for
54:12this Sunday. Brother Casey, we love you.
54:15We're so thankful for this man of God.
54:17He's got quite a testimony.
54:20If anybody was a first generation man of
54:23faith, this is a man of first
54:25generation. I think somebody could
54:26testify to the fact that God does
54:29miracles. When you're looking at brother
54:30Casey, he doesn't look like his past. He
54:33looks like the grace of God. He looks
54:35like the mercy of God.
54:39So, I want to say thank you, Lord. And
54:41brother Casey, I want to say thank you.
54:43We got gifts that we're going to give
54:44away. And don't forget, we got photos in
54:46the back of the gymnasium. But I'm going
54:48to turn it over to you, brother Casey.
54:49Thank you so much for leading us today.
54:51God bless you, man.
54:52>> Thank you. Thank you. God bless. Amen.
54:55If you are a man and father, sorry,
55:00Father's Day, and you didn't get one of
55:02these tickets, when can we run up here
55:03real quick? If you if you are a father
55:06and you did not get one of these tickets
55:08for the drawing, please come up here
55:10real quick. Raise a hand. I'll have
55:14Kaden run it to you. He looks like he's
55:16ready to run.
55:24>> Hang on to that one. Look for the
55:25number.
55:35>> Anybody else? Randy.
55:49All right. Any other fathers that we
55:50don't have a ticket?
55:53Going once.
55:56Going twice.
56:05Last call.
56:07Fathers,
56:10raise a hand or wave at me if you're
56:12running up here and you don't have one
56:13yet.
56:15All right, here we go.
56:19I've got a couple gift cards here in my
56:21pocket we're going to give away.
56:22Actually, a total of four of them.
56:27All right, the first gift card I'm going
56:29to give away is a $50 gift card to
56:32Chicken and Pickle. Those pickle ball
56:35players, they've got food there. So, a
56:38$50 gift card to Chicken and Pickle for
56:42Father's Day.
56:45How about
56:493559
56:51792?
56:54792.
56:58Elder Bachelor. I bet he's a pickle ball
57:01player.
57:04Run that, Jim. Thank you.
57:14All right, I've got another $50 gift
57:17card for Chicken and Pickle. It'll go to
57:193559
57:21822.
57:25822.
57:29Anybody? Somebody. Oh, there we go.
57:42What's your name?
57:44>> Logan. What's your last name? Logan.
57:47>> Logan Brazwell.
57:54All right, we pause for this commercial
57:56break. Uh, when you came in the doors,
57:58fathers, you should have got one of
57:59these. We put this together as a prayer
58:03guide for you. If you'll open it up, it
58:05looks like a golf scorecard, but on the
58:08inside, it's your spiritual rounds,
58:10things to be praying about, keeping
58:12faith under pressure, family leadership,
58:15staying in the word. Please don't just
58:17throw this in the parking lot or uh in
58:20the in the the pocket in your car. Take
58:21this home as a guide to be praying as a
58:24father. All right, we got a $50 gift
58:26card to Topgolf.
58:30All right, here we go.
58:35This will go to
58:373559
58:39769
58:42769
58:47David Williams
58:52All right,
58:55I've got one more $50 Top Golf gift
58:58card. Here we go.
59:06It'll go to 3559
59:08776
59:12776.
59:19How about it? 776.
59:28Wave your hands wildly if you've got 776
59:33or I'm going to draw a different number.
59:38Am I missing them? 776.
59:43I'm going to draw again. Here we go.
59:50How about 841? 841.
59:57Anybody? 841.
60:02841.
60:04Way up there. All right,
60:08I'll hold this up here.
60:11Amen. That's the end of our giveaways.
60:13Thank you so much. Listen, fathers,
60:16don't run out of here without getting a
60:18family picture. If you'll make your way
60:20into the gym,
60:22there's a photo booth set up. There are
60:24no Palmer's waiting for you back there.
60:26And don't forget to grab your New Life
60:28golf towel as our gift to you. Happy
60:31Father's Day. We bless you in Jesus
60:35name.