Gateway Church Live | “Roadblocks & Building Blocks” by Pastor Daniel Floyd | November 22–23

welcome you in this place of 
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 praise. Be glorified here today. Come on, let's praise him. 
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 Who is he? 
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 The Lord is my shepher, my refuge 
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 and my shelter. The enemy surround my 
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 defender. He's faithful and patient. >> 
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 >> He's loving and he's gracious from age 
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 to age. His goodness never changes.

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 Come on, I'll sing praise. So I will sing praise. I will sing praise for the Lord is good always. all of my days. 
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 Help by 
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 his grace. For the Lord is good. 
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 The Lord is good always. Always. 
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 Always. My present, 
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 my treasure. He's good beyond 
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 all measure. I see.

I see this in 
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 I see grace. 
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 I see 
[singing]
 grad 
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 by his grace. 
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 Heat. Heat. Heat. 
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 Heat. Heat. Heat. 
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 Heat. Heat. 
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 Oh, 
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 can we sing? For I'm standing 
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 on the rock, the rock of aes 
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 to the hope that's never failing. I've 
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 got all I need cuz I've got you.

I'm standing on 
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 the rock of aes 
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 that's never I got all I need cuz I got 
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 I'm standing 
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 on the rocking 
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 Heat. Heat. 
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 Heat. 
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 Heat. 
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 Heat. Heat. Heat. 
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 Heat. Heat. Heat. 
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 Heat. Heat. Heat. 
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 >> 
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 >> Heat. Heat. 
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 >> 
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 >> I'm standing on the rock. 
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 That's never I got all I need cuz I got you.

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 I'm standing on the rock the rock of that's never 
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 fat 
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 on the rock. 
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 Yeah, I got you. Yes, I do. I got 
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 all cuz I got you. 
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 Come on, can we give a praise? Yes, Lord. Worthy, worthy, worthy, 
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 worthy are you, Jesus. The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Lamb who was slain.

Worthy are 
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 you, Jesus, of all honor and praise. We thank you today for the price you paid, 
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 Jesus. Well, everything changed. 
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 It's getting harder to recognize the 
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 person I was before I encountered Christ. I don't walk like 
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 I used to. I don't talk like I used to. I've been washed from the inside.

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 I've been washed from the inside. Hallelu. 
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 Hallelu. 
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 I know it was the blood. Could have only been the plan. Hallelu. 
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 Hallelu. 
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 I know it was the plan. Could be. 
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 Oh, thank you Jesus. 
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 I can't explain. Oh, I cannot 
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 explain. But nothing's more real than this in the 
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 presence of God.

Oh, my heart experience with my shame 
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 in the way my sight. I was washed 
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 from the inside. I was washed from the inside. 
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 Heat. Heat. 
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 >> 
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 >> Thank you. 
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 Thank you. 
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 >> 
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 >> Heat. Heat. 
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 It's 
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 only by the way. It's never about worth. 
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 It's a gift that's free.

Let me tell you, it's only by 
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 Heat. Heat. 
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 Heat. 
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 Heat. 
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 >> 
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 >> Heat 
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 up 
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 here. >> 
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 >> Heat. Heat. 
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 Heat. 
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 Heat. 
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 >> 
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 >> Heat. Heat. 
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 Let me tell you it's only 
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 hallelu. 
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 All I 
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 know was the blood could have only been your 
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 blood. So high as for 
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 it could have only been your blood but 
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 thank you Jesus.

Thank you Jesus. 
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 Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Church, we're going to go into a moment now. we as a church family come to the Lord's table together. If you maybe miss 
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 the elements on your way in, uh, go ahead and raise your hand. We've got an incredible team of people that'll be making their way down the aisles looking for any hand that may 
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 be raised.

And if you're watching online, now is the time to run to your pantry and grab whatever elements that you can. But you have a few moments because what I'd like for us to do before we receive the elements, I want us to receive this reminder real quick. And I ask the team if we could actually go back into the bridge.

Um, and here's what I'm going to ask us to do, church. If we can just bow our head and close our eyes, I'm going to ask that maybe you're not even just singing 
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 this part, but maybe this is just being sung over you. That you can remind yourself that it's not about performance or perfection and the rest 
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 of the lyrics that I forgot right now.

But let these lyrics be sung over you. Let them be a reminder before we receive the elements. So team, can we just sing that out over our community? 
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 >> Striving for perfection. Let me tell 
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 you, it's only by the blood. It's never been about deserving or earning. It's a gift that's freely given.

Let me tell you, it's only by the blood. Does anybody want to be holy and 
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 righteous, purified as spotless? Let 
[singing]
 me tell you, it's 
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 only by the blood. Does anybody want to be worthy, 
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 forgiven, justified 
[singing]
 really living? Let me tell you, it's only by the play. >> One more time, let's sing that out.

As we hold the elements in our hand, let's remind ourselves of this one more time. >> It's never been about performance, perfection, 
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 or striving 
[singing]
 for acceptance. Let me tell you, it's only by the 
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 blood. It's never been about deserving or earning. It's a gift 
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 that's freely 
[singing]
 given. Let me tell you, it's only by 
[singing]
 the blood.

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 Does anybody want to be holy and righteous, 
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 purified as farless? Let 
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 me tell you, it's only by the blood. Oh, does anybody 
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 want to be worthy, forgiven, justified, 
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 freely living? Let me tell you, it's only by 
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 the blood. How many of you needed that reminder today? It's only by the blood.

Uh this morning, my son Roman um he had a soccer tournament this morning. his his game started at 8:00 a.m., which means he needed to be there at 7:30 a.m., which means I needed to be up at 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday. Wasn't thrilled. Um, but as I was trying to fit his 9-year-old foot into 
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 these cleats, he was like, "Ow, Dad.

Dad, there there's something in there." And so I reached my hand out in there in his cleat and I pulled out an empty communion cup. We both started laughing. I looked at him and I was like, "Church kids, bro. But how wildly unexpected 
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 to find communion in a cleat.

And I've been thinking about that all day and thinking about this moment all day because I believe Jesus is in the business of these wildly unexpected moments. We have 
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 him having a conversation with a Samaritan woman with a pretty scandalous past. And he essentially tells her, "Everything you've been searching and looking for is standing right before your very eyes."

And he tells her that he is going to give her living water that she'll never thirst again. It was wildly unexpected of him to heal lepers, for him to heal the blind. It was wildly unexpected for a woman who's had the issue of blood to just simply be healed by touching his 
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 clothes.

But what I love about those stories, they're not just stories for then. They're stories for us 
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 now. Because Jesus is still in the business of blowing our minds in these wildly unexpected moments. I believe 
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 that some of you came in here today and you expected to be carrying around that shame you've been carrying for your whole life.

You never thought you'd be able to let it go. And yet Jesus meets us here in this 
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 place to tell you that he has carried your shame to the cross. So you no longer have to carry it. But instead, you get to walk in his love today. It's wildly unexpected 
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 for him to invite people like you and me to the table.

And he says everyone is welcome. When we put our faith and hope in Jesus, 
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 he invites us all. Regardless of your journey, regardless of your shortcomings or your failures, 
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 he invites us here to the table right here in this moment. Maybe you came in here and you've been holding on to bitterness in your heart or maybe unforgiveness 
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 in your heart.

But Jesus doing the wildly unexpected thing that he does, your heart is beginning to soften in this moment. And maybe you feel like you are ready 
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 to forgive. I believe that God is coming 
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 to have an encounter with every single one of us as he invites us to the table.

See Jesus, he took the bread and he said, "This is my body given for you so that we friends can be made whole." So as a church family, right in this moment, can we receive his body today? And then he took the cup which symbolizes the new covenant says this is his blood poured out for us.

He said when you do this do this in 
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 remembrance of me. So today we remember and we also become wildly aware to God's presence right here and right now. God, we thank you for 
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 the cup and everything that it represents. Today we receive your goodness. We receive your grace.

In your name we pray. Amen. Church, let's continue 
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 to worship together. I could search all this world. I still find there 
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 is no one like you. I could 
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 gain everything. In the end, all is 
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 lost without you. Oh Jesus, 
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 all that I desire, I want to know you.

I want to know 
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 you. I want to know 
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 you and be 
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 known by you. I'm going to love you. 
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 Give all my heart to you. I want to know 
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 you and be 
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 all right. I am home, 
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 complete, content just to stay in this 
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 place. All my guilt, 
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 oh my shame, wash away your river of grace.

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 Oh Jesus, 
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 all that I desire. Oh, I want to know you. I 
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 want to know you. I want to know you 
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 and be all by you. I'm going to love you. Give all my heart to you. 
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 I want to know you. in all byes. 
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 My devotion, 
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 my affection.

For all my 
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 worship, 
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 I pour it out. I pour it out on you. 
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 My de 
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 by 
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 I pour it out. 
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 I pour it out on you by deotion, by 
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 affection. Oh my worship I pour it out. I 
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 pour it out on you by deoting 
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[singing]
 my affection. 
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 All my worship I pour it out.

I 
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 you 
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 Jesus. 
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 Jesus. Oh, I want to know you. 
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 Oh, I want to know you. I want to know you and 
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 be all right. I love you. 
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 Give all my heart to you. I want to know 
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 you all by you. My devotion, my devotion, 
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 my affection, all my worship.

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 I pour it out. How are you? My devotion, 
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 my affection, oh my worship, I pour it out. 
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 I pour it on you. Worthy, 
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 worthy, worthy Jesus. Worthy, worthy Jesus. 
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 Oh, we stand amazed. We 
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 stand amazed in your presence. We stand amazed 
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 in your presence. 
[singing]
 Oh Jesus. Oh Jesus.

We stand 
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 amazed in your presence. 
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 There's no one like you worthy of 
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 our love. Worthy of all our worship. Oh, you are you are oh 
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 worthy worthy Jesus 
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 and death could not hold you. The filter 
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 before you. Silence 
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 the boast of sin and grave. 
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 The 
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 heavens are roaring.

The praise of your glory 
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 for you are to life. 
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 Come on church. You have 
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 no right. 
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 You have no equal now and 
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 forever. God, you 
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 reign. 
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 Yours is the king and 
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 yours is the glory. Yours is the name 
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 of Sing again. Could not hold you. 
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 Silence the sing 
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[singing]
 
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 you have 
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 Heat.

Heat. 
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 Heat. Heat. 
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 What a beautiful 
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 Jesus Christ might 
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 Heat. Heat. 
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 Yours 
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 is the king. 
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 Yours is the glory. Yours is the 
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 name. 
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 >> 
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 >> Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. 
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 Jesus. 
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 Jesus. 
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 Jesus. Yes, Lord. Worthy. 
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 Come on, give him praise. Come on. Yes, Lord. Worthy is the 
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 lamb. Yes, you are.

Yes, Jesus. Worthy are you. The lamb who was slain. We are thankful. Hear your people sing 
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 today, worthy are you, King Jesus. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for the price 
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 you paid for us on the cross. Thank you, Jesus. We are a grateful, grateful, grateful people in an agreement.

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 All of his people said together. Amen. Amen. Our God is good. Amen. Amen. 
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 He's so good. Well, thank you so much for worshiping with us today. He is worthy of all 
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 the praise. Why don't you turn around, take a moment, greet the people around you, and Pastor Daniel has a phenomenal message up for us next.

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 >> 
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 >> Hey, Gateway family. Thank you so much for joining us today. At Gateway, we're all about people because we know God is all 
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 about people. >> If you're a guest today, please know that we would love to get to know you. You can meet us in the lobby at Connect Central after service or text connect to 710. >> We have so many ways for you to get connected to God and to others.

No matter what stage of life you're in, we believe that there's something for you. Check out a few things happening soon. Giving is at the core of who God is, and we believe we're called to reflect his heart by being givers ourselves. If you'd like to give today, you can give through our website, the mobile app, or in an envelope at any of our campuses.

Remember to follow us on social media or join your campus Facebook group to stay up to date with everything that's going on. Thanks again for joining us. Come hear a message of hope, joy, and life this Christmas. Be a part of our candlelight services at Gateway. We'll hear a special Christmas message from pastors Daniel and Tammy 
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 and worship as a church family.

Let's come together and celebrate Jesus, the light of the world. 
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 Hey, welcome to church everybody. Come on, let's put our hands together for Jesus. Come on, every location. Oh, come on. Out in Fris, let us hear you. What a great weekend to be in church. And maybe you're like, why in the world are we all clapping?

Didn't we just clap a minute ago? But the Bible says, "Clap your hands, all ye people." I grew up on the King Jimmy. All ye people, shout unto God with a voice of triumph. How many of you know that we're on the winning side? The grave is empty.

Jesus is alive. Come on, one more time. He is worthy. 
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 We're finishing our series called How Not to Ruin Your Life. We've been looking at the book of Proverbs. Before we jump into the final installment, do want to say welcome to all of our locations, everybody joining us online, our prison campuses.

We thank God for you and everything the Lord's doing there. And Gateway Gatherings, uh the Lord's doing a lot of cool stuff around the nation through the gatherings. did want to let you know that last weekend you as a church family brought in more than 6,000 Operation Christmas Child boxes and um so thank you for that.

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 You took more boxes than you brought back though. I'll just leave it there. Okay, so let's rectify that. And uh I do want to give a big shout out to a Gateway Gathering, Chris and Nancy in West Virginia. Come on, West Virginia, somebody. And um they wrote in uh to our team and let us know that they their gathering did a hundred Operation Christmas Child boxes and they partnered with the fraternity house next to them.

And I was like, "Well, come on, Fraternity Brothers. Let's get in on Operation Christmas Child." So, a lot of cool stuff happening in the life of the church. Tammy and I want to say happy Thanksgiving to everybody. Uh it's a great week coming up to celebrate with family.

And um for some of you, you it may be like you're going to muster everything you can to hang out with that family. So the blessing of the Lord be upon you. 
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 Somebody just said yes. Don't say that to your in-laws. It will not be a good Thanksgiving.

But uh it's going to hope you have a wonderful wonderful week together. I want to bring a message entitled this roadblocks and building blocks. We're going to talk about roadblocks and building blocks. And I want to take us back to the text that we've been using um since we started the series as kind of our our foundational verse.

And it's this. Wisdom is supreme. Therefore, get wisdom. And then it gives us how to get it and and the price you're willing to pay though it cost all you have, get understanding. So even if there's an extremely high price to pay and it's everything that you have, then spend it in order to get wisdom.

And this tells us how much God values wisdom. And so we've been pursuing wisdom and uh I'm excited for this final installment. Let's pray together and then we're going to jump into the word. Lord, we love you and our hearts and minds are open to hear from you.

We haven't come just to do church or to chalk check a religious box, but we've come that the Holy Spirit would speak to us through your word. We believe it has the power to change us and transform us and we'll never be the same because of it in Jesus' name.

And everybody said a big amen. >> Amen. Amen. Anybody, every campus, by show of hands, you ever played with Lincoln Logs? Come on, that's a lot of you. I feel sorry for the ones missed out. There were several of you. Somebody needs to go buy you Lincoln Logs off Amazon.

Um, I had Lincoln logs when I was little. I loved building things when I was I was always in kindergarten. I remember the stations they would have. I don't know if you had these. They had stations. I always attracted to the building station. I always wanted to build something.

And uh whenever Owen was little, our 18-year-old, who thank God we get to see this week, answer to his mom's prayer, you know, college break. Uh but we uh I got him the Lincoln logs and they still come in the metal tin. >> They still come in the metal tin and they still come with, you know, build a little house and build a fence around it, right?

And I I love those. And so I would get down and play with Owen with them. And if you build them right, you get to build the little cabin and then you build the fence around. You got the little animals that Are y'all tracking with me? You put all that in there, right?

And and it's if you use the building blocks right, it builds a cool little thing. Um if the building blocks are laying around at night in the dark when you go in to check on your son, they become a torture device. Can I get a better amen from all the parents?

Yes. All the Legos in the floor. And I want you to know that that Proverbs is going to give us um one of the most important building blocks in your life. I think it's the most important building block according to Proverbs for godliness, for your future, for fulfilling the purpose of God in your life.

That this building block, matter of fact, this building block that we're going to talk about is uh 45 times mentioned in 31 short chapters of the book of Proverbs. It's found in 19 of the 31. How many of you know that if it's that many times mentioned, then we should kind of perk our ears up and and listen to what God has to say about this one topic? >> Okay, you're getting there, right?

And the topic is this. And you may be like, "Oh, I I've got that one, but hang with me. Come on the journey with me." And it's this. It's teachability. It's the willingness to learn or the ability to take advice. 45 times 19 of the 31 chapters, Proverbs says that wisdom has a teachable spirit.

That wisdom is willing to take advice and listen to advice. It It says it like this. It says, "Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who everybody say it with me. Those who >> they take advice." That's where wisdom is found. People that are willing to take advice.

Another scripture says this. It says I deleted it. Never mind. So before we get into the building blocks, I want to give you a few roadblocks though that will keep you from being a teachable individual. And I want you to write these down fast. If you're the notetaker, write it down.

If you're not, go ahead and write it down anyways. All right. Every campus number one is this is limited self-awareness. A roadblock to having a teachable spirit is whenever we have limited self-awareness. When, let me say it this way, whenever we can't see ourselves. Have you ever thought about that?

How you can look in a mirror, but you really can't see yourself. You you you don't really know how you come across to other people until someone tells you. Until you have someone that loves you enough to go, "Hey, I don't know if you know this, but you're kind of edgy." here.

I don't know if you know this, but you kind of come across harsh. Are y'all tracking with me? Or I don't know if you know this, but man, you're super encouraging. Or you're so merciful in spirit. Or it could be something very encouraging, but it's hard to see ourselves.

Proverbs 26 says this. Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than them. In other words, it's it's dangerous for us to get wise in our own eyes. It's dangerous for us to go, "Oh, I figured myself out. I've I've been walking with Jesus long enough, or I'm old enough, or I've been doing this long, or I've kind of have a good idea about myself.

I I'm wise in my own eyes." The Bible says that's very dangerous. And when we have limited selfawareness, awareness about how we come across, awareness about how we portray ourselves, then we are lacking teachability because we think we got it all together. We figured it out. We were with the film team this week, which is we have an amazing team.

I don't know if y'all notice, we have an amazing team at this church in all of our departments. Amazing team. 
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 And uh we were working on some things for Christmas candlelight service, which by the way, begin inviting people now. There are people in your life that are close to you, but far from God.

And I'm not saying they got to be sitting with you every single Sunday, but this is a weekend they need to be with you. >> That service is going to be powerful. We're going to give the gospel. And I'm believing hundreds if not thousands of people are going to give their lives to Jesus. >> So begin inviting right now.

Okay. 
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 But we did something and I said to them, "Hey, uh, did that was that good?" And they were like, "Well, how'd you feel about it?" I was like, "It doesn't matter how I feel about it. I can't see myself. >> I I'm I'm not on the other side of the screen.

Are you following me?" Because we can't see ourselves. I love what John Maxwell says. He says, "You got to find yourself so you can know yourself so you can grow yourself so you can get over yourself." Do you know when you get over yourself is when you're finally teachable?

This is what we're talking about. The Proverbs is teaching us. It's a roadblock though. Whenever we limit, we have limited selfawareness. Roadblock number two is this, a prideful spirit. I think we all understand this and we get this. The Bible says this, a familiar verse. If you don't know it, you need to memorize it.

Pride goes before destruction as a halty spirit before a fall. The word halty there in the original language means an exalted spirit. So pride goes before destruction as an exalted spirit before a fall. In other words, what pride does is pride exalts us above things, above principles, above people.

And whenever we have a prideful spirit, we have a hard time having a teachable spirit. In other words, pride says this. A halty spirit, an exalted spirit says this. Those rules don't apply to me. Well, that applies to everybody else, but it doesn't apply to me. Well, I'm in a different category.

I I have a different set of weights in my life. I got a different set of circumstances in my life than everybody else. In other words, what they're saying is I'm not like the rest of humanity. Hello everybody. >> And what keeps us there, what keeps us from being teachable is when we go, well, no, I'm exalted above that, so therefore I can't learn from those around me.

I can't learn from people that have valuable input into me. I heard somebody say these three signs of a prideful spirit. I'll give them to you real quick. And I'm sure they're not for you today. They may be for someone that you're setting at Thanksgiving with this Thursday.

Okay, they may be for your neighbor on the road down from you, but that these three things real quick. Look, it says the prideful spirit shows itself in this way. The know-it-all, I know you've never met these people and they don't attend our church. This is for our online community.

I'm kidding. I'm joking. Okay, make sure you're awake. Proverbs 28:26 says, "Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe." who trust. I know I I've got it. I can't listen to anybody. I can't learn from anybody because I figured it all out.

Number two, sign of pride is the been there, done that. Again, not for you. Been there, done that. It's It's Proverbs 18. Fools have no interest in understanding. Oh, yeah. I' I've got that covered. I already been there, done that. They only want to heir their own opinions.

Have you ever met someone and the moment like five minutes you knew all these things about their life that you never asked? Are y'all tracking? And it wasn't like a getting to know you conversation. It was like a wow, you really like yourself. Is it just me? This is a sign of that.

And it is a sign of having not a teachable spirit. The oneupper. You're like, I didn't know all these were in Proverbs. Read your Bible. It's interesting. Proverbs 12:15, "Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen." Everybody say it together. They listen to what? >> To others.

To others. Here's another roadblock. Is an unwillingness to change. Can I get a better amen? >> Proverbs 19:20, look what the Bible says. Listen to advice and accept discipline. Here's here's what's denoted in those first few words is this is that whenever someone gives you wisdom then something has to change on the inside of you.

You have to accept it. You have to be willing to embrace it so something is different about you going forward. But an unwillingness to change is a sign of a someone that doesn't have a teachable spirit that just kind of I'm going to lock down. This is the way I am.

This is the way I've always been. this is just how I want it to be and I'm I'm there's no adaptability. There's no growth. There's no willing to go through the Bible calls this theologically sanctification. That is the process of you changing into the image of Christ. How many of you know that you can't do that if you don't have a teachable spirit?

If you're not open to go, Holy Spirit, teach me, change me, transform me, correct me, talk to me. Are y'all with me today? We got to be willing to change. Number next, a misunderstanding of correction. And I think this is one of the biggest roadblocks to anyone having a teachable spirit is a misunderstanding of correction.

The scripture says this, "The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin." The wise in heart accept it. The wise in heart, they want it. There there's like, "No, let me let me speak into my life. Let me know where my blind spots are."

But a lot of us see correction as condemnation. >> And it's not. If it's someone in your life that loves you and cares about you, then they're helping you, not trying to push you down. Some people view correction as someone's just trying to put their thumb on me and keep me down and tell me what to do.

And and listen to me, young people. Whenever someone that has lived a little bit more life than you and has a little bit more experience than you is trying to help you and correct some things, it's because they have a purview that maybe you don't have. And so you will grow in wisdom if you'll go, "No, I'm going to be a person that receives and accepts and listens to it.

But if all you have is the defensive spirit against it, then you'll never grow in wisdom and you'll pay price the hard way instead of learning from someone else's mistakes. Are y'all tracking with me? Now, let me say to adults, >> amen before. So, let's say amen. Now, >> if you think I've reached a place in my life where I need no more input, That's right. >> Then you're in the danger zone of not having a teachable spirit.

Wisdom isn't a finish line. I don't get to a place where it's like now I'm wise. It's a continual growth continuum. It's over time. It's every day of my life. It's God wants to grow me in wisdom until the day that I don't breathe anymore on this earth.

Which means I've got to stay in a posture of being open to correction in my life. We talked about it in week one. If you missed that, go back and listen to it. But we talked about the four different types of people the Proverbs talks about. And the fool is one of them.

And the fool is the one that knows what to do, but is unwilling to do it. That's because they're not open to correction. They're not willing to have ears to go, "No, I need you to speak into my life. I need you to say something to me." So these are roadblocks.

I want to give you what are building blocks then. What are building blocks of having a teachable spirit and staying in a place? Because I don't know about you, but man, I need all the godly wisdom I can get in my life. >> I need wisdom in my parenting.

I need wisdom in my husbanding. I don't even know what the word is there. I need wi I need wisdom in leading. I need wisdom in caring for people. I need wisdom in every area of my life. I want to grow in godly wisdom in every area of my life.

So number one, Proverbs tells us a building block is a heart of humility. A heart of humility says this, when pride comes, then comes disgrace. But with humility comes wisdom. With humility comes wisdom. If if you'll tackle the humble part, God says riding in the vehicle of wi of humility is wisdom.

Wisdom comes with it. And wisdom is is this reality. It's it's it's knowing in your heart, I'm not where I was, but I'm not yet where I want to be. I still have room to grow. I still have room to get better. I still have room to improve.

I still have room to be more loving. I still have room to think of others above myself. Humility is that humility is not humiliation. >> Yes. I meet some people that that they think humility is is downgrading themselves and downgrading the people around them. That if I just humiliate myself enough and just talk I'm just the worst of the worst.

I'm I'm a scum on the bottom of the shoe. And that that's not humility. Humility is knowing your position but knowing you're in process. >> Let me say it this way. It's justification but knowing you are still in the process of sanctification. It's it's the position of going, "No, I'm a child of the living God.

I've been saved by grace through faith. I my name is written in the Lamb's book of life. I'm filled with everything that the scripture says I have. I have the power of the Holy Spirit. The power of life and death is in my tongue. I am the head and not the tail.

I'm the beginning and not the end. I'm filled overflowing with purpose and destiny. And God has great plans for my life. That is my position. But I'm also in progress >> because although I am positionally there in Jesus, sometimes I'm not practically there in practice. >> When I get on 1709, I'm positionally, but not pract.

Can I get a better amen? Okay, y'all leaving me alone up here acting like I'm the only one with sin in my life. It's humility, but not humiliation. >> It's not walking around talking about how horrible you are. No, you've been saved by grace through faith. The God of the universe loved you so much and valued you so much that he sent his only son into the earth to hang on a cross to die to be the ransom for our sin to rise from the dead.

If he valued you that much, then stop talking about yourself so badly. >> Are you tracking with me? But you're also in process. It's the tension of the two. Pride comes when you go, I've arrived. And we can never forget we're in progress. God is working on us.

He is shaping us. He is molding. We are like an onion. He is still peeling back a little at a time. A little at a time. And just when you get one thing tackled, he goes, "All right, on to the next one. Humility is not hyper deflection. Here's what I mean by that is I've ran into people that something they did blessed me or God used them in some way in my life and after I said thank you to them, I almost wished I hadn't have said thank you because they made the moment so awkward.

Are y'all? It was like, "Ma'am, your message, well, it's all the Lord. It's not even me. It's nothing me. It's all" And I was like, "I know that already. >> I'm just trying to say that God used the vessel standing in front of me to Are y'all tracking with me?" >> If someone wants to bless you, just say thank you. >> Just say, "I appreciate it."

Just say, "I'm grateful >> that God used my life in your in their but in your heart, no, it's God that did it." Are y'all tracking with me? >> It's not this hyperdeflection. It's it's I know who I am in Jesus and I'm still in process. And whenever I have that heart of humility, I go, I still need to grow.

I still need to get better. And I keep a teachable spirit. >> Can I also something that that kind of popped out to me this week that I thought I'd pass along to you for free is I can't find it in the scripture where it is the job of one Christian to keep another Christian humble.

That one's free. Okay. I knew we'd get an amen on that one. So, if you feel like you're the humility police, you're relieved of duty in the name of Jesus. Come on, somebody say amen in the house of God today. Number two, building block is a desire to get better.

So, so there it's not just I'm going to be humble and know that I'm not there yet because that can also turn into I'll never get there and so why try? There's a heart of humility that says I'm not there yet but I want to get there with the grace of God.

I want to grow. I want to move forward. Which means I'm willing to embrace change. I'm willing to embrace a little friction in my life because how many of you know that growth al also often comes through a little friction. It's what Proverbs teaches us in Proverbs 27.

It says as iron sharpens iron. That's all you need to know right there. If you've ever seen iron hit iron, you know that sparks fly. You know that that that's not always comfortable. But you can either be comfortable or you can be better. But you can't be both. >> You can either grow or be comfortable, but you can't do both.

Because the nature of growth is that you change. Is that you more if that something shifts that the routine you used to have, you don't have anymore. That the way you used to think about it, you don't think about it anymore. The way you used to talk about it, you don't talk about it anymore.

The language you used to use, you don't use anymore because you're growing and changing. And that means that there's going to be friction in your life. But iron sharpens iron. As one person sharpens another, it means that you're getting better. >> You're getting sharper. You're being formed and shaped and molded.

As the Old Testament says, you're on the potter's wheel, being molded into the image of Christ. Have you know that means there's pushing on some sides and there's some there's some hammering down on some sides and there's some this needs to get flattened out or this edge needs to be smoothed off.

You have a desire to grow. Not not a desire to just be like, well, that's how I am and how I always been. Guess what? You can be better tomorrow. >> And the only promise that tomorrow is better is that you grow today. >> Because if you don't grow today, tomorrow is a repeat of today.

If you're not more like Jesus today, you're just a repeat tomorrow and a repeat. And this whole year will be what 2026 will be what 2025 was if you don't have a desire to grow and to get better and to change and to be more like Jesus. 
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 Number three, an openness to correction.

A desire to grow and now I'm open to it. Maybe I should have said an invitation to correction. Please come tell me. Please come show me. The scripture says this. Says, "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. This is the Bible. I didn't write this."

Some parents are like, "Proverbs 12:1. I need to Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge. And if you don't like correction, the Bible says you're not that wise. 
[laughter]
 Let's say it that way. I don't know if you were here, but um right after Tammy and I were announced, the very next uh weekend, we were here and I preached a message on some things never change.

And I talked about a professor of mine in college that had a very correcting conversation with me. And uh he said he came in, we went to lunch and he was one of my youth professors and he said, "Daniel," he said, "you're so talented. You're so gifted." And I was just like, "Man, I love this lunch.

We're having a great lunch. Keep going. I'm writing this down, Daniel. You're" He goes, "But there's one problem." He said, "It's going to kill you from being used by God the way he could use you." He said, "You're incredibly arrogant." And I was like, "Can we go back to the gifted and talented?"

So, two things I learned that day. One is that I was incredibly arrogant and God needed to work on that in my life. The second thing I I learned though is that correction grew me. And if I wanted to keep growing, I had to stay open to that kind of conversation.

Not just, well, if you have to tell me. No, a heart that's open to go, hey, I want to get better. 
[snorts]
 I want to be more like Jesus. I want to grow in wisdom. So, I need some people that will speak that direct into my life to help me see the places that I can't see in my life so that I can get better.

I learned that that professor was actually a gift to me, >> not someone trying to stand in my way of my future and my calling. >> So, let me give you three practical things. This is if you love note-taking, today was your day. You're welcome. Three very practical things.

So, what do you do with this? I always want you to walk away with, "So, what do I do with this?" I always ask this question when I'm studying. So, what what is this going to matter on Monday morning? And so, let me give you three really practical things to do that you can put in practice today.

You can put it in practice today and it will help you have a teachable spirit and grow in wisdom. Number one, ask for it. ask for it. We're going to look at James chapter 1 to get these three practical thoughts. He says, "If you need wisdom, ask your generous God and he'll give it to you."

So ask for it. Ask God for it. I'll tell you a prayer that I pray. I can't say every day of my life, but almost every day of my life because I feel like in my life and ministry especially, I feel like I've always been a little bit over my head, which helps me walk by faith.

I always feel like God allowed me to do things that I was like, I don't know if and so I pray this prayer. God, give me wisdom that is beyond my years and beyond my experience. >> And so I give that to you. Help me. God, help me have wisdom that is beyond my years and beyond my experience.

I need godly wisdom. I need divine wisdom. So ask God for it. Ask people in your life that love you and are for you. This is why you need to be in a small group. We're going to launch a new small group semester in the beginning of the year.

And you, every one of you, at every campus, you need to get into a small group and beginning to develop relationships, if you don't have them, with people that love you and are for you and love Jesus and the call of God inside of you and are the kind of people that you can go, hey, what's it like to be on the other side of me?

Help me get better. >> I need some iron sharpening iron. But ask God for it. Ask the people around you for it. Ask people that love you and care for you. Don't just ask anybody, okay? And if you're here and you're like, I got some wisdom to offer and I'm going to go share it with some people.

Maybe, 
[laughter]
 maybe not. Depends on the relationship you have. I hope what you're thinking is, "No, Holy Spirit, speak to me. I need to grow. I need to get better." And let me give you another little tidbit of practical advice. When you go to ask someone for wisdom in a situation, in a choice, in you growing and becoming more like Jesus, whatever it may be, don't go in prereddecided.

I don't know how many people I've had over these 30 years of doing this and preaching the gospel that have come up to me and and they would say, "Pastor, I need your advice on something. God's told me to XYZ." I'm like, 'Why do you need my advice if God told you?

Why? If you pulled the God card, we're done. Let's pray. Jesus, thank you for what you said to them. They don't want advice. Cuz in that moment, nobody's wanting advice. They're wanting affirmation on the decision they've already made. Do you think I should marry them? I feel like God told me.

Am I supposed to go against God? >> I'm not here to affirm your poor decision >> and to put a God label on it. Hello. Are y'all with me? If you go to ask someone, have a heart that is completely open to go, if you don't think this is a good idea, and I trust your godly counsel and I trust your investment in my life.

I'm not talking about some stranger, are y'all tracking with me? I'm not talking about somebody off the street. I'm saying, but when you go to ask, then really have a heart that's receptive and open to listen >> if you want to grow in wisdom. Number two, accept responsibility.

Accept responsibility. James says this in chapter 3:1 17, "But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It's also peaceloving, gentle at all times, and listen to this. And willing to yield to others. It's full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere."

I want you to see this. It's willing to yield to others. In other words, it goes, when wisdom comes in, I'm willing to accept responsibility for that wisdom, and I'm willing to adjust something in my life in accordance with that wisdom. I'm willing to listen and I'm willing to adjust something in my life.

Because if all you have is people giving you wisdom, but you're not willing to adjust your life to any of their wisdom, then you don't have counsel. You're just going through some motion to say, "I checked some box." It's it's it's why authority in your life, it's not really authority if you don't listen to it.

You can call it that all day long. But who really has authority in your life is the ones that will adjust their life because of the word they spoke over your life. Are y'all tracking with me? >> So you got to be willing to accept responsibility. Number three is to apply what you learn.

I know this doesn't seem rock like rocket science, but it means you actually go do it. You don't just hear the word, but you actually go apply the word and do what it says. You actually listen to the wisdom and then you go apply the wisdom in your life and you do what it says.

This is how you develop a teachable spirit. So why does all this matter? Well, Proverbs 4:7, that's what we've been looking at for four weeks now. Why does it matter that you have a teachable spirit? Why does it matter that you grow in wisdom? Why does it matter that because wisdom 
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 is supreme?

It's everything, everybody. It's supreme. Therefore, get it even if it cost you everything. And there will be a price to pay. The price of your pride, the price of not being self-aware, the price of being unwilling to change. There is a price to pay for it. But the Bible says if you're willing to pay that price, then you'll get wisdom.

And wisdom leads to life and wisdom leads to prospering and wisdom leads to the purpose of God. And wisdom leads to avoiding destruction and pain and hurt and all those things in your life. that wisdom will lead you in the life that is full Jesus intended for you.

So whatever you do, get wisdom and whatever you do, gain understanding. Why? Because wisdom is supreme. You receive the word of God today. >> Amen. 
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 Will you bow your head and close your eyes with me at every location there in our gatherings if you're able to where you are online?

We learned in week one that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Meaning this, without a relationship with Jesus, you can't even have godly wisdom. So you can read it, learn about it, study it, you can't really have it until you take the initial step of knowing Jesus.

The fear of the Lord doesn't mean you're afraid of him. It means you recognize who he is, that he is Lord, that he is in control, and our lives are submitted to him. So you really can't have wisdom in this life if your life has never been fully submitted to Jesus.

And so before we close today, I want to give you the opportunity to surrender your life to Jesus, to say yes to him, to say, "I'm done living according to my own rules." That's what the book of Romans tells us that if that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, not an add-on to our life, not something we like to do on the weekends, not someone we run to when we're in trouble, but he's Lord.

He's in charge. He's king. He's who we submit our everything to. He said, if if that's true and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, then then you will be saved. And so today, I want to invite you to take that step of surrender, of saying yes to Jesus, of of fully.

I'm not I'm not asking you if you're a member of a church. I don't know that that will really matter when you get to heaven. I'm not asking you how long you've been in church. I don't know that that will matter. But what will matter is what you did with Jesus.

Was he the Lord of your life? Had you fully surrendered him? And some of you today, you've never taken that step across all of our campuses. And some of you are here today and you've strayed away and it's time to return. Today is the day for you to come home like that prodical son.

We're going to pray together. But before we do, if that's you, I just want to know who I'm praying with at every location or the pastor at your location. Nobody's going to come to you or point you out. I promise you that we wouldn't embarrass you for the world.

This is between you and God. But if you say, "Pastor, that's me today. I need to surrender my life to Jesus. I need to give my all to him. I want a fresh start. I want a new beginning today in Christ. If that's you, when I count to three, you just shoot your hand up high enough, long enough for myself or the pastor at your campus to see.

And then we're going to pray together. And as you pray, God will hear you. And today will be a day of fresh starts for you. It' be the best day of your life. So if that's you on three, you shoot your hand up. One, two, three. You just shoot it up high in the air.

God bless you. God bless you. Just keep it up. It's beautiful. You can put it down. Church, let's pray this together at every location out loud for the benefit of those who just slipped their hand up. Just say, "Jesus, I need you. >> I need you. >> I ask you to forgive me. >> Of all my sin. >> I believe you died for me. >> I believe you died. >> I believe God raised you from the dead. >> Today, I make you my Lord and Savior. >> Thank you for a brand new beginning. in Jesus name.

Everybody said a big amen. >> Come on, let's celebrate those who just made that decision. Incredible. 
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 Come on, church. Hasn't this been an incredible series? Come on. It's been an incredible series. 
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 Hey, if you notice over the past few weeks, we don't 
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 say please stand right away. That, my friends, is intentional.

And here's why. Because through the worship, through communion, through that incredible message, it leads to this moment where we want to give you an 
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 opportunity to respond. In a moment, I'm going to ask you to stand. And we're going to have some incredible team of people up front who would love to 
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 stand with you, who would love to pray with you.

Maybe that's you. I saw hands all over this room raise their hands to surrender 
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 their life to Jesus. And if you just want prayer or some more prayer to for us to join our faith with yours to pray with you, 
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 to stand with you, to hand you a Bible, to help you with some next steps, we would love to do that.

Or maybe there was something in Pastor Daniel's message that really spoke to you. These these roadblocks keep hitting you that the roadblocks of of limited self-awareness or a prideful spirit, an unwillingness to change. 
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 I've been there. And I could venture to say that there is a lot of people in this 
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 room who have been there as well.

You're not alone. Whatever you need prayer for, we would 
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 love to stand with you. We'd love to pray with you. And so, we're going to give you an opportunity to respond. So, at this moment, I'd like for you to stand. I'd like our prayer team to come 
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 forward.

And you can go ahead and come now at the sound of my voice. You may say, "Well, Matthew, I'm not a I'm not a 
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 member of Gateway Church. I haven't I haven't taken the class yet. I haven't put on the jersey yet." Or whatever it may be. Guys, we all need prayer.

And so, you can go ahead and come now at the sound of my voice. Like I said, our team is 
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 here. We'd love to pray with you. We'd love to stand with you. If you're new to Gateway Church and you're looking for ways to get connected, right outside these walls is a place called Connect Central.

We've got an incredible team out there 
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 who would help you with some next steps, help get you plugged in. If you're looking to serve and be a part of the team and put on your jersey, 
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 we'd love to meet with you, get you connected. If you accepted Jesus and you just want some next steps, like I said, you can come 
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 here.

Our team is uh our team is here. Or you can text Jesus to 710. 
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 We'll be here for as long as it takes. church. Good news. We have no announcements today. Come on. That's good news for you and for me. I love it. Not the clapping. Oh my gosh.

[laughter]
 Not the clapping. Hey church, can I pray for you and we'll be dismissed? Holy Spirit, I thank you so much for the ministry that is taking place that is that has taken place throughout this whole service. Been the ministry that has taken place right here and right now.

We stand and we celebrate those who 
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 surrendered their life to Jesus, who raised their hand today. God, I pray for all those that are coming forward to receive prayer. God, I pray that you meet him here at the altar. I thank you for 
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 an incredible message. What an amazing series that we have been through.

God, thank you for challenging us and 
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 inspiring us. God, may our tomorrow morning look different because of what you have done in our lives today. In your holy 
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 name we pray. Amen. Gary Church, we love you so much. We'll see you next week. >> 
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