Hey guys, this is the New Heights Church Podcast, and we just want to welcome you and thank you for joining us today. We hope this message inspires and encourages you. Here at New Heights, we exist to love people and point them to Christ. Enjoy today's service.
Let's all lift our hands. Father, we sent you in this place so strong. I'm asking for the next few minutes that your people will hear your voice today and not mine. I'm asking that your word would change us, shape us, and mold us like only you can.
In Jesus' name, and all God's people said, Amen. Please be seated if you can't. Stand if you can't. Praise the Lord.
And open your Bible, Subibia, to Ruth, chapter number one. We're talking about going deeper. It's hard to go deeper in God if you don't know His book. Don't let that be discouraging wherever you are as the place that you should start or continue from.
But you've got to know His Bible to know who He is. If not, you're subjugated and relegated to somebody else's opinion or somebody else's experience. And believe it or not, your experience has changed like the wind. Your opinions change like the wind, and your experiences can lie to you.
You can look back on something five years ago and go, you know what? That probably didn't happen exactly the way I thought it happened. Because your experience can lie to you. You could be blinded by a thousand things.
One of the easiest things that will blind a believer is offense. You can get offended about literally anything. You can't get offended about this is going to sound silly to some of you new to the church. But there are people that will get offended about you sitting in their seat at church.
I know it sounds crazy because if you go to a movie theater, you don't walk in there and expect your seat to be there unless it's assigned seating. If there's a general admission section of a football stadium, nobody gets in and goes, I was going to sit there. I'm never going back to a football game again. But in church it happens because what happens, God heals you so much stuff.
Your flesh has to find something to gripe about. So you'll justify it by considering a holy offense. And then God will send somebody around you to agree with you. I said, God will send somebody around you to agree with you.
The reason God will send somebody around you to agree with you is because He's trying to see what's really going on in there. This is just going to get too deep too quick. Should I remind you that it was God who told the devil, you ought to look at Job for a minute. The reason is because God is considering you a prize fighter, not an ornament for the mantle.
You're supposed to be in this fight. So the fact that something has happened in your life or some evil has befell you is not because God has somehow lost his grip on you. It's because God is trusting you to give the devil a black eye in the situation. And you consider it by servant Joe.
You can try anything you want with him. He won't turn his back on me. Now his family turned his back on God. His friends turned his back on God.
But old Joe just said, you know what? Even if he kills me, I'm gonna serve him. This is how you go deeper. Is you decide that my relationship with God, the hand of God on my life, the things of God, is more valuable, precious and sacred to me than anything else.
And God will not just send or allow challenges in your life. He'll also send people at the right time to gird you up and help you. In your challenging times, you'll find people who will weep with you. In your victorious times, you'll find people that will shout with you for victory and not shout with you for victory from a place of negativity or covetousness.
People that are just happy that you're having success. Wouldn't that be something? You were surrounded by people that were just happy you succeeded instead of being surrounded by people. You got a question.
I wonder if they really are happy. Because you got a lot of people in your life. They're watching to see how you get because it's a pretty good drop from there. Too much?
It's the way it goes. And the quicker you realize that, that's what draws you to God. And then you stop putting unreasonable expectations on people. Because people will let you down and people will fail you on the regular.
So I can tell you how to never be let down and never be disappointed with people. She's never seen anybody. I say you do. Just stay alone.
Go live off-grid somewhere. Build you a cabin. If you don't know how, YouTube. Just go be alone.
Nobody will ever let you down. You'll start having problems with chipmunks for us over though. Because your flesh doesn't die just because you moved. Let's give God a hand of praise.
Let's go. Thank you. Open you by the roof chapter number one. So Ruth was the daughter-in-law of a lady named Naomi.
Naomi had a husband and she became a widow and she had two sons and her two sons also died. And so she was left with just Ruth and a lady named Orpa. And so in our Bible, that's kind of where we're picking up this story. Naomi was from Bethlehem and she had gone with her husband.
And when she found herself a widow, and now all she had was her and her two daughters-in-law, which her sons were dead, she tells her daughters-in-law, you need to go away. You need to go back to where you are from. You need to leave me now. I have nothing else for you.
And this is where we're going to pick up. Ruth chapter number one, verse 14. They lifted up their voice and they wept. So they're very sad.
And Orpa kissed her mother-in-law. And the reason Orpa kissed her mother-in-law is because she was going to leave Naomi. But Ruth claved to her, clung to her, cleaved to her, wouldn't let her go. Decided she wasn't going to leave.
And she said, verse 15, behold your sister-in-law, this is Naomi talking, behold your sister-in-law is going back unto her people and look right here and unto her gods. You should return like your sister-in-law did. You should leave too. Now, just real quickly, everybody may leave, but you need to stay.
The Bible says the last two people that Ruth had relationship with on the planet was her mother-in-law Naomi and her sister-in-law Orpa. And one third of her entire circle left and didn't just leave. You ready? Returned unto her gods.
I have lived long enough to watch Christianity play out and to watch some of the highs and lows. One of the reasons that God stirred me this year to develop the foundations of faith-class is because something that bothers me very much is when Christians get born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, baptized, begin to see their life change, and then all of a sudden things get just good enough, they get just good enough that they can return back to their gods. Because when you have nothing or you're under some kind of radical bondage and Jesus sets you free, the power of his spirit delivers you. You get to a place where you're trending towards health supernaturally and spiritually.
All of a sudden, what the enemy does is the same thing the enemy's been doing since the beginning of time. He returns seven times stronger to try to pull you back and try to convince you what you were doing wasn't keeping you from God. It was just what you were doing. So you can return back to it.
Now, very seldom in 2022 that people think they are worshiping other gods. But the truth of the matter is, your God is whatever has all of your attention, all of your passion, and all of your focus, little gene. So when you serve God, you have to know your temptation is going to be to go back to whatever it was you came from, which is why the scripture says, even a dog returns to its own vomit in that gross. And we think, man, I would never do that.
And then you live a little while. And you go, I can't, I said, I'd never go back to that. I'd never look at that on a computer again. Little time goes by, click, click.
And now you're right back in the exact same carousel of guilt and shame that the devil's been trying to keep you in your whole life. I would never talk like that. No, you just hadn't had the opportunity to talk like that. And then the devil puts you right back on that carousel, guilt and shame, and you returned unto your own gods instead of cleaving.
As much as they cleave, cleaving means to hold on to and to refuse to let go of. So Orpa decided, you know what, it has gotten bad enough, I'm out. The devil's job is to make it bad enough for you to say, I'm out. That's his job.
It's not serving God in the good times. Serving God's in the good times is one of the easiest parts. It's serving God when you've got a bad report. It's serving God when they say, you know what, you're gonna, you're not gonna be able to keep your job because of this, that or the other.
So instead of going the low hanging fruit, other gods route of saying, God must have left me. This stuff didn't work for me. No, you didn't work this stuff long enough. You don't plan to see it and watch it grow tomorrow.
This entire kingdom has time involved, at least the dispensation that we're in right now. So Orpa left, but the Bible says that Ruth clung, that Ruth clung to Naomi. She said, but hope Naomi said, but hold your sister laws going back to her people in her gods. You should leave too.
Verse 16, Ruth said, entreat me not to leave you or to return from following you. Listen, one translation says, would you please stop urging me to abandon you? I'm not going anywhere. There's got to be a place on the inside of you that you decide that you're not going to tolerate discussing the concept of leaving God and God being capable of failing.
God can't fail. Let's say that together. God can't fail. One more time.
God can't fail. One more time. God can't fail. I'm telling you, you cannot entertain the thought of God failing.
It will start a house fire in your mind. You will start questioning everything, including where you parked at the grocery store. Well, did I do something? Did God do something?
Am I thinking wrong? Am I believing wrong? What's going on? You're going through the valley of the shadow of death.
And fortunately for you, God will not leave you there. So you've got to get a little bit more resilient and even potentially with your faith, get a little violent and decide that I'm not going to move one inch backwards because the same God who brought me here didn't bring me this far to only go this far. Would you please stop trying to convince me to leave you? I'm not going to leave you.
I'm going to follow you. She said, where you go, I'll go. Where you live, I'll live. Your people are my people and your God is my God.
Listen, it can't be Pastor Brian's Jesus that you trust. It's got to be your Jesus. Now, you got to have some people in your life that you submit to from a standpoint of spiritual authority and all that. But let me tell you something.
When all hell is breaking loose in your life, you might not be able to get somebody that you think is further along than you on the phone. So you better have that same Jesus working on the inside of you that anybody that you think has to face is working on the inside of them. There's got to be a place where you say, your God is my God. I'm not backing off.
I'm not moving away from it. She said this, your people are my people. That does not mean if we don't have friends that are not born again, that does not mean that we don't have acquaintances and all these other things, even relationships. But I'm just going to tell you right now, there don't mean there's any kind of way I look at the cameras.
Nobody feels like I'm looking at them. That's not my people. I'm going to be with my people forever. When that trumpet sounds, my people are going to start elevating me.
And Orpa and her crowd are going to be looking and going, man, I thought this other stuff would work. My people are your people, your people are my people. Until there's an understanding that you're a part of a completely different kingdom, you're going to be stuck wherever you are. Until you understand that the kingdom of God is a completely different kingdom, has its own culture, has its own way of life.
Listen, has its own vernacular. We talk different. Well, I don't want to be too churchy. Well, sound like a world.
Nobody will know you're a Christian. I had no idea you were a Christian. You told so many filthy jokes. I had no idea you were a Christian.
You talked just like us. Oh, the world's different. You said, Oh, well, can you talk any kind of way? Hey, talk any kind of way you want.
It's free country, at least part of it. You're talking any kind of way you want. Well, I just thought Jesus says free from that. Therefore, we can do it.
Let me tell you something. The Bible says, if you continue in sin, you're literally trampling the Son of God under your feet. For those of us who are born again, think about that. You're trampling what he did under your feet.
If you continue in that. So she says, your people are my people. I'm going to say where you are. Your God is my God.
Here's one. I love this verse 17. Where you die, I'll die. I'll be buried right there.
The Lord do so to me and more. If anything but death parts you and me. I'm not like, it's not what I want to happen, but we work and partner with missionaries all over the world. A lot of we talk about, but a lot of them we don't.
A lot of them we can't talk about because they go in such risky areas. In the last 18 months, we've been connected with two different missionaries that were martyred and killed for their faith. There are things we're dying for. We're in a season now of life where that needs to be communicated and understood, but you can't make that decision in that decision.
You got to have already decided, if this cost me my life, that's a fair exchange. Because it's only my temporary life. I love this song. It says, my life is not my own to you.
I've been long. I give myself. I give myself away. When you understand that you've been bought, you don't belong to you anymore.
So Christianity is not supposed to be. I'm out if things get tough. Here's one and nothing here. I mean, this is the best church I've ever been part of.
I thank God for that. But even your commitment to church. See, Naomi's commitment to Ruth, she said, I'm telling you right now. Me and you, we're like this.
I'm not leaving. That's just the way it is. But nowadays, the church society, as it were, has said, I'll be where whoever is teaching what I want to hear. I'll be where whoever is singing the songs that I like the most.
I'll be. Here's one that's really prominent right now. I'll be where whichever preacher is the Republican that I want him to be. I'll be where whichever preacher is the Democrat that I want them to be.
Instead of saying, no, no, no, no, no, no. I am committed. I am in. If we fight, then we fight, but we don't fight inside.
We fight from inside out. That's how we do it. And that's what shows the world that kingdom people are different. It's not because we bicker with one another.
They'll know we're Christians because of how we love one another. People want real. They want something that changes them. There's this problem with religion that looks the part, but it's all fanfare and pageantry.
And before long, you look and it's just a bunch of ropes and stained glass and no anointing. And everybody, not everybody, but so many people there are the exact same way week after week after week after week and there's no change and there's no evangelism and nothing is shifting the region. Their household's all up the same. And before you know it, it takes on a form of godliness, but it denies the power of God.
People need real. They need God to move in their life. I'm not a product of somebody teaching me a bunch of prayers to recite that don't make any sense. I'm a product of a shakina glory of all my God changing my life.
I'm a product of this book reading me. When I read it, I'm a product of angelic intervention and I'm a product of the miraculous breaking out and I'm a product of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I'm a product of the living God changing me. So the commitment level has to be where you live.
I live and let me taste something else. Nothing. The only thing that can separate me from this covenant commitment is if I were to die. That's what she said.
So number one, I don't know if we're going to get past number one. This is pretty late. Number one, if you're going to go deeper in God, you've got to understand it requires commitment and it will be tested because commitment is only validated when it's tested. Don't tell me how good your marriage is six weeks in.
We've been married to mother but it's just wonderful. Really? Talk to me about that 40-50-year commitment. Talk to me about holding hands in the doctor's office when you hear something that you wish you hadn't heard.
Talk to me about a change that you made because you found something that bothered your spouse. Tell me about when you decided that your flesh was not worth your relationship. Tell me about when you decided to put other people's concerns above your own. When she saw this in this verse 18, last verse I'm going to read.
I'll pick this up next week. When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go. When she saw that she was absolutely committed, she stopped trying to convince her otherwise. Part of the reason, you have a voice in your head or even a person that continues to just kind of nibble at you is because they're not convinced you're steadfastly committed.
Anybody's been in this church more than a week or two, the devil doesn't mess with me about tithing and offering. He doesn't mess with me about sowing seed. He doesn't mess with me about the word of faith. How powerful your words are because not only do I say it, my life verifies that I'm steadfastly committed in that area.
So darkness is moot to me in those areas. It's always the areas that shock me. It's always the areas that I'm like, where did that even come from? When you're driving it, you just have a thought.
The reason is, is because you've got verified to the devil that you're steadfastly committed in that area too. Because as soon as you decide, period, my mind is made up. I am, I am set. I have planted my belief structure on this.
That's when you stop hearing a lot of that stuff. That doesn't mean you may never hear it, but that's when you stop hearing most of it. When your friends stop trying to convince you to come out and just have a few beers with them, when you get steadfast about it. Because what the world needs now is people to be upfront about things.
Because the enemy has gotten really, really upfront about other things. So for us, we just need to be more upfront. When, when the concepts of marriage are discussed, you should do it in love, but you should say what the Bible says. You should say what the word of God says.
Because everybody needs the truth, but until people understand that you are steadfastly committed, they'll just keep nibbling. They'll just keep nibbling. Well, what about this? What about that?
What about this? I'll never forget. I had a good friend of mine. He was a Mormon.
We talked all the time. He said, would you just read the book of Mormon? I said, of course I'll read the book of Mormon. I said, but I'm going to stop reading it.
The first time I see it argue with the Bible. And so I was reading it. And there's a reference that says, basically, the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover the sins that you can't atone for yourself. Well, the Bible says, without the shedding of blood, there is no atonement.
And I ain't trying to shed blood. So I said, my brother, I said, this is in direct contrast to the Bible. He goes, you're taking it out of context. I said, I'm reading it.
I said, how does it go? He goes, well, you can't atone for something. I said, well, well, no, the Bible says, without the shedding of blood, there's no atonement. Therefore, that's it.
You know, I just can't even talk to you anymore. When he realized I was steadfastly committed to this book, then he realized that this book would never be above it or equal to it. And he stopped even trying with me. We were still friends.
We still, you know, made a couple of classes in college, had a couple of classes together. But our relationship changed drastically, particularly when he realized he was not talking to somebody that was going to be convinced that the Bible was not the final say. Does this make sense? So number one, point number one and the final point today.
If you're going to go deeper in God, you got to stay committed. Back ahead, close your eyes, please. If you're here today, you need to give your life to Jesus. You need to recommit your life to Jesus one or one of the other.
You need to give your life to Jesus. You're not sure where you stand with God, you need to recommit your life to Jesus. If that's you, nobody's looking around. I want you to lift your hand.
I'm going to include you in a prayer. When I count three, I want you to lift your hand. One, two, three, lift your hands. Lift them tall and bold.
Don't leave here, unchanged. I see those hands. I see that hand. I see that hand.
I see that hand. I see that hand. I see that hand. Anyone else?
Thank you. I see that hand. Let's all stand to our feet. We're going to pray.
You got to stay faithful. You got to stay committed to this kingdom. Step fast. God is faithful.
How many of God's doing something really strong right now, particularly in this month? I'm just believing God for financial breakthrough in February. Every person that was lifting their hand to be born again or to rededicate your life, let's just pray this together. The whole church will help us say this.
Oh, God, I come to you now and ask you to save me. Write my name in your book. I believe Jesus died and rose from the dead from my victory. I'm a Christian now on my way to heaven in Jesus name.
Amen. Amen. Praise God. Everybody who made that great decision make absolutely sure you can sign up for our foundations of faith glass.
There's another one coming up here in the next few weeks. It's going to be a powerful, powerful start or refresher for you. Also, if you're in the building today and you've never made new heights in your church home, you can bring the lights up just a little bit for me in the house. If you've never made, or just take them down, that's fine.
If you've never made new heights in your church home, let me tell you how it starts. It just starts with a confession of faith, a declaration. So I want to make new heights my home church. I want to be a part of it.
The Bible says that those that are planted in the house of God will flourish in his corpse. So here's what I'm going to do. We're going to give you a chance to make that declaration today. I'm not going to call you the front.
I'm not going to put a microphone in your face and I would never want to embarrass you. But we do want to celebrate that level of commitment. The Bible says that when we get committed steadfastly, a lot of those voices we hear, they just fade away. So if that's you and you say, now I want to make new heights my home church.
When I count the three, I want you to lift your hand and when you lift your hand, we're just going to clap our hands and celebrate that great decision. One, two, three. Lift your hands if that's you. Oh, praise God.
God bless you. God bless you. Anyone else? God bless you.
God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you.
God bless you. God bless you. My goodness. Anyone else?
God bless you. Thank you. Thank you. Wonderful.
Praise the Lord. Listen, I'm going to pray and bless it over each of you guys as well. But I just want to celebrate that great decision. It starts with that commitment.
We connect two ways right here at New Ice Church. We connect to our first such team and our life groups. So make sure and get plugged in. You can stop by the blue desk.
Let somebody know you made that decision. Also, we have a great onboarding class for you too. So you kind of get the culture of our church. It's called new to new heights.
We have another installment of that coming up so you can get registered for that. We can help you learn about our church and put you together with a place where you can help pull the wagon forward with us. Amen. Can we have another hand clap?
That's a great decision. All right, let's pray. Father, for every person joining our church, I thank you in Jesus' name that you are planting them. I thank you Lord God that you're going to increase them.
I thank you Lord God that you're going to cause the windows of heaven to be open over their life in Jesus' name. Now, for every person under the sound of my voice, bless them coming in, going out in the city of the field. This day and every day in Jesus' name. You got one more praise locked up inside you.
Very loose. God bless you. See you Wednesday. Hope you enjoyed the podcast today.
If you did, there are a couple of things that I'd love for you to do. Number one, subscribe to our show. That way, the most recent episodes will always be in your feed waiting for you, ready when you are. And secondly, follow us on social media.
That is the best way to stay up to date on everything happening at New Heights. We look forward to you joining us next time on the New Heights Podcast. And if you are ever in the Bryan College Station area, we invite you to come out to New Heights Church for live service. I promise we'll make you feel right at home.