We're leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning,
safe and secure from all alarms.
Leaning, leaning,
leaning on the everlasting arms.
Oh, how sweet to walk in this building.
We're leaning on the everlasting arms.
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day.
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning,
safe and secure from all alarms.
Leaning, leaning,
leaning on the everlasting arms.
What have I to dread?
What have I to fear?
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near.
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning,
safe and secure from all alarms.
Leaning, leaning,
leaning on the everlasting arms.
And let it be
that I should gain
an interest in
the Savior's blood.
Nightly for he
who caused his pain.
For he who lived
till death pursued.
Amazing love, how
can it be
that thou, my God,
shouldst die for me.
Amazing love,
how can it be
that thou, my God,
shouldst die for me.
He left
his mother strong above,
so pleased
so embedded
his grace.
If he himself
awoke alone
and bled for Adam's
helpless grace,
his mercy all
immense and free.
For oh, my God,
if thou, now
real, amazing love,
how can it be
that thou, my God,
shouldst die for me.
Oh, my
princess, here in
vain, hast now been
seen and
nature's guide.
I, I, diffuse
a blinking ray.
I hope the
light and faith
may find. My
dreams belong, my heart
is free, my
frozen
fourth and final
dream. Amazing
love, how can it
be that thou, my
God, shouldst die
for me.
No condemnation,
now I dread.
No condemnation,
now I dread.
No condemnation,
now I dread.
And all within
this life, the
light within my
living head, and
golden eye, just
as divine.
Oh, I approach
the eternal throne
and claim the crown
through Christ my Lord.
Amazing
love, how can it
be that thou, my
God, shouldst die
for me.
Amen, sing that chorus a cappella.
Amazing love, how can
it be that
thou, my God,
shouldst die for
me.
Are you weary, are you heavy, pardon?
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
Are you breathing or rejoicing, pardon?
Tell it to Jesus, oh Lord.
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
He is a friend that's well-known.
If thou other's such a friend, your brother,
tell it to Jesus, oh Lord.
Do the tears flow down your cheeks a minute?
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
Have you sinned down to his eyes for a minute?
Tell it to Jesus, oh Lord.
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
He is a friend that's well-known.
If thou other's such a friend, your brother,
tell it to Jesus, oh Lord.
Do you fear the death across the sorrow?
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
Are you anxious, what shall it tomorrow?
Tell it to Jesus, my Lord.
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
He is a friend that's well-known.
If thou other's such a friend, your brother,
tell it to Jesus, oh Lord.
Are you troubled at the thought of dying?
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
For Christ's coming kingdom are you sighing?
Tell it to Jesus, oh Lord.
Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus.
He is a friend that's well-known.
If thou other's such a friend, your brother,
tell it to Jesus, oh Lord.
Joyful, joyful we are,
to thee God and glory, Lord.
Good afternoon everybody. It's great to see everybody here.
Let's go and find a seat and once you do, grab a hymnal.
And once you've found a hymnal, go to song number 335.
Song number 335.
If Jesus goes
with me, I'll go anywhere if Jesus goes with me.
Song number 335.
Let's all sing it out real loud on the first. Song number 335.
It may be in the
valley where countless dangers hide.
It may be in the sunshine
that I am peace of mind.
But this one thing I know,
if it be dark or fair,
if Jesus goes with me, I'll
go anywhere. If Jesus
goes with me, I'll go anywhere.
Does that mean to
me where I may be if he
is there? I have it a privilege
here is cause to
bear. If Jesus goes with me, I'll go
anywhere.
It may be I must carry
the blessed Word of God
across the burning masses
to those in simple strife.
And though it be my love to
bear my colors there, if Jesus
goes with me, I'll go
anywhere. If Jesus goes with
me, I'll go anywhere.
Does that mean to me where
I may be if he is there?
I have it a privilege here
is cause to bear.
If Jesus goes with me, I'll go
anywhere.
But if it be my portion
to bear my cross at home, while
others bear their burdens beyond
the billows pole, I'll prove
my faith in him, confess his
judgment fair. And if he
stays with me, I'll go anywhere.
If Jesus goes with me, I'll go
anywhere.
Does that mean to me where I may be
if he is there?
I have it a privilege here
is cause to bear. If Jesus
goes with me, I'll go anywhere.
It is not
mine to question the judgment
of my Lord. It is not mine
to follow the teachings of his
Word. But if it go or
stay, or whether here or there,
I'll be with my Savior.
Come stand anywhere.
If Jesus goes with me, I'll go
anywhere.
Does that mean to me where I may be
if he is there?
I have it a privilege here
to bear. If Jesus goes with me,
I'll go anywhere.
Great singing everybody. Let's open up the service now with a word of prayer.
Lord, we love you. We just thank you for this church once again. We thank you for the opportunity
to gather here and sing to you Lord. We just ask now that you fill this room with your Spirit.
Help us sing loudly unto you and just bless everything we do in Jesus' name. Amen.
Alright, for our next song, let's go to song number 238.
Song number 238,
Christ liveth in me.
Song number 238.
It's all singing out together on the first. Song number 238,
Christ liveth in me.
For I'm strong from God and
dead in sin. No light
my heart can see.
But in God's word
the light I've held.
Now Christ liveth in me.
Christ liveth
in me.
Christ liveth
in me.
Oh what a salvation
is that Christ liveth
in me.
As rays of light from
yonder sun, the clouds
of earth set free.
So light and light
and love came forth
on Christ living in me.
Christ
liveth in me.
Christ liveth in
me. Oh
what a salvation
is that Christ liveth
in me.
As lives the cloud within
the sea. As in
the cold the tree.
So praise the God
of truth and grace. His
Spirit dwells within me.
Christ
liveth in me.
Christ liveth in
me. Oh
what a salvation is
that Christ liveth
in me. When
long before my heart
is filled, that I
may be.
As on the wondrous
thought I felt that Christ
liveth in me.
Christ liveth
in me.
Christ liveth in me.
Oh what a salvation
is that Christ
liveth in me.
Thanks for coming to Steadfast Baptist Church. If you need a bulletin
you can lift your hand nice and high. One of our ushers can come by again. We have a little
insert there about our missionary, Evangelist Urbanic, and the work that he's doing in the Philippines
and so if you'd like to read about that we have a February update. We're
working on Matthew 28 and we're about halfway through so keep
up the good work on our bio memory. On the inside is our service and soul winning times.
And then church stats make sure you're turning in those to our
chat groups and the maps. Make sure you're filling those out. It really
helps us to try and track some of our progress. On the right
we have our list of several expecting ladies. Our kids choir practice
should begin, God willing, next Sunday. And then our
Spanish soul winning marathon is going to be that Saturday, this upcoming Saturday.
We already have a sign up sheet and we have a lot of people signed up but if you can please make sure
to sign up. That way we can anticipate how much food and everything we need
to prepare for. We'll have a Spanish breakfast that Sunday morning so if you're
welcome to visit for that service. Evangelist Urbanic is going to be
preaching for us Wednesday, March 12th and that's going to be a special
service. Please please if you can just come out for Evangelist Urbanic
and then our small town soul winning marathon is going to be on Saturday.
Not this Saturday but the next we'll have an English one. It's over
in Asle which is kind of West Fort Worth so if you're in that part of the region or
if you want to join us it's going to be out there. Brother Ryan Urbanic is going to be
help leading that and so if you have any questions you can ask him about
that. Then Saturday we're going to have a barbecue
bash and it's the good barbecue. It's Texas barbecue
so that's what we're going to be having and so you want to be here for
that. It's going to be a lot of fun and I'm really
looking forward to just getting to celebrate seeing Evangelist
Urbanic and his family and just having a good meal and so I'll try to preach
about two hours and then I'm just kidding.
Really enjoy that Sunday a couple weeks from now. I'll be coming
back God willing from a cruise missions trip that I'm going to be going on and so
I'm going to get my taste. Alright so hopefully I'll have a nice
appetite when I get back. The spring recital is going to be March
22nd. There's a sign up sheet in the
foyer as far as just a time to practice so that we can
make sure that everything is going to be good to go. So there's a time slot. You just put
your student name down on that and
whatever song or whatever you're going to be performing and
you can have it sign up for a practice. It'll just be like the week before.
So there's some church reminders down there below. Do please help us
just clean up trash and other debris in the building just really helps.
And then on the back is our prayer list. Continue to pray for them. We do have
these little cards for the Spanish breakfast if you want to hand those out
for soul winning we do have those. So that's pretty much all I have as far
as announcements. We'll go ahead and sing our Psalm of the Week
Psalm 11. So it's in our special binders
Psalm 11.
Alright that was Psalm 11. Psalm chapter
11.
It's all singing out together on the first.
Right.
I love it.
Alright great singing now as the offering plates are being
passed around go ahead and turn in your Bibles to James chapter 4.
That's the book of James chapter number 4.
James chapter 4 the Bible says
From whence come wars and fighting among you? Come they not hence
even of your lusts at war in your members? Ye lust and have not
Ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain. Ye fight
and war yet ye have not because ye ask not. Ye ask
and receive not because ye ask amiss that ye may consume it upon your
lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the
friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will
be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain? The spirit that dwelleth in us
lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith
God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee
from you. Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your
hands ye sinners and purify your hearts ye double minded.
Be afflicted and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to
mourning and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of
the Lord and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of
another brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother and judgeth his brother
speaketh evil of the law and judgeth the law. But if thou judgeth
the law thou art not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one
lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy.
Who art thou that judgeth another? Go to now ye that say today
or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy
and sell and get game. Whereas ye know not what shall be on
the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appearth for a
little time and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say if the
Lord will we shall live and do this or that. But now ye rejoice
in your boastings. All such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to
him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not to him it is sin. Let us
pray. Dear Heavenly Father I thank you for the word of God. I thank you
for the souls that were saved today and I thank you for the work you're doing in our church. The work you're doing with
our missionary evangelist Urbanic. I pray that you would please bless
and bless Pastor Shelley as he preaches your word in Jesus name. Amen.
I want to preach a new sermon series and it's
kind of entitled Bad Attitudes.
And that's really the title of the sermon tonight and I'm going to be going through a lot of
different attitudes but there's a lot of attitude in the Bible
that needs to be addressed and there's too
many bad attitudes for it to just be a sermon so I'm just going to kind of
go through different attitudes and we'll just see, you know, just preach for a little while
and then I'll do some more next time and slowly we'll get a better
attitude, alright? So, and the reality is this is
a really important topic to me just personally because
there's not a lot that you can control in life
but you can control your attitude and, you know, we
often are very upset about circumstances that we can't change
and we don't address the fact that we can just change our attitude.
And attitudes determine altitudes. I'll tell you something
my dad told me that about five times a day my entire life.
Okay, so my dad was a big harper on attitude
and the Bible is a big harper on attitude and
really if you meet successful people, let me just tell you something
they have good attitudes. You do not meet successful people in life
that have bad attitudes. Bad attitudes do not breed
success, they breed failure, misery, woe, and
all kinds of issues. And when it comes to a church it's important for all
of us to maintain good attitudes. And the Bible demands us
to change our attitude often. The Bible says to be
steadfast. That's an attitude. The Bible tells us to be zealous.
The Bible tells us to be joyful. There's all kinds of times where the Bible's
commanding us and demanding us to have a certain attitude, but there's also
other attitudes it's telling us to not have that are bad attitudes.
Now the first one I want to talk about, and this will help you in life
this is probably the most important one that you can learn, is do not have
wrong expectations or bad expectations.
The reason why so many people have bad attitudes today is because they
have unrealistic expectations. They have
wrong expectations. They have bad expectations. They just have
expectations. And the Bible essentially teaches
that you should eliminate expectations from your life.
Now there's a few things that are certain in life,
and we can trust in those. We can trust in salvation. We can trust in the veracity
of the King James Bible and God's Word. There are a few promises in the Bible
that we really can cling to, eternal life, and we can't expect those
things. But apart from the absolute certainties of the
Christian faith, there really is no certainty in life. And so
many times people have a bad attitude because of the wrong expectation.
Now in this text we read, look at verse 13, it says this,
Go to now, ye that say, today
or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy
and sell and get gain. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the
morrow, for what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little
time and then vanishes away. So the Bible is criticizing
people who just have this attitude where they just think
they know exactly what's going to happen tomorrow. They have their entire year planned
out. They know we're going to go into the city and we're going to buy and we're
going to sell and we're going to make money. And the guy's like, you don't even know what's going to
happen tomorrow. What are you talking about?
And it's somebody having the wrong expectation. What is the right expectation?
Verse 15, for ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall live
and do this or that. So it's not saying don't plan your life.
It's not saying don't have a vision for your life. It's saying we should have
no expectation. We should not expect our life
to go a certain way. We should not expect a certain outcome of our life.
But rather we should be willing to go with the flow
and allow the Lord's will to permeate our thoughts and say, well, if the Lord
wants me to, then I'll do it. If the Lord closes the door, I won't go
through it. If the Lord opens the door, then I'm going to go through it. But whatever
the Lord wills, yeah, I have vision, yeah, I have a plan, but I have no
expectation. I have no expectation. Expectations
will destroy you. He says this in verse 16,
but now you rejoice in your boastings. All such rejoicing
is evil. You know, when you presume things that
are going to happen or you think you know the future, you know what,
it's a prideful attitude and the Bible's saying it's wrong. You shouldn't be boasting
about the future. You shouldn't be boasting about tomorrow. You shouldn't be boasting
about what could be because you don't know and we shouldn't be
presumptuous. We shouldn't have these expectations
of things that we don't even know about. It's a bad, bad attitude.
Now, let's see some examples of this in the Bible. Go to Jonah
chapter number four. Go to Jonah chapter number four in the Bible.
Now the story of Jonah. Jonah is told by God to go to Nineveh and to preach
unto them the preaching that he bids him. He's just like, go and preach whatever
I want you to preach. And you know what? That should be the attitude of every preacher is
I'm just going to preach whatever God wants me to preach. You know, when you're
preparing a sermon, you might have your own idea of kind of where you
want to go or what you want to say, but you need to let the text tell you where you're going to go and what you're
going to say. Because sometimes I've come to a sermon topic or
a sermon idea with an idea and then I'm like, well, the Bible's
saying it differently though. Well, the Bible doesn't really like my idea. And we need to
adapt and adjust ourselves to whatever the Bible says, not whatever
I think, not everyone I want, whatever the Bible tells
me I need to say. Jonah need to have that attitude of I'm going to go to Nineveh and I'm going to preach what
God wants me to say. But Jonah didn't want to go.
Jonah flees unto Tarshish. As a result, God
brings all kinds of tribulation into his life and of
course causes him to be cast into the sea. He's swallowed
by a whale. The whale basically is his environment and his home for three
days and three nights. Eventually vomits him up on the shore and then
we revisit. God's like, all right, go preach.
But, you know, at that time it's kind of futile to argue
unless you really like being in that whale. You know, it's just like, all right, it's time
to go preach. So he finally preaches and he says, yeah, 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
That's not even a positive message.
He says, hey, in 40 days you're doomed. You're destroyed.
Then Jonah just goes and waits. Now, unfortunately
for Jonah, it says in verse 10 of chapter 3, and God saw their works
and they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil that he had said
that he would do unto them and he did it not. God said he was going to destroy Nineveh.
They repent and sackcloth in ashes. They mourn.
They beg for mercy. God gives them mercy. God doesn't destroy the city.
What is Jonah's reaction? Verse 1, but it displeased
Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry.
Why is Jonah mad? Why is Jonah mad?
Because Jonah expected for God to destroy the city
and when it didn't happen, it made Jonah mad.
Jonah had the wrong expectation and then it ends up
disappointing Jonah when it doesn't happen, when it doesn't go
the exact way that he saw it going. He gets mad about it
and he's upset and he has a bad attitude. Jonah has a
bad attitude. He doesn't know for sure if the city is going to be saved
or not. He kind of had a hunch though that if he
went and preached, they might repent and God might spare them and then now
he's mad about it. Now he's upset about it because he wanted them to be
destroyed. Now it says in verse 4,
Then said the Lord, doest thou well to be angry? So Jonah went out of the city
and sat on the east side of the city and there made him a booth and sat under it in the shadow
so he might see what would become of the city. And the Lord God prepared a gourd and made it come up
over Jonah that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his grief.
So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. But God prepared a worm when the morning
rose the next day and it smote the gourd that it withered and it came to pass
when the sun did arise that God prepared it via the east wind
and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted and wished himself to die
and said it is better for me to die than to live. And God said to Jonah
doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said I do well to be angry even
unto death. Talk about another bad attitude.
And again, Jonah is expecting this little plant
to be his home. Can you really believe
that a plant is going to be your home forever? Is that
a realistic goal? Is it a realistic goal to think like you know I think
this gourd that grew overnight now is going to be my permanent dwelling place
nothing bad could ever happen to it. No wind or animal
will ever disturb it. I mean that's a pretty unrealistic expectation isn't it?
And then when of course life just happens because it's a gourd
it's not even a nice building and
weather happens, life happens, now Jonah is saying yeah
I do well to be angry unto death. What a bad
attitude. You know you should have had a realistic expectation and known
you know this wasn't going to last. So when it didn't last I'm not mad
about it. I already realized it wasn't going to last. I didn't have some stupid
expectation that this was going to last forever and I'm not going to be disappointed
at a gourd perishing because that's just life.
Gourds perish in life. Yet sometimes people they build their lives
on nothing bad ever happening, no disappointments
never a bad weather day, just essentially just no opposition
and then they're just disappointed every single time something negative
happens. And they almost act like they're this personal victim
everything that's ever been bad has happened to them.
It's called life. No it's realistic for a gourd
to not survive. You're not a professional victim.
You're not someone special. It's just life. You just had a bad
expectation and we shouldn't feel sorry for you because you had a wrong
expectation. That's your fault. That's you just having a bad
attitude. And so many times people have an unrealistic
expectation and then they get mad at the world as if it's somehow
the world's fault. Well you know what I went to college and I drank beer
for four years and I didn't learn anything and no one offered me a six figure
job when I got out. That's because of the stupid
expectation. What did you major in? General studies.
Oh wow. No one wants to give you a job in
general studies and you just acquired a whole bunch of debt? Yeah but you need to
feel bad for me. Why? That was a dumb expectation.
People have stupid expectations for their life and
then when life doesn't work out because it was a bad idea they somehow
blame everyone else rather than recognizing they had a bad expectation.
An unrealistic goal, an unrealistic outcome
that will not happen. People have dumb expectations
in life and you know what? Many people they just look at everything
as negative in their life as some way to complain.
Just well society's bad, economy's
bad, you know I wish that we lived in the 50s or in the
60s or the 70s or the 80s or the 90s or the
2000s or 2024 or five minutes ago. They basically
just complain that their circumstance isn't different.
I wish I was back when it was easier or I wish I had gone
to this school or I wish I had. There's always these wishers. They're just wishing everything.
And they have all these bad expectations in life.
People think that marriage is going to be something that it's not.
Let me tell you about a bad expectation.
You watch a movie.
It's 90 minutes of conflict and then in the last 30 seconds
they say and then they were happily ever after. We never watched that part of the movie.
I'm skeptical that it was happily ever after.
I'm skeptical that these people have been fighting for 90 minutes in this movie now
and now magically marriage is just all fun and games and everybody
enjoys each other. You know how I know that's not true?
You want to know how I know for a fact that it's not happy ever after?
Because when it was happy ever after Eve immediately figured out a way to screw it up.
It's like women don't like it to be happy
ever after. Women don't want it to be fun and cool
because then it's boring. It's like oh man there's no problems
it's easy. We have no financial problems. It's like what can I do
to screw that up? I mean basically
it's like the Real Housewives of Eden
and you've got Satan as the camera crew in there and they're like we're not getting
good ratings here folks. We got to do something. And then
Eve is like what can I do? How can I do something wrong? How can I screw something?
How can I interview some drama into the situation? And I'm just telling you
it just seems like women will sometimes take a normal situation and say there's not enough
drama. Let me just create drama. Let me just invent drama.
Go to Genesis chapter 3.
Having unrealistic expectations. What's an unrealistic expectation?
How about being God? Don't you think that's just a little unrealistic
Eve?
Hey the serpent's like hey you're not as good as God. Duh!
No, no, no. I think if I eat this random
fruit on the tree that God told me not to eat
I'll instantly turn into God. That's a dumb
idea. That's an unrealistic expectation.
That is like when you see every TV commercial and every YouTube
ad and every Rumble ad it's like hey in five minutes you can make ten thousand dollars
a month from home. All you have to do is sign up and get this book. People are
making thousands right now. It's so easy. It's
never happened. You cannot make ten thousand
dollars a month at home spending five minutes of work.
It doesn't exist. It's unrealistic. Just like hey
I think what's a reasonable conclusion is if I eat
just take a bite of this apple I'm going to magically turn into the universe creator.
I'll have infinite knowledge, wisdom, power, strength
and might from just eating an apple that he made. How does that
even make sense? That was a dumb expectation. But what does the Bible
say? Genesis chapter three verse six. And when the woman saw that the tree
was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired
to make one wise she took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also
under a husband with her and he did eat. Adam is just
happy just living his little life in the garden doing whatever and then Eve
just has to come in here and just throw it all away because of a bad expectation.
Oh I just eat this fruit and I'll magically be wise.
No you won't. That was a bad expectation.
That was the wrong expectation and by doing that she ruined
their life situation. They're thrown out of the garden.
Don't you think their first argument would have been interesting
after the Garden of Eden? Like
Adam, he didn't have to work.
I mean it was basically just easy. The trees just take care of themselves.
Now he has to actually till the ground. Now he actually has to plant and water
and do all the, he has to have the thorns and the briars.
He just came home from like twelve hour work day with
all these thorns and briars and whatever and he just finally got his
first apple off of the tree that he's been growing and working
for like months and he gives it to his wife and she's like yeah the stuff in the
garden was better.
What? I mean just think about
just think about the arguments that they possibly had. She's like oh man it was a lot
nicer when you were home a little bit more.
Hey do you remember why we're here Eve?
Do you remember what happened? Oh yeah we got kicked out because you
gave me that fruit. Right? I mean just think about the
stupidity of that but you know what that is like today in marriage
where people have unrealistic expectations.
It's like hey I'm a wife. I want you to make six figures
and I want you to work a twelve hour work week
while I'm sleeping. Right? And I want you to be at
my every beck and call and I want you to always hang out with me and I want
you to always read my mind and I want you to do everything that I want
and it's going to be like that movie Happily Ever After. Doesn't
exist folks. It's like you have to have some realistic expectations.
Hey I want my husband to make a lot of money but not have to work hard.
Doesn't work. I want him to be home all the time but then
make a lot of money. These two are incompatible.
Okay? Well I want him to have a work from home job
so we can hang out the whole time. That's not how working from home works.
That's how you get fired. That's how you don't have
a real job later. Okay? You can't have your cake
and eat it too in many of these cases yet that is the unrealistic
view of many marriages today. Or they think hey we're both
eighteen. Let's get married and go live in a mansion.
Let's go live in a nice condo in New York City and we'll just hang out
and have fun and travel. Okay. You little
eighteen year old fun person you. What job are you going to have?
I don't know I'll get one of those cool fancy ones with an office. They don't just hand
those out. How are you going to get that? I mean you think
your first house. I mean women they'll just watch TV shows. They just watch
all these like TV shows where people are buying these mansions and condos and whatever.
Your first time buying a house is not going to be that experience at all.
Let me give you a realistic explanation
of buying a house. You're going to call a realtor and they're going to say hey do you have a bank letter?
You're like no what's that? Click. Then you're going to have to
figure out what a bank letter is. A bank note that you've been approved. You first call
the bank and you're like what do we approve for? Nothing. Okay great. Okay.
Then you're going to go look at home prices and you're going to be like what's that
big number? Oh that's five times my budget.
How does anybody afford anything? Then you're going to go visit the house
and it's going to be not what you expected. The pictures online lie to you.
It's a lot of stuff that weren't in the pictures for a reason.
This room looked a lot bigger. It's going to be kind of disappointing.
In fact if you ever buy a house the first time you go through it was the nicest
house ever looked. The second time you come you're like I didn't notice
that and this and the cracks and the walls. Then you get the inspection they show
a lot more to you. Then you're like oh there's also ten
other people that are putting an offer on and they're all cash buyers.
And you're like okay great.
That's more realistic. But you watch your little house hunter show
and they just come to this like beautiful little home and they're just like I want it.
And they're like we got it. That never happens.
It didn't happen. And then they're like oh
I'm watching this show called Fixer Upper and they're
you know they've got their cute little cowboy hat and it's all
fun right. Did you know they did like a ratings of TV shows
of the most fake TV shows that have ever been made.
Fixer Upper is number one on the list. It is the most fake
show of all the shows. It is not real whatsoever.
In fact pretty much the way Fixer Upper works is someone buys a house
spends probably fifty seventy five thousand dollars on fixing
it then contacts the show. Then the show pretends
like they're shopping for houses. They've never shopped for these houses.
They pretend like they bought the house they already own.
And then after they do their little fifty seventy five thousand dollar
model the show comes in and puts like two hundred thousand dollars worth of merchandise
in the house that they don't get to make it look a lot nicer
than it really is. And just for all the cameras in the show the
people on the show they show up for like one day to film and then they leave.
They don't actually do any of the work it's all Jorge and Jose and Jesus
and whatever you know it's just like what just a bunch of names with J
OK. Yes OK.
That's who came and did all the work or whatever. And it's just fake.
But then they try to make it seem like this is something you could afford. These are decorations
that you would like. Plus let me explain something. When they show that house
off there has been no kids living there.
You're like I wish my house looked like this with no clutter and nothing and it's
neat and tidy. Yeah they didn't have six kids running around screaming
and getting sick and doing homeschooling. OK. Your life doesn't look like
that. But then what do women do. They watch shows like this all day
every day and then they get unreal expectations
about life and then they get discontent about their life.
And they pull an eve where they have a happy life a happy marriage
generally speaking but they're discontent and so they just have to eat some
forbidden fruit and destroy their entire lives. Just because
of unrealistic expectations. Why watch this show I watch this movie
I go online I look at all these pictures on the Internet.
Yeah but it's lies. It's fake. It's not real. It's
insincere. It's just like thinking you're going to become God by eating an apple of a tree.
Oh I just think that marriage is just so fun and so
happy and we always get along and it's great. It's not real.
Doesn't exist. These people that tell you that they never fight and have this
super happy marriage. They don't hang out and they don't like each other.
OK. Because if you like someone you hang around with them
you're going to you're going to rub you're going to get friction.
Just being around another person is irritating. OK.
Every single person is irritating. You're annoying.
You're awkward. You're weird.
You burp. You fart. You pick your nose.
You're lazy. You're sloppy. You sometimes smack.
Sometimes you bite the end of your fork with your teeth.
Oh I hate that. I just can't even stand it.
You know what. We all have our little idiosyncrasies and that's just the surface.
Sometimes you lie. Sometimes you make a promise
and then you break it. Sometimes you disappoint people. You know if you
just hang out with people you realize no one is perfect.
If you think hey I'm going to get married to my perfect sweetheart
and we're never going to fight and we're never going to have friction and everything's going to
be amazing and she's always going to have a perfect attitude and I'm going to always be great.
Doesn't exist. No. You know what. You're going to fight over money.
You're going to fight over food every day.
You're going to fight over what kind of sheets you have on your bed.
You're going to fight over all kinds of different things.
That's life. That's reality. And then you watch TV. You watch other things and you think
like what's wrong with me. Nothing's wrong with you.
Maybe you have unrealistic expectations of what life really is like.
Not only that. I mean just read the Bible.
People have messed up marriages. Adultery
drunkenness, fornication, murder
stealing. That's the Bible's marriages. And you're like that's the
reality. The reality is there's all kinds of messed up things.
Guys being lazy and smoking pot. Guys
being jerks. People committing all kinds of sins.
And then you have these little goody two shoes like we have a perfect
marriage. Doesn't exist. You little goldilocks.
There is no happy perfect marriage.
Or whatever. And don't let people lie to you and gaslight you
and make it seem like oh no no. If you were like me it would all be perfect
and great. It doesn't exist. The grass is always
greener but it's really not. And I'm
just telling you this is a bad attitude when you have this idea that
no when I get married it's only going to be good and happy and fun
and rainbows and we're just going to play patty cake every day and
no problems here does not exist.
Marriage is hard work. I'll say this. Raising kids
is the hardest thing you'll ever do but it's worth it. And marriage is the
hardest relationship you'll have but it's the most fulfilling.
And you know you can't have the highs without the lows
anyways. If you didn't have some low spots. If you didn't have some
of the arguments. You know what? Sometimes you can make up.
That's great. You can't make up if you never fight.
Some people don't know the benefits of making up. Some people don't know the benefits
of you know having the lows so that you can have the highs.
And I'm telling you like don't have expectations
for the future. Just get rid of them.
Get rid of all expectations. Just say I don't even know what's going to happen today
but I'm just going to deal with it. If my wife has a good day
I'm going to deal with it. If my wife has a bad day I'm going to deal with it.
You know if she has a good moment hey great this is a good day.
If it doesn't well I'm looking forward to the next day.
But just don't have this idea like hey we better have a good day today.
You don't know that. You don't know if you're going to have a good day.
You don't know what's going to happen. Don't have wrong expectations.
Don't think like oh we know how much money we're going to have. What kind of house we're going to have.
You don't know what any of these things are going to be. People have unrealistic expectations for their finances.
When we were in high school in our economics
course they made us all right out of budget.
They said you can pick whatever job you want and we'll give you that salary
I want you to make a budget. Everyone had the dumbest budget I've ever heard in my entire life.
They're like budgeting like $250 for food a month.
If you didn't laugh it's because you don't know.
All right. It's like what are you talking about $250.
I mean that's just insane. People just have no idea
what is realistic sometimes especially if you've never run the budget.
If you've never run the checkbook. You know if you're a lady here and your husband takes care of all the bills
and pays all the things. You know you should appreciate that because sometimes you just
don't realize. You know it's interesting to me we went through
like a pretty hardcore time of inflation in the last four years. I don't know if you were
in America's awake but we went through a lot of really intense inflation
and most companies didn't just say like hey
we just feel really generous. Let's just give you a huge bonus.
So like the price of the goods and everything just like went way up.
Is it really fair for you then to have the same expectation like nothing in my life is going to change
even though my husband's income didn't go up and the prices skyrocketed.
That's a pretty unfair real expectation to put on your husband
or your family or your life if you think like nothing in my life should change
or is going to change. What you're really just saying is like you know
better suck it up buttercup. But how is that nice?
You know how is that kind? Now look if your husband just says hey I'm a big boy
and I'm going to just take care of it. Well you've got a great husband.
But that's not fair to then not realize that and say hey thank you
for working harder or taking a negative job or doing
side things or budgeting or making sacrifices.
You know instead of just having this unrealistic expectation that my life will never change
my budget will never get cut. Nothing will ever evolve. You know just say hey
whatever happens happens.
Don't have unrealistic expectations. Go ahead to
Hebrews chapter 13. Eliminate all
expectations. All of them. My children
eliminate your expectations. They think oh
my parents are just going to take me to a fancy restaurant and they're going to
buy me dinner because I want it. Wrong.
My parents are going to buy me new clothes. My parents are going to do this. Wrong.
Don't have any expectations. Don't expect things from your boss.
Don't expect things from your parents. Don't expect things from your spouse.
Don't expect things from anybody. That's a wrong way to live your life.
We should stop expecting things from people and
how about this? How about expecting things from church?
Why just expect church to give me a bunch of friends?
I thought the Bible says that you have to show yourself friendly.
You don't get to just show up and demand friends.
You don't get to just say hey we don't have enough friends give
me more friends now. Pastor now. Pastor Shelley
I need more friends now. Okay.
Here's a friend. What do you want me to do?
What does that even mean? People have
such unrealistic expectations. They think
oh well I don't agree with every single word that came out of Pastor Shelley's mouth
in that sermon. Unrealistic expectation.
I don't either. Did you realize that sometimes I listen to my sermons
and I'm like wow that's kind of a dumb thing to say or that was wrong or I didn't like that.
I don't even agree with myself every single time.
How would it be fair if you have to agree with me on every single thing that
I say and do? People have stupid expectations.
They have stupid expectations about the world, about life, about church,
about just a job, about America,
about government, about everything. Quit having
expectations. Just say whatever happens happens.
Hey I'm just thankful I'm in a church.
Hey I'm just thankful I get to just hear some Bible preaching tonight.
I'm thankful that the sermon is not about Zionism.
I'm thankful that I'm not being told I'm about to be raptured in the pre-trib rapture.
I'm thankful that I didn't have to listen to the fifth special music
by someone that can't sing but is just related to the assistant
pastor. You know what I'm talking about.
I'm just so thankful that I even have Sunday night church.
I'm just thankful that I have
a King James Bible. I'm thankful I have a wife.
I have to be like oh man I wish that my wife would do this.
Well you know what I'm just glad I have one. Oh I wish that my husband
was you know doing this. Well just be thankful you have a husband.
You know you can always look at a
situation from two completely different angles. You can always just be disappointed
in everything you have and in every outcome or you can just be pleasantly
surprised. If you just have no expectation
then you're just going to be happy every time something goes well and
then your expectations met when you didn't have one. Whereas if you're always expecting
something good you're just constantly disappointed.
This is what I always tell my employees and the people that work with me is they say you have to get this philosophy.
People suck.
You know what I don't expect? My flight to take off on time.
You know what I don't expect? There to not be traffic on the highway.
You know what I don't expect? The weirdo
that makes coffee at the coffee shop to get it right and on time.
You know what I don't expect? Fast food to ever be accurate.
You know what I don't expect? Everyone to sign up on the sign up sheet.
You know what I don't expect? Everyone that signed up to show up.
You know what I don't expect? Everybody in this room to like me.
You know what I don't expect? Everybody here to be sincere.
You know what I don't expect? Everybody at every door that tells me
they're going to come to church that they're going to come to church.
I just don't live my life basing it on these
unrealistic expectations. In fact I just have no expectation. Here's my expectation.
No one's going to come. And then when someone comes I'm happy.
I'm not disappointed. I'm not upset. Hey
whenever fast food gets to order right I'm excited. I'm thinking like wow
that's amazing. The drugs must have been working today. You know what I mean?
I'm just thinking like this is great.
Hey we take off around the time that our plane was expecting
to go I'm just thinking like great. And you know when I'm planning a trip
you know what I don't think? I don't think like you know I need to make sure like what's the latest that I could get there
I think hey if we get two or three delays can I still make it in time?
It's like okay let's book the flight where I can have two or three delays.
I think hey what happens in this worst case scenario? Okay let's plan
for that. Okay what happens if things don't go well? What are we going to do? Okay.
You know it's like we're still like in a lawsuit
about that eviction thing and I think God willing we could win.
And we're in good position. But we could lose. And you know what I've already decided?
If we lose praise God. Because I don't care.
I'm not going to sit here and have some expectation for something even if I think
it's realistic even if I think I'm justified even if I think God please do this
it doesn't matter because I just have no expectation.
You know what my expectation is with lawsuits? They suck and they'll continue to suck.
So I'm never disappointed. My expectations are always
met. And when it comes to life you should just have this realistic
expectation. Hey when you say till death do us part why don't you look at marriage as this
for poor for sickness
and their low spot. And it's like hey they didn't have a low spot today. Okay great.
Instead of just thinking like I was only hoping for the richer
and the better and the money and the
nice part of life. Look there's a lot of people in marriage as soon as the money runs out
they run out. As soon as the
beauty runs out they run out.
You know that's a shame. It's a shame that people have unrealistic
expectations. If you think that your spouse is going to look like they did when they got married
wrong expectation.
You know you should have realistic expectations
in life. And at the end of the day to me I just get rid of all of them.
You should have no expectation. You know I don't know what
is going to happen tomorrow. But what I don't want to do is
create some expectation and allow myself to get disappointed. You know it would be an unrealistic
expectation. Tomorrow my kids are going to obey every rule that I have.
Tomorrow my kids won't make a mess.
Tomorrow my kids won't ever get sick.
Tomorrow my kids they won't draw on the wall with markers.
You know it's an unrealistic expectation.
I'm going to put my kids alone in a room for six hours
and not monitor them and I'm sure nothing will get broken or destroyed.
You know it would be unrealistic
if I said hey we're going to buy all brand new hymnals. You all better not mess any of the new ones up.
It's going to happen. There's going to be accidents.
There's going to be problems. There's going to be mistakes. Issues are going to happen.
I don't expect my children to just know how to tie their shoes magically and eat all their food
magically and just do everything right. You know I have an expectation
in fact I realize that my kids are probably going to screw up a lot. Kids are probably going to make
a lot of mistakes. And so when it happens I'm not like oh man
it's a shock. Oh man I'm disappointed. You know some people they just create
this unrealistic scenario. Hey if we do a family vacation you know what I'm
not thinking it's going to be fun the entire time.
Dad's going to enjoy the car ride every second.
You know what I don't expect? That we won't have to take a potty break when I didn't want to.
So when it happens I just think okay.
You know in fact it's great you actually what you need to do
is you need to get a bag and the bag is the throw up clothes.
And then you have another bag for the throw up. And you have
some extra clothes and some extra diapers and some extra wipes and maybe some other cleaning products
and you have them all in the car all the time. Because you just realize it's probably going to happen.
But then you have four or five kids and you have
no throw up clothes. You have no throw up bag.
You're asking for it okay. It will happen.
There's going to be that day and then you're going to be like oh man we don't have anything.
Yeah because you had the wrong expectation. You've been going your whole life without a spare tire
man. You know why there's a spare tire on your car?
It's called realistic expectations. In fact some of us might
need four. You need to change your attitude
in life and start putting some spare tires in your car.
You need to change your expectations in life and realize you know what sometimes
I build things up. You should expect that if you start a new job they're not
going to promote you tomorrow.
You should expect that if you want to get promoted at work you actually have to work harder than everybody else.
For years. And you know what you have to actually bring more
income to the company than they're paying you. It's like some people they want
I want $150,000 a year. Yeah but you're producing
$10,000 a year for the company. How in the world are they going to want to up your pay
when you're not even making them any money? You've got to actually bring some value
to the table. You've got to actually do something. You know having an unrealistic
expectation of thinking like I have no skills. I show up late.
I like to look at my phone all day. Can I get a six figure job?
No!
You know what? You've got to actually work hard, study, put in
time, put in the decade, put in the years, put in the effort, put
in the energy, put in the blood sweat and tears and then maybe you might have something.
You know oh I want to start a business tomorrow and then
I want to retire next week. Good luck.
You know many people that start a business they have to work 80 to 85 hours a week
for years before they even make a profit. That is realistic.
That's why so many businesses fail is because they have an unrealistic expectation
of what it takes to actually succeed. So many people
just have so much unrealistic expectations. Hey you want to make good money?
You want to have nice things? It takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of effort. It takes a lot of
energy and then even after all of that sometimes you still don't get that. You still don't get
where you want it. Don't have unrealistic expectations.
Don't sit here and expect things that aren't promised from the word of God
that are clear verses because there's very few things that are certain in life.
And we often you know the Bible says hope deferred make the heart sick.
Obviously you can't help it. Sometimes you think something is going to happen
and it doesn't and it's disappointing. But you know what if you just say
there's still some uncertainty here. I don't know if it's going to actually happen. I don't know when it's going to happen.
I'm hoping it will happen. But if it doesn't well it's okay.
God willing it will. Whatever his timing is.
You know there's been a lot of things in my life that I'm thinking man I wish this would happen
now or change. But you know what God's timing is better if we just wait on him.
If we always got what we wanted we would complain
about it anyways. Change your attitude.
Get rid of this stupid expectation attitude.
I want to cover one more this evening. Look at Hebrews chapter 13 and look at verse 5.
Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such
things as you have. For he has said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
The Bible warns about an attitude of covetousness.
And some of these overlap a little bit but a covetous attitude is
desiring things that you don't have and there's nothing wrong
with the idea that we all need stuff.
There's nothing wrong with saying I need a place to live. I need a new car. I need whatever.
But really the attitude of covetousness is one where you're not content
with what you have and you're constantly always desiring
that which you don't have. And in many cases the covetousness is
coveting something you're never allowed to have. That's where it's really dangerous.
When you look at the Ten Commandments what are the things that it's warning you from coveting?
Your neighbor's wife. Well that's always off limits. Your neighbor's house,
your neighbor's car. You can't have his stuff. There's nothing wrong with saying you know what
I'm not satisfied with my house so I'm going to work harder to make it better.
Or I'm going to build it up bigger. Or I'm going to do something new. Or I don't like my car situation
and I'm going to work hard and save money and get myself a new car. But what's wrong is saying you know what Billy got a new car
and I'm mad at Billy because he has a nicer car than me.
And I wish I had his car. I wish I had his house. I wish I had his stuff.
But you can't have that. Just be happy for Billy.
And quit having this attitude. Well I just wish I had the condo in New York.
Well I just I had this you know job and I wish I had this work
and I wish I had this spouse and I wish I had this family and I wish I had you know
desiring things that you don't have. And you know if you want something
then get it. Right. Just work hard and get it.
There's nothing wrong with saying like hey I desire to have this truck. I want a red truck.
Okay work hard and get a red truck. You know what be content with whatever you have
right now. If you got a beat up Honda Accord that's teal green
hey it's my first car. Just be content with it until
you get the Toyota Tundra. You know and they're like sweet. And you
know just work hard for the stuff that you have. But you know what be content with the things that you have.
What. Be content with such things as you have.
Be content with such things as you have. Hey there's nothing wrong with saying you know what I would enjoy
a bigger house but I like the house we have.
Honey I wouldn't I would love if we had a farm one day
but I'm pleased with the apartment we have today. I like I like where
we're at right now. Hey I would love to have
a nice big you know new car but I really like the car that we have
right now. I'm really content with what we have right now. You know
be content with the things you have right now. There's nothing wrong with of course
we don't like a little bit bigger a little bit nicer a little bit newer. There's nothing wrong with that.
But the reality you need to make sure that you're still content with what you have.
You say what does it what does it look like to be content with what you have.
Thanking the person that gave it to you.
Do you spend your time telling your husband about the things that you don't have
or the things that you do have.
Thanks honey for the house that we live in or is it hey buy me this house.
Thank you honey for the car that we have or is it honey buy me this car.
Thank you honey for the stuff that you do take me
or is it all the stuff you don't have. Thank you God
for the wife that I have or is it you're constantly like why do I have this wife.
Thank you God for the job that I have
or is it oh man I wish I had a better job.
Thank you God for the church that I have or are you looking for that
unicorn church that doesn't exist anyways. Isn't it so funny
people that move across the country to go to church still can't find the good church somehow.
It's like where is this magical unicorn
church that exists. Where is this great church that I can
go to. It's right here. This is
a great church. I mean think about that. I mean the people who are complaining
I mean some people live in North Korea and
then you got people in America complaining about which version of IFB
they want.
I mean there are people going to the river to get dirty water to drink out
of in Africa and you're complaining about which version
of Fiji or Dasani water
that you're going to have. I mean it's
insane the first world problems that people have.
You're just thinking like you poor little privileged white American.
I mean you just have the saddest life. People just cannot be
content with such things as they have. They're always just discontent.
This is a bad attitude. Being covetous. Constantly wanting things
that you can't have that you don't have. Why can't you just be pleased with what you have.
Hey you know what be pleased with the body that you have.
You know I grew up very short as a young
man. I was the tiniest kid in our grade.
I was the shortest kid not man not boy
kid in my entire grade until my junior year. I was shorter than
all the girls. They always said you're like my little brother.
It was like really irritating me.
It's like you like a girl and she's like oh you're like my little brother.
Embarrassing. It's really embarrassing.
But you know what God made me this way on purpose. And I think that God
just allowed me to be embarrassed every day of my life for about 10 to 15 years
so that I'll never be embarrassed ever again.
Now it doesn't even matter. Now it's just like oh I've never been made fun of.
Oh people have never disliked me before. Oh man. Oh I've never been
unpopular before. It's just like hey I know what that's like.
Doesn't even matter. Not a big deal. People in high school
you know you think they're cool back then. They're not cool anymore.
They are just divorced. Dead
in many cases. Losers.
Some of them are in hell. I mean it doesn't even matter. And I'm not
wishing that. I wish it was different for them. But I'm just telling you high school
what you thought was cool is not cool at all.
Many of the coolest people today are not people I want to hang out with at all.
They are not cool. You know you wanted to hang out with those nerds that invested in
Bitcoin or whatever. Now they're cool you know.
Now you thought they were weird but now they're like looking
smart. Okay. Now they're the guy that's managing your portfolio.
And I'm just telling you you know you get this
bad attitude of just always wanting the desire to be something that you're not
and you just live your life of misery and woe. Well I just
wish I was the football guy. Yeah but you know he knocked up some whore
in high school and now they're divorced and now he's paying alimony and
he just gets drunk every day because he has nothing to live for. And he
works some dead end job and nobody cares about him. And he's
so out of shape he couldn't even throw a football without getting a hernia.
And in fact in high school they ran him so hard that he hurt his knee
he damaged his knee for life he tore something in his arm and now
he can't even do anything. He's a washed up nobody that
just sits around and drinks beer and nobody cares anymore.
But that's who you wished you were in high school.
That's who you wish you had that body. But would you have gone down the same road?
You know I kind of wonder like if I was in high school
if I had been really tall at a young age and really a lot
more athletic would I have been the same prideful, arrogant jerk that they were?
You know having
a nice body or being beautiful or having athletic ability
may not be what it's all cracked up to be. Well
Elon he's smart. He has 14 children.
And his wife's I mean one of the most recent women that he supposedly
had a baby with is Ashley St. Clair which is a Jew. For some
young single guys in this room that's the worst nightmare they could ever have.
Having some Jewish bastard child.
I mean you want to pay alimony 14 ways to Sunday?
I mean this guy has the worst taste in women
and of course he's filthy rich so the only women that are attracted to him are complete
whores, gold digging whores that don't love him, want
nothing to do with him, just want to take advantage of him, just a bunch of Delilah's.
Oh I wish I was rich so I could be surrounded with Delilah's.
You know not having a lot of money could cause you to actually be married
to a Leah or a Sarah or a Rachel or someone that actually loves the Lord
that's a good godly wife.
I'm just covetous. I wish I had these Hollywood celebrity wives. You don't want any of those wives.
Some of them might even be men you know I don't even know.
Look at Emmanuel Macron you know I don't know what's going on with that
that French guy. It's always the French isn't it?
Go to Philippians chapter 4 we'll finish. Look we could spend all day
but I'm just telling you there's some bad attitudes. What's a bad attitude? Having bad expectations.
What's a bad attitude? Being covetous. Desiring things that you don't have.
Please please just be content with what you already have and don't start having
these wild dreams and unrealistic expectations for the future.
Think that everything can be handled. Do you want a silver platter? Think that you're entitled.
Everybody's so entitled today. They feel like they're entitled to this amazing woman.
You know it's like these single guys it's like
they learned how to go soul winning and they think they're entitled to a Proverbs 31
woman or something. And I'm like dude there's a
lot more to being a husband than being just a soul winner.
You realize you have to provide for her. You realize you need to have a place for her
to stay. And you have to pay the bills. And you actually have to be charming.
And you actually have to be loving. And you actually have to be kind. You actually have to be compassionate.
Not just like well I go soul winning. Why aren't they just lining up?
You know like they think like they've become a soul winner
that babes should just be lining up like oh you goddess.
Oh I love how you turn to Romans 3 in the Bible.
Please take me on a honeymoon.
Please make sure to give me that free wedding. Don't give me an engagement ring.
Don't propose to me. Don't expect to even talk
nicely at all. I'm ready to make you a sandwich at every second.
You are my lord and king and savior.
Yes I will live in a one bedroom efficiency and be happy.
You want 15 children there? No problem.
Yes I will make my own clothes out of the trees in the garden.
I will never have to spend a dime.
Thank you so much for rescuing me from this Zionism hell.
Yes I think I'll use a reprobate.
I am here your master. Like I feel like that's what some
single guys think. And I'm just thinking like man
I wonder why you're not married.
Like where do you think these chicks are?
They don't exist man. You're like Eve
trying to eat an apple off the tree and become God. Okay.
It didn't work. You think that becoming a soul winner made you like this
superhuman Hercules or something. It didn't happen.
You're going to have to you know what work hard. Maybe work out.
Maybe get a job. Have a nice car. Be charming.
Invest in a lot of relationships. You know dates that were
just kind of didn't pan out. And then maybe you'll find that one.
But let me tell you something. You know don't have this unrealistic expectation.
Don't look at men who have literally
spent years, years working on their marriage and their wife
to have the wife they have and think that you're going to get it like this.
I mean if you just knew most of us
not the really young people but most of us when we got married
our wife wasn't some new IFB babe walking around.
Now she was a babe. She just wasn't new IFB. Okay.
We had to make her new IFB. You know what I mean?
And then you sit here and you think like why am I not getting one of these. It's like you got to make one buddy.
You got to make it.
It's like they're not handing them out on the tree buddy.
You got to go wrangle one yourself. You got to go catch one that's dancing. Right?
Go find one that's dancing and make her a new IFB chick.
Get her a nice house to put her in the kitchen.
You know maybe she's like I don't want to be in the kitchen.
We'll get a nicer kitchen for her.
Right? She never wants to be at home. We'll get a nicer home.
You know just have some realistic expectations. Okay.
And don't be desiring things that you can't have. Don't be desiring things that
you shouldn't want. You know the Bible says godliness with contentment
is great gain. The Bible says in Philippians 4 look at verse 11
not that I speak in respect of want for I have learned and whatsoever
state I am therewith to be content.
Let us get rid of some bad attitudes and say you know instead
of constantly having all these expectations I'm just going to be content. Instead of constantly
coveting things that I can't have I'm just going to be content. And again what is
content? Being thankful for what you have to the
person that gave it to you. Being thankful for what you have
to the person that gave it to you. You know the number one
person is God that we need to do. Thank you God for this body.
Thank you for making me an American. Thank you for giving me the English
tongue. So glad I don't speak a click language.
I'm so glad I don't live in Africa. I'm so glad that
I wasn't raised to have to eat Indian food because I would like it.
But I don't prefer it. Praise God
I grew up getting to play golf. I love golf. It would have been so embarrassing
if I was raised in a country music NASCAR home.
Like a hillbilly. Okay.
I'm so glad that I got raised in a somewhat Christian home.
I'm so glad that I found the wife that I have.
I'm so thankful for the wife that I have. I have an amazing wife. I have an amazing
group of children. I have an amazing church. I have an amazing Bible.
I have an amazing opportunity to do a great work for God. I have a great
job. I have a great state to live in. We live
in an amazing time and history where we have so much technology
and convenience. I get to eat so many great meals in
my life. I have so many great things. And you know what?
I have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow. But I'm just ready to enjoy my life.
I'm ready to just enjoy tomorrow. I don't know if
there's going to be pain. I don't know if there's going to be sorrow. I don't know if there's going to be suffering.
I don't know if tomorrow is going to be a hard day in marriage. But I'm just so excited
I get to do it. I'm just so excited that I get to preach the
gospel again in the future if God willing. He allows me to keep breathing His air.
I'm so glad that I get to come to a church like this and fellowship
with people like you. Hey, we have a great list of events that are coming up.
I'm so thankful that I have an opportunity to go to those. God willing, we'll
go to them. God willing, we'll get to hear Evangelism Panic preach a great sermon.
God willing, we'll get to do more soul winning events. We're going to have a Spanish
marathon. God willing, we're going to eat barbecue
on Sunday a couple weeks from now. That's going to be exciting.
But you know what? Someone's going to sit here and think like,
I wish that we had, you know, Italian.
I wish there was chips and salsa.
Well, it's unrealistic. That was a dumb expectation. If you think
there's going to be chips and salsa, you will be disappointed.
Well, I just wish that I had
more. Where's my juice box? I don't know.
In the store? Really?
I mean, don't have unrealistic expectations. Well, I just expected
Pastor Shelley to talk to me for five hours.
Stupid. I'm not going to talk to you for that long.
Okay? Well, I just expected, you know, for everybody
to serenade me on my birthday. We didn't even know you had
a birthday. We don't know. There's like
people that come to our church. There will be almost a birthday every day.
Do you really think we're just calling every single person? All 300 of us are
calling every single person to wish them happy birthday on their birthday?
Stupid. It's stupid. Don't have
unrealistic expectations. Hey, if someone forgets your name, it's probably going to happen.
If someone forgets your birthday, it probably happens.
If someone doesn't respond to a text, it happens. In fact, you know,
I let my wife look at my phone whenever she wants, however she wants.
And every once in a while, someone sends me a text, she looks at it,
it gets unread, I forget, and then I never respond.
You know, it happens, right?
Sometimes I miss things. If you think like, I expect
for nothing to ever get missed, no mistakes, no problems, you will be disappointed
every single day of your life. I expect to agree
with everything that Pastor Shelley preaches. I expect this sermon to be under an hour.
I expect the temperature
to be exactly the temperature I want in the building.
You know, you're just not going to get what you expect.
So just expect for nothing.
Just expect nothing. We're letting all
of your expectations go away. You say, what's going to happen tomorrow?
I don't know. What's going to happen this week? I don't know.
What's my marriage going to be like? I don't know.
What are you going to promise me, Pastor Shelley? Nothing.
Is the next sermon going to be good? I don't know.
Am I going to get someone saved the next time I go out? I don't know.
Am I going to have a new friend at church soon? I don't know. Are you going to get promoted to work? I don't know.
Am I going to have another child? I don't know.
I don't know what's going to happen. But you know what I know?
I'm going to serve God as long as He lets me.
Hey, I'm just excited to be here. And I'm not going to sit here,
well, but will you keep serving Him if you don't get all the things you wanted? Yeah.
Hey, there's things that I want. I would like to have a new truck.
I've been missing my truck for years. I would love to have a new truck.
But I can't afford it right now, so I'm just waiting. But if I ever get one, I'm going to be real excited.
Hey, I would love to have a new house at some point.
I would love to have new things, new stuff.
I'm excited to go on new missions trips and stuff, but I don't know if I'm going to get to. I don't know what's going to happen.
I'm just glad I'm getting to walk around right now. I hurt my ankle
a year or two ago. I can't remember the timeline now. It was like a year ago or something.
I was worried about if I could play competitive sports
at the time. And you know what? I've been playing basketball and
golf and all kinds of stuff. I'm good to go. I didn't know if that was going to happen.
But you know what? I wasn't going to be so sad and depressed and just not living my life
even if it didn't happen. Quit worrying about what could happen
or might happen or if you're going to be disappointed and just say, hey, I don't know
what tomorrow is going to bring, but I'm going to serve God. Sufficient
unto the day is the evil thereof. Let the things of the moral take
care of themselves. You know what? Live in the present.
Do what's right now. Focus on your wife right now.
Be thankful for your wife right now.
You know what you need to do? Change your attitude right now and forever.
And just when you get home today, whatever, just start
thanking the people that you have in your life. Thank your wife. Thank your kids.
Thank God. Thank your boss. When's the last time
you told your boss thank you for your job?
When's the last time you thanked your wife for the meal she made you?
When's the last time you thanked your wife for the laundry that she did?
When's the last time you thanked your husband for buying your meal?
When's the last time you thanked your parents for doing literally everything for you?
We do everything for you.
You know? When's the last time you thanked your pastor?
When's the last time you went through a drama
and all kinds of strife and conflict, and you thanked your pastor for continuing to
pastor her.
When's the last time you thanked someone that got you saved, you know, for what they did,
the work that they did to get you saved or ministered unto you?
When's the last time you thanked somebody that helped you in your life?
When's the last time you thanked your friend for being your friend when you're going through
a hard time?
When's the last time you just thanked your parents, your adult parents, yes, that changed
all your diapers that took care of you?
You know, it's real easy to get negative.
It's real easy to be displeased with your situation.
It's real easy to just say, like, ah, I wish this had happened.
But, you know, why don't you start being thankful for all the things you have, and it'll change
your attitude like that.
Let us not be people that are constantly having a bad attitude.
Let us have a good attitude.
Let's go some prayer.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, so much for helping us just have perspective in life.
Thank you for all the things you've given us.
You've given us such a great church.
You've given us such a great opportunity to serve you in this life.
I pray that you would help us to get the right attitude and be content.
Please help us not to get this covetous bug in our minds and our hearts.
Please help us to not have wrong and unrealistic expectations and constantly live a life of
disappointment, but rather help us live in the present, help us to be thankful, help
us to be content, help us to look forward to the future.
And no matter what problems or issues or disappointments come, let us just already be prepared to
embrace them.
We embrace the good and the bad.
And I pray that you would just help us to appreciate what we have so that you'll bless
us with more.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
Song number two hundred and forty seven, Saved, saved.
Something else to be thankful for.
Song number two hundred and forty seven, let's sing it out together on the first.
I found a friend who is home to me
If love is ever true, I'd love to tell how He lived in me,
And what His grace can do for you.
Saved by His power divine, Saved through the eyes of one,
My power sweetened, my joy is complete, For I'm saved, saved, saved.
He saves me from every sin and love, Spirit doors by soul each day.
I'm reigning strong, all is mighty long, I know He'll guide me all the way.
Saved by His power divine, Saved through the eyes of one,
My power sweetened, my joy is complete, For I'm saved, saved, saved.
We're poor and mean and all alone, If love be said to be,
Come unto me and I'll lead you home, To live with me eternally.
Saved by His power divine, Saved through the eyes of one,
My power sweetened, my joy is complete, For I'm saved, saved, saved.