The Battle Is Real | Kyle Idleman | Full Service

Well, hey everybody. Welcome to Southeast. We  are so glad that you're joining us online for   worship today, wherever you may be in the world.  And it is a big Sunday here at Southeast because   we're starting a brand new sermon series, but  it's also group launch Sunday. And we are so   excited for that. My name is Sarah. I am part of  our SC online team. And this is my friend Josh.   He works connections here at our Blanket  Baker campus. Always fun to have you here,   Josh. I always love being on here. And we love  you being on here right now. We want to help you   get connected deeper to the life of our church. If  that's you, if you're looking to find connection,   getting plugged into our church more, you can  text the word connect to 733733 and we would   love to help you with that. Yeah, absolutely. It  is group launch Sunday across all of our different   campuses. We've got onampus groups, we've got  home groups, of course, we've got online groups.   And groups are a big part of what we do here  at Southeast. We're really passionate about it   because we believe that community is where true  life change happens. And I know that's been true   for both of us being a part of groups. I've been a  part of a group, you know, for the past few years.   And Josh, I know you're a part of a group now,  too. I I would even say like I don't just believe   it's where life change happens. I know it is like  personally in my home group. I've experienced life   change. There's something special about walking  through life in community. The early church in   Acts 2 was known for their fellowship, their  devotion to sharing meals together, right? They   do life together. That's part of what we're called  to do as Christians. I believe that we are all   called to find a place to belong. And in that we  can become more. We can grow in many ways in our   own faith and also just in our relational value  that we can bring to a group of people together.  

And so if you're looking to get connected to a  group, you can text the word groups to 733733.   We would love to help you find a place that you  belong and a place that you can become more. Oo,   I love that. Belong here and become more. And  make sure you stick around after service. We're   going to be talking about groups a little bit  more. Dererick's going to be joining us with two   members of his online group just to share how they  found really community and life change through   being a part of Derrick's group. So, it's going  to be a really awesome conversation. And today,   we are kicking off brand new sermon series  called the kingdom is real. And I think it's   just so important that when we recognize  that we're living for a different kingdom,   that really affects every single part of our  life. It affects the way that we make decisions,   the way that we go through our struggles. And  I think it's going to be such an important   sermon series for us over the next few weeks. And  recognizing that the kingdom is real also means   that there is just this spiritual world that's  real. And so today, senior pastor Kyle Idleman   is back and he's going to be teaching a sermon  called the battle is real, where he talks about   the reality of the spiritual battle that's taking  place, the spiritual warfare that we may not be   able to see, but that we can feel and that we are  a part of. And I can't wait to hear the ways that   Kyle encourages us, but also challenges us this  morning. Yeah, it's going to be good. I think   we're ready for worship. Hope you guys are ready  for worship. And we will see you after service.

Christ visible visible. Christ the  hope for all the world to know.   The only way to the father,  only one who redeems our soul. Christ the son of God, son of  man. Christ the risen king,   the great I am. The only way to the  father, only one who can make us whole.   He say he's holy. There is no other one who's  holy, so holy. No other one who's worthy, so   worthy. Nothing compares to his glory and power.  In him, through him, for him, he's everything.

Christ the solid rock the corn stone.   Christ forever seated on the throne made  away with the spirit made away the wey no one who's worthy so worthy  nothing compares to his glory Power everything through. He's everything. He's a cross resurrection. He's a fire in  the wind. He was there in the beginning and   he'll be there in the end. He's the first, the  last, the only one. He's never defeated. He's   a reigning king of heaven, the God of victory.  He's a cross and resurrection. He's a fire in   the wind. He was there in the beginning. He'll be  there in the end. He's the first and the only one.

He's ra through and for you. He's everything in him,   through him, for you. He's everything in  him, through him, for you. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. through and for him. He's everything through.

Everything changed. It's getting harder  to recognize the person I was.   before I encounter Christ. I don't walk  like I used to. I don't talk like I   used to. I've been washed from the inside.  I've been washed from the inside. Hallelu. Hallelu. I know it was the flood.  could have only been the fly. I know it was a blood could have only been I cannot explain Nothing's more real  than this. In the presence of God. Oh,  

where my heart experience. When my shame hit  the wasteland. If my sin met the most high,   I was washed from the inside. I was  washed from the inside. Hallelu. Hallelu. I know it was We feel alive. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I know it was only Surely by your blood. Oh, we thank you Jesus.

I'll performance perfection. We're striving for  acceptance. Let me tell you, it's only by the   blood. It's never been about deserving or earning.  It's a gift that's freely giving. Let me tell you,   it's only by the blood. It's never  been about performance. Perfection,   striving for perceptions. Let me tell you, it's  only by the blood. It's never been about to serve this great bey You're my father. Let me tell you it's only worthy for just Yeah. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. What could wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

I can't. Oh, precious is the flow. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Jesus, we praise you in this place  this morning and we come with so   much gratitude that you poured out  your blood on the cross for us.

God, we give you all the glory this morning. We  fix our eyes on you. Give us eyes to see. Give   us ears to hear. We love you. It's in Jesus name.  Amen. We are about to see a move update from our   care ministry. You guys can go ahead and have  a seat. Let's check out the screens together. I started um to be a facilitator because of my own  grief journey. Um, I lost my dad and that journey   led me to be a facilitator. I didn't want to do  this. It wasn't on my bucket list of things to   do. Um, but I kept getting that nudge from the  Lord. And I wanted to say no, but I started to   say yes to God and be obedient to him. I meet  people at the hardest time of their life. And   I get to walk this journey with them. It's not  easy, but I get to see healing uh for people. Um   I get to see them finally meet Jesus and have joy  in the midst of their sadness. And I get a front   row seat to that. But got me through probably one  of the darkest times in my life. Um I was married   for 54 years, 8 months, and 4 days. And without  this group, uh that journey back to where we are   now would have been most difficult. I remember  when my dad had first passed, I came very quickly  

um about less than 30 days and I met Ellen.  She had her dad had passed away as well and I   remember being very angry and she got me to open  up and I dealt with my anger. Um took me a long   time but it very the grief group helped a lot.  That's what Ellen kind of teaches that okay he   still loves you. He still carries it. You're going  through this but just stay in here. Stay with it.   Lyn and myself, we was together 27 years. She was  my rock. I lost that rock. I found this group here   and they just brought me in, treated me like  family. I've baptized, you know, two or three   people from the group um one of which um who was  out of church for 40ome years um and never wanted   to be in church. And after completing the the  workshop, he chose to be baptized and wanted Jesus   in his life. Ellen and and they they baptized  me on the on the day that my love had passed.   And this group has saved my life. I'd do anything  in the world for this group. It would be easy to   assume that groups like this are are sad and not  full of hope and just dreadful to go to. And yeah,   it takes courage to to walk in a group when you  feel the way you do from from grief. But you know,   the the group and the workshop is filled with  joy. Um it's filled with laughter. Um people are   uh laughing and enjoying life again. One  of the things I love about our church is  

our desire to walk alongside those that are  trying to move forward through life's messes.   We believe in creating communities so people  aren't alone through the hard and unexpected   seasons of life. Our care ministry exists to do  just that and for people to find real hope and   healing. Through Move, we have a goal of 75 new  care groups over the next 3 years to help the   hurting in and around our church. And because  of your generosity, we're close to 60% towards   reaching this goal. 43 new care groups have  formed since the start of Move. and new care   groups are launching right now across all of our  campuses. But we know the need is still great.   Just like Ellen, we're looking for people that  have found healing on the other side of grief,   addiction, abuse, or mental health issues to be  a part of what the Lord is doing. If you have a   story of your own, we invite you to come and be a  part of healing in someone else's life. To learn   more or to get involved, text care to 733733 to  get started in changing someone's story today.

I am so thankful uh for our care ministry. I know  that there are many of you in this room who have   experienced that kind of care, that kind of love.  I've worked at several other churches. is I've got   some buddies across the nation at churches and  what I've experienced is that like God is doing   something incredibly special here through our care  ministry here at Southeast. Like we are making   space so that hurting people can find a place  for comfort in community. like they can find a   place where they can journey with other people  alongside the scriptures and looking to Jesus.   And I just know that there are a number of you in  this room like the Holy Spirit has comforted you   in a powerful way. Like he has walked you through  a season that you could never have gone through   on your own. And I just wonder if potentially the  spirit is tapping you on the shoulder saying it's   time to comfort others with the same comfort  that you were comforted with. We would love to   have that conversation. Our care team would  be honored to walk with you and discovering   what it would look like to be a facilitator or  group leader in one of our care ministry groups.   Uh maybe you're in here and you're saying, "You  know what? Like I've been doing this all by myself   and I'm tired of walking this journey alone. Like  we have so many care groups that we would love to   have a conversation with you about joining one. I  just think everything is better in relationship."  

And so if you want to head out to our atrium,  uh our care ministry is out there uh and and   somebody would love to talk to you about joining  one of our groups. Again, you can either text care   to 733733 or you can head out to the atrium  and talk to somebody about joining. You know,   every single week we take communion and it's a  a time in our service where we slow down and we   follow Jesus's instructions where he encourages  us uh to look back and to remember his sacrifice.   And so, very specifically, we remember the  death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.   And I just think every so often I like to remind  myself and I want to remind us this morning that   we're not looking back simply on a historical  fact. It certainly happened. But what we look   back and we remember is the event that secured  our future hope. And so quite literally what   we're doing is we're looking back so that we can  look forward in hope to when Jesus will return. I   think as we continue our conversation about people  who are experiencing grief, pain, and suffering,   the good news that I have for us this morning  is that there is a day where everything will   be made new. I love in Revelation chapter 21, it  says this. It's describing a picture of heaven.   It says this starting in verse three. And I  heard a loud voice from the throne saying,  

"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will  live with them. They will be his people, and God   himself will be with them and be their God. He  will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will   be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,  for the old order of things has passed away."   He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making  all things new." And so, as we continue worshiping   together, let's fix our eyes on Jesus. Let's  look backwards at his sacrifice that secured the   greatest hope that we could have ever imagined.  Let's worship. Let's take communion together. All my words fall short. I got nothing  new. How could I express all my crying?

I could sing these songs as I often do, but every  song must stand and you never do. Let's sing   together. I throw up my hands and praise you again  and again. The soul that I have is a hallelujah. I know it's not much. I'm nothing else  fit for a king except for a heart singing. We sing I've got one.

I've got just one with my arms reach. I will worship you. Yeah. So I love my hands   and praise you again and again.  All that I have is a hallelujah. I know it is not much. I'm nothing else  before I know except for a heart singing. We sing hallelujah. Oh, all I have to do is speak your name.

You come running. Come on, my soul. Oh, don't you get shy  on me. Lift the Let's sing one voice. Yes. Let the people sing today. Yes.  Come on. So come on my soul. Oh,   don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song. You've  got a lion inside. Get up and praise the Lord. Come my soul. Oh, don't you s get up and raise the Oh, come on. Come on, my soul. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.

God, what can we say but thank you. We have  nothing to offer. I have no payment that would   be enough. Nothing we can do to deserve it. But  you in your generosity gave your only son Jesus.   You so loved the world that you gave him so that  whoever would believe in him would not perish but   have eternal life. And that means God that as as  your sons and daughters, we should always be the   most grateful people in the room. Like no matter  what's happening, no matter what circumstances   we're dealing with that underneath it is this  anchor of gratitude that goes directly to the   cross. Doesn't mean we don't grieve. Doesn't  mean we aren't sad. Doesn't mean we don't   struggle. But underneath it is this gratitude  where we're just aware of your kindness to us.   We're aware of our promise of eternity. We have  that hope that we just can hold on to. And God,   I pray in the next few minutes that by your spirit  you would open our eyes that you would soften our   hearts. Lord, I I believe that you want to wake  us up from some of the distractions of this world,   some of the the worries of this world, and  you want us to focus our eyes on heaven.   You want us to focus our hearts on eternity. So  would you would you move in that way? Would you   open our eyes so that we might see? It's in  Jesus name we pray. Amen. You can be seated.

There are a lot of ways that you can start a  sermon. Like you can open with a joke. Kind of   loosens people up. And listen, a lot of people  grew up in churches where people didn't really   smile. The first church I ever preached at,  there was this um man named Hershel who was a   greeter at the front door. And we had this thing  we did, right? He he would have this look on his   face like somebody just canceled the potluck.  And I I would walk in on Sunday mornings. I'd   shake his hand. I'd say, "Hel, good morning." And  Hershel would say every Sunday, "Well, we'll see."   Like sometimes people in church need to smile and  it helps people kind of prepare to hear sometimes   a message that might be a bit difficult.  Like you can open a sermon with something   that is especially relevant like a headline or a  statistic, something that makes people, you know,   sit up and lean in because it comes from what's  happening in the world around us. It it connects   the sermon that people are about to hear with  the tension that they're actually living in.   You can open a sermon with a story, like a  personal story, something a little vulnerable,   maybe uh self-deprecating enough to make people  say to themselves, "Oh, good. Like, he's a mess,   too. It's not just me." And that can help build  some trust in the message. I'm just saying there   are lots of ways that you can start a sermon.  Which got me thinking like, how did Jesus do  

it? Like, how did he start his first sermon? And  what we're going to see is he didn't warm up the   room with a joke like, "Hey, what's the deal  with these fishermen?" He didn't do that. He   didn't start with a statistic about how hard life  was under Roman occupation. He didn't begin with   this relatable story about growing up in Nazareth.  Instead, he starts with a single word, a word that   would have made everyone uncomfortable. It's  in Matthew 4:1 17. says, "From that time on,   Jesus began to preach, repent, for the kingdom of  heaven has come near." No warm-up, no crowd work,   no icebreaker. He like starts with the word  repent. Now, the truth is, if you study the   gospels, Jesus would often start his teaching with  a little humor or a story, but his ministry begins   like his preaching begins with one word, and it's  repent. If Jesus had a uh communi communications   team, like that word would have gotten washed  from the first draft. Jesus, hey, why don't you   just go straight into the kingdom of heaven has  come near. Skip repent. Or or better yet, Jesus,   start with a miracle like the water to wine thing.  Huge hit. Crowds love it. Do that every time. But   he starts with the word repent which either means  Jesus is really bad at introductions or repentance   is the whole point. Like repentance is the only  right response when confronted with the preaching  

of Jesus announcing the reality of the kingdom  of heaven. And so this week we're starting a new   series called the kingdom is real. And each week  we are going to be confronted with the reality of   the kingdom of heaven. And our right response each  week is going to be repentance. Jesus speaks of   the kingdom of heaven. And a lot of us believe in  the kingdom of heaven the way we might believe in   Antarctica. Like we believe it's real. Um but  we're not really sure you how to find it on a   map. Like we don't really think about it. Doesn't  really impact our lives today. But yeah, you know,   it's out there somewhere. If you ask a hundred  people like, "What's the kingdom of heaven? How   would you define that? What's that mean?" About  95 out of a hundred would say, "The kingdom of   heaven, that's where you go when you die. That's  that's where you go when you die." But Jesus uses   the language kingdom of heaven constantly. And he  almost never means that. So in Matthew's gospel,   the language is kingdom of heaven. In in Mark and  Luke, it's the kingdom of God. The word kingdom in   Greek doesn't primarily mean like a a territory.  It means reign. And it means a king has come. And   so when you hear the word kingdom in the Gospels,  don't think of realm. Think of the word rule. The   kingdom of heaven is not so much where you go  when you die. It's what breaks through when you  

finally surrender. The kingdom of heaven is the  reality of God's rule and reign breaking in to   our ordinary lives right here and right now. And  when your eyes are open to it, like when you start   to see the kingdom of heaven breaking through,  it just changes things. Like when the kingdom   of heaven becomes real to you, it changes how you  pray. It it changes the way you spend money. It   changes the way you see people. It gives you this  purpose. It gives you hope that isn't dependent   on circumstances. It it allows you to filter  everything through lens the lens of eternity. And   there are these moments where I'm just overwhelmed  by the reality of the kingdom of heaven. Moments   where the kingdom of heaven breaks through into  our world and it just gets my attention. I got   to tell you about this device I've started to  wear. I've got it around my neck here. It's   uh it's this little white square. Can you see  this? It it sits on the back of my spine and   when I slouch it sends an electric signal, like  an electric shock into my spine. Like it's nothing   too dramatic. Like I'm not being tortured up  here. It's like a shot collar for people with bad   posture. Like it's meant to get my attention. It's  meant to fix my posture. I I ordered off Amazon.   When when it arrived, my wife opens the box and  she's like, "What is this?" And I said, ' That,   my dear, is your replacement. Like, you no longer  have to say to me, "Stand up straight, shoulders  

back." Like, you don't have to be the posture  police in my life anymore. Like, you are fired.   and she seemed a little skeptical of this thing,  a little disappointed like I was taking away some   of her purpose in life. But the reason I need  this thing is my natural position had become oh   uh my natural position had become this like slouch  like like nobody wakes up one day and decides I'm   going to have terrible posture. It's just like a  thousand small surreners hunched over a laptop.   nobody in the room saying anything about it.  Like years of my body like negotiating for the   position that takes the least amount of effort.  And by the time I noticed it, like slouching   wasn't the exception. It was just uh me. It was  my default. It was my resting state. And and so   left alone with no outside correction, my body  doesn't drift towards good posture. Like nobody   has to train you to slouch. You just have to stop  paying attention and then gravity and convenience   does the rest. And I think this is what happens  to us oftentimes spiritually. Like nobody decides   in this one dramatic moment. I'm going to stop  living like the kingdom is real. It's it's smaller   than that. It's slower than that. It's a thousand  mornings where you wake up and you you don't pray.  

It's a thousand decisions that get made without  the kingdom in mind. It's it's a thousand Sundays   where you go to church for a little tuneup and  then you just really don't think about it the   other six days of the week. It's a thousand  moments where you let that group chat form   your soul and and your outrage before you let  Jesus form anything. And then one day you look   up and you realize this slouch, this posture, this  spiritual apathy. It's not a phase you're going   through. It's just you now. It's your resting  state. And so what this device has taught me,   it doesn't fix my posture, right? It's not doing  the work for me. It never once like physically   pulls my shoulders back and tells me to stand  up straight. All it can do is interrupt me.   It can get my attention. It can break through the  distractions. It can break through my apathy. It   It makes me aware of the drift. It wakes me up  at least for a second. But the actual, you know,   stand up straight part like that's still on me.  I I really believe that this is what happens   when the kingdom of heaven breaks through into our  world. It creates this moment where our eyes are   open. Wakes us up. Wakes us up from the monotony  of life. It confronts our spiritual slouch. The   slouch that we've stopped noticing. This kind  of the small little shock that says you've  

drifted again. You didn't even feel it happening.  You're sleeping again and you need to wake up.   When I think of moments like this where the  kingdom of heaven breaks through, I think of   times when I'm in the baptistry and I'm listening  to people share their story with me. I'm standing   waist deep in water and I'm listen listening to  somebody's like 60-second version of their whole   lives. There's brokenness and there's confusion  and there's shame. But then there's this two-word   transition. And this two-word transition shows up  again and again in a hundred different stories.   It is the hinge that one story after another  tends to swing on. Especially in the baptistry,   the two words, but God. I thought my addiction was  going to be the last chapter of my story. But God,   I thought I was too far gone to be forgiven. But  God, I thought my marriage was something that   could never be put together. But God, I thought  the diagnosis was going to be the end of me. But   God, I thought the way I grew up was going to be  my kid's story, too. But God. And those two words,   but God, like those are kingdom of heaven  breaking through words. And I just want you   to notice something about that phrase, but God.  Like nobody in the water ever says, "But I but I  

got my act together. But but I finally figured it  out. But I finally tried hard enough." Like the   story doesn't pivot on but I the story pivots on  but God. And that phrase is an announcement that   the king has shown up, that the kingdom has  broken through. And when the king shows up,   addiction loses its grip and and shame stops  winning. When the king shows up, he steps into   a story that you thought was finished and he  says, "Uh, I got another chapter to write." And   so sometimes standing in that water, I can't  help but whisper to myself, "It's all real."   I I whispered that in the baptistry, but I I once  whispered it in a hospital room. I walked in to   visit a family whose little girl was still born.  And so the father was sitting in a chair beside   the bed holding his daughter's lifeless body  against his chest. And then in that room with   the nurse standing quietly by the door, the family  joins hands around the bed where the mother is   lying and they start singing through tears. How  great is our God? How great is our God? It just   came out of them. And all I could do was whisper.  It's all real. I whispered that once right back  

here. couple in their 60s sat in this sanctuary  and shared with me that the weekend before they   had driven four hours to a prison to visit the man  who had murdered their son three years earlier.   They didn't go to yell at him. They didn't go  looking for closure. Rather, they had been praying   for this man by name every day for three years.  and they were finally ready to do the thing that   they thought would be impossible to do to forgive  him face to face. And so they sat across from him   in this prison across from him at a metal table,  a guard close enough to overhear and they said,   "We forgive you." And then they told this man  why they were able to forgive him. And they   shared the gospel. They shared Jesus with him.  And as I listened, I just whispered to myself,   "It's all real. It's all real." I I whispered it  once a few years back now. I was watching a couple   in our church adopt a 9-year-old boy who had been  in and out of six potential homes. Six times,   someone had decided he's too much. And I stood  in a courtroom on that day and a judge asked   this boy, "Do you understand what's happening  to you today?" And he nodded yes. big grin on   his face and and then he started crying, kind  of half crying, half laughing, just overwhelmed   by the the moment of it. And his new mom and dad  come around him and his new siblings come around   him and they celebrate. He had almost come to  the conclusion that it was never going to happen  

and then it happened. And I said to myself, it's  all real. I have seen the kingdom come in church,   but I've seen it in hospital rooms. I've seen it  come in prison visitation areas. I've seen it in   courtrooms. And in those moments, it's like  my eyes are open. I I recognize this reality   that's always been there, but sometimes I'm just  distracted and I'm busy and I lose sight of it.   I want to go ma back to Matthew 4:17 here for  a moment. We read what Jesus says, but there's   something really um significant about the context  of this verse. Like it clues us in on when and   where Jesus says this. And it turns out that it  matters a lot. So look at this verse again. Says,   "From that time on, from that time on, Jesus  began to preach, repent, for the kingdom of   heaven has come near." From that time on. Okay.  From what time on? Well, Matthew is pointing   backward. He's referencing what just happened in  chapter 4. And so the question is, okay, well,   what happened right before Jesus stood up and  said, repent for the kingdom of heaven is real?   Well, if you go back to the beginning of chapter  4, like same chapter, just like 13 verses earlier,   verse one says Jesus was led by the spirit  into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.   So Jesus has spent 40 days with no food. He is  all alone. And then at the end of this 40 days,  

the enemy attacks like three times. The enemy  comes at him. He's weak and he's hungry and   he's alone. And Satan's like, "Okay, now's the  time." And he attacks. But but here's the point.   Jesus had just stepped off the battlefield.  So when Jesus steps off the battlefield and   begins speaking of the kingdom, he's not stepping  out of his office like he is speaking with the   dust of the battlefield still on his feet. And so  when he declares the kingdom of heaven has come,   this isn't just like this poetic language. It  it's not just like a an announcement before   the sermon starts. Like this is a declaration of  war. war against sin and war against darkness,   war against shame, war against death itself. And  so when Jesus spoke about the kingdom of heaven,   he was declaring war against the kingdom of  darkness. And whenever he speaks about the   kingdom of heaven, there's almost always an enemy.  There always a battle. So the kingdom is real and   the battle is real. John 10:10, Jesus said, "The  thief has come to kill, steal, and destroy."   that I've come that they may have life and have it  to the full. Jesus says, "My kingdom has come to   bring the fullness of life." But there's an enemy.  The battle is real. There's kingdom of light,   kingdom of darkness, which brings us to Ephesians  chapter 6. Paul is writing in a prison. and he's  

chained to a soldier and he's going to use that  image to help us understand what we should look   like if we're going to live like the battle is  real. Ephesians 6:12. But our struggle like it's   real. Our battle is real. Our struggle is real.  But it's not against flesh and blood, but against   rulers and authorities, against powers of this  dark world, against the spiritual forces of evil   in the heavenly realms. So Paul says, "Yeah, yeah,  yeah. There is a real battle, but you may not be   fighting it. Like the real battle is not against  flesh and blood, which means a lot of us are in   a battle, but it's not the real battle. Like you  think the enemy is your mother-in-law and it's not   your mother-in-law. You think the enemy is that  coworker that's been talking behind your back and   you know what you would say if he ever said it to  your face. Like your enemy is not whoever you're   arguing with in your car, even though they're  not even in your car. Like you're by yourself and   you're still arguing. Like that's not the enemy.  There is a battle, but your battle is not against   your unbelieving spouse who's making fun of you  for being here. It It's not against the professor   who's going to belittle your faith this semester.  Your battle is not against the person dating   your child who seems to undermine everything  you believe. Like you do have a real enemy,   but your real enemy isn't the coworker who stabs  you in the back. It's not the political extremist   who's getting you riled up online. It's not  the relative who gossips about you. And and  

the church, like we have an enemy, but the the  enemy is not the activist judge or the Muslim   extremist or this political group. Like they're  not the enemy. They are the hostages of the enemy.   The real enemy is thrilled when you get caught  up fighting his hostages. So yeah, the kingdom is   real and the battle is real. Paul uses the image  of a soldier to help us understand what a person   who recognizes the reality of the battle should be  wearing. He gives us this picture of a soldier and   that means the church then is an army. And yet  sometimes I just step back and I kind of wonder   is the is the church more of an audience than an  army. If you think through this like an audience   gathers but an army assembles. Like an audience  shows up when it's convenient. An army shows up   when it costs something. An audience wants a good  seat. An army wants a good position. Like I know   some of you love your good seat. You you've got  strong feelings about the seat you're sitting   in right now. There's people around here who've  been sitting in the seat they're in since 2007.   And if somebody comes in and sits in your seat,  you're just going to stand there until they get   the hint. I'm just saying, an army doesn't care  where it sits. An army cares where it stands. An   audience evaluates the message. An army receives  marching and orders. An audience says, "I didn't   get much out of it today." An army says, "I know  my assignment. I'm on mission." An audience comes  

to be moved. An army comes to be deployed. Like  if you want to build an audience, entertain them.   If you want to build an army, train them. If you  want an audience, tell them there's a show. If   you want an army, tell them there's a war. And  so, in case there's any confusion, let me say   it plainly. There's a war. There is a war for  your soul. There is a war for your marriage.   and and and there's a war for your kids. Like  you think they're just in their room scrolling on   their phones. They're not just scrolling, they're  fighting. They're in a battle and a lot of them   are fighting alone and losing. There is a war for  your peace. Like the enemy doesn't need to break   you. He just needs to keep you too busy to to be  intentional. There's a war for your integrity.   And it's not going to likely be lost in one in  one dramatic decision. It'll be lost the way,   you know, posture gets lost, a thousand small  surreners that nobody sees. And there's a war for   our church. But it's not being fought against the  culture out there. It's being fought by whether or   not people in here will pick up their armor. Like  the battle is real. We just don't always have eyes   to see it. One of my uh favorite scenes in the  Bible is tucked into the Old Testament book of   2 Kings. The prophet Elisha has become a problem  for the king of Aam. And so every military move AM   makes, Elisha knows about it in advance and tips  off the king of Israel. So the king of Aam does  

what you know any frustrated, embarrassed, angry  king might do. He sends an army, not like a squad,   but like a whole a whole army, chariots, horses,  the whole thing. So an army is sent after Elisha   and during a night the night it surrounds  the city of Dothan where Elisha is staying   and Elisha's servant who's staying with him wakes  up early the next morning you know just a morning   like any other morning makes some coffee opens  the door steps outside and he sees an army an   entire army frantically he looks around for a  way out but there is like there is no way out   they are completely surrounded did. And so he  runs back inside and he tells Elisha, he says,   "Oh no, my Lord, what what shall we do now? What  do we do now?" And Elisha says, "Don't be afraid.   Those who are with us are more than those who are  with them." And Elisha prayed, "Open his eyes,   Lord, so that he may see." And the Lord opened  up the servant's eyes and he looked up and he   saw that the hills were full of chariots of fire  all around Elisha. And so he prays, "God, open   his eyes that he might see." And the servant's  eyes are open. And he sees they are surrounded by   heaven's armies. But if you go back and you look a  little bit more closely at this, like what Elisha   actually says to his servant before his eyes are  open, Elisha says, "Those who are with us are  

more are greater than those who are with them."  It's interesting. You would think he would say,   "Those who are with us are greater than them."  Somebody says, "Those who are with us are greater   than those who are with them." In other words, it  wasn't just the armies of the kingdom of heaven   there that day, but the kingdom of darkness was  also there. So from the servants's perspective,   the battle was between him and Elisha and the  army. That wasn't the real battle. The real battle   was the kingdom of heaven against the kingdom of  darkness. And the servant's eyes are open. And I   guess he probably whispered to himself, "It's all  real." I I want to spend just a couple minutes   making this personal because I think it's one  thing to say it's there's a real battle. It's   another thing to live like it. So I I want to  give you some some symptoms of someone who stops   living like the battle is real. Let me give you  one verse to kind of hang on to throughout this   is first Peter 5'8. Be alert and of sober mind.  Be clearminded. Be be awake. Be focused. Eyes   open because your enemy, the devil, prowls around  like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.   And so Peter kind of uses this hunting metaphor.  And the kind of hunter he chooses for the enemy is   a lion. A lion doesn't just charge into the middle  of a herd. A lion is patient. A lion watches. A   lion is looking for the one who has drifted, the  one who's fallen a little bit behind, the one  

who's wandered off, not really paying attention.  And so a few symptoms of someone who isn't living   like there's a battle. Number one, you're shocked  when the attack comes. Like, if you really believe   the battle is real, then stop acting so surprised  when you're attacked. Like, soldiers don't come   home from deployment. So, you'll not you're not  going to believe what happened to me over there.   People are shooting at me. But that's how we  act. Like if something is coming at you and it's   again and again like at the same time when you're  vulnerable like at 11:40 at night like the enemy   knows that's when to come after you or right after  a fight with your spouse or um after you've had   two drinks or when you're in a hotel room out of  town. Like it happens again and again and again.   And it's like we're living on a playground  instead of a battleground because we we act   surprised every time. So one symptom is that that  we just get caught off guard again and again. If   we understood the battle is real, we wouldn't be  surprised. Symptom number two, you treat spiritual   disciplines as optional. Remember what Paul said  in Ephesians 6, put on the full armor of God.   so that you can take your stand against the enemy.  I I just want to challenge you to go home and read   that that whole chapter, Ephesians 6. Like armor  is not an accessory for the believer. It is a  

requirement because you're you're doing battle.  Uh last week I was speaking at this conference in   Utah and my wife went with me. We celebrated our  31st wedding anniversary together hiking in the   mountains at 31 years and and we're planning on  these hikes. I packed myself initially. I packed   some basketball shorts, a t-shirt, tennis shoes.  I I look like I was dressed for a pickup game.   My wife looks at what I'm packing and she's like,  "No, that's that's not reality." And so she orders   me hiking shoes and like some wool socks and a  backpack with a tube coming out of it so I can   stay hydrated. Like as if I was going to take it  so seriously. I don't have time to stop and pull   a water bottle out of the backpack. But she she  wasn't correcting my fashion. She was making sure   I was dressed for reality. Like she wanted me to  be dressed for the reality of where we were going   and where we were going to be and the conditions  we were going to be in. And this is what Paul does   in Ephesians 6. He says, "Look, I know where  you're heading. Like, I know the climate that   you're in and what you're wearing. It's not  going to work." And so, here's how you should   be dressing if you really believe the battle  is real. In verse 18, he specifically mentions   prayer. I think how you pray really tells a story  about whether you actually believe the battle is   real because the person who treats prayer like a  last resort instead of a first response doesn't   really believe that there's a battle. Same is true  in the way you worship. Do you kind of worship  

because you like the music or the feeling or the  emotion or do you worship as a weapon? Symptom   number three, your response to sin is always  behavioral and it's never spiritual. Like you   put your confidence in your own willpower instead  of picking up the real weapons. 2 Corinthians   10:4 says, "The weapons we fight with are not the  weapons of this world." And so willpower is just   an example of of one of those worldly weapons  where we think, "Okay, I'm going to make this   happen. I'm I'm gonna do it myself. I'm going to  be more determined. And when that's our weapon,   it's like uh swinging a plastic sword at a lion  and then being shocked that we keep losing. If   you want victory, then you have to understand  your enemy and you need spiritual weapons to   put on the full armor of God. Symptom number four  is you're unbothered by isolation. Like you think,   I can follow Jesus by myself. Go back to this lion  metaphor that Peter uses. He prowls around looking   for someone to devour. And so a lion doesn't hunt  the herd. He's just looking for whoever steps away   from it. And most people who wander off from the  herd and they get attacked like they don't mean to   wander off. Like I don't think that happens often  or somebody announces, "Hey, I'm wandering off."   like they just stop showing showing up and then  they stop being missed and then they're alone on  

the edge of a tree line and they don't understand  why it's all so hard. If you believe the battle is   real, then don't isolate yourself like we need  each other. You don't skip out on church for 6   weeks. You you you make sure you have somebody in  your life who can ask you hard questions and have   hard conversations. somebody that notices when you  start to slouch spiritually. Symptom number five, you use words other than sin. You've stopped using  the word sin and you prefer words that are more   comfortable. So you say, "It was an accident.  It was a mistake and I've been struggling or is   a failure." We've got this whole vocabulary built  around not calling sin sin. But here's the problem   with every one of those words. Like repentance  doesn't really seem like the response. It doesn't   work. Like it's hard to repent of a mistake. It  was a mistake. Didn't mean to do it. Same with   accident. It was just an accident. Hard to repent  of an accident. You can't repent of a struggle   because hey, I'm trying. Repentance really only  works with sin. And so if you really believe the   battle is real, repentance is a regular part of  your life. Not to shame you, but to free you. And   and so this is what Jesus says. He says, "Repent.  The kingdom of heaven is near." Like your response   to the kingdom of heaven should be responses. I  I think for a lot of us it's hard is because the   word repent is a word that we think of as being  written on a cardboard sign and held by a man  

on a street corner or or maybe it's a word you  associate with an angry preacher who's yelling,   redfaced, pounding the pulpit. like repent sounds  like a shaming word, like a a religious word to   make you feel worse about yourself. That's not  the gospel. That's not what that word means. In   the Greek, that word means change your mind and  then change your direction. So, it's not really   even a religious word. It it's and it's not really  an emotion. It's it's it's turning. It's really   a military word of of um turnabout phase where  you're going one direction and you stop because   you realize it's the wrong way and you turn and  you go a different way. And that's not really a   religious thing. It's just what smart people do.  If you realize you're going the wrong direction,   you stop going that direction and you repent.  And this should be a regular part of our lives   if we believe the kingdom is real. I have a word  that I sometimes use instead of sin. It's it's one   word that often keeps me from living like the  battle is real. It's a respectable word. And   I didn't realize I was using it instead of sin.  Instead of using the word sin, I like to use the   word busy. I've said it a thousand times. I've  said it to some of you. I've said it to my wife,   to my kids. I've said it to God and to myself.  I'm not sinning. I'm busy. I'll just say maybe  

it's it's a busy season. Hard to repent of a  busy season. A few months ago, I woke up early   on a Tuesday morning and I went to elder prayer  time at 7 a.m. I get on my knees with the elders   and I'm suddenly struck by something. It's really  embarrassing for me to admit. I was struck by the   fact that the last time I had actually prayed was  the Tuesday before that. Like a week had gone by.   I had preached, I had written, I had  led without really praying. Like, yeah,   maybe some prayers before meals, but I  mean like really praying, thoughtfully,   intentionally praying. And so, I I I'm on my  knees there trying to explain to God. I'm not   repenting. I'm managing. I'm like, God, it's been  I've been busy. You get it. You get it. Like,   I I'm using the word busy. But as I knelt down,  I could feel the tears rolling up in my eyes. I tried to explain again to God. God, I've been  busy doing what you asked me to do. And yet,   I knew down deep like it wasn't the right word.  Busy wasn't the right word. This is one of the   best tricks the enemy has played on me because  in my line of work like busyness can look like fa   faithfulness. I can prepare a message on prayer  instead of praying. I can talk about God for a   living and then go almost a week without saying  anything to God. And I don't know of another job  

quite like that where you can be that far away and  then from the outside it it looks like devotion.   I had been so busy talking about God that I wasn't  talking to him. And then it dawned on me maybe   maybe I I have used this word busy instead of sin  in other ways too. Because when I have been short   with one of my kids, when I'm impatient, get  angry, I don't say I'm sinning. I say, "Hey,   I've got a lot going on right now. It's a  busy season." When my wife is telling me   something and I'm kind of looking at her and  nodding and I'm not really paying attention, I don't say, "I'm not honoring you."  I don't say, "I'm sinning." I say,   "I'm distracted. You understand? It's busy right  now." And 31 years in, she really doesn't get   frustrated anymore. Not really. She kind of just  accepts the fact that there are these stretches   where I'm in the house, but I'm not home. And  I've been okay with that because, you know,   it's my schedule and it's hard to repent of a  schedule. It's just a schedule. When I haven't   been the spiritual leader my family needs,  like where there's been stretches where my   kids spiritual leadership came more from my  sermons that they heard in church. I don't   say I've I've neglected that role. I don't  call it sin. I just say it's a busy season.  

And here's the part that's hard to say out loud.  Like sometimes I'm busy. And in my busy season,   I'm more focused on building an audience than  an army. Now, some of it's disobedience. And   some of or some of it's obedience, some of it's  faithfulness, but but a lot of it's protecting a   reputation or trying to impress a room. But a busy  season isn't something you can really repent of.   It's something you survive. It's something you can  explain. It's something that everybody else has to   just tolerate until it passes. And I've been in a  busy season for about 25 years. And at some point,   it stopped being a season. And it just  started becoming my posture, my default,   my resting state. I'm 50 years old, and I'd like  to stop lying about it. It's not a season. It's   a sin. It's hard to repent of a season. I I  told you about the baptistry standing waist   deep in that water listening to story after story  hearing those two words but God. But God. I just   want you to notice where that phrase shows up  in a person's story. It doesn't show up in the   part where they have it all together. It shows up  in the part where they finally stop pretending.   Like every time the turn comes, the kingdom  of heaven breaks through right after someone   tells the truth about themselves. I know that  some of you are longing for a but God moment in  

your story and you felt discouraged for a while or  you felt worn out for a while and you're ready for   some hope and you're ready for some redemption and  you're ready you're ready for him to do something   beautiful out of some things that are broken. The  best way I know to invite a but God moment into   your life is repentance. It's it's surrender.  The kingdom of heaven breaks through in those   moments where you when you see the truth about  yourself. It invites God to break through. It   invites a but God moment. Well, Elisha prayed  a simple prayer over his servant and it is the   prayer I want to pray over you. God, open their  eyes that they may see. Let me do that. Lord, right here, and right now, would you let us  see what we've been missing? We are caught up   in the distractions of this life. We're caught  up in the worries of this world. All of us have   things on our mind constantly. It's the daytoday  things. And we need you to show us the reality of   the kingdom. The reality of the battle. So God,  would you let us be an army? Would you let us be   a church that lives like it's real? Because it  is. That lives like the kingdom is real. That   understands the battle is real. And so would you  open up our eyes that we might see what's really   happening around us? And Lord, would you let our  response be a humble repentance? Would you let us  

understand that repentance is something that you  invite us into, not as a way to shame us, but as   a way to free us, God? Would you let repentance  be just a regular part of following after you,   Jesus, that we just we we can often have our eyes  open and we can see and we can turn and and Lord,   I know in those moments, we are inviting  you to break through. And so, would would   you let that be just a part of who we are as  your followers? That be a part of who we are   as a church. we'd be a church that repents. So  give us the humility. Give us the courage to do   that. Open our eyes so that we may see it's all  real. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen. I want   to give you just a chance to respond to what we've  talked about today as we worship. For some of you,   this is going to be sitting where you're at  or standing as we worship in a moment and and   practicing some repentance as we worship. Maybe  identify some words that you've been using instead   of the word sin. Not as a way to shame you, as a  way to free you, as a way to celebrate the kingdom   of heaven breaking into your life with grace and  with hope and new beginning, with peace and joy.   That happens when we repent. For others of you,  maybe it is a time to recognize that you've been   sleeping. And there is a battle. There's a the  battle is real. You haven't been living like   you're on a battleground, but on a playground.  And and so today is a day where you say, "Okay,   I I'm going to surrender my life to Jesus. I  want to follow after him. I want to live with   eternity in mind. I want to live like the kingdom  is real." Or or for some of you, maybe it's this  

isolation that you've gotten really comfortable  with, but you're m way more vulnerable than you   realize. Like we need each other, and this is not  a perfect church, but this is a herd. This is a   herd where we come together. We stand against  the enemy together. We pray for one another,   encourage one another, we spur one another on as  the day of Christ's return approaches. We'd love   to have you as part of our church family. So, if  you want to talk to someone about that decision,   you can go to our next step room right over  here on your left um on the first floor. We'd   love to visit with you. We'd love to pray with  you. Let's stand together and let's worship. You understand my wears. You felt  my everything. Tested and tried,   yet perfect in your ways. You walk  through temptation. You know the   weight of shame. Tested and tried.  Still perfect. Perfect in your way.

Perfect in your way. I need you more than every other thing. I need you more. My joy and suffering you my heart forever. I need Jesus. I need you Jesus. You're gater in my wings. You're present  in my face. Tested in perfect in your race.   And when I face temptation for I  hide in my shame. Look to you Jesus.

Come replace my I need you more than any other thing. I need you more. My soul and suffering. I need you in my heart forever sing  Jesus. Oh I need you Jesus. I need you. How we need you. Nothing else will nothing else. to every baby. You are God in your own. I  will never be forsaken. You are here. I'm   not alone. So I can stay and not be shaken from  your hand. You are God. You're always good. You   are God and you're always good. everything,  every hour. You are God and you're on your   throne. I will never be forsaking. You are  here and I'm not alone. So I can stand,  

not be shaken, but your kind is in the  fire. You are God and you're always good.   You are God. You're always You are God.  You're always good. You are I need you. I need you. My suffering. I need you. My heart. I need Jesus. I need you. You need everything.

You are on your sing. You are You are You are always good. You are God. Shout Jesus from the mountains.  Jesus in the streets. Jesus in   the darkness over every enemy. Jesus for  my family. I speak the holy name Jesus.   Come on church we say. Shout Jesus from the  mountain. Jesus the street. Jesus is alive.

Jesus name. Jesus. I see the holy name. Jesus. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat.

Oh sh your name is power. Your name is  heal. Your name is alive. Yes it is. Break every stronghold. Shine through  the shadows. Burn light of fire. Your name is power. Your name  is healing. Your name is light. So break every stronghold. Shine  through the shadows like a fire.

Thank you so much for worshiping with us this  morning. Again, my name is Josh Head. This is   my friend Sarah, and we are so glad that you were  able to join us in worship today. Uh maybe out of   that message, you're just looking to respond in  some way. We would love to get connected to you.   You just saw all those baptisms this morning.  I had the sweet pleasure of baptizing one of   our SE online friends who made a decision  to be baptized today. And maybe that's the   way you want to get connected. Maybe it's some  other way. You can just text the word connect   to 733733 and we'd love to get you connected.  One of those ways is even through groups. Yes,   through groups. And I love that story, Josh. It  just proves that this is more than just a video   that people watch each week and more than just  a broadcast. It really is a place where you can   find community. And we want you to be a part of  that because it's group launch Sunday. You know,   online groups are really the heartbeat of what we  do around here. And we want you to belong here,   become more. And so, an easy way for you to just  figure out all those different groups is to text   SE online to 733733. And we got to be a part of  something really special this past Thursday. This   Thursday, you did something really fun. What  was it? We did. It was so much fun. We had a   large group with our senior pastor, Kyle Idleman.  We had about 130 plus people on a Zoom call. But   it's a really cool setting that we get get to  interact with Kyle in because we get to really   hear his heart for groups and especially about the  sermon series. He kind of gave us a really good   uh synopsis of that and what's to come with that  which we're really excited about and we get to ask   him, you know, some fun questions. We did some  would you rather with him and so it was awesome   because there were a lot of people there for the  very first time and said, "Hey, I want to join  

this group. I need some community in my life." And  so if that's you, please text Essie online in to   733733. You're going to get a link to all of our  groups on our website. And we have groups almost   every single day of the week. But if you can't  find one that works with your time and schedule,   just reach out to us because we want you to  be involved. Yeah. And it makes an impact in   people's lives. Right now, we're going to listen  to an interview between Derek Snder and two of his   group members to just talk about the impact that  being a part of group can have on someone. Well,   hey online family. It is group launch weekend  here at Southeast Christian Church and we have   online groups that are launching again uh over  the next week. Uh we hope that you will take   that next step to be a part of community with  us online which is why uh I am here today with   a couple of the fellas that are in an online men's  group that I'm a part of on Tuesday mornings. Uh,   and so I have Michael and Casey Snograss  from Illinois hanging with us. So fellas,   how you doing today? Great, Derek. Thanks for  having us. Great, Derek. Appreciate it. Yeah,   guys, super excited that you're here with us and  would love to set you all up now to share a little   bit about who you are, where you're coming from,  and maybe the thought process that was behind   joining an online group all the way from Illinois  with us here at Southeast Christian Church.

Yeah, Derek, thanks. For me, it was just I had  had this nudge to get a little bit deeper into   my faith, and I've been searching for an online  group, and I had found ours, and it fit perfectly   uh into my schedule. Um, I wanted to find people  that I could start doing life with, to find   a community of of men that I could um share my  faith, listen to them, uh, be encouraged by them,   to pray for one another. Um, so that was the  reason um, I was drawn to groups. Yeah. And for   me, I I joined the group just one month after, so  in February, uh, I actually had an invitation from   my brother. Um, so I know we live close and now  we're on the virtual group, which is great. Um,   but for me, you know, I was going through,  you know, a season where I was just relying   a lot on myself. Um, you know, going through a  season where a lot of uncertainty. Um, you know,   so I really needed didn't know what that next  step was for me. I didn't know it was a group.   It's it's crazy to say and even be here today  that I am in this group on Tuesday mornings. Um,   but yeah, you may not know you need it, but  man, it has been life-changing for me. So,   I appreciate you guys sharing that uh because  I think that that echoes so many other stories   um from people that are within our online  ministry, literally the hundreds and hundreds   of people that have joined a group over the past  several years with us uh through Essie online.   Uh we have people that uh are brothers, right,  just like you guys that have joined groups to  

be together, but also family members and friends  from across the country and around the world that   have found community with one another again.  Uh being in a group of of Christian brothers   and sisters growing in their faith together.  And I think God has been so kind to let us   see just so much life change go on over the past  several years, fellas. But for you, I'm curious   uh because we launched our group, I think back  in January of the beginning of this year. And so   I'm curious to know how have you seen God work in  your life, maybe in your everyday walk with him,   or maybe what's the value that our group has added  to your life over the past six or seven months?   Yeah, for for me, Derek, I think it it quickly  helped me realize that I you know, I can have   friends or community or, you know, people around  me, but I can still lack that relationship. Um,   so, you know, for me, it was just an opportunity  to, you know, walk through a a journey of life,   which has its ups and downs as we know. Uh,  through Kyle's, you know, sermons, we just   try to navigate those seasons. Um and for me in a  difficult season just relying on a group of people   um you know because life brings us down uh there's  so many things throughout our day-to-day lives. So   you know for me it was important to you know  join a group and you know get involved with   other people's lives pray for them uh through  their difficult seasons and kind of and do my   job that that I feel like I'm supposed to do day  in and day out. So that's kind of the real driven   factor for me. Yeah. And for me, Derek, it's had  a much bigger impact on my life than I initially  

expected. I mean, this group, um, we meet weekly.  Uh, we pray together. We encourage one another. We   we share, uh, things about, um, different seasons  that we're we're walking through as men. Um,   and it's just been so so powerful. You know, me  personally, my wife and I are celebrating our   10-year wedding anniversary, and I had reached out  to Derek and asked if you would pray over my wife   and I and our marriage and our children. And I'll  be honest, I mean, it was such a powerful moment.   So, just having this this group of community of  authentic men and and that are willing to to walk   with you and having the sense of community has  been so so powerful for me. And that was such   an honor, you know, to be able to do that. And  it's one of the things that I hope that uh for   all of us online that are in groups and for those  yet that haven't made that that decision to take   that next step that we'll be able to do for one  another. We'll be able to pray for one another,   carry one another's burdens. Um because that's  what Jesus calls us to do, right? We weren't made   to to walk with Jesus all by ourselves. like we  need others to help us in our journey following   him. And so fellas, uh kind of last thing is  as we wrap this up, I know that there there's   a there's men and women across the world right  now that have been watching and and worshiping   with us but haven't taken that next step to join  a group. What would your encouragement be for that   person or maybe even why it was the right next  step for you? Yeah, Derek, I would just say is  

that you don't have to go in um you know, with  it all figured out. Um you know, you can go in   on some days and just, you know, pray and lean on  your brothers. Uh you know, some days you could be   walking in that you're caring more uh than than  other days. So on those days where, you know,   those burdens take over, um you know, that's  where you can, you know, sit back uh and listen   um and and really understand the message that that  Kyle had for the previous Sunday. But, you know,   I think it's always important um and it's it's  hard to to ask somebody, right, to join a group,   but even a simple ask of, "Hey, I know you're  going through something. We meet on a Tuesday.   We'd love to have you." Um, it could really be  life-changing. Yeah. And for me, Derek, I would   say just come give it a try. Uh, come as you are.  You don't have to be an expert. Um, you don't have   to to have it all together, but just give it a  try. Um, don't overthink it. Take that first step.   um and see how how it how it fits for you. Um  introduce yourself. Uh give people a chance to   get to know you. You know them. Um and see how God  can move in and through your lives as you learn   from one another. That is so good. and and that's  our encouragement and challenge for you at home   that if you have not taken that next step to join  a group, uh what the three of us would challenge   you with and and so many others who've taken that  step at Southeast is to step out in faith to have   courage, be brave, and try one of our online  groups. Y'all maybe go two and three times and and  

I I would be willing to bet what you'll find are  real people with real stories that want to walk   beside you through every season of life, no matter  what that looks like. And so we are so excited   that it's group launch weekend because life change  happens through groups here at Southeast. Uh,   but Michael, Casey, thank you all so much for  being on here with us and being willing to   share your story and I will see you guys next  Tuesday at group. Awesome. Thanks, Jeremy. I loved those words from Casey when he  said, "You may not know you need it,   but it was lifechanging for me." And I know  that can be your story. A group is a place   where you can say, "I belong here, and I  can become more as a part of this group."   Yeah, I love that quote from him, too. Get in a  group, guys. Find some community. But we are so   glad that you have worshiped with us today.  Next week is going to be week two of our the   kingdom is real series. And we've got Tripley back  preaching with us. Always so cool to get to hear   from Trip. But we love you guys and we will see  you back next Sunday. Bye everybody. See y'all.