Spiritual Goals — January 5, 2025: full transcript and answers

▶ 0:00 When David stood before Goliath it was God who protected David not David’s strength not because David was smarter or because he was so much better of a warrior it was God and he David declared that when he stood stood before Goliath and so when you come into God’s house it’s an opportunity to declare that God is greater than all the problems going on in your life than your situation than your you know the issues that you may be facing and that he can help you.

▶ 0:35 Overcome we want to talk about goals we’ve been talking about the power of God’s people we’ve been talking about how powerful you are as a Christian we’ve been talking about how it’s we we don’t want to get focused on the leader or seeing somebody with shiny clothes walking by be like oh my gosh that guy’s got it he’s he’s the Christian he’s the great uh pastor or the one who has the answers um and you want those answers it’s true and you want those scriptures but the new covenant reminds us and teaches us that all can know me from the least to the greatest and so God’s goal for everyone is that we know him that we have a relationship directly with him and that’s what we’ve been talking about the power that you have as his people we have authority in Christ we have respons responsibility as a Christian you have you are.

▶ 1:35 Responsible uh to carry out what he wants his will you have freedom in God and you also have. Vulnerability and you’ve got to address those things so that’s what we’ve been talking about this week we’re going to be talking about. Goals as we kick off 2025 we want to look at our spiritual and natural. Goals in few weeks ago or last week we mentions 1 Peter 2:5 it says you also like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ Matthew 7:24 says therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock and so here we have two confirmations in the New Testament where God is talking about us building our lives being built like a house.

▶ 2:39 Amen and when you think about a house if you’ve ever seen one built and you talk to the uh general contractor who is in charge he’s going to have a project list right he’s going to have he’s not going to be calling the flooring guy to come in and put tile down when there’s no foundation. Right there is a list there is a a a step there is a uh order sequence of things you don’t call your flooring guy until the end after you’ve beaten up the floors and you need to replace. Everything. Right so the general contractor has a tim line he’s got the task list he’s setting goals for his crew uh because he’s he’s trying to get this thing built and sold so he can make a profit.

▶ 3:38 And so you need a you need someone to build the foundation you need someone to frame the walls you need a roofer to put the roof on you got to put the exterior walls on the outside you’ve got to get a plumber an electrician to plum the water and sewer lines somebody to run the electricity so you can have electrical plum the gas if you have gas put up the drywall put in the fixtures cabinets paint and flooring it’s that. Easy and so at the top here the title is spiritual goals so we want to have spiritual goals what is the timeline what are the steps that you need to take to get to being fully built do we understand the yes.

▶ 4:35 Luke 14:28 some suppose one of you wants to build a tower won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it for if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it everyone who sees it will ridicule you 1 Corinthians for 1546 however the spiritual is not first but the natural and afterward the spiritual I I’m bringing these scriptures up because they remind us of the practicality of life all right as uh young people grow up and you become teenagers and then you become adults there is a transition that has to happen as you go from teenager to young adult and from young adult to younger or no from younger to young to young. Adult when you go from 18 to 25 there’s you you want to be able to accomplish some.

▶ 5:35 Goals and so these scriptures talk about accomplishing a goal and Jesus brings up natural goals you can’t just pray all day and expect God to rain down a house wait wait I’m on my knees and all of a sudden there’s a house it rains down in their shelter I’m praying and all of a sudden the clothes rain down from heaven and they just they just come on me and I’m clothed now I’m praying and all of a sudden hamburgers cooked from in and out flew from in and out over to me and all I had to do was stop for a moment eat drink and keep. Praying is that how it works no if you thought that how you know if some if you got up and a preacher started saying that you think they’re crazy right so there’s some practical natural things that you have to do in your life.

▶ 6:33 And a lot of older ones in here understand. This and so this is especially important for young. People as we grow up from teenager to young adult to adult you have to set goals and I’m not saying like you know some people can get really detailed some people can be more generic but you you’ve got to have a heading in a direction and yeah it’s there’s a lot of people and and these inspirational speakers they they say to write these things. Down and uh figure out what you need to accomplish the goal that you’re. After if you want to be a doctor see that’s setting a goal I want to be a doctor that is a goal you look you go on the website you go somewhere you can go on chat gpt and we can ask I can just say how do become a doctor and it will lay out what you need to become and as you read you can ask more questions how where do I go to school where’s a good place you know you’ve got to start setting a goal figuring out how to walk on the path to that.

▶ 7:42 Goal many young people oh let me show you this slide right here well if you if you would turn your attention to the slide and let’s read this together if you aim at nothing you will hit it every time you guys get that if you have no goal if you have no heading if you’re not going anywhere and you’re not aiming for something you’re going to hit nothing every time when you go to aim for something oh I’m I don’t know what I’m going to do you’re hitting. Nothing that’s what the saying is.

▶ 8:28 Saying as in another saying here this is Mike Rowe he’s uh from Dirty Jobs and he goes throughout America and he uh joins up with people and he he sees what kind of Dirty Jobs they have to do you know they got the guys that are cleaning out the the poop and the got cockroaches on his neck crawling around and uh it’s a it’s quite an interesting show but there’s a lot of other things that are there and and there’s there’s so many opportunities that we have in America if you’re willing to get down and dirty and get it done but one of his sayings is never follow your passion but always bring it with you and uh there’s a lot of cliches that we hear in life you know go follow your passion and one of his his saying was hey you don’t have to follow your passion maybe you’re not really good at your passion and his example was that his his grandfather was a really good handyman and he tried to be a good handyman he’s like I just wasn’t you know I was passionate about it but I was no.

▶ 9:33 Good but he he said I was good at this other thing and that’s what he started to do you want to learn what you’re good at and go after. It so a prerequisite to natural goals a prerequisite is what has to be done before you have uh accomplished something Proverbs 10:4 what does the ible encourage us to do it says lazy hands make a man poor but diligent hands bring wealth you can start now by not being somebody who is lazy you can start now by being someone who is diligent in the area that you are in if you’re a young person you’re probably in some sort of school and you can be diligent in your work that has to be done your teachers are always reminding you I mean I don’t have to explain to you you can just go to class and the teacher should be telling you hey this needs to get done hey you didn’t turn this in hey this is what the assignment is hey there got a test coming but you got to study are we diligent in these.

▶ 10:43 Things Proverbs 12:24 diligent hands will rule but laziness ends in slave labor you know we live in America there’s no slave labor here but you go to another country and if you are a lazy person you can end up really being in a tough spot all right Exodus 20:9 6 days shall you labor and do all your work Exodus 20 verse 9 is part of the ten commandments so God is behind this he he supports this working idea okay I want you to understand that we have to understand that God wants us to work second Thessalonians 3:10 if a man will not work he sh shall not eat this is. Testing. 123 he shall not eat uh this is the apostles uh summary of what the scriptures say they’re saying hey if you’re not working uh you shouldn’t be eating that’s that’s what the scriptures are saying here Colossians 3:23 whatever you do so we should be doing something right.

▶ 11:59 Not something. Bad whatever good thing you find to do do it what wholeheartedly when I was a teenager I worked for carbon canyon Christian school first I worked for amm and then I worked for carbon canyon Christian school and uh I used to all of a sudden I was on wednesdays I would work and do lawn maintenance and we would keep up the property I would be uh mowing lawns I’d be cutting and edging and I’ get the blower out and I’d be blowing and uh one day I’m doing my job and mr barnes comes by he’s like michael what is. This what is this look at that you didn’t you didn’t do that you didn’t even cut that is said michael you’re giving me a halfhearted. Job and so he starts reminding me these scriptures michael the Bible says whatever you do you do it wholeheartedly so next week I got out there.

▶ 13:01 I started giving it everything I had what the these this this grass what does it need my whole heart for this edging the blowing stuff in the air it needs my whole heart really well that’s what the scriptures say whatever you do do it wholeheartly as to who the Lord I’m working for a church if you’re work wherever you’re working whatever job you have to do if you babysit and you have a family that’s depending on you whatever job you’re taking care of you’re making sandwiches you’re making this you’re doing you’re taking care of the gas uh you know when I was at arco you do it with all you have you do it. Wholeheartedly Ecclesiastes 9 verse 10 whatever your hand finds to do do it with all your might if you’re in school right now you don’t have to go there and give a halfhearted job you can give and do it with all of your heart do it with all your mind second Timothy.

▶ 14:10 215 and these scriptures are showing us that there is a mixture of natural goals and spiritual goals you see doing stuff wholeheartedly will help you in your natural life and you’re also doing it as unto the Lord you’re doing a spiritual thing too. Do you understand that that’s a good thing 2 Timothy 2:15 study be eager do your utmost to present yourself to God approves so study study we’re talking about in your education study in the word of God study in at your job your work you may have to learn a new trade a new skill if you’re in the it world you got to learn new stuff like almost every week or I’m not gonna say that every six months for sure you got to learn something.

▶ 15:09 New be eager do you have any drive do you have any motivation in your mind to get you up and get you studying get you working or does mom and dad does the the the manager have to be like hey did you get that project doney when you get that what this the dat. You know we can give it we can have that eagerness that drive and motivation in us already we don’t have to be hovered over and micromanaged because we’re not putting out our best effort all right now if you’re putting out your best effort and you’re still getting micromanage you know you got to deal with what you got to deal with but uh what I’m saying is people will recognize uh I think my wife and I were were were thinking about this recently and understanding hey you know if you just show up on time if you do a good job you’re you’re far above the rest of the world right now because they’re showing up and they they are hung over or they’re on you know.

▶ 16:18 Smoking if you just do a normal job you’ll do well if you can be dependent on that’s a big deal right now now a workman who has no cause to be. Ashamed so I want to remind us uh second Timothy is a letter to a guy named Timothy and who write who writes the letter to Timothy can one of you guys tell me that from your Bible class Paul very good Paul is writing to Timothy and he says hey you need to be a what what’s that word right there a workman if you’re a girl you’re a work. Woman. Right and I got to point these things out because there’s also a teaching that says we don’t got to work but Paul here is telling Timothy hey get your butt in gear buddy and get to what work what do kind of work are we.

▶ 17:25 Doing we’re doing a good work we’re doing regular work who has no cause to be. Ashamed um if somebody brings you out food you know we went to in-n-out the other day and I tell you in- and- out wherever you go it’s like it’s like you just you don’t even know where you’re at because am what city am I in because you feel like you’re in the same place it’s got the red tile and the white tile and there’s always something the place is always packed they’re always working like gang busters in the back and and you hear your order called number 91 and you get that burger and those fries look the same as the other ones down in the other city miles away. Right why because somebody’s working to deliver the same good product at one place as the other.

▶ 18:22 And they don’t want to be what. Ashamed they’re all doing the best they can to deliver the same product from one place to the other you know if they come out and they you know throw your bun over across the room and you know the the the patty is as hard as a puck a hockey puck and there’s no flavor you know you’re going to be like where am I right now what place is this but that doesn’t happen right and if you ate it and be like who made this burger what is their name they should be what. Ashamed. Right and I bring up food because we all eat food and young people especially like.

▶ 19:19 Food right so if you get bad food you’re like hey this is this is no good uh Ephesians 4:28 let him who steal let him who stole steal no longer but rather let him labor working with his hands what is good that he may have something to give him who has need so here again we have spiritual mixed with natural goals you don’t want to be someone who is a thief. Right if you don’t want to be a thief you’re going to have to do what you’re going to have to work rather let him labor let him work work with his own hand what is good you’re not saying oh uh you know I remember in my accounting class I’m sitting there doing my work and all of a sudden the guy next to me during the test he’s starting looking at my paper like get out get out of here you do your own.

▶ 20:13 Work look at my test I studied last. Night and so I sat there and I was. Like sit somewhere else. And don’t make me a party to someone cheating I don’t want to be a cheater I’m going to get in trouble this is accounting the lady up there she’s like if you found if you’re count found cheating you’re going to be out of here I was like I don’t want any part of that you don’t want to be a thief you want to be able to give something to someone who has need you know Christian comes in and they’re working on things and they got problems they going through issues we want to be able to give right the good samaritan the story the samaritan was able to give something to the man who got beat up he gave him uh some money when he was down at the inn he said hey here’s some money take care of this guy he was able he had a donkey he was able to put the guy on his donkey he was able to take care of his wounds and take give him something to drink and give him some.

▶ 21:34 Medication right it’s all there in the Bible it’s all there in the scriptures 1 Corinthians 13:11 when I was a child I spoke as a child I thought as a child I thought oh oops I got double there but now that I am become a man I have put. Away childish. Things and so as you grow up. We have to grow from children to uh children thinking what is children thinking by the way can I want to see if you can guys can give me the word uh you know if you have an answer just raise your hand give me give me your what is children. Thinking what what’s the word that they. Use what’ you say imag okay imaginative.

▶ 22:27 What’s mine about mine that’s good that’s that’s where we’re at children thinking is give me give me give it to me take it give it to me mine right that’s kids. Thinking that’s victim thinking. Too but somebody who is become a man or a woman says is what can I. Give when they show up to the job they say what needs to be what done what can I what. Do that’s a whole different way of thinking when the baby wakes up what do they ask the adult what do they.

▶ 23:22 Need. Right so that’s not the way a child thinks. And parents have a responsibility. To teach their kids these things to turn to slowly change their give me to what can I do and so young people if you got parents that are trying to teach you some changing in your thinking don’t get so upset with. Them and uh parents if you’re not teaching your kids to change their thinking you’re not doing them a favor. Amen we don’t want kids growing up till and they’re 30 years old and they’re still staying in the basement playing the the games.

▶ 24:20 They’re not working they don’t have plans to work they don’t have any goals you ask them oh I’m taking a class down at the community college yeah I’m taking a class what class are you taking I’m taking music theory music theory what are you going to do when you when you’re done with that I’m going to theorize the music they have no plans there’s no goal there what are you going to do you know you can go and have a plan and and maybe you fail but at least you try. It don’t use it as an excuse to lie and be because you can just sit at home and do nothing and you’re getting you know you’re just getting free stuff you don’t want to do that the disciples in the Bible Matthew was a tax collector irs that.

▶ 25:13 Guy yeah he had a job he was working the Bible is for working the disciples worked Jesus. Worked the Paul was a tent maker aquilla and priscilla were tent makers they worked Peter James and John were what fishermen fisherman being a fisherman is work got to get up early you got to get on the boat you got to get the nets ready you got to go you have to spend time throwing that thing out there and catching. Nothing Luke was a doctor a physician what are our goals. What are our plans you got to understand.

▶ 26:06 That uh you’re a teenager right now and you’re thinking oh it’s not going to come on I got time 18 is going to hit you real. Quick really it’s gon to it’s g to you’re going to snap and 18’s there I remember being in in college class and I’m I’m now I’m I’m an older man now I mean I was just in college class yesterday all of a sudden now I have three kids I got a I’m married and oh my and lily I’m just saying time flies so don’t let it pass you by some growing fields in America right now I just want to show you some their the average salary per year and this is all medical field okay just so you know and just so you understand uh physicians nurse an anesthesia.

▶ 27:11 Dentists pediatricians those are ones who work with kids uh optometrist those who work with people’s eyes get and get them glasses maybe surgeries uh nurse practitioners all of these jobs are over $100,000 a year the top ones there surgeons they’re all very high paying jobs and this is probably like I would say low mid okay you know if you’re a good if you’re good at this stuff you probably get paid a lot. More software developers $100,000 market research data analyst dental hygiene cyber security uh physical therapist respiratory tech you we live in America okay and there are so many opportunities that we have here there’s a lot of opportunities that you have here there’s a lot of fields you can go into if you’re willing to do the work and do the education I didn’t like school but I did it I didn’t didn’t like college but I did it I did it because I was after a goal and yeah it took five years of my life it.

▶ 28:41 Took. No uh it took a while for me but I did it and I was glad that I did. These are these are some updated numbers software developers average $132,000 a year there’s 300,000 new jobs I bring that up because there’s 300,000 new jobs it’s a growing field that’s how many jobs uh are added on okay not existing those are the new jobs nurse practitioner same 135,000 new jobs so medical field keeps rising the it or information technology field keeps increasing and ev and all these areas are are very there’s so many options in these things okay when I joined mercury I found out real quick that my little part that I did was very small compared to everything else going on so there’s a lot you can do there’s a lot you can get into okay so as young people I encourage you set some goals find out what you think you could be good in set some goals and figure out how to accomplish that.

▶ 30:06 Goal there are ways that you can get quick schooling if you don’t like school I understand I believe me I understand uh and there’s ways you can get a a a quick degree and and get into a field quickly the uh hbac technicians electricians plumbing those things that you work with your hands you actually touch stuff and you’re like oh how do I make this work I can figure it out troubleshooting all that installing stuff stuff you want to do with your hands if you want to do that that’s high paying stuff right now in california and so if you want to go into those areas there you can get into them you can do. It the guy on the right it says epic. Fail but I don’t think he’s a epic.

▶ 30:59 Failure he just had a fall but this guy you can see that he’s trained he’s disciplined himself so that he could even arrive on the track. Right he’s there I’m not there we’re not there he’s there why because he disciplined himself he watched what he ate he’s been exercising and running yeah he hit his face but he he can get up and try on the next race he can get up there and still do okay he’s not a failure when you fall it’s not the end of the world when you make a mistake it’s not the end of the world you can get up and keep going. Amen amen so the epic fail is this person.

▶ 31:58 They got no plans they got no goals and they’re got not not going anywhere that ends up being the epic. Fail Proverbs 29:18 where there is no vision where there is no goal where there is no plan where there is no heading the people. Perish but he that keepeth the law happy is he can you imagine being on a sailboat or a a boat in the old golden days and you guys are just floating out in the water pretty soon you’re going to run out of food pretty soon you’re going to be like get me off of this boat there’s going to be mutiny there’s going to be fighting right and that’s what it’s saying if you don’t have a vision if you don’t have a heading if you don’t not going anywhere you’re going to.

▶ 32:56 Perish and and so I encourage you we want to be encouraged this morning we’ve we’ve seen in the scriptures how the scriptures encourage us to have natural goals to work hard to be diligent right amen and it’s the same in our spiritual. Lives whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock this Jesus right here this his red letter this is him talking uh this is one of his parables right if you remember the rest that he talks about how a storm came and be beat on the house on the rock and it stood but the storm came and beat on the house that had sand and it fell right we know about this parable but he says here whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them what sayings is he talking.

▶ 33:56 About I want you to know that for two whole chapters or maybe three since chapter five he is making statements and he is like a non-stop speaker he is just he’s just hitting and hitting for two chapters he’s speaking he’s got a teaching session you better get your popcorn out and get your notes out because he’s talking but actually we have it right we got the two chapters there and he finishes with seven 724 he starts in chapter 5 finishes in 7:24 and he says whoever hears these sayings and does them I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock and so are we getting those sayings into us setting goals to address those things that he says to do to follow them to obey them and we want to also understand that we need those spiritual goals in our lives as.

▶ 35:01 Well first we have. To know what those sayings are have knowledge of them by either reading or hearing by you know repeating it over and over writing them down whatever you got to do what are those say that Jesus is saying and then you got to set a goal how am I going to do what he has asked me to do. Amen Matthew 26:40 he came to the disciples and found them what sleeping and he said to Peter what could you not watch with me one hour watch and pray lest you enter into temptation the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak so here he’s about to be captured and he stops for another teaching time and he stops for us he stops for you and me because you know these words are going to be written written down he knows that you’re going to hear him and he is saying hey could you not watch with me 1 hour if right now you spend zero minutes with God the goal is what one hour 60 minutes so if you’re if you’re at zero and there’s 60 is the goal what is a goal you can set this year to improve that.

▶ 36:27 What what give me an example 10 minutes all right we moved it we’re getting closer to the goal and then uh if you set another goal you know I’m going to pray for 10 minutes and then I’m going to read his Bible. For. Huh 20 minutes 20 minutes I’m just sharing with these young with our young people you can you can increase okay you don’t have to bite it all at one time the goal is 1 hour if you want to go one hour go one hour hey you can go two hours you can go three hours but remember the hambers are not not going to fall from heaven right you got to do some work too God is saying hey take some time to put your my word into your heart and to pray and here if you give yourself if you take an hour a day it’s going to greatly.

▶ 37:27 Bless your life and so Jesus is setting the goals for us he’s helping us he’s saying hey here’s the goal so the goal’s already been set we have to make a decision of whether or not we’re going to go after. It Hebrews chapter 811 no longer will they teach your neighbor or saying say to one another know the Lord because they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest. We can have our own relationship with Christ again that’s the point of this power of the people message it’s not about the leader it says unto him shall the gathering of the people be we are gathered unto Christ we have a relationship with Christ we can know Christ for ourselves no matter if if the pastor dies moves away wherever he goes you can still know your God that is his promise Psalms 11911.

▶ 38:28 I have hidden your word in my heart that am I not sin against you do you have a goal to put his word in your heart and not just listen to it as it flies by but get it hidden in your heart what does it say what is it teaching me what do I need to apply in my life Matthew 21:13 he said to them it is written my house shall be called a house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves and so what is our goal for spending time with God. You can make your home your room a house of prayer you can get down on your knees and make it a room of prayer you can have your time of prayer what are you going to do you know if you need a tool if you need a devotional if you need this you need that find a way to spend time with God what are your goals that you’re going to set and carry out this year to get closer to God.

▶ 39:30 What is your goal to be involved in God’s house what is your goal for hiding his word in your heart what is your goal for knowing God more for spending more time with him what is your goal and then you have the sabotage you set these goals you have these plans oh man things are looking great and then somebody puts a hole in your cash. Bag. Somebody puts a speed bump in your way. But the encouragement this morning is don’t let it be your choices okay that’s why you want to remove unhealthy living out of your life the smoking the drinking the drugs that all is going to hurt you on on your way to your goals.

▶ 40:30 All right if you’re always high on the marijuana juice it’s going to hurt you it’s going to sabotage your goal uh marijuana right now especially for young people is going. To affect your brain it’s going to affect your brain it’s going to take the drive out of you remember the verse that said be eager marijuana is going to take away eager there ain’t going to be no eager with. Marijuana you take that you’re going to be like this oh where’s the what are we doing today even what’s his name kevin hart he said you know it it’s uh the people that are all high on marijuana they’re not exactly the the brightest tools in the shed.

▶ 41:29 They’re not getting it done right I mean even they. Know don’t sabotage yourself with drugs alcohol and uh the other stuff my little one is. Here these these choices we make can be very costly and nobody’s telling you they’re encouraging you to do them in california they’re encouraging you there stores at every corner encouraging you to come in have some stuff that’s going to sabotage your goals when you go to school they’re encouraging. You. To to behave wrong you know when I was younger they would hand out uh I can’t say all this stuff hi you.

▶ 42:30 We got to watch out for stds you got to watch out for those things that are going to affect you aids is still around it’s still harmful uh 97% of new aids infections are homosexual people if you’re going to live that way there is a cost you’re going to sabotage your goals okay we’ve got to repent from those things we want to walk away from those things things you can’t afford if your goal is first to have the beautiful thing and not do the work that it takes to get that beautiful thing you’ve got it backwards. Okay uh first you want to be able to work and build up to. That as miss woods comes Matthew 7:24 says therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them I will liken them to a wise man who built his house on the rock so powerful I remember this scripture being so powerful in my life when the the storm comes and the rain comes and they blow and beat on that house it will stand because it’s founded on the rock are we founding our lives our goals setting our our our spiritual goals on Christ or are we setting it on what the world sets amen because when the storm comes when the problems come when issues arise in America or or some problem happens if there’s some emotional issue that comes you’re going to know whe you’re founded on the rock or on the sand.

▶ 44:01 Uh Ecclesiastes reminds us and says that sin is pleasurable for a season if you want to live the sinful life it’s nice and it’s fun for a season. Okay but we want to do what Christ says we want to know God we must spend time with God to know him and we must set goals for our natural needs I encourage you this morning set goal goals for to grow in spiritual things set goals to grow in your natural area in life.