FREE.CHURCH - FREE CHURCH OAK PARK
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I Declare: I Will Be Consistent // Pastor Chuck Colegrove // January 26, 2025
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The year was 1980 and just a kid living in Grand Rapids, michigan, hanging out with friends, and I don't know this one day these were kind of cool friends, they were real techie friends. They were my friends that all got A's and went on to do like, go to MIT and, you know, harvard and Yale and Smith College. I went to Grand Valley State, but these were my A friends I was with and they had all the latest in technology. And for 1980, I'm gonna tell you it wasn't that much. But they had this incredible computer and I was about the size of the piano over there but it could do amazing things and they had designed games that we could play on the computer and I know this is throwing you way back it wasn't something you had in your phone. I mean, what we have in our phone now is 10 times what that computer was, maybe more. But 1980, it is what it is. But that day, while we were playing all these games and they were, their mom had left like sugar cookie dough for them to make cookies, and so we just kind of got in a competition of making different like arrangements and styles of cookies and being as artsy as we could. My friend made one. He was so proud of it. It was like 3D and it was incredible. As he carried it down I knocked it out of his hand and it smashed all over the floor. He was so mad at me I couldn't. I was like man, it's just a joke. I didn't really mean to break it all, I just was messing around. He went down and he was pouting and didn't want to play any games and felt really bad. So I went back upstairs and I made, tried to make the same cookie over again and brought it back down to him and he was like it wasn't good enough. And then finally he went back up and redid the cookie and brought it back down and showed everybody and everybody applauded. It's the year that I learned that only the creator can remake the new better than the original. Why don't you turn to your neighbor and say hey, I declare. And then to the other one something new is happening, somebody. Something new is happening.
Speaker 1:We've been on this journey in this church we're almost halfway through it of a series called I Declare and we made these declarations. This is week four of it. For the first three weeks we've declared things like this Number one we've declared I will be a person of consistency, because real transformation happens when I do consistently what others only do occasionally. And then we talked about taking responsibility. I declare I will take responsibility for my life. I'm not going to play the blame game and blame all the people around me for where I am. I'm going to take responsibility, seek the help I need, ask for the Lord to help me and move forward.
Speaker 1:And then last week was a spirit of forgiveness and it was actually such a powerful weekend. And if you've missed any of these not because I've preached them, but would you go back and listen to them on the podcast or catch up on Facebook or YouTube because it's significant for you. Because, hey, church, we're just in our fourth Sunday of our best year yet, and this is a series moving from want and wish into action, and faith is an action word. And even when you don't feel it that consistency, taking responsibility, forgiving others you're not faking it, you're faithing it. And so today's declaration is this let's get it up on the screen, I'll make the declaration and then, at the end, we can all make it together Ready this year, with God's help and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1:I declare I will stay committed. The old me is not allowed on this journey. I will stay committed to the new thing God is doing in me, through me and for his glory, amen. This is what I want you to get a picture of today. Get a picture of what's coming in the end. Get a picture of what this life change is gonna produce in your life. Get a picture of the progress you're making and get a picture of the promotion that's coming your way. Get a picture of the new thing God's doing. And the reason why you need to get a picture of that is so you can stay committed, because this is what I know Promotion without process brings problems. So we would like to say, god, we want to be this, and then a snap of the finger and that's who we are. But no, there's the process. We stay consistent, we keep taking responsibility, we keep forgiving others and we stay committed to the cause of this new thing God's doing in our life.
Speaker 1:You see, you've been praying for patience. Well, patience is produced in the fields of delay and and maybe you're like, oh, I wish I had that testimony. But guess what? There's no testimony without the test. And listen, you're going to have a mountaintop experience, but don't abuse it. And in the valley, don't misuse it, because if you abuse it you can't stay there, and when you misuse it you can't get out of there. So stay committed. Get out of there, so stay committed.
Speaker 1:The Bible declares this story in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 18. And it begins with verse 1. God is speaking to Jeremiah and he says the word which came to Jeremiah fell from the Lord, saying Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear my words. And arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter's house and there he was making something at the wheel. This is the story of Jeremiah going to hear from God. But notice, before he could hear from God, he had to see something. He had to get a picture of what God was getting ready to say, and I want you to just see that phrase right there. It says and there he was, the potter making something at the wheel.
Speaker 1:Can I just spend about 30 seconds and encourage you today? Even when you can't see it, god is working, even in the middle of these 21 days. Maybe you didn't get the answer you've been waiting for and it's not come yet. But don't give up, because he's working. It took Daniel 21 days of prayer and fasting for the angel to reach him, to give him the answer of his prayer. And Daniel was like where have you been? And he said well, listen, there was a battle between me and you, but I got here. God is working, he's always at the wheel. So Jeremiah sees him working the wheel and it's incredible because if you pay attention to how that wheel works as it spins the clay around, the potter, shapes and molds the clays in two ways First he puts pressure on the outside and then he puts pressure on the inside.
Speaker 1:Pressure on the outside and pressure on the inside. And let me tell you, church, when God's working on you, that's how he's working. He's working with pressure on the outside and pressure on the inside. See, we made some declarations here and we think, oh, I made the declaration, so it's just going to be easy straight from now on. But actually that's just the beginning, and how you respond to the pressure of what God is doing in your life determines how you're going to be made up. He puts the pressure inside. The attitude Puts the pressure from the outside. The workplace Puts the pressure on the inside. The declaration you feel in your spirit You're making it with such confidence. He puts pressure on the outside. The family starts going crazy. You decide to tithe and then your car breaks down. How you respond to the pressure, the pressure is what makes you who you are.
Speaker 1:Then we read in verse four. It says this and the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter. Marred in the hand, it was. Some translations use that word as spoiled or ruined. But what happens in the hands of the potter is critical that you stay in the hands of the potter. See how it was marred in the hands of the potter. It was. It wasn't the potter that marred it, but it was the response of the clay to the pressure. And how you respond is going to determine how you're made. And let me just tell you this that if you're going to be marred, at least you're going to be marred in the potter's hands. If you're going to be out of your mind, at least you'll be out of your mind in the potter's hands. If you're going to be out of place, at least you'll be out of place in the potter's hands. So stay on the wheel, don't leave the wheel. Be committed. Keep yourself to this level of commitment at the wheel, because God is working something in you and my God, who's begun the good work in you, will complete it all the way to the end. But look what happens. Look what happens. It says so. The clay was marred in the potter's hand. Go back to verse four. We're still verse four. It was marred in the hand of the potter. Look at this. So he made it again another vessel Because the clay did not respond the way the potter had hoped the clay would respond.
Speaker 1:The potter didn't take the clay and throw it out. He didn't take the clay and water it down. He didn't take the clay and get rid of it. He put the clay back into a mold and put it back into the wheel and water it down. He didn't take the clay and get rid of it. He put the clay back into a mold and put it back into the wheel and began again, but not just the same as before. It says another vessel, church.
Speaker 1:These 21 days we've been on this potter's wheel and the pressure inside and outside from the fasting and putting away things and getting rid of stuff out of our lives. And can I just tell you what's happening is God's forming you, he's making you for something very special that is coming your way. But listen, even if, even if it's not quite what you thought it is, only the creator can remake the new better than the original. That's why we've we've if you paid attention to the songs, we've sang so many songs about the new thing, the new way of saying goodbye yesterday. Hey, listen, stay committed to this new thing, don't go back to yesterday. The new, you cannot go. The new, you cannot take along the old you on this journey. Goodbye yesterday, goodbye yesterday. So, as long as you stay on the wheel, don't get off the wheel, because on the wheel, the potter has the potential to remake you again into another vessel, new.
Speaker 1:And then, in verse five, god says see this, this is what I'm doing with my children. This is what I'm doing. This is what I'm doing with my children. This is what I'm doing, this is what I'm attempting with my people, this is my hand upon their life to bring the new thing that they're walking into. And can I just tell you, we're coming out of this 21 days better than we were. Hey, my pants fit a little better than they did 21 days ago.
Speaker 1:And I just want to encourage you, church, don't go back. Tell your neighbor, don't go back. Don't go back. Don't go back. Some of the things you got rid of, you don't got to put them back in your life. Some of the things you pushed away, keep pushing it away. Stay committed. We're not going to have a 365-day fast, but I'm going to tell you this those old habits, they got to stay behind you. Those old ways, they're not welcome in this new thing. Those old thoughts, they can't come along anymore.
Speaker 1:And somebody's going to look at you and say say well, what happened to the old you? And you're gonna say he's long gone. He's long gone. He's long gone. He no longer is a part of this life, because God's done something new in me, he's doing something new through me and he's doing something new for his glory. Can you receive that word today? We're going to close out all together, but before we do that, I just want to pray for you and if you've never made a decision to follow Jesus, I want to give you that opportunity. If you've never made a decision to follow Jesus, I wanna give you that opportunity. I wanna pray for everybody in this room. Lord, help us to make this declaration of staying committed. Help us say goodbye to the old me and God. Let us walk with confidence in the new thing you're doing.
Speaker 1:If you're in this room and every eye is closed, you've never confessed your belief in Jesus. What a journey we've been on today People being baptized, proclaiming their decision to follow Jesus, receiving communion in the very body and blood of Jesus in remembrance of the price he paid. That price he paid was for you, for your freedom, for you to be able to conquer that guilt that's been pressing you, that shame that you've been carrying. The thing is, it really doesn't matter what you've done, but it matters what you do with what you've done. And if you try to fix it all by yourself, how's that working for you? But when you take what you've done and you put it in the hands of the potter, he can make the new better than the original.
Speaker 1:If you've never made a confession to follow Jesus. It's very simple. The Bible says believe it in your heart and it says confess it with your mouth. So I'm going to count to three. When I get to three, I want you to raise your hand in this room and say PC, that's me. I'm going to begin today. I'm going to be committed and I'm going to follow Jesus. That's my Lord and Savior. Ready? One oh, we've been praying for this moment all week long. Two, I cannot wait for this journey to begin for you. Three, let me see your hands all over the street, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, come on church, thank you, thank you, thank you. Let's pray this prayer together. Church. Dear Jesus, thank you for paying a price I could not pay to give me a gift I could never earn. I want to turn from my own way and I want to follow you. Be my Lord and Savior In Jesus' name. Amen.
Speaker 1:Church, come on, let's celebrate. Let's celebrate. Hey, let's put up on the screen this declaration. If you're ready, I want you to say it with me. You can stand if you want to. We've got one more song. We're going to end on a high note out of here. This is a song I requested our team to do. I don't do that very often. With this one, I felt like we needed to do after this message Are you ready? Let's say it together this year. With God's help and the power of the Holy Spirit, I declare I will stay committed. The old me is not allowed on this journey. I will stay committed to the new thing God is doing in me, through me and for his glory. Come on church, let's celebrate, stay with us one more minute, as we call it now.