2819 Church - CROSS TO COMMISSION | The Court of the Wicked | Matthew 26:57-68 | Arik Hayes

Episode Date: December 8, 2025

Welcome to the official YouTube channel for 2819 Church. This channel features powerful and life-impacting messages from Philip Anthony Mitchell and guest communicators.As you listen to these sound biblical messages you can expect to be challenged, stirred, matured, and inspired in your faith and walk with God. For more information about us visit 2819Church.org.

God bless you. You may be seated. Hey, Danny B. How you doing, family? Good to see you. Good to see you. If you don't know Danny B, she's one of the people behind the scenes that makes this thing work. And we're real big here, not on just. you're doing your role but we care about your soul that's my sister we've gotten to know each other since I've been on staff and uh just want to honor people amen you just don't want to use people you want to honor people you want them to feel loved for that is the will of Christ in the body

amen amen all right beloved welcome to 2019 church we are a church that is a house of prayer presence and proclamation all three that's the heart of the DNA of this church and will continue to be like that until christ comes back himself i want to welcome our online community digital disciples those that are joining us across the camera those that actually may have come and to visit maybe in this experience we want to welcome you um shout out to the overflow and shout at y'all out in a minute we love you we appreciate you and I want to welcome the unbeliever there it is there it is we want that deep in our culture why why why we were all once unbelievers you don't get to be just

naturally born into this thing right you must be born again and you must come in at the door you sound like an old deacon well i'm turning into one right but again they used to say it and i didn't really have a reference for it right but the scripture said you must come in at the door the door is jesus god the true and living god almighty god has offered a way for us to get to know him have access to him have a relationship with him be saved be delivered be restored be redeemed it has been offered okay it's only been offered one way though and that's through jesus christ i don't keep saying that because you are you are you are you are bombarded with so many other ways for spiritual enlightenment so many ways

Horoscopes, gyms, so many other religions. And the scripture says, anybody else that tries to get to God any other way. The scriptures say this. I didn't make this up, right? The scriptures call them a thief and a robber. If you try to get to God any other way, except the door, aka Jesus, that's been freely provided. And it's our hope, beloved, if you're here and you belong before you believe, or if you're checking us out through the screen, it's our hopes that sometime, we hope some little than later, but sometime the Holy Spirit would prick your heart like you pricked ours. And you would join us aboard the arc of safety as our pastor says often, right?

That you would join the kingdom of God, that you would walk with him on this earth. and we would enjoy eternal life here and in heaven, which is to know the true living God. That is our plan. That is our hope. That is our desire. That is our prayer. And I just want to take out time, which we customarily do, to honor the pastor of this ecstasy of this house, Philip Anthony Mitchell. Amen. Again, I want to give you space to honor. We're not trying to force you to do it, right?

But why? Why do you do that every time you preach? Well, I'm going to tell you why. But sometimes it's just hard to even, even run your own life. Can we just talk like we family? It's the one o'clock experience. Have we talked like we family today? Sometimes it's hard to get out of bed and run your own life and be responsible for yourself before marriage or children. No other connections. Just you. He says, just you.

Nobody else. Just you. I don't feel like doing it today. Nobody depending on you at all. Just you. I don't feel like doing it today. Imagine having. a wife and four children and a church I think on average we're looking between 6,000 and

6,500. Amen. Praise God. Locally. Imagine a digital disciple. I don't know how we even calculate how big our digital disciple community is. And to do that with, consistency and grace and tenacity, I think that that deserves honor. So that's why. Amen. All right, beloved. And as a church, we're continuing to walk through the book of Matthews, almost three years in, in a series we've titled, Cross to Commission, and I have the honor and privilege of preaching this sermon to you that I've titled, the Court of the Wicked. the court of the wicked let me pray again for us holy father i just thank you for your scriptures your truth the bride of christ and the precious holy spirit i seek to decrease that you

are increasing me in this hour that your will for this assignment would come to pass internal nudges of the Holy Spirit and the work of the Spirit amongst the bride and even for the unbelievers that are here and those that will will watch. I pray you encounter them that they will have a saving faith in the Lord Jesus to come aboard the arc of safety and walk in truth in the body of Christ. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Frank, you mind hanging out with me family? I appreciate you. Well, family, this is no newsflash, but it's something I want to talk about today. There's evil in the world.

There's just unadulterated evil. People that seek to hurt people and damage them and harm them. and subjugate them and deceive them and poison them there is evil in the world so part of theological truth there is holiness and there is evil and we've all encountered it in some way shape or form some of us as some of us in this room have actually committed evil against other people. Some of us have had evil committed to us at the hands of other people. Some people either here or across this camera may still be dealing with it.

I pray that God deliver you from it. But with that evil, man, there's a, there's a certain feeling. of disappointment and dismay and discouragement when evil is committed at hands, at the hands of people that are supposed to protect you. Like dealing with evil is one thing. Dealing with evil is one thing, but dealing with evil coming from your parent is different. dealing with abuse is one thing but at the hands of your mother or father that's different dealing with violence is one thing but dealing with violence at the hands of a crooked cop

it's different having your child be bullied or having your child be harmed is one thing but when you pack them up, you give them some lunch money, or give them their lunch, and you send them on the way, and they sit in the classroom of a teacher that harms them or abuses them. That's different. Why? Because these people, you give a level of trust. Nobody's sending their children off to actually be abused.

Nobody's going into the medical system to sit in front of a doctor that has the knowledge expecting to be to be to be mishandled Nobody's coming to church to be lied to from a pastor Or suffer spiritual abuse. It's a thing Because the people that should be pushing righteousness holiness goodness help you put trust in them when you suffer at the hands of them it cuts differently so our lord and savor finds himself in a similar situation here as we go through the scriptures we'll be going through matth 26 chapter 57 through 68 I'll jump into 57.

And before I do that, I'll just piggyback on what Lionel was preaching last week. And if you heard it, he was preaching. He was preaching. And he was talking about Christ saying that he had access. Couldn't he appeal to the father and have legions of angels come and make quick work with this whole thing? but he chose not to and you saw at the end of that passage all of the disciples deserted him all of them fled so as we jumped into verse 57 I need to set this up he was alone and I just want to drop this off maybe you can you can handle it hopefully you'll be able to get something from it

yes we push community we push brothers and sisters we push the one another's but sometimes in this walk you may find yourself alone you may not have planned it you may have you may have dependent on somebody small group you sit the text out need a little help nobody show up do we plan for that no but I need to let you know that if no one shows up we still need to stand solid in Christ I know this is tough man man, I want to handle this firmly, but gently at the same time. Listen, man, isn't this the prime time for Christ to get church hurt and stop being the Savior for five years and not go to the cross?

Isn't that a prime example of church hurt? The people he poured into, did miracles with, went up fed, eight went in-houses and everything. They saw who he was. He revealed what the church was. This is my crew. Gone. And now he's alone.

That's why he's our idol, man. You know what he did? He's still solid on who he is. All right. Verse 57. Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.

Caiaphas. and I can be honest some of this I never even saw until I started I started studying this Caiaphas was the high priest a lot of times we're looking at you know we read the high priest this in the Old Testament right descendants from Aaron actually God appointed that right right but this guy Caiaphas it came and he was a high priest at the time where actually the Roman government would appoint them that sound crazy that's like the government governor of Georgia come and appointing the next pastor of this church. Now that sound crooked to me already.

And the first time we heard of him is when he actually planned and had a plot to kill Jesus. Now we're dropping in for his time to execute that plan. Verse 58. And Peter was following him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest. and going inside, he sat with the guards to see the end. Verse 59. It said, now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death.

Let's stop. If you've been around church in time and you heard the Ten Commandments once or twice, that may jump out at you. They said they were seeking false testimony. How about the Ten Commandments that said, in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, it's the next to the last commandment. It says, neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor. Stop.

How are you a whole high priest with a whole Sanhedron council looking and actively, trying to do a high, just trying to find a false witness. What are we doing? It's one thing to fall into sin, fam. It's another thing as a high priest to be like, hey, come be a false witness. Come break one of the ten commandments. Come on matter of fact, you know it's going to be the victim of your crime? Christ!

It's a wicked court. We'll do verse 60 and 61 together. Verse 60 said, after all they're trying to get a false witness they found none so many false witnesses came forward it says at last two came forward and let me stop there right so i'm gonna give you give you a little background as they did research right so it's weird because they said they found none and then they found too so let me clear up any type of confusion right it's weird because they're blatantly trying to do evil but they're still trying to do it with righteous demands does that mean

sense? So they're looking for people that are actually going to lie, but they're still trying to make the lies line up. In the dead of night, by the way. It was actually illegal for them to meet at that time. So they're in the dead of night trying to get people to come and lie and have the lies match up. And then 61, after the two came forward and they said, because they were still looking for two witnesses that agreed, they said together, this man said, speaking of Christ, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days. Okay, two things, right? That's a huge deal back in that time. The temple was like the home of God. We were just talking about that. So to say that you're actually going to destroy the temple was a big deal. Now, this is the

thing. Christ didn't say that. What he actually said is in John 219. I'm just going to going to say it, it's not going to come up on the screen. What Christ actually said was, destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it up. He was actually talking about his own body. So here, the son of the living God, that's like, oh, we got you. They have nothing because they're twisting around his words. They're trying to find the needle in the haystack. something that they can have an offense and actually be able to put them to death. Now, this is what's important to us. They want to get them on one thing because they want to actually put them to death.

It's important that if Christ broke one law, he is then disqualified from dying on the cross and being our Savior. So we play around with the word perfection here. Nobody's close to perfect, right? Christ actually had to walk a perfect line for 33 years. And they tried to get them and they still failed here. Give me verse 62. So he heard the lie from the two people. The high priest said he stood up, which told me he was sitting down.

He stood up and said, Caiaphas. He said, have you no answer to make? He's talking to Christ. What is it that these men testify against you? First part of verse 63. He said, but Jesus remained silent. As I read the scriptures and Christ is supposed to be our true idol of our heart. One of the things I love about him, and there are many, is that Christ always came off.

cool it's like you just weren't going to rattle him you just want to say anything like you never saw him flustered and trying to get someone the man died they was like yo if you'd have came here you know you could have saved lazarus he got to him on his own time god is never in a rush right and how can we take to extrapolate the point many of us deal with anxiety at a level of that we should not. I deal with anxiety. I'm trying to see it around corners. That's how I got that revelation.

I need to trust the one who can. Yeah, it's nothing wrong with planning, but planning to the point, I've got to know everything. You never will. How much research do you have to do to know everything? If that's your goal,

aren't you about to be stressed out? he was quiet and in the second verse the second part of 63 the high priest takes it to another level it says and the high priest said to him in verse 63 I assure you by the living God

tell us if you are the Christ the son of God I just want to give you a quick translation. He's basically saying, swear to God and tell us whether you're to Christ. Does that sound like something a high priest should be saying to the living son of God? Second of all, watch your mouth. You ain't got to be deeply religious or saved. You're like, swear to God, like some of us got smacked in the face for much less. Sweat of God, you better clean that up.

Here he is a whole high priest, talking to the son of the living God, adjuring him, ordering him to tell me whether you're the son of God and swear to God by it. Can I just point out again the restraint of Christ? Boy, I was there when you were made. Who are you talking to? imagine my two-year-old son rolling up on me talking like that he two and a half he can barely talk just gibbered boy are you crazy who are you talking i say that to him to me two and a half don't judge me who you're talking to hey look at christ's response here And I love it.

64. Jesus said to him, let's walk through it slowly. You have said so. But I tell you from now on, you will see the son of man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Now, beloved, if you wouldn't mind, give me a little time to unpack this. It's a couple of things I want to come out of this verse. Because it's pregnant with a couple of things. One, why are you already pressing me?

You have already said, I'm the son of the living God. That's what Christ said. You have said so. Why are you pressing me? Put on your shame trial in front of people. You already believe it. Second point. I'll read it again.

But I tell you, from now on you will see the son of man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. You've heard me say from the stage, right? That's why you need to be able to grow. That primarily Christ came to bring us a new name for God, for us to be able to call him Father. Okay? Jehovah Nisi, Jehovah Sid Cano, Jehovah Rapha, the names of God in the Old Testament,

he's still that. But I'm saying primarily, he gave us the name Father. Like now, through the blood of Christ, we're able to be adopted. Right? adopted by the spirit of adoption now we can call the almighty god by the gospel and the sacrifice of Christ on the cross be able to call him father abba daddy it's actually a better translation there you've heard me say that I never saw this we have another name to call him it said the right hand of power now look at that in your Bible that P is capitalized so now we're not talking about

as a thing. We're talking about power as a person. No, let me stay there. Your daddy's name is power. And guess who told you it was true? Jesus Christ himself. I'm going to tell you something beloved that changed when I got that that changed the way I prayed because you pray different when you know you're praying to power ask anything in my name believe you will receive it why why why because my father's name is power I haven't shared this before but I'm going to tell you I was actually coming back from Ohio my parents the parentals my in law as they live in Ohio we were coming back right and I was doing sermon prep while I was gone I came back and I was like it really because revelation will change you not just information about

God I read the Bible from front to back cool do you have a revelation of who he is given by the spirit of God that's the question there are scholars that read the Bible all the time no but do you have a revelation of who he is have you had an encounter who he is through the scriptures right so it's Saturday after Thanksgiving now Sunday after Thanksgiving I want to say it's actually the worst day to travel okay so we think we're gonna get on Saturday everything gonna be okay well it wasn't I was driving and we were coming from Ohio coming back to Southern Atlanta and all of a sudden the Google Maps the estimated time of a rival, it'll change from green, and you in Atlanta, you know that this is often, it'll

change the orange, and then it'll change to red on you. Now, take me out, fam, it's already a solid nine hours with no stops. And we got four children in here. Now, they ain't the worst, but I'm actually not bad, but I'm saying, it's six people in this car. I'm ready to get home. And it started climbing, it was climbing, and it was climbing, and it was climbing until it got like an hour more than originally stated. And if I'm not mistaken, I think it was my youngest baby.

She said, can you pray? Shout out the formations, by the way. Because I pray, but they'd be coming out. Daddy, can you pray? She reminds me to pray sometimes. She's like, Daddy, can you pray? I was like, I can. I'm over here stressed out.

And I just got the revelation that my father's name is power. So when you've got revelation, it changes how you move. And I'm like, I think I said something forward. I said something along the lines of. And God, I'm believing that you would. take this additional time and get rid of most of it. This is next to the worst day to travel. I just kept moving.

And family, I kept driving. And it led us off. And do you know that of the hour that was added approximately, like 40 to 42 minutes came off? Now, some of you going to hear that way. You don't know it. You know, there's always going to be a reason you can explain away God's grace. Got to move.

The devil or yourself. Well, it could have been something else. Maybe. You can try to explain away all of God's blessings. What I do know is that I pray to power except that happened. That's what I do know. That's a small example, man. I'm going to encourage you as home.

work. Forget speak truth to power. Pray to your father whose name is power and expect something to happen. And I'm going to throw something else out there for you. He can change you and the situation at the same time. Don't you limit him or put him in a box. Yeah, well, I need to mature. He'll change me. Cool. He can do both. You can seek his face and his hand. They're connected at his heart and it's for you. That's good. I'm going to say it again.

I'm going to say it again. You can seek his face and his hand. They're connected at its heart. At his heart. And it's for you in Christ Jesus. And this is the last thing here. This is the high priest talking to the one who will become the high priest. I almost name this, mutual replacement.

This is what's diabolical. They scheming, they're meeting in the dead of night, they're having multiple, you know, things in the night, they hide, they're looking for false witnesses. He doesn't even know he's being used by God to help do one of his last sacrifices. Because before Christ was a high priest, he was the Lamb of God. So he's actually taken his time and his deceit and his evil. He's helping to usher the Lamb of God, which is actually one of his responsibilities. On the Day of Atonement, the Most High Priest goes into the Holy of Holies. He presents the Lamb on behalf of the people and himself.

It's a good time to serve, but the devil meant for evil. Ha! God turned it around. He turned it around. In the middle of their plan, he turned it around. He tried to trap him. He just made a way for all. He turned it around.

He's helping to sacrifice the Lamb of God, so that then he will become our high priest. I got a little time. I'll give it you one more, right? He as a high priest would be aware of prophecy. Right? So, Revelation 1-7, it says, Behold, he is coming with the clouds. And every eye will see him,

and even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so, amen. Christ already told him, you already said it. You already said, I'm the son. And now I'm going to give you a prophecy as the high priest I know you recognize. You just couldn't press Christ into a corner and have them fold. I love that about him.

I idolize that about him. He's a solid character. Even unto death, he did not fold. Help us have that character, oh God. As a disciple, man, we can walk in that too. How many y'all remember Stephen getting stoned in the New Testament? Did he run? No.

And it says they stone them. Got out of him about son, though. that Jesus in heaven stood up to receive him. Disciple, don't fold. Don't fold, disciple. You have the great sustainer at your back. You are seated in Christ, God. Even death cannot steal anything from you.

Nothing can be taken away from you that cannot be restored. he is the one he is the one that survives and your weakest your weakest hour you call on him your weakest hour

don't you fold you put steel in your back so even if he does not deliver me he is still able He's still able. He's still able. Whether he shows up in this circumstance or not, to be absent from the body, is to be present from the Lord. We can walk in our confidence that the world.

shake they can't imitate I am his and he is mine and you know how you get that confidence now you get that confidence I'm gonna give it to you do you want to get that confidence? You do something real diabolical and wild and just read your Bible. You was waiting. I tricked you, didn't you? He about to give me the sauce. He is the sauce. The living world! Yeah! Yeah! The living word! You can meet him right here. Right here. the sounds. The Lord is my shepherd.

I'm going to take some time. I shall not watch. He's making me lie down in green passages. He lead me besides still waters. He restores my soul. He restores my soul. He restores my soul. He restores my soul.

I have met the restorer. I just met him. You act like if he don't show out in a ball of light, he didn't come. No, no, no, no, no. Get to know him. Let's follow. Get to know him. Right here.

My pastor. Right here. Get to know him. Carve away time. I know you busy. You ain't that busy to not meet with the living God. Neither am I. Get to know him.

Turn down your plate. Had any of us, suck. Turn down your screen. Seclude yourself. Steal away. And get to know him. That's how you get it. Anybody that's really gotten to know him did it that way.

You have the scriptures and the spirit with nobody else around. This is how you can walk alone. So after the Lord, Jesus gave him all of that. Here he go, he is. Give me 65. Then the high priest tore his robes, Caiaphas, and said, He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need?

You have now heard his blasphemy. Verse 66. And the Sanhedron Council, elders, chief priests, they answered. He deserves death. They tried to jam him up. They couldn't do it. They had to misrepresent his words to even. get to witnesses to even somewhat agree.

He is the one that knows thoughts and said, you already said that I'm the son of the living God. You don't think Christ could have gotten out of that? You don't think you could have argued his way out of that? But he didn't. I'll tell you a quick story. I'm from Jacksonville, North Carolina, and I live with my grandmother until I was 13 years old.

And unfortunately, my grandmother, she was actually a housekeeper. I think she was getting dropped off. It was a day that actually I wasn't even at school. And it's been a while, so the details are a little fuzzy, but I think she tried to step on the curb, and she, like, missed it, and she fell real hard. She broke her hip. And the older people, you know, brittle bones and stuff like that, it worked against them.

And grandma was feisty, right? To the point where when the physical therapist came and they say, all right, well, let's do your physical therapy. She ain't trying to work with them. Even more than that, she's actually insulting them. so much so that my mother her daughter would be like embarrassed like mama you can't you can't say that to the people they're here to help you she didn't care um that was my grandma and um it got to the point where she actually went to a nursing home and uh i was probably 17 19 years old something like that and i remember going to seeing a nurse at home and it was his girl named natasha i went to school with

I went to high school with a Jacksonville High. And I don't know really, well, I do know what possessed me to say it. But it wasn't like I was a big towering figure. Like I was probably half my weight. Never been a tough guy, but I meant what I was about to say. And it's probably been over about 25 years. So give me some grace. I'm trying to remember it.

But I said something along the lines of, if anything happened to her, I'm going to turn this place upside down. I'm not advising you to say that, but I'm telling you the story. okay because she didn't play about me and I don't play about her because I knew if I turned the corner and I saw something wild going on in that room and she was in there I can't speak for nobody else grandma but I know it was about to be bad in this place because I was about to be temporarily insane again I'm not a tough guy I'm just telling you where I was right because there's something in me and another part of the story she actually started to develop dementia in Alzheimer's.

So she's out of it. She's defenseless. And even to this day, man, it's hard for me to even watch the news. I hardly ever watch it. They have a great ability to put some of the most tragic stories, some of the most defensive, defenseless communities in front of you, children, elderly people. They just put it in front of you, and I can't deal with it.

I understand that there's sex trafficking in America. actually a global thing, but I can't stare at it long. I have to divert my attention. Don't judge it. It's just hard for me to deal with evil, especially amongst people that are defenseless. It's just hard for me to stomach it. That being said, I'm closing, Frank. Give me a verse 67. after they said he deserves death this is where our savior went through and I'm going to say this beloved and hear my heart we recognize and we honor what he did on the cross but a lot of us skip this right we in the last couple chapters

here. We're not going to run through these scriptures. We're going to walk slowly. We're going to talk about this. Lord help me. Jesus. 67 said, then they spit in his face. him and some slapped him 68 and they said saying prophesy to us you christ who is it saying prophesied to us you Christ who is it that struck you I ain't going to hold you, fam. This thing brought me to tears early this week. Real talk. It brought me to tears.

Because this is the tough thing. I was talking about the defenseless communities. Christ wasn't defenseless. He rendered himself defenseless. He chose to take his power and put it down. and choose not to use. Now, why would he do something like that? If you were in there, wouldn't you be like me?

Somebody, do something. Do something, man. Peter bust in there, do something. Let them do them like that, man. Don't let them do them like that, fam. Don't let them do them like that. They can't treat our savior like that. We can't let that go down like that. Until somehow we wrap our minds around the fact that he did it on purpose.

Christ skipped no steps along the crucifixion process. he didn't mail it in he was fully god and fully man and let me talk to the men and some women who are either sensitive to hypersensitive to disrespect like i battle with you've probably heard me say man cussing at me is just a little bit lower i say a little bit lower than spitting on me either one of them things happen somebody needs to help me arrest my flesh go call elder milton he did it for you he stayed in the pocket of persecution for you at any given time he could have made quick work of all this he could have appealed to his father

whose name is power to dispatch some angels this thing legions really one angel can do quick work on this whole situation just one he had legions available am. But we're going to honor this too. You know, when you get angry and you want to sin and get into your flesh, he understands that anger. That's why in the scriptures he can say, be angry, but do not sin. Like he didn't. Imagine being there when men was actually made. It says the scriptures, all things were made through Christ. and then that creation, or creations, spitting on you, punching you, and slapping you, all the while mocking you, prophesied to us now, who was it?

it was because of you so we could call god almighty father if he gets out of this trial or he wins the trial and he doesn't go to the next step there's no salvation on the cross I guess I have had one point Beloved do we live do we live honoring that Or do we say Nah God that's too much I don't want to get off social media for six months I don't feel like reading today

I don't feel like forgiving my spouse I don't feel like forgiving my child I don't feel like forgiving my parent now I'm cool on that I catch you on another day Look at what he did before he even got to the cross beloved We gotta honor that By your head let me pray for us Holy Father I thank you for giving us the scriptures thank you for giving us each other

the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth God we thank you for the one that will come back on the clouds the most high priest in Christ Jesus thank you for being our father and one who is named power

hope us not just come in and out of experiences like this and getting head knowledge. God, help us lean into revelation of who you really are so that it would change how we walk in the earth. We love you. Help us even love you back the way you deserve.

It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. God bless you guys. The play, the blood, or the wonderful place. Your love, your love, your love. your love all the marvelous love that the redeemed sing the song praises belong to the sun the blood the blood to play or the wonderful play the play the blood to play the blood to play or the wonderful play the blood to play or the wonderful play you love

love your love all the marvelous love let the redeem sing the song praises belong to the shine the blood the blood the blood all the wonderful blood all right family we have a special message from our pastor pastor philip Please direct your attention to the screen. What's up, 2819 family. Trust that you all are doing well. I know it is the end of the gathering and that you are ready to get to your cars and get to your homes.

But before you leave today, I just want to share something with you that is very important to my heart. I just want to ask that you will listen carefully because it involves you. And I remember the very first message I ever preached as a senior pastor. It was 12 years ago under an old ministry named Victory Church. And I remember the very first Sunday preaching.

And I thinking to myself, I have no money in my personal account. We have no money in the church account. And my wife and I and I couldn't believeers just launched that ministry by faith. and we had nothing, and just preaching and being faithful to God. And that week, a man who would become a mentor to me, a bishop, he called me, he saw the ministry on Facebook, asked me to come do dinner with him. And I went, and we had dinner, and he poured out to me. He was an older man of God.

When that dinner was over, he slid an envelope across the table. And that envelope was a check for $45,000. And if it was not for that gift, he was not for that gift. our ministry would not have survived if it was not for that gift my wife and I would not have been able to buy food or groceries would take care of our family if it was not for that gift

I would not be here today and I remember the significance of that gift when our ministry was small when it was young and the impact of that man's generosity he had in my life that changed my life that marked my life

and ever since then I've always had this dream personally as a lead pastor to being a position where we could do the same for other people. And throughout the years, we have been generous here, but never really had the resources to impact lives on the level I've always dreamed to be able to do that. Until now, right?

Until now. And I want to share with you something that's happened to share that is very special to me personally. And it's special to me personally because there is an area of my life that I have a struggle. We all have struggles. I have struggles, plural. One of the areas I struggle in in life is I struggle to receive, right?

It's very difficult for me to receive. So, you know, like birthday parties and honors and these things are difficult for me. I find great joy and generosity, right? And anybody who knows me personally, my wife, my staff, children, I love to give things away to other people. I love to bless other people and I find great joy in easing the sufferings of other people. Something about that brings me great joy. And 2019 as a ministry is going to be three years old on December 31st. This ministry that we share together called 2019 is only three years old. It is still a baby. And, uh,

And just a year ago, and just last year, we did not have the resources to really be a blessing to other people or any kind of level. This year, God has done something very special in our ministry, and you have been a part of this, and I just want to share with you what God has done. And I wrote these down, so I will have some accuracy. And for lack of not sharing too much informational for the sake of anonymity, I won't mention the names of these organizations. but I just want you to hear what I'm about to say, okay? In this calendar year of 2025, we have supported 10 churches, nine of them inside the United States of America. One church in India where Christians are being persecuted and put to death. We have supported 10 churches have helped them get them.

get off the ground. We are helping them right now with monthly gifts. We are keeping 10 churches afloated gospel churches that God has planted. Right now, as I'm talking to you, we are supporting two missionary families on two different continents. Right now, as I'm talking to,

we have supported a Christian ship, a cruise ship that's out there right now in the ocean that is doing gospel ministry in the middle of the ocean. we have made that possible for ministry. Right now, as I'm talking to you, we have supported five families this year and have elevated them from suffering

to help put food on their table, and we have gone above and beyond for those families. Right now, as I'm talking to, there's a powerful podcast in London. We have paid for the whole season of that podcast. So they are spreading the gospel in a place that is spiritually dark, in fact, in a place we're going to do our very,

1st, 2819 crusade at the end of January, that first weekend in February. Right now, as I'm talking to you, we have supported two Christian companies that are doing big work for the gospel inside the United States of America. And right now, as I'm talking to, we have provided for an outreach and missions organization on the continent of Africa and another one in the Caribbean. We have supported all of these ministries this years And because of your faithfulness and giving Because of your faithfulness and generosity

I just want to report you what you have done We have done together now For some of you this number may seem small I get it There's a lot of ballers in the church And a lot of ballers in Atlanta This is important to me And I pray we'll be able to increase this

but I just want you to hear, and I want to thank you. That this year as a Christian family, we've been able to give away over $1 million of outreach support to all of these organizations. And we can celebrate that as a church, right? We're giving away over $1 million to support all of these outreach, ministries, churches, Christian businesses,

podcasts and organizations over $1 million given away and we can celebrate that as a church. And so I want to take this opportunity personally

to extend to you my most heartfelt felt gratitude for partnering with us in the spread of the gospel. It's the single mom who sold $20 from every check. It's the businessman who soles just a little bit more. It's all of us working together in the little amounts that we are doing. God has put in our hearts.

You know, I never beat you up about money. Barely take up offerings on Sunday. And I just want to take this opportunity. I just want to take this opportunity to personally thank you for believing in the ministry of 2019 supporting the ministry of 2019

for being faithful for giving for being generous and for helping me to accomplish a vision has been on my heart 12 years to be able to give and help the body of Christ at that level and with God's grace, we'll be able to increase that in the year to come, in the years to come.

So thank you, 2019. Thank you to the brothers and sisters. Thank you to all of our digital disciples. Everybody was faithful and given in Atlanta across the country and around the world. Thank you so much for caring, for supporting the spread of the gospel. Because of you, all these ministries have been impacted, and because of you, thousands of lives have been impacted. through these ministries. Our reward is above us. A reward is in heaven. We are adding souls to the kingdom. We are storing up treasures for ourselves in heaven. Jesus is glorified. The bride

is strengthened. And this is only the beginning. Thank you so much. Continue to be faithful in you. Continue to be generous. Let's make an even greater difference. I love you all and I bless you all. Go on peace.