Life for the follower of Jesus begins through a narrow door, where we lose our lives to receive his abundant life.

But it doesn't stop there. Jesus said if anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me.

Paul said, I die daily.

And so this teaching explores what it looks like to deny yourself and to pick up your cross and to follow Jesus.

Because we lose our lives to find life in him.

It's the most glorious invitation. I pray the Lord speaks to you, blesses you,

and encourages you through this message. I have a message. I'm excited to share, but I wanted to

have sort of a pastoral morning, if you will. I keep hearing the Spirit of God say,

beware of the leaven of Herod and the Pharisees. The leaven of Herod is a political leaven.

And the leaven of the Pharisees, there was a religious leaven. And they actually work

together to crucify the Lord. And I, in this season, in our nation, we as the church, are in danger

of being infiltrated by those leavens. And they crucify the Lord and they magnify something that isn't him but it

kind of can look like him or the things around him and whatever we are feeding ourselves whatever

we're watching whatever we're listening to whatever we're talking about we're magnifying it in our lives Keisha said it last night in our service whatever we're watching, whatever we're listening to, whatever we're talking about.

We're magnifying it in our lives.

Keisha said it last night in our service.

Whatever you are looking at is what you're magnifying.

It will become what's most in your sights and on your mind and in your heart.

And in this season, the leaven of Herod and the le 11 of the Pharisees is very loud, and the world is magnifying it. And we as the church have to be on guard. Jesus said, beware. And so I just felt to

warn you to guard your home, guard the gates of your eyes and your ears and your mouth.

If the thing that you're talking about the most is the political campaign, if that's what

you're watching the most and listening to the most, you will not bring the gospel to the people

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