Go to the Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter 7, verses 24 through 28. Dr. Orin Perry, would you wave your hand in the house tonight, visiting pastor? Give God a praise for him. My therapist is in the house tonight. Would you wave your hand at him? Let him see who you are. Amen. Pray for him because he was mean to me. He had me doing stuff that our old bodies shouldn’t have to do anymore. I tried. I told him, «The best part of our session is when you leave.» Thank you for being who you are. Come on, give God a praise for him. It will please you to know I was running today, lifting weights today, and running around my property today. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, man.
Yeah, yeah. I still might eat some cheesecake before it’s over, but no, I’m just teasing you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I’m trying to feel good, and I am feeling good. This is quite the text, and the Lord has been speaking to me about it off and on for some time. I want you to pray with me that I might be able to communicate with you what He has communicated with me. Therefore, whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. What did he do? And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat against that house, and it fell not. And it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that hears these sayings of mine and does them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand, and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine, for he taught them as one having authority and not as a scribe. He spoke like he knew what he was talking about. His attitude was different from the attitude of other people who spoke because he had a different perspective. He had a longer view. He had a vision in mind.
He knew. They were used to reading the words, hearing the words, and teaching the words. The scribes wrote the words, but he was the Word. Are you hearing what I’m talking about? So tonight, I have a title and a subtitle. So that means you’re going to be in trouble. Okay, the title is sustainable outcomes. Sustainable outcomes. Sustainable outcomes. It’s no good how things come if they don’t stay. It doesn’t do any good to fix it if you’re going to break it again. You want to have sustainable outcomes. And my subtitle is real simple. Look at somebody and say, «Still here.»
Father, bless the Word while it is taught tonight. Let it bring forth life. Let it change things, fix things, heal things, mend things. Give us the kinds of outcomes that are sustainable, that we can maintain, that we can count on, so that no matter what we encounter in our lives, we will have the ability and endurance to have done all to stand, to stand therefore with our loins girded about with truth. I thank You for what You are going to do in Jesus' name. Somebody shout, «Amen.» Amen.Jesus-themed merchandise
You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. There you go. So, I was talking several years ago to a facilitator, an executive, a CEO who runs hospitals, and I was speaking to him at a time when we were hosting MegaFest. I wanted to organize a health fair in front of MegaFest.
I informed him about the demographics of the attendees and the health issues prevalent in that population. I said, «Why don’t you come and set up a health fair? It will give you an opportunity to help solve some of these pervasive problems in our community, which have incidentally worsened.» He gave me the strangest response. He said, «Your population, by and large, is not from our city.» He added, «When we do a health fair, we do it with the intent of attracting long-term clients and patients.» This somewhat hurt my feelings because I believed health fairs were intended to eradicate disease.
There are certainly doctors who share that vision, but I was not speaking to a doctor; I was talking to an administrator. Suddenly, I realized that what I viewed as a mission, he perceived as a business. I didn’t realize that, being so mission-oriented, what I considered a mission was his livelihood, his payroll, his mortgages to pay, and his insurances to provide. He was focused on longevity and sustainability, aware that those people would fly back out of town and go somewhere else. He didn’t want to incur the expenses and pay all those people for hours of work for someone who would only be there for a weekend. He was seeking sustainability while I was looking for people who just wanted to get better. Neither of us was wrong, but we had different perspectives. Sometimes, having a particular perspective depends on the position you hold.
That’s why you cannot let people who comment on your posts or say little funny things about you worry you. They are speaking from their perspective. Indeed, it is the way they think about something that shapes their views. What I love about the radical Jesus we serve is that he always challenged people’s thinking. Most of the time, he challenged the way religious people think because the hardest individuals to transform in their beliefs are those who are already indoctrinated with ideas ingrained generationally to the point that they cannot escape the prison of their mindset.
They might have escaped the prison of sin, but some cannot break free from the prison of religious ideologies. Jesus had a way of challenging spiritual thought to transform the way that you think, allowing you to evolve into the realm of his thinking. We have a God who has planned the end from the beginning. However, we have a people who are spontaneous. Let me say that again: we have a God who has planned the end from the beginning, but we have a people who are spontaneous, who make last-minute decisions regarding what they will do, what they will wear, and where they will go. They are unpredictable. We have a God who is steadfast and stable, while we have a people who make emotional decisions on the spur of the moment. The Bible says, «How can two walk together unless they agree?»
Often, when you see Jesus in the Gospels speaking to people, he is addressing religious individuals, attempting to change their way of thinking. It’s like trying to crack concrete with a fork. Once someone becomes convinced of something, the Bible indicates that, at one point, they were so resolute in their religious convictions that they killed the prophets.
When God sent his son, they crucified him. Now, I am not even dealing with sinners yet; I am talking about religious individuals. They killed the very God they claimed to serve. When that God sent a prophet, they killed the prophet, thinking they were doing God’s service. We need a revival, but not a 5-day, 10-day, or 12-day revival.
We need a revival in the way we think. We need a transformation in our minds. We require a transformation to understand how we need to process things and how far down the road we should be thinking. In business, they refer to it as outcome-based management. They focus on the outcome, not the day or the minute, but the outcome. They want to see the outcome change.
This approach emphasizes setting clear goals and evaluating performance based on measurable results instead of micromanaging processes or daily tasks. What employees focus on is, «Is it 5:00 yet? Is it Friday? Thank God it’s Friday!» But employers know Monday is coming, and then another Monday will follow. They must think ahead rather than live in the moment. How close is it to lunchtime? Where are we going to eat? People who think in short cycles experience short-term results.
People who think in long cycles make better decisions because they consider the outcomes of actions rather than the moment they are currently in. I hope this directly impacts you. So, take your shoe off so you can feel it. If I can get that toe just right, I can change your life in such a way that you will never be the same again. You won’t be stuck in the moment. We tell people to live in the moment, but if you only live for the moment, you will be as foolish as you can be. The Bible mentions, «Look at the ant, O you sluggard; watch it and consider its ways.» While it is summer, it thinks about winter.
So, while you’re talking to God about summer, complaining about the rain, you should be thinking, «Thank God for the rain to water the soil so I can have food in winter.» However, because you think from your perspective, you are trapped in a cycle of your own emotions. When you become trapped in your emotions, you won’t even pray correctly because you’re speaking to an eternal God while praying from a specific place, and you’re speaking two different languages.
It’s like one of you speaks French while the other speaks Spanish, as you are so engrossed in today that you fail to see that God is using today to guide you into tomorrow. If you don’t understand this, you will despise today and miss tomorrow because today is the tool God uses to prepare you for tomorrow. God is concerned about the outcome, not the inconvenience.
He’s focused on the end of a matter. The Bible states that Christ was the lamb slain from the foundations of the world. God had a plan of redemption set in place before Adam ever sinned because God is a God of outcomes. And when you are a God of outcomes, you think about things differently. If you can become an outcome-based manager of your life, you will stop worrying about who didn’t speak to you, who didn’t like you, or who is a hater.
You won’t need to discuss haters to motivate you because you will realize that the hater is neither here nor there. If it doesn’t affect the outcome, it doesn’t matter what a hater says, one way or the other. Your mind needs to focus on clear goal-setting. Your mind should be on leadership decision-making: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives.
That’s what you should focus on—smart thinking, not things that don’t matter. I don’t care if you like my jacket or glasses because that has nothing to do with my long-term objectives. I’m concentrating on my goals, not your opinions. Your opinion doesn’t outweigh my objectives. All the successful people are recognizing this because they understand that your objectives do not depend on others' opinions. You find yourself trying to change someone’s opinion when it won’t make or break you, whether they like you or don’t like you, whether they believe in you or not.
Nobody received a raise simply because someone liked them. No one got a spiritual gift just because someone likes them. You must focus on your objectives and strive toward them to achieve the outcomes you desire in your life. You should think far ahead so that you can act today in a way that connects with tomorrow. Tomorrow must link to next week; next week must link to next month. When everything is said and done, you will be where God wants you to be.
The issue, however, is that Jesus was addressing people who were only concerned about the moment. They were focused on the present and said, «We did great works in your name. We healed the sick in your name. We raised the dead.» He replied, «Depart from me, you workers of iniquity.» He gives them two reasons before telling his story. The first is that he said, «Your relationship with me should be the foundation from which you operate.»
Not your brokenness, nor your need to prove something to someone who isn’t there anymore. Your foundation must be your relationship with me. The second thing he states is your obedience. So, if you’re taking notes, write down «relationship» and «obedience.» He said that if you hear my word and obey it, you will build on a solid foundation. You will build. Touch three people and say, «You will build. You will build.» Everyone in this room is a builder. Everyone is constructing something. There’s no one here who isn’t a builder.
Whether you build fear, doubt, anger, insecurity, crisis, trauma, or trouble, everybody in this room is building something. Whether you realize it or not, you are building something right now. If you’re watching me online, you are a builder—decide what you are building.
Everyone in the story was building. Jesus uses this metaphor to teach them about accountability, achieving outcomes, and understanding that following rigid processes are not as crucial as obtaining definitive outcomes. In essence, any time you value the process more than the outcome, you become trapped in that process. «No, I have to do it this way because I love the process» instead of focusing on the outcome.
In reality, the methods we employ to accomplish tasks may vary from person to person, but as long as we achieve the necessary results, that is what matters. People will criticize you for your processes while you should be focusing on your outcomes. When I was a young boy, I grew up in a neighborhood where the ice cream truck would come by.
When the ice cream truck appeared, it rang a bell, and all the kids would rush out of their houses to chase it. Once the ice cream truck ran out of children, I noticed that it would pick up speed because all its customers were gone. Our fun was his business. Yes. I love ice cream; he loves selling ice cream. He wanted the money; I wanted the ice cream. Fair exchange, no robbery. However, I couldn’t understand the dog that ran after the ice cream truck. This is my problem with it: the dog ran as fast as he could, yet the truck was going faster.
I wondered if the dog ever considered, «What will I do if I catch it? I can’t drive!» How often do we chase something without thinking about what we will do if we catch it? Oh, you don’t hear what I’m saying. How many times are we pursuing positions, chasing people, or going after opportunities, but if we catch them, we have no plan of action? If you lack a plan for your next step, you will never fulfill God’s purpose.
Successful individuals in the kingdom and in life have thought ahead, saying, «When I get there, I will do this; when I get there, I will do that; when I get there, I will do the other.» They maintain a strong sense of focusing on autonomy and flexibility. I must act if you don’t act. I need to move if you don’t move. I must be flexible enough to adapt when you adapt because I am concerned about outcomes. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to achieve them.
The process says, «I’m not going to turn because I didn’t plan to turn, and I can’t make a change because I don’t like changes. I’m in love with the process, not the outcome.» But people who focus on the outcome will drive down the alley. They’ll drive through somebody’s backyard. They’ll climb over a fence. They’ll leap over the wall because they’re not worried about how they look; they’re concerned about the outcome—outcome-based management. This is essentially what Jesus is teaching in this text.
He says, «If you don’t build right on the right foundation, it’s not going to last. If you’re building the house thinking it’s never going to rain, that’s great. How will you be able to endure?» In other words, plan for trouble. Include challenges in your plan. Jesus is telling them that it’s not going to be easy. Nobody in this story was not a builder, and nobody in this story had no trouble.
So for all of you sulking because you have trouble and feeling sorry for yourselves, the enemy is stealing years from your life because there is not one person in this text who didn’t experience trouble. So you’re sitting there thinking you’re in a class all by yourself. «I had a hard time. I had a hard life. I had a difficult childhood. I had a bad marriage. I had a broken home.» So what? So did everybody else. And if they made it, you can make it too.
This story shows that the self-defeating idea is slowing down your performance and stopping your progress because you are giving yourself permission to remain unhealed. Oh, all excuses are just permission to stay stuck. They are the narcotic you give yourself to deflect any spiritual moment that could impact and change you. It never occurs to you that this message really applies to you because you’ve already erected a force field.
A story you told yourself is a narrative that keeps you always running and never catching up because you’re pursuing things you can’t drive. Can I go a little deeper? Now, when you examine this text, there’s something important I want you to realize. This text is incredibly redundant. The rain comes, the wind blows, and it beats against the house without discrimination. Whether the man built the house on the rock or the sand, they still face the same storm.
There isn’t a person in this room who isn’t in some kind of storm—whether a financial storm, an emotional storm, a lonely storm, a mental storm, a family storm, or a grieving storm. I said there’s not a person in this room who isn’t facing some kind of storm. I don’t care how they dress, how much money they make, what their draperies look like, or what rug lies on the floor.
There isn’t a house built that didn’t go through the same kind of storm. It’s not even a different storm. It has the same progression; it goes from rain to storm to beating against the house. It’s the same. Whether you built on the rock or you built on the sand, you will still experience the same storm. You are not special. You—let me tell you, you are not special. I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but you are not special. I don’t care what you build on; you are not special.
The rain falls on the just and the unjust. That’s what the Word of God says. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. But the way you process this in your head allows you to have a justifiable reason not to improve. «I don’t know what kind of devil is coming against me. I must be facing some spiritual warfare. I must be working with a witch somewhere. All hell is breaking loose in my life.» Well, all hell is breaking loose in everyone’s life. That shouldn’t stop you from being a builder.
Slap somebody and tell them, «I’m a builder. I’m a builder. I’m a builder.» That means I’m going to create something that isn’t there. I’m not just going to take over something that already exists. I’m going to build something that doesn’t exist. I won’t sit here waiting for someone to hand me a finished product because I’m a builder.
And why would God call a builder and not give them something to build? Look at someone and say, «I’m going to build this thing. I’m going to build this house. I’m going to build this marriage. I’m going to build this family. I’m going to build my own peace. I’m going to build my own joy. I’m going to build my own tomorrow. I’m going to build my future. I’m going to build my retirement.
I’m going to build my peace. I’m going to build my ministry. I’m going to build my gifts. I’m going to build my preaching. I’m going to build my teaching. I’m going to build my technology. Whatever it is, I am going to build it. I am not going to sit here waiting for you to hand me something because you’re not coming. You are building for you. I am going to build for me. I am a builder.
Everyone in this story is a builder. Why do you think the rain came? Why do you think the wind blew? Why do you think hell beat against it? Because the enemy hates builders. I don’t care what you build on; he hates builders, and you’re under attack because you’re a builder. Did you really think that the devil would go to sleep and let you build something for God without fighting you?
you really think that God would let you preach like that and not fight you? Did you really think that God would anoint you as He has without the enemy sending a storm? Great is the storm that falls upon gifted, builder-like individuals who are anointed. That’s part of the process. That’s how you know you’re a builder. When you see the rain coming, you know you’re a builder.
When you see the rain coming, you realize you don’t have time to play. „Slack not thy hand, and go tell Ahab the rain is coming.“ The rain is a sign that God is about to turn things around. So when all hell breaks loose, that’s when you need to praise God the most because the rain is a sign. God wants you to hurry up and run. Push somebody and say, „Run!“ You’ve been walking been crawling.
You’ve been sleeping. You’ve had no measurements. You have no metrics. You have no KPIs. You have no focus. You’re not running because you lack a sense of urgency. That’s why you’ve been stuck for so long. You don’t have a sense of urgency to run. The faster the truck moved, the more the dog chased it because he understood this is about rhythm.
is about pace. This is about speed. This is about haste. And suddenly, God healed them. And suddenly, God moved. And immediately, God set them free. And immediately, God destroyed them. You don’t have time to pontificate and sit around worrying about this, that, and the other. You’ve got to get there quickly because the storm is coming. You’ve got to get this right because the storm is coming.
You’ve got to get this solid because the storm is coming. Performance does not guarantee success. Thank you for saying amen with me, brother. Performance does not guarantee success. Both of them performed well, but both of them didn’t prepare well. Anytime you outperform your preparation, you’re headed for trouble. It is the one who prepares the best, not the one who performs the best, that achieves the greatest victory.
There is no difference in the wind. There is no difference in the rain. There is no difference in the storm. It’s just that one of them prepared, and the other merely performed. There is no difference in their performance. It doesn’t say that one built a better house than the other. It doesn’t say that one house was stronger than the other. It doesn’t say that one house was bigger than the other.
It doesn’t say that one house was better than the other. Because God’s metrics are not based on your measurements; God’s metrics are based on your foundation. Hallelujah. Nevertheless, the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal: the Lord knows those who are His. As long as God knows me, you can hate me all you want. As long as God knows me, you can talk about me as much as you like.
As long as God is for me, who can be against me? I sense something is about to break loose in this place. I feel change is about to come in this place. Somebody take 30 seconds and give God praise. I’ve got to pick up my pace. I have to pick up my pace. I’ve got to pick up my pace. I can’t be mad this long. I can’t be broken for this long. I can’t feel sorry for myself this long.
Some of you are still angry at people who are dead. The person is dead, and you’re still mad at them. They’re all in a nursing home, and you’re still angry with them. You let them take your life away with your rage because you are stuck in one place, and you’re not focused on outcomes; you’re worried about opinions, and you keep it alive. You breathe life into it. You resuscitate it. You revisit it.
You remind yourself of it. Every time God wants to deliver you, you relapse because you won’t let it go, as it serves as your excuse for not doing better in your life. And you are just chasing the truck. Just chasing the truck. Just chasing the truck. Just chasing the truck and getting nowhere because you are not concerned about outcomes. Can I go deeper?
Touch your neighbor and say, „If he goes any deeper, you might have to change.“ If he goes any deeper, you might have to drop your crutches. If he goes any deeper, you might have to give up your cane. If he goes any deeper, you might have to apologize. If he goes any deeper, yolks may have to be destroyed in your life. If he goes any deeper, you might have to relinquish your excuse for failure because you have granted yourself a free pass not to move forward in your life.
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