Sheryl Brady - Wake Up and Remember: You Are a Son

I want you to look at your neighbor on the right and say, «Neighbor, wake up and remember that you are a son.» Tell somebody else, «Wake up and remember that you are a son.» Tell somebody else, «Wake up, wake up, wake up! Come out of it! Remember who you are. You’re not a slave; you’re not a slave. You are a son; you are a son of the Most High God.» Now, to all the ladies in the room, when I say you are a son, and when the Bible talks about sons, it is not just referring to the male gender. Okay, this is not about gender; this is about positioning. I said it’s not about gender; it is about positioning. So I want all the ladies in the house to holler, «I am a son of God!» That means I have a position in the Kingdom of God. I am a son of God. Father, I thank you for your word. Let it flow in here today. God, find every person—those that are hungry, those that are waiting, those that are reaching, those that are wanting, those that are thirsty today, those that need answers but don’t even have the hope to ask the questions. Speak to us today, God, here and abroad, and we will give Your name the glory, praise, and honor in Jesus' name. Amen, amen. Hold your head back, come on, clap your hands and tell God you love Him for what you are about to receive at His table. Y’all better praise Him like you expect it to be good! Amen!

One of the marks, or one of the characteristics, of a son of God is faithfulness. It is being dependable; it is being devoted, committed, and consistent to the cause of Christ, His family, and that also includes His house. That is when you know that someone is faithful, and it takes a while to be able to say you are faithful. You don’t just accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and then the next day proclaim, «Oh yes, I’m faithful!» You haven’t been through anything yet to test your faithfulness. Sometimes, it takes a while. But if you are a true son or daughter, then His house not only matters to you, but His family matters to you. It matters so much that it really doesn’t matter whether your favorite preacher is preaching or that your favorite worship leader is leading worship. When you are a true son or daughter of God, it doesn’t really matter who is doing what as long as God is being glorified, the people are being edified, and the devil is being horrified, because that’s the goal right there.

When you are a true son, when you are a true child of God, you are not at all personality-driven. Personalities are nice, and it’s nice to meet people whose personalities you may have encountered before you met them. It can also be scary because sometimes the person you meet, whom you thought you knew based on their personality, is completely different from the person themselves. So it doesn’t pay to be personality-driven. From the very beginning, we have chosen not to be a personality-driven church because we are a presence-driven church. In His presence is where my joy comes from. The fullness of my joy comes from His presence; it doesn’t come simply from meeting somebody or liking someone. It’s about getting into His presence. It doesn’t matter if anybody knows your name; if you can get me into the presence of the Lord, then I’m grateful, and I love you.

So look at somebody next to you and tell them, «I’m here for Jesus.» Okay? He gave me joy unspeakable and full of glory! Did y’all ever sing that song? We used to sing it: «Joy unspeakable and full of glory, and the half has never yet been told.» So I am here for Jesus. Usually, when you come for Jesus, you end up not being disappointed. There is something you will get from being faithful to Jesus, to His house, to His family—something that you will not find any other way in your life. Faithfulness produces benefits that money can never buy. I’m telling you today, just being faithful—don’t underestimate just how far faithfulness alone can take you. I’m talking about being faithful to God, being faithful to His church, being faithful to His kingdom, and being faithful to His children. I’m talking about being faithful to His calling on your life—not the kind of faithfulness that moves men, because that is called politics, and I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the kind of faithfulness and service that you do so you can move the very heart of God. That kind of faithfulness has nothing to do with men, and it has nothing to do with politics.

I’m here early and I stay late, but I do it not for anyone else; I do it because I love the Lord. So being faithful to the Lord is what really matters. It has nothing to do with politics, with men, or things like that, but it has everything to do with, «Lord, I’m here because I’m doing this as my way of saying thank you. You didn’t have to do it for me, but You did. You didn’t have to make a way for me, but You did. You didn’t have to open a door for me; You didn’t have to give…»