You Don't Know Me Like That

1:53 to happen for them their life is getting ready to be changed for the better come on raise the decibels of your prayer come on come on come on fill this house with prayer hallelujah hallelujah to the name of the living God. God, we give you praise this morning. We thank you for your presence. It's already here. And so Father, we invite you into this worship experience. We invite you into this preaching moment and we say, Lord, have your way in us. We yield ourselves to whatever you want to do in this room. God, we pray because we are standing in proxy for a generation this morning. and God before we even get into the word we decree and declare that some young person is gonna get saved today we decree and declare that chains are about to fall off of this generation today I squeeze my neighbor's hand in expectation that if you free my neighbor's daughter you'll free my daughter I stand in anticipation that if you do it for my homeboy God I know you can do it for me God, I squeeze peace into this hand.

3:05 I squeeze power into this hand. I release the Holy Spirit on my neighbor so that nothing interferes with them receiving the word of God this morning. Now, would you loose your neighbor's hand and don't clap, open your mouth and release your worship in this room. Hallelujah to the Lord Jesus. Would you do me a favor and turn with me to Matthew the fourth chapter. Matthew the fourth chapter. Good morning, new birth. Good morning. It's so good to be in the house of the Lord. While we are en route to the scriptures, would you allow me a moment to honor and give deference to the leader of this house, to the pastor of this house? Come on, you can do better than that. That's our pastor.

3:56 The world honors him at great levels. Can we give God praise for Pastor Dr. Jamal Harrison Bryant? Come on, will you let him feel the honor wherever he is? We honor you, man of God. I am so grateful for his life. He is truly the best pastor in the whole wide world. I am so grateful to be under his leadership and to serve with him in this ministry. I tell you, there is nobody on planet Earth like Dr. Jamal Bryant. He is a Zeon and a phenom that God has given and entrusted to us. At the same magnitude that we celebrated Dr. Jamal Bryant, can you help me celebrate Dr. Carrie Bryant? Come on now. She's the fragrance of this house. Both of them together are some of my life's greatest inspirations.

4:51 And so I am humbled to stand in their stead this morning. and I'm grateful for this amazing auspicious opportunity. Will you help me celebrate the executive pastors of New Birth? Come on, Pastor Stokes, Pastor Hybe. Will you celebrate all the staff of New Birth? They are my big brothers and sisters and they are praying with me this morning and I feel their strength. Would you help me celebrate my parents who are here? Come on, can you help me celebrate them? My friends and family are scattered all across the sanctuary. Some of them came by plane, by train, and I'm so, so grateful for them. I don't have time to honor them individually, but I thank God for them. Matthew, the fourth chapter, the third verse. I want to read the King James Version because that's just the version I grew up on. I know it's, yeah. I want to read just the first clause.

5:44 It says, And when the tempter came to him and said, If thou be the Son of God. I want to stop right there because it's EG Sunday where EG at in the building come on will you make some noise come on for all of these young people that have ministered this morning because because it's EG Sunday I want to also read it from the Gen Z translation of the scripture y'all ready for it Matthew the fourth chapter according to the Gen Z Bible says and when this person who tried to distract him approached him they said like if you're really God's child do your thing and turn these stones into bread father let your people hear Jesus and not Jalen let your people see Jesus and not Jalen God you said in my word in your word if I put my trust in you you won't put me to shame preach me Jesus would you turn to your neighbor and echo the sentiments of my sermon topic and can you say it like we in DeKalb County can you say it with a little attitude say neighbor you don't know me like that that's what I want to preach about this morning you don't Look at him and say, you don't really know me how you think you know me.

7:11 Y'all, please be seated. It's too early. I got to be obedient. Family, in preparation for today's message, I started thinking about what it feels like to emerge in this generation. We are living in what many would call the influencer age, where algorithms attempt to determine your authenticity, where people with podcast mics try to define our personhood and tell us what we should be and who we should be. And somehow we've allowed views and likes to become measurements of our value. And the recipe that seems to be lost is the power of being who you actually are instead of becoming who everybody else expects you to be.

8:07 And as I wrestled with this, I remembered one of the greatest pieces of advice anybody has ever given me. I was a freshman in college trying to figure out who I was. I was away from home for the first time and like a lot of freshmen, I was becoming somebody who I didn't recognize. About the second week of school, y'all, a staff member who would later become one of my surrogate mothers pulled me to the side like only your favorite black auntie could do. She said, but what you doing? She said, Jalen, I know you. I know your people and you are better than this. And she affirmed me and told me that you are not alone. And then Pastor Stokes, she told me something that her big mama used to tell her. And she warned me church that big mama didn't have subject verb agreement. She didn't have the best grammar and she didn't use the best English.

9:06 But here's what big mama said. And do y'all mind if I give it to you this morning, new birth? here's what big mama said she said be who you is because if you is who you ain't you ain't who you is Let me read it to you again. She said, be who you is, because if you is who you ain't, you ain't who you is. And I got to be honest, as a freshman in college, that thing confused me. Because, you know, black grandmothers had a way of putting words together, even though they didn't know what it means. But now that I've matriculated through life, now that I've matriculated in my relationship with God, what I now know, what my mentor understood was that life and culture would always present me with invitations to live beneath what God said about me. and I feel like I feel like some of you in this room whether you are an EG or whether you are generation Z or whether you're a baby boomer is that you have before you got to church this morning you have been in deep contention in your soul about your being and about your existence but for the first time today would you look at your neighbor and say be who you is in a country that devalues black life and black bodies be who you is in a culture that prioritizes aesthetics over anointing be who you is in a time where a black man is celebrated by whether or not he can spend that and nobody asks the questions if he could read that or if he could write that or if he could lead that or if he could pray that be who you is in a day where the world frank wants you to be quiet on the creek and the whole time the gift that is inside of you is as loud as the ocean be who you is in an era of church where we are struggling to make room for the next generation because sometimes their expression makes us uncomfortable be who you is I just came to tell

11:17 five of you that will help me preach real early would you just look at your neighbor and say Be who you is. I don't care what it costs you. I don't care what you're going to give up. Never devalue who you are to be what everybody else wants you to be. Be who you is. And the truth, the truth is that many of us in this room, watch this, the truth is that many of us in this room accept the invitation to live beneath what God said about us because we are too fearful to be who we really are. Paul Tillich, a theologian and commentator who altered my perspective on being, Pastor Chip, said in his book, The Courage to Be. Here's what he said, church.

12:16 The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself as accepted in spite of being unacceptable. in other words what he was saying was that the courage to be isn't pretending that there aren't things about me that are unacceptable dr. Yami the courage to be is knowing everything about me that could disqualify me and still believing that God's made room for me I feel like preaching through here see here's what some of you in this room here's my issue with some of you in this room and you didn't even know that I had an issue with you. I got to preach to some young people in here who you are afraid to be who you are. You are afraid to function as you are because you know too much about you and because of what you know about you, you live your life like everyone knows and many of the young people in this room, many of the middle-aged people in this room are hiding who you really are because you know you but here's what God told me to tell you is that God says I still got destiny over your life even with your details oh God God says I still got purpose for you even with the details who am I preaching to in here that said you know I don't always get it right you know I don't always do what I'm supposed to do and sometimes I do cuss people out on 285 and sometimes I do say things that I don't mean but if you call me in the midnight hour I'll help you get a prayer through and here's what I need you to stop doing I need you to stop hiding who you are Stop shrinking who you are so people can be comfortable. Here's what I need you to do you to stop showing up trying to be digestible for other people they can choke because who god created me to be it's more important than your version of me hey hey i came to tell 10 of you

14:24 that god says i'm gonna still open the door even with i know the details i'm gonna still bless your life even though I know the details would you look at your neighbor and say neighbor forget what you thought you knew about me there's still destiny over my life I gotta tell I gotta tell some of you in this room I gotta tell some of you in this room that you are enough come on would you help me do me a favor and take your right hand and put it on your chest and say I am enough you are exactly what they've been praying for where my young people at you are exactly what they've been looking for can I can I do can I I just can only be me do you mind if I prophesy over your life I prophesy over your life that before September gets here God's gonna show you you are enough I prophesy over your life that God is gonna have the scholarship committee call you and tell you you're exactly what we've been praying for.

15:45 Young people, I decree and declare over your life that the football recruiter is going to call you and say you're exactly what we've been praying for. Hallelujah. Real quick, real quick. Romans 8 verse 19. I got to give it to you. The apostle Paul says something that I need you to catch in the Holy Ghost. He says, for even the whole creation, I'm reading from the Amplified Bible, all nature waits eagerly for the children of God to be revealed. Would you look at your neighbor and say, they are waiting on you. Hey, would you look at another neighbor and say, you need to move quickly. Would you look at another neighbor and say, stop thinking that's crazy stuff about yourself. would you look at your crazy self acting like you're not a royal priest who like you're not a holy nation don't you know that there is a room and there are doors and there are opportunities waiting on you to get a revelation about who you are hallelujah can i tell you something can I tell you something that the whole world is in pain right now because you are sitting on your purpose what if I told you that the world is waiting on you to believe in yourself hallelujah you are a royal priesthood and a holy nation you are God's chosen people called out of darkness into his marvelous light you are heirs and joint heirs in Christ Jesus.

17:27 Oh, come on through here. You are seated in heavenly places with the Lord himself. Oh, you know, you may not read your Bible. So let me give it to you like this. Hey, black child, do you know who you really are? Do you know who you could really be? You gotta stop sleeping on yourself. push your neighbor say wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up I came to be us alarm in the spiritual realm your people you gotta wake up you gotta stop hanging around those no good friends you gotta wake up you gotta stop being in that no good relationship you gotta wake up You got to take them off your roster. You may have to mute them on Instagram because they don't... identify nor do they connect with who God is calling you to be

18:30 I Gotta move I gotta move precipitously. I gotta move EG and new birth We are in good company though Because we are not the first people to ever be tempted to live beneath what God said about us as we are as we jaywalk into our text we we find Jesus Christ of Nazareth we find the kinsman redeemer we we find the hope of man we we find the son of David and he he's in a precarious predicament I don't have all day to give it to you like I want to but because it's EG Sunday can I preach the hood rat version? I want to take us back to the chapter before our text today. The Bible declares that Jesus walks up on his cousin, John, who is preaching and evangelizing and tells him, man, I'm ready to be baptized.

19:30 And John has been preaching and baptizing all day, but he's confused because why? Why would Jesus need me to baptize him? John goes through this whole litany of not thinking that he is worthy enough and then he consents himself to baptize Jesus and he baptizes Jesus in the Jordan. And when you go back home and read the Bible, you will discover that the Jordan River becomes the throne room of heaven. The scripture declares that the heavens open up for the first time. Hallelujah. In a long time. and God speaks through the clouds and he speaks in an audible voice and he says this is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased now what I need you to note this morning new birth is that Jesus God affirms who Jesus is before he lays hands on the sick he calls him his son before the woman with the issue of blood gets healed.

20:32 He calls Jesus his son before he walks on water. So before Jesus even gets to his doing, God affirms his being. Alright. I just need you to put a pen in there. And here's where things get interesting is that the same Holy Spirit that the scripture says descends like a dove leads him to the wilderness to be tempted. Bringing us fastly into today's text. And hallelujah. And family, I want to examine today's text because I believe Jesus gives us the play for how to respond when what is asking you to live beneath who you are has no idea who you are. Jesus shows us how not to accept the invitation of the temptation to live beneath who God called us to be. And EG, I want you to hear this.

21:30 I want you to hear this because the enemy gives him three invitations. And watch this. I want you to notice that Satan never begins by telling Jesus who he is. He begins by questioning what God has already said about him. The first thing that Satan says is if you be the son of God, will you turn these stones into bread? this is intentional because the enemy knows that Jesus is in a desert and in a wilderness and so he's hungry because he's been fasting and here's what I gotta tell you is that the enemy thinks that just because Jesus is hungry he will eat from anybody or anything Allies If your friend is in parties more than they come to EGT church with you, then you got to be careful who you listen to.

22:52 See, you got to watch your friends because if you are always calling them and working them through their problems and they never have anything good to say to you, you got to be careful what table you eat from. and here's why here's what I gotta tell you is that if the enemy can influence your decisions long enough he can disrupt your destiny short enough and what you gotta know about your destiny is your destiny has a certain diet you gotta understand that what God is calling you to requires a certain appetite yeah yeah yeah if you wake up in the morning and the first thing you grab is your phone before you thank God for putting breath in your body you eating the wrong thing who am I talking to if hallelujah in the name of the Lord yes God if you are more concerned about your boo and your bae than you are concerned about believing in God you got the wrong appetite but who am I preaching to in here that says you know what i'm not hungry for nothing else but what god has for me jesus said you can keep your stones because man shall not live by bread alone but by every word

24:21 young people i gotta tell you something that if they don't got the word to offer you then they ain't got no business being around you. Hey, if they ain't got the word to offer you, then they ain't got no business being around you. Yeah, they cute, but can they pray? Yeah, they dress nice, but what's with their heart? Because see, they can have an Instagram Bible, a Bible scripture in their Instagram bio, but that don't mean it's in their heart. Gotta be careful. Don't you let them feed you. look at your neighbor and say what are you hungry for would you look at another neighbor and say you're not yourself when you hungry see that's why your identity has been in confusion because you're hungry but real quick would you lift your hands and say God make me hungry for you Make me hungry for your presence.

25:28 Make me hungry for your glory. Make me hungry for your scriptures. Don't make me hungry for parties. Make me hungry for presents. Don't make me hungry for aesthetics. Make me hungry for the alarm. would you shout I'm hungry hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah to the Lamb of the living God the next thing please y'all you standing you gonna make me preach I don't have long the next thing the next thing that he says is he says throw yourself down and this is intentional because the enemy, watch this, wanted Jesus to put his life in jeopardy to prove a point. Gotta tell every young person in here that anything you gotta throw yourself away to get, you don't need it.

26:30 you're going to change how I look I don't want to be with you you want to change who I am I don't want to be with you listen I'm going what Jay-Z said I was who I was before I got here so if you walk out of my life I'm going to be good in every lifetime if they're asking you to throw who you are away you do not need it and Jesus says Jesus I ain't got to prove none to you I don't got to throw myself off no roof just to prove to you God gonna catch me and I gotta tell you something I gotta tell you something that this world and this generation is providing young people with invitations to throw themselves away and this is why we gotta teach you about your being because when you know who you are you will never settle for less you gotta teach your child how not to settle you gotta teach your daughter how not to settle i gotta tell all the young men in here you gotta know how not to settle if you don't match my purpose if you don't match my identity We have nothing else to talk about.

27:55 some of you in here gonna have to fill your block list up because you've been throwing your money away from people who ain't got your best interests at heart you've been throwing your bed away to people who don't want nothing from you but to suck you dry but I came to tell you don't throw your life away The enemy wants Jesus to prove himself by putting himself in harm's way. But Jesus knows he ain't got to prove himself. What you mean, throw myself off of a roof? Don't you know I am the resurrection and the life? don't you know that if I destroyed this temple in three days I'll rebuild it and see some of you let the enemy play you because you don't know what's on the inside of you oh I feel like preaching through here would you just look at your neighbor and say I can't afford to throw myself away and here's newsflash if I throw myself away I'm gonna bounce back just like that I don't know who I'm preaching to in here but there is never something I have gone through that I did not bounce back from I need you to high-five your neighbor and say I got bounce back power if I do mess up embarrassment may whisper in my ear but destiny is still speaking over my life if I do do the wrong thing even God will alloy my mistakes I feel like preaching through here Would you high five your neighbor and say, neighbor, I got bounce back power.

29:43 It doesn't matter what I go through. It doesn't matter what it looks like. I can still bounce back. There's never a season I didn't bounce back from. Lastly, lastly, I got to go.

30:04 Lastly, I got to go. The enemy tells Jesus, he says, bow down and worship me. And I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world. Now see, see the enemy got to be real crazy. because because because how you gonna ask the prince of the kingdom to bow down and worship you and see here's here's why this is important it's because young people if you are not careful people will have you overachieving for stuff you already got I already got that. I don't need you to buy me nothing. I already got that. I can buy twice. I can buy you twice. I'm so good. I'm so anointed that I can get free of them.

30:59 You think you're going to. seduce me with something that I can do better than you who am I preaching to in here you gotta tell that Negro I don't need you I can get free of you I don't need you I don't need you to be in my life because God's handed this all my life and with God hand is on my life it matters not what you gotta say about me my grandmother would say it like this I know it's EG Sunday but she would say talk about me all you please because all I'm gonna do is bend my knees and when I come to God in prayer everything you think you can offer me he'll give it to me press down shake it together and run it over There you go. I've been waiting for you for a minute.

31:54 Would you high five your neighbor and tell your neighbor don't bite the bait. Come on. Do me a favor. If you a young person, go to an old person. Are you a young person? Go to an old person. If you an old person, go to a young person and tell them, say whatever you do for the rest of this year. don't you bite the bait I feel like preaching through here would you do me a favor and would you grab your neighbor grab him by the hand I don't see y'all moving through here I said every old person grab a young person oh come on I feel like preaching y'all got to turn this organ would you do me a favor and Would you grab your neighbor and tell your neighbor, whatever you do, don't you bite the bait. Whatever you do, don't you worship the enemy.

32:52 Because when this month is over, everything he thought he was going to give you, God said, I'll give it to you better. Every door, they promised you. Every opportunity, they promised you. God told me to tell you if they can't promise it I'll give it to you oh come on new birth it's EG Sunday we gotta let Dr. Brian loose I need you to grab your neighbor and tell your neighbor if they can do it God can do it better whatever they promise you God can do it better don't give in don't throw in the towel God, he's getting ready. God's getting ready to give you everything.

33:47 God's getting ready to give you everything you've been praying for. Don't sell your body. Don't sell your soul. It's coming. Now praise. you got 12 minutes on the clock open your mouth for your son Open your mouth for your daughter. I need every young person in this room to lift your hands and open your mouth. Because God told me that. whatever they promised he's lost you don't need a scammer you got a savior you don't need a shortcut you got Jesus and when God is on your side EG it doesn't matter because two could put a thousand to flight yes Lord I feel your help now I said one could put a thousand to flight but two could put ten thousand to flight there is no good thing he will withhold from you because by his hand he will provide by his feet he will guide you and by his life he will keep you good night new birth good night EG don't you know that the enemy comes to kill and destroy

35:53 but God has come that you might have life Shout like you got it Praise Him like you got it Give Him glory missionary Roxриз YA YA YA

36:33 chiar lls That wasn't supposed to go that way. Yes. Hallelujah.

37:07 Here's what I need to do real quick. I don't got long to do it. But here's what I need. I need every young person just to come touch the altar. Come on. Come on. Every young person. Because God says, as this generation, hear me, bring me down just a little bit. God says, as this generation is touching the altar, they are exchanging every invitation. Would y'all see these young people? They are exchanging every invitation that the enemy wants to give to them.

37:55 Here's what I need. Shh. Here's what I need. Hallelujah. Here's what I need. Here's what I need. The Bible declares, the Bible declares that when Jesus went from affirmation to attack, what was affirmation out of his father's mouth became an attack in the enemy's mouth. Here's the end of the text. is that the Bible says that once Jesus got done being tempted, woo, thank you, Jesus, angels came and ministered to him.

38:37 Would you stretch your hands toward this altar? I dispatch over this generation angelic assistance. Woo, hallelujah. I prophesy by the power of the living God. That every child connected to new birth will have capacity to see angels guiding them and guarding them. I pray, hallelujah, that as they come to the altar today, that they exchange the invitation. Every offer that's on the table to live beneath who God called them to be. May they leave it at the altar. whether they are in arts and entertainment, let them not find music deals that want to snatch their innocence and their purity. Whether they are in sports or athletics, may they not be connected to agents and recruiters who want to use them for gifts and metrics.

39:40 Hallelujah. Whether it is connected to their education, may they find money without a strings attached. may you keep away from them professors and teachers who are predators and who want to take away who they are may every single area in their life be marked by their ability to be connected to their God Father I pray that today you sear yourself in them that you cover them and you keep them until the day of redemption I need every parent, every auntie, every grandmother. Would you just begin to pray real quick before I release them? Come on. Come on, open your mouth. Because as you are praying for somebody else's daughter,

40:34 God's snatching your son out of that relationship. As you are praying for somebody else's child, come on, I don't hear you, new birth. I don't hear you. I don't hear you. As you are praying over them, whatever child you've been praying for that's connected to you, God is doing a mighty work in their life. They won't die in their wilderness. They won't die in the midst of the attack. But they're going to live to see the assistance. I decree and declare in the name of the Lord Jesus. Would you give God praise for them as they go back to their seats?