Jentezen Franklin - What's Your "I Must"? - Part 2
If you have your Bibles I would like for you to open them with me as we go to the book of Luke 2. I'm calling this sermon, "What is Your 'I Must'"? "What's Your 'I Must?'" What's your one thing you must do that you know God has laid on your heart to do? "Now so it was after three days they found Him," Speaking of Jesus at the age of 12, "In the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them," He's 12 years of age it says this earlier in the passage, and He's sitting in the temple with the scholars and they saw Him and they were amazed. And He's in the midst of the teachers both listening to them and asking them questions that were so complex, deep, and well thought that they baffled the minds of the theologians of that day.
The scholars, the rabbis. "And all who heard Him were astonished," At a 12-year-old, at His understanding and answers. "And when they saw Him, they were amazed. And His mother said to Him," I love this. She's ticked. She is ticked at her 12 year-old-boy. "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have been seeking You anxiously". And she doesn't say it right here but it says that He was lost from 'em for three days, He had been gone. "And He said to them, 'Why did you seek Me?'" Oh, He's on dangerous grounds. "Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?' And they did not understand the statement which He spoke". What's your "I must"?
Jesus at the age of 12 had His parents terribly upset which brings me great joy to know that even the parents of Jesus when their child was turning a teenager was already driving them crazy. We're not that far. He truly was a human. And Jesus, in this text, said, "I must. Mom, dad, I must be about my Father's business". We're good at taking care of our business, but He said, "I must be about my Father's business". If you ever learned this secret, if you'll be about the Father's business and put Him first God will always take care of your business. "I must be about my Father's business". If you spend time with God He knows who He is and He knows who He created you to be. And the first thing that happens is you get an "I am" from God.
And the I am establishes your identity, but then there's something that goes equally with that that God can give you it's called an "I must". And an I must establishes your purpose. I am therefore I must do this. I know who I am, I've got my identity from God, I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and when I'm weak His grace is sufficient for me. I am what I am by the grace of God hence, and then secondly I must because God has dropped the must into my spirit. When you have an I must from God and every one of you, every one of you if you will begin to come to a church like this on a regular basis and get in the Bible and start reading it for yourself, God will clearly make to you known your "I must". Who you are and what you must do before you leave this planet.
In Numbers 22:38 Balaam said, "The word of God was put in my mouth that I must speak". Job had three friends and they talked a lot and then finally in Job 32 he said, "I must open my lips and answer". The power of an "I must" will help you decide when you need to talk, when you have to speak up. Jeremiah said, "It's like a fire shut up in bones and I wanted to quit but my I must wouldn't let me quit, I had to speak up and I had to say something and I couldn't hold back".
That's what's wrong with your preacher when I get on issues that are controversial. I read the Bible and when I get Him in me I must get up and preach what God tells me to do. Jesus prayed until His sweat became drops of blood, why? Because there's a difference between I want to and I must. Jesus was wrestling in the garden with what He wanted to do with His life versus what He knew the Father said you must do with your life. And He said, "If it's possible I don't want to go this way I wanna go that way". But, He wrestled with it in prayer until His "I must" won. Jesus understood "I'm not gonna sacrifice my 'I must' for an 'I want.'"
What's your "I must"? You've got one. It may be delayed, it may be hindered, it may be denied, but it is still intact and you have one. Something on the inside that compels, something on the inside that drives you, something on the inside that is a mandate from God. When God called me to preach it was an "I must" that... it's really when He gave me, one of the first sermons I ever preached was this sermon because I could not shake it. I could not get away from it. I would read this Bible 40 chapters a day, I don't do that anymore I need to start it again. But I used to read 40 chapters a day and I would read it and I would wet it with tears because my "I must", I left my friends. I used to have friends and all that. Before that season of my life my "I must" just said, "Separate from all of that and I've got a plan for your life".
But you, "It's not guaranteed you gotta seek me. I know who you are and I wanna show you your identity and I wanna give you an 'I must.' I am therefore I must". It's worth it, it's worth it to fast and pray. And that's when I started fasting. I started going on fast. The first one I ever went on I was a crazy guy. I went on a 21-day fast and I've never fasted. No food for 21 days, what would compel you to do that? "I must". Something in my heart said I didn't know where it would lead me. I didn't know what God would do but something in me said I must fulfill this call. I don't even know how to preach, I'm terrified. But I must. An "I must" will overcome your fear. Hallelujah.
An "I must" doesn't care. There's no such thing... oh, I feel like preaching. There's no such thing as, "I don't have enough money," if you have an "I must". If you have an "I must" the money will line up. If you have an "I must" the doors will open. If you have an "I must" and you seek God nothing can stop an "I must". Clap your hands and shout just a minute. What special treasure, what special talent do you have on the inside? Are you being driven, are you being moved by an I must? Or are you just about your own business and you're ignoring the Father's business? I must is a powerful thing. It drives you like an obsession. I wanna see a whole new generation of young people get obsessed with doing God's will.
An I must will drive you, it'll cause you to cast off restraint. It'll cause you to override your timidity and your insecurity. When you have an I must, I tried to keep my little gift quiet. I tried, but one time I remember in my senior year we had to get up and give a little talk in our own speech and write it. And I was just a flower, wallpaper flower, I was very shy. But when they gave me the chance I got up and I began to speak and I didn't know it then, but the preacher thing was working in me and I even began to move it from what I thought it would go into... Y'all know how I do. I just started flowing and I started sharing the gospel without sharing the gospel, but I said something happened to me blah, blah, blah and before I knew it I looked around the whole classroom and people were wiping their eyes. That's an I must. It's compelling.
When you have an I must if somebody hurts you, you don't quit. If somebody talks about you, you don't stop. If somebody is offended at you, you just keep going. If they put your name in the newspaper, you get up and walk on and do what God told you to do. I must will not take no for an answer. Hallelujah. I'm almost done, but shout amen, somebody. Paul understood the power of an I must when he said in 1 Corinthians 9:16, "Woe is me," Cursed is me. Woe means curse. "If I preach not the gospel of Jesus Christ".
What is your I must? What were you born for? What above all others is the one thing you must do? Help the poor? Build a ministry? Go to the nations? See your family saved? Set captives free? In Acts 27, even death had to give way to an I must. Paul was in a category five hurricane, you know it's a real hurricane when they give it a name. And they gave it a name and everything. And the cargo, the crew had given up. They had thrown everything overboard and they said, "We're dead". They had not seen the sun shine for 14 days and they were lost at sea. And Paul said, "Everybody calm down an angel appeared to me and said, 'You must testify for Christ in Rome.' Therefore if I must the storm can't kill me till God's through with me. I must get that degree. I must honor God. I must break poverty off my family. I must see God's will be done in my life. It's not a I should, I might, it's an I must".
Don't let anybody define who you are and don't let anybody define your I must but God. Let me give you another one real quick. Here's a big I must. John 3:5, "You must be born again," This is not a game. You could be gone. There's but a step between you and death. And, you must be born again, not religious, you must be born again. You must know Him. You must repent of your sins and say, "Change me, wash me, cleanse me, take over my life, show me my identity. I want a new identity, I don't like the old me. I must be born again".
Quit putting it off. We could see World War III. Look at what's going on in Iran. Look at what's going on. My God. Look at Russia. Here we are, here's Israel again, right in the headlines. Just like the Bible predicts in Ezekiel 36, 37, 38. That's not the battle of Armageddon. There's that battle of Megiddo, that's not the battle of Armageddon I'm talking about. The Bible predicts there will be a worldwide war. You must be born again. Everything's so unstable right now, isn't it? It feels crazy. I've been living a long time, I'm just telling you that something's different. I think God is saying to people, "I'm doing everything I can do to get your attention. You keep putting off this eternal decision".
Let me give you one more, last, I must. In 2 Corinthians 5 it says this, "For we must all stand before Christ to be judged," This scripture haunts me. "We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or the evil we have done in this earthly body". We must all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. That day is coming and everything will be exposed. That's why we fast 21 days every year and pray and that's why we give, and that's why we bless this and do that 'cause that thing right there haunts me. We must all, nobody's gon' stand there with you. Momma and daddy, it'll be you and God. Do you know that the book of Revelation starts in the first verse of Revelation 1:1? The angel said, "I'm here to tell you things that must come to pass".
And it ends in the last chapter with the angel comes and says, "I'm here to tell you what must shortly come to pass". It starts with a must, it ends with a must. I guess what I'm trying to say is the book of Revelation is a book that absolutely says, not He might, not He... we wish He would. He must come back again. He must. And He said it must happen shortly. That means this is an urgency to it. I must stand before the judgement seat of Christ. I must be born again. When you stand before the Lord, do you know what the Bible said in another place? That the book will be opened and whoever's name is not written in The Lamb's Book of Life will be cast out of the throne room into the lake of fire.
Is your name in that book? I must have my name, Jentezen Franklin, in that book. I must have my wife's name in that book. Cherise Franklin must be in that book. Courteney and Caressa and Caroline and Conner and Drake and Tyler and Aaron and my grandbabies, Amelia and Elliot, and... Man, this gets long, does it? Elliot and Vivian, and Jamie, and Luca. And Leo. That's my I must. And when I look at you I wanna throw my arms around everyone of you and say because you're sitting under me I'mma stand before the judgement throne of God if I don't tell you the truth. This is scary stuff. He's a consuming fire.
I don't want any of you to perish. I don't want any of you to be cast into outer darkness. You must be born again. You must stand before the throne of God. Everyone of you need to get a burden for souls. I wish everyone of us would take on as an I must. I must win one soul before 2024 goes out. I must personally, personally, I must win one person so that when I stand before that judgement throne, I will not be ashamed. Just stand to your feet all over this room. Every head bowed, every eye closed. Are you born again? Do you know your sins are forgiven? Do you have Christ living in you, the hope of glory?
"Pray for me, Pastor Jentezen. I need that assurance. Pray for me". If that's you, raise your hand as high as you can get it if you wanna know you're born again. I wanna see your hand. More importantly, God will see ever hand that's raised in this holy, holy moment and there are so many hands. Amazing. Raise 'em high and unashamed. Unashamed. Out loud, everybody in this room and everybody at every campus pray right now:
Lord Jesus, I mean this. I want you to take over my life. I surrender all to you. I give you my life. I wanna know who I am. Who you intended me to be. I wanna be the person that you want me to be. And then I want an "I must". I must serve you, I must obey you, I must love you with all of my heart. And so, come into my life. I invite you in right here. Write my name in blood in the book of life. You bought me with your blood, Jesus and I receive you, I believe in you, and by faith you're my Savior. I am. And I thank you that I must, in Jesus' name. Amen.