WEBVTT - Follow The Evidence (Chet Pete) 0:00:01.520 --> 0:00:02.800 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:05.840 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:08.320 I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope 0:00:08.320 --> 0:00:10.680 this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:12.840 Hope it gives your perspective to see God is moving 0:00:12.920 --> 0:00:13.440 in your life. 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:14.800 Enjoy the message. 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:20.759 Is there anybody that came to lift up the name 0:00:20.760 --> 0:00:26.840 of Jesus on Palm Sunday? I'm trying to see where 0:00:26.880 --> 0:00:28.880 God's been moving? Has been moving in your life? 0:00:28.920 --> 0:00:33.600 Over here? What about right here? Has He been moving 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:37.320 in your life? He's been showing up this week? What 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:38.240 about on this side? 0:00:38.320 --> 0:00:42.440 Has God shown up in your life this week? 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:44.760 My God? 0:00:44.800 --> 0:00:48.640 Hallelujah, Thank you Jesus up. We haven't met before. My 0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:50.880 name is set I'm the pastor at our University City 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:58.160 campus and I I'm so honored to be able to 0:00:58.240 --> 0:01:01.360 preach on Palm Sunday to our church. I want to 0:01:01.360 --> 0:01:04.000 take this moment and welcome all of our campuses and 0:01:04.080 --> 0:01:06.200 our e fam all around the world. I want to 0:01:06.200 --> 0:01:09.360 give a special shout out to Elevation Winsday Salem just 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:13.679 celebrated their eight year anniversary. God. 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:18.080 But I want to pray for us since. 0:01:19.319 --> 0:01:21.039 I believe that God has a word that he wants 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:23.840 to speak to you today, he open up your hands 0:01:23.840 --> 0:01:26.000 like this a posture, just ready to receive whatever it 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:28.440 is God wants to speak to you. Jesus, we come 0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:31.360 to you saying thank you, Thank you for being a 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:35.840 good God of faithful God. God, we trust you. We 0:01:35.880 --> 0:01:37.959 pray right now in the mighty Name of Jesus, that 0:01:38.040 --> 0:01:41.080 you would have your way today, you would do what 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:41.800 you want to do. 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:47.640 And God, let us leave this place changed. 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:51.760 Because of your love, changed because of your grace. God, 0:01:51.840 --> 0:01:54.680 let our life be evidence that we had an encounter 0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:57.880 with you. We love you, Jesus, We thank you, and 0:01:57.920 --> 0:02:05.840 it's in the mighty mighty Name of Jesus. Amen Amen, Amen, Amen. Well, 0:02:06.960 --> 0:02:09.760 there's two quick things that I need to do before 0:02:09.800 --> 0:02:12.639 we open up God's word, if you can remain standing. 0:02:13.880 --> 0:02:19.240 First thing is is next Sunday is Easter Sunday, and 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:23.440 I want to make sure that you have the details. 0:02:23.639 --> 0:02:26.480 On Good Friday, we're actually going to be taking communion 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:29.600 together as a church, and so Friday at six point 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:32.880 thirty we have it online and at our campuses as 0:02:32.960 --> 0:02:35.960 well as on Sunday we have Easter happening across our 0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:39.360 campuses and online. Go to Easter at elevation dot com 0:02:39.360 --> 0:02:42.240 to be able to see all of the details. The 0:02:42.320 --> 0:02:44.640 second thing that I have to do is make sure 0:02:44.680 --> 0:02:47.960 we take a moment and thank God for our pastors, 0:02:48.000 --> 0:02:50.160 Pastor Steven and Holly. 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:56.360 Can we thank God for the gifts now? Now? 0:02:56.520 --> 0:02:59.120 If I give you a good gift and you go 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:02.680 crazy about it, it makes me want to give you more. 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:06.320 So how good of a gift do we have it 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:09.760 with the pastors that God has given to us? The 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:16.919 pastor Steven in Holly. As I was preparing to preach today, 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:19.320 I remember the first time that pastor asked me to 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:22.840 preach to our church, and he came up to me 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:25.960 and he could tell that I was overwhelmed, nervous and 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:31.120 could not understand why he would trust me to be 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:34.600 able to stand on this stage. And he looked at 0:03:34.600 --> 0:03:36.440 me and he said, shaid, I want you to know 0:03:38.640 --> 0:03:43.440 I could have anybody come and preach. You know, anybody 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:46.400 would love to come and have a moment to be 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:48.080 a part of this move of God. 0:03:49.400 --> 0:03:52.120 But I chose you, and I believe in you. 0:03:53.160 --> 0:03:55.280 I'm grateful for to have a pastor that believes in me. 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:02.600 And so if my past called me and gave me 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:04.360 this opportunity, he believes in me. 0:04:04.480 --> 0:04:09.560 And I know God gave me a word. I'm ready. 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:11.360 I'm ready to preach. Now, are you ready to hear 0:04:11.400 --> 0:04:16.760 a word? Okay, we're gonna be. 0:04:16.800 --> 0:04:20.440 In John chapter twenty, starting at verse one, you'll see 0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:24.960 the scriptures on the screens. Here's what it says. John 0:04:25.040 --> 0:04:29.120 Chapter twenty, Verse one. It says, early on the first 0:04:29.279 --> 0:04:32.840 day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:36.960 Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone 0:04:37.240 --> 0:04:41.720 had been removed from the entrance. So she came running 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:46.640 to Simon, Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:54.640 Just to notate John is writing this about himself, okay, 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:56.039 And this. 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:57.000 Is what she says. 0:04:57.040 --> 0:04:59.920 She says, they have taken the Lord out of the tomb, 0:05:00.920 --> 0:05:04.680 and we don't know where they have put him. 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:06.120 So Peter and the. 0:05:06.080 --> 0:05:09.599 Other disciple, the one that Jesus loved, they started running 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:10.120 for the tomb. 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:11.000 Watch this. 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:15.120 Both were running, but the other disciple out ran Peter. 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:18.440 So not only is John saying I'm the one that 0:05:18.520 --> 0:05:20.839 Jesus loves, he wanted you to know that I'm faster 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:21.320 than Peter. 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:26.799 Peter reached the tomb. 0:05:27.440 --> 0:05:30.120 Both were running in the other disciple out ran Peter 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:33.920 and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:39.279 in at the tomb the strips of linen lying there, 0:05:40.120 --> 0:05:44.400 but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along 0:05:44.480 --> 0:05:47.240 behind him and went straight into the tomb. 0:05:48.240 --> 0:05:49.920 He saw the strips of linen. 0:05:49.720 --> 0:05:52.840 Lying there, as well as a cloth that had been 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:56.560 wrapped around Jesus's head. The cloth was still lying in 0:05:56.600 --> 0:06:01.720 its place, separate from the linen. Finally, the other disciple, 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:07.760 who had reached the tombe first, also with inside he 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:13.919 saw and believed. The title of my message today is 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:15.680 follow the evidence. 0:06:16.400 --> 0:06:17.960 Follow the evidence. 0:06:18.360 --> 0:06:20.400 On your way to your see introduce yourself to your 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:25.320 neighbor and tell him hello, my name, and then say 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:26.920 I'm the one that Jesus loves. 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:41.320 Oh he loves you too. Someone's like, oh he loves 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:42.640 you too. 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:49.240 To start my message, I have a little illustration just 0:06:49.279 --> 0:06:52.359 to be able to set the direction for this message. 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:55.120 You know, you know you have John, you know making 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:57.800 these these claims. I'm the one that Jesus loves. And 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:00.840 then he says, I'm faster than Peter and back then 0:07:00.880 --> 0:07:02.000 we didn't have cell phones. 0:07:02.120 --> 0:07:02.960 Oh there's my mic. 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:14.720 Go ahead and I need some help. Here we go, 0:07:14.840 --> 0:07:18.160 Thank you, Give God praise for our teams. You're gonna 0:07:18.200 --> 0:07:19.280 take it off. We go and take it off. 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:24.120 You're good. So you have these let me give them 0:07:24.160 --> 0:07:27.160 a second and give them a second. 0:07:27.280 --> 0:07:32.280 Uh, give God, praise for m give God phrase form. 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:33.720 Okay. 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:37.840 So you have these outlandish claims that people make sometimes 0:07:37.960 --> 0:07:41.280 and uh, you're like, again, there's no video, you know, 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:43.800 for us to go back and see that that John 0:07:44.040 --> 0:07:47.280 actually beat Peter in a race, and so he's not 0:07:47.360 --> 0:07:49.640 here to defend himself, and so you have these moments 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:52.400 where you're like, hey, show me, show me the evidence. Well, 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:57.160 this week I got inspired by the masters that that 0:07:57.160 --> 0:07:59.840 that's been on any any golfers in the room, or that's. 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:00.280 Been keeping up. 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:03.360 Okay, okay, okay, okay. Where you're gonna you're gonna like this. 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:06.880 You're gonna like this, shut up. Here is a video 0:08:07.080 --> 0:08:10.960 of me making a putt on a whole eighteen four 0:08:11.080 --> 0:08:14.880 par and uh, you know, we were playing best ball, 0:08:14.920 --> 0:08:17.080 so it was a big, big big deal. Go ahead 0:08:17.080 --> 0:08:18.520 and put it up on the screens, just really quick 0:08:18.560 --> 0:08:19.960 We're gonna have to show it, probably twice so you 0:08:19.960 --> 0:08:20.360 can see it. 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:21.720 Go ahead, put it up. Put it up. 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:30.160 Now, the golfers, you can see you're paying attention that 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:32.400 there was a little slim. I had to curve it 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:34.200 a little bit. Playing one more time. This is just 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:36.560 playing one more time, one more time, one more time, 0:08:36.559 --> 0:08:38.280 one more time. Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:51.280 Y'all didn't know I could preach the gospel and play golf. 0:08:51.280 --> 0:08:57.800 You didn't. You didn't. You didn't know. Let me let me, 0:08:57.920 --> 0:08:59.560 let me, let me be honest with you. 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:05.000 This was actually the first and last time that I've 0:09:05.000 --> 0:09:12.960 ever played golf. The clothes that I had on all 0:09:13.000 --> 0:09:16.800 were purchased forty eight hours before tea tan the hat, 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:20.920 the polo, the pants, and the golf shoes. The only 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:23.520 thing that we know for sure is that I came 0:09:23.520 --> 0:09:27.760 home smelling like I had been outside, like the grass 0:09:27.880 --> 0:09:30.000 was was permeating our house. 0:09:31.280 --> 0:09:34.880 The clubs that I used were borrowed. 0:09:37.000 --> 0:09:39.240 There's something else we read about in the text that 0:09:39.360 --> 0:09:41.600 was borrowed. Who knows that Jesus was put into a 0:09:41.640 --> 0:09:45.720 borrow tone. You see, that's evidence that he was going 0:09:45.800 --> 0:09:48.200 to be raised from the dead. Because he made the 0:09:48.200 --> 0:09:50.360 decision to borrow the tone because he wasn't gonna stay 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:54.040 there bury long. Is anybody came to have church on 0:09:54.080 --> 0:10:02.920 a Sunday morning. So you started to look at this 0:10:03.080 --> 0:10:05.199 video and some of you were like, oh, I can see. 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:05.800 He could play golf. 0:10:05.840 --> 0:10:11.600 But that was compelling evidence of my golfing ability, but 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:17.520 it wasn't conclusive. There's a difference. When I say follow 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:22.280 the evidence. All of us are following something. You know, 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:24.520 you can scroll on social media. You had a lot 0:10:24.559 --> 0:10:27.640 of people and things that you're following. But today God 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:29.360 told me to tell you that you need to make 0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:32.440 sure you're not just following compelling evidence, but you're following 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:34.280 conclusive evidence. 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:36.720 You know. 0:10:37.320 --> 0:10:38.840 All you know is is I went out and play. 0:10:39.000 --> 0:10:43.520 That was one of two good hits the whole eighteen. 0:10:43.760 --> 0:10:46.920 They were so excited because I finally did. 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:50.960 Something good and y'all are here ready to sign me 0:10:51.040 --> 0:10:52.080 up for the Masters. 0:10:53.800 --> 0:10:57.240 I wonder in your life, what compelling evidence is leading 0:10:57.280 --> 0:11:02.400 you to tell a story that's that's not true. 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:04.200 I have some examples for you. 0:11:05.080 --> 0:11:07.840 I was thinking that, you know, many of us battle 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:10.280 and struggle with comparison. 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:13.319 That will watch others and we'll. 0:11:13.120 --> 0:11:15.680 Scroll on social media and God, give me a quick 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:17.360 I'm gonna give you something to write down very fast. 0:11:18.000 --> 0:11:20.960 Comparison is when you collect. 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:24.480 Evidence of someone else's life to tell a story about 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:26.400 your own life. 0:11:26.600 --> 0:11:27.839 I'm gonna say that one more time. 0:11:28.000 --> 0:11:33.480 Comparison is when you collect evidence about someone else's life 0:11:33.880 --> 0:11:37.320 to tell a story about your own life. 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:42.320 And so you'll do things like this. You just got 0:11:42.320 --> 0:11:42.720 a job. 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:45.559 You've been working it for six months and you love it. 0:11:46.040 --> 0:11:48.240 You get up every morning you go, you thank God 0:11:48.280 --> 0:11:51.199 for that. You were praying for this job. And then 0:11:51.280 --> 0:11:55.000 all of a sudden, somebody on your team gets an 0:11:55.000 --> 0:12:00.640 opportunity or gets promoted, and all of a sudden start. 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:06.400 Do they see me? The organization must. 0:12:06.200 --> 0:12:10.720 Not value me any more. You don't know the details. 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:12.920 It might have even been a lateral move. You don't 0:12:12.920 --> 0:12:13.880 see their paycheck. 0:12:15.280 --> 0:12:16.000 But you have. 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:20.160 Gathered collected evidence from someone else's life to tell a 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:24.880 story about your own. There's a wife that just this week, 0:12:24.880 --> 0:12:28.520 you were scrolling on social media and you saw someone 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:32.760 else's husband sent their wife some flowers and they posted 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:33.200 about it. 0:12:33.280 --> 0:12:34.839 Look at what my book got mean? 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:39.959 You and your husband, y'all been having a good time, 0:12:40.080 --> 0:12:41.280 been going on dates. 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:42.680 Husband's working hard. 0:12:42.800 --> 0:12:48.800 Everything's been good, but one story got you mad. Husband 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:51.000 comes home and he's like, hey, what's up baby? You 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:52.000 rolling your eyes? 0:12:55.200 --> 0:12:57.840 What's going on? I thought everything was okay. 0:12:58.880 --> 0:13:01.560 Well he bought his wife some flowers. Why won't we 0:13:01.559 --> 0:13:07.000 buy me some flowers? You don't even like flowers. I 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:08.680 just want to thank God for my wife. My wife 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:11.679 don't like flowers. She says, chocolate is her love language. 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:17.079 Bring me a double fudged chocolate cake. The flowers will die. 0:13:18.120 --> 0:13:22.960 Bring me something that will satisfy my sweet to show 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:25.040 up with some re season, some kit cats. 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:28.840 I'm telling my wife, thank you, baby. 0:13:29.640 --> 0:13:35.959 But you mad because you allowed yourself to collect evidence 0:13:36.040 --> 0:13:41.280 from someone else's life to tell a story about your own. 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:44.760 Even when we start to look at a palm Sunday, 0:13:45.960 --> 0:13:49.319 we look at palm Sunday and you have Jesus riding 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:52.600 into Jerusalem on a donkey, and you. 0:13:52.520 --> 0:13:54.280 See all of these people applauding. 0:13:54.679 --> 0:13:57.319 You see they were there because they just heard about 0:13:57.320 --> 0:14:01.839 about Jesus raising Lazarus from the day, so they started to. 0:14:01.800 --> 0:14:05.160 Follow him and they're celebrating him. They're like o Zenna. 0:14:05.320 --> 0:14:09.840 They're waving these palm branches but where were those people 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:13.920 when they begin to yell crucify him? 0:14:14.280 --> 0:14:15.200 Where did they go? 0:14:16.320 --> 0:14:20.840 It led me to believe that that maybe maybe people's 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:26.280 praise and celebration isn't conclusive evidence of their heart and 0:14:26.360 --> 0:14:27.320 how good of a. 0:14:27.240 --> 0:14:28.120 Friend they will be. 0:14:28.760 --> 0:14:30.560 I want to know if you're gonna show up when 0:14:30.840 --> 0:14:32.600 all hell breaks loof in my life. 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:33.520 I want to know if you're. 0:14:33.360 --> 0:14:35.840 Gonna show up when I'm struggling, when I lost the 0:14:35.960 --> 0:14:38.640 job and I can't sleep and it's keeping me up 0:14:38.680 --> 0:14:44.000 all night. I want to know that's more conclusive of 0:14:44.040 --> 0:14:47.800 the type of friend you want in your life. You 0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:52.280 see Palm Sunday them celebrating Jesus. It wasn't conclusive evidence 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:53.880 about their hearts. 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:58.880 What it was was Jesus fulfilling a prophecy. That's what 0:14:58.960 --> 0:14:59.280 it was. 0:14:59.400 --> 0:15:04.640 For many of you have come today and the prayer 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:06.800 that was on your heart was I need some proof. 0:15:09.160 --> 0:15:11.280 I need some proof that God is real. I need 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:14.800 some proof that he hadn't forgot about me. I need 0:15:14.800 --> 0:15:18.280 some proof. I need some evidence today and you've been 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:21.040 scrolling on social media and some people have started. 0:15:20.760 --> 0:15:23.080 To build a TikTok and instagram. 0:15:22.600 --> 0:15:26.800 Theology about the church, about the Bride of Christ. But 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:29.080 have you shown up to one of our campuses. 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:31.280 Have you showed up to a pop up? 0:15:31.560 --> 0:15:34.600 Have you showed up and seen people give hugs the people. 0:15:34.360 --> 0:15:36.680 That desperately needed to be encouraged. 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:38.800 Have you showed up and checked your kids and the 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:43.080 kids and had them teach you about Jesus. Can we 0:15:43.120 --> 0:15:45.480 take a moment and thank God for the Bride of Christ. 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:47.960 I love my church. 0:15:48.040 --> 0:15:52.840 I'm not saying we're perfect, but my church is praying. 0:15:52.480 --> 0:15:56.480 For some people. My church is serving in some people's lives. 0:15:56.560 --> 0:16:00.880 My church shows up when disaster strikes. Don't let what 0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:02.600 Instagram told you fool you. 0:16:03.000 --> 0:16:03.720 The church is. 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:14.320 Alive, God is moving, peace, faithful, Thank you Lord. So 0:16:15.120 --> 0:16:19.160 let's get back to the text. What true my attention 0:16:19.520 --> 0:16:24.080 was is that you see Mary share this story. She 0:16:24.160 --> 0:16:27.960 says to the disciples. She says, they took my savior 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:29.640 and I don't know where he is. 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:33.800 They took my savior and we don't know where he is. 0:16:34.560 --> 0:16:38.920 We wouldn't be here today if that was true. We 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:42.720 didn't come to worship, but did God. We came to 0:16:42.760 --> 0:16:47.280 lift up a risen savior. So I was like, why 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:51.400 would she go and tell this story? Without gathering evidence 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:54.080 to corroborate her story. 0:16:55.920 --> 0:16:57.400 And there was two mistakes. 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:02.640 There's two mistakes, two mistakes that we see Mary makes 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:03.520 in this text. 0:17:03.520 --> 0:17:06.840 Go to verse one, Verse one, verse one. Watch this. 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:09.960 It says, early on the first day of the week, 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:18.000 while it was still dark, that spoke to me. Write 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:21.600 this down. Beware of the evidence you find in the dark. 0:17:28.720 --> 0:17:30.960 You see, it wasn't just dark because the. 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:32.280 Sun hadn't came up yet. 0:17:34.119 --> 0:17:37.280 It wasn't just dark outside, it was dark inside. 0:17:37.520 --> 0:17:41.000 Remember, they just lost their friend. They just saw. 0:17:40.880 --> 0:17:43.960 Jesus brutally beaten and hung up on a cross. 0:17:45.320 --> 0:17:46.560 They're grieving. 0:17:48.040 --> 0:17:50.560 God gave me this point for somebody who walked in 0:17:50.600 --> 0:17:53.000 today and the sun still hadn't came up yet. 0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:56.120 I don't know what. 0:17:56.040 --> 0:17:58.800 You're walking through today, but God told me to tell you, 0:17:59.080 --> 0:18:04.359 beware of the evidence you find in the dark. You 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:07.200 can't see well when the lights. 0:18:06.880 --> 0:18:07.639 Aren't turned on. 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:11.920 There's some evidence that will start to misconstrue the story 0:18:12.320 --> 0:18:17.000 that God is trying to bring together. Just about six 0:18:17.040 --> 0:18:20.840 weeks ago, my oldest son I twin boys. When I 0:18:20.840 --> 0:18:25.840 say oldest, he's oldest by six six minutes. He wants 0:18:25.880 --> 0:18:29.080 me everybody to know I'm the oldest. I'm the oldest. 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:31.280 I'm the oldest. I can corroborate his story if he 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:33.240 tells you the oldest, he's the oldest. 0:18:33.240 --> 0:18:33.520 Twin. 0:18:34.680 --> 0:18:39.159 He was in gym playing and got pushed too hard 0:18:39.200 --> 0:18:42.119 playing around and he fell into his shoulder and broke 0:18:42.160 --> 0:18:48.679 his collar bone. And my son's they played basketball, they're athletes, 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:51.240 and you know, a couple of days in I started 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:53.359 to look at my son's eyes and I could tell 0:18:53.440 --> 0:18:55.879 that the enemy was trying to use this to dim 0:18:55.880 --> 0:18:59.199 his light. He was trying to use this. He was 0:18:59.200 --> 0:19:01.040 trying to use this to me can think that that 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:03.920 maybe I'm gonna fall behind and I'm not gonna be 0:19:03.960 --> 0:19:07.320 good enough to be able to play again, or the 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:09.720 pain of what he was feeling that it was becoming 0:19:09.800 --> 0:19:12.560 so much. There's things that he wants to do he 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:14.359 can't do. We went on a spring break trip and 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:17.000 he can't get out into the ocean, and he said 0:19:17.080 --> 0:19:20.040 saying it was starting to get darkened. I'm trying my 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:22.560 best to encourage him, like, hey, son's son, It's okay 0:19:22.560 --> 0:19:24.919 for you to be mad, it's okay for you to 0:19:24.960 --> 0:19:28.199 be frustrated, hey, but but I want you to know 0:19:28.280 --> 0:19:31.280 that God's hand is on your life, that God could 0:19:31.400 --> 0:19:35.000 use this too. There's still hope. There's still hope. They're 0:19:35.000 --> 0:19:37.280 still Let's not listen to that voice that's telling you 0:19:37.320 --> 0:19:37.840 that it's over. 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:40.040 Let's not listen to that voice that's telling you. 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:42.720 I'm using my son as an example for God to 0:19:42.760 --> 0:19:44.520 speak to you about yours. 0:19:45.359 --> 0:19:48.040 How about this. Don't let what's broken blind you. 0:19:51.600 --> 0:19:53.320 I don't I don't know what it is in your life, 0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:56.879 but don't let what's broken blind you. We went to 0:19:56.920 --> 0:20:00.800 the doctor, and our doctor that's taken care of my son, 0:20:01.040 --> 0:20:04.880 he comes to the church and he's encouraging my son. 0:20:04.920 --> 0:20:06.920 And when we're getting done, he looks at my son 0:20:06.960 --> 0:20:08.439 and he starts to tell him. He said, God can 0:20:08.560 --> 0:20:10.879 use this too. He was trying to let him know. 0:20:10.960 --> 0:20:11.240 He said. 0:20:11.280 --> 0:20:13.760 He told my son and he said, most athletes that 0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:17.119 actually make it to the college level, they gained the 0:20:17.200 --> 0:20:20.080 mental toughness to be able to do what they do 0:20:20.160 --> 0:20:24.639 because they made it through that obstacle. They came over 0:20:25.119 --> 0:20:28.240 an injury. And at the end of his speak, he 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:29.120 put his hand on my side. 0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:33.000 He said, would you, magnif I prayed for you. See, 0:20:33.040 --> 0:20:34.240 he's ministering to my son. 0:20:34.280 --> 0:20:36.040 But he didn't know that he was ministering to me 0:20:36.119 --> 0:20:39.119 in that moment because I was praying, I don't know 0:20:39.160 --> 0:20:40.640 anything about broken bones. 0:20:40.720 --> 0:20:41.199 I don't know. 0:20:41.520 --> 0:20:43.600 I'm like God, I need you to do something. And 0:20:43.960 --> 0:20:46.080 it was a moment for God to just start to 0:20:46.119 --> 0:20:49.560 turn the lights on. Now here's the next thing that 0:20:49.720 --> 0:20:54.280 that Mary did wrong, It says verse two, verse two. 0:20:54.840 --> 0:20:58.280 So she came running to Simon, Peter and the other disciple, 0:20:58.800 --> 0:20:59.960 I know, the one that Jesus loved. 0:21:00.160 --> 0:21:08.320 Come on, John, did you catch it? She didn't go in. 0:21:11.359 --> 0:21:13.719 Beware of the evidence you find in the dark, and 0:21:13.800 --> 0:21:18.879 beware of the evidence you find at a distance. She 0:21:19.880 --> 0:21:23.520 didn't even go into the tube. She saw that the 0:21:23.560 --> 0:21:27.840 stone was rolled away, immediately ran back and told the 0:21:27.880 --> 0:21:31.280 disciples they've taken Jesus and we. 0:21:31.280 --> 0:21:34.399 Don't know where they put him. And she didn't even 0:21:34.480 --> 0:21:34.920 go in. 0:21:37.040 --> 0:21:39.760 You see, when my son broke his collar bone, you know, 0:21:39.800 --> 0:21:42.280 he was hurting at the school and the nurse calls 0:21:42.280 --> 0:21:45.520 and she says, hey, listen, he's in pain. We tried 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:47.840 to give it a few minutes, but I think you're 0:21:47.840 --> 0:21:49.879 gonna need to take him into the doctor to be 0:21:49.920 --> 0:21:54.080 able to see what actually's going on? What has been 0:21:54.119 --> 0:22:00.680 misdiagnosed in your life because the evidence that you you gathered, 0:22:00.760 --> 0:22:02.000 you gathered. 0:22:01.560 --> 0:22:02.719 At a distance. 0:22:03.880 --> 0:22:06.800 You didn't get close enough to see exactly what was 0:22:06.840 --> 0:22:11.240 going on. You're calling things that God has blessed, you're 0:22:11.240 --> 0:22:16.760 calling them broken. This might be somebody you just now 0:22:16.800 --> 0:22:20.200 are going through a breakup and you walked in heartbroken today. 0:22:20.280 --> 0:22:22.200 God told me to tell you stop for a moment, 0:22:22.280 --> 0:22:25.480 just to tell you that's a blessing. He wasn't the 0:22:25.560 --> 0:22:29.120 one you just dodged the bullet. I don't know who 0:22:29.160 --> 0:22:35.399 that is for. That's not in my notes. But then 0:22:35.440 --> 0:22:37.440 there's somebody else in here that's like, hey, you've had 0:22:37.480 --> 0:22:40.520 your eye on a girl since you came in, and 0:22:40.560 --> 0:22:42.920 you've been watching, and here's the story you're telling you. 0:22:43.080 --> 0:22:45.320 You're at a distance, and you're like, there's no way, 0:22:45.400 --> 0:22:49.520 there's no way. She talked to someone like me. There's 0:22:49.560 --> 0:22:52.560 no way, there's no way, there's no way. And she's sitting, 0:22:52.640 --> 0:22:55.480