WEBVTT - The Second Yes 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:02.720 Holly, and I wanted to say a special hello to 0:00:02.840 --> 0:00:06.960 our Etham, our extended family around the world. Hey, before 0:00:07.000 --> 0:00:09.280 we get into the message, let me tell you about available. 0:00:09.320 --> 0:00:11.840 This is a special season for our church. It's a 0:00:11.880 --> 0:00:14.960 tradition for the people of Elevation. Every year we gather, 0:00:15.320 --> 0:00:18.919 we appreciate and anticipate, and we also give. This is 0:00:18.960 --> 0:00:22.880 our yearly time for everybody who receives from this ministry 0:00:23.120 --> 0:00:25.319 to give so that the ministry can go forth, and 0:00:25.360 --> 0:00:28.240 this year we've themed it around the word available. Available. 0:00:28.240 --> 0:00:30.840 That's all God has ever wanted is for us to say, 0:00:30.880 --> 0:00:33.199 here I am, send me, use me. And you have 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:36.000 the opportunity to do that. So if you've been blessed 0:00:36.000 --> 0:00:40.000 through the ministry, it's good to receive. It's even better 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:42.839 to give. If you want to make a donation, a 0:00:42.840 --> 0:00:45.360 one time gift or a recurring gift, just be a 0:00:45.400 --> 0:00:48.280 part of what God is doing here. We so appreciate it. 0:00:48.320 --> 0:00:51.200 You can get all the details at Elevation Church dot 0:00:51.320 --> 0:00:53.920 org almost sat Elevationworship dot Com. I guess you could 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:56.480 go there too, but the giving is at Elevation Church. 0:00:56.520 --> 0:01:00.000 What you just did, you have Elevation Worship on your sweatshirt. Hey, 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:03.240 Elevation Church dot org and you can select available. And 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:05.920 we use all of these resources to continue to preach 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:09.040 the gospel, not only in physical locations like this one, 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:12.360 but through the amazing opportunity God has given us to 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:15.520 impact the world through technology. And we want to thank 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:17.600 all of you who are apart. We couldn't do it 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:20.280 without you. Thank you for being a part of our family. 0:01:20.560 --> 0:01:22.600 Thank you for being a part of this move of God. 0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:25.880 Go to Elevationchurch dot org dot com if you're not 0:01:25.959 --> 0:01:28.200 already there, and be a part. This is going to 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:31.360 be an amazing, amazing season. And Holly and I are 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:36.280 believing that your best is ahead. Somebody asked me the 0:01:36.319 --> 0:01:39.760 other day about my calling to the ministry. The thing 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:43.440 about it was when God called me to preach for him, 0:01:43.440 --> 0:01:51.280 I was sixteen, and I guess that's pretty young. It's 0:01:51.320 --> 0:01:55.800 probably better that God calls you while you're dumb. Not 0:01:55.880 --> 0:02:00.760 that I'm much smarter now, but just before your excuses 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:03.920 start to pile up or you know what I'm saying. 0:02:05.640 --> 0:02:07.280 And I want to tell you something before I get 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:08.799 into the word. In just a moment, I'm going to 0:02:08.840 --> 0:02:10.320 go right into the Word of God. We are in 0:02:10.360 --> 0:02:14.160 week two of a series called Available. Just lift your 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:17.920 hands and say God, I'm available. Why don't you just 0:02:17.960 --> 0:02:19.880 wave real quick and say God, if you're looking for 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:22.760 somebody to bless, if you're looking for somebody to help, 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:25.600 if you're looking for somebody to lift, if you're looking 0:02:25.639 --> 0:02:28.280 for somebody to drop a double dose of joy, I'm 0:02:28.320 --> 0:02:33.960 available God. If you want to speak, I'm available. Hey, man, 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:35.680 come on, clap your hands if you know. That's all 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:44.840 God wants. But I want to introduce my message in 0:02:45.080 --> 0:02:47.520 kind of a different way today. Normally I would just 0:02:47.560 --> 0:02:50.480 read the scripture, be seated, and start teaching. But I 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:53.600 want to tell you that when I close my eyes 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:56.119 sometimes when I come out here to minister to you, 0:02:56.720 --> 0:03:00.680 I picture that little church in Monk's Corner Anti Circle 0:03:00.760 --> 0:03:04.280 Baptist Mission, it was called when I first got there. 0:03:04.680 --> 0:03:06.920 They had not even chartered as a church chat They 0:03:06.919 --> 0:03:09.800 were a mission of First Baptist Monk's Corner, and it 0:03:09.840 --> 0:03:12.760 met in the woodmen of the world building on the 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:16.000 outskirts of Monk's Corner. Some of y'all don't even believe 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:18.960 there are outskirts of Monk's Corner. You thought Monk's Corner 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:25.400 is the outskirts, but this was outside of town and 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:27.400 people would come out there, not too many. It was 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:30.760 only about fifty people when I got out there. But 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:34.560 it was interesting because the way God called me into 0:03:34.639 --> 0:03:39.000 ministry in some parts was practical because Pastor Mickey White 0:03:39.640 --> 0:03:45.400 of I guess, Pastor Mickey what is he? Seventy three 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:51.560 seventy four He called me to preach because he couldn't 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:55.960 afford a real youth minister. And he saw this fired 0:03:56.040 --> 0:04:00.200 up sixteen year old for Jesus Christ, and so he 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:02.360 asked me, would I come and minister to his youth? 0:04:03.720 --> 0:04:06.280 And I said yes. And I want to tell you 0:04:06.280 --> 0:04:08.720 something as we talk about this series available and as 0:04:08.760 --> 0:04:12.280 we prepare for our big offering on December seventh and eighth, 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:14.680 how many are excited to give in our year end offering? 0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:19.279 And then for expansion and outreach December seventh and eighth, 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:22.400 our EPAM around the world. Let's welcome them. All of 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:31.359 our campuses are nineteen locations. But I told Pastor Mickey 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:33.039 that I would work with the youth, and then he 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:35.240 gave me. He said, well, since you're going to be 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:37.719 here working with the youth, we also need a hymn leader, 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:40.719 a song leader, and I grew up in the Methodist 0:04:40.800 --> 0:04:44.719 church just down the street. Actually, the Baptist Church and 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:47.240 the Methodist Church were right across the street from each other, 0:04:48.279 --> 0:04:49.840 and so it was a contest to see who could 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:53.480 get out first to go to the restaurant. That was 0:04:53.560 --> 0:04:55.560 kind of the goal, to beat the Baptist to the 0:04:55.600 --> 0:04:59.680 Berkeley restaurant in Monk's Corner. But he said, will you 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:03.640 leave the songs too? And again not that I'm a 0:05:03.640 --> 0:05:07.560 good singer, I was just available. You see a theme here, 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:11.000 So since he already he kind of is a little 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:12.400 bit of bait and switch. Will you work with the youth, 0:05:12.400 --> 0:05:15.240 will you lead the songs? Well, the thing was the 0:05:15.279 --> 0:05:17.480 hymns that they had at the Baptist Church were a 0:05:17.520 --> 0:05:20.240 little different than the Methodist Church. In the Baptist Church, 0:05:20.279 --> 0:05:23.080 they would sing these choruses and I had to learn 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:25.880 all of those choruses because I didn't know them. I 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:28.800 knew all the Green Day and Nirvana and Hoodie and 0:05:28.800 --> 0:05:32.800 the Blowfish choruses. And I was in a conversion process 0:05:33.240 --> 0:05:35.640 from Methodists to Baptists, from flesh to spirit and all 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:40.200 at the same time. So anyway, it was intimidating because 0:05:40.240 --> 0:05:41.920 Pastor Mickey would always stand in the back of the 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:44.719 room while I was leading the choruses before he would 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:46.760 come preach, and if he didn't like the way I 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:49.920 was leading them, he would walk in and stop me 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:53.040 and take over. So always felt like I was auditioning 0:05:53.360 --> 0:05:57.240 all the time. And one thing he really couldn't stand 0:05:57.720 --> 0:06:00.680 is if you were leading it too slow. So if 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:03.440 he thought it was dragging, he would just come from 0:06:03.480 --> 0:06:05.679 the back of the room. Big guy too, a six 0:06:05.720 --> 0:06:08.400 foot let's make him real tall, six foot ten. You're 0:06:08.400 --> 0:06:10.320 never going to meet him. But he was a big guy, 0:06:10.440 --> 0:06:13.000 real intimidating guy to me, and he had the shocking 0:06:13.000 --> 0:06:15.600 white hair, and so he would he would come up 0:06:15.600 --> 0:06:17.600 and he would start clapping at the tempo that he 0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:20.760 wanted the song. If you weren't on it, I'm gonna 0:06:20.800 --> 0:06:23.200 start trying that. Just walk up here, start clapping. Y'all 0:06:23.200 --> 0:06:25.599 probably take me to the mental institution if I did it. 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:28.920 But he would start clapping, and it was a small church, 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:31.520 so it would just dominate the whole room. And I 0:06:31.560 --> 0:06:34.040 was leading this him one time called yes, Lord, yes, 0:06:34.160 --> 0:06:36.160 don't of you know this chorus? It's a courus, It's 0:06:36.160 --> 0:06:40.919 not him and it says, yes, Lord, Yes to your 0:06:41.040 --> 0:06:46.040 will into your way. Yes Lord, Yes. You got to 0:06:46.040 --> 0:06:50.240 picture me. I'm like sixteen. I got this triple x 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:55.440 L Tommy Hill figure shirt tucked into my into my dockers, 0:06:57.279 --> 0:06:59.039 and I'm up there and I'm trying to lead the 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:01.240 music and I'm just waving my hand like this. I 0:07:01.279 --> 0:07:03.520 had no idea what I was waving to or for, 0:07:04.120 --> 0:07:06.760 but I had seen it done. I'm up there, just 0:07:06.880 --> 0:07:12.040 leading the and I'm going, yes, Lord, Yes to your will, 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:18.360 in to your way. Yes Lord, Yes, I will trust 0:07:18.480 --> 0:07:23.920 you and obey. When your spirit speaks to me with 0:07:24.360 --> 0:07:30.160 my whole heart, ah, look and my answer will be 0:07:30.600 --> 0:07:34.120 yes Lord, Yes. Back of the room, I start hearing, 0:07:35.720 --> 0:07:38.200 and he walks up and he goes, let's put some 0:07:38.480 --> 0:07:42.680 peppin r Yes, And he started singing it so fast 0:07:42.760 --> 0:07:45.360 it was like speaking in tongues. It turned it turned 0:07:45.400 --> 0:07:49.160 the Baptist church into a Pentecostal campground. He starts singing 0:07:49.240 --> 0:07:52.840 yes Lord, Yes to your willing, and everybody's clapping on 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:55.640 the one in the three like white people do. So 0:07:55.680 --> 0:07:58.600 here's what I want you to do. Turn to the 0:07:58.640 --> 0:08:02.560 person next to you and tell them tell them this, say, 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:05.480 ask him a question for me. Just say, does God 0:08:05.680 --> 0:08:13.239 have your yes? Does God have your yes? Holy Spirit? 0:08:13.280 --> 0:08:16.120 I pray that our time together would be absolutely meaningful 0:08:16.720 --> 0:08:20.520 and that we would never be the same. In Jesus' name, Amen, 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:25.360 you may be seated. God bless you. I'm full of 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:29.360 anticipation about what God might speak in this time together. 0:08:29.440 --> 0:08:33.000 How about you come on? It's easier to cook for 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:40.240 people who are hungry. How about you first? Excuse me? 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:49.400 Second Corinthians, Chapter one is our selection for today, and Holly, 0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:51.240 I think I finally got it right. This is my 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:53.480 third time preaching it, and I made a new outline 0:08:53.520 --> 0:09:03.240 each time. So Paul is defending himself to the church 0:09:03.320 --> 0:09:09.480 that he started. Ain't that a thing? Having to argue 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:11.760 with something you made? You don't want to throw your 0:09:11.800 --> 0:09:18.199 kids across the room. But they reached a little disagreement. 0:09:18.240 --> 0:09:22.800 Now he's coming to collect a special offering for the 0:09:22.920 --> 0:09:26.440 church at Judea, and he doesn't really talk about that 0:09:26.559 --> 0:09:29.600 until chapters eight and nine of Second Corinthians, and I 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:34.040 shared from that scripture last week. But this week we've 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:39.280 seen his introductory comments that Paul, who was called by 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:42.840 God to be an apostle to the Gentiles, is being 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:46.240 contested by some people within the church that he started, 0:09:48.000 --> 0:09:51.360 and he's explaining to them why he had to change 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:56.360 his plans from what he intended to do to what 0:09:56.440 --> 0:10:02.320 God purposed. And the verses that I'm about to read 0:10:03.320 --> 0:10:07.360 are his defense of his change his contingency planned, you 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:10.520 should say, because he told them I'm going to come 0:10:10.640 --> 0:10:15.560 spend eighteen months with you, but then he didn't. The 0:10:15.600 --> 0:10:20.640 plan changed, and some people, because the plan changed, were 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:24.800 saying that Paul was the fickle apostle. They put a 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:28.560 definite article on it, He's the fickle one. Now this 0:10:28.640 --> 0:10:31.520 is not his first year of ministry or his apprenticeship. 0:10:32.160 --> 0:10:35.000 So he's writing back to them, and there's a little 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:38.280 bit of sauce on his response, as you will see 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:43.079 in verse fifteen, he says, because I was confident of this, 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:47.800 basically because I thought we had a relationship, basically because 0:10:48.080 --> 0:10:51.880 I thought you knew that I don't just move according 0:10:51.880 --> 0:10:55.440 to what I feel, but I operate according to God's purpose. 0:10:55.960 --> 0:11:00.160 Because I was confident of this, I planned or or 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:03.120 I wanted it first to visit you so that you 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:08.360 might benefit twice. Okay, hold that in your mind for 0:11:08.400 --> 0:11:10.600 a moment. He said, I wanted to visit you on 0:11:10.600 --> 0:11:12.720 my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:15.520 from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:18.360 my way to Judea. So here's the question. Was I 0:11:18.440 --> 0:11:22.320 fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I 0:11:22.400 --> 0:11:27.200 make my plans in a worldly manner so that excuse me? 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:30.160 My iPad is trying to give me a wallpaper option, 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:31.520 and I don't want that. I just want the verse 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:33.960 right now. Okay, you version is doing too much at 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:36.760 the moment. Or do I make my plans in a 0:11:36.760 --> 0:11:39.840 worldly manner so that in the same breath I say 0:11:39.880 --> 0:11:43.760 both yes, yes and no no. But as surely as 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:47.800 God is faithful, our message to you is not yes 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:51.080 and no. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:54.000 was preached among you by us meaning me in Silas 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:57.400 and Timothy, all the heavy hitters passed through Corinth. It 0:11:57.440 --> 0:11:59.920 was an influential station for the Gospel to go for. 0:12:00.520 --> 0:12:03.360 And I believe that Elevation Church in this season in 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:06.719 the earth is an influential meeting of people who are 0:12:06.760 --> 0:12:09.560 redeemed by the blood of Christ, who are willing to 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:13.800 take the Gospel beyond our little walls and our little suburbs, 0:12:13.920 --> 0:12:17.559 and our little farms and hamlets, and communities and apartments, 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:20.120 and beyond our hearts, and to give what we have 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:22.880 been freely given. And he said, the reason that God 0:12:22.920 --> 0:12:26.400 sent all of these people was to demonstrate his faithfulness. 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:30.439 And no matter how many promises God has made Verse twenty, 0:12:30.760 --> 0:12:35.319 they are yes in Christ, and so through him the 0:12:35.360 --> 0:12:38.360 amen is spoken by us to the glory of God. 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:40.400 Would you mind if I went back for a second 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:43.520 helping of Verse twenty? He said, no matter how many 0:12:43.600 --> 0:12:46.680 promises God has made, if he said he would bless you, 0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:49.320 if he said he would heal you, if he said 0:12:49.320 --> 0:12:51.600 he would forgive you, if he said he would make 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:54.000 a way for you, if he said he would carry you, 0:12:54.320 --> 0:12:56.520 if he said he would turn it around, if he 0:12:56.559 --> 0:12:58.959 said he would redeem you, if he said he would 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:01.719 restore the years, if he said he would use you, 0:13:02.120 --> 0:13:06.000 it's still a yes. If God said yes, it's yes 0:13:08.600 --> 0:13:11.920 and threw us as the amen to the glory of God. 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:13.760 So I want to speak to you today for a 0:13:13.800 --> 0:13:20.320 few moments about the second Yes. Yes, Lord, Yes, the 0:13:20.440 --> 0:13:24.440 second yes. What a revelation it is? Is anyone in 0:13:24.480 --> 0:13:28.600 here engaged to be married? Your hand went up before 0:13:28.640 --> 0:13:33.160 I even asked the question, and somebody shouting over here, 0:13:33.160 --> 0:13:38.360 but I saw you first engaged to be married? Yes 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:53.160 to him? No, he's back there, he's serving. That's a 0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:58.480 good when you find a man that serves God. I 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:05.079 mean on you, because what is sexy? Uh, over time 0:14:05.640 --> 0:14:12.520 is steady. A matter of fact, did you notice how 0:14:12.600 --> 0:14:14.960 nobody clapped for you when you said you were engaged? 0:14:17.760 --> 0:14:22.640 Nobody clapped. I don't know if you noticed. When you 0:14:22.680 --> 0:14:28.320 have your ten year anniversary, will clap, But we're happy 0:14:28.360 --> 0:14:31.440 for you. What's your name? Jordan? You serving e kids? 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:35.680 How old are you? Twenty seven years old? How old 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:39.680 is he? Twenty eight? This is a match made in heaven? 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:45.600 So how did he propose? Just the short version in 0:14:45.680 --> 0:14:50.720 the apartment? And he said, and you said, but today 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:53.320 she said yes. I want to talk about the second yes. 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:55.640 Did you ever see the show they had? They had 0:14:55.640 --> 0:14:58.520 a show called Say Yes to the Dress? This is 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:04.280 say Yes to the mess? How many know I'm right 0:15:04.320 --> 0:15:07.280 about this already? You don't even know what the scripture 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:11.040 has to do with the illustration. But it's just a 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:14.040 second yes, because really you don't even know what you 0:15:14.120 --> 0:15:28.600 said yes to yet? So well, y'all are responding a 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:33.720 little overly enthusiastically to that. I'm I'm not sure who 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:37.240 you're going home with, But you don't know when you 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:40.840 say yes. You don't know all of the blessings. I 0:15:40.840 --> 0:15:45.640 promise you. Holly did not know that she was saying yes. 0:15:47.600 --> 0:15:50.520 There is a sense in which she didn't know she 0:15:50.600 --> 0:15:54.600 was saying yes to all of the I guess you 0:15:54.640 --> 0:15:57.760 could say the opportunities that God would open doors for us. 0:15:57.800 --> 0:16:01.320 When she said, oh, sure, I'll be your wife and 0:16:01.400 --> 0:16:03.800 we'll serve God together. You know, he kind of say yes, 0:16:04.960 --> 0:16:08.760 and then God is I don't want to say he's tricky, 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:12.720 but he's just selective in how much he shows you 0:16:14.280 --> 0:16:18.080 when when you say yes, when you say yes to 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:21.120 a person, some of you, when you said yes to 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:24.880 come to church here today, you had no idea what 0:16:25.000 --> 0:16:29.320 you were getting into. I can see you. I know 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:32.400 your type. You are looking for the exits at all time, 0:16:33.280 --> 0:16:37.080 and it's it's like you don't really know what you 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:42.840 said yes to yet. And so when I said yes, 0:16:43.120 --> 0:16:48.040 I'll serve at Santi Circle Baptist Mission, I couldn't have known. 0:16:48.120 --> 0:16:51.720 You never can know what you're saying yes to yet 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:55.800 and when we say yes to Christ, when we say 0:16:56.360 --> 0:17:02.280 yes to salvation. Yes I want my sense forgiven. Yes 0:17:02.680 --> 0:17:05.159 I want a relationship with God. Yes I want to 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:09.160 live by faith not by sight. Yes I want reconciliation 0:17:09.640 --> 0:17:12.840 with my Creator. Yes I want to receive the Holy Spirit. 0:17:13.320 --> 0:17:16.960 When you say yes to God, there is a respect 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:19.920 in which you don't really know what you're saying yes 0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:26.840 to until much later in the process. And every step 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:30.920 that you take in following Christ, every step, every every yes, 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:36.719 leads you to a greater understanding. And sometimes what that 0:17:36.800 --> 0:17:41.640 means is that you sign up for one thing and 0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:47.680 then you have to experience another, and that requires surrender. Now, y'all, 0:17:47.680 --> 0:17:51.280 I'm not a guest preacher at this church. I'm the pastor. 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:54.040 And every once in a while God will put a 0:17:54.160 --> 0:17:57.120 message on my heart that I believe is intended by 0:17:57.160 --> 0:18:00.560 the Holy Spirit to challenge you in an area where 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:03.840 you have settled. The fact is, many of us have 0:18:03.960 --> 0:18:07.080 said the first yes to Jesus that we want to 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:11.200 receive the blessing of His forgiveness. But when it comes 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:14.639 to the second yes, which is the process of sanctification 0:18:15.720 --> 0:18:19.280 by which He makes us more like Christ, many of 0:18:19.359 --> 0:18:24.480 us are stuck in the first yes. This is not 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:28.439 a message about the first yes, because remember Paul was 0:18:28.560 --> 0:18:31.920 called by God to be an apostle. He was called 0:18:31.960 --> 0:18:36.040 by God in a very remarkable way when God knocked 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:39.800 him off of his horse on the road to Damascus, 0:18:40.119 --> 0:18:43.399 where God interrupts him in the middle of his regularly 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:47.320 scheduled programming to persecute Christians and says, I'm going to 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:49.280 have you preach to the same people you were going 0:18:49.320 --> 0:18:52.360 to persecute. If you ever want to make God laugh, 0:18:52.400 --> 0:18:54.800 tell him your plans. Ha ha ha ha. You hear 0:18:54.880 --> 0:18:56.639 God laughing at what you thought it was going to be. 0:18:57.160 --> 0:19:00.280 And so Paul is having to explain this principle. Write 0:19:00.280 --> 0:19:07.920 this down. God's yes is settled. God's yes is settled. 0:19:09.200 --> 0:19:14.239 So when God says yes, he doesn't say yes like 0:19:14.400 --> 0:19:17.720 you said yes when somebody asked you something and you 0:19:17.880 --> 0:19:20.160 just wanted them to shut up, so you told them 0:19:20.240 --> 0:19:23.080 yes so they would leave you alone so you could 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:26.760 text them later. Paul said, God is not fickle like people. 0:19:26.960 --> 0:19:30.160 He's faithful. God is not a man that he should lie, 0:19:30.480 --> 0:19:33.600 nor the son of man that he should repent. God 0:19:34.119 --> 0:19:38.000 is faithful. And before you even make the mistake He 0:19:38.040 --> 0:19:42.000 said yes to forgiving you before you even found yourself 0:19:42.000 --> 0:19:44.919 outside of His will. He said yes to bringing you 0:19:45.000 --> 0:19:48.159 back in. So there is nothing you can bring before 0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:51.359 God today. I feel the Holy Spirit. There is nothing 0:19:51.400 --> 0:19:53.800 you can bring before God today in the name of 0:19:53.880 --> 0:19:56.679 Jesus in agreement with His will, that He will not 0:19:56.840 --> 0:20:00.280 say yes to. For the Scripture says that as many 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:04.800 promises as God has made, the answer is already yes. 0:20:05.440 --> 0:20:07.760 Some of you are wondering in your heart, God, I 0:20:07.880 --> 0:20:11.160 made a mess, Can you clean it up? Is already yes. 0:20:11.520 --> 0:20:14.280 God already said yes to clean up your mess before 0:20:14.320 --> 0:20:17.159 you ever made it. And here's why God is not 0:20:17.440 --> 0:20:21.960 like people. People are fickle. God is faithful. Have you 0:20:22.000 --> 0:20:25.000 ever had a fickle friend? A friend that made plans 0:20:25.040 --> 0:20:27.840 with you until a better plan came along, a friend 0:20:27.880 --> 0:20:30.080 who was hanging out with you until somebody who was 0:20:30.160 --> 0:20:32.639 cooler called my son. Graham asked me the other day. 0:20:32.760 --> 0:20:36.720 He said something interesting. He said, if you did and 0:20:36.800 --> 0:20:38.840 he I don't even remember what he said, but he said, 0:20:39.240 --> 0:20:42.800 if you said this from the pulpit, would you get canceled? 0:20:45.640 --> 0:20:48.080 And I don't remember what he even the example that 0:20:48.119 --> 0:20:50.800 he brought up, But I just thought the question was funny, 0:20:51.720 --> 0:20:55.159 and I thought for a minute, and I had this realization. 0:20:56.680 --> 0:20:59.879 God called me because we live in a cancel cal 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:05.199 and so the moment that somebody does something that we 0:21:05.280 --> 0:21:09.720 find disagreeable, that does not conform to our image of 0:21:09.760 --> 0:21:12.720 what we thought they should be, we have the nerve 0:21:12.800 --> 0:21:16.520 to talk about that we canceled that celebrity, or we 0:21:16.600 --> 0:21:19.879 canceled that person. And so what I said back to Graham, 0:21:19.920 --> 0:21:23.600 I want to say to some of you, Man can't 0:21:23.640 --> 0:21:33.159 cancel what God called. I'm gonna say it again on 0:21:33.280 --> 0:21:39.480 behalf of Paul. Man can't cancel what God has called. 0:21:41.119 --> 0:21:45.040 When God called you, he knew exactly what he was 0:21:45.080 --> 0:21:49.119 getting with the package. You don't know what you said 0:21:49.240 --> 0:21:53.320 yes to yet, but God knew what he said yes 0:21:53.359 --> 0:21:57.240 to when he accepted you. So here's the question. If 0:21:57.240 --> 0:22:03.960 he accepted you unconditionally, then what sin, what shame, what mistake, 0:22:04.480 --> 0:22:09.359 what misdirection? Shall be able to separate us from the 0:22:09.400 --> 0:22:13.200 love of God that is in Christ Jesus I came 0:22:13.240 --> 0:22:17.600 with an announcement. They didn't create you. They can't cancel you. 0:22:18.160 --> 0:22:22.240 Man can't cancel what God called. If God called you, 0:22:22.680 --> 0:22:25.840 if God is for you, he's more than the world 0:22:25.880 --> 0:22:33.720 against you. Preach Verdick, preach it. Preach it for the 0:22:33.840 --> 0:22:37.440 people who feel like they went too far. If God 0:22:37.600 --> 0:22:41.480 for you, called you, raised you, and set his seal 0:22:41.520 --> 0:22:48.399 of ownership on you, I'm a preacher follow up sermon 0:22:48.480 --> 0:22:50.960 on that point. But for now, I just need you 0:22:51.000 --> 0:22:55.280 to know that when God says yes, he means yes. 0:22:55.640 --> 0:22:59.199 He meant it when he said it, he knew it 0:22:59.240 --> 0:23:03.560 when he said it, he was able to foresee it 0:23:03.600 --> 0:23:10.439 even when he spoke. But people, though, people mean different 0:23:10.440 --> 0:23:14.600 things when they say yes. And so I feel like 0:23:14.640 --> 0:23:19.440 the crux of this message comes when when the plan changes, 0:23:20.480 --> 0:23:24.040 and then you have to decide am I committed to 0:23:24.080 --> 0:23:30.880 the plan or am I committed to the purpose? Paul said, 0:23:30.920 --> 0:23:36.840 the plan has changed, but the purpose has not. And 0:23:36.880 --> 0:23:38.919 maybe we could talk about this for a minute, because 0:23:39.720 --> 0:23:45.320 you're yes will always be tested. I'm talking about the 0:23:45.359 --> 0:23:48.560 second yes, not the first one, not the cute one, 0:23:48.600 --> 0:23:54.520 not the naive one. The second yes. It's when you know, 0:23:54.560 --> 0:23:56.960 a lot of times we bring God this plan for 0:23:57.000 --> 0:23:59.720 our life, this blueprint, and then we want him to 0:23:59.760 --> 0:24:03.080 sign enough on it and just bless it at the bottom, 0:24:03.119 --> 0:24:05.560 like the Lord signing a permission trip for a field trip, 0:24:06.119 --> 0:24:07.880 like we're trying to go ice skating with the fifth 0:24:07.920 --> 0:24:13.240 grade class. Can you sign here, Heavenly Guardian Father, y'all. 0:24:13.240 --> 0:24:15.399 I didn't sign up for a genie. I signed up 0:24:15.440 --> 0:24:25.680 for a God change the battery or something, because sometimes 0:24:25.720 --> 0:24:32.199 God will cancel the plan to accomplish the purpose. So 0:24:33.119 --> 0:24:35.760 the first yes that we say to God is for 0:24:35.880 --> 0:24:39.240 how we expected our life to go. The second yes 0:24:39.359 --> 0:24:42.800 is not so simple, the second yes. And some of 0:24:42.840 --> 0:24:46.840 you are having your yes tested as I speak, because 0:24:46.880 --> 0:24:49.000 there was a Plan A that you had for your 0:24:49.040 --> 0:24:53.280 life and now you are on Plan lmnop No. We 0:24:53.400 --> 0:24:56.679 passed B a long time ago. I did c D 0:24:57.240 --> 0:25:01.119 E F G H. I bought a I. I couldn't 0:25:01.200 --> 0:25:05.159 find eye. Come on, somebody, My first plan started with 0:25:05.400 --> 0:25:13.879 I and it got canceled. And so Paul said, the 0:25:14.000 --> 0:25:17.480 reason that the plan was canceled is that God had 0:25:17.560 --> 0:25:24.120 a better Yes. God God had Oh, this is this 0:25:24.200 --> 0:25:27.960 is the part right here. This is this is where 0:25:28.000 --> 0:25:30.159 your yes is tested to find out what kind of 0:25:30.280 --> 0:25:34.920 yes was it to begin with. I found out everybody 0:25:35.000 --> 0:25:40.400 has has a point at which there yes is tested 0:25:42.119 --> 0:25:47.640 because it's the second yes, Yes Lord, Yes. I wondered 0:25:47.840 --> 0:25:50.160 when I was leading that song. Why does it say 0:25:50.240 --> 0:25:54.600 yes twice? He heard you the first time, Yes, Lord, yes, 0:25:55.880 --> 0:26:01.840 and I realized that the second Yes. See, we love 0:26:01.920 --> 0:26:05.320