WEBVTT - Lonely Places 0:00:01.960 --> 0:00:05.000 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdik. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, 0:00:05.080 --> 0:00:07.120 and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you 0:00:07.160 --> 0:00:10.440 for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:12.639 builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to see 0:00:12.640 --> 0:00:17.560 God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. Those 0:00:17.560 --> 0:00:19.120 of you who are here in the room, be seated. 0:00:19.200 --> 0:00:23.000 Let's get started. And those of you who are a 0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:27.480 part of our EFAM, our global extended family, or as 0:00:27.520 --> 0:00:31.680 we call it these days, everybody family, because none of 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:34.040 us are really you know, it's kind of been weird. 0:00:34.560 --> 0:00:37.800 I always have the worship team come back out here 0:00:37.840 --> 0:00:40.199 and sit with me while I preach. One of my 0:00:40.200 --> 0:00:42.720 preacher friends was like, why do you have the worship 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:45.440 team up there? And I was like, it's lonely up here, man. 0:00:46.440 --> 0:00:52.640 And especially it's kind of ominous preaching in an empty 0:00:52.680 --> 0:00:57.720 auditorium because we built this room for, like, I don't 0:00:57.720 --> 0:00:59.279 know one hundred times the amount of people that we're 0:00:59.280 --> 0:01:02.040 allowed to put in here right now, so it's kind 0:01:02.040 --> 0:01:05.560 of it's kind of creepy. I mean, I'm not saying 0:01:05.600 --> 0:01:07.280 anything bad about those of y'all who are here, but 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:09.800 it just looks like the rapture happened, and y'all weren't 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:14.640 living right when it did. We all missed it. So 0:01:14.680 --> 0:01:16.679 it's kind of lonely up here on preaching. Are y'all 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:20.039 the only ones coming back today? There's more coming? Yeah, 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:23.160 even since the first week of when we went into quarantine. 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:25.440 I was like, if y'all could just keep some stools 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:28.199 back there, and when you put your mics down, grab 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:31.520 a stool and come sit with me, because it'll just 0:01:31.560 --> 0:01:34.160 help me to not feel lonely. And you wouldn't think 0:01:34.160 --> 0:01:36.720 the pulpit would be a lonely place, but sometimes it 0:01:36.760 --> 0:01:40.919 can be because you're bearing your soul for everybody to see, 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:45.600 and especially some people have these facial expressions when you're preaching. 0:01:45.640 --> 0:01:50.280 They look at you with a very I don't want 0:01:50.280 --> 0:01:51.920 to be judgmental in the way I put this, but 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:56.120 they look at you like they never did anything wrong 0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:59.360 in their life, and they look at you like they 0:01:59.440 --> 0:02:01.440 might have something better to do. Not not everybody looks 0:02:01.440 --> 0:02:04.480 at you that way, but sometimes when you're preaching, it's 0:02:04.520 --> 0:02:06.400 like you're trying to give out a bunch of love, 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:09.240 and sometimes you don't get the same amount of love back. 0:02:09.680 --> 0:02:13.240 So in an empty room. It's different or an almost 0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:14.760 empty room. I don't know what you can see, but 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:19.440 all these seats are empty. It's kind of lonely. You know. 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:26.400 It's kind of lonely lately. It's been kind of lonely lately, 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:32.160 hadn't it. It's been kind of lonely. And we used 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:35.000 to get to come to church, and this was one 0:02:35.080 --> 0:02:38.040 place where we could come. You know, whether you were 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:41.400 going to a rock Hill formerly rock Hill now known 0:02:41.440 --> 0:02:44.320 as Riverwalk Campus, or whether you were going to our 0:02:44.760 --> 0:02:49.240 Gaston campus or Blakeney Campus or Valentine here where I preach, 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:52.600 or Raleigh Durham or Morrisville or Greenville or Greensboro. We 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:55.520 had all these campuses, and the idea was where you 0:02:55.560 --> 0:02:58.160 could come out and be with others and to know 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:02.079 that you're not alone in this thing called faith. You're 0:03:02.120 --> 0:03:05.200 not alone in this battle called life. Somebody say it 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:08.240 in the chat, I'm not alone. I'm not alone, and 0:03:08.320 --> 0:03:11.280 just make eye contact with somebody, if anybody's there, and 0:03:11.280 --> 0:03:14.680 tell them you're not alone, You're not alone, You're not alone. 0:03:14.840 --> 0:03:17.240 But right now it's kind of harder for us to 0:03:17.600 --> 0:03:20.440 do that because even if you were here, I couldn't 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:23.160 have you touch your neighbor. I used to have people 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:25.480 touching their neighbor all the time during church, and somebody 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:30.000 would say that's obnoxious and touch my neighbor. I am 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:32.720 touching my neighbor. I don't touch my neighbor. I don't 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:34.359 even know my neighbor's ends have been. I don't know 0:03:34.400 --> 0:03:36.640 if my neighbor you high five my neighbor. I'm not 0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:40.920 trying to catch anything. Well, now it's almost illegal to 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:43.920 touch have them touch your neighbor is so it's really 0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:49.560 really different. It's kind of been lonely. Do you all 0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:52.400 remember when we recorded the Blessing, the song the Blessing. 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:55.600 I went to watch the video the other day of 0:03:55.680 --> 0:04:00.880 the song the Blessing, and it was amazing to me, how, how, 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:03.880 what was such a joyful moment when we recorded that 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:07.560 song with our church had a little bit of sepia 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:09.560 to it, a little bit of sadness, just a little 0:04:09.600 --> 0:04:12.400 bit of melancholy to it because we didn't know that 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:16.920 a couple weeks after we released The Blessing that the 0:04:16.960 --> 0:04:22.760 buildings where we used to gather would sit empty. And 0:04:22.800 --> 0:04:25.200 when I watch it back, man, I feel kind of homesick. 0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:28.599 I was telling Holly that the other night, I said, 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:33.520 I feel kind of homesick, I kind of miss some things. 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:37.320 It's kind of lonely, and I want to preach to 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:41.040 you along those lines today. From Mark chapter one, verse 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.279 thirty five through forty five. I asked the Lord what 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:46.880 I could give you today that would help you, And 0:04:46.920 --> 0:04:51.160 he knows that I don't know what you need right now, 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:53.719 but he's gracious, and so I believe that he gave 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:58.320 me something that is beyond my limitations of human understanding, 0:04:58.320 --> 0:04:59.880 that's going to reach right into your spirit and speak 0:04:59.880 --> 0:05:01.200 to you. I want to encourage you to share this 0:05:01.240 --> 0:05:05.280 message with somebody. While we cannot convene physically, It's never 0:05:05.320 --> 0:05:07.360 been easier for you to share the Word of God 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:10.840 with somebody in that awesome So right now, you could 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:13.760 click a share button wherever you're watching this, or you 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:16.279 could text a link. You could reach out to somebody 0:05:16.320 --> 0:05:19.159 and say there's a message that's going forth right now, 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:20.800 and I want you to be a part of it 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:24.200 with me. Just because we are physically alone doesn't mean 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:27.240 that we have to be spiritually. And that's why we're here, 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.200 and that's why we keep coming out every week, no 0:05:30.200 --> 0:05:33.960 matter how crazy it gets outside. No matter how uncertain 0:05:34.040 --> 0:05:37.440 it is in the world, We've got to keep coming together. 0:05:37.800 --> 0:05:41.200 We've got to keep coming together, and it's so important 0:05:41.240 --> 0:05:44.400 that we do, and it's so important that we continue 0:05:44.400 --> 0:05:47.039 to come around God's word, which never changes in a 0:05:47.080 --> 0:05:53.000 world that has never been more unstable. So today's message 0:05:53.000 --> 0:05:57.640 comes from Mark, chapter one, verse thirty five through forty five, 0:05:59.320 --> 0:06:02.840 and the Bible says that very early in the morning, 0:06:03.680 --> 0:06:07.640 while it was still dark, Jesus got up, very early 0:06:07.640 --> 0:06:10.920 in the morning, while it was still dark. Jesus got up, 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:14.000 very early in the morning, while it was still dark. 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:16.720 Jesus got up. No, your YouTube is not buffering. I 0:06:16.760 --> 0:06:19.159 read it three times on purpose. I wonder if that's 0:06:19.200 --> 0:06:22.800 foreshadowing something that's going to happen later. In the Gospel 0:06:22.839 --> 0:06:25.800 of Mark, very early in the morning, while it was 0:06:25.839 --> 0:06:29.960 still dark, Jesus got up. I'm gonna turn my chair 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:32.000 around and preach back here and see if anybody knows 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:34.440 the Bible back here. I just wondered if if Mark 0:06:34.520 --> 0:06:37.280 put that in because he was giving a little bit 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:42.120 of foreshadowing of what would happen later. Very early, while 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:47.599 it was still dark, Jesus got up, and so just 0:06:47.640 --> 0:06:50.680 pointing that out to you that God knows how this 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:54.960 thing ends, that he knows how this thing turns out. Oh, 0:06:55.000 --> 0:07:01.560 you're not ready for me, Jean Lacky. Very early in 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:04.280 the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, 0:07:05.000 --> 0:07:07.960 left the house and went off to a solitary place 0:07:08.000 --> 0:07:13.120 where he prayed. Where he prayed, Simon and his companions 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:15.880 went to look for him, and when they found him, 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:18.800 they exclaimed, everyone is looking for you, and Jesus replied, 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:22.880 let us go somewhere else, to the nearby villages, so 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:29.400 I can preach there also. That is why I have come. 0:07:30.360 --> 0:07:34.960 That is why I have come. So he traveled throughout Galilee, 0:07:35.000 --> 0:07:39.920 preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. A man 0:07:39.960 --> 0:07:43.480 with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, 0:07:44.840 --> 0:07:50.720 if you're willing, you can make me clean. Jesus was indignant. 0:07:51.640 --> 0:07:54.640 He reached out his hand and touched the man. I 0:07:54.680 --> 0:07:58.920 am willing, he said, be clean. Immediately the leprosy left 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:04.040 him and he was cleansed. Jesus sent him away at 0:08:04.040 --> 0:08:08.200 once with a strong warning. See that you don't tell 0:08:08.240 --> 0:08:12.760 this to anyone, but go show yourself to the priests 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:17.440 and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:22.920 as a testimony to them. Instead, he went out and 0:08:22.960 --> 0:08:27.360 began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, 0:08:28.040 --> 0:08:32.080 Jesus could no longer enter a town openly, but stayed 0:08:32.160 --> 0:08:37.520 outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to 0:08:37.600 --> 0:08:43.640 him from everywhere. That's my title today. It says Jesus 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:47.600 could no longer enter a town openly, but stayed outside 0:08:48.280 --> 0:08:51.000 in lonely places. I want to talk to you about 0:08:51.000 --> 0:08:57.319 lonely places today. Lonely places. Let's pray. God, you inhabit 0:08:57.360 --> 0:09:01.760 all things. You inhabit the praise of your people. You 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:05.320 inhabit the broken and the contrite heart. Today, Lord, I 0:09:05.400 --> 0:09:08.240 pray that you would fill every kitchen where this word 0:09:08.360 --> 0:09:11.560 is going forth. That you would fill every bedroom where 0:09:11.559 --> 0:09:14.160 this word is going forth, every living room, every condo, 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:18.840 every back deck, every car, every hospital room, every prison 0:09:18.920 --> 0:09:22.560 cell where this word is going forth. And everybody in 0:09:22.640 --> 0:09:24.880 this room is here to agree with me that you 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:29.520 are filling all spaces right now with your glory. And 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:32.360 we thank you that you are here. We thank you 0:09:32.400 --> 0:09:35.720 that we are never forsaken, never abandoned. We pray this 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:37.720 and believe this because we have your word on it, 0:09:38.160 --> 0:09:41.240 a guarantee from Heaven that never will you leave us 0:09:41.320 --> 0:09:44.520 or forsake us. And we stand on that promise right 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:50.040 now in Jesus' name. Amen, Amen in the chat. Amen, 0:09:50.120 --> 0:09:57.080 in the chat. Jesus is hiding from his disciples. Jesus 0:09:57.200 --> 0:10:00.400 is hiding from his disciples. Let's make all of a 0:10:00.440 --> 0:10:03.160 Catholic church for a minute and have a confession. All right, 0:10:03.280 --> 0:10:05.480 Let's turn this into a confession booth in the chat. 0:10:05.760 --> 0:10:08.480 How many parents have hiding places where you go to 0:10:08.520 --> 0:10:13.680 get away from your kids. There's a few hands going 0:10:13.760 --> 0:10:15.760 up in the room. Raise your hand in the chat. 0:10:17.280 --> 0:10:19.360 And I know y'all don't have kids yet. You don't 0:10:19.400 --> 0:10:21.440 have kids. You don't have kids, so you're judging this 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:24.120 whole situation right now. Oh, if I had kids, I 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:26.520 would be emotionally available so that they could see the 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:30.359 heart of my good, good Father whose arms are open wide. 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:36.280 But we have this workout, little workout room in my house. 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:39.000 I'm grateful for it. Sometimes I go in there for 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:45.120 six hours, six hours and do ten bicep curls. It's 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:47.040 really like a second office for me. I go in 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:50.520 there to hide and I go in there, and you know, 0:10:50.559 --> 0:10:52.839 I'd be seven times bigger if I was actually lifting 0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:55.400 weights in there. But I go in there just to hide. 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:58.280 Sometimes I have a whole desk right beside my pre 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:02.240 workout is a and then a notebook. Especially in these 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:04.600 last few weeks, I've had how many of you, Yeah, 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:07.160 I see it in the chat from Jessica and Ivy 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:10.120 and Jesse, all the hands raising, and all of you 0:11:10.200 --> 0:11:12.560 that are judging me with the captions because your kids 0:11:12.559 --> 0:11:14.760 are only six months old right now, and I just 0:11:14.840 --> 0:11:16.559 let this none of them all the time. And I 0:11:20.640 --> 0:11:23.360 speak this as a prophetic declaration into your future. If 0:11:23.360 --> 0:11:26.360 you watch this message, in five years, you will have 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:30.360 nests within your home. If you parent long enough, you 0:11:30.440 --> 0:11:32.760 will do drive bys on your own house. When you 0:11:32.800 --> 0:11:35.080 come home from work. You will go to work to 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:39.000 hide and rest from your children. Praise the Lord. And 0:11:39.040 --> 0:11:41.480 it's interesting because, like I was saying, some of the 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:45.000 places that we used to go to get away are 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:49.000 now places where we can no longer go. And it's 0:11:49.040 --> 0:11:52.080 forced us to deal with some of the things in 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:55.640 our own hearts that we used to be able to 0:11:55.720 --> 0:11:59.320 run from. Y'all didn't come to help me preach today. 0:12:00.080 --> 0:12:05.360 It's lonely in this elevation pulpit today. And Jesus, I 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:08.000 don't feel so bad about hiding from my kids every 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:10.240 now and then. And I really am a very very 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:11.720 present dad. I don't want you to get the wrong 0:12:11.760 --> 0:12:15.520 idea every once in a while, like Jesus I got 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:19.920 to get away from Peter. I thought it was so 0:12:20.080 --> 0:12:24.000 ironic because we talk about spending time with Jesus. I 0:12:24.000 --> 0:12:26.760 see all on Instagram, with your coffee mug and your 0:12:26.840 --> 0:12:30.840 journal and your amplified Bible, study scripture, three different translations, 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:34.000 devotion books talking about spending it, you know, just spending 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:37.160 some time with Jesus. And I thought it was cool 0:12:37.200 --> 0:12:44.280 that even Jesus needed to spend time with Jesus. This 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:49.400 is really important because if you never spend any time 0:12:50.000 --> 0:12:54.679 disconnected from the external, you will always be driven by 0:12:54.800 --> 0:13:01.080 agendas that come from the outside. The life of Jesus 0:13:01.080 --> 0:13:04.680 models in so many ways the ability to live from within. 0:13:05.679 --> 0:13:08.200 What he's teaching us here is not just the importance 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:11.160 of getting up early. And thank God, because I'm not 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:14.320 a morning person. I think it's hilarious that I have 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:17.240 to preach these messages in the morning, because a lot 0:13:17.280 --> 0:13:19.320 of mornings, I don't even feel like a Christian until 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:22.640 about eleven AM. It takes me that long to get 0:13:22.679 --> 0:13:25.480 saved again. It takes me a cup of coffee and 0:13:25.480 --> 0:13:27.559 a diet coke just to feel the Holy Spirit in 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:31.520 the morning. But Jesus got up early why to pray, 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:35.400 to align himself with his purpose. And it's never been 0:13:35.440 --> 0:13:39.200 more important because Jesus is at the height of his popularity, 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:44.200 and he understood that popularity and purpose don't often work together. 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:48.360 In fact, in fact, can I preach like I did 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:51.440 to the young people? Can I preach like I did 0:13:51.440 --> 0:13:55.640 to the young people? I was telling them not to 0:13:55.720 --> 0:14:02.360 confuse fame with fruitfulness, not to confuse being noticed with 0:14:02.480 --> 0:14:05.520 being known. When I came and preached to the young 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:09.360 people on Friday to close youth X, I was telling 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:14.360 them how Jesus refused to be controlled by popular opinion 0:14:15.160 --> 0:14:19.280 or external agendas. And for this reason, the Bible says 0:14:19.840 --> 0:14:25.320 that he snuck away from Peter James, John Andrew Bartholomew 0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:31.280 went to a solitary place. The Bible calls it. It's 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:34.280 the same phrase that you would see to mean wilderness 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:39.160 or wasteland or desert. Jesus apparently had a secret spot 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:43.520 that he liked to go and recharge and spend time 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:47.640 with Jesus. Jesus had to go spend some time with 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:51.280 Jesus and with his father, and the Bible calls this 0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:54.400 prayer not just a time for him to read through 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:56.320 his list of things that he'd like God to do 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:58.760 for him, but a place for him to get his 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:01.200 orders on the inside what God wanted him to do 0:15:01.280 --> 0:15:04.120 that day. Now, if you do not have this place 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:06.440 in your life where you go and you are willing 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:09.000 to be alone for a little while, you will spend 0:15:09.040 --> 0:15:13.040 your entire life scrolling through screenshots of everybody else's idea 0:15:13.120 --> 0:15:19.880 of purpose. But Jesus understood that it is important to 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:25.120 get alone sometimes, to get alone sometimes. And I found 0:15:25.160 --> 0:15:28.640 out that we're living in a time where it's never 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:34.840 been more difficult to really be alone. I mean really alone. 0:15:34.880 --> 0:15:36.920 I don't mean that there's no other human bodies around. 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:40.920 That's pretty easy right now, but I mean to really 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:45.480 just be alone and to really seek God. What do 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:50.080 you want me to do? That's hard to do because 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:54.640 I'm bombarded. It's hard to do because you know, if 0:15:54.680 --> 0:15:56.960 I'm reading my Bible or if i'm watching a sermon 0:15:58.160 --> 0:16:00.480 on the same phone where I have my Bible app, 0:16:01.360 --> 0:16:04.920 there's all these other apps. It's never been harder to 0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:08.239 be alone. Have you noticed this? Even when we're alone, 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:13.360 we are flooded with voices. Even when we are alone, 0:16:13.560 --> 0:16:16.480 there is an abundance of noise. And so Jesus had 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:18.520 a spot, and you have to have a spot. And 0:16:18.560 --> 0:16:21.280 I wish they made an airplane mode switch on my mind. 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:23.400 You know how they have it on the phone where 0:16:23.400 --> 0:16:25.680 you can turn off the connection and just be with 0:16:25.720 --> 0:16:28.320 what's really on the device. I wish there was one 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:30.640 for my mind, but I can't find it in my mind. 0:16:30.800 --> 0:16:34.600 And I find that even when I'm all alone physically emotionally, 0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:38.480 it's a crowded space. Right now, one of the issues 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:40.400 of our day is going to be that we are 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:43.640 going to become numb to the things that really matter, 0:16:44.040 --> 0:16:47.560 because we are so bombarded and constantly connected to the 0:16:47.600 --> 0:16:50.480 things that are peripheral that buy for our attention that 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:56.560 are not really essential. I'm preaching Caroline, I'm preaching Melissa, 0:16:56.840 --> 0:17:02.280 I'm preaching nel Yes, I am. Jesus got alone. He 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:05.080 chose to go get along. Now. It wasn't easy for 0:17:05.200 --> 0:17:08.000 him in fact, the Bible says that Peter came looking 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:11.280 for him. Peter came looking for him. You know all 0:17:11.280 --> 0:17:14.199 my kids have started doing now, They started facetiming me 0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:21.800 in my own house. Yes, they have face time in 0:17:21.920 --> 0:17:26.640 me in my own house, looking for me, like I'm 0:17:26.640 --> 0:17:32.600 on their payroll. So Peter tracks Jesus down. And listen 0:17:33.000 --> 0:17:34.679 the Greek. You can look this up on a study 0:17:34.720 --> 0:17:36.840 Bible if you want to. The Greek where it says 0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:39.520 that he went looking for Jesus. When Jesus went to 0:17:39.600 --> 0:17:41.400 his little spot. You know, Jesus had a little spot 0:17:41.400 --> 0:17:43.399 where he could get along, just be alone, hear what 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:45.560 the father says, and get away from all the distractions, 0:17:45.640 --> 0:17:47.480 and get away from all the opinions, and get away 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:50.159 from all the twenty four hour cycle of depression and 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:53.560 anxiety and craziness that they feed to us. And they 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:55.840 give us our fear in the form of entertainment, and 0:17:55.880 --> 0:17:57.720 we didn't even realize we're hooked on stuff that is 0:17:57.760 --> 0:18:00.159 designed to keep us in a state of needing, the 0:18:00.280 --> 0:18:05.679 very thing that is killing us. Jesus got away and 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:10.240 here comes Peter. Here comes Peter. The Greek says he 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:16.320 tracked him down, almost like he was a stalker, almost 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:19.760 like how the devil will track you down, almost like 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:24.520 how anxiety will track you down, almost how something that 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:26.520 happened two years ago will track you down and try 0:18:26.560 --> 0:18:30.720 to keep you from enjoying this present moment. And Peter's 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:38.920 like a rabbi. Everybody's looking for you, as if Jesus 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:46.280 was going to conform to the expectations of others when 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:50.800 he came from God for a purpose that was innate 0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:55.520 to his very nature. They're looking for you. Man. You 0:18:55.600 --> 0:18:59.359 gotta get out there. Do some more of this exorcisms, 0:18:59.400 --> 0:19:02.719 these demons casting out. This is playing really well in 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:05.399 the polls. People say that they'd be more likely to 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:08.200 vote for you if you would do more of these exorcisms. 0:19:08.240 --> 0:19:11.640 You know, Jesus is at the height of his popularity, 0:19:11.840 --> 0:19:14.359 but he chooses to be alone and watch what he 0:19:14.359 --> 0:19:16.800 does next. And this is what you can do when 0:19:16.840 --> 0:19:20.239 your intention is set from within. Here's what I mean 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:24.520 by that, seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:27.639 Here's what I mean from that, you operate from a 0:19:27.680 --> 0:19:31.119 place of peace, not a place of pressure. Here's what 0:19:31.200 --> 0:19:33.640 I mean by that. You let the world be as 0:19:33.760 --> 0:19:36.959 crazy as it wants to be. But you have something 0:19:37.000 --> 0:19:42.720 that transcends understanding to guard your heart and mind in Christ, Jesus, 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:46.000 here's what I mean by that. You set up boundaries 0:19:46.040 --> 0:19:48.640 and you say, this is the scope of what I'm 0:19:48.680 --> 0:19:52.000 willing to give my attention to. You set your focus 0:19:52.040 --> 0:19:55.600 and your eyes on what is eternal, not what is temporal, 0:19:56.720 --> 0:20:01.399 and Jesus saying, I'm glad they're looking for me, but 0:20:01.560 --> 0:20:07.600 right now I need to be alone, So let's go. 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:09.840 This is what he said to Peter, to some of 0:20:09.880 --> 0:20:13.280 the other villages in towns, because this is what I 0:20:13.320 --> 0:20:18.439 came for. This is what I came for. Somebody in 0:20:18.440 --> 0:20:21.800 the chat say, this is what I came for. This 0:20:21.880 --> 0:20:26.000 is what I came for. When you know what goes 0:20:26.080 --> 0:20:28.840 on the other side of that, this is what I 0:20:28.880 --> 0:20:33.919 came for. Like, Okay, to church today, what did you 0:20:33.960 --> 0:20:37.800 come for? What did you come for? What did you 0:20:37.880 --> 0:20:42.240 log on for? What is your purpose in being here? 0:20:43.640 --> 0:20:45.600 My purpose today is to preach the word of God 0:20:45.640 --> 0:20:48.760 to you. I'm not able to change you. I mean, 0:20:49.000 --> 0:20:51.040 I'm just a person, so I'm not even able to 0:20:51.080 --> 0:20:54.080 give you the illumination to the issues that plague humanity 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:56.480 is to be. But I know what I'm here for 0:20:57.200 --> 0:20:59.600 I am here to speak a word from God, and 0:20:59.680 --> 0:21:02.159 I believe that He has given me a tongue to 0:21:02.280 --> 0:21:05.359 sustain the weary. And the Lord sent me today for 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:09.280 an assignment for somebody who's been in a lonely place. 0:21:10.600 --> 0:21:13.879 I wanted you to notice that Jesus chose to go 0:21:13.960 --> 0:21:17.800 to a lonely place. Jesus chose for a season to 0:21:17.880 --> 0:21:21.919 separate himself from all of the stress. Jesus chose to 0:21:22.000 --> 0:21:25.520 separate himself from all of the drama. Jesus chose to 0:21:25.560 --> 0:21:29.400 separate himself from all of the demands that were surrounding him, 0:21:29.560 --> 0:21:32.199 and he had to save the world. And maybe in 0:21:32.320 --> 0:21:35.400 this season, the reason that some of us have been 0:21:35.520 --> 0:21:39.040 so stressed out is because we don't know why God 0:21:39.080 --> 0:21:42.840 put us here. We have been so busy chasing after 0:21:42.920 --> 0:21:48.639 things like popularity, status, achievement, recognition. We have been so 0:21:48.880 --> 0:21:53.080 busy chasing after those things. But Jesus withdrew to a 0:21:53.119 --> 0:21:56.560 lonely place so he could be reminded of his assignment 0:21:56.640 --> 0:22:05.200 and aligned with the reason that God sent him. He said, 0:22:05.280 --> 0:22:09.360 let's go to some of the other towns. He said, 0:22:09.400 --> 0:22:13.320 I didn't come to impress people. I didn't come just 0:22:13.359 --> 0:22:17.000 to do spectacular things so people would see how great 0:22:17.000 --> 0:22:20.720 I am. I didn't come for that. Let me go 0:22:20.800 --> 0:22:24.960 do what I came to do. Everybody in this room, 0:22:25.000 --> 0:22:31.280 do what you came to do today. You shouldn't need 0:22:31.320 --> 0:22:36.680 an instrument. If you came to worship him, then worship him. 0:22:37.080 --> 0:22:39.520 If you came to worship him, I don't want a 0:22:39.560 --> 0:22:45.040 single guitar or a kick drum or an organ. In fact, 0:22:45.320 --> 0:22:48.679 right now in your home, do what you came to do. 0:22:49.720 --> 0:22:53.040 If you logged onto this sermon today just to be entertained, 0:22:53.240 --> 0:22:56.119 then sit there. But if you came to praise the 0:22:56.200 --> 0:22:59.720 Lord and you don't care how it looks or how 0:22:59.720 --> 0:23:05.120 it feels, but you know that real worshipers can worship 0:23:05.200 --> 0:23:10.760 him anywhere, anytime, with anything, then let everything that asks 0:23:10.840 --> 0:23:15.280 for id praise the Lord. Ten seconds to do what 0:23:15.359 --> 0:23:19.119 you came to do. Five seconds to do what you 0:23:19.320 --> 0:23:29.720 came to do. I came to praise you, Lord, I 0:23:29.840 --> 0:23:34.240 came to magnify you. I came into somebody's home today 0:23:34.760 --> 0:23:38.040 on this stream to remind them that you are with 0:23:38.119 --> 0:23:40.640 them in the lonely place, that you are with them 0:23:40.640 --> 0:23:43.880 in the dark place, that you are rising right now 0:23:43.960 --> 0:23:48.560 in the spirit of everyone who will set their intention 0:23:48.680 --> 0:23:51.399 in the direction of their destiny and not the distraction 0:23:52.640 --> 0:23:57.159 of this moment. Jesus said, let's go do what I 0:23:57.200 --> 0:24:01.480 came to do. So let's see what he came to do. 0:24:02.280 --> 0:24:04.920 I know what I came to do. Come on, tell 0:24:04.960 --> 0:24:06.480 somebody next to you. I don't know what you came 0:24:06.520 --> 0:24:12.880 to do, but I came to glorify God. I don't 0:24:12.920 --> 0:24:16.840 know what you think your life is about, but God 0:24:16.840 --> 0:24:19.240 put me here so the world could have a picture 0:24:19.280 --> 0:24:21.960 of him. I am made in the image of God. 0:24:22.320 --> 0:24:28.320 I have a purpose from Almighty God. He said, let's 0:24:28.320 --> 0:24:30.119 go do what I came to do, not what others 0:24:30.160 --> 0:24:32.880 expect me to do, but what I came to do. 0:24:34.440 --> 0:24:39.520 And then the Bible says that in verse forty, a 0:24:39.600 --> 0:24:46.399