WEBVTT - Get Over It (Robert Madu) 0:00:02.040 --> 0:00:04.600 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.880 --> 0:00:07.080 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:10.440 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:10.440 --> 0:00:12.479 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.520 --> 0:00:16.960 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:18.239 --> 0:00:22.920 Are you ready for the Word of God? Now? Me too. 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:25.760 I feel like we're so blessed this morning because we've 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:32.080 got Pastor Robert Madieu in our church bringing us the 0:00:32.080 --> 0:00:34.559 Word of God this morning. He and his wife Taylor 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:37.960 live in Cedar Hill, Texas. He's a part of the 0:00:38.000 --> 0:00:40.880 teaching team at Trinity Church. Most of the time he's 0:00:41.280 --> 0:00:44.280 traveling the world though, preaching the Gospel, sharing the grace 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:47.280 and love and mercy of Jesus. And we're blessed because 0:00:47.320 --> 0:00:49.479 this isn't his first time he's back with us. So 0:00:49.520 --> 0:00:52.680 could you help me welcome Pastor Robert Madeu back to 0:00:52.720 --> 0:01:04.760 the pulpit this morning. Oh, good morning, Elevation Church. Come on, 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:08.200 do you have another praise or Hallelujah on the inside 0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:11.840 of you? Come on? Can we just take ten seconds 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:15.720 across every location? Come on, let's give God the best 0:01:15.720 --> 0:01:21.720 praise that we die hallelujah. Oh come on, this is 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:26.120 the day that the Lord has made. Let's rejoice and 0:01:26.240 --> 0:01:31.440 be glad in it. Who are you excited to be 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:35.039 in God's House today? Oh? I'm telling you I am 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:38.760 expressed so elated to be back at elevation. Can would 0:01:38.800 --> 0:01:40.479 you do me a favor before you take your seat? 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:42.960 Across every location, I want you to look at your neighbor, 0:01:43.280 --> 0:01:46.240 whichever one you like the best, and just get in 0:01:46.280 --> 0:01:49.080 their face, get in their personal space, and just say neighbor. 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:51.919 Come on, don't be afraid to talk to your neighbor. 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:56.640 Come on, say neighbor. I waited all week to sit 0:01:56.760 --> 0:02:00.000 next to you. Now, see if they really meant it. 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:02.600 See if they really meant it. Come on, give somebody 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:04.880 a high five, show them some love. You can be seated. 0:02:07.240 --> 0:02:10.200 Oh thank you, worship team. It feels good to be 0:02:10.280 --> 0:02:15.800 in God's House today. Man. I so honored and privileged 0:02:15.840 --> 0:02:19.320 to be here for a couple of reasons. As Chris mentioned, 0:02:19.320 --> 0:02:22.600 this is my second time here on the weekend, and 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:25.480 I kind of have a rule. I have a rule 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:27.320 as I've been traveling that when you come to a 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:30.400 church like the first weekend, you're still kind of in 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:32.560 the guest category. You know, people don't know you, but 0:02:32.680 --> 0:02:34.600 if you come back a second weekend, then you just 0:02:34.600 --> 0:02:36.760 straight up family. Okay, So I hope you know I've 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:40.240 adopted myself into the Elevation family. Y'all are stuck with me. 0:02:41.040 --> 0:02:43.600 I'm your cousin from the great country of Texas. So 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:46.200 it's gonna be good today. It's gonna be good, especially 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:49.160 because I just came back from Israel. I was in 0:02:49.240 --> 0:02:53.200 Israel two days ago. I felt extra anointing. So I 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:55.480 was in the Holy Land of Israel now on the 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:59.200 Holy Land of Charlotte, and I was walking around Israel. 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:02.480 Is pretty signific to think that what happened on that 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:08.040 little parcel of land through Jesus turned the world upside down. 0:03:08.880 --> 0:03:11.040 And then walking in here today just to think that 0:03:11.360 --> 0:03:15.320 just thirteen years ago, what God has done through this church, 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:20.200 what started has now reverberated around the world. What God 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:23.919 is doing here in Elevation. And come on, how many 0:03:23.919 --> 0:03:27.600 you know you are blessed, favored, and straight up spoiled 0:03:27.600 --> 0:03:29.360 to be a part of this church. Come on, if 0:03:29.360 --> 0:03:31.919 this church has ever blessed your life, you ought to 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:39.360 give God some praise or this is unbelievable. I'm telling 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.320 you right now, the grass is not greener anywhere else. Okay, 0:03:42.560 --> 0:03:46.240 if it is, it's astrochurch, it's not real. This right here, 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:49.440 this is real. And God had to have somebody special 0:03:49.520 --> 0:03:52.240 to steward this, to lead this. And my wife and 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:55.600 I we so love and appreciate the life and the 0:03:55.680 --> 0:03:59.160 leadership Pastor Stephen and Holly Ferdick. And anytime I got 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:01.120 the mic at elevation and come on, I'm gonna give 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:03.560 honor to where honors do. Would you help me thank 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:07.200 God for your pastors. Come on for their vision, for 0:04:07.280 --> 0:04:09.720 their hearts to serve. Y'all could do better than that 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:15.720 across every location. Come on, make some noise for your leaders. 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:20.640 Pastor Stephen is undoubtedly one of the greatest preachers you 0:04:20.680 --> 0:04:24.200 will ever hear. And not only does he has really 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:26.839 the relational equity to get anybody behind this pulpit. So 0:04:26.920 --> 0:04:29.040 it is my honor to be here today, and I'm 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:32.000 gonna preach. I feel like preaching today. I feel like 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:34.040 preaching from Genesis all the way to the maps in 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:37.039 the back. So it's gonna be good. Would you stand 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:40.719 with me to honor the reading of God's word and 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:42.880 across every location. If you got a Bible, would you 0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:45.000 wave it in the air like you just do? Care, 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:47.880 Come on some of your boble's a glowing thank you 0:04:47.920 --> 0:04:52.000 for charging up your Bible today. I want to look 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:56.880 at Matthew Chapter fifteen. Today, Matthew fifteen. I want to 0:04:56.880 --> 0:05:00.920 look at verses twenty one through twenty eight. Matthew fifteen 0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:02.920 will start at verse number twenty one, and we'll land 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:06.200 at verse number twenty eight. When you're ready to read it, 0:05:06.200 --> 0:05:09.400 why don't you say, yeah, you need some time to 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:12.960 find it. Say hold up, that was a lot. Hold up. 0:05:14.120 --> 0:05:18.839 I'm gonna give you a moment. Matthew Chapter fifteen, starting 0:05:18.880 --> 0:05:22.040 a verse number twenty one. Look at what it says. 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:26.279 It says. Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:29.599 of Tire and Sidon, and a Canaanite woman from that 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:34.640 vicinity came to him, crying out, Lord, son of David, 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:39.719 have mercy on me. My daughter is demon possessed and 0:05:39.920 --> 0:05:44.359 suffering terribly. Jesus did not answer a word, so as 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:47.559 disciples came to him and urged him send her away, 0:05:48.160 --> 0:05:51.800 for she keeps crying out after us, And he answered, 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:55.320 I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. 0:05:56.200 --> 0:06:00.479 The woman came and knelt before him, Lord, help me, 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:05.440 she said, and he replied, it is not right to 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:08.479 take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs. 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:14.080 Yes it is, Lord, she said, Even the dogs eat 0:06:14.120 --> 0:06:18.479 the crumbs that fall from their master's table. And Jesus 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:22.040 said to her woman, only Jesus could get away with that. 0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:27.680 By the way, woman, you have great faith. Your request 0:06:27.839 --> 0:06:33.880 is granted. And her daughter was healed six months. I'm 0:06:33.960 --> 0:06:37.440 tripping ron prescription. Let me worry that again. Her daughter 0:06:37.560 --> 0:06:42.760 was healed three days. Oh no, my bad. Her daughter 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:52.839 was healed at that moment. It's almost like what she 0:06:53.080 --> 0:06:58.640 said in verse twenty seven activated the miracle in verse 0:06:58.720 --> 0:07:04.080 twenty eight. At that moment. I want to preach across 0:07:04.120 --> 0:07:06.640 every location today, not long, about six and a half hours. 0:07:07.880 --> 0:07:12.520 I'm playing just using this as a title. Get over it. 0:07:13.960 --> 0:07:16.840 Get over it? Would you do me a favorite? Look 0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:19.960 at your neighbor for the last time and just say, neighbor, 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:25.320 I know this message is for you. Get them all 0:07:25.400 --> 0:07:29.480 this prayer. Father, thank you for your word across every location. 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:33.640 Speak to our hearts today. Lord, let us leave different 0:07:33.680 --> 0:07:36.400 than the way that we came in in Jesus' name. 0:07:36.480 --> 0:07:39.720 Everybody said, man, you may be seated in the presence 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:47.080 of the Lord. Get over it. You know, I really 0:07:47.160 --> 0:07:51.880 hate to preach before I preach, but just watch this 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:56.400 real quick. Watch this, hear me. God will often use 0:07:56.480 --> 0:08:00.680 desperation to push you into your purpose. I will offer 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:04.280 use desperation to push you into your destiny. In fact, 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:08.800 watch this. Desperation is the door that breakthrough walks through. 0:08:09.840 --> 0:08:13.760 I'm gonna say that again. Desperation is the door that 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:16.640 breakthrough walks through. Some people wonder how come I han't 0:08:16.640 --> 0:08:18.800 got my breakthrough you Sometimes it's because you hadn't got 0:08:18.840 --> 0:08:22.680 downright desperate enough for God to do it in your life, 0:08:22.760 --> 0:08:27.080 because desperation will open up doors that complacency will keep shut. 0:08:28.120 --> 0:08:30.720 I'm telling you. I'll travel and people often ask me, Robert, 0:08:30.720 --> 0:08:33.360 where's your favorite place to preach? Your favorite place to 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:35.480 preach in To be honest, I struggle to name a 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:37.680 place because I want to articulate to them that the 0:08:37.760 --> 0:08:41.040 effectiveness of preaching and ministry has little to do with 0:08:41.120 --> 0:08:44.840 an address or a destination of a place, but everything 0:08:44.880 --> 0:08:47.760 to do with the attitude and the disposition of the 0:08:47.880 --> 0:08:51.000 people that are in the place. Come on, I would 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:53.720 rather preach in a basement with three desperate people than 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:56.400 to preach on the Bahamas with thousands of bougies, stuck 0:08:56.480 --> 0:08:58.480 up people who act like they don't need God to 0:08:58.520 --> 0:09:00.560 do anything in their life. But if you give me 0:09:00.600 --> 0:09:03.959 some desperate people, miracles will break. For if you'll give 0:09:04.000 --> 0:09:07.480 me desperate people, signs and wonders will suck. If you'll 0:09:07.520 --> 0:09:11.640 give me desperate people, the atmosphere will shift and pain 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:24.080 and God will sell himself strong and mighty when you're desperate. Hey, 0:09:24.280 --> 0:09:27.960 that's a good sermon clip right there. It's actually a 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:31.320 good sermon. It's a good sermon. At least I thought 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:34.400 it was. I thought it was until after I preached 0:09:34.440 --> 0:09:40.280 that message. I did what every confident, secure and emotionally 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:44.520 healthy preacher does after a message, I went online to 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:50.280 read the comment underneath that message. Now, in full disclosure, 0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:53.120 most of the comments ninety percent of them were positive. 0:09:53.240 --> 0:09:56.800 No comments like good word, ooh that blessed me preach bro. 0:09:57.520 --> 0:10:01.720 There are a few fire emoticons, but those aren't the 0:10:01.760 --> 0:10:06.320 comments that I have saved and snapshotted on my phone 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:09.439 that I want to read for you today. Now, remember 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.680 in that snippet. In that snippet that was not the 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:16.160 whole sermon. I said, and I quote, I would rather 0:10:16.240 --> 0:10:19.440 preach in a basement with three people who are desperate 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:22.640 for God than to preach in the Bahamas with thousands 0:10:22.679 --> 0:10:25.560 of stuck up, bougie people who act like they don't 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:27.520 need God to do anything in their life. That's what 0:10:27.640 --> 0:10:32.000 I said in that clip. That was not the full sermon. Okay, Now, 0:10:32.080 --> 0:10:35.520 what I was clearly stating is that as a preacher 0:10:35.559 --> 0:10:39.560 and a pontificator of the Gospel, that a meager but 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:44.800 eager audience in a basement would be preferred over a large, 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:50.559 apathetic audience in the Bahamas. My juxtaposition of the Bahamas 0:10:50.600 --> 0:10:55.240 in the basement was solely to compare contrasts a magnificent 0:10:55.480 --> 0:11:00.280 environment with the mundane environment. I was in no way, 0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:07.400 shape or form trying to denegrate Behamian people or basement people. 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:10.320 I just needed two words that started with the letter 0:11:10.360 --> 0:11:15.800 be But let me read the comments for you. It 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:19.440 says in your message, pastor, you mentioned the Bahamas stating 0:11:19.480 --> 0:11:23.080 that it has stuck up and bougie people. How can 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:26.560 a pastor say those things about a country? Have you 0:11:26.760 --> 0:11:30.800 met everyone in the Bahamas. Very distasteful of you to 0:11:30.840 --> 0:11:34.920 make those statements as a Bahaman. I am offended and 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:40.280 owed an apology. Next comment, Pastor, you have greatly offended 0:11:40.640 --> 0:11:45.359 a large group of Bahamans with your comments about the Bahamas. 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:49.680 Next comment and my favorite, the expression on his face 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:52.880 when he made that comment about my people tells me 0:11:52.960 --> 0:11:57.440 everything I need to know. That was flesh coming through, 0:11:57.960 --> 0:12:02.120 not God. Watch it again and watch his expression closely. 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:11.400 Hashtag apology required urgently. Next comment, Wow, just wow. Sad 0:12:11.480 --> 0:12:16.880 that he used this platform to offend hundreds and thousands 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:20.440 of people. Oh that's about one hundred more comments where 0:12:20.440 --> 0:12:24.319 that came from. That's the edited version right there. And 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:26.959 the irony is the irony is is I went there 0:12:27.000 --> 0:12:29.679 was one dude. He tried to cancel my ministry from 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:31.839 coming to the Bahamas. Start a campaign on Facebook to 0:12:32.040 --> 0:12:34.920 cancel my ministry from coming to the Bahamas. And the 0:12:35.000 --> 0:12:38.440 irony is is. I would love to preach in the Bahamas. 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:42.160 I would die to preach in the Bahamas. I'm gonna 0:12:42.200 --> 0:12:44.600 keep you one hundred. I would leave y'all right now 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:49.880 to go preach in the Bahamas. I mean, Valentine is beautiful, 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:56.119 but it ain't the Bahamas, and I just found it funny, interesting, 0:12:57.160 --> 0:13:01.600 and to be honest, quite sad. Some people missed the 0:13:01.760 --> 0:13:08.120 transformational truth of an entire message, not because it could 0:13:08.160 --> 0:13:14.360 not be comprehended, but because they were offended. Ladies and gentlemen, 0:13:14.400 --> 0:13:17.679 brothers and sisters. We are now living in the age, 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:22.800 in the era of offense. Have you noticed that it 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:29.679 seems like everybody everywhere is perpetually offended about everything all 0:13:29.800 --> 0:13:36.160 the time. Everybody is now offended. It is as if 0:13:36.400 --> 0:13:41.320 victimhood has gone viral and being easily offended is no 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:44.480 longer seen as a weakness in your character, but is 0:13:44.520 --> 0:13:48.560 now your constitutional right to be offended? Oh you got 0:13:48.559 --> 0:13:51.280 a right to be offended. Oh that didn't offend you. 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:57.160 Oh I'm offended for you. Everybody is offended. It's like 0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:59.800 we're no longer living in the USA. We are now 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:04.800 in the USO because everybody is in the United State 0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:11.520 of Offense. Everybody's offended. Men are offended, women are offended, 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:17.960 the millennials are offended, the baby boomers are offended, Democrats 0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:24.480 are offended, Republicans are offended, the atheists are offended, the 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:30.200 saints are offended. The new Orleans Saints are still offended. 0:14:30.800 --> 0:14:32.400 You know, we're supposed to be in a super Bowl, right, 0:14:32.440 --> 0:14:37.480 we were supposed to be everybody is. The vegetarians and 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:41.080 vegans are offended. Oh come, you heard about this, right. 0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:44.960 There's a group, there's a contingency of vegans that are offended, right, 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:48.600 and they are now calling for the removal hear me 0:14:48.960 --> 0:14:53.280 of meat based metaphors. They want to ban on phrases 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:57.800 like bring home the bacon. They are rallying for less 0:14:57.800 --> 0:15:02.080 offensive and more health conscious frame like bring home the Broccolian. 0:15:03.400 --> 0:15:07.120 Animal rights activists have jumped on the same bandwagon, backed 0:15:07.120 --> 0:15:10.040 by PETA. They feel that some of our commonly used 0:15:10.080 --> 0:15:15.360 phrases and idioms are offensive and are actually encouraging animal cruelty. 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:19.320 Phrases like you're beating a dead horse and you can 0:15:19.440 --> 0:15:23.640 kill two birds with one stone should be removed and 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:27.920 replaced with less offensive ones like you're feeding a fed 0:15:28.080 --> 0:15:31.680 horse and you can feed two birds with one scud. 0:15:32.400 --> 0:15:36.480 That is a for real article. No, I see somebody, 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:40.120 I'll judge it. And you laugh. You're like, oh, come on, vegans, 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:44.520 animal activists, get over it. That's silly. Understand it's silly 0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:48.120 to you but it's serious to them, so so serious 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:51.000 that some of these animal activists actually got arrested. They 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:55.120 were arrested because they were going to steakhouses with speakers 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:59.520 and they were playing the sound of slaughtered cows at 0:15:59.560 --> 0:16:02.920 these states. And when the managers came out and said, no, 0:16:03.080 --> 0:16:07.840 hold up, y'all, can't do this, y'all gotta move, I 0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:14.400 had to they refused and got sent to jail. They 0:16:14.480 --> 0:16:18.840 got arrested. It was very serious to them. And this 0:16:19.120 --> 0:16:23.360 is the variability of offense that an offense that's silly 0:16:23.440 --> 0:16:27.040 to me might be serious to you, and an offense 0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:30.480 that's serious to you might be silly to me. And 0:16:30.520 --> 0:16:32.800 I don't care who you are under the sound of 0:16:32.880 --> 0:16:37.680 my voice. Every single person has something, some offense, some 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:41.000 touchy subject that if the right person on the wrong 0:16:41.160 --> 0:16:45.080 day when you forgot to pray, hit that butty. Oh 0:16:45.160 --> 0:16:47.960 you find yourself in a jail cell right next to 0:16:48.080 --> 0:16:54.320 the animal activists. Oh what do we do with our offenses? 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:59.240 Our offenses? You remember that game operation? Yeah, board game. 0:16:59.280 --> 0:17:03.600 This is before Fortnight. They had these board games and 0:17:03.640 --> 0:17:05.159 there was a patient on the board game. You had 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:06.560 to get the tweezers, You had to get like his 0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:08.440 heart or his organ. But if you hit the wrong 0:17:08.520 --> 0:17:11.800 spot the patient on the board games, his nose would 0:17:11.920 --> 0:17:15.840 light up and turn red. That's you, that's me. All 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:18.719 of us have offenses that if the right person hid it, 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:22.840 your nose would light up like Rudolph. What do we 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:26.600 do in a culture of offense? My Texas in Matthew 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:31.160 chapter fifteen, But in Matthew chapter twenty four, offense comes up. 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:34.600 The disciples privately come to Jesus and say, hey, Jesus, 0:17:35.040 --> 0:17:37.720 how can we know the end of the age. How 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:39.879 can we know when you are coming back? You're going 0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:42.720 to return? And Jesus gives them a litany of things. 0:17:42.960 --> 0:17:45.880 He says, let no man deceive you. Many will come 0:17:45.880 --> 0:17:48.320 in my name saying I am Christ, and they will 0:17:48.359 --> 0:17:52.040 deceive many. He said, Nation will rise against nation, and 0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:56.040 kingdom against kingdom. There will be wars and rumors of wars, 0:17:56.040 --> 0:18:00.800 and earthquakes and diverse places and diseases, and Estillan says, 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:02.720 and when you're reading Matthew twenty four, you can get 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:05.679 lost in the suspense of the earthquakes and the diseases 0:18:06.119 --> 0:18:10.720 that you'll miss. Matthew twenty four, Verse ten, where Jesus says, oh, 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:15.920 and then many will be offended. In other words, Jesus says, 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:19.760 one of the blues clues from my return is that 0:18:19.800 --> 0:18:23.359 you will be in a culture, in a society of offense. 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:28.160 Matthew in Luke seventeen, not Matthew twenty four. Jesus brings 0:18:28.240 --> 0:18:31.200 up this issue of offense, and he calls his disciples 0:18:31.200 --> 0:18:32.800 and he says, to the disciples, let's look at it. 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:35.200 He says to the disciples, he's talking to disciples, any 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:38.240 disciples of Jesus. Okay, not four of you. Good to 0:18:38.280 --> 0:18:41.320 see you. And look what he says to the disciples. 0:18:41.400 --> 0:18:45.760 He says, it is impossible. It is impossible. That got 0:18:45.760 --> 0:18:47.760 my attention, because you know, when the God of the 0:18:47.800 --> 0:18:51.760 impossible is saying something is impossible, you better pay close attention. 0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:54.920 What is impossible, Jesus to heal the sick, to raise 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:58.280 the dead. He's like, oh, that's easy. Now, here's what's impossible, 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:03.359 that no offense should come. In other words, Jesus saying, 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:07.840 I guarantee you offenses are gonna come in your life. 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:11.280 It is a part of being a breathing human. Offenses 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:15.520 are gonna come. He promises you that offenses are coming 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:18.479 he promises you. Your spouse is gonna get on your 0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:22.080 last nerve. He promises you, somebody's gonna send you the 0:19:22.119 --> 0:19:25.800 wrong text message. He promises you, somebody's gonna see you 0:19:25.840 --> 0:19:28.240 at Walmart about to pull on a parking spot which 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:31.040 shall signal turn, and they gonna squeeze in there. And 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:35.280 he promises you. Offenses are gonna come. He later says 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:38.200 in the text, now don't let the offenses come through you. Now, 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:40.240 you don't be out there just causing offenses. He says, 0:19:40.280 --> 0:19:42.320 if you do that, it would be better for you 0:19:42.359 --> 0:19:45.600 to put a millstone around your neck and jump in 0:19:45.680 --> 0:19:48.919 the bottom of the sea. A millstone was a stone 0:19:48.960 --> 0:19:51.760 about the signs of a washing machine. He said. Now, 0:19:51.800 --> 0:19:55.400 you don't be the one doing offenses. He said, But offenses, Oh, 0:19:55.560 --> 0:19:58.439 they're gonna come. It is impossible for them not to come. 0:19:59.119 --> 0:20:01.919 But I noticed in the he did not say that 0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:07.240 it is impossible for you to not get offended. Because 0:20:07.280 --> 0:20:12.240 offenses and offended are two separate and distinct things. Oh, 0:20:12.320 --> 0:20:14.920 can I teach in her a little bit today? There's 0:20:14.960 --> 0:20:21.720 a difference between offense and offended. Offense is what happened. 0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:30.400 Offended is a reaction. Offense says, you did it, offended 0:20:30.480 --> 0:20:35.840 says I'll never forgive it. Offense Pastor Stephens says, is 0:20:35.880 --> 0:20:41.159 an event. Offended is a decision. The power of what 0:20:41.280 --> 0:20:44.720 Jesus is saying in this text is that offenses, Oh, 0:20:44.760 --> 0:20:50.040 those are inevitable, but offended, now that's optional. So if 0:20:50.080 --> 0:20:55.359 offenses are inevitable, but offended is optional, that means it 0:20:55.440 --> 0:20:59.080 is possible and plausible for you to live your life. 0:21:02.800 --> 0:21:07.399 Jesus says, I got a power and a grace that 0:21:07.560 --> 0:21:11.080 not many believers tap into. But it is possible for 0:21:11.160 --> 0:21:16.000 you to live your life unoffended. Oh, So the question 0:21:16.040 --> 0:21:18.719 I've been waiting all week to ask you At every location, 0:21:18.840 --> 0:21:20.600 I'm gonna drink the water before I ask it. Hold 0:21:20.600 --> 0:21:25.000 on one second, ready, this is the question I'm been 0:21:25.000 --> 0:21:28.520 waiting all week to ask you? What is your current 0:21:28.680 --> 0:21:33.880 level of offendability? I know offendibility is not a dictionary, 0:21:33.920 --> 0:21:37.040 but you know what I mean? How much does it 0:21:37.119 --> 0:21:41.600 take for you to get offended? And the only reason 0:21:41.640 --> 0:21:44.080 I'm asking you is because in my own life, in 0:21:44.119 --> 0:21:46.480 my own life, as I was seeking God, he spoke 0:21:46.520 --> 0:21:49.600 to me so clearly and said, Robert, your level of 0:21:49.600 --> 0:21:54.440 offendability is too high. He said, I got big things 0:21:54.440 --> 0:21:58.119 in store for you, massive things in store for you, 0:21:58.400 --> 0:22:01.679 things that your eyes have not said and your ears 0:22:01.760 --> 0:22:04.720 have not heard. Neither has it entered into the heart 0:22:04.760 --> 0:22:07.960 of men. The big things I've already prepared for you. 0:22:08.440 --> 0:22:11.040 But he said, you'll never be able to handle the 0:22:11.080 --> 0:22:14.560 big thing as long as it keeps taking the smallest 0:22:14.600 --> 0:22:20.439 thing for you to get offended. He said to me 0:22:21.840 --> 0:22:27.479 that your level of offendability is actually an indicator of 0:22:27.560 --> 0:22:31.880 the level of your spiritual maturity. So what God will 0:22:31.920 --> 0:22:36.360 often do is put your miracle on the other side 0:22:36.480 --> 0:22:39.399 of an offense, so that you will be faced with 0:22:39.480 --> 0:22:43.560 a decision to stay small where you are, or to 0:22:43.720 --> 0:22:47.600 grow up and get over it. Oh I'm preaching it 0:22:47.680 --> 0:22:50.560 here today. I might not get a lot of amen's, 0:22:50.640 --> 0:22:55.240 but this is for somebody. What do we do with 0:22:55.480 --> 0:22:59.080 our offenses? And when God spoke that to me, I 0:22:59.119 --> 0:23:02.800 didn't shout, I didn't clap, I didn't do the Holy 0:23:02.840 --> 0:23:07.040 Ghost two step. I got offended. I say, God, what 0:23:07.080 --> 0:23:09.920 do you mean my current level of offendability is too 0:23:10.240 --> 0:23:13.280 I don't get offended easily. Oh, I was so man. 0:23:13.320 --> 0:23:15.960 I didn't talk to Jesus for like two weeks. No 0:23:16.040 --> 0:23:17.920 I'm for real, because you do know that God knows 0:23:17.920 --> 0:23:21.280 how to offend you. Oh, come on, can't nobody offends 0:23:21.280 --> 0:23:25.880 you like Jesus. Jesus knows how to offend you. He 0:23:25.920 --> 0:23:29.240 can't help but offend you. It's who he is. Come on, 0:23:29.359 --> 0:23:33.480 he is the way, the Oh there, it is the 0:23:33.560 --> 0:23:37.639 truth and the life and the truth. By nature it offends. 0:23:37.960 --> 0:23:40.800 Sometimes Jesus will tick you off with the truth. Before 0:23:40.800 --> 0:23:45.080 that truth can transform you, he will offend you. I'm 0:23:45.119 --> 0:23:51.520 telling Jesus is like spandex toddlers and drunk people. He 0:23:51.600 --> 0:23:54.080 gonna give you the truth, whether you will like it 0:23:54.200 --> 0:23:59.480 or not. Somebody get that tomorrow. I'm telling you, Jesus 0:24:00.520 --> 0:24:07.680 he of every relationship you have. Every relationship you have 0:24:07.800 --> 0:24:11.439 runs the risk of offense. Come on, relationship is the 0:24:11.520 --> 0:24:15.399 context of offense. You don't get offended in isolation. Come on, 0:24:15.440 --> 0:24:17.000 you don't look in the mirror talking about I can't 0:24:17.040 --> 0:24:19.800 stand what you did to me, at least not all 0:24:19.840 --> 0:24:23.480 of us. Come on, it's in the context of relationship. 0:24:23.480 --> 0:24:26.640 I submit to you that if Jesus has never offended you, 0:24:26.640 --> 0:24:30.560 you might not have relationship with Jesus. Had all, he 0:24:30.720 --> 0:24:33.200 will offend you, So all I'm saying is that sometimes 0:24:33.280 --> 0:24:37.160 Jesus is offending you, and sometimes people are offending you, 0:24:37.720 --> 0:24:40.679 and sometimes it's both at the same time. And that 0:24:40.760 --> 0:24:43.119 is exactly what is happening in our text today. In 0:24:43.160 --> 0:24:48.159 the Gospel of Matthew fifteen, the Bible says, a Canaanite woman, 0:24:49.040 --> 0:24:53.960 a Canaanite woman, She is a pagan to the Israelites. 0:24:54.040 --> 0:24:59.600 A Canaanite woman. This is years of strife, years of offense, 0:25:00.200 --> 0:25:03.800 years of arguing between the Canaanites and the Israelites. Do 0:25:03.880 --> 0:25:05.879 you know how much courage it took for that woman 0:25:06.160 --> 0:25:09.000 to roll up on this Jewish man named Jesus and 0:25:09.040 --> 0:25:13.199 his Jewish homeboys, after the years of a fence between 0:25:13.200 --> 0:25:15.280 the Canaanites and the israel Do you know how much 0:25:15.400 --> 0:25:17.320 courage it took for her to walk up to him 0:25:17.359 --> 0:25:19.440 that day? Come on, have you ever had to walk 0:25:19.480 --> 0:25:21.600 into a room that you knew the people in the 0:25:21.680 --> 0:25:24.520 room hated you, but you had to walk in anyway 0:25:24.960 --> 0:25:31.680 because your check was in there or whatever. I mean, 0:25:31.720 --> 0:25:34.600 you know how much courage it took for this woman 0:25:34.720 --> 0:25:38.320 to walk into this room. What would make a Canaanite 0:25:38.359 --> 0:25:41.840 woman walk into a room in an atmosphere with the 0:25:42.040 --> 0:25:45.280 Jewish Messiah and his disciples. I'll tell you what made 0:25:45.280 --> 0:25:48.679 her do it. The devil was messing with her daughter. 0:25:49.400 --> 0:25:52.800 And come on, when the devil is messing with your child, Oh, 0:25:52.840 --> 0:25:55.840 come on where the parents had. When the devil is 0:25:56.000 --> 0:25:59.840 messing with your child, all stuff will come out of 0:25:59.880 --> 0:26:02.560 you that you didn't even know what's there. When the 0:26:02.560 --> 0:26:05.280 devil is messing with your child, Oh you'll find a 0:26:05.400 --> 0:26:08.000