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Speaker 1: I want to pray one more time before I preach.

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Speaker 1: I want to pray for something specifically. Everyone's standing at

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Speaker 1: every location in your home. Stand in your kitchen, stand

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Speaker 1: get out the bed, and stand up in your Tommy Johns.

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Speaker 1: If you have to put a robe on, robes of

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Speaker 1: righteousness and stand up, and I want to pray. I

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Speaker 1: don't have long to really talk about it, but I

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Speaker 1: want to pray about it. About our offering next Sunday,

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Speaker 1: December twelfth. This is a tradition, and more than it's

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Speaker 1: a tradition, because some traditions are empty. This is not

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Speaker 1: an empty tradition like a turkey or something like that

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Speaker 1: that's going to put you to sleep anyway. This is training.

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Speaker 1: This is how when we trust God, when we bring

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Speaker 1: him the first fruits of everything that he's given us,

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Speaker 1: which thousands of people will commit to do here between

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Speaker 1: now at the end of the year and set it

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Speaker 1: up online and all that, and many people giving above

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Speaker 1: and beyond. I've already got my offering ready. I got

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Speaker 1: a head start. I started on this, started praying about

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Speaker 1: this in October, so I'm ready. But we're calling the

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Speaker 1: offering better. That's the word that we associated with the offering.

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Speaker 1: I took it from where he said the glory of

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Speaker 1: the latter house would be greater than the glory of

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Speaker 1: the former house. And so many people right now are

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Speaker 1: in seasons of rebuilding. But the Lord doesn't just want

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Speaker 1: to rebuild what we had before. He wants to take

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Speaker 1: us to a new place with new priorities and new perspective.

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Speaker 1: So now the key to all of this. Do you

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Speaker 1: really trust that he's your provider? Do you really trust

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Speaker 1: that he is Jehovah jiro The Lord provides, the Lord sees.

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Speaker 1: So when I bring my offering, it's not just oh

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Speaker 1: so we can keep paying staff members. Oh so we

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Speaker 1: can keep changing guitar strings on Joey's less pallback there.

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Speaker 1: Oh so we can keep buying goldfish crackers for the

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Speaker 1: kids over any kids so they don't freak out while

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Speaker 1: I'm preaching too long for me's training is teaching me

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Speaker 1: to trust God. And it also does something amazing because

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Speaker 1: then I get to see the fruit of preaching the

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Speaker 1: gospel all around the world. I want to thank all

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Speaker 1: of you who tithe to this ministry, who give to

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Speaker 1: this ministry. We preach Jesus all over the world daily

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Speaker 1: I mean, every hour of every day, there's somebody being

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Speaker 1: blessed somewhere by this ministry, and we get to do

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Speaker 1: that together. So I'm excited, really excited. I'm grown up now,

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Speaker 1: so I'm more excited about giving than receiving because I'm

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Speaker 1: grown up now. I'm grown up now. And so we're

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Speaker 1: going to pray for all who are praying and asking God.

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Speaker 1: God want me to give above and beyond the type

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Speaker 1: again to tithe both. Let me pray because only God

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Speaker 1: can speak these things to you. By your head, Father,

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Speaker 1: I thank you for what you've already done. I don't

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Speaker 1: want to skip that if you never did anything else

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Speaker 1: for Stephen Ferdy, for Elevation Church, for the people that

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Speaker 1: I'm looking at. You already gave us this many breaths,

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Speaker 1: this many days, this many blessings, this many breakthroughs, this

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Speaker 1: many victories, this many slain giants, this many crumbled walls.

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Speaker 1: You've already done enough to be worthy because you saved

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Speaker 1: us and you loved us, and you came to tabernacle

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Speaker 1: and live in us. So it's already enough. But you

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Speaker 1: promise that you're able to do immeasurably more. I declare

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Speaker 1: that over your children today that their best is not

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Speaker 1: behind them, and the devil is a liar. That the

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Speaker 1: glory of the present house, what you're building right now,

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Speaker 1: by your spirit, in the name of Jesus, it will

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Speaker 1: be greater. Say it. It will be greater. In the chat,

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Speaker 1: it will be greater. Riverwalk, it will be greater. Valentine,

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Speaker 1: it will be greater. And we give you praise by

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Speaker 1: faith in Jesus' name. If you believe that, give God

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Speaker 1: a mighty shout of praise. Yeah, all right, So they'll

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Speaker 1: give you the details how to get that offering. I

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Speaker 1: need everybody participating on the level where God has blessed you.

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Speaker 1: I'll be sneaking out of here will The church is big.

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Speaker 1: They don't need my money. It's not about the church

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Speaker 1: needing your money. It's about you needing God. So it

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Speaker 1: will be grateful. And if you never ever give, we'll

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Speaker 1: still be here for you. Isn't that cool? The restaurant

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Speaker 1: doesn't tell you that, Hey, we'll still feed you. Man,

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Speaker 1: Just keep on coming. We'll keep on whatever you want, free,

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Speaker 1: refill as long as you want. They'll kick you out,

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Speaker 1: But this is a ministry that will be here for you,

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Speaker 1: be here for you. One dude told me he left

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Speaker 1: the church for four years. He said, I was mad

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Speaker 1: at you. I said mad at me. I had never

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Speaker 1: met him before. He said, yeah, you were preaching some

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Speaker 1: things that I didn't want to hear. But he said,

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Speaker 1: I came back because what God said through you was right.

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Speaker 1: And he said when I finally reminded me of the

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Speaker 1: prodigal son, when he went off in the pigpen and

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Speaker 1: stuff and he came to a census. I didn't tell

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Speaker 1: him that he looked like you've been in the pig pen, buddy.

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Speaker 1: But he said, when I finally got my got my

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Speaker 1: mind back right, I knew where I could come back

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Speaker 1: to with elevation because I knew I'll be accepted and

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Speaker 1: welcome and e grace. And that's what I like about

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Speaker 1: this church. I love this church. Man. Oh come all

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Speaker 1: ye faithful, I'll come. Oh come all ye faithless. Oh

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Speaker 1: come all ye heathen, Oh come all ye pagans, Oh

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Speaker 1: come all ye addicted. Oh oh come all ye pretty.

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Speaker 1: I'll come all ye ugly. I'll come with you buff.

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Speaker 1: I'll come ye skinny, scrawny, fat. I don't care. Oh

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Speaker 1: come just calm, just calm, so it'll be amazing. I'm

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Speaker 1: glad you came. Hey, Todd, at least five people on

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Speaker 1: your way down, don't touch them, don't touch them. Don't

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Speaker 1: touch them, because's how legal. I forgot. I'm sorry. Oh

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Speaker 1: have it, I'll have it. I'll have it. Just look

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Speaker 1: at five people, untell them. I'm glad you came today.

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Speaker 1: Put it in the chat online. I'm glad you came

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Speaker 1: today when you found five people. Take your seat. Let's go,

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Speaker 1: let's go. Take your seat. I am giving you your

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Speaker 1: Christmas sermon Early. I know how you are, and I

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Speaker 1: know they're shipping delays in the natural, and I know

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Speaker 1: also the closer it gets to Christmas, the less docking

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Speaker 1: room at the docks, You're going to have to hear

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Speaker 1: God's word because your life's going to be so busy

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Speaker 1: and crowded. You be around all these people. You don't

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Speaker 1: like cleaning up your house to impress them, and don't

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Speaker 1: even like them buying them stuff, and they don't even

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Speaker 1: wear what you bought them last year, and you have noticed.

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Speaker 1: But so I'm gonna give you your gift Early. I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna get out of head. I got out of head

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Speaker 1: on all of Holly's gifts this year. I've got them

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Speaker 1: all there already. I bought them early, that's right. And

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Speaker 1: Abby knows everything that she's getting. Holly doesn't. So that's

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Speaker 1: because I trust Abby now, trust her, I can tell

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Speaker 1: her honestly. Y'all, all of my kids when they were little,

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Speaker 1: they all spoiled presence. One time, Elijah came back from

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Speaker 1: South Park with me, and he told Holly because I

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Speaker 1: took him shopping and he saw Santa. And I know

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Speaker 1: you think Santa's pagan, but he is five, okay, And

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Speaker 1: so I took him to go sit on Santa's lap.

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Speaker 1: And he came back and told Holly, I'm not allowed

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Speaker 1: to tell you that we got you sweatpants from Juicy

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Speaker 1: oh Man. But I trust Abby now, so I don't

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Speaker 1: keep her in the darkening. He go to Matthew chapter two.

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Speaker 1: I told Graham's sitting on the front road, this sermon

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Speaker 1: keeps getting bigger in me the longer we sit here.

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Speaker 1: They need to stop singing so I can preach, because

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Speaker 1: I feel like I'm about to give birth, which is

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Speaker 1: exactly what Mary said in Bethlehem. She wasn't planning to

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Speaker 1: give birth in Bethlehem, but she had to anyway. And

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Speaker 1: that's where we're going to pick up today in Matthew

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Speaker 1: chapter two. You ready, You're ready or not? Here comes

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Speaker 1: Jesus Matthew chapter two. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem

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Speaker 1: in Judea during the time of King Herod, Magi from

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Speaker 1: the east came to Jerusalem and asked, where is the

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Speaker 1: one who has been born King of the Jews. We

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Speaker 1: saw his star when it rose and have come to

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Speaker 1: worship him. When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed.

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Speaker 1: Uh oh, and all Jerusalem with him, because if Herod

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Speaker 1: gets mad, he's going to do crazy stuff to them.

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Speaker 1: Because he's this provincial governor, he's not really in charge.

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Speaker 1: He's appointed by the Roman government. So you know, Caesar

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Speaker 1: Augustus is really the headman, but he's got Herod watching

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Speaker 1: out for all of these Jewish people. So Versport says,

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Speaker 1: when he had called together all the people's chief priests

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Speaker 1: and teachers of the law, he asked them where the

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Speaker 1: Messiah was to be born? In Bethlehem and Judea. They replied,

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Speaker 1: for this is what the prophet has written. But you

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Speaker 1: Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are by no means

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Speaker 1: least among the rulers of Judah. Now I love that

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Speaker 1: verse because it comes from Michael five to two, and

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Speaker 1: it lets me know, o little town of Bethlehem, big

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Speaker 1: things can come from small places. Y'all need to drink

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Speaker 1: your coffee thirty minutes earlier next week, because big things

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Speaker 1: can come from small all places. Look at your neighbors,

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Speaker 1: say be nice to me. I'm carrying something big. I

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Speaker 1: know you can't see it right now, but out of

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Speaker 1: me it's gonna come something that can change the world. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: let's go Merry Christmas, y'all, for out of you will

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Speaker 1: come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. Shepherd

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Speaker 1: my people Israel. Then Herod called the Magi secretly found

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Speaker 1: out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

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Speaker 1: He sent them to Bethlehem and said, go and search

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Speaker 1: carefully for the child. As soon as you find him,

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Speaker 1: report back to me so I can go worshiping too.

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Speaker 1: You know, I'm gonna go worshiping too, just to kill him,

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Speaker 1: but he's threatened by him. After they heard the king,

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Speaker 1: they went on their way, and the star they had

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Speaker 1: seen when it rose a thousand miles back where they

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Speaker 1: came from in Persia. When ahead of them five more

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Speaker 1: miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem until stopping the place where

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Speaker 1: the child was. When they saw the star, they were

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Speaker 1: over joy. Came a long way to see this. It

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Speaker 1: validated their instinct that something big was happening. And on

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Speaker 1: coming to the house, they saw the child. A child

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Speaker 1: means Jesus is a little bigger. Now he's not. I

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Speaker 1: know you've got that Precious Moments thing on the credenza,

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Speaker 1: but he's not a baby. He's not in a barn

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Speaker 1: at this point. He's in a house. And there weren't

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Speaker 1: three of these guys, the three wise men. They brought

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Speaker 1: three gifts. Gold represents divinity, Frankenson's represents priesthood, murder represents

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Speaker 1: Jesus burial at his death. It's all symbolic, and it's

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Speaker 1: also about to finance the trip that Joseph doesn't even

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Speaker 1: know that he's going to have to take yet, because

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Speaker 1: God is already working even before you realize it. So

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Speaker 1: they presented him, they opened their treasures, they bowed down

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Speaker 1: and worshiped him. It said they saw the child with

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Speaker 1: his mother Mary, They bowed down and worshiped him. Then

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Speaker 1: they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of

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Speaker 1: gold Frankensonson Mermer, and having been warned in a dream

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Speaker 1: not to go back to Herod, they returned to their

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Speaker 1: country by another rue. Now let's prepare for our scripture

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Speaker 1: landing here. When they had gone, an angel of the

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Speaker 1: Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up, he said,

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Speaker 1: take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.

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Speaker 1: Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going

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Speaker 1: to search for the child and kill him. So he

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Speaker 1: got up, took the child and his mother during the night,

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Speaker 1: and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death

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Speaker 1: of Herod, and so was fulfilled what the Lord had

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Speaker 1: said through the prophet. Out of Egypt, I called my son.

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Speaker 1: This sermon is called kept in the Dark, Kept in

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Speaker 1: the Dark. Here we are again with the same familiar

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Speaker 1: cast of Christmas characters, and the challenge of reading the

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Speaker 1: Christmas Story as a pastor is you just want to

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Speaker 1: skip ahead to the part where he gets up from

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Speaker 1: the grave and skip past all this stuff where he

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Speaker 1: had You also understand that we're watching these characters as

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Speaker 1: they are walking through what we are watching with knowledge

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Speaker 1: of where they end up. So that's why it's hard

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Speaker 1: to really grasp the meaning of a scripture is because

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Speaker 1: we're watching something that they're walking through, but we are

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Speaker 1: watching with knowledge what they are walking through, and we

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Speaker 1: know how. So you kind of want to pull him aside.

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Speaker 1: You want to be like, hey, Joseph, Mary's not lying.

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Speaker 1: It really was the Holy Spirit that got her pregnant.

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Speaker 1: You're not crazy, you're not simping. She really really, she

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Speaker 1: she really when she told you that it was the

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Speaker 1: Lord who came to her, and you kind of wonder

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Speaker 1: was it really the Lord or was it was it

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Speaker 1: was it Leroy and and and and so. So Joseph,

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Speaker 1: y'all please be good. This is a Christmas sermon. Is

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Speaker 1: It's kind of like you want to pull him to

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Speaker 1: the side and be like, hey, Joseph, because Joseph had

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Speaker 1: it rough right, like he really never knew. He died

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Speaker 1: not knowing if this was really the message. I'm sure

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Speaker 1: he saw stuff that made him think, Okay, okay, this

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Speaker 1: kid's pretty special, you know. I'm sure in the carpenter shop,

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Speaker 1: Jesus would do something every now and then, maybe make

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Speaker 1: a two by four pop up and levitate in the

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Speaker 1: shape of a cross, just to give Joseph a little

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Speaker 1: bit of confidence that this is real, but he didn't

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Speaker 1: really know all he had to go on watch this.

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Speaker 1: I didn't read this scriptures. The Lord came to him

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Speaker 1: in a dream. Do you believe your dreams? I don't

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Speaker 1: believe my dreams. I'd be in jail. I'd be on

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Speaker 1: so many pill prescription pills for anxiety if I believe

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Speaker 1: my dreams. So he has to hold on to something

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Speaker 1: that he saw in his sleeve and walk it out

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Speaker 1: in his life. We are watching with the knowledge. Hey Joseph,

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Speaker 1: just hang in there, man, Just do the best you

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Speaker 1: can to raise the kid. You know, show him a

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Speaker 1: few things. You really can't mess this up. He's like

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Speaker 1: he's kind of got a little special protection agency. He

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Speaker 1: got a little heavenly secret service around him. Even if

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Speaker 1: you lose him at the temple when he's twelve, you

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Speaker 1: know he'll find his way back. He kind of pays

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Speaker 1: the roads with gold in heaven so he can find

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Speaker 1: his way through the streets of Jerusalem. It's gonna be

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Speaker 1: all riot. You gotta want to tell him that he

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Speaker 1: didn't know. And if you hang in there, they're going

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Speaker 1: to be every middle aged man in every little Methodist

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Speaker 1: church in America is going to be pretending to be

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Speaker 1: you and dressing up like you in the month of

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Speaker 1: December one day. Right, you kind of tell them, Madgie,

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Speaker 1: because they come so far, right, they come from Persia.

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Speaker 1: These are not even preachers, they're astrologers. These are not

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Speaker 1: even Jews, they're gentiles. They are following something that they

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Speaker 1: shouldn't even be following to see the will of God.

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Speaker 1: And it still got them there. And they had to travel,

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Speaker 1: as I think I mentioned, a long way. How far

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Speaker 1: is a long way five miles, ten miles, twenty miles,

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Speaker 1: fifty miles, one hundred miles. How many times did they

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Speaker 1: have to recharge the tesla to get one thousand miles

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Speaker 1: from Persia with these heavy gifts estimated to be worth

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Speaker 1: like four million dollars? And then it was all worth it?

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Speaker 1: And you kind of want to tell them that, like, hey,

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Speaker 1: just so you know that star it's got you five

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Speaker 1: miles within. Sometimes you want to tell somebody you are

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Speaker 1: so close. Don't quit right now. You are so close.

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Speaker 1: They were five miles from where Jesus was, So you

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Speaker 1: kind of want to tell them because you have the

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Speaker 1: knowledge if you go five more miles, you are going

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Speaker 1: to see the Savior of the World. Now we're reading

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Speaker 1: it right with the knowledge of where it ends up.

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Speaker 1: They aren't watching themselves travel a thousand miles. They are

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Speaker 1: walking a thousand miles. So here's the thing that'll keep

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Speaker 1: you humble. Be careful who you judge when they're walking

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Speaker 1: through something that you are only watching from a distance.

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Speaker 1: You've never walked through the age that your mom is before.

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Speaker 1: You've never well, you have walked through the age that

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Speaker 1: your kids were before, but you never walked through it

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Speaker 1: with a snapjack Ah, I got you right. You were like,

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Speaker 1: I have been a teenager, I've seen it all. You

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Speaker 1: hadn't seen anything, but TikTok. Passage of Time will teach

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Speaker 1: you sometimes that you gotta be careful that when you're

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Speaker 1: watching someone else go through something. It's interesting, isn't it,

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Speaker 1: Because everybody in the passage is walking through something that

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Speaker 1: they don't know where it ends up, whether it's the

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Speaker 1: Magi or even Herod. You kind of want to pull

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Speaker 1: Herod to the side, right because he's trying to keep

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Speaker 1: Jesus from being the king, and you got to want

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Speaker 1: to be like, don't bother, Like really, man, save your book.

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Speaker 1: Is you're not gonna. You can search all you want

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Speaker 1: to kill Jesus, but you won't succeed, I felt the

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Speaker 1: Holy Ghost. I want to tell the devil this morning.

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Speaker 1: You can search all you want want, but it won't work.

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Speaker 1: You can come at the Child of God with everything

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Speaker 1: you got in your arsenal and keep flying at him

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Speaker 1: in the middle of the night. But I read to

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Speaker 1: the back of the book, and you can search all

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Speaker 1: you want, but it won't succeed. For the Lord's purpose

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Speaker 1: will prevail. The Lord's purpose will prevail. I'm gonna herald

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Speaker 1: it from the mountain top today. It won't work, Herod.

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Speaker 1: You can search all of Bethlehem, you can kill every baby,

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Speaker 1: you can lie all you want to, but it won't

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Speaker 1: work because of Jeremiah one twelve. See Jeremiah one twelve

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Speaker 1: is a Christmas scripture that never got preached on Christmas.

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Speaker 1: But I'm gonna give it to you today. The Lord

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Speaker 1: said to Jeremiah, you have seen correctly watched this, for

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Speaker 1: I am watching over my word to see that it

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Speaker 1: is fulfilled. Now you ought to shout about Jeremiah one twelve.

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Speaker 1: He said, I'm watching to see that my word is fulfilled.

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Speaker 1: And this scripture only made so much sense until Jesus

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Speaker 1: was born in Bethlehem. Now, I want you to look

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Speaker 1: at Jeremiah chapter one in the light of Matthew chapter two,

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Speaker 1: that after Jesus was born, Remember Jesus was born in Bethlehem,

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Speaker 1: but he didn't come from Bethlehem. In the beginning was

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Speaker 1: the Word, and the word was with God, and the

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Speaker 1: word was God. That's John chapter one. So when the

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Speaker 1: Bible says that God is watching over his words to

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Speaker 1: fulfill it, it means that no matter how much Herod

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Speaker 1: searched for the baby called Jesus, God was watching over

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Speaker 1: the sea of his son that would bring forth the

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Speaker 1: harvest of salvation. Yeah, oh, y'all missed the six thirty

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Speaker 1: am service today. That's when God gave all this to me.

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Speaker 1: Y'all miss the good service today. Oh my God, he's

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Speaker 1: watching over Yeah. And yet you wonder, like if you

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Speaker 1: could tell Herod hey man. In the end, Josephus said

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Speaker 1: that in Herod's later years he couldn't stop eating and

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Speaker 1: there were worms in his intestines. You kind of want

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Speaker 1: to tell him, man, stop trying to kill Jesus. This

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Speaker 1: is not the path you want to go down. But

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Speaker 1: see you know how it ends. He did. You kind

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Speaker 1: of want to tell Joseph, have faith, man, it's gonna

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Speaker 1: because everything in the passage I just read you, from

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Speaker 1: a human perspective was a problem, but from a heavenly perspective,

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Speaker 1: it was a prophecy. So Christmas gives me this perspective

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Speaker 1: that God disguises prophecy as problems. Verse one said he

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Speaker 1: was born in Bethlehem. That was not where they had

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Speaker 1: the reservations. It was a problem. It also says, if

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Speaker 1: you notice, they had to escape to Egypt because they

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Speaker 1: were trying the king of their region was trying to

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Speaker 1: kill him. That is also a problem. It says later

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Speaker 1: that when Joseph got up to leave for Egypt, he

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Speaker 1: had to go back to Galilee. He couldn't even go

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Speaker 1: to Nazareth, where he was from, for a little while.

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Speaker 1: He had to wait in Egypt. That's also a problem.

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Speaker 1: But the same things that I read in that passage

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Speaker 1: that problems. We're designed to fulfill a prophetic word, because

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Speaker 1: he watches over his word to fulfill it. In Micah

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Speaker 1: five to two it says he will be born in Bethlehem.

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Speaker 1: So maybe this is why Mary's water broke early because

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Speaker 1: she had to give birth in the place that the

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Speaker 1: prophet spoke. And at the same time that they are considering,

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Speaker 1: where are we going to do this? There's no room

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Speaker 1: in the end. This is not on our plan. Look

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Speaker 1: at this. God is not protecting your plan. He's protecting

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Speaker 1: his promise. He's not protecting your preference of how you

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Speaker 1: wanted it to go, how you wanted it to be,

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Speaker 1: who you wanted to stay. He's not protecting any of that.

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Speaker 1: In fact, he's disguising the prophecies. See we know that

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Speaker 1: these are prophecies, but but the mag I didn't know that.

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Speaker 1: They didn't even quote a single scripture and they found Jesus,

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Speaker 1: yeah weird. And the one the chief priests and describes,

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Speaker 1: and the teachers of the law, they know every scripture

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Speaker 1: and they don't even see the Savior. The ones who

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Speaker 1: should have seen God first were kept in the dark.

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Speaker 1: I don't like being kept in the dark, do you do? You?

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Speaker 1: Then you would not have liked to have been a

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Speaker 1: disciple of Jesus Christ of Nazareth because his communication skills

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Speaker 1: were suspect at best. You could have told me to

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Speaker 1: feed five thousand men and their wives and children before

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Speaker 1: you were on the third hour of your sermon, Jesus,

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Speaker 1: why did you wait until now to ask us if

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Speaker 1: we have any food for these people? All the times

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Speaker 1: that the disciples were and we think about everything that

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Speaker 1: Jesus taught is to sciples, but all how about other things?

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Speaker 1: He didn't tell them, Hey, go over in that boat

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Speaker 1: to the other side. I'm gonna see you there in

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Speaker 1: little wall. He didn't say anything about the storm that

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Speaker 1: they would spend the next six hours rolling through. Why

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Speaker 1: would you love somebody and keep them in the dark.

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Speaker 1: I'm telling my staff one time, I said, do not

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Speaker 1: play God with information that you were waiting to give

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Speaker 1: me until I'm in a good mood, because by the

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Speaker 1: time you're figuring out how to tell me how to

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Speaker 1: tell me, it's gonna get three times worse. I need

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Speaker 1: to turn off the sink or unhooked the pips, or

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Speaker 1: burn down the house or whatever I need to do.

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Speaker 1: So tell me now. I don't want to be kept

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Speaker 1: in the dark. I used to go on Twitter was

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Speaker 1: this was BC, but it would say on Twitter. I

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Speaker 1: was at the so and so campus today at elevation

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Speaker 1: and the the sermon went down in the middle of

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Speaker 1: the sermon, and nobody on my team and told me,

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Speaker 1: and I'm I'm like, I'm calling a meeting Monday. I'm like, y'all,

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Speaker 1: if the video for the sermon cuts out at the

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Speaker 1: at the Matthew's campus, you gotta tell me. I can't

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Speaker 1: find out on Twitter. I'm gonna find out because I'm

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Speaker 1: trolling the internet to see all these problems. Y'all are

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Speaker 1: trying to hide from me. So tell me, and I

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Speaker 1: should I say this, I've told God before. You gotta

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Speaker 1: tell me stuff. You can't let me get out of

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Speaker 1: here with a sling shot and a bag lunch and

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Speaker 1: put a delith in front of me. Tell me that's

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Speaker 1: gotta be a giant so I can do some bicep

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Speaker 1: carls and some ju jitsu training. Tell me, don't keep

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Speaker 1: me in the dark if you love me. The Bible

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Speaker 1: says that in him was light, and that life was

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Speaker 1: the light of men. And so why would God, who

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Speaker 1: is the Way, the Truth and the Life, whose life

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Speaker 1: is the light of men, whose light shineth in the

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Speaker 1: darkness and the darkness comprehendith and not John one to five,

425
00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:16,920
Speaker 1: King King James version, Why would the God who dwells

426
00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:21,680
Speaker 1: in ineffable light keep his children in the dark. Why

427
00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:24,800
Speaker 1: didn't he just tell Joseph when he said, Hey, Mary's pregnant,

428
00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:28,680
Speaker 1: it is the Holy Spirit. Why didn't he tell him

429
00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:34,520
Speaker 1: that before Mary started to show? Why is she got

430
00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:39,480
Speaker 1: to be six months along? Before you give me a dream?

431
00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:43,520
Speaker 1: Don't keep me in the dark. Just tell me. Tell

432
00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:46,160
Speaker 1: me when I meet somebody, they are lying through their

433
00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:48,159
Speaker 1: teeth and you will not even want to see their

434
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:51,200
Speaker 1: name on your phone three months from now. Just tell me, God,

435
00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:57,639
Speaker 1: I could save a lot of texts back and forth.

436
00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:00,840
Speaker 1: I could just block them on day one if I

437
00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:08,320
Speaker 1: had some advanced planning, strategic knowledge. Just tell me. Just

438
00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:10,240
Speaker 1: tell me, Hey, by the way, you're gonna have the

439
00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:12,720
Speaker 1: baby's birth in Bethlehem, so get a room. Why I

440
00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:14,159
Speaker 1: got to trick me into going to bettle him with

441
00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:16,200
Speaker 1: the census that Caesar called for to get me there,

442
00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:21,200
Speaker 1: So I wasn't even expecting it. Why ain't you telling

443
00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:29,040
Speaker 1: me God before we had multiple kids. No, I'm kidding.

444
00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:32,120
Speaker 1: I love all my kids. But I'm saying I could

445
00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:34,000
Speaker 1: have planned for it. I could have saved for it.

446
00:28:34,119 --> 00:28:36,239
Speaker 1: I could have got ready for it. Maybe I went

447
00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:43,280
Speaker 1: to build all these campuses. If I had known about covid. Ah.

448
00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:47,000
Speaker 1: Maybe God doesn't keep you in the dark all the

449
00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:55,680
Speaker 1: time because he's cruel. Maybe sometimes he keeps you in

450
00:28:55,720 --> 00:29:04,120
Speaker 1: the dark because he's getting something ready inside of you.

451
00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:08,720
Speaker 1: Like right now in our house, Holly has a little

452
00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:11,760
Speaker 1: room right off the kitchen, and the door is shut

453
00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:16,840
Speaker 1: all the time, right now and shut last month. Let's

454
00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:18,920
Speaker 1: see all this stuff that's coming through our house right now,

455
00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:23,720
Speaker 1: all these boxes giving me gray hairs in my beard.

456
00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:25,760
Speaker 1: How many boxes come in my house this time of year,

457
00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:30,320
Speaker 1: all these boxes? And Holly, Holly, Holly's a wonderful wife.

458
00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:33,920
Speaker 1: She's always happy to see me. But she's been telling

459
00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:35,520
Speaker 1: me lately on the other side of the door, in

460
00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:37,680
Speaker 1: that little office where she's got all these Christmas gifts,

461
00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:41,840
Speaker 1: she says, stay out. And I'm like, who are you

462
00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,120
Speaker 1: talking to right now? This is not Graham knocking on

463
00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:45,800
Speaker 1: the door. This is not one of your children, This

464
00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:51,200
Speaker 1: says your husband. No, stay out, because I'm getting something

465
00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:58,840
Speaker 1: ready for you. Stay out right now. I'm not in

466
00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:01,600
Speaker 1: this room, no, man. That's kind of a silly illustration.

467
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:09,800
Speaker 1: Is it? Is Holly not like God? You like that? Ah?

468
00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:18,040
Speaker 1: Is she not like your God? Who sometimes you say God,

469
00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:21,160
Speaker 1: show me this, and tell me that, and give me

470
00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:23,880
Speaker 1: your direction for this and that. And does God not

471
00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:28,280
Speaker 1: sometimes in his silence send you the message I need

472
00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:34,600
Speaker 1: you to stay out because my ways are not your ways.

473
00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:38,440
Speaker 1: Who thank you, Jesus, I didn't even think of Isaiah

474
00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:42,640
Speaker 1: fifty five. And my thoughts are not your thoughts. And

475
00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:47,040
Speaker 1: as high as the heavens are above the earth, so

476
00:30:47,120 --> 00:30:51,560
Speaker 1: are my ways above your ways, and my thoughts above

477
00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:56,160
Speaker 1: your thoughts. And sometimes God, because He's got these See,

478
00:30:56,160 --> 00:30:59,360
Speaker 1: he's got these boxes that have been coming in of

479
00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:03,920
Speaker 1: something that he ordered before time began from eternity, he

480
00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:08,440
Speaker 1: spoke a word, a prophecy concerning your life, not just

481
00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:12,160
Speaker 1: the life of Jesus. No, No, there's a prophecy over

482
00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:16,160
Speaker 1: your life. And the prophet said, before you were born,

483
00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:19,400
Speaker 1: I knew you when you were in the darkness of

484
00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:23,640
Speaker 1: your mother's womb. I set you apart, and I kept

485
00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:26,800
Speaker 1: you in the dark. And no eye has seen, and

486
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:30,280
Speaker 1: no ear has hurt, and it hasn't even in your

487
00:31:30,320 --> 00:31:35,520
Speaker 1: heart what God has prepared for those who love him

488
00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:46,320
Speaker 1: and trust him enough to follow him, even when he

489
00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:51,720
Speaker 1: keeps you in the dark. Do you trust the one

490
00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:56,960
Speaker 1: who's behind that door you think he's wrapping up interaction

491
00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,200
Speaker 1: in those boxes trying to hurt you. He said, I

492
00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:01,520
Speaker 1: know the plans I have for you, plans to pross

493
00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,080
Speaker 1: for you, not to harm you. I'm a good God.

494
00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:09,880
Speaker 1: The irony of the passages, everybody was kept in the dark,

495
00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:15,400
Speaker 1: all of them. Mary didn't know, Mary, did you know? No,

496
00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:21,800
Speaker 1: that's the remix. That's the Stephen Verdick remix. Y'all put

497
00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:27,280
Speaker 1: that on Spotify for me. No, she didn't know. She hoped,

498
00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:35,960
Speaker 1: she carried. She didn't know. You don't know. Merry Christmas.

499
00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:39,760
Speaker 1: That's the message of Christmas. That's the message I'm getting

500
00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:42,520
Speaker 1: from this passage. We saw a star, we came to worship,

501
00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:45,080
Speaker 1: and where is he? They didn't know. The ones who

502
00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:47,320
Speaker 1: should have known didn't know. Because of their knowledge that

503
00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:49,160
Speaker 1: kept them from knowing what they were supposed to know.

504
00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:57,080
Speaker 1: They knew the Bible too good to believe it. Ah,

505
00:32:57,680 --> 00:32:59,800
Speaker 1: God said, I'm gonna leave the Pagans to a place

506
00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:04,200
Speaker 1: that a priest wouldn't even go. Oh, my God, you

507
00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:07,000
Speaker 1: mean what I think I know about God could keep

508
00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:09,480
Speaker 1: me from seeing him for who he really is. Yes,

509
00:33:10,840 --> 00:33:12,800
Speaker 1: you mean I don't know God in all of his

510
00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:20,800
Speaker 1: fullness No, he's omniscient. You are not. I'm not even sumniscient.

511
00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:27,880
Speaker 1: I'm no niscient. I don't know nothing. I don't even

512
00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:33,880
Speaker 1: know grammar. Can't you tell you? See now, you're kind

513
00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:36,440
Speaker 1: of in the Christmas story cause you're like the magi.

514
00:33:36,520 --> 00:33:39,040
Speaker 1: You don't know, you don't know where this is going.

515
00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:41,560
Speaker 1: You came to Charlotte for a job and then they

516
00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:46,200
Speaker 1: fired you eight months in What if God got you?

517
00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:59,480
Speaker 1: What is the problem is the costume for a prophecy? God?

518
00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:01,960
Speaker 1: Why did you keep me in the dark. Why didn't

519
00:34:02,040 --> 00:34:05,040
Speaker 1: you tell me that that relationship would fail? Maybe he

520
00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:08,799
Speaker 1: wanted the relationship to surface some stuff in you that

521
00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:12,000
Speaker 1: he could work on, so your relationship with him could

522
00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:16,640
Speaker 1: get better. If he had told you how it would end,

523
00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:20,320
Speaker 1: you wouldn't have taken the first step. So now I

524
00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:23,640
Speaker 1: know why God didn't call a committee meeting before Christmas. Okay,

525
00:34:23,800 --> 00:34:27,880
Speaker 1: Shepherd's angels, you know, like he's running a Christmas pageant

526
00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:29,959
Speaker 1: or something like that. All right, come on, mad joh,

527
00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:32,000
Speaker 1: here's how it works, Joseph, here's what's going to happen.

528
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:35,880
Speaker 1: Mary's gonna come up. Yeah, we read it. We're so

529
00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:41,840
Speaker 1: smug and honestly, like if I can be real, I

530
00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:44,160
Speaker 1: spent all of my thirties hating Christmas as a pastor

531
00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:48,560
Speaker 1: because people come in and it's like they don't really

532
00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:52,440
Speaker 1: even want to hear a sermon. It's just like, especially

533
00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:54,360
Speaker 1: when it comes to Christmas and people are coming in

534
00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:57,200
Speaker 1: because they're supposed to, you can't say much to somebody

535
00:34:57,200 --> 00:34:59,719
Speaker 1: who's there because they feel like they're doing God a

536
00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:03,799
Speaker 1: faith or to come to church. People have to have

537
00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:07,600
Speaker 1: need that they're aware of to really receive from God.

538
00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:12,000
Speaker 1: That's why I push my Christmas message early to avoid

539
00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:18,680
Speaker 1: the shipping delays so you could get this word. And

540
00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:27,680
Speaker 1: God is thank you Jesus watching over his word. We

541
00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:32,439
Speaker 1: are watching what they are walking through. We know where

542
00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:37,040
Speaker 1: they end up. They don't and that takes faith. Man.

543
00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:40,680
Speaker 1: I mean, if you know the whole twenty third song, yeay,

544
00:35:40,719 --> 00:35:42,480
Speaker 1: though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death,

545
00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:43,920
Speaker 1: I will fear no evil for that with me that

546
00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:45,880
Speaker 1: run that stuff they come from me. You know it

547
00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:50,120
Speaker 1: ends with the wolves getting driven off by the staff.

548
00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:51,839
Speaker 1: But if you're right in the middle of the valley

549
00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:56,799
Speaker 1: you think it's your new mailing address. Oh, I guess

550
00:35:56,840 --> 00:36:02,839
Speaker 1: that's just how it is. Shadow of death. Well, that's

551
00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:05,720
Speaker 1: an allusion to Galilee, where Jesus ended up being raised.

552
00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:09,640
Speaker 1: That's what Isaiah prophesied. He said, those of you in

553
00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:16,680
Speaker 1: what was it helped me out Zebulen and nephtilly Man.

554
00:36:16,719 --> 00:36:21,760
Speaker 1: Galilee was so sprawny to the Jewish people. When Solomon

555
00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:23,520
Speaker 1: was paying off his debts and he had to give

556
00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:25,560
Speaker 1: the King of hear him something, he gave him twenty

557
00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:28,480
Speaker 1: cities in Galilee. Just roll them over here. You can

558
00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:30,640
Speaker 1: have this the northern part of the kingdom. Part they

559
00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:32,960
Speaker 1: didn't want, the part where a lot of the Canaanites

560
00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:35,520
Speaker 1: still lived because it was still overrun by enemy. Oh,

561
00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:38,440
Speaker 1: you can have Galilee. And the King of Tiger got

562
00:36:38,440 --> 00:36:40,640
Speaker 1: it and he said, what did you give me, my brother,

563
00:36:41,400 --> 00:36:45,560
Speaker 1: you can have this back. That's where Jesus did his

564
00:36:45,640 --> 00:36:54,200
Speaker 1: ministry in the land of those dwelling in darkness. Galilee

565
00:36:54,239 --> 00:36:57,080
Speaker 1: where Jesus based his ministry. Now, please don't think this

566
00:36:57,160 --> 00:37:00,799
Speaker 1: is a geography lesson. This is a word for you.

567
00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:05,760
Speaker 1: The place that was associated with darkness, that's what Jesus

568
00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:13,120
Speaker 1: did the most. It was known as the land of

569
00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:20,120
Speaker 1: shadow and death, Shadow and death. And the thing is,

570
00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:23,919
Speaker 1: you don't know which it is when you're walking through it.

571
00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:27,040
Speaker 1: Is this gonna kill me? Or is this just a shadow?

572
00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:32,160
Speaker 1: And God doesn't tell you you ever? Wish God would

573
00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:33,680
Speaker 1: give you an age you're gonna die at so you

574
00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:35,600
Speaker 1: can know how much to save and how much to enjoy,

575
00:37:36,960 --> 00:37:38,719
Speaker 1: because I would spend it all. If God told me

576
00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:41,040
Speaker 1: I had till forty three, I wouldn't leave the kids

577
00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:46,760
Speaker 1: a die. I probably wouldn't come preach again either. Honestly,

578
00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:48,759
Speaker 1: if I only had till forty three, I might do

579
00:37:48,840 --> 00:37:51,040
Speaker 1: one more message, you know, and put it out there

580
00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:52,319
Speaker 1: and see if you want to see. I don't know

581
00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:57,360
Speaker 1: about Definitely, I'd spend all the money. And God knows that.

582
00:37:57,360 --> 00:37:59,719
Speaker 1: That's why. If God told me when I was gonna die,

583
00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:04,400
Speaker 1: or God told you when Ah, did you notice what

584
00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:08,480
Speaker 1: the angel told Joseph go to Egypt. Herod's trying to

585
00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:10,440
Speaker 1: kill your kid, But watch us. I'm gonna keep him

586
00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:12,160
Speaker 1: in the dark. I'm not gonna let him find him.

587
00:38:12,239 --> 00:38:14,799
Speaker 1: He can search all he wants to kill Jesus, but

588
00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:18,719
Speaker 1: I am watching over my word to fulfill it. So

589
00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:22,400
Speaker 1: no weapon formed against the Word of God that is

590
00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:26,400
Speaker 1: in your arms will prosper before I forget. Let me

591
00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:28,680
Speaker 1: tell you this God set to tell you that he

592
00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:31,520
Speaker 1: is keeping your kids. God set to tell you that

593
00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:34,239
Speaker 1: as they walk through the darkness of the valley of

594
00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:37,480
Speaker 1: this cultural shadow of death, the hand of the Lord

595
00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:40,880
Speaker 1: is upon your children. And I want you to shout

596
00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:48,040
Speaker 1: if you receive this prophecy by fame. Herod can look

597
00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:52,400
Speaker 1: all he wants, but he won't kill mine. He won't

598
00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:56,040
Speaker 1: get soords. The blood is on my house, the blood

599
00:38:56,120 --> 00:39:03,239
Speaker 1: is on my life. Hey, hey lord, ha ha ha.

600
00:39:03,480 --> 00:39:10,560
Speaker 1: Y'all settle down, silent night, Holy night. All is calm ya,

601
00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:15,759
Speaker 1: all is bright, All is not bright, All is not bright,

602
00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:18,680
Speaker 1: All is not bright. That's pretty to sing, is a

603
00:39:18,719 --> 00:39:22,920
Speaker 1: nice image. It helps the Christmas light tree light manufacturer

604
00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:25,320
Speaker 1: sell a lot of merchandise. But all is not brightant

605
00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:31,239
Speaker 1: he said, I was so distracted by the star in

606
00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:33,880
Speaker 1: Matthew too, and how bright it had to be to

607
00:39:33,920 --> 00:39:36,040
Speaker 1: lead them a thousand miles because I like the bright stuff,

608
00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:41,000
Speaker 1: don't you. I like the bright spots when I can see.

609
00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:46,720
Speaker 1: I like when God gives me light, let there be life.

610
00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:48,799
Speaker 1: I love when God says let there be light and

611
00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:54,160
Speaker 1: he shows me something clearly. I loved Saturday morning when

612
00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:57,319
Speaker 1: God gave me this message I love this morning. When

613
00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:00,239
Speaker 1: he gave me even more, I'm not gonna I love

614
00:40:00,239 --> 00:40:01,640
Speaker 1: it when I have to think about all this stuff

615
00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:10,160
Speaker 1: I didn't get to. I didn't love Thursday. Thursday, I

616
00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:15,560
Speaker 1: was groping around in the dark. ELOI lama shabaktany, My God,

617
00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:19,080
Speaker 1: My God, why had that forsaken? I'm so sorry. Lord,

618
00:40:19,120 --> 00:40:20,440
Speaker 1: whatever I did, I won't do it again. Just give

619
00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:22,080
Speaker 1: me a message. I don't even feel like the Bible's

620
00:40:22,080 --> 00:40:25,880
Speaker 1: in English right now. Oh God, I don't like that,

621
00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:34,560
Speaker 1: you know, like I try to give you what God

622
00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:39,120
Speaker 1: gives me and regifted. Now I'm coming to a point

623
00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:41,040
Speaker 1: in my life where I try to give you what

624
00:40:41,080 --> 00:40:44,280
Speaker 1: I would give to my own kids. And that's deeper

625
00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:48,640
Speaker 1: than giving you a lesson from the Bible. So pushes

626
00:40:48,680 --> 00:41:00,239
Speaker 1: me to go deeper. But deeper means darker, h to

627
00:41:00,239 --> 00:41:03,880
Speaker 1: look low for God, not always up here in the clouds.

628
00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:09,000
Speaker 1: Somewhere on some inspirational feeling, he said, you're gonna find

629
00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:15,680
Speaker 1: the child on the ground in little old bedlamb Oh,

630
00:41:15,719 --> 00:41:19,320
Speaker 1: little town of Bedlam. Wasn't a compliment, it was an insult.

631
00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:23,880
Speaker 1: And from that place, God, wherever you feel the most insecure,

632
00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:31,880
Speaker 1: wherever you feel the most insulted. Wherever it is the darkest,

633
00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:37,360
Speaker 1: wherever it is your galilee, that's where God's glory is

634
00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:44,160
Speaker 1: the greatest. Elijah told me the other day during her workout,

635
00:41:44,719 --> 00:41:47,359
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, my energy is low. I slept horrible last night.

636
00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:51,960
Speaker 1: I messed up and listened to this music that got

637
00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:53,840
Speaker 1: me in this dark mood, and then I just was

638
00:41:53,920 --> 00:41:55,840
Speaker 1: like I couldn't get it out of my head, and

639
00:41:55,880 --> 00:41:59,080
Speaker 1: I'm laying there and I'm sitting there like I can't sleep,

640
00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:00,600
Speaker 1: and then I try to look at my phone because

641
00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:04,839
Speaker 1: that's what I normally do, but that made it worse. Well, yes,

642
00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:17,239
Speaker 1: you ever have nights like that? Dad, The guy in

643
00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:20,879
Speaker 1: me that wants to be so admired and respected wanted

644
00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:23,880
Speaker 1: to say, of course not, son, I don't count sheep.

645
00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:32,239
Speaker 1: I talked to the shepherd. You know what, I don't

646
00:42:32,239 --> 00:42:33,920
Speaker 1: think you should keep your kids all the way in

647
00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:37,359
Speaker 1: the dark about what you struggle with. You don't need

648
00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:39,919
Speaker 1: to tell him everything. No, don't don't hate. Please, don't

649
00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:43,520
Speaker 1: tell him everything. That's going to build up a therapy

650
00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:47,240
Speaker 1: build that you know, be bigger than their college fund.

651
00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:51,279
Speaker 1: But I am saying, I am saying there's moments where

652
00:42:51,320 --> 00:42:55,360
Speaker 1: I realize, you know, he already sees me preaching. He's sixteen.

653
00:42:57,400 --> 00:43:04,680
Speaker 1: I said, nights like that, I've had months like that. No,

654
00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:09,839
Speaker 1: I had no nights like that. I've had I've had

655
00:43:09,880 --> 00:43:15,480
Speaker 1: a year like that, not this year. And that's when

656
00:43:15,520 --> 00:43:18,799
Speaker 1: the Lord took me back to my passage. I thought

657
00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:21,879
Speaker 1: the passage was about the star. I had a message going.

658
00:43:21,880 --> 00:43:24,600
Speaker 1: It's pretty good too. I don't know why the Lord

659
00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:27,080
Speaker 1: won't tell me to write message the first time. Why

660
00:43:27,080 --> 00:43:29,680
Speaker 1: does he keep me in the dark. I'm studying about

661
00:43:29,719 --> 00:43:32,719
Speaker 1: the star, like how it's God's GPS system. That's what

662
00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:35,440
Speaker 1: I was going to tell you, God is your GPS.

663
00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:43,120
Speaker 1: Merry Christmas Ler said, that's a look at Matthew two fourteen.

664
00:43:44,480 --> 00:43:46,680
Speaker 1: It said that after they saw the starbout down in

665
00:43:46,719 --> 00:43:52,040
Speaker 1: worshiped him, an angel came and he took the child

666
00:43:52,120 --> 00:43:59,000
Speaker 1: and his mother during the night. And that's what I realized.

667
00:44:02,320 --> 00:44:07,000
Speaker 1: That God does a lot of things at night that

668
00:44:07,080 --> 00:44:12,120
Speaker 1: he can't do during the day. They left for Egypt

669
00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:16,719
Speaker 1: they would stay for a year. Wasn't their plan. They

670
00:44:16,719 --> 00:44:19,839
Speaker 1: weren't packed for it. It wasn't your plan to be

671
00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:22,400
Speaker 1: right now? Are you exactly where you plan to be?

672
00:44:22,480 --> 00:44:26,920
Speaker 1: Right now, because if so, I want to worship you, Jesus.

673
00:44:29,040 --> 00:44:31,080
Speaker 1: I want to give you gifts of gold and Frankinson's

674
00:44:31,160 --> 00:44:37,120
Speaker 1: and Mr. They left her in the night. You got

675
00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:43,759
Speaker 1: to follow at night? Sometimes? Are you following God in

676
00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:47,520
Speaker 1: the night? Right now? What I mean is you can't

677
00:44:47,520 --> 00:44:52,280
Speaker 1: really see what's two steps ahead, and you keep bumping

678
00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:56,840
Speaker 1: into stuff that makes you want to cuss, and you

679
00:44:56,880 --> 00:45:02,279
Speaker 1: can't even hardly find the bathroom at night, and you

680
00:45:02,320 --> 00:45:06,799
Speaker 1: don't really know. You're just like Joseph. You're just like Mary,

681
00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:09,960
Speaker 1: You're just like the Magi. You're even just like Herod.

682
00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:14,879
Speaker 1: There was only one in the passage who knew where

683
00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:19,960
Speaker 1: this was headed, and he couldn't even walk yet nobody

684
00:45:20,040 --> 00:45:26,560
Speaker 1: else knew. So I tell my sons about my daughter,

685
00:45:26,640 --> 00:45:33,799
Speaker 1: about my church, about nights like that. I don't want

686
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:35,319
Speaker 1: to just tell him about the God of nine point

687
00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:39,759
Speaker 1: thirty on Sunday morning. It's got too much makeup on.

688
00:45:41,520 --> 00:45:45,040
Speaker 1: Then they won't realize God when he has to show

689
00:45:45,120 --> 00:45:51,120
Speaker 1: up at four am. I want to pastor a church

690
00:45:51,160 --> 00:45:55,040
Speaker 1: and to be a person who has four am faith

691
00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:04,919
Speaker 1: during the night, because I want my kids to see

692
00:46:04,960 --> 00:46:07,720
Speaker 1: me do great things from God and write great songs

693
00:46:07,760 --> 00:46:10,920
Speaker 1: for God and preach great messages and make good decisions,

694
00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:13,960
Speaker 1: and love their mom and be a memory making dad

695
00:46:14,120 --> 00:46:16,920
Speaker 1: and give them all of these wonderful experiences. But I

696
00:46:16,960 --> 00:46:22,480
Speaker 1: want them to know that I had some nights where

697
00:46:22,600 --> 00:46:27,880
Speaker 1: I didn't know. I didn't know, I didn't know if

698
00:46:27,920 --> 00:46:30,760
Speaker 1: the church would keep going, especially when it was a baby.

699
00:46:30,920 --> 00:46:33,000
Speaker 1: I would walk out every week, not knowing if anybody

700
00:46:33,040 --> 00:46:38,560
Speaker 1: would be out there. I hate when God prompts me

701
00:46:38,640 --> 00:46:42,040
Speaker 1: to tell you stuff that's embarrassing to me. I'd rather

702
00:46:42,120 --> 00:46:44,879
Speaker 1: keep you in the darks. I would rather roll out

703
00:46:44,920 --> 00:46:48,279
Speaker 1: on the stage. Hey, praise the Lord, everybody. God is

704
00:46:48,320 --> 00:46:51,239
Speaker 1: your GPS, and he's gonna rerupt you. Am I right?

705
00:46:55,719 --> 00:46:58,800
Speaker 1: But Lord said to tell you the things you doubt

706
00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:03,680
Speaker 1: about I doubt about you. Hear me, Son, I've had

707
00:47:04,080 --> 00:47:07,680
Speaker 1: nights like that. I had nights where I wished I

708
00:47:07,719 --> 00:47:09,840
Speaker 1: could throw up, but I couldn't because it wasn't physical

709
00:47:09,880 --> 00:47:17,560
Speaker 1: what was making me sick. There's no sickness like night sickness.

710
00:47:19,040 --> 00:47:22,400
Speaker 1: I never had morning sickness like Holly did. But let

711
00:47:22,480 --> 00:47:26,200
Speaker 1: me tell you something. He's not just the God of

712
00:47:26,280 --> 00:47:36,880
Speaker 1: nine thirty Sunday morning. He led Joseph teeth at night

713
00:47:37,000 --> 00:47:41,480
Speaker 1: so if you ever see me do anything great, boy,

714
00:47:41,560 --> 00:47:46,759
Speaker 1: it's not because I always walked in the light. It's

715
00:47:46,800 --> 00:48:00,480
Speaker 1: because I was kept in the dark. Everybody who God

716
00:48:00,520 --> 00:48:05,560
Speaker 1: ever used, he didn't use them because they always had

717
00:48:05,600 --> 00:48:08,520
Speaker 1: so much light, so much knowledge, so much goodness. You

718
00:48:08,520 --> 00:48:11,799
Speaker 1: see all this other stuff everybody's posing on Instagram, and

719
00:48:11,840 --> 00:48:14,279
Speaker 1: they got all these lights that are so flattery and

720
00:48:14,360 --> 00:48:19,239
Speaker 1: all these filters. But the God of four Am, the

721
00:48:19,280 --> 00:48:23,160
Speaker 1: God of four Am, the God who got up from

722
00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:27,360
Speaker 1: the grave in the physical body of a man named Jesus.

723
00:48:27,560 --> 00:48:30,799
Speaker 1: In John twenty, verse one, it says, while it was

724
00:48:30,960 --> 00:48:35,880
Speaker 1: still dark Mary Magdalene went to the twob what he

725
00:48:36,080 --> 00:48:39,240
Speaker 1: didn't get up when the light came out. Easter didn't

726
00:48:39,280 --> 00:48:44,840
Speaker 1: start with a sunrise. It started in the dark. So

727
00:48:45,560 --> 00:48:48,359
Speaker 1: if you are in the dark today and you don't know,

728
00:48:48,719 --> 00:48:51,640
Speaker 1: and you can't feel, and my God, why have you

729
00:48:51,719 --> 00:48:54,719
Speaker 1: forsaken me? And how does this end? And why does

730
00:48:54,760 --> 00:48:57,560
Speaker 1: it hurt? And when does it stop? And when can

731
00:48:57,640 --> 00:49:01,560
Speaker 1: I leave? I need you to know that He's watching

732
00:49:01,640 --> 00:49:05,840
Speaker 1: you and keeping you and holding you and with you

733
00:49:06,280 --> 00:49:15,480
Speaker 1: in the fourth watch of the night. Yes there's a

734
00:49:15,520 --> 00:49:19,680
Speaker 1: star that guides you. Yes there's a light that guides you. Yes,

735
00:49:19,800 --> 00:49:22,880
Speaker 1: there are blessings that attend you. Yes, there is favor

736
00:49:22,960 --> 00:49:25,600
Speaker 1: that you can feel, and you will experience all of

737
00:49:25,640 --> 00:49:32,160
Speaker 1: those things. But sometimes he's gonna tell you things in

738
00:49:32,280 --> 00:49:36,959
Speaker 1: the night and lead you through things at the night.

739
00:49:37,920 --> 00:49:40,840
Speaker 1: And what he does at the night you will be

740
00:49:41,080 --> 00:49:46,000
Speaker 1: shouting about in the day. Because this is why you

741
00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:48,200
Speaker 1: gotta hold on. This is why you can't give up.

742
00:49:48,400 --> 00:49:50,160
Speaker 1: This is why you gotta get help. This is why

743
00:49:50,160 --> 00:49:51,879
Speaker 1: you gotta work through it. This is why you can't

744
00:49:51,880 --> 00:49:54,319
Speaker 1: accept the feed. This why Hair is searching for you.

745
00:49:54,360 --> 00:49:56,920
Speaker 1: But he couldn't find you yet. He couldn't kill you yet.

746
00:49:57,160 --> 00:50:03,120
Speaker 1: What he couldn't kill is Christ. You the hope of glory.

747
00:50:05,880 --> 00:50:10,560
Speaker 1: And he leads me not just with a star, not yet,

748
00:50:10,600 --> 00:50:15,040
Speaker 1: not yet, not yet. Y'all don't want to go yet,

749
00:50:15,080 --> 00:50:17,319
Speaker 1: do you? Ya? Don't wanna go yet, do you? Y'all

750
00:50:17,360 --> 00:50:19,600
Speaker 1: got enough battles at home. Just stay with me for

751
00:50:19,640 --> 00:50:22,560
Speaker 1: a minute, get under this blessing for a minute. The

752
00:50:22,680 --> 00:50:26,160
Speaker 1: night is coming when Roman can work. Let us work

753
00:50:26,200 --> 00:50:30,040
Speaker 1: the works of him who sent us, watch him over me.

754
00:50:34,040 --> 00:50:37,799
Speaker 1: Yes he is because I got something in common with

755
00:50:37,960 --> 00:50:43,480
Speaker 1: Mary and Joseph. I'm carrying Jesus. I got Jesus on

756
00:50:43,680 --> 00:50:53,120
Speaker 1: the inside of me. Everything that God spoke to Joseph

757
00:50:53,560 --> 00:50:57,040
Speaker 1: that confirmed his word, he did it at night in

758
00:50:57,120 --> 00:50:59,600
Speaker 1: a dream. Take Mary home in a dream. Go to

759
00:50:59,640 --> 00:51:03,000
Speaker 1: Egypt in a dream, Go back to Nazareth. Everything God

760
00:51:03,080 --> 00:51:06,120
Speaker 1: did in Joseph's life, he did it at night. What

761
00:51:06,560 --> 00:51:10,320
Speaker 1: is he doing on the night? Watch for you right now?

762
00:51:10,600 --> 00:51:12,600
Speaker 1: What is he doing? I'm telling you we're gonna be

763
00:51:12,680 --> 00:51:17,200
Speaker 1: shouting about it tomorrow, but right now it's night. Right

764
00:51:17,239 --> 00:51:22,719
Speaker 1: now it's night. I always feel like coming out here

765
00:51:22,719 --> 00:51:25,680
Speaker 1: to preach is a little bit like a detective novel.

766
00:51:26,040 --> 00:51:30,160
Speaker 1: I'm trying to find who are you? Who are you

767
00:51:30,320 --> 00:51:33,960
Speaker 1: that God gave me this word for that? He just

768
00:51:34,000 --> 00:51:37,000
Speaker 1: stirred me up till, like I told Graham, I feel

769
00:51:37,040 --> 00:51:41,400
Speaker 1: like I'm about to give birth. Who are you? What

770
00:51:41,520 --> 00:51:47,160
Speaker 1: are you carrying? What does Herod know about you that

771
00:51:47,360 --> 00:51:50,200
Speaker 1: has him trying to track you down and kill you?

772
00:51:50,680 --> 00:51:54,200
Speaker 1: Why has the attack been so strong? If you were

773
00:51:54,320 --> 00:51:58,920
Speaker 1: not carrying Jesus, if you were not sent for purpose,

774
00:51:59,200 --> 00:52:02,520
Speaker 1: if there was not a prophecy over your life, you

775
00:52:02,600 --> 00:52:07,279
Speaker 1: wouldn't be feeling any pain. The pain is a labor pain.

776
00:52:07,800 --> 00:52:19,680
Speaker 1: You're about to break something forward and it made me

777
00:52:19,760 --> 00:52:26,719
Speaker 1: think that this is not the only Joseph, that there's

778
00:52:26,760 --> 00:52:31,840
Speaker 1: another Joseph who had to go to Egypt. Y'all know

779
00:52:31,880 --> 00:52:37,959
Speaker 1: the other Joseph. Y'all know ot joseph old Testament Joseph.

780
00:52:38,040 --> 00:52:39,919
Speaker 1: Y'all know Joseph put it in the chat. I know Joseph.

781
00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:41,400
Speaker 1: I know Joseph. I know what you're talking about. I

782
00:52:41,440 --> 00:52:43,080
Speaker 1: know what you're doing. You're not talking about Joseph who

783
00:52:43,120 --> 00:52:47,279
Speaker 1: married Mary. You're talking about Joseph who was promised that

784
00:52:47,360 --> 00:52:50,360
Speaker 1: God would raise him up to feed his whole family

785
00:52:50,680 --> 00:52:53,560
Speaker 1: and save his whole nation in a time of family.

786
00:52:53,800 --> 00:52:56,719
Speaker 1: That Joseph who saw the stars and saw the grain.

787
00:52:57,000 --> 00:52:59,319
Speaker 1: But God didn't show him everything he would go through.

788
00:52:59,440 --> 00:53:03,879
Speaker 1: God him in the dark. He didn't tell him, your

789
00:53:03,880 --> 00:53:06,440
Speaker 1: brothers are gonna betray you, the very ones you're gonna

790
00:53:06,440 --> 00:53:08,719
Speaker 1: have to feed. You're going through something right now. And

791
00:53:08,760 --> 00:53:11,840
Speaker 1: you didn't see this coming. He didn't see himself pushed

792
00:53:11,880 --> 00:53:15,560
Speaker 1: into a sister. He didn't see himself sold into slavery.

793
00:53:15,920 --> 00:53:18,919
Speaker 1: He didn't see himself running away in a prison while

794
00:53:18,920 --> 00:53:21,440
Speaker 1: he was forgotten by the cup bearer and the baker.

795
00:53:21,760 --> 00:53:23,960
Speaker 1: But you know what Joseph told me to tell you.

796
00:53:24,440 --> 00:53:29,040
Speaker 1: God kept me in the dark. He was with me.

797
00:53:29,440 --> 00:53:34,840
Speaker 1: He kept me. He held me steady, he held me down,

798
00:53:35,120 --> 00:53:39,600
Speaker 1: He held me level, he kept me safe. He preserved

799
00:53:39,640 --> 00:53:42,719
Speaker 1: my mind. He walked with me through the valley of

800
00:53:42,920 --> 00:53:46,959
Speaker 1: the shadow of Death. I will fear no evil. He's

801
00:53:47,160 --> 00:53:54,799
Speaker 1: with me. That's how I'm here. He kept me. Everybody,

802
00:53:54,880 --> 00:54:03,440
Speaker 1: God kept giving price right here. Ah. He kept me.

803
00:54:06,239 --> 00:54:13,359
Speaker 1: He kept me in the dark. He kept me in

804
00:54:13,400 --> 00:54:19,040
Speaker 1: the dark. He kept me from killing myself. He kept

805
00:54:19,080 --> 00:54:22,640
Speaker 1: me from walking away. He kept me from giving up

806
00:54:22,680 --> 00:54:25,960
Speaker 1: my dream. He kept me from turning my back on

807
00:54:26,000 --> 00:54:30,239
Speaker 1: my Fathe I'm not here because I always walked in

808
00:54:30,280 --> 00:54:35,919
Speaker 1: the light. I'm here because He kept me in the dark.

809
00:54:37,960 --> 00:54:40,759
Speaker 1: That's how I got here. He kept me in the dark.

810
00:54:40,880 --> 00:54:44,080
Speaker 1: He didn't tell me everything. That's how he got me here.

811
00:54:44,640 --> 00:54:46,799
Speaker 1: He told me one thing at a time, and that's

812
00:54:46,840 --> 00:54:49,239
Speaker 1: how He's gonna speak to you. One thing at a time,

813
00:54:50,719 --> 00:54:53,640
Speaker 1: One thing at a time. Give us this day, our

814
00:54:53,719 --> 00:54:58,279
Speaker 1: daily bry. He kept me in the dark. If God

815
00:54:58,280 --> 00:55:03,160
Speaker 1: told you everything, you start spazzing out. We have to

816
00:55:03,160 --> 00:55:10,400
Speaker 1: call the ambulance to your gammis. I used to pray,

817
00:55:11,280 --> 00:55:15,040
Speaker 1: and I still pray. God give me light but this

818
00:55:15,120 --> 00:55:19,480
Speaker 1: is a Christmas prayer. God keep me in the dark

819
00:55:21,440 --> 00:55:32,040
Speaker 1: when I got you, don't let me tonight. Well, one

820
00:55:32,120 --> 00:55:36,800
Speaker 1: man said from the nineteen twenties, don't forget in the

821
00:55:36,880 --> 00:55:42,319
Speaker 1: darkness what you learned in the light. He got up

822
00:55:42,320 --> 00:55:47,839
Speaker 1: at night, Joseph went to Egypt. You're following God right

823
00:55:47,880 --> 00:55:50,040
Speaker 1: now to a strange place. I know you are. He

824
00:55:50,120 --> 00:55:53,120
Speaker 1: spoke to me about you. He said, to tell you,

825
00:55:53,920 --> 00:55:56,839
Speaker 1: I'm keeping you in the dark. You got to turn

826
00:55:56,880 --> 00:55:58,839
Speaker 1: it over. You gotta trust in the Lord with all

827
00:55:58,840 --> 00:56:01,279
Speaker 1: your heart and lean not on your own understanding in

828
00:56:01,320 --> 00:56:04,520
Speaker 1: all your ways. Acknowledge him and he will direct your past.

829
00:56:04,760 --> 00:56:08,399
Speaker 1: What's he saying? He will keep you in the dark,

830
00:56:10,080 --> 00:56:14,400
Speaker 1: keep you You remember when God's people came out of

831
00:56:14,400 --> 00:56:17,920
Speaker 1: Egypt in the Old Testament, and the Bible says that

832
00:56:17,960 --> 00:56:21,160
Speaker 1: they had believe and the firstborn of all of Egypt

833
00:56:21,200 --> 00:56:24,880
Speaker 1: was struck down. So committed was God to the freedom

834
00:56:24,920 --> 00:56:30,240
Speaker 1: of his people. God has committed to your freedom. Yeah.

835
00:56:30,440 --> 00:56:34,160
Speaker 1: God is committed to his children. He is watching over

836
00:56:34,239 --> 00:56:38,600
Speaker 1: his word to perform it in your life. In this

837
00:56:38,719 --> 00:56:46,480
Speaker 1: moment at night. He neither sleeps nor slumbers. And one

838
00:56:46,520 --> 00:56:50,160
Speaker 1: time I heard a fella say, well, if God never

839
00:56:50,239 --> 00:56:53,160
Speaker 1: sleeps nor slumbers, then I'm going to get some rest,

840
00:56:54,400 --> 00:57:00,160
Speaker 1: because one of us should. The Bible says that the

841
00:57:00,200 --> 00:57:03,560
Speaker 1: people of Israel, and look at this, HOLLI this cling

842
00:57:03,600 --> 00:57:06,359
Speaker 1: to me in the last minute. How God does it?

843
00:57:09,400 --> 00:57:12,120
Speaker 1: The first Joseph who went to Egypt in the Bible

844
00:57:12,880 --> 00:57:15,240
Speaker 1: was Joseph who went to preserve the nation of Israel.

845
00:57:15,520 --> 00:57:21,960
Speaker 1: And watch what it says in age of this chapter twelve,

846
00:57:22,800 --> 00:57:24,560
Speaker 1: verse forty. And this is the word I want to

847
00:57:24,600 --> 00:57:28,200
Speaker 1: leave you with today. Now, the length of the time

848
00:57:29,080 --> 00:57:32,440
Speaker 1: the Israelite people lived in Egypt was four hundred and

849
00:57:32,480 --> 00:57:37,840
Speaker 1: thirty years. Y'all, I don't care who you are. That's

850
00:57:37,840 --> 00:57:42,640
Speaker 1: a long night. That's a long time to wonder. Where

851
00:57:42,680 --> 00:57:46,320
Speaker 1: are you God? Now, it's been eighty one generation since

852
00:57:46,320 --> 00:57:48,880
Speaker 1: the birth of Christ that we live in, and I

853
00:57:48,920 --> 00:57:51,640
Speaker 1: think we have completely messed up the message of Christmas

854
00:57:51,640 --> 00:57:56,480
Speaker 1: in those eighty one generations because we only associate God

855
00:57:56,680 --> 00:57:58,960
Speaker 1: with the light, and He is the light. There's no

856
00:57:59,080 --> 00:58:03,360
Speaker 1: darkness in him. However, look what the Bible says to

857
00:58:03,440 --> 00:58:06,680
Speaker 1: the people. This is thousands of years before Jesus. And

858
00:58:06,840 --> 00:58:10,360
Speaker 1: watch how the prophetic word alives. God is watching over

859
00:58:10,400 --> 00:58:14,440
Speaker 1: his word to perform it. Next verse, at the end

860
00:58:14,480 --> 00:58:16,720
Speaker 1: of four hundred and thirty years to the very day,

861
00:58:16,960 --> 00:58:21,160
Speaker 1: all the Lord's divisions left Egypt, Go go go, because

862
00:58:21,240 --> 00:58:27,800
Speaker 1: the Lord kept vigil that night. Somebody say, that night,

863
00:58:28,840 --> 00:58:31,840
Speaker 1: do you know the one I'm talking about, the one

864
00:58:31,880 --> 00:58:36,440
Speaker 1: where the anxiety was beating, the breakers were pounding. You

865
00:58:36,520 --> 00:58:39,160
Speaker 1: know the one I'm talking about where all the memories

866
00:58:39,240 --> 00:58:41,440
Speaker 1: came flooding back. You know the one I'm talking about,

867
00:58:41,560 --> 00:58:44,880
Speaker 1: all the regrets that four am devil that you fought,

868
00:58:45,960 --> 00:58:48,800
Speaker 1: that was searching to kill you, like Herod was searching

869
00:58:49,000 --> 00:58:52,360
Speaker 1: like Pharaoh wanted to kill the Israelites. He like he

870
00:58:52,400 --> 00:58:54,240
Speaker 1: wanted to kill like he wanted to strike them down.

871
00:58:54,280 --> 00:58:59,560
Speaker 1: But he couldn't watch why because the Lord kept vigil

872
00:59:00,520 --> 00:59:05,120
Speaker 1: that night. And this is what the scripture says, to

873
00:59:05,200 --> 00:59:08,880
Speaker 1: bring them out of Egypt on this night. Somebody say,

874
00:59:08,920 --> 00:59:12,600
Speaker 1: this night, now follow me, follow me. Receive this word.

875
00:59:12,680 --> 00:59:14,560
Speaker 1: How many of you received this word that I'm appreciate

876
00:59:14,600 --> 00:59:19,080
Speaker 1: to you today. That is a weak response. If you

877
00:59:19,120 --> 00:59:23,880
Speaker 1: have heard this word, if you receive this word, maybe

878
00:59:23,920 --> 00:59:27,920
Speaker 1: it's for somebody on the Epham. Maybe it's you that

879
00:59:28,000 --> 00:59:32,480
Speaker 1: this word is coming for. All right, So give me

880
00:59:32,520 --> 00:59:37,880
Speaker 1: the scripture again, he said, on this night because the

881
00:59:37,960 --> 00:59:44,400
Speaker 1: Lord kept vigil that night. I want you on this

882
00:59:44,520 --> 00:59:48,520
Speaker 1: night to keep vigil, to honor the Lord for the

883
00:59:48,680 --> 00:59:56,480
Speaker 1: generations to come. Aren't you glad that Joseph followed in

884
00:59:56,560 --> 00:59:59,880
Speaker 1: the dark so we could have Jesus in our hearts

885
01:00:00,240 --> 01:00:06,240
Speaker 1: and our lives. What are you carried? What is the

886
01:00:06,360 --> 01:00:10,320
Speaker 1: important thing on the other side of this night? That night,

887
01:00:11,160 --> 01:00:14,200
Speaker 1: the night they left Egypt with the blood on their doors,

888
01:00:14,200 --> 01:00:17,040
Speaker 1: so that the angel of Death passed over their houses.

889
01:00:17,320 --> 01:00:22,000
Speaker 1: That night God stayed up and watched. And now so

890
01:00:22,120 --> 01:00:25,240
Speaker 1: he said, you keep it. If you were kept in

891
01:00:25,280 --> 01:00:28,080
Speaker 1: the dark, then don't you get in the dark and

892
01:00:28,080 --> 01:00:32,480
Speaker 1: lose your faith. Don't you let this knock you off

893
01:00:32,520 --> 01:00:35,120
Speaker 1: of what the solid rock you've been standing on. Don't

894
01:00:35,120 --> 01:00:38,240
Speaker 1: you let this snatch your prophecy. This is bigger than

895
01:00:38,280 --> 01:00:42,080
Speaker 1: you you hear me. This is bigger than how you

896
01:00:42,120 --> 01:00:48,280
Speaker 1: feel right now. This is for generations to come. That's

897
01:00:48,360 --> 01:00:50,440
Speaker 1: why you have to make it through the night. That's

898
01:00:50,520 --> 01:00:52,400
Speaker 1: why I had to make it through the night so

899
01:00:52,480 --> 01:00:54,800
Speaker 1: I could tell my sixteen year old, so he can

900
01:00:54,880 --> 01:00:58,000
Speaker 1: tell his sixteen year old I've had nights like that.

901
01:00:58,360 --> 01:01:01,800
Speaker 1: But watch this. No matter how dark the night. God,

902
01:01:02,200 --> 01:01:09,520
Speaker 1: God never stopped watching. God never stop keeping. God, never

903
01:01:09,920 --> 01:01:20,320
Speaker 1: stop working. God never stop sustaining. Because they were in

904
01:01:20,360 --> 01:01:23,880
Speaker 1: the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch

905
01:01:24,520 --> 01:01:29,720
Speaker 1: over their flocks by night. God is a good shepherd.

906
01:01:30,040 --> 01:01:34,360
Speaker 1: He watches his flock at night. He doesn't only like

907
01:01:34,440 --> 01:01:37,360
Speaker 1: you in the light of day. He watches you in

908
01:01:37,440 --> 01:01:41,120
Speaker 1: the grimy place. He's a grimy God. He'll roll up

909
01:01:41,120 --> 01:01:45,120
Speaker 1: his sleeves and come down, born of a virgin, dressed

910
01:01:45,160 --> 01:01:49,280
Speaker 1: like a man, to set his people breed. He never

911
01:01:49,760 --> 01:01:56,480
Speaker 1: stop watching me, never stopped. He never stopped watching. He

912
01:01:56,720 --> 01:02:04,120
Speaker 1: never stopped watching. Gis God worship. He never joke his

913
01:02:04,320 --> 01:02:14,040
Speaker 1: I cap you, ay, that's great to have promises that

914
01:02:14,080 --> 01:02:18,200
Speaker 1: God made you in the light. But the promises that

915
01:02:18,240 --> 01:02:21,800
Speaker 1: God makes in the light have to be kept in

916
01:02:21,880 --> 01:02:27,480
Speaker 1: the dark. The whole church missed it, but you do.

917
01:02:28,840 --> 01:02:33,480
Speaker 1: It has to be kept in the dark. That's where

918
01:02:33,520 --> 01:02:38,880
Speaker 1: you need Jesus. That's where you need Jesus. That's where

919
01:02:38,920 --> 01:02:45,680
Speaker 1: you need light. And I think, I think, I think,

920
01:02:45,720 --> 01:02:50,480
Speaker 1: no matter how long the light is, the day is

921
01:02:50,520 --> 01:02:58,560
Speaker 1: going to be greater. I do, I do. God never

922
01:03:01,080 --> 01:03:03,280
Speaker 1: remember when he came out walking to the disciples on

923
01:03:03,320 --> 01:03:07,320
Speaker 1: the water. It was the fourth watch of the night.

924
01:03:09,280 --> 01:03:11,919
Speaker 1: What I love about it say, watch this, I'm gonna

925
01:03:11,920 --> 01:03:14,760
Speaker 1: get out of y'all. Wait a minute. I know it's late,

926
01:03:16,200 --> 01:03:20,600
Speaker 1: but it's late in your life too. Huh, it's late

927
01:03:20,600 --> 01:03:25,360
Speaker 1: in your life too. He said that Jesus came walking

928
01:03:25,360 --> 01:03:28,720
Speaker 1: to them on the storm in the water. What I

929
01:03:28,760 --> 01:03:32,400
Speaker 1: love about it is before he walked out to them,

930
01:03:32,800 --> 01:03:36,600
Speaker 1: he never stopped watching them. He saw him the whole

931
01:03:36,600 --> 01:03:42,520
Speaker 1: time they were in the storm. God is watching over

932
01:03:43,320 --> 01:03:48,960
Speaker 1: his worth, whether it's herod, whether it's depression, whether it's

933
01:03:49,000 --> 01:04:00,760
Speaker 1: your dumb decisions. They are not stronger than the prophecy. Yeah,

934
01:04:01,160 --> 01:04:04,760
Speaker 1: and until Christ has brought forward, God is watching. Oh God,

935
01:04:05,200 --> 01:04:07,520
Speaker 1: I thank you that you're watching over my house. I

936
01:04:07,600 --> 01:04:09,840
Speaker 1: thank you that you're watching over my gift. I thank

937
01:04:09,840 --> 01:04:12,080
Speaker 1: you that you're watching over my spirit. I thank you

938
01:04:12,120 --> 01:04:14,720
Speaker 1: that you're watching over my broken heart, so that nothing

939
01:04:14,760 --> 01:04:17,200
Speaker 1: seeps in that would keep me from seeing you. God.

940
01:04:17,200 --> 01:04:19,080
Speaker 1: I thank you that you are watching over these men

941
01:04:19,120 --> 01:04:21,320
Speaker 1: and women. I thank you that know storm that they

942
01:04:21,320 --> 01:04:24,280
Speaker 1: are in reduces your visibility, for you have an all

943
01:04:24,360 --> 01:04:27,520
Speaker 1: seeing eye. You are the all knowing God. You are

944
01:04:27,560 --> 01:04:30,040
Speaker 1: the living Word in the beginning was the Word, and

945
01:04:30,080 --> 01:04:32,680
Speaker 1: the word was with God, and the word was God.

946
01:04:33,040 --> 01:04:36,880
Speaker 1: That same word that came forth through forty two generations

947
01:04:37,040 --> 01:04:40,120
Speaker 1: and past state these generations to come to us today.

948
01:04:41,360 --> 01:04:47,240
Speaker 1: We have our eyes on you now. Watch God, watch God.

949
01:04:48,400 --> 01:04:53,040
Speaker 1: Watch God. Keep your focus even in the door. Watch God,

950
01:04:54,040 --> 01:04:58,440
Speaker 1: watch God, watch his word. Meditate on in your bed,

951
01:04:58,600 --> 01:05:01,520
Speaker 1: remember it, play it in your Watch God. Watch God

952
01:05:01,560 --> 01:05:04,160
Speaker 1: bring you out. Watch God do a miracle. Watch God

953
01:05:04,200 --> 01:05:07,640
Speaker 1: give you a testimony. Watch God turning around. Wat's God

954
01:05:07,800 --> 01:05:11,040
Speaker 1: use this very thing. Watch God, watch God, Watch God,

955
01:05:11,160 --> 01:05:13,480
Speaker 1: watch God turn around. Tell five people watch God, watch God,

956
01:05:13,640 --> 01:05:17,680
Speaker 1: watch God, watch God, watch God, watch God. Heyy, stop

957
01:05:17,720 --> 01:05:21,320
Speaker 1: watching the news for five minutes and watch God. God

958
01:05:21,400 --> 01:05:26,320
Speaker 1: doesn't watch the news. Please good news. Yes, glad tidings,

959
01:05:26,720 --> 01:05:33,680
Speaker 1: it breaks great story and he watches over his flock

960
01:05:34,840 --> 01:05:37,920
Speaker 1: by night. Give him praise. If you received this one,

961
01:05:39,040 --> 01:05:44,000
Speaker 1: thank you, loving, Thank you Jesus. Well, if you enjoyed

962
01:05:44,000 --> 01:05:46,400
Speaker 1: today's podcast, there are a couple of things I'd love

963
01:05:46,440 --> 01:05:49,600
Speaker 1: for you to do. Make sure to subscribe, rate, and

964
01:05:49,760 --> 01:05:52,840
Speaker 1: review this podcast. You can also help us reach others

965
01:05:52,880 --> 01:05:56,120
Speaker 1: by investing today at Elevation Church dot org, slash and

966
01:05:56,200 --> 01:05:58,960
Speaker 1: give and thanks again for joining us on the Elevation

967
01:05:59,080 --> 01:06:00,480
Speaker 1: Podcast inst