WEBVTT - Help Is On The Way

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation

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<v Speaker 1>Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank

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<v Speaker 1>you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope

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<v Speaker 1>it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to

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<v Speaker 1>see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>my name is Chadhampton and I have the privilege of

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<v Speaker 1>being the campus pastor at our Lake Norman location. I

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<v Speaker 1>want to say, what's up Lake Norman. I love y'all.

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<v Speaker 1>Hope you're doing well. But it's an honor and a

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<v Speaker 1>privilege to get to stand up here today and declare

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<v Speaker 1>God's words to you. And I'm always grateful for a

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<v Speaker 1>pastor that would entrust me with this moment, that would

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<v Speaker 1>empower me to stand up on this platform where I

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<v Speaker 1>know such a big price has been paid so that

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<v Speaker 1>this platform could exist. And I don't stand on a

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<v Speaker 1>pedestal today trying to display how good I am, because

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<v Speaker 1>a pedestal displays. But I want to stand on a

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<v Speaker 1>platform because a platform declares how good God is. And

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<v Speaker 1>so He's been good to me, He's been good to you.

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<v Speaker 1>I want you to believe that today. So we're going

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<v Speaker 1>to We're going to go to John chapter four, And

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<v Speaker 1>I believe that God wants to produce a faith in

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<v Speaker 1>you today that is greater than whatever fear you might

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<v Speaker 1>be facing today. So if you'll just lean in and

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<v Speaker 1>you'll receive what he has to say, John chapter four,

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<v Speaker 1>verses forty six through fifty three, it says once more

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<v Speaker 1>he visited Cana and Galilee talking about Jesus, where he

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<v Speaker 1>had turned the water into wine. And there was a

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<v Speaker 1>certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When

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<v Speaker 1>this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,

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<v Speaker 1>he went to him and begged him to come and

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<v Speaker 1>heal his son, who was close to death. Unless you

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<v Speaker 1>people see signs and wonders, Jesus told him he'll never believe.

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<v Speaker 1>The royal official says, sir, come down before my child dies. Go.

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<v Speaker 1>Jesus replied, your son will live. The man took Jesus

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<v Speaker 1>at his word and departed. While he was still on

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<v Speaker 1>the way, his servants met him with the news that

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<v Speaker 1>his boy was living. When he inquired us to the

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<v Speaker 1>time when his son got better, they said to him, yesterday,

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<v Speaker 1>Everyone say yesterday, yesterday. At one in the afternoon, the

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<v Speaker 1>fever left him. Then the father realized this was the

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<v Speaker 1>exact time at which Jesus had said to him, your

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<v Speaker 1>son will live. So he and his whole household believed.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you believe today? Do you believe that God's got

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<v Speaker 1>a word for you? Because I don't know where you're at.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know what you're facing today currently. Maybe you're

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<v Speaker 1>standing in this place between hope and reality where you're

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<v Speaker 1>hoping to get to. But the reality of where you

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<v Speaker 1>are currently right now in the two seems so far apart.

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<v Speaker 1>But I've got good news. I want to declare something

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<v Speaker 1>over your life today that help is on the wind.

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<v Speaker 1>I want you to hide my three people say help

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<v Speaker 1>was on the wind. You may be seated. Thank you,

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<v Speaker 1>Worship team. Help is on the way. As I said earlier,

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<v Speaker 1>my wife and I we have the privilege of leading

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<v Speaker 1>at the Lake Norman campus, and so we thought it

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<v Speaker 1>would be fitting, since God had called us to lead

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<v Speaker 1>that campus, that we should live in the Lake Norman community.

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<v Speaker 1>So about a year ago we moved to Lake Norman.

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<v Speaker 1>My wife, jillis is here today. We've been married for

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<v Speaker 1>fourteen years. Fourteen years. I actually have a picture of

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<v Speaker 1>my family. You'll see Jill, you'll see my four kids. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>I have four kids, McKenna, Ashton, Adeline, and Jude. And

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<v Speaker 1>so we recently moved up to Lake Norman. And I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know if you're like us, but you know, with

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<v Speaker 1>six people living under one roof, anytime, we know that

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<v Speaker 1>we're gonna have company over because we thought to ourselves,

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<v Speaker 1>if we're going to live in this area, we should

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<v Speaker 1>have some people over, get to know some people. That's

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<v Speaker 1>only fitting. And so we're having company over. And if

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<v Speaker 1>you like us, if you know that company's coming over,

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<v Speaker 1>you go into a certain mode that's a little out

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<v Speaker 1>of the ordinary. You start to build this fake house,

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<v Speaker 1>like there's the house that we know exists during the week,

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<v Speaker 1>but then there's the house that you're only going to

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<v Speaker 1>see if you were to ever come over to our home.

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<v Speaker 1>And you know how it is is maybe you're a

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<v Speaker 1>couple and you're getting ready for company and you have

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<v Speaker 1>to make it look like you don't actually live there, Like,

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<v Speaker 1>don't sit on the couch. We can't make it look

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<v Speaker 1>like the couch has been sat on. Push all the

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<v Speaker 1>chairs underneath the table, because it can't look like we

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<v Speaker 1>actually eat at that table. It cannot look like we

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<v Speaker 1>live here. It has to be perfect because for some reason,

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<v Speaker 1>we think people will love us more if our house

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<v Speaker 1>looks lovely. And so we're getting ready to have people

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<v Speaker 1>over to our house, and Jill's doing an amazing job

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<v Speaker 1>working on the inside of the house. So I thought,

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<v Speaker 1>as the guy, I could do my part. I could

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<v Speaker 1>work on the outside of the house. And actually like

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<v Speaker 1>yard work. It's kind of therapeutic for me. So I

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<v Speaker 1>get home from work and I start mowing the lawn

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<v Speaker 1>and I start trimming the bushes. And as I'm working outside,

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<v Speaker 1>I look over at our house that people are coming

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<v Speaker 1>to in about two hours. I look over and I'm like, oh, no,

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<v Speaker 1>you see, We've got this covered porch on the front

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<v Speaker 1>of our house, and there's these covers, there's these panels

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<v Speaker 1>that had fallen down, hadn't fallen on the ground, there

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<v Speaker 1>hanging from the roof right over the front door of

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<v Speaker 1>our house. Now this is unacceptable. I mean, I don't

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<v Speaker 1>want people walking into my home and having to duck

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<v Speaker 1>because of the panels that are falling down. So I'm thinking,

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<v Speaker 1>I got to fix this, and so I find the

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<v Speaker 1>only ladder we have. It's like a three foot step ladder,

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<v Speaker 1>so it's not even a real ladder. And I go

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<v Speaker 1>to the porch and I climb all the way up

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<v Speaker 1>on the three foot step ladder, and I proceed to

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<v Speaker 1>push the panels back into place. But when I realized

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<v Speaker 1>that the reason the panels are falling down is because

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<v Speaker 1>the gutter is peeling off the front of my roof.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think, okay, I could just pull the gutter off,

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<v Speaker 1>push the panels back into place, push the gutter back

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<v Speaker 1>up against the house, and no one will know the difference.

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<v Speaker 1>It'll look as good as new. That's what I thought.

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<v Speaker 1>So I proceed to pull back the gutter, when all

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<v Speaker 1>of a sudden, not only does the gutter start to

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<v Speaker 1>peel off the roof, but the wood, the nails, the shingles, y'all,

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<v Speaker 1>the whole roof starts to come off the front of

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<v Speaker 1>my house. We've got company coming over in an hour

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<v Speaker 1>and fifty nine minutes, and I'm standing up on this

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<v Speaker 1>three foot step ladder and I'm holding this roof up,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm thinking that all that comes to my mind

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<v Speaker 1>in this moment is, oh crap, Jill is gonna kill me.

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<v Speaker 1>Some of y'all look at me like you don't believe this,

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<v Speaker 1>Like this is a great story to set up a sermon.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know how john Ford ties into this, but

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<v Speaker 1>I promise this happened. I've got proof, because what do

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<v Speaker 1>you do when you're standing on a three step ladder

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<v Speaker 1>and the roof is about to fall on top of you?

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<v Speaker 1>What do you do? You let go with one hand,

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<v Speaker 1>You pull out your phone and you document this moment?

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<v Speaker 1>How dumb was I? So check this out. I got

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<v Speaker 1>a video real quick. Hey, what do you do when

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<v Speaker 1>you're just trying to make a minor repair to the

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<v Speaker 1>gutter and then the whole gutter falls off the front

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<v Speaker 1>of the house. What do you do? You stand here

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<v Speaker 1>on a three foot ladder and you hold it so

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<v Speaker 1>in that moment I did. I did what any smart

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<v Speaker 1>guy would do. In that moment, I didn't tell Jill,

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<v Speaker 1>and I try to fix it all by myself. So

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<v Speaker 1>I'm standing here holding up this roof, and I know

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<v Speaker 1>this is a silly story, and I'm gonna come back

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<v Speaker 1>to it, and we're gonna talk about John for in

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<v Speaker 1>this royal official I promise. But first thing I want

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<v Speaker 1>to do today is I really want to paint a

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<v Speaker 1>picture because I believe there's many of us here at

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<v Speaker 1>our locations watching online today. This represents an internal posture

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<v Speaker 1>that we're carrying right now, and it's a posture that

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<v Speaker 1>represents us trying to hold up the broken pieces of

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<v Speaker 1>our life right now, and it's getting heavy and I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know how much longer I can hold on, and

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<v Speaker 1>I know I need to reach out. I know I

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<v Speaker 1>need to tell somebody, but I'm worried about the reaction

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<v Speaker 1>of others if I let them in on this struggle

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<v Speaker 1>that's going on in my life. So I'm not going

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<v Speaker 1>to tell anybody. I'm just going to try to fix

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<v Speaker 1>it all by myself. And you know how that goes,

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<v Speaker 1>because that's what I tried to do with the roof,

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<v Speaker 1>and the more I try to fix it by myself,

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<v Speaker 1>the worse and worse at God. But I can't tell

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<v Speaker 1>anybody because it seems like everybody around me is being

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<v Speaker 1>celebrated right now and I'm struggling, and their celebration is

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<v Speaker 1>just magnifying this struggle that I have into And it's

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<v Speaker 1>not just let's be real, it's not just one circumstance

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<v Speaker 1>today that we're trying to hold up. We've got compounded circumstances.

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<v Speaker 1>It's one trouble on top of the next, on top

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<v Speaker 1>of the next. And I'll say it this way, it's

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<v Speaker 1>not just what is happening in our life today, it's

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<v Speaker 1>when it's happening. It's not just the trials, it's the

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<v Speaker 1>timing of the trials. Really. I mean, it wasn't just

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<v Speaker 1>that the roof was falling off, but I got company

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<v Speaker 1>coming over in an hour and fifty seven minutes. It's

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<v Speaker 1>the timing of these trials. This couldn't have come at

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<v Speaker 1>a worse time. This royal official in John chapter four,

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<v Speaker 1>he's a busy guy. He's a man of nobility, he's

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<v Speaker 1>a man of prestige. He's got a position. He's working

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<v Speaker 1>in Herod's government. He's a busy guy. He's got things

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<v Speaker 1>to do today. And now his son is near death.

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<v Speaker 1>Really another burden, another issue, another trial. And as much

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<v Speaker 1>as we're reluctant to reach out for help, help is

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<v Speaker 1>on the way. We've got to reach out for it.

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<v Speaker 1>As much as we're standing with this internal struggle, I

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<v Speaker 1>believe that God can give you the ability today if

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<v Speaker 1>you'll let him, if you'll surrender, I believe that he'll

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<v Speaker 1>give you the ability today to flip the purpose of

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<v Speaker 1>this posture. This can go from a posture of struggle

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<v Speaker 1>to a posture of surrender, from a posture of struggle

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<v Speaker 1>to a posture of surrender, because really, surrender is just

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<v Speaker 1>an outward response to an inward struggle, and surrender looks

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<v Speaker 1>like this today, you responding outwardly like this. Hell, Hell,

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<v Speaker 1>I can't do this anymore. I can't hold on much longer.

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<v Speaker 1>It's getting heavy, it's getting difficult. I need help. And

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<v Speaker 1>I'm here today because I heard this could help. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>here today. I need help because my home is hurting.

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<v Speaker 1>This royal, his home was hurting. His son is at home, sick,

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<v Speaker 1>near death. His home is hurting. He needs help. Somebody

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<v Speaker 1>needs help today. Help is on the way. But you've

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<v Speaker 1>got to flip that posture from one of struggle internally

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<v Speaker 1>to an oward response of surrender. And that word help

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<v Speaker 1>is so powerful, because really it's twofold. When we cry

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<v Speaker 1>out for help, we're acknowledging that we're hurting, but we're

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<v Speaker 1>also asking the question should I keep holding on? Yeah?

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<v Speaker 1>I'm hurting, but is this worth holding onto? In my marriage?

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<v Speaker 1>In that business that God told me to start. Is

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<v Speaker 1>this worth holding on to? Believing that God can heal

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<v Speaker 1>my body? Is this worth holding on to believing that

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<v Speaker 1>God will give us the family that we've been praying for.

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<v Speaker 1>Is it worth holding on to this life? Is it

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<v Speaker 1>still worth holding on to? I need help? So I

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<v Speaker 1>did the thing. I asked Jill for help. After about

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<v Speaker 1>ten minutes and me standing up on that ladder looking

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<v Speaker 1>like a fool, and I swear that Toyota camera is

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<v Speaker 1>driven by three times. At this point, they know I'm struggling.

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<v Speaker 1>They're not helping. And someone posted a picture I guarantee

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<v Speaker 1>it hashtag good luck. And so I'm just I need help.

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<v Speaker 1>So I'm like, Jill, can you come outside? She comes out,

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<v Speaker 1>She's like, what's going on? I'm like, the roof. The

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<v Speaker 1>roof is falling off the house. What the roof is

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<v Speaker 1>falling off the house? What'd you do? There's no time

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<v Speaker 1>to explain, there's no time to talk about it. We

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<v Speaker 1>just we got to do something. So she's like, what

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<v Speaker 1>are you gonna do? And if I can be honest

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<v Speaker 1>with you, I love my wife. I love my wife

0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:44.080
<v Speaker 1>with all my heart. She is my hero. But I

0:12:44.160 --> 0:12:47.240
<v Speaker 1>knew in that moment she's not gonna help me fix

0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:51.840
<v Speaker 1>this because we only had one ladder and I was

0:12:51.880 --> 0:12:55.080
<v Speaker 1>standing on it. It's not even a real ladder. So

0:12:55.120 --> 0:12:56.840
<v Speaker 1>I'm like, she's not gonna be able to help me

0:12:56.840 --> 0:12:59.120
<v Speaker 1>fix this. That's nothing against my wife. I've seen her

0:12:59.160 --> 0:13:01.719
<v Speaker 1>do things of superher real status before, Like like one

0:13:01.720 --> 0:13:04.040
<v Speaker 1>time our girls had these bunk beds, and she took

0:13:04.080 --> 0:13:06.480
<v Speaker 1>the top bunk bed off of the bottom bunk bed

0:13:06.760 --> 0:13:09.840
<v Speaker 1>by herself, all by herself, And then when I helped

0:13:09.880 --> 0:13:12.640
<v Speaker 1>her to put it back on top, I was struggling

0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:15.640
<v Speaker 1>helping her, like how did you do that by yourself?

0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:18.520
<v Speaker 1>Don't She's got like these these these mommy muscles or

0:13:18.559 --> 0:13:21.960
<v Speaker 1>something like God has gifted her with a specific anointing

0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:24.160
<v Speaker 1>and ability. But I knew she couldn't help in this

0:13:24.200 --> 0:13:26.280
<v Speaker 1>moment because she didn't have the resources. But I still

0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:28.960
<v Speaker 1>needed someone to come alongside me. And some of us

0:13:28.960 --> 0:13:30.880
<v Speaker 1>today we're not reaching out for help because we're looking

0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:32.640
<v Speaker 1>at the people around us who're going I don't know

0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:35.240
<v Speaker 1>if they can relate to my situation. I don't know

0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:37.480
<v Speaker 1>if they can fix my problem, So I'm not even

0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:39.800
<v Speaker 1>gonna reach out today. But here's the deal. You don't

0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:42.120
<v Speaker 1>need someone to fix the problem today. You just need

0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:44.400
<v Speaker 1>someone to come alongside of you and say it's gonna

0:13:44.440 --> 0:13:46.840
<v Speaker 1>be okay, you're gonna make it. We're gonna get through

0:13:46.840 --> 0:13:49.640
<v Speaker 1>this together. You've got to reach out for help. Help

0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:53.720
<v Speaker 1>is on the way. And so Ji's like, what are

0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:54.760
<v Speaker 1>you gonna do? I'm like, I don't know. What am

0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:56.360
<v Speaker 1>I gonna do? What am I gonna do? What am

0:13:56.400 --> 0:14:02.440
<v Speaker 1>I gonna? No? Wait, not what? Who? Who? Our question

0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:06.520
<v Speaker 1>needs to shift from a what to who in regards

0:14:06.520 --> 0:14:10.120
<v Speaker 1>to the help we're looking forward. Who who can I ask?

0:14:10.400 --> 0:14:13.560
<v Speaker 1>Who can I call? Who can I reach out too? Who? Who?

0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:18.800
<v Speaker 1>Wait a minute, Scott. I was like, Jill, call Scott.

0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:21.320
<v Speaker 1>She's like, who's Scott. I'm like, I just met Scott

0:14:21.720 --> 0:14:24.240
<v Speaker 1>two days ago at church. This is a real story.

0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:26.840
<v Speaker 1>I'm not making this up. I just met Scott two

0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:30.360
<v Speaker 1>days ago at church, and Scott owns a roofing company,

0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:32.880
<v Speaker 1>and Scott just told me how he just got a

0:14:32.960 --> 0:14:37.760
<v Speaker 1>job in our neighborhood fixing roofs. Scott's close by. Scott

0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:41.160
<v Speaker 1>can help. Help is on the way. So let me

0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:44.920
<v Speaker 1>talk about the royal official. The royal official we know

0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:48.080
<v Speaker 1>in John chapter four that he's in the presence of Jesus,

0:14:48.360 --> 0:14:51.520
<v Speaker 1>and he's asking Jesus for help. Jesus please come down

0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:55.600
<v Speaker 1>and heal my son. But stop. Hold on, How did

0:14:55.600 --> 0:15:00.720
<v Speaker 1>the royal official know that Jesus was close by. He's

0:15:00.760 --> 0:15:05.120
<v Speaker 1>living in Capernaum, Jesus is twenty miles away in cana

0:15:05.760 --> 0:15:11.120
<v Speaker 1>How did he know that help wasn't far away? Because

0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:14.080
<v Speaker 1>I believe he had to start with who he had

0:15:14.560 --> 0:15:18.000
<v Speaker 1>around him. I didn't get the revelation that Scott was

0:15:18.040 --> 0:15:21.560
<v Speaker 1>close by until I first surrendered and reached out to Jill.

0:15:22.480 --> 0:15:25.680
<v Speaker 1>The royal official didn't get the revelation that Jesus was

0:15:25.680 --> 0:15:28.920
<v Speaker 1>close by and Jesus could help until he first reached

0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:32.240
<v Speaker 1>out to those who were around him. God wants to

0:15:32.280 --> 0:15:36.440
<v Speaker 1>get his resource to you through the relationships he's placed

0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:39.320
<v Speaker 1>around you. That's why he's positioned you in a place

0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:41.960
<v Speaker 1>like this today. That's why you're sitting at Melbourne. That's

0:15:41.960 --> 0:15:44.440
<v Speaker 1>why you're sitting at Lake Norman, that's why you're sitting

0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:48.840
<v Speaker 1>in Morrisville. He's placed you in this place for a purpose.

0:15:49.000 --> 0:15:51.360
<v Speaker 1>He's put people around you. You just have to reach

0:15:51.400 --> 0:15:56.240
<v Speaker 1>out for the help. Help is on the way, and

0:15:56.240 --> 0:16:00.880
<v Speaker 1>so this royal official goes okay, Jesus can help. I

0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:03.680
<v Speaker 1>heard that he performs miracles. I heard he can help.

0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:07.680
<v Speaker 1>That's good enough for me. And this is where faith starts.

0:16:08.480 --> 0:16:11.800
<v Speaker 1>Do you see this? This is where faith begins in

0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:17.480
<v Speaker 1>all of us. Because I never saw Scott fix the roof,

0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:23.960
<v Speaker 1>but I heard he could. He owned a company. He

0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:26.920
<v Speaker 1>owned a really nice truck with the name of his

0:16:27.000 --> 0:16:29.960
<v Speaker 1>company on the side of that truck. The royal official

0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:33.520
<v Speaker 1>never saw Jesus heal anybody, but he heard he could.

0:16:33.800 --> 0:16:37.080
<v Speaker 1>Faith comes by hearing. And if you're here today because

0:16:37.120 --> 0:16:39.840
<v Speaker 1>you heard that maybe this could help, I've got good

0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:42.560
<v Speaker 1>news for you today. Help is on the way. You're

0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:44.880
<v Speaker 1>in the right place. Even if you just heard that

0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:48.960
<v Speaker 1>this could help, you're already walking in faith. So stick around,

0:16:49.280 --> 0:16:52.640
<v Speaker 1>keep listening. God's gonna help you today. He's got something

0:16:52.720 --> 0:17:00.000
<v Speaker 1>for you. Help us on the way. Faith comes by here.

0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:05.880
<v Speaker 1>And so this royal official takes his first step out

0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:09.280
<v Speaker 1>of what is known, out of what is certain, out

0:17:09.320 --> 0:17:12.520
<v Speaker 1>of what is comfortable. He takes his first step out

0:17:12.520 --> 0:17:19.240
<v Speaker 1>of Capernaum to cana. Oh. By the way, Capernaum means comfort.

0:17:20.480 --> 0:17:24.080
<v Speaker 1>God often calls us to step away from what is comfortable,

0:17:24.440 --> 0:17:27.479
<v Speaker 1>what is known, what is certain, because I've learned this

0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:32.680
<v Speaker 1>that if I stay in the comfort of my gifts,

0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:37.119
<v Speaker 1>I limit the power of God's grace that is for

0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:40.600
<v Speaker 1>me in my life. This is where we step out

0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:44.880
<v Speaker 1>of our gifts into God's grace. I just made these

0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:47.600
<v Speaker 1>two crates gift and grace on this platform. I don't

0:17:47.640 --> 0:17:48.919
<v Speaker 1>know if you can see it, but we've got to

0:17:48.920 --> 0:17:52.080
<v Speaker 1>step out of our gifts. What we know, what we're

0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:54.399
<v Speaker 1>able to do, trying to fix it by ourselves. We've

0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:58.159
<v Speaker 1>got to step out of our gifts into God's grace.

0:17:58.760 --> 0:18:02.119
<v Speaker 1>Gifts say just do it. God's grace says, let me

0:18:02.240 --> 0:18:05.680
<v Speaker 1>do it. Gifts say just do it. Grace says, let

0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:07.359
<v Speaker 1>me do it. I just got that. Thank you, Holy

0:18:07.359 --> 0:18:10.639
<v Speaker 1>Spirit for that. So we've got to step out of

0:18:10.680 --> 0:18:14.560
<v Speaker 1>what is certain, what is known, what is comfortable. One

0:18:14.560 --> 0:18:17.640
<v Speaker 1>of the greatest lessons that I've learned from our pastor

0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:24.960
<v Speaker 1>is this lesson of courage over clarity. You see, probably

0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:28.520
<v Speaker 1>the greatest prayer request I get from people when I

0:18:28.520 --> 0:18:30.479
<v Speaker 1>ask them how can I pray for you, They'll say,

0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:34.159
<v Speaker 1>I need clarity. Yeah, but what's the opposite of faith

0:18:34.480 --> 0:18:40.399
<v Speaker 1>clarity certainty? You don't need clarity, you need courage. You

0:18:40.440 --> 0:18:43.040
<v Speaker 1>need confidence in the one who called you to step

0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:45.199
<v Speaker 1>out of what is comfortable, to step out of what

0:18:45.320 --> 0:18:49.320
<v Speaker 1>is known, and step into His grace and walk in faith.

0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:51.640
<v Speaker 1>I never saw him do it, but I heard he could.

0:18:51.760 --> 0:18:54.280
<v Speaker 1>That's good enough for me. And so this royal official

0:18:54.320 --> 0:18:59.440
<v Speaker 1>is now walking in faith towards Jesus to Cana, twenty

0:18:59.560 --> 0:19:06.560
<v Speaker 1>miles away to find help for his son, twenty miles

0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:10.840
<v Speaker 1>walking to Cana. And again, this is a man of position,

0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:15.480
<v Speaker 1>this is a man of title. I bet this was embarrassing.

0:19:16.440 --> 0:19:18.760
<v Speaker 1>I bet this was a little humiliating because here he

0:19:18.800 --> 0:19:21.000
<v Speaker 1>is hanging out in Cana and I'm sure people are like,

0:19:21.119 --> 0:19:24.080
<v Speaker 1>what's he doing here? I mean, normally he's here to

0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:26.520
<v Speaker 1>help us, and now he's asking us for help, and

0:19:26.560 --> 0:19:29.040
<v Speaker 1>he's walking around, Hey, can you help me? I need

0:19:29.080 --> 0:19:31.040
<v Speaker 1>to I need to find Jesus. Do you know where

0:19:31.040 --> 0:19:36.520
<v Speaker 1>I can find Jesus? Because help requires humility. I remember,

0:19:37.400 --> 0:19:39.960
<v Speaker 1>just a few days ago, I'm at the grocery store

0:19:39.960 --> 0:19:43.679
<v Speaker 1>with my son. My son asks. He's eleven years old,

0:19:44.160 --> 0:19:47.600
<v Speaker 1>and I'm at the store with him and we're picking

0:19:47.680 --> 0:19:49.560
<v Speaker 1>up food to grill out for the Fourth of July,

0:19:51.680 --> 0:19:53.280
<v Speaker 1>and I'm like, Asta, we gotta go to the store.

0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:55.200
<v Speaker 1>We're gonna get some burgers, we're gonna get some brats,

0:19:55.840 --> 0:19:58.480
<v Speaker 1>and then I need to get a grill brush because

0:19:58.480 --> 0:20:01.520
<v Speaker 1>my grill is filthy. Can be cooking burgers and brats

0:20:01.800 --> 0:20:04.560
<v Speaker 1>on a filthy grill. So I know where the burgers

0:20:04.560 --> 0:20:05.919
<v Speaker 1>and brats are. But then we're going to try to

0:20:05.920 --> 0:20:09.720
<v Speaker 1>find the grill brush at the store. So I get

0:20:09.720 --> 0:20:11.879
<v Speaker 1>the burgers and brots. I'm like, okay, let's find the brush,

0:20:12.160 --> 0:20:14.280
<v Speaker 1>and Ashton's like, okay, why don't you just ask someone

0:20:14.320 --> 0:20:15.920
<v Speaker 1>for help. I'm like, oh, we don't need to do that.

0:20:15.960 --> 0:20:17.720
<v Speaker 1>I know where to find it. I know where this

0:20:17.760 --> 0:20:21.000
<v Speaker 1>brush is. So we're walking around the store. Five minutes

0:20:21.040 --> 0:20:23.840
<v Speaker 1>go by, Dad, why don't you just ask somebody where

0:20:23.840 --> 0:20:26.200
<v Speaker 1>the brush is? No, man, I mean, I just want

0:20:26.240 --> 0:20:28.200
<v Speaker 1>you to see all that this store provides. So that's

0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:32.920
<v Speaker 1>why we're just we're going on this tour fifteen minutes. Dad,

0:20:33.000 --> 0:20:36.960
<v Speaker 1>just ask somebody for help, fine, because help requires humility.

0:20:37.080 --> 0:20:39.480
<v Speaker 1>So you know, I find a gentleman. I'm like, excuse me, sir,

0:20:39.480 --> 0:20:40.960
<v Speaker 1>do you know where the grill brushes are? And the

0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:44.960
<v Speaker 1>response I didn't want over all responses was uh, I

0:20:44.960 --> 0:20:51.399
<v Speaker 1>don't work here. Well, you're wearing the same clothes as

0:20:51.400 --> 0:20:54.800
<v Speaker 1>everyone else that's working here. Tip if you shop at Target,

0:20:54.840 --> 0:21:00.680
<v Speaker 1>don't wear a red shirt and khakis. So I found

0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:03.000
<v Speaker 1>someone that worked there. They pointed me in the right direction.

0:21:03.320 --> 0:21:06.920
<v Speaker 1>I found the grill brush. Ask for help. Help requires humility,

0:21:07.000 --> 0:21:10.000
<v Speaker 1>and so this royal official he finally comes upon Jesus

0:21:10.280 --> 0:21:13.159
<v Speaker 1>because he asks for help. He says, Jesus, will you

0:21:13.200 --> 0:21:16.680
<v Speaker 1>come down heal my son? And look at Jesus's response

0:21:17.359 --> 0:21:20.720
<v Speaker 1>in verse forty eight verse forty eight of John four,

0:21:21.000 --> 0:21:24.280
<v Speaker 1>Jesus says, unless you people see signs and wonders, you'll

0:21:24.320 --> 0:21:28.080
<v Speaker 1>never believe. I mean, kind of harsh, Jesus, this man's

0:21:28.080 --> 0:21:31.200
<v Speaker 1>son is dying. But here's what I believe happened. You see,

0:21:31.240 --> 0:21:33.280
<v Speaker 1>as he's inquiring as to where Jesus is, and he's

0:21:33.320 --> 0:21:35.640
<v Speaker 1>asking all these people. This is the same town where

0:21:35.680 --> 0:21:37.760
<v Speaker 1>Jesus couldn't perform miracles because of the lack of faith.

0:21:37.760 --> 0:21:39.440
<v Speaker 1>So people are going, oh, maybe we get to see

0:21:39.440 --> 0:21:41.479
<v Speaker 1>a show today. Maybe we finally get to see one

0:21:41.520 --> 0:21:43.679
<v Speaker 1>of these miracles that we've been hearing about. So as

0:21:43.760 --> 0:21:46.080
<v Speaker 1>much as Jesus is talking to the royal official, I

0:21:46.119 --> 0:21:49.160
<v Speaker 1>believe he's also addressing the spectators, because one thing I've

0:21:49.200 --> 0:21:51.480
<v Speaker 1>learned about God, he's not as concerned with putting on

0:21:51.520 --> 0:21:54.320
<v Speaker 1>the show as he is with strengthening our faith. So

0:21:54.359 --> 0:21:56.120
<v Speaker 1>he's like, I got to get rid of these spectators

0:21:56.320 --> 0:21:58.440
<v Speaker 1>so I can speak to the one who's here because

0:21:58.440 --> 0:22:04.399
<v Speaker 1>of their faith. And so the crowd disperses. The royal

0:22:04.400 --> 0:22:11.680
<v Speaker 1>official leans in in verse forty nine, he says, Sir, sir,

0:22:12.640 --> 0:22:16.719
<v Speaker 1>help requires humility. Some of us today we're asking for help.

0:22:16.800 --> 0:22:21.360
<v Speaker 1>We're saying, so you're gonna help me. Help requires humility.

0:22:21.840 --> 0:22:25.560
<v Speaker 1>He says, sir, come down before my child dies. See,

0:22:25.560 --> 0:22:28.600
<v Speaker 1>in the royal official's eyes, he had authority above Jesus.

0:22:29.320 --> 0:22:32.119
<v Speaker 1>In his eyes, in his government, he was above the

0:22:32.160 --> 0:22:35.600
<v Speaker 1>person of Jesus. But he humbles himself. He comes under

0:22:35.600 --> 0:22:37.320
<v Speaker 1>the name of Jesus, because at the name of Jesus,

0:22:37.359 --> 0:22:39.320
<v Speaker 1>every needs shell bow, every tongue will confess that he

0:22:39.400 --> 0:22:42.320
<v Speaker 1>is lord. Comes under the name of Jesus and says sir.

0:22:42.720 --> 0:22:46.240
<v Speaker 1>He humbles himself, and he asks for help, come down

0:22:46.280 --> 0:22:49.000
<v Speaker 1>before my child dies. And in verse fifty Jesus says,

0:22:49.080 --> 0:22:57.960
<v Speaker 1>go your son will live. That's it. That's the response.

0:22:59.080 --> 0:23:00.679
<v Speaker 1>I mean, if I could be honest, I might have

0:23:00.720 --> 0:23:03.879
<v Speaker 1>wanted something a little different. I mean, Jesus, I just

0:23:03.880 --> 0:23:07.679
<v Speaker 1>walked twenty miles to find you. I just humiliated myself

0:23:07.720 --> 0:23:10.840
<v Speaker 1>in front of all these people to confind you. And

0:23:10.880 --> 0:23:14.760
<v Speaker 1>you're just saying go, You're just giving me a word.

0:23:15.400 --> 0:23:18.040
<v Speaker 1>Can you at least tell me when my son will live?

0:23:19.320 --> 0:23:20.959
<v Speaker 1>Because I remember when I was up on that ladder

0:23:21.680 --> 0:23:24.440
<v Speaker 1>and Jill called Scott and she told me, Hey, Scott's coming.

0:23:24.480 --> 0:23:26.199
<v Speaker 1>I'm like, good, help us on the way, help us

0:23:26.200 --> 0:23:30.359
<v Speaker 1>on the way. My next question was when, how long?

0:23:31.080 --> 0:23:34.040
<v Speaker 1>When's Scott gonna get here? Because aren't we interested in

0:23:34.080 --> 0:23:37.199
<v Speaker 1>timelines when it comes to the promise of God in

0:23:37.200 --> 0:23:39.080
<v Speaker 1>our lives? But as I look back at that moment,

0:23:39.359 --> 0:23:41.880
<v Speaker 1>I'm so glad that Scott didn't give me a timeline,

0:23:42.000 --> 0:23:44.199
<v Speaker 1>because if you would have given me a timeline, my

0:23:44.359 --> 0:23:47.480
<v Speaker 1>faith and my focus and my confidence would have been

0:23:47.480 --> 0:23:50.080
<v Speaker 1>in the timeline of my help instead of the person

0:23:50.080 --> 0:23:54.320
<v Speaker 1>who said I'm gonna help you. If there's one thing

0:23:54.359 --> 0:23:56.840
<v Speaker 1>I've learned about our God, he is not a god

0:23:56.880 --> 0:24:01.080
<v Speaker 1>of timelines. He's a god of timing, God of timing,

0:24:01.119 --> 0:24:05.400
<v Speaker 1>and his timing is perfect. His timing is everything. Timing

0:24:05.680 --> 0:24:11.239
<v Speaker 1>is everything, And so this royal official it says he

0:24:11.280 --> 0:24:14.720
<v Speaker 1>takes Jesus at his word in verse fifty, he takes

0:24:14.800 --> 0:24:18.240
<v Speaker 1>Jesus at his word and he departs. If you notice

0:24:18.240 --> 0:24:21.720
<v Speaker 1>what it says, he took Jesus at his word. He

0:24:21.760 --> 0:24:25.320
<v Speaker 1>didn't just take a word. He took the word with

0:24:25.440 --> 0:24:30.120
<v Speaker 1>him on his way back to Cana. See, sometimes we think, oh,

0:24:30.160 --> 0:24:33.280
<v Speaker 1>he walked out of the presence of God. Yeah, maybe physically,

0:24:33.720 --> 0:24:35.960
<v Speaker 1>but spiritually, the presence of Jesus was just as with

0:24:36.040 --> 0:24:38.439
<v Speaker 1>him because he had a word to walk on. And

0:24:38.480 --> 0:24:40.800
<v Speaker 1>I love his response how he just departed. He just

0:24:40.880 --> 0:24:43.320
<v Speaker 1>took Jesus at his word. He didn't sit around and

0:24:43.320 --> 0:24:45.520
<v Speaker 1>wait for a different word. He didn't sit around and

0:24:45.560 --> 0:24:47.840
<v Speaker 1>maybe wait for something that he was hoping for. Hey,

0:24:47.880 --> 0:24:51.360
<v Speaker 1>maybe his word is better than my ways. So I'm

0:24:51.359 --> 0:24:53.480
<v Speaker 1>just gonna depart. I'm just gonna take this word and

0:24:53.480 --> 0:24:55.760
<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna begin to walk on it, and I'm gonna

0:24:55.760 --> 0:24:58.080
<v Speaker 1>begin to declare it over in my life. Jesus said

0:24:58.240 --> 0:25:01.080
<v Speaker 1>he'll live. Jesus said he live. So all the way home,

0:25:01.160 --> 0:25:03.800
<v Speaker 1>I'm sure the royal official is saying he'll live. He'll live.

0:25:03.920 --> 0:25:05.919
<v Speaker 1>Jesus said it. So I'm gonna see it. And this

0:25:05.960 --> 0:25:07.880
<v Speaker 1>is where the devil loves to get in our mind,

0:25:08.000 --> 0:25:09.760
<v Speaker 1>and he loves to play around. He loves to say

0:25:09.760 --> 0:25:12.080
<v Speaker 1>things like, I know God said it, but you haven't

0:25:12.119 --> 0:25:14.359
<v Speaker 1>seen it. I know God says you were healed, but

0:25:14.440 --> 0:25:16.720
<v Speaker 1>you don't look healed. I know God says you were free,

0:25:16.800 --> 0:25:19.280
<v Speaker 1>but it's only been a month. Things are gonna get difficult.

0:25:19.359 --> 0:25:20.800
<v Speaker 1>You're going to go right back to what you've been

0:25:20.840 --> 0:25:23.000
<v Speaker 1>depending on. And that's where we begin to declare the

0:25:23.040 --> 0:25:25.879
<v Speaker 1>word that Jesus gave to us over our life. We

0:25:25.960 --> 0:25:28.199
<v Speaker 1>put it in the face of the devil. We say, listen,

0:25:28.280 --> 0:25:30.960
<v Speaker 1>I walk by faith and not by sight, devil. So

0:25:31.080 --> 0:25:33.360
<v Speaker 1>the very fact that you're talking to me right now,

0:25:33.520 --> 0:25:36.359
<v Speaker 1>it's the proof that you're terrified about the word that

0:25:36.480 --> 0:25:39.120
<v Speaker 1>God has given me, because you know, if I begin

0:25:39.200 --> 0:25:41.280
<v Speaker 1>to walk in this word, if I begin to declare

0:25:41.320 --> 0:25:43.640
<v Speaker 1>it over my life, if I begin to believe it,

0:25:43.840 --> 0:25:48.040
<v Speaker 1>something good might happen in my life. Heapens on the way.

0:25:51.040 --> 0:25:53.760
<v Speaker 1>So he's walking home. He's walking home, and look at

0:25:53.760 --> 0:25:56.280
<v Speaker 1>what happens. Look at what happens in verse fifty one,

0:25:57.480 --> 0:26:00.200
<v Speaker 1>verse fifty one. While he was still on the way,

0:26:00.560 --> 0:26:03.440
<v Speaker 1>his servants met him with the news that his boy

0:26:03.800 --> 0:26:07.760
<v Speaker 1>was living. Help us on the way, Hold up, while

0:26:07.760 --> 0:26:12.680
<v Speaker 1>he was still on the way, help us on the way?

0:26:14.119 --> 0:26:19.760
<v Speaker 1>I thought I thought help was on the way. I'm

0:26:19.760 --> 0:26:22.080
<v Speaker 1>gonna I'm gonna sit here and wait for my blessing.

0:26:22.800 --> 0:26:25.280
<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna sit here and wait for my miracle. I'm

0:26:25.320 --> 0:26:27.520
<v Speaker 1>gonna wait for God to move. I love this picture

0:26:27.640 --> 0:26:30.280
<v Speaker 1>when when he asked Jesus to come with him, Jesus

0:26:30.320 --> 0:26:32.680
<v Speaker 1>never moves. Jesus just gave him a word. We're waiting

0:26:32.680 --> 0:26:35.600
<v Speaker 1>on God to move. But his word is enough because

0:26:35.640 --> 0:26:39.840
<v Speaker 1>his word can move in our life. I'm not waiting

0:26:39.880 --> 0:26:43.639
<v Speaker 1>for my miracle. I'm gonna wait on. He wasn't waiting for.

0:26:44.600 --> 0:26:47.760
<v Speaker 1>He was waiting on. Help is on the way. To

0:26:47.840 --> 0:26:51.720
<v Speaker 1>wait for means to sit, to be inactive, to disengage.

0:26:51.840 --> 0:26:54.960
<v Speaker 1>But to wait on means to serve. It means to move.

0:26:55.240 --> 0:26:57.399
<v Speaker 1>It means to trust in this word. Yeah, he didn't

0:26:57.400 --> 0:26:59.639
<v Speaker 1>get the response he was looking for, but he got

0:26:59.680 --> 0:27:02.240
<v Speaker 1>a war. And so I'm gonna serve this word that

0:27:02.359 --> 0:27:05.280
<v Speaker 1>Jesus has given me. I'm gonna wait on the word

0:27:05.560 --> 0:27:10.080
<v Speaker 1>that he's given me. Help is on the way. And

0:27:10.119 --> 0:27:14.320
<v Speaker 1>it reminds me of another passage in Isaiah, chapter forty,

0:27:15.240 --> 0:27:20.320
<v Speaker 1>verse thirty one. It says those who wait on the Lord,

0:27:21.720 --> 0:27:25.080
<v Speaker 1>not those who wait for the Lord. Those who wait

0:27:25.640 --> 0:27:29.560
<v Speaker 1>on the Lord shall renew their strength. And what I

0:27:29.600 --> 0:27:32.399
<v Speaker 1>love about this picture, what I love about this moment

0:27:33.040 --> 0:27:37.000
<v Speaker 1>is this royal official was walking. He was walking home

0:27:37.400 --> 0:27:41.399
<v Speaker 1>on a word that Jesus gave him. He's waiting on

0:27:41.920 --> 0:27:44.600
<v Speaker 1>the Lord. Help is on the way. What I love

0:27:44.600 --> 0:27:47.960
<v Speaker 1>about this picture. Those who wait on the Lord will

0:27:48.040 --> 0:27:52.520
<v Speaker 1>renew their strength. They shall run and not careery. They

0:27:52.600 --> 0:27:55.480
<v Speaker 1>shall walk all the way back home, all the way

0:27:55.520 --> 0:27:58.920
<v Speaker 1>back to Cana and they will not grow weak. Help

0:27:59.040 --> 0:28:05.119
<v Speaker 1>is on the way. I'm not waiting for help today.

0:28:06.119 --> 0:28:09.920
<v Speaker 1>I'm waiting on it. I'm not waiting for help. I'm

0:28:10.000 --> 0:28:15.199
<v Speaker 1>waiting on it today. You're telling me that I just

0:28:15.240 --> 0:28:17.880
<v Speaker 1>need to wait on the word that God has given me. Yeah,

0:28:17.920 --> 0:28:21.000
<v Speaker 1>because that word can become a weapon in your life.

0:28:21.040 --> 0:28:23.359
<v Speaker 1>If you'll use it, if you'll wait on it, if

0:28:23.400 --> 0:28:25.920
<v Speaker 1>you'll declare it over your life, if you'll walk in it,

0:28:26.359 --> 0:28:31.800
<v Speaker 1>I'll never forget. January seventeenth of twenty fourteen, my son

0:28:31.960 --> 0:28:34.240
<v Speaker 1>Jude was two years old at the time, and we

0:28:34.320 --> 0:28:39.080
<v Speaker 1>woke up and Jude had gone into hypobylemic shock. That

0:28:39.160 --> 0:28:41.160
<v Speaker 1>means all the things that were supposed to be functioning

0:28:41.200 --> 0:28:44.480
<v Speaker 1>in his body weren't functioning. And my son was dying

0:28:45.080 --> 0:28:48.440
<v Speaker 1>before my very eyes. I saw him turn gray, I

0:28:48.480 --> 0:28:53.000
<v Speaker 1>saw him get cold, and I'm like, God, Help, I

0:28:53.040 --> 0:28:56.320
<v Speaker 1>can't I can't control the outcome of this obstacle right now,

0:28:57.120 --> 0:28:58.760
<v Speaker 1>this is out of my control. God, What am I

0:28:58.760 --> 0:29:00.600
<v Speaker 1>gonna do? What am I gonna do? When we get

0:29:00.640 --> 0:29:03.160
<v Speaker 1>to the hospital and the doctors have no answers? What

0:29:03.200 --> 0:29:04.760
<v Speaker 1>are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? And

0:29:04.800 --> 0:29:07.440
<v Speaker 1>I remember I got away. I locked myself in the bathroom,

0:29:07.560 --> 0:29:09.240
<v Speaker 1>not because I had to use the bathroom, but because

0:29:09.280 --> 0:29:11.080
<v Speaker 1>I just needed to get alone with God and say, God,

0:29:11.640 --> 0:29:14.120
<v Speaker 1>what are we gonna do? And I remember Psalm twenty

0:29:14.160 --> 0:29:17.440
<v Speaker 1>seven came to my heart. If will hide God's word

0:29:17.480 --> 0:29:20.400
<v Speaker 1>in our heart, we won't sin against him. And I

0:29:20.480 --> 0:29:24.480
<v Speaker 1>just begin to quote that word Psalm twenty seven over

0:29:24.520 --> 0:29:27.640
<v Speaker 1>my life and over my son. I begin to serve

0:29:27.720 --> 0:29:30.280
<v Speaker 1>the word of God in my life in that moment,

0:29:30.440 --> 0:29:32.560
<v Speaker 1>Help is I'm the way. I'm not gonna sit here

0:29:32.680 --> 0:29:34.960
<v Speaker 1>and wait for a miracle. God, I'm gonna wait on it.

0:29:35.000 --> 0:29:37.560
<v Speaker 1>Because I believe that You've already given me the victory.

0:29:37.680 --> 0:29:40.640
<v Speaker 1>If I'll just declare it over this situation, if I

0:29:40.680 --> 0:29:43.000
<v Speaker 1>walk in it so Psalm twenty seven. The Lord is

0:29:43.000 --> 0:29:45.920
<v Speaker 1>my life, then my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The

0:29:45.960 --> 0:29:48.720
<v Speaker 1>Lord is the stronghold of my life? Of whom shall

0:29:48.760 --> 0:29:50.880
<v Speaker 1>I be afraid? I'm not waiting for it. I'm not

0:29:50.920 --> 0:29:53.400
<v Speaker 1>waiting for help today. I'm waiting on it. The Lord

0:29:53.440 --> 0:29:56.240
<v Speaker 1>is my life, then my salvation, whom shall I fear?

0:29:56.440 --> 0:29:58.880
<v Speaker 1>And that word that begin to come out of my

0:29:58.960 --> 0:30:02.880
<v Speaker 1>mouth begin to change the condition of my heart, and

0:30:02.960 --> 0:30:05.720
<v Speaker 1>my faith begin to grow, and I begin to become stronger.

0:30:05.840 --> 0:30:08.160
<v Speaker 1>Some of us were trying to fix the situation. We're

0:30:08.160 --> 0:30:10.360
<v Speaker 1>trying to predict the outcome of God, saying, you just

0:30:10.400 --> 0:30:12.960
<v Speaker 1>need to be strong in this moment. I've been called

0:30:13.000 --> 0:30:15.480
<v Speaker 1>you to be successful. I haven't called you to prosper.

0:30:15.640 --> 0:30:18.680
<v Speaker 1>I've only called you to be courageous and strong. Let

0:30:18.720 --> 0:30:20.640
<v Speaker 1>me take care of the rest. You're waiting to get

0:30:20.680 --> 0:30:23.280
<v Speaker 1>strong before you take the first step. No, just step

0:30:23.320 --> 0:30:26.560
<v Speaker 1>out in the instruction that I've already spoken, and let

0:30:26.600 --> 0:30:31.240
<v Speaker 1>me work in your life. When we speak that word

0:30:31.240 --> 0:30:35.320
<v Speaker 1>out of our mouth, the content of our conversation can

0:30:35.400 --> 0:30:39.440
<v Speaker 1>change the condition of our heart. This man walked on

0:30:39.520 --> 0:30:43.800
<v Speaker 1>a word all the way back home to Cana. I

0:30:43.840 --> 0:30:46.920
<v Speaker 1>believe Jesus told him to go so that his faith

0:30:48.000 --> 0:30:54.720
<v Speaker 1>would grow. I'm not waiting for help. I'm waiting on

0:30:54.880 --> 0:30:59.000
<v Speaker 1>it today, and I love what it says in verse

0:30:59.040 --> 0:31:02.080
<v Speaker 1>fifty two that when he inquired us to the time

0:31:03.200 --> 0:31:07.600
<v Speaker 1>his son got better, his servants said, and servants is

0:31:07.640 --> 0:31:10.200
<v Speaker 1>just another word for help. His help met him on

0:31:10.240 --> 0:31:16.280
<v Speaker 1>the way. His help told him yesterday. Everyone say yesterday. Yesterday,

0:31:16.960 --> 0:31:18.760
<v Speaker 1>at one in the afternoon, the fever left. And wait

0:31:18.800 --> 0:31:22.000
<v Speaker 1>a minute. So the word that God spoke over my

0:31:22.040 --> 0:31:27.920
<v Speaker 1>life yesterday has the same power today. It's just up

0:31:27.920 --> 0:31:30.040
<v Speaker 1>to me to walk in that word. It's just up

0:31:30.080 --> 0:31:33.960
<v Speaker 1>to me to declare that promise over my life. I

0:31:34.120 --> 0:31:37.320
<v Speaker 1>just gotta be willing. I've noticed something about the promises

0:31:37.360 --> 0:31:41.880
<v Speaker 1>of God that they're always first proceeded with an instruction.

0:31:43.440 --> 0:31:50.880
<v Speaker 1>Go instruction, your son will live. Promise. Seek instruction and

0:31:50.960 --> 0:31:57.040
<v Speaker 1>you will find promise. Knock instruction and the door will

0:31:57.400 --> 0:32:01.520
<v Speaker 1>be open. Promise. There's this word that keeps popping up

0:32:01.560 --> 0:32:06.960
<v Speaker 1>in all these promises. Will your son will live? God,

0:32:06.960 --> 0:32:09.080
<v Speaker 1>what are you telling us today. He's saying, I'm a

0:32:09.120 --> 0:32:12.440
<v Speaker 1>God who is faithful. I will always respond, I will

0:32:12.440 --> 0:32:15.080
<v Speaker 1>always answer you. I will always give you the word

0:32:15.240 --> 0:32:17.800
<v Speaker 1>that you need in this season. But you've got to

0:32:17.840 --> 0:32:20.720
<v Speaker 1>have the willingness to obey that word. You've got to

0:32:20.760 --> 0:32:23.880
<v Speaker 1>have the willingness to wait on that word, to respond

0:32:23.960 --> 0:32:26.680
<v Speaker 1>to that word. Help us on the way to wait

0:32:26.760 --> 0:32:29.360
<v Speaker 1>on the Lord. They no d They're not so weary.

0:32:29.560 --> 0:32:38.240
<v Speaker 1>They will walk and not faith sin up on our feet.

0:32:38.680 --> 0:32:42.600
<v Speaker 1>At all our locations here in this place today, some

0:32:42.680 --> 0:32:45.440
<v Speaker 1>of us are waiting for a new word from God.

0:32:45.480 --> 0:32:47.360
<v Speaker 1>He's waiting for us to wait on the word he's

0:32:47.360 --> 0:32:50.600
<v Speaker 1>already given us. They said, I've been coming to church

0:32:50.640 --> 0:32:54.440
<v Speaker 1>for six months now, chat a year, two years. I

0:32:54.560 --> 0:32:59.040
<v Speaker 1>keep coming, keep arriving. But it's time to step from

0:32:59.280 --> 0:33:05.720
<v Speaker 1>arrival to application. Not just arriving, but applying this word

0:33:05.760 --> 0:33:07.920
<v Speaker 1>to your life. Walking out of this place today, some

0:33:08.000 --> 0:33:10.200
<v Speaker 1>of you are going to reach out for help today.

0:33:11.360 --> 0:33:14.280
<v Speaker 1>Help requires humility. You're gonna surrender and say, God, I

0:33:14.320 --> 0:33:17.480
<v Speaker 1>can't do this by myself anymore. I'm experiencing this struggle.

0:33:17.960 --> 0:33:20.600
<v Speaker 1>But as I surrender to you, you'll give me the strength.

0:33:20.960 --> 0:33:26.240
<v Speaker 1>It's the struggle surrender strength. Some of you today, you're

0:33:26.240 --> 0:33:29.840
<v Speaker 1>gonna go back to that word God spoke yesterday because

0:33:29.840 --> 0:33:33.400
<v Speaker 1>it still has the same power today, and you're gonna

0:33:33.400 --> 0:33:37.240
<v Speaker 1>begin to walk in that word. And in that promise,

0:33:37.880 --> 0:33:46.640
<v Speaker 1>verse fifty three. One last thing, Verse fifty three, it

0:33:46.720 --> 0:33:54.160
<v Speaker 1>says the father. The father realized this was the exact

0:33:54.200 --> 0:33:56.960
<v Speaker 1>time at which Jesus had said to him, your son

0:33:56.960 --> 0:33:59.560
<v Speaker 1>will live, so he and his whole household believed. Do

0:33:59.600 --> 0:34:03.640
<v Speaker 1>you notice is being said in this verse the father.

0:34:04.920 --> 0:34:06.760
<v Speaker 1>I don't know if you caught it, but all throughout

0:34:06.800 --> 0:34:11.799
<v Speaker 1>this passage he's been called the royal official, he's been

0:34:11.800 --> 0:34:15.640
<v Speaker 1>known by a position, but he realized in this moment,

0:34:15.760 --> 0:34:19.600
<v Speaker 1>I can't work to help my position any longer. I've

0:34:19.640 --> 0:34:22.520
<v Speaker 1>got to walk on this word. And now he's known

0:34:22.560 --> 0:34:25.560
<v Speaker 1>as the Father because he believed, because he reached out

0:34:25.600 --> 0:34:28.040
<v Speaker 1>for help, because he humbled himself. And some of us

0:34:28.080 --> 0:34:30.680
<v Speaker 1>were trying to help our position. We're trying to protect

0:34:30.840 --> 0:34:33.440
<v Speaker 1>our position, our title. Today God saying I want to

0:34:33.440 --> 0:34:36.480
<v Speaker 1>take you from a place of position to purpose. If

0:34:36.520 --> 0:34:39.080
<v Speaker 1>you'll just believe, if you'll just walk on this word,

0:34:39.280 --> 0:34:41.440
<v Speaker 1>if you'll apply it, I want to give you purpose.

0:34:47.560 --> 0:34:50.879
<v Speaker 1>Maybe you're in this place today, you're watching online, you're

0:34:50.880 --> 0:34:55.319
<v Speaker 1>at one of our locations, and you're going Chad. You know,

0:34:55.360 --> 0:34:59.799
<v Speaker 1>for me, I feel so far off because for me,

0:35:00.719 --> 0:35:05.960
<v Speaker 1>the roof fell down, the boy died in my story, Chad,

0:35:07.320 --> 0:35:10.080
<v Speaker 1>I feel so far off from the plans and the

0:35:10.080 --> 0:35:13.000
<v Speaker 1>purposes and the promises of God. Chatd what about me?

0:35:13.800 --> 0:35:18.040
<v Speaker 1>I feel so far off? Well, there's another story about

0:35:18.040 --> 0:35:22.360
<v Speaker 1>a father and a son in Luke fifteen, verse twenty.

0:35:23.040 --> 0:35:25.839
<v Speaker 1>It's a son who took his inheritance that his father

0:35:25.920 --> 0:35:29.640
<v Speaker 1>had given him and he lost everything. He finds himself

0:35:29.640 --> 0:35:32.560
<v Speaker 1>in a place of shame, place of humiliation, a place

0:35:32.560 --> 0:35:36.640
<v Speaker 1>of sorrow, and he begins to talk to himself. He says,

0:35:37.040 --> 0:35:40.480
<v Speaker 1>maybe if I go to my father, Maybe if I

0:35:40.520 --> 0:35:44.520
<v Speaker 1>go to my father, he can help chat what about

0:35:44.520 --> 0:35:47.160
<v Speaker 1>me today? Because everything's falling apart in my life. I

0:35:47.200 --> 0:35:50.479
<v Speaker 1>want to give you the same instruction that Jesus gave

0:35:50.840 --> 0:35:58.960
<v Speaker 1>the father, the royal official, go home, go home today,

0:36:00.080 --> 0:36:03.560
<v Speaker 1>and go home. Well, all throughout this story in Luke fifteen,

0:36:05.160 --> 0:36:06.960
<v Speaker 1>the son never says I'm gonna go home. He says,

0:36:06.960 --> 0:36:09.960
<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna go to my father, because home is more

0:36:09.960 --> 0:36:12.040
<v Speaker 1>of a person than it is a place. Will you

0:36:12.160 --> 0:36:15.120
<v Speaker 1>run into the arms of your heavenly Father today because

0:36:15.120 --> 0:36:18.799
<v Speaker 1>he's calling you home. He's calling you back to him,

0:36:18.800 --> 0:36:22.000
<v Speaker 1>and help is on the way. The verse says, while

0:36:22.000 --> 0:36:24.080
<v Speaker 1>the son was a long way off, you feel far

0:36:24.160 --> 0:36:26.480
<v Speaker 1>off today. While he was a long way off, his

0:36:26.560 --> 0:36:30.560
<v Speaker 1>father saw him. His father ran to him and embraced him,

0:36:30.680 --> 0:36:33.399
<v Speaker 1>gave him a hug, gave a kiss, and said, welcome home.

0:36:33.719 --> 0:36:37.440
<v Speaker 1>Go home today, Run to your father. Every head thought,

0:36:37.480 --> 0:36:40.719
<v Speaker 1>every eye closed in this place. I want to give

0:36:40.719 --> 0:36:44.600
<v Speaker 1>someone the opportunity to go home. To place your faith

0:36:44.600 --> 0:36:48.239
<v Speaker 1>in Jesus in this moment you're watching online at one

0:36:48.239 --> 0:36:51.400
<v Speaker 1>of our locations here at Valentine. If you want to

0:36:51.400 --> 0:36:54.920
<v Speaker 1>say yes to God, say yes to his plan, his purpose,

0:36:54.920 --> 0:36:56.800
<v Speaker 1>if you want to reach out for his help, his grace,

0:36:56.840 --> 0:36:59.560
<v Speaker 1>his mercy. I want you to pray this prayer out loud.

0:36:59.600 --> 0:37:01.359
<v Speaker 1>We're gon we all gonna pray it with you as

0:37:01.400 --> 0:37:03.640
<v Speaker 1>a church family. If you're praying it for the first time,

0:37:04.080 --> 0:37:06.400
<v Speaker 1>or maybe you're coming back to God today, pray this

0:37:06.719 --> 0:37:09.160
<v Speaker 1>and believe it with all of your heart. You're going

0:37:09.200 --> 0:37:14.080
<v Speaker 1>home today. Say Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your

0:37:14.160 --> 0:37:20.080
<v Speaker 1>son for me. I believe that Jesus is Lord. I

0:37:20.160 --> 0:37:24.040
<v Speaker 1>believe he's the savior of the world. I believe he

0:37:24.120 --> 0:37:29.000
<v Speaker 1>died and was raised to life, giving me life, giving

0:37:29.040 --> 0:37:32.759
<v Speaker 1>me hope, and giving me a future. Today, I give

0:37:32.760 --> 0:37:37.400
<v Speaker 1>you my life, Jesus, from this day forward, I'll follow

0:37:37.480 --> 0:37:40.000
<v Speaker 1>you had still boid, I still close. If you just

0:37:40.040 --> 0:37:42.320
<v Speaker 1>prayed that prayer this moment, making Jesus the lord of

0:37:42.360 --> 0:37:44.040
<v Speaker 1>your life for the first time, on the counter of

0:37:44.040 --> 0:37:46.279
<v Speaker 1>three at all of our locations, shoot your hand up

0:37:46.280 --> 0:37:49.640
<v Speaker 1>in the air. One, two, three, if that prayers for you,

0:37:49.719 --> 0:37:53.799
<v Speaker 1>shoot your hand up. Awesome hands going up, People making decisions,

0:37:54.000 --> 0:37:57.880
<v Speaker 1>people placing their faith in Jesus. Come up, church, Let's rejoice,

0:37:58.640 --> 0:38:01.799
<v Speaker 1>Let's wait on this worship. Let's thank you for his help.

0:38:02.040 --> 0:38:05.600
<v Speaker 1>Let's think a mos goodness is worst grace he deserving.

0:38:06.040 --> 0:38:10.000
<v Speaker 1>Come on, let's chant, let's worship it. Well. I hope

0:38:10.000 --> 0:38:12.440
<v Speaker 1>you enjoyed the podcast today. If you did, there are

0:38:12.480 --> 0:38:14.560
<v Speaker 1>just a couple of things I'd love for you to do.

0:38:14.840 --> 0:38:18.319
<v Speaker 1>Number One, subscribe to our show. That way, the most

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<v Speaker 1>recent episode will always be in your feed, waiting for

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<v Speaker 1>you ready when you are. And Secondly, if this ministry

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<v Speaker 1>has impacted you and you'd like to help us continue

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<v Speaker 1>to reach others. You can click the link in the

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<v Speaker 1>description and you can give now and I'll see you

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<v Speaker 1>next time on the Elevation Podcast.