1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: All right, we're going to get into the message very soon, 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: but first an important message for you. This is our 3 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:11,440 Speaker 1: twenty twenty one year end offering. I love this time 4 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: of year, an amazing time of year, because every year 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: we end with appreciation for what God has done, expectation 6 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 1: for what He's going to do. This has been a tradition. 7 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 1: Like right now, they're going to put up a few 8 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:25,959 Speaker 1: graphics of all the offerings we've had through the years. 9 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: I can't even remember them, all Game Change or Waymaker, 10 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:33,159 Speaker 1: beyond Life. But this year, you don't even know the 11 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: word that God gave me. I don't. This is not stage. 12 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:38,559 Speaker 1: I should reveal it to me. Yeah, this is not scripted, 13 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 1: and we're doing our own camera work, So I apologize 14 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: that the angle is off. But this year the Lord 15 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: led me to the word better. Everybody say better better, 16 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 1: like put it in the chat. And we don't mean 17 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 1: better than another person, or we don't necessarily mean that. 18 00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: You know, we're never content, And what we mean by 19 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: that is is Hag II two nine says that the 20 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,119 Speaker 1: glory of this present house, what God is doing, will 21 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:09,959 Speaker 1: be greater than the glory of the former house. We 22 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: believe God is always doing something greater. We just have 23 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: to see it. So I want to thank you in 24 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,040 Speaker 1: advance for your gifts. Those of you who already support 25 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 1: this ministry, you're the reason. You're the reason we get 26 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: to preach the gospel. You're the reason that thousands of 27 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: testimonies that we hear in this ministry are made possible. 28 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: And for those of you who are beginning to give, 29 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,759 Speaker 1: either through a one time year end donation to help 30 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: us with our expansion, or the best way really through 31 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: recurring giving, through putting God first with the tide, or 32 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: maybe an above and beyond offering to say thank you 33 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:43,119 Speaker 1: to Him and believe Him for better things in faith, 34 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 1: we want to say thank you, and we're standing with 35 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: you right now as we begin this season of giving 36 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: called Better Now through the end of the year. Yeah, 37 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: thank you so much. Every time you give, it helps 38 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: us to spread the Gospel to the world and beyond, 39 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: and we are so thankful for your partnership with us 40 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: in the gospel. It's going to be an amazing holiday 41 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: season and I can't wait to hear more about better. 42 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: It's going to be better, better than you ask her. 43 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: Imagine if in three twenty we're believing God for you. Now, 44 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: let's go go to Matthew chapter two. I didn't get 45 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:18,800 Speaker 1: to this part last week, but we're gonna pick up 46 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,360 Speaker 1: a verse. Well, let's review a little bit of what 47 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: I did get to. We don't stand the whole time, 48 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: just stay standing, know while we read the scripture. It'll 49 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:30,360 Speaker 1: help you stay awake and it will honor God. So 50 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: you kill two birds with one stone the scripture in 51 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 1: Matthew chapter two. You remember the astrologers we call the 52 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: wise men, but they were considered pagans by the religious 53 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:51,519 Speaker 1: people came to worship this new king. And so they 54 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: come and they bring him gifts gold. Frankensens, you know, 55 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: you know this part Christmas story, but you know it's possible. 56 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 1: You can you can have a sentimental feeling about Christmas 57 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: and completely missed the significance. I've been falling in love 58 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: with the Christmas story all over again this season, because 59 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: really it's about faith. It's about faith, and so it's 60 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: so much more than just Jesus came so you don't 61 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: have to go to Hell. It's so much more than that. 62 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: It's so much more than scented candles. It's so much 63 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: more than that. If they sold scented candles that smelled like, 64 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: really what the first Christmas smelled like? With placenta scent 65 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: and barnyard scent and all that. I'm just trying to 66 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:43,600 Speaker 1: tell you the significance of Christmas is often missed by 67 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: our need you just caught it, Zeke, that was like 68 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: fifteen seconds late. Man, wake up. But listen, it's complete chaos. 69 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: Mary and Joseph, the astrologers who aren't even religious people, 70 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:00,280 Speaker 1: they're the ones that are bringing the gifts. You know. 71 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 1: It is a crazy story. But let's pick up right here. 72 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: It says when they verse thirteen Matthew chapter to verse thirteen, 73 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: when they had gone the Magi, an angel of the 74 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said this, 75 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: get up, take the child and his mother, and escape 76 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod 77 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: is going to search for the child to kill him. 78 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:30,679 Speaker 1: So he got up, took the child and his mother 79 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 1: during the night, and left for Egypt, where he stayed 80 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: until the death of Herod, and so was fulfilled what 81 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,719 Speaker 1: the Lord had said through the prophet. Out of Egypt, 82 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: I called my son. Let's go. Now to verse nineteen, 83 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: this is the part I didn't get to. Last week. 84 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in 85 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:56,160 Speaker 1: a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, get up, 86 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:59,040 Speaker 1: take the child and his mother, and go to the 87 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: land of Israel, for those who were trying to take 88 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:10,520 Speaker 1: the child's life are dead. So he got up, took 89 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: the child and his mother and went to the land 90 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: of Israel. But when he heard that Archelais was reigning 91 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:21,359 Speaker 1: in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was 92 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,679 Speaker 1: afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, 93 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,480 Speaker 1: he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went 94 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled 95 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: what was said through the prophets that he would be 96 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:46,120 Speaker 1: called a Nazarene. Here's the prophetic declaration. Today. The Lord 97 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 1: said to tell you, I don't know who you are, 98 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:53,480 Speaker 1: but God said you needed to hear this. Something good 99 00:05:54,520 --> 00:06:03,360 Speaker 1: is coming from this, all right, you all ready something 100 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 1: good is coming from this. I'm not saying it to 101 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: be cute. I'm not saying it to be positive. I'm 102 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 1: not saying it to be optimistic. I'm not saying it 103 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 1: to hype the crowd. But if you believe this. I 104 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: need you to shout at say something good is coming 105 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: from this, Something good is coming from this. Who thank you? 106 00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:47,159 Speaker 1: Y'all be seated. Let's talk about what that means. Something 107 00:06:47,240 --> 00:06:55,599 Speaker 1: good is coming from this. If anything, the Christmas story 108 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 1: completely flips the script on what we think is and 109 00:06:59,839 --> 00:07:05,200 Speaker 1: is significant. If you read the Christmas story and only 110 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: see objects, you have missed the intention of Christmas. If 111 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 1: you see the Christmas story and only think of angels, wings, 112 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: you have missed the message of Christmas. If you read 113 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: the Christmas story and only think about what it was 114 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:26,280 Speaker 1: like to be Joseph, you've missed the message of Christmas. 115 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: Because the message is meant to go much deeper than history. 116 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 1: It is meant to give you significance for the areas 117 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 1: in your life that may not seem significant. I don't 118 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: really know what significant is when you're in it. It's 119 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: true I read this passage at least I've been a 120 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: pastor sixteen years, at least sixteen times every Christmas and 121 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: paid attention to everything in the passage except where stuff happened. 122 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: It was only in preaching last week that I noticed 123 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 1: this parallelism in the passage. I'm going to show to 124 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 1: you real quick. Just let me teach for a minute. 125 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 1: And now I'm gonna declare over your life what God said. 126 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 1: Something good is coming from this, But first let me 127 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: teach you. It said in verse one of Matthew, Chapter two, 128 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,840 Speaker 1: verse one, and I bet you knew this already, Jesus 129 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: was born in Bethlehem. But then it said, if you 130 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 1: go all the way to verse fifteen out of Egypt, 131 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: I called my son. And then if you go even 132 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: further than that, yeah, go all the way further that 133 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:51,600 Speaker 1: all the way to verse twenty three, that one says 134 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 1: he was called a Nazarene. Now I highlighted all of 135 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 1: those for you because I know you've got a lot 136 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: on your mind, and I know you've still got a 137 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:05,480 Speaker 1: big list of things that you have to do over 138 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: the next couple of weeks. But I don't want you 139 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: to miss this that you can read the Bible, I mean, 140 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: just all your life here about the Christmas story and 141 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: missed the significance of Now you probably know what happened 142 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: Jesus was born. You even know what happened after that 143 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: he died, even know what happened after that. He didn't 144 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:27,600 Speaker 1: stay dead very long. You can know all of that, 145 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 1: and completely missed the significance of born in Bethlehem, out 146 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:38,480 Speaker 1: of Egypt and called inn Azarine. And maybe the reason 147 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 1: I skipped all of this so long in reading the 148 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 1: story is I, this confession, have no sense of direction whatsoever. 149 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: I turn on my GPS to get to my mom's 150 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:52,360 Speaker 1: house for dinner on Wednesday night, and she lives in Charlotte, 151 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:54,679 Speaker 1: and just in case, just in case, I could do 152 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 1: it without it, but it just comforts me to have 153 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:58,079 Speaker 1: the GBS. And I remember a time before christ when 154 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 1: there was no GPS. I remember, I remember the first 155 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: time that Holly and I got in a big fight 156 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:05,959 Speaker 1: in our marriage was her navigating to me over the phone. 157 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:10,560 Speaker 1: It was in that dark period right between when you 158 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:13,240 Speaker 1: had a phone in your car but you didn't have 159 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:15,839 Speaker 1: GPS in your car, and that was a very dark. 160 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,199 Speaker 1: It was like the Advent season for us as we 161 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:23,600 Speaker 1: were waiting for the deliver And then she bought me 162 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: a tom Tom for Christmas. Not a tom Tom. We 163 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:30,440 Speaker 1: don't have time for all this historical background. The tom 164 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 1: Tom was a GPS system, but the maps had to 165 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 1: be manually loaded, so there were occasions where the map 166 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 1: would not update, and you were driving according to an 167 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: old map. I don't even have time to preach about that, 168 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: because that is some of y'all right now, going off 169 00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 1: of an old map of who you used to be 170 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:54,440 Speaker 1: before christ and still acting like you anyway. Let's see, 171 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 1: let's see last Christmas. This is what I was going 172 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:00,920 Speaker 1: to say. Last Christmas. We have a holleyen. I have 173 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: a little tradition. We do Christmas with the kids and 174 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:13,200 Speaker 1: then we go have Christmas for ourselves, and we usually 175 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: like to go to Charleston. It's close enough where I'm from. 176 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:21,199 Speaker 1: I feel the low country vibes and get some fried 177 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 1: shrimp Hymen's. I don't order fried Trump. I just eat 178 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 1: half of hers and order a grill Trump makes me 179 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 1: feel like I've ordered healthy. And we spend a few 180 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: days in Charston last year, and we're driving home and 181 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:34,719 Speaker 1: I set the GPS. I know I should go on 182 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 1: my way back to Charlotte from Charleston by now, just 183 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:41,199 Speaker 1: to be sure. I set my GPS, but it has 184 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 1: a thing on it that if you if you don't. 185 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:46,680 Speaker 1: I don't even know how this happened. It was an accident, 186 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:54,440 Speaker 1: but we told it to avoid all major highways and 187 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 1: you know, I'm so enjoying talking to my bride about 188 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:01,079 Speaker 1: deep spiritual things and you know, contemplating the mysteries of 189 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:05,439 Speaker 1: God or whatever, that I don't even notice we are 190 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 1: doing this whole trip on back roads, and you know, 191 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:13,600 Speaker 1: it's about twenty thirty minutes in, and I'm like, when 192 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 1: are we getting on? I twenty six? And we figured 193 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:18,320 Speaker 1: out we had said it to no back roads, and 194 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 1: instead of following the fact that I grew up near 195 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:22,800 Speaker 1: Charleston and I live in Charlotte for over fifteen years 196 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:25,840 Speaker 1: and I should know my way, I'm following blindly following 197 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 1: this this God called GPS, and I'm on these back roads. Now. 198 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 1: I'm glad it happened because while we were driving on 199 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 1: those back roads and I just remembered this. I don't 200 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: know if you remember. This is when I turned to 201 00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 1: Holly and said, you know what I'd like to write 202 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,240 Speaker 1: a song about, because we're driving through the country, all 203 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:50,960 Speaker 1: these little towns and little churches, and it was a 204 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 1: thought that it had come to me, but I didn't 205 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 1: think to say it until this moment. We're driving through 206 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:57,160 Speaker 1: these back roads, and I looked at her and said, 207 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: I've been thinking I kind of want to write a 208 00:13:00,559 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 1: song called Old Church Basement. What do you think about that? 209 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 1: She said, I think that would be awesome. She said, 210 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:14,080 Speaker 1: you mean like describing Yeah. I said, yeah, like going 211 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 1: back to the roots of worship. Like I don't know 212 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:19,480 Speaker 1: how the song would go yet. I'm gonna have to 213 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: get Chris to help me and Brandon to help me, 214 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:23,320 Speaker 1: and I'm gonna have to figure out how to write it. 215 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:27,000 Speaker 1: But it's gonna say something like the lights and stages. 216 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:31,520 Speaker 1: I know they're all great, but I remember when we 217 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:35,760 Speaker 1: used to praise God in the old church basement. That's 218 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:37,120 Speaker 1: why I told her I was gonna I said, I 219 00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:41,160 Speaker 1: have an idea, and she said, I love it. She 220 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:46,480 Speaker 1: said I can smell it because before we pastored a 221 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 1: global Etham, we traveled around on a little ministry team 222 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:54,400 Speaker 1: all over little towns like we were driving through in 223 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,680 Speaker 1: South Carolina, and so while we were driving, we talked 224 00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:00,959 Speaker 1: about all the things in the old church base, folding 225 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:10,319 Speaker 1: metal chairs, watered down punch stale zebra cookies, and things 226 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: like this. A few weeks later, the idea would become 227 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 1: a song. The song would become the title of an 228 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:23,040 Speaker 1: album that we recorded with our friends from Maverick City 229 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:27,200 Speaker 1: Music in this room where I'm preaching today, which at 230 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: the time was empty because we were still in the 231 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: stages of the pandemic when we couldn't have people in 232 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:37,200 Speaker 1: the church regularly, and back in that corner of the 233 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 1: room we recorded an entire album that just a few 234 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 1: weeks ago was nominated for a Grammy. But when I 235 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: was on the back roads talking to Holly about a 236 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,360 Speaker 1: song I hadn't written, not even knowing who would help 237 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: me write it or what we would use it for, 238 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 1: I was not thinking about a Grammy. I was not 239 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 1: thinking about an album. I wasn't really thinking about a 240 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: song at first. I was just thinking, how could you 241 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: be so stupid to follow a GPS down these back roads. 242 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:22,040 Speaker 1: But it serves as a lesson, and I'm kind of 243 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: glad that it malfunctioned or whatever she did to it 244 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:26,240 Speaker 1: while I wasn't looking to make it go down the 245 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: back roads. I'm kind of glad because it taught me 246 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:38,360 Speaker 1: there are blessings on the back roads. There are blessings 247 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: on the back roads. There are blessings in Bethlehem that 248 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: you don't get in Jerusalem. There are blessings and obscurity 249 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:54,480 Speaker 1: that you don't get in popularity. There are blessings in 250 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: the old church basement. There are blessings and empty rooms. 251 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 1: There are blessings in seasons of uncertainty. There are blessings 252 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: in times of your life that you're characterized by darkness, 253 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:12,680 Speaker 1: and you don't always get in the bright lights. Back 254 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:18,760 Speaker 1: roads blessings. They come all the way to Jerusalem following 255 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 1: a star. They have traveled for months, these wise men, 256 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,960 Speaker 1: and they get there just to be told, you're five 257 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: miles from Bethlehem. You gotta take the back roads. You've 258 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:38,840 Speaker 1: been on the back roads this year, hadn't you the 259 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,760 Speaker 1: back roads where you don't know any of the good restaurants, 260 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 1: The back roads where all of your cliches don't work, 261 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: and all of your conventional wisdom has been proven to 262 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 1: be subject to the sovereignty of God. The back roads. 263 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 1: My mom loves this message because she only drives the 264 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:00,520 Speaker 1: back roads. This is her favorite sermon that I've ever 265 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:09,520 Speaker 1: preached before in my life. Merry Christmas. Bethlehem was not 266 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:14,160 Speaker 1: only on the back roads, but it wasn't big enough 267 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:18,600 Speaker 1: to contain the savior of the world. But listen, listen 268 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:23,919 Speaker 1: to me. Bigger isn't always better. When I got up 269 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:28,800 Speaker 1: and announced we're offering this year, called better, a lot 270 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: of us immediately thought bigger, more followers, more infant. No, no, no, 271 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:41,000 Speaker 1: I didn't say bigger. I purposely didn't say bigger, because 272 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:43,359 Speaker 1: God didn't tell me to call the offering bigger. That's 273 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: what got the Israelites in trouble. When they were building 274 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,399 Speaker 1: the temple again in ha God, they thought, because it 275 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:52,200 Speaker 1: wasn't bigger, it couldn't be better. And so then when 276 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 1: you go through a downsize in any area of your life, 277 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: you give credit to the devil for that because you 278 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 1: think that Jesus should be in Jerusalem, where the temple is, 279 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 1: where the chief priest are, where the center of religious 280 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:11,240 Speaker 1: life is happening. I mean, that would be the obvious 281 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 1: place to go. But they said to the magi, you 282 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: gotta go five more miles. Some preacher watching this preach 283 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:21,240 Speaker 1: a whole sermon called five more miles. I want you 284 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: to do it, because sometimes we get so close to 285 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: the place, but because we won't go from the place 286 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,200 Speaker 1: that we thought was the place. This is what I'm learning. 287 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 1: This is what I'm learning. Okay, you have to have 288 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:40,159 Speaker 1: flexible expectations in order to have strong faith. If you 289 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: don't have flexible expectations, your faith will break the first 290 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,400 Speaker 1: time that you carry a load that you weren't expecting 291 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:52,240 Speaker 1: to carry. I mean, think about how flexible Mary had 292 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: to be to give birth in Bethlehem. She didn't go 293 00:18:57,080 --> 00:18:59,520 Speaker 1: to Bethlehem because there was a good birthing center in 294 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:04,120 Speaker 1: Belin with essential oils in Bethlehem and Adulah in Bethlehem. 295 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:06,480 Speaker 1: She wasn't going to Bethlehem because she had heard about 296 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 1: the spas in Bethlehem. She was going to Bethlehem because 297 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:12,639 Speaker 1: they had to go because Caesar Augustus, who ruled the 298 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:15,520 Speaker 1: Roman Empire, had called for a census so they could 299 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: have higher taxes and more military support. That's why they 300 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:26,760 Speaker 1: went to Bethlehem. And yet even the decree of Caesar 301 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: was subject to the sovereignty of God, because it really 302 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 1: was in Caesar's decreed that they be registered in the 303 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 1: census that brought him to Bethlehem. It was the sovereignty 304 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: of God because that's where the Savior had to be born. 305 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:47,680 Speaker 1: When you understand this, you can trust a little bit 306 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:53,960 Speaker 1: better that God is working all things together in your 307 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:58,480 Speaker 1: life for the good of those who love him. And 308 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:03,879 Speaker 1: are called according to His purpose, so subtraction is not 309 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:08,920 Speaker 1: always bad. We chose our word for this year, called fruitful, 310 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,000 Speaker 1: And the next day the Lord spoke to me about pruning. 311 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:19,400 Speaker 1: I said, oh Lord, I didn't say pruning. I said fruitful, oranges, 312 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:26,120 Speaker 1: apples come quots kiwi's fruitful, banana's great. But he said, 313 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:32,119 Speaker 1: the root to fruit is pruning. R O U t 314 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:34,520 Speaker 1: e root the root like the route the root the 315 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:37,880 Speaker 1: root rerouting, rerouting, rerouting, rerouting. That's all God is doing 316 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:43,080 Speaker 1: when he's pruning your life. He is rerouting. Not the 317 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:46,000 Speaker 1: place you expected anyway. I don't want to preach about Bethlehem. 318 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:50,399 Speaker 1: I don't talk a little bit about Egypt because for 319 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:54,640 Speaker 1: Jesus to have to go to Egypt to escape Herod 320 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:58,399 Speaker 1: would have to a Hebrew audience. At least maybe not 321 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 1: to ospital to a Hebrew audience. Have been the last 322 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,840 Speaker 1: place that we expected God to keep his son safe, 323 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:10,639 Speaker 1: because it was the place that they spent four hundred 324 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:16,919 Speaker 1: years as slaves. Now Jesus is going back to the 325 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:20,919 Speaker 1: place that God brought them out of to fulfill the 326 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:23,959 Speaker 1: prophecy in Hoseiah eleven, verse one, Do you like all 327 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,680 Speaker 1: this stuff from the Bible. Out of Egypt, I called 328 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:31,840 Speaker 1: my son. Out of Egypt. Give me verse fifteen one 329 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:37,400 Speaker 1: more time. Out of Egypt, I called my son. Jesus 330 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:42,320 Speaker 1: had to go through Egypt because the prophet Hosea said, 331 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 1: out of Egypt, I have called my son. So on 332 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:49,520 Speaker 1: one hand, it looks like Jesus is going to Egypt 333 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:53,879 Speaker 1: to escape hero it. But on the other hand, it 334 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:57,840 Speaker 1: looks like Jesus is going through Egypt to fulfill prophecy. 335 00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:04,360 Speaker 1: And it's really both. It's really both. It's not one 336 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:06,639 Speaker 1: or the other. You know how we try to figure 337 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:08,880 Speaker 1: out in our lives. Is this random? Is this God? 338 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,520 Speaker 1: Is this the devil? Is this me? What if it's 339 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:14,639 Speaker 1: all of the above, And what if God is bigger 340 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:19,679 Speaker 1: than all of it? And see, not only did I 341 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,560 Speaker 1: want to preach the Christmas Sermon early this year in 342 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:25,040 Speaker 1: case we have another strain of something that comes through 343 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:27,600 Speaker 1: and I can't preach anything. I'm just getting ahead on everything, 344 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:30,080 Speaker 1: all right. I'm just making sure if something bad happens, 345 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:32,159 Speaker 1: you got the word that you need to get through it, 346 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: because I love you that much and I don't want 347 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:37,399 Speaker 1: you to have to fight mountain nourished. So now I 348 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: want to give you your New Year's message. Just in 349 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 1: case anything bad happens. I'm planning to preach more in 350 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:45,000 Speaker 1: twenty twenty two. I'm planning to be here, but just 351 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:47,560 Speaker 1: in case something bad happens to either one of us, 352 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:49,760 Speaker 1: I want to give you. I want to give you 353 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 1: this message. Don't leave Egypt without first exiting through the 354 00:22:56,320 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 1: gift shop. You know, when you go visit somewhere, they 355 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:05,920 Speaker 1: put the gift shop where you have to walk through 356 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:09,159 Speaker 1: it before you leave, so that if the admission price 357 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: wasn't enough, that they can shake you down for a 358 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:17,000 Speaker 1: little bit more on the way out. You'll notice where 359 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:19,680 Speaker 1: I'm preaching right now, so they can shake you down 360 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 1: for a little bit more, because God knows you need 361 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:28,440 Speaker 1: another coffee mug. Okay, love your baby. That's my back 362 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:31,760 Speaker 1: robe girl right there. Don't worry about it. In twenty years, 363 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 1: when the Bible says out of Egypt I have called 364 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 1: my son is speaking to you too. It's letting you 365 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,240 Speaker 1: know that from the place I didn't pay attention to 366 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:49,360 Speaker 1: any of this. All I thought about when I felt 367 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:53,680 Speaker 1: Christmas was Bethlehem, Oh little town of Bethlehem, Oh evil 368 00:23:53,960 --> 00:24:00,000 Speaker 1: land of Egypt, the place that God delivered his people 369 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:03,120 Speaker 1: from with plagues. He sent his son to to protect him. 370 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 1: Why why did Jesus go to Egypt because Herod was 371 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:10,640 Speaker 1: trying to kill him. That's not what I'm asking, that's 372 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:13,879 Speaker 1: the human perspective. See, we get stuck on the level 373 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:16,000 Speaker 1: of our minds. We're trying to figure out, well, why 374 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:17,720 Speaker 1: did they leave me, Why did they say that, Why 375 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:19,639 Speaker 1: did they do that? Why am I sick? Why is 376 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:21,960 Speaker 1: this happening? Why didn't it work? Why did it fail? 377 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 1: You are stuck trying to answer level questions at the 378 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:28,720 Speaker 1: level of Harod that can only be answered at the 379 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:38,440 Speaker 1: level of Heaven. So before this year ends, Oh man, 380 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: I'm excited for a new year. I just can't wait 381 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:43,119 Speaker 1: for the old year to be. It's been such a 382 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:46,400 Speaker 1: hard year. As if I don't know what's wrong with us, 383 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:50,080 Speaker 1: as if we think somehow it's like the new iPhone 384 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:52,359 Speaker 1: is gonna make life better, the new year is gonna 385 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:54,960 Speaker 1: make life better. You are gonna have the same stupid 386 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:57,080 Speaker 1: people in your iPhone thirteen that you had in your 387 00:24:57,080 --> 00:25:07,159 Speaker 1: iPhone ten. Nothing about the number changing changes you. Twenty 388 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: twenty two. I'm just ready for a new York. I 389 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:12,879 Speaker 1: tell you, mil who I'm ready for it, like the 390 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:19,439 Speaker 1: Lord is waiting on a calendar. So that's why I'm 391 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:24,159 Speaker 1: getting near you think early, to let you know you 392 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,840 Speaker 1: don't have to be in a certain place for God 393 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:31,600 Speaker 1: to fulfill his promise over your life. And I'm going 394 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:34,920 Speaker 1: to break that down. When my kid starts acting right, 395 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:41,840 Speaker 1: I'll be happy. No, I'm saying no. The Lord spoke 396 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:48,040 Speaker 1: in Egypt. He brought his son out of Egypt. He 397 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:53,840 Speaker 1: spoke to Joseph in Egypt. You still missed it. You 398 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 1: think that God is waiting for stuff to change. You 399 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:01,959 Speaker 1: think that joy is going to be when things change, 400 00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:08,480 Speaker 1: by won't You have got to get it out of Egypt. 401 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:11,439 Speaker 1: You have got to learn how to be in a 402 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:16,359 Speaker 1: bound place, a broke place, a hard place, a tricky place, 403 00:26:16,640 --> 00:26:27,240 Speaker 1: a sticky place. Now, when the people of God left 404 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,320 Speaker 1: Egypt under Moses, the Bible says in Exodus chapter twelve 405 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:35,160 Speaker 1: that they didn't just leave Egypt with their heads spelled look. Oh, 406 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,159 Speaker 1: we're just so ready to get out of here. It 407 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:40,280 Speaker 1: says that they asked the Egyptians give me Exitus twelve. 408 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:42,119 Speaker 1: Y'all pay aten, you payten, you give me Exitu twelve. 409 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:45,640 Speaker 1: Exitus twelve Exitus twelve. The Lord made the Egyptians favorably 410 00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 1: disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they 411 00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 1: asked for. And so listen to what God's people did. 412 00:26:51,720 --> 00:27:00,000 Speaker 1: They plundered the Egyptians, and they left Egypt with treasure. 413 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:10,280 Speaker 1: They left captivity with treasures. They left darkness with treasures. 414 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:17,080 Speaker 1: Did you know that you need to plunder your depression? 415 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:22,920 Speaker 1: Did you know that you need to plunder your anxiety? 416 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 1: Did you know that you need to plunder your addiction? 417 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:28,679 Speaker 1: Here's what I mean. The same thing that drove you 418 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:32,520 Speaker 1: to be such an addict is the same drive by 419 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:35,439 Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit that God is going to use to 420 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:44,080 Speaker 1: make you ferociously committed to his purpose. I am so 421 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:48,320 Speaker 1: don't just get the message. He was born in Bethlehem. 422 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:53,320 Speaker 1: Get the message. He was called out of Egypt. Jesus 423 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:57,159 Speaker 1: went back to the place. Jesus went back to the 424 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:02,119 Speaker 1: place that represented captivity, and he declared to the place 425 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 1: that represented captivity to the people of God, if the 426 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:14,199 Speaker 1: Sun makes you free, you will be free in deep Yeah, 427 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: I'm leaving this year with stronger character. Something good is 428 00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:30,280 Speaker 1: coming from this. I'm not leaving Egypt until I learn 429 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:34,080 Speaker 1: what God mustn't teach me. I'm not leaving twenty twenty 430 00:28:34,119 --> 00:28:43,240 Speaker 1: one empty hair that I leaving ten people throw your 431 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:49,040 Speaker 1: hands up and say something good is coming from this. 432 00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:52,760 Speaker 1: Come on, you gotta do the hand motions. Say something 433 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:58,680 Speaker 1: good is coming from this. Give me my camera had 434 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:06,280 Speaker 1: line online, don't do it. Something boy, it's coming from this. Now. 435 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:11,080 Speaker 1: Watch watch, watch, watch, watch, watch. Don't get ahead of me. 436 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 1: I didn't teach the hand motions yet. Something God Lord said, 437 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:18,840 Speaker 1: you gotta say it like that, and something good. I 438 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 1: don't know what something I had. Something hit my life 439 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:25,360 Speaker 1: a few weeks ago, and this is where the confession 440 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:27,280 Speaker 1: came from. I didn't get this message for you. I 441 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:29,960 Speaker 1: got it for me. Something happened a few weeks ago 442 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:31,320 Speaker 1: to me, and I was like, oh God, you need 443 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:34,120 Speaker 1: a little sick feeling in your stomach, and then you 444 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:35,760 Speaker 1: have a choice whether you're just gonna give into that. 445 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:43,240 Speaker 1: And then for me, it's like Netflix, I'll spend two 446 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:49,520 Speaker 1: hours shopping and not watch anything. So this thing and 447 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:51,760 Speaker 1: it wasn't necessarily a good thing or a bad thing. 448 00:29:51,760 --> 00:29:54,800 Speaker 1: It just scared me that I heard about and it 449 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:58,480 Speaker 1: was a personal thing, and I thought, well, you could 450 00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 1: sit there and play this out on a hundred different 451 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:03,240 Speaker 1: ways it could go wrong. Or and this is the 452 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 1: thought that came to me, what if it works out 453 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:13,240 Speaker 1: for your good? What if the devil's a liar and 454 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:21,400 Speaker 1: God is true? What if he really does take what 455 00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:23,160 Speaker 1: the enemy meant for evil and turn it for good. 456 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:28,160 Speaker 1: What if that's not just an anthem? What if that 457 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:36,480 Speaker 1: is an actual fact about God's purpose. Now, if you're 458 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:41,320 Speaker 1: not carrying Jesus, you can't receive this message, because if 459 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:43,760 Speaker 1: you're not carrying Jesus, then you don't know about the 460 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:46,200 Speaker 1: purpose of God. And if you don't know about the 461 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:50,320 Speaker 1: purpose purpose of God, you will shout over something good 462 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:53,200 Speaker 1: to think that it is going to match your exact 463 00:30:53,280 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 1: preference for your life. Where did the shouting go? Y'all 464 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,800 Speaker 1: need the organ, You need the organ. So what happened 465 00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:08,000 Speaker 1: when the news came? I started walking around the house 466 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,680 Speaker 1: and I just started saying, what I just told you, 467 00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 1: something good is coming from this. Well, actually I said 468 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,160 Speaker 1: it different the first time than the Lord corrected me. 469 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:22,560 Speaker 1: I said something good can come from this, and the 470 00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:24,959 Speaker 1: Lord was like, that's a good start. That's a good 471 00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:28,520 Speaker 1: first draft, all right. So that's my first draft of faith. 472 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:35,239 Speaker 1: Something good can come from this. They could never know 473 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 1: when life ends. Your lemons somewhere saying that, and the 474 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:49,400 Speaker 1: Lord's like, that's not faith. Something good can come from this, 475 00:31:50,640 --> 00:31:56,000 Speaker 1: that's just like statistical probability. That's like, is it gonna 476 00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:57,920 Speaker 1: be a boy or a girl? That's just like flip 477 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,160 Speaker 1: a coin. Man, it good, it goes something good to 478 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,120 Speaker 1: come from this, or it could be the end of you. 479 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,120 Speaker 1: You just leave that open ended like that. So I 480 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:08,120 Speaker 1: revised it. I was like, all right, something good we'll 481 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: come from this. That better, Lord, like that better, Lord. 482 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 1: It's not an out loud conversation. This is just in 483 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:16,480 Speaker 1: my heart. I'm acting it out for you how I 484 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 1: felt it inside. Okay, And the Lord was like, that's better. 485 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:24,600 Speaker 1: But it's not the bull's eye because when you say 486 00:32:24,680 --> 00:32:27,480 Speaker 1: put this in the chat, something good will come from this, 487 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:35,520 Speaker 1: you've still got it out there in the future. So 488 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:40,480 Speaker 1: you're still thinking when I get there, I'll praise God. 489 00:32:41,320 --> 00:32:43,680 Speaker 1: You're still thinking one day I'll have a story to 490 00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:47,520 Speaker 1: tell about the goodness of God. You're still thinking one 491 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:50,760 Speaker 1: day I'll see it. It'll all makes sense in the 492 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:55,400 Speaker 1: sweet bye and bye, and we'll understand it better. Bye 493 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:57,680 Speaker 1: and bye. The Lord said, put it on here and 494 00:32:57,720 --> 00:33:06,680 Speaker 1: now and have the faith to say something good is 495 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:18,000 Speaker 1: coming from this now. Fredick, you said your word was 496 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:25,640 Speaker 1: fruitful for twenty twenty two. How does God produce fruit? Well, 497 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:33,000 Speaker 1: it often involves soil, which is dirty and dark. And 498 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:38,040 Speaker 1: the fruit of the spirit is not money and cars 499 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:43,120 Speaker 1: and stuff, which is all fine, all right. I like 500 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:47,280 Speaker 1: my car. I like having something to drive that is 501 00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:51,440 Speaker 1: fast and that starts, because I've had stuff that didn't 502 00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:55,680 Speaker 1: and I'm glad when mine does. And I don't apologize 503 00:33:55,680 --> 00:33:57,960 Speaker 1: about any of that. But that's not the fruit of 504 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:03,560 Speaker 1: the spirit, snuck of best stuff. The fruit of the 505 00:34:03,600 --> 00:34:08,080 Speaker 1: spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness 506 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:13,720 Speaker 1: and self control. So how is God gonna bring forth 507 00:34:13,880 --> 00:34:17,319 Speaker 1: that kind of fruit self control to put me in 508 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:25,319 Speaker 1: a situation where I have to control myself? How's he 509 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:28,120 Speaker 1: gonna give me peace by putting me in situations that 510 00:34:28,239 --> 00:34:38,279 Speaker 1: don't feel peaceful? O, little town of bath Lovehem. No 511 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:42,200 Speaker 1: wonder we don't put Egypt at the Manger scene? Why 512 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:45,080 Speaker 1: would we want to remind ourself that Jesus was called 513 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:50,560 Speaker 1: out of Egypt. Really, it helps me to know that, 514 00:34:51,680 --> 00:34:56,120 Speaker 1: because when I find myself in Egypt. I can have 515 00:34:56,200 --> 00:35:05,160 Speaker 1: an eager expectation. That's something good. And this is where 516 00:35:05,239 --> 00:35:09,880 Speaker 1: I know enough to know that I don't know. I 517 00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:15,279 Speaker 1: don't know what. I don't know what. Keep telling God like, 518 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 1: we want to have a great Christmas, we want to 519 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:19,439 Speaker 1: have a great this, a great that, But we don't 520 00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:21,440 Speaker 1: even know what great should look like, not in the 521 00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:26,880 Speaker 1: context of the bigger picture of our life. So we 522 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:29,960 Speaker 1: think we know when we think we know where. Jesus 523 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:33,520 Speaker 1: was born in Bethlehem, an unexpected place. Oh, I mean 524 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:38,600 Speaker 1: even the pregnancy was unplanned. Mary is explaining biology to 525 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:40,919 Speaker 1: the Angel. I have not been with the man. How 526 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,920 Speaker 1: is this possible? The entire context of this Christmas story 527 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:50,920 Speaker 1: is God doesn't ask you, He doesn't need you to 528 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:53,000 Speaker 1: tell him about the birds and the bees. Well, Lord, 529 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 1: here's how this works. See, this house supposed to be 530 00:35:55,520 --> 00:35:57,120 Speaker 1: in my life. This all my kids are supposed This 531 00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:58,920 Speaker 1: is all my family's supposed turn out, This house supposed 532 00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:00,800 Speaker 1: to be, This is where supposed to work. This is 533 00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:02,560 Speaker 1: what I'm called to do, This is my ministry, this 534 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:07,400 Speaker 1: is my gift. But sometimes stuff in your life is 535 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:12,120 Speaker 1: born in Bethlehem. Sometimes gifts are brought out of Egypt. 536 00:36:18,120 --> 00:36:22,239 Speaker 1: Let's let's let's do our let's do our title altogether now, 537 00:36:22,239 --> 00:36:27,120 Speaker 1: little more humble this time. Something good. Now, you see 538 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:30,000 Speaker 1: how your hands are right there. That's how you need 539 00:36:30,040 --> 00:36:33,200 Speaker 1: to approach the next two weeks around all these relatives. 540 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:39,120 Speaker 1: Y'all make a meme of me on the youth account 541 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:42,760 Speaker 1: doing this. This is your this is your holiday season 542 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:47,400 Speaker 1: survival guide. Right here. Something good. I don't know what. 543 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:51,759 Speaker 1: I'm not trying to predict it. I'm not trying to 544 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:53,920 Speaker 1: control it. I'm not trying to manipulate it. I'm not 545 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:58,600 Speaker 1: trying to script it. Just something good. You know, Adam 546 00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:00,359 Speaker 1: and Eves got in trouble when they ate from the 547 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:02,239 Speaker 1: tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It's when 548 00:37:02,239 --> 00:37:04,080 Speaker 1: they thought they were God and knew what was good 549 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:09,239 Speaker 1: and what wasn't. That's when sin entered. That's when they 550 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:11,319 Speaker 1: lost access to the garden. That's when we lose our 551 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:14,480 Speaker 1: peace and our joy and our connection with God. But 552 00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:16,359 Speaker 1: if you can make this confession, let's do it again. 553 00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:19,839 Speaker 1: Your hands got tired, get them back up. Something good 554 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:30,120 Speaker 1: is coming from this, not that. That's what the Jewish 555 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:35,759 Speaker 1: rulers were looking for, a different kind of Messiah. When 556 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:39,879 Speaker 1: Messiah comes, when Messiah comes, he'll do this, and he'll 557 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:42,000 Speaker 1: do that. But no, no no, no, no no no, you will 558 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:47,320 Speaker 1: find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 559 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:54,879 Speaker 1: Something good. It's been a hard year. It's been ups 560 00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:56,520 Speaker 1: and downs. And you know what, We'll be sitting here 561 00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:58,000 Speaker 1: at the end of twenty two and I'll say the 562 00:37:58,000 --> 00:37:59,560 Speaker 1: same thing, and you'll say, a man, again, it's been 563 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:04,200 Speaker 1: a hard We'd be up here in twenty fifty seven. 564 00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:06,479 Speaker 1: I'm gonna be up here in an over bahar year, 565 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:12,360 Speaker 1: leaning on the pulpit and you're saying amen. But something 566 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:22,520 Speaker 1: going is coming from this. When Joseph left Egypt, he 567 00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:27,960 Speaker 1: did not go back to Bethlehem. He couldn't. He wanted to. 568 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:32,120 Speaker 1: He intended to go stay where Jesus was born, but 569 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:35,680 Speaker 1: he couldn't go back to Bethlehem. All over this Christmas 570 00:38:35,719 --> 00:38:38,640 Speaker 1: story that we love in Jerish so much is people 571 00:38:38,760 --> 00:38:42,480 Speaker 1: having to take directions they never planned on. Every blessing 572 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:50,640 Speaker 1: we celebrate this season was on a back road. Happy 573 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:53,200 Speaker 1: about it because it means if I don't feel on 574 00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:57,880 Speaker 1: schedule and I didn't plan for this, something goodness coming 575 00:38:58,040 --> 00:39:03,600 Speaker 1: from this. Now, can I show you one more thing? 576 00:39:04,560 --> 00:39:07,080 Speaker 1: Do you know Isaiah nine to six. He shall be 577 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:15,800 Speaker 1: called wonderful counselor Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. 578 00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:19,359 Speaker 1: If you heard that scripture, that's an awesome scripture. It's 579 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:24,160 Speaker 1: about Jesus. He will be called wonderful. Everybody say, wonderful 580 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:33,600 Speaker 1: counselor Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace. All right, 581 00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:36,879 Speaker 1: let's add one more to it. Matthew chapter two, verse 582 00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:45,560 Speaker 1: twenty three says he was called a Nazarene. Not only 583 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:50,279 Speaker 1: did he find his beginnings in Bethlehem, not only did 584 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:52,360 Speaker 1: he escape to Egypt, where he was kept by the 585 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:54,960 Speaker 1: providence of God until the time that those who sought 586 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:57,040 Speaker 1: his life were dead. How God has been keeping you 587 00:39:57,080 --> 00:40:01,719 Speaker 1: in this season. But he went back to Nazareth, where 588 00:40:01,760 --> 00:40:10,680 Speaker 1: Joseph was from Nazareth. If you think Monk's corner was small, 589 00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:16,799 Speaker 1: you had never been to Nazareth. They don't even have 590 00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:22,840 Speaker 1: back roads in Nazareth. They don't even have a Nazareth. 591 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:26,240 Speaker 1: There's not even evidence in Nazareth in the Old Testament 592 00:40:26,239 --> 00:40:30,600 Speaker 1: that it existed. You can't find it. Send it to 593 00:40:30,640 --> 00:40:32,440 Speaker 1: me this week when you find it in the Old Testament. 594 00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:38,880 Speaker 1: I wait, not there, not really on the map Is 595 00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:44,279 Speaker 1: it where Jesus grew up? Not really on the map? 596 00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:50,759 Speaker 1: Was it what you're going through? You got a Tom 597 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:56,040 Speaker 1: Tom faith. You're trying to navigate your life how to 598 00:40:56,080 --> 00:41:02,440 Speaker 1: do stuff that you've never seen done. That's hard. How 599 00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:05,840 Speaker 1: did I read the Christmas story so long and not 600 00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:09,520 Speaker 1: noticed that he was called not only all those beautiful things, 601 00:41:09,640 --> 00:41:14,960 Speaker 1: wonderful counselor right he God ever lesson fought principice, but 602 00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:22,800 Speaker 1: he was called a Nazarene, which was not a compliment. 603 00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:30,880 Speaker 1: Thank God for Nathaniel. He said something that gives us 604 00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:33,280 Speaker 1: an insight into why Jesus had to be called a Nazarene. 605 00:41:33,360 --> 00:41:34,719 Speaker 1: And I think the Lord is going to use this 606 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:39,919 Speaker 1: to speak to you. Something good was coming from this, 607 00:41:41,480 --> 00:41:45,320 Speaker 1: because when one of the disciples named Philip met Jesus, 608 00:41:45,360 --> 00:41:48,480 Speaker 1: he came back to Nathaniel and he said, we found him. 609 00:41:49,400 --> 00:41:51,000 Speaker 1: Now he didn't have a star to guide him like 610 00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:53,319 Speaker 1: the magi. And Jesus is now at thirty years old 611 00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:56,560 Speaker 1: and he's starting to he's starting to operate in his gift, 612 00:41:56,560 --> 00:42:01,399 Speaker 1: and they recognized him. Watch what Nathaniel said in John 613 00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:06,440 Speaker 1: chapter one, verse forty five, when he said he's Jesus 614 00:42:06,960 --> 00:42:11,240 Speaker 1: of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Look at Nathaniel's response 615 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:21,520 Speaker 1: to that verse forty six, Nazareth, Can anything good come 616 00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:34,160 Speaker 1: from Nazareth? I like what Philip said, come and see. 617 00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:40,920 Speaker 1: Can anything I don't know. I'm not trying to tell you. Look, 618 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:43,959 Speaker 1: there's people in this church that lost to their mom 619 00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:47,759 Speaker 1: this year. What kind of malpractice would it be for 620 00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:51,439 Speaker 1: me to preach a message called It's all good when 621 00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:55,600 Speaker 1: you lost your mom. There's people who spent two months 622 00:42:55,640 --> 00:42:58,360 Speaker 1: in the hospital this year, and so for me to 623 00:42:58,400 --> 00:43:01,440 Speaker 1: say it was, you know, is all good that you 624 00:43:01,480 --> 00:43:03,920 Speaker 1: were hooked up to a ventilator. There's people that are 625 00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:06,319 Speaker 1: watching this message in a hospital or a prison right now, 626 00:43:07,760 --> 00:43:10,200 Speaker 1: and a lot of them don't have the luxury of 627 00:43:10,239 --> 00:43:12,759 Speaker 1: trying to decide you want panera after lunch, or you 628 00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:17,040 Speaker 1: got time to sit down somewhere a little nicer. They 629 00:43:17,040 --> 00:43:19,400 Speaker 1: don't have the luxury of checking their text in the 630 00:43:19,400 --> 00:43:21,759 Speaker 1: middle of the sermon. They don't have the luxury. They 631 00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:25,160 Speaker 1: need this word as a lifeline. They need this word 632 00:43:25,160 --> 00:43:28,920 Speaker 1: as a lifeline. They come here just to get a 633 00:43:28,920 --> 00:43:31,040 Speaker 1: little They didn't come here because Mom made them. They 634 00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:32,839 Speaker 1: ain't come here for any of that. They didn't come 635 00:43:32,880 --> 00:43:35,120 Speaker 1: here because they got a new outfit. They didn't come 636 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:37,280 Speaker 1: here to beat the crowd for the Christmas Eves service. 637 00:43:37,520 --> 00:43:41,640 Speaker 1: They didn't come for that. They came because they need 638 00:43:41,680 --> 00:43:47,440 Speaker 1: a savior, which is Christ, the Lord who was born 639 00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:53,200 Speaker 1: in Bethlehem, who escaped to Egypt and was raised in Nazareth. 640 00:43:53,800 --> 00:43:57,560 Speaker 1: A place with no reputation, a place that was known 641 00:43:57,600 --> 00:44:01,440 Speaker 1: for immorality, a place that was own for its obscurity, 642 00:44:01,840 --> 00:44:04,759 Speaker 1: a place that you couldn't even find on the GPS, 643 00:44:05,239 --> 00:44:08,160 Speaker 1: a place that you would never expect to see royalty, 644 00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:11,600 Speaker 1: a place that you would never search for greatness, a 645 00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:15,800 Speaker 1: place that was not associated with great people and great 646 00:44:15,880 --> 00:44:25,000 Speaker 1: sages and great profits. But something good came from Nazareth. 647 00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:31,160 Speaker 1: And I'm making a prophetic declaration over your life today. 648 00:44:31,800 --> 00:44:41,480 Speaker 1: Something good is coming from this. If something good, if 649 00:44:41,520 --> 00:44:48,440 Speaker 1: the Son of God, hallelujah, can't come from Nazareth, something 650 00:44:48,760 --> 00:44:56,799 Speaker 1: good is coming from this. I give you twenty two 651 00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:02,160 Speaker 1: seconds to declare it into the new year. Something good, 652 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:10,720 Speaker 1: something good, something great, something lasting, something ruthful, something fresh, 653 00:45:11,080 --> 00:45:20,920 Speaker 1: something favored, something bless. Something good is coming from this 654 00:45:22,719 --> 00:45:30,560 Speaker 1: and he self, big Gop, wonderful, nascary Gop sulor nacary body. 655 00:45:30,719 --> 00:45:42,319 Speaker 1: God prodacires something good is coming from this, something good, 656 00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:48,919 Speaker 1: something good, something good, something good, something good, something good. 657 00:45:49,360 --> 00:45:52,759 Speaker 1: Touch at least twelve people and tell something good, something good, 658 00:45:53,120 --> 00:45:56,200 Speaker 1: something good, something good before the end of the year. 659 00:45:56,600 --> 00:46:00,640 Speaker 1: Expect something good before the end of the year. Expect 660 00:46:00,760 --> 00:46:06,200 Speaker 1: something good before the end of the year. Expect something God, 661 00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:15,560 Speaker 1: something good. I know I know you, I know you. 662 00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:19,480 Speaker 1: You're playing me off. This is that helped and well prosperity. 663 00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:22,239 Speaker 1: Name it and claiming no no no no no no 664 00:46:22,280 --> 00:46:24,480 Speaker 1: no no no no no no no no, you hurt 665 00:46:24,520 --> 00:46:30,600 Speaker 1: me wrong. God gets to call it good. So my 666 00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:37,799 Speaker 1: expectation is flexible, more flexible than my hamstrings. That's as 667 00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:40,680 Speaker 1: far as I can go, because I'm leaving God room 668 00:46:40,800 --> 00:46:49,239 Speaker 1: to decide what he calls good. I'm walking in the 669 00:46:49,360 --> 00:46:55,040 Speaker 1: new year with a flexible faith. Devil. Uh huh. Something good. 670 00:46:55,880 --> 00:46:57,759 Speaker 1: Got my hands open, got my heart open, got my 671 00:46:57,880 --> 00:47:07,000 Speaker 1: mind open. Something good. Joseph understood the assignment. All I 672 00:47:07,200 --> 00:47:09,399 Speaker 1: gotta do, come on, ten more seconds, ten more second, 673 00:47:09,440 --> 00:47:13,600 Speaker 1: two more seconds. All I gotta do is take his work. 674 00:47:13,680 --> 00:47:17,319 Speaker 1: I'm fixed. All I gotta do is own thing. All 675 00:47:17,560 --> 00:47:22,480 Speaker 1: I gotta do it trust them. Something good. It's coming 676 00:47:23,680 --> 00:47:28,880 Speaker 1: from this carn't anything because I'm from past youth. It 677 00:47:29,040 --> 00:47:35,680 Speaker 1: can jsus caay from taser, the save your cave. Well, 678 00:47:36,840 --> 00:47:42,200 Speaker 1: something good. I don't know how, I don't know where, 679 00:47:42,800 --> 00:47:50,799 Speaker 1: but I believe it. It's coming. It's coming right now, 680 00:47:51,960 --> 00:48:00,600 Speaker 1: It's coming. It's coming. God is not amazon this sackage. 681 00:48:00,640 --> 00:48:06,640 Speaker 1: Will not be delighted. Something good. There no shipping delays 682 00:48:06,680 --> 00:48:11,440 Speaker 1: in heaven, baby, and no shipping delays in heaven. He 683 00:48:11,600 --> 00:48:17,600 Speaker 1: is able to do exceeding abundantly. Oh bah, something good. 684 00:48:18,640 --> 00:48:22,760 Speaker 1: Teach me Lauren, You'll give you take away. It's gonna 685 00:48:22,800 --> 00:48:27,279 Speaker 1: be good. Something good. I walked around my house. I 686 00:48:27,320 --> 00:48:29,560 Speaker 1: said it for an hour the other day. Something good 687 00:48:30,440 --> 00:48:33,120 Speaker 1: is coming from this, from this, from this, from this. 688 00:48:34,120 --> 00:48:36,240 Speaker 1: Devil tried to get me back there to pass stuff. 689 00:48:36,440 --> 00:48:42,640 Speaker 1: I said, no, not that, this this. Then the devil 690 00:48:42,680 --> 00:48:45,120 Speaker 1: tried to take me to the hypothetical. Well what if 691 00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:50,600 Speaker 1: I say no, not out there, not there here this 692 00:48:51,520 --> 00:49:01,279 Speaker 1: something good. He was a beautiful baby, but he was 693 00:49:01,400 --> 00:49:08,960 Speaker 1: despised and rejected. A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. 694 00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:14,359 Speaker 1: He was called wonderful counsel Mighty God. Everless than Father, 695 00:49:15,719 --> 00:49:21,600 Speaker 1: Prince of peace. But he was born in Bethlehem. He 696 00:49:21,800 --> 00:49:27,440 Speaker 1: escaped to Egypt, and he was called a Nazarene. Stop 697 00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:32,640 Speaker 1: calling it what people call it, Start calling it what 698 00:49:32,960 --> 00:49:40,360 Speaker 1: God calls it. Wonderful, something good, something good. There's about 699 00:49:40,440 --> 00:49:42,320 Speaker 1: five thousand of y'all that are going to receive this 700 00:49:42,480 --> 00:49:46,160 Speaker 1: by faith. Put it in the chat. I'm the one. 701 00:49:46,480 --> 00:49:48,920 Speaker 1: I'm the one. I'm the one. I'm the one who's 702 00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:54,720 Speaker 1: believing this message for my household. I'm believing this message 703 00:49:54,960 --> 00:49:57,640 Speaker 1: for my community, for those I love, for those I 704 00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:02,520 Speaker 1: care about, for those who I have no hope, for 705 00:50:02,640 --> 00:50:06,560 Speaker 1: the broken. I'm believing this message for you as your 706 00:50:06,600 --> 00:50:12,120 Speaker 1: pastor on this year end offering weekend. I know many 707 00:50:12,200 --> 00:50:16,560 Speaker 1: people are giving many different amounts of money, but can 708 00:50:16,640 --> 00:50:20,000 Speaker 1: we all just give God the same thing our worship? 709 00:50:23,200 --> 00:50:32,000 Speaker 1: Can Can anything good come from what you've been going through? 710 00:50:33,520 --> 00:50:38,400 Speaker 1: Is there a blessing on the back roads? Is there 711 00:50:38,440 --> 00:50:42,200 Speaker 1: a faith for the blank spaces? God told Joseph stay 712 00:50:42,239 --> 00:50:45,600 Speaker 1: in Egypt till I tell you all right, Lord, Well 713 00:50:46,719 --> 00:50:50,440 Speaker 1: what's the date? No? No, no, no, no no. I 714 00:50:50,560 --> 00:50:54,280 Speaker 1: want you to have faith for back roads and blank space. 715 00:50:56,440 --> 00:51:01,840 Speaker 1: Something good It's coming. He makes all things beautiful and 716 00:51:01,960 --> 00:51:08,160 Speaker 1: it's time. Something good. Oh God, Oh God. If it 717 00:51:08,200 --> 00:51:11,320 Speaker 1: comes from his hand, it is good. If it's not 718 00:51:11,560 --> 00:51:13,840 Speaker 1: good when it passes through his hand, it will be 719 00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:22,600 Speaker 1: good when he's done with it. Something good. I'm so 720 00:51:22,760 --> 00:51:25,000 Speaker 1: glad I obeyed the Lord. I argued with him. I said, 721 00:51:25,200 --> 00:51:27,200 Speaker 1: that's a broad message. I can't tell him something good's 722 00:51:27,200 --> 00:51:29,759 Speaker 1: coming from this. They might have had a miscarriage, they 723 00:51:29,840 --> 00:51:31,800 Speaker 1: might be going through a divorce. I'm not trying to 724 00:51:31,840 --> 00:51:34,240 Speaker 1: tell God. I'm not just trying to sugarcoat the struggles 725 00:51:34,280 --> 00:51:37,560 Speaker 1: of people. He said, it's not teaching them to deny reality. 726 00:51:38,200 --> 00:51:47,359 Speaker 1: It's teaching them to exercise faith. You don't move enough 727 00:51:47,440 --> 00:51:50,880 Speaker 1: in church. Uncross your arms and do the motions. Come on. 728 00:51:51,040 --> 00:51:56,399 Speaker 1: Something good is coming from this. Look at somebody else 729 00:51:56,480 --> 00:51:58,839 Speaker 1: and tell them, just declare it over their life. Let's 730 00:51:58,920 --> 00:52:03,759 Speaker 1: prophesy to each other. Something good is coming from this, 731 00:52:04,680 --> 00:52:10,439 Speaker 1: from this, from Nazareth. Yeah, from sadness, something good, something good, 732 00:52:10,719 --> 00:52:16,279 Speaker 1: something good. I'm looking for. Surely goodness and mercide will 733 00:52:16,440 --> 00:52:26,720 Speaker 1: follow me. Something good born in Bethlehem, out of Egypt, 734 00:52:27,920 --> 00:52:33,120 Speaker 1: called a Nazareth. This is the significance of Christmas. You 735 00:52:33,280 --> 00:52:39,759 Speaker 1: better look for God in dirty places. This Christmas. You 736 00:52:39,880 --> 00:52:45,560 Speaker 1: better look for God in annoying people this Christmas. You 737 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:52,160 Speaker 1: better look for God in simple moments this Christmas. Thank 738 00:52:52,239 --> 00:52:56,720 Speaker 1: you Jesus. If you received this word, hid in praise. 739 00:53:00,080 --> 00:53:02,439 Speaker 1: Enjoy today's podcast. There are a couple of things I'd 740 00:53:02,520 --> 00:53:05,520 Speaker 1: love for you to do. Make sure to subscribe, rate, 741 00:53:05,840 --> 00:53:08,799 Speaker 1: and review this podcast. You can also help us reach 742 00:53:08,880 --> 00:53:12,719 Speaker 1: others by investing today at Elevationchurch dot org, slash give 743 00:53:13,120 --> 00:53:15,880 Speaker 1: and thanks again for joining us on the Elevation Podcast.