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Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick.

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Speaker 2: I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, and this is our podcast.

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Speaker 2: I wanted to thank you for joining us today.

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Speaker 1: Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith.

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Speaker 2: Hope it gives your perspective to see God as moving

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Speaker 2: in your life.

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Speaker 1: Enjoy the message.

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Speaker 3: I'm worship And now I'm reminded how the Scripture says

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Speaker 3: he inhabits the praises of his people.

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Speaker 1: Notice what it doesn't say.

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Speaker 3: It doesn't say inhabits the complaints of his people. It

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Speaker 3: doesn't say inhabits the fears of his people. He doesn't

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Speaker 3: inhabit the worries of his people. I don't know what

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Speaker 3: your week has looked like. I don't know if it's

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Speaker 3: been a good week, bad week, or tough week. In fact,

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Speaker 3: I woke up this morning with some difficult sad news.

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Speaker 3: But today is Sunday, and it's the first day of

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Speaker 3: the week, and I'm gonna give God my best praise.

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Speaker 3: I'm not to go tell God all about my problems.

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Speaker 3: Come on, I'm gonna tell my problems all about my God.

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Speaker 1: Somebody worship. I'm him here today, He's here.

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Speaker 3: He's gonna speak to us if you have a Bible,

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Speaker 3: quickly reached for it. Hebrews chapter six is where I

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Speaker 3: want you to turn. I've got a word on my heart,

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Speaker 3: and I'm excited to share it. We're going to stand

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Speaker 3: for the reading of God's Word. What a sweet sense

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Speaker 3: of God's presence in the house today. As you're turning there,

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Speaker 3: let me just say what a huge honor it always

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Speaker 3: is to stand behind this pulpit, to come back year

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Speaker 3: after year, to be here with all of you. When

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Speaker 3: I come to elevation, I just feel like I'm at home.

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Speaker 1: I love you, and I.

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Speaker 3: Just I think it's just important that we just always

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Speaker 3: take some time weekend and week out. I'm just more

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Speaker 3: convinced the older I get, I'm more and more convinced

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Speaker 3: that the greatest blessings in life they walk into your

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Speaker 3: life on two legs. A lot of people praying for

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Speaker 3: miracles and breakthroughs and resources.

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Speaker 1: None of those things are bad to pray for.

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Speaker 3: I just want to remind you that the greatest breakthroughs,

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Speaker 3: the greatest miracles tend.

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Speaker 1: To be people.

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Speaker 3: That's why it's important to come to church, because you don't.

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Speaker 1: Know who's sitting in front of you.

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Speaker 3: You don't know who's sitting next to you, don't know

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Speaker 3: who's sitting behind you.

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Speaker 1: In fact, just nut your neighbors say, are you hear

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Speaker 1: from me?

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Speaker 3: You may maybe just are that God sends you for me,

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Speaker 3: because God blesses our life through people, through one another.

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Speaker 3: And I would just be remiss if I did not

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Speaker 3: tell you that one of the greatest gifts in my

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Speaker 3: life is the friendship and the mentorship of Pastor Stephen Ferdick.

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Speaker 3: Can we just thank God for Pastor Stephen and Holly.

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Speaker 1: Here's what the Word of God says.

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Speaker 3: It's important that you get this because this is not

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Speaker 3: just what preachers do.

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Speaker 1: It's not just cliche.

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Speaker 3: The Word of God says that those that labor and

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Speaker 3: teach and preach God's where they deserve double honor. And

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Speaker 3: I just want to say, twenty years later, here they

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Speaker 3: are still serving faithfully. Come on, whatever you were gonna do,

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Speaker 3: can you just double it right now? Can we tell

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Speaker 3: Pastor Stephen and Holly we love you, We love you

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Speaker 3: in the chef tell them that you love me. I

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Speaker 3: love you so much. Thank you for making my life

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Speaker 3: so much better, and thank you for teaching and leading

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Speaker 3: all of us. We're all better because of you today.

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Speaker 3: I've got a message on my heart. Hebrews chapter six

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Speaker 3: is wh I want to read from today. I don't

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Speaker 3: know what you walked in here with today. I don't

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Speaker 3: know what it is that you're carrying. The Book of

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Speaker 3: Hebrews is one of these interesting books of the Bible that

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Speaker 3: we don't know who the author is. But that's okay

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Speaker 3: because we know who the audience is. And the audience

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Speaker 3: is believers that are being persecuted, that are tired, that

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Speaker 3: are fatigued, that are thinking about going back to their

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Speaker 3: old way, and here comes God and he wants to

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Speaker 3: remind them of the fulfillment of who Jesus is. He

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Speaker 3: wants to remind them that they are never alone. He

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Speaker 3: wants to remind them that they have everything they need

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Speaker 3: in Christ Jesus. This is Hebrews chapter six. I'm going

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Speaker 3: to start in verse ten. God is not unjust. He

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Speaker 3: will not forget your work and the love you have

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Speaker 3: shown him. As you have helped his people and continue

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Speaker 3: to help them.

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Speaker 1: We want each.

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Speaker 3: Of you to show this same diligence to the very end,

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Speaker 3: so that what you hope for maybe fully realized. We

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Speaker 3: do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate

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Speaker 3: those who, through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

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Speaker 3: I like that line, imitate those who, through faith and

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Speaker 3: patience inherit what has been promised. I want to take

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Speaker 3: the next few moments if I can, and I want

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Speaker 3: to preach to you from the subject God keeps receipts.

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Speaker 3: Sometimes you could just close after the title, because that's a.

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Speaker 1: Word for someone.

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Speaker 3: God keeps receipts. Would you pray with them? Lorways, thank

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Speaker 3: you for your word.

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Speaker 1: God.

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Speaker 3: We thank you that today Lord, as we read it, Lord,

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Speaker 3: it reads us God. We've come into this place for

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Speaker 3: one reason, which is to lift you up. It's to

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Speaker 3: make much out of your name, the one name that

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Speaker 3: at that name of Jesus. Every knee will bow and

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Speaker 3: every tongue will confess. Today, Lord, I pray that you

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Speaker 3: would remind some people who they are in you. I

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Speaker 3: pray that your word would jump into our hearts and

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Speaker 3: we would leave here different from how we came. We

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Speaker 3: thank you in advance for what you're about to do.

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Speaker 3: We praise you in this place. And if you agree

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Speaker 3: with that prayer. All of God's people said, all of

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Speaker 3: God's people said, come.

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Speaker 1: On, make some noise.

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Speaker 3: If you love Jesus, high five two or three people

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Speaker 3: and say God keeps receipts.

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Speaker 1: God keeps receipts. Put that in the chat. God keeps receipts.

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Speaker 3: This is a very special year for me. I know

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Speaker 3: at Elevation, you guys have been celebrating twenty years as

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Speaker 3: a church. We put our hands together for twenty years

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Speaker 3: of faithfulness and service. But it's also a special year

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Speaker 3: for me because not only does Elevation turn twenty, but

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Speaker 3: this year I will celebrate my twenty year wedding anniversary.

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Speaker 3: I met my wife when I was seventeen years of

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Speaker 3: age and we got married young. I said, girl, if

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Speaker 3: you ever leave, I'm going with you, and I just

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Speaker 3: I love being married. She's she sends her greetings my wife,

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Speaker 3: dontree are four little children. And it's funny, I want

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Speaker 3: to say to all the guys, like fellas, women remember anniversaries.

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Speaker 3: In fact, like women remember everything, like like my wife

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Speaker 3: makes me laugh. She'd like, rich, do you know what

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Speaker 3: today is? And I'm like Tuesday.

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Speaker 1: She's like no.

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Speaker 3: Four years ago we sat in the parking lot after

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Speaker 3: brunch and we drank sparkling water together. Remember that, no

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Speaker 3: I don't. I remember some years ago I was away

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Speaker 3: preaching and teaching that was I think. I was in

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Speaker 3: England and Dauntrey was back home and we were on

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Speaker 3: different you know, time changes, and it was actually our

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Speaker 3: anniversary day, and somehow we.

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Speaker 1: Got on the phone that morning. We were talking chit chat.

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Speaker 3: And you know, all right, girl, yeah, I love you, No,

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Speaker 3: I love you. Shut up, you know, just Christian talks, flirting.

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Speaker 3: And we got off the phone but never said happy anniversary.

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Speaker 3: Dauntre immediately called me back. She said, rich, did you

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Speaker 3: forget our anniversary? I had to think quick, I said, girl,

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Speaker 3: every day's our anniversary. Come on, somebody, that will work

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Speaker 3: one time and one time only. But if you know,

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Speaker 3: we are a forgetful people, and we don't just forget

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Speaker 3: earthly relationships. Oftentimes, we have a tendency to forget our

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Speaker 3: heavenly relationship. And what I want to remind you is

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Speaker 3: that forgetfulness is expensive, because your faith fades when your

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Speaker 3: memory fails. A lot of us we just have a

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Speaker 3: tendency to forget all that God has done in our

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Speaker 3: life over and over and over again. Our faith begins

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Speaker 3: to suffer when we forget. It's funny because you go

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Speaker 3: back into the Old Testament and you see time and

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Speaker 3: time again the Israeites they had the same problem. I mean,

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Speaker 3: how may y'all know that yesterday's miracle becomes today's minimum requirement?

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Speaker 1: I mean the Israelites.

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Speaker 3: God parts a red sea, and then a couple days

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Speaker 3: later they are actually complaining about the menu.

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Speaker 1: What are we gonna eat?

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Speaker 3: Dude, he parted the red sea. I think he can

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Speaker 3: take care of breakfast. But we're so quick to judge them,

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Speaker 3: but we do the same thing. God pays a bill,

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Speaker 3: next one thing, we're going to what about the next bill?

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Speaker 3: God heals your body, but now you're panicked about the future.

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Speaker 3: God opens up a door. Now you're worried. Will he

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Speaker 3: open up the next door? So often in life we

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Speaker 3: are so good at remembering what.

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Speaker 1: Hurt us, but we forget what held us.

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Speaker 3: I wonder I'm not trying to come with shame today,

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Speaker 3: but like, how much more does God have to bless

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Speaker 3: you before you can be happy? How many more prayers

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Speaker 3: does He have to answer before you don't have to

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Speaker 3: go into the next season with anxiety?

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Speaker 1: How many more times.

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Speaker 3: Does God have to pull you out before you can

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Speaker 3: trust He's gonna pull me through this one.

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Speaker 1: Come on, somebody. My not preaching anybody today.

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Speaker 3: We don't need more proof, we need a better memory.

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Speaker 3: We have selective memory, and God knows this about us.

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Speaker 3: Have you noticed that, Like when you read the Bible,

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Speaker 3: what is God trying to do over and over again?

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Speaker 3: God's like, remember, remember the Covenant, Remember the Sabbath.

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Speaker 1: Remember I'm the one who brought you out.

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Speaker 3: In fact, so much of the Old Testament is stories

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Speaker 3: of traditions and rhythms and systems of God trying to

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Speaker 3: systematically help you, not forget. What do you think passover

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Speaker 3: meal is? Passover meal is a systematic moment. It's not

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Speaker 3: just a meal. It's memory training. God says, hey, for

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Speaker 3: four hundred years you were in slavery, but I brought

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Speaker 3: you up out of Egypt. Not just brought you out.

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Speaker 3: You plunder the Egyptians when you left that place. So

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Speaker 3: here's what I want you to do.

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Speaker 1: Every year. I want you to put lamb on the table.

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Speaker 1: I want you to.

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Speaker 3: Drink the cup because I want you to tell your kids,

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Speaker 3: once we were in slavery, but our God, he's the

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Speaker 3: God who makes a way out of no way. Anybody

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Speaker 3: thankful for a God who brings you out. Don't forget it,

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Speaker 3: because your fate's gonna suffer if you forget. But then

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Speaker 3: Jesus shows up on the scene and all of a

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Speaker 3: sudden he re enacts this entire moment. It's called communion.

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Speaker 3: What does he do? He says, drink the cup and

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Speaker 3: do this in remembrance of me. What I love about

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Speaker 3: the New Testament version is that Jesus is at the

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Speaker 3: Passover meal, but for the first time, there's not just

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Speaker 3: lamb on the table. There's a lamb at the table.

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Speaker 3: Is that not what John said? Behold the lamb of

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Speaker 3: God who takes away the sins of the world. And

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Speaker 3: as Jesus holds the cup and says, do this in

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Speaker 3: remembrance of me, what.

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Speaker 1: Is he saying.

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Speaker 3: He's saying, Moses brought you out of physical slavery.

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Speaker 1: But I'm getting ready to bring you out of spiritual slavery.

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Speaker 3: Ooh, Lamb's blood on the door post protected you for

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Speaker 3: the night. But when my blood is slain and scattered

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Speaker 3: across the cross, you will be saved for eternity. I

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Speaker 3: need you to take a moment right now and thank

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Speaker 3: God for his grace, Thank God for his goodness. If

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Speaker 3: he doesn't do one more thing, come on.

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Speaker 1: He's been good to you. I just tend to say

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Speaker 1: thank you God.

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Speaker 3: A generation who forgets deliverance is a generation who will

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Speaker 3: quickly lose gratitude for freedom. And freedom forgotten is entitlement.

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Speaker 3: May we never be entitled? May we remember? If all

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Speaker 3: we did today was just remind you of what He's

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Speaker 3: already done, it would be more than enough. I feel

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Speaker 3: like preaching a little bit today because I could just

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Speaker 3: land right there and just take you down memory lane.

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Speaker 3: But I want to try to get personal with you,

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Speaker 3: and I'll just use.

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Speaker 1: Me as an example.

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Speaker 3: I don't just forget my wife's anniversary or our anniversary.

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Speaker 1: I forget God. Here's what's so.

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Speaker 3: Good about the Gospel. Anybody thankful that although we forget God,

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Speaker 3: God promises not to forget us. Anybody grateful that even

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Speaker 3: when we're faithless, he is still faithful. Does anybody have

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Speaker 3: a testimony of the faithfulness of God.

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Speaker 1: In so many ways? That's what's happening here.

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Speaker 3: In the Book of Hebrews, you see there is this

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Speaker 3: phrase in society, I got receipts.

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Speaker 1: Have you heard this before?

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Speaker 3: This isn't like grocery store language slang okay, I got receipts. Me,

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Speaker 3: I got proof, I got screenshots. I will expose you,

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Speaker 3: I will go Candice owens on you. But God, he's

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Speaker 3: got receipts. But God doesn't keep receipts to shame you.

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Speaker 3: God keeps receipts to save you. The Bible says it

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Speaker 3: this way, that he forgets our sins as far as

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Speaker 3: the east is from the west. If you are in

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Speaker 3: Christ Jesus, your sins are no more. But another Bible

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Speaker 3: verse says that every one of your tears, he captures them,

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Speaker 3: and he.

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Speaker 1: Puts them in his bottle.

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Speaker 3: Who is this God who forgets my sins but records

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Speaker 3: every one of my tears. He is a good father

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Speaker 3: who loves us even.

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Speaker 1: When we don't feel lovable.

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Speaker 3: No, God keeps receipts not to expose us, but to

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Speaker 3: exonerate us. God keeps receipts not to punish you, but

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Speaker 3: to promote you. God keeps receipts not because he wants

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Speaker 3: to condemn you, but because he wants to commend you.

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Speaker 3: Anybody thankful for a God who says I will not

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Speaker 3: forgets you.

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Speaker 1: I won't forget you.

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Speaker 3: And today I don't know who I'm preaching to, but

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Speaker 3: I just have a sense in my heart that people

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Speaker 3: have walked in. And maybe you're tired, or you're fatigued,

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Speaker 3: and maybe you're on your faith journey and you're having

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Speaker 3: a difficult time. You're in a hard place, you're in

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Speaker 3: a tired place place about your thinking about giving up.

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Speaker 3: I don't want to remind you of your strength. I

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Speaker 3: want to remind you of his strength. I want to

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Speaker 3: remind you of a God who promises, if you're in

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Speaker 3: Christ Jesus to remember you. I want to show you

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Speaker 3: three things today that God keeps receipts on. Number one,

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Speaker 3: God keeps receipts on who you are. This is encouraging

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Speaker 3: to me. This is Hebrews, chapter six, verse ten. God

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Speaker 3: is not unjust. He will not forget your work and

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Speaker 3: the love you have shown him. He doesn't look at

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Speaker 3: these tired people and say, I won't forget the church.

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Speaker 3: I won't forget the crowd, I won't forget the gathering.

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Speaker 3: He says, I won't forget you. God is the god

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Speaker 3: of individuals. Yes, he loves the world, but you are

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Speaker 3: what make up the world.

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Speaker 1: And I think today you've got to get some confidence

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Speaker 1: in the fact.

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Speaker 3: That he sees you. He knows what's going on inside

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Speaker 3: of your life. Every fear, every worry, every area of doubt.

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Speaker 3: Today he sees you in that place and he cares

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Speaker 3: about you. One of the greatest examples of this is

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Speaker 3: that as you read the New Testament, if you ever

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Speaker 3: get to the Book of Matthew, Matthew chapter one starts

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Speaker 3: with the genealogy of Jesus. Now, a lot of us,

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Speaker 3: if we have like a Bible reading plan, some of

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Speaker 3: us we skip that part. It's like, I don't know

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Speaker 3: abou anybody who goes to the movies and the movie

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Speaker 3: ends and you're like, hey, stake stick around.

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Speaker 1: Why I love the credits.

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Speaker 3: No one really does that, But I guess God likes

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Speaker 3: the credits because God lists out forty two different generations.

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Speaker 3: Forty different names are enlisted in Matthew chapter one.

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Speaker 1: What is he letting us know? He's letting us know.

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Speaker 3: I remember you, I remember names, I remember individuals. And

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Speaker 3: the best part about Matthew Chapter one is not just

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Speaker 3: the names. It's the names that are in Matthew Chapter one.

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Speaker 1: These are jacked up people.

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Speaker 3: You think you think your family's dysfunctional, check out God's family.

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Speaker 3: God is in the business of using the jokers, the smokers,

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Speaker 3: even the midnight okers.

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Speaker 1: Sometimes he will use.

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Speaker 3: Because God that just come for sinners. Come on, he

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Speaker 3: came through sinners. He said, I do not call the qualified,

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Speaker 3: but I qualified the called God. God loves you. He

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Speaker 3: loves every part of you. He loves you just the

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Speaker 3: way that you are. But he loves you too much

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Speaker 3: to let you stay the way that you are. God's

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Speaker 3: greatest priority is to get his glory. But the way

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Speaker 3: that he does that is by working with broken people.

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Speaker 3: It's pretty practical. If you're not broken, how will his

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Speaker 3: glory ever shine through? In fact, I'm gonna be careful

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Speaker 3: today because I don't want to get in trouble. God

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Speaker 3: is borderline obsessed with you. Like read the scriptures. He

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Speaker 3: knew you before you were in your mother's womb. He

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Speaker 3: niche you are fearfully and wonderfully made. All the days

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Speaker 3: for you were written in his book before one of

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Speaker 3: them came.

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Speaker 1: To be sure, says He watches you while you sleep.

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Speaker 3: What descript says he knows every hair on your head,

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Speaker 3: even the extensions, even the weave, even the turkey transplant.

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Speaker 3: Come on, I'm talking on a God who loves you

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Speaker 3: and sees.

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Speaker 1: You and cares about you. And if his eye is

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Speaker 1: on the.

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Speaker 3: Sparrow, come on his eyes on you today.

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Speaker 1: God's in the business.

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Speaker 3: I've working with broken people into the Hebrew, people that

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Speaker 3: are tired and fatigued.

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Speaker 1: And walking away. He says, I'm not unjust. I will

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Speaker 1: not forget you.

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Speaker 3: Go through history and see I'm the God who works

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Speaker 3: with dysfunctional people. Anybody who says God can't use me

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Speaker 3: as somebody who's never read the Bible, You've never read it,

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Speaker 3: because the whole book is a story of broken people

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Speaker 3: being used by a perfect God that when his grace

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Speaker 3: comes upon you, even in your weakness, he is strong.

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Speaker 3: I mean for goodness sake. Noah was a drunk, Abraham.

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Speaker 1: Was way too old to be used by God.

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Speaker 3: Isaac was a daydreamer, Jacob was a liar, Joseph was abused.

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Speaker 3: Moses had a stuttering problem. Gideon was afraid, Samson had

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Speaker 3: long hair and was a womanizer. Rahab was a prostitute.

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Speaker 3: Jeremiah was too young, David was a murderer and he

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Speaker 3: had an affair. Elijah was suicidal. Isaiah preached naked, Jonah

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Speaker 3: ran from God. Naomi was a widow, Job went bankrupt,

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Speaker 3: Peter denied Christ, the disciples fell asleep while praying. John

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Speaker 3: the Baptist he ate bugs for goodness sakes, Martha worried

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Speaker 3: about everything.

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Speaker 1: This Samaritan woman was divorced more than once.

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Speaker 3: Zachchius was too small, Paul was too religious, Timothy had

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Speaker 3: an ulcer, and Lazarus Lazarus was dead. Everybody, come on,

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Speaker 3: I'm trying to tell you about a God who's dying

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Speaker 3: taken back.

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Speaker 1: God died to use you.

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Speaker 3: He sees you.

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Speaker 1: He's got receipts.

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Speaker 3: On who you are. He knows who you are. We forget,

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Speaker 3: but He don't forget. God keeps receipts on who you are.

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Speaker 3: But look what the passage says, because it continues, this

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Speaker 3: is just good, good Bible study.

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Speaker 1: God is do unjust. He will not forget your work.

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Speaker 3: I love this and the love you have shown him

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Speaker 3: as you have helped his people. God's heart is for

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Speaker 3: his church and his people. His priority is his glory,

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Speaker 3: the vehicle, and how he does that is through his

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Speaker 3: body his people. So God doesn't forget your work or

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Speaker 3: the love you've shown him as you have helped his people.

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Speaker 3: And here's the keyword, and continue to help them. See,

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Speaker 3: God keeps receipts on what you do. And this is very,

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Speaker 3: very encouraging me because He doesn't just see me. He

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Speaker 3: sees what I do. He's recording what I do. God

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Speaker 3: cares about what I do. He says, I see your work,

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Speaker 3: I see your love for me, I see your love

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Speaker 3: for my people, and I see how you.

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Speaker 1: Continue in it.

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Speaker 3: I think the keyword is continue because time y'all know,

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Speaker 3: we're good at starting things, but we're not.

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Speaker 1: Always good at continuing things.

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Speaker 3: It's not hard to have faith at the start, it's

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Speaker 3: hard to have faith in the middle. The middle. Nobody

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Speaker 3: likes the middle. We like the beginning of something. But

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Speaker 3: this is where perseverance sets in. I think this is

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Speaker 3: so important because we live in a time right now

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Speaker 3: that we overestimate intensity, but we underestimate consistency.

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Speaker 1: Let me say to all my gen.

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Speaker 3: Z friends and all of young Alpha out there, you

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Speaker 3: want to be taken seriously in life, be consistent.

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Speaker 1: I need some parents to clap their hands a little bit.

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Speaker 3: Where's all the boomers that come on, Yes, preach the

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Speaker 3: word pastor. It's not what you do occasionally, it's what

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Speaker 3: you do consistently in fact, that would it this way.

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Speaker 3: Repetition creates reputation. You will be known for what you repeat. Repetition.

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Speaker 1: Do it again and again and again. Watch this.

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Speaker 3: Your gain is in your again. You want gains in life,

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Speaker 3: do it again. You want to grow in life, do

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Speaker 3: it again. You want to get stronger in life?

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Speaker 1: Do it again. You want your faith to increase this year?

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Speaker 1: Do it again?

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Speaker 3: Are there any do it again people in the house today?

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Speaker 3: Do it again. Anybody can start something. Anybody can start

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Speaker 3: a marriage. Can you continue in a marriage. Anybody can

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Speaker 3: start a family. I don't want to break down how

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Speaker 3: that works, but anybody can start that.

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Speaker 1: Can you continue being a father?

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Speaker 3: Shout out to all the dads out there that are

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Speaker 3: just in the middle of it, staying in it. Come on,

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Speaker 3: can we applaud every man in this house, every man

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Speaker 3: watching online.

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Speaker 1: We salute you, We honor you, great men of God.

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Speaker 3: Anybody can start a business, can you continue?

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Speaker 1: Anybody can start going to church?

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Speaker 3: Woo? Can you continue faithfully serving? I gotta be honest

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Speaker 3: with you, Like when I come to Elevation.

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Speaker 1: I'm always blown away.

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Speaker 3: By just the beauty of this place and the people

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Speaker 3: that come from all over the world, and how this

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Speaker 3: ministry touches the world. But the thing that I can't

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Speaker 3: get over is a man and a woman. Stephen and

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Speaker 3: Hawley some twenty years ago got a vision from God,

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Speaker 3: and they said, we're not just gonna do it one Sunday,

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Speaker 3: but twenty years later, we're gonna continue to persevere because

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Speaker 3: we believe God is watching what we do.

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Speaker 1: One more time.

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Speaker 3: Let's thank God for Godly leadership.

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Speaker 1: What a blessing wisdom will be proven right by all

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Speaker 1: her children.

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Speaker 3: I'm sitting here that I got a vision for my life.

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Speaker 3: My son Wyat's with me, eight years of age. Billy

440
00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:38,320
Speaker 3: Graham Ferdnick walked up here. I said, Jesus, I'm gonna

441
00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:40,560
Speaker 3: get Graham to lay hands on Wyat after this service,

442
00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:48,800
Speaker 3: because it's people that are persevering, not just starting, but continuing.

443
00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,359
Speaker 3: God keeps receipts on what you do, even if you

444
00:23:53,359 --> 00:23:56,200
Speaker 3: think it's small, even if you think it's insignificant, even

445
00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:58,800
Speaker 3: if you think it's mundane, even if you think it's average,

446
00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:01,240
Speaker 3: even if you think it's mediocre, He's watching. One of

447
00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:03,280
Speaker 3: my favorite illustrations is the Book of Nehemiah.

448
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:05,040
Speaker 1: If you know the story Nehemiah.

449
00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,720
Speaker 3: Well, Neomiyah was living the time that Israel had been

450
00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:12,040
Speaker 3: sieged and they were no more, and he was actually

451
00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:15,920
Speaker 3: a cup bearer to the king. Now, if you don't

452
00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:19,240
Speaker 3: know what a cup bearer is, a cup bearer with

453
00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:24,879
Speaker 3: somebody who would test the king's drink for poison. So

454
00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:31,080
Speaker 3: you think your job is bad, Hey, Nehemiah, man, how's

455
00:24:31,119 --> 00:24:37,439
Speaker 3: your job going so far? Pretty good? This dude was

456
00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:40,919
Speaker 3: a cup bearer and one day he hears the news

457
00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:44,560
Speaker 3: that his walls and the temple have been destroyed, and

458
00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,120
Speaker 3: although it had happened hundreds of years before, his heart

459
00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:50,600
Speaker 3: begins to break and he finds himself before the Lord

460
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:53,080
Speaker 3: and a passion begins to emerge, and he has this

461
00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:56,320
Speaker 3: desire to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls.

462
00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:58,680
Speaker 3: I want to encourage some people out there that many

463
00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:03,119
Speaker 3: times your burden is actually your assignment. The very thing

464
00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:06,320
Speaker 3: that's moving your heart, the very thing that feels like frustration,

465
00:25:06,560 --> 00:25:08,600
Speaker 3: is actually vision in disguise.

466
00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:10,520
Speaker 1: God is telling you.

467
00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,240
Speaker 3: That I put you on the earth to solve that.

468
00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:15,040
Speaker 3: And the Bible says that Neamiyah. He goes back to

469
00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:18,160
Speaker 3: Jerusalem and he begins to survey the rubble and the ruins,

470
00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:20,359
Speaker 3: and people are walking over the walls day in and

471
00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:23,040
Speaker 3: day out, because oftentimes we live in a place that

472
00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:25,680
Speaker 3: we just begin to lower our standards and you get

473
00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:26,520
Speaker 3: what you allow.

474
00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:29,600
Speaker 1: You cannot change that which you tolerate. And so people

475
00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:30,800
Speaker 1: have just been walking over the walls.

476
00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:32,760
Speaker 3: But Neomiah said, no, it can't happen this way, and

477
00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:35,400
Speaker 3: so he assembles a team and he puts people together,

478
00:25:35,720 --> 00:25:38,240
Speaker 3: and the Bible says, they start building the walls. And

479
00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:41,199
Speaker 3: as you would understand, a great vision always comes with

480
00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:45,560
Speaker 3: great opposition. As Neomiah is building, here comes the critics,

481
00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:48,280
Speaker 3: Sandballat and Tobias, and they come.

482
00:25:48,119 --> 00:25:49,480
Speaker 1: Over there and they try to put fear.

483
00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:52,760
Speaker 3: They try to put comments out there, they try to

484
00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:56,040
Speaker 3: make videos, they try to hate on Neomyah. And I

485
00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:58,440
Speaker 3: like Neomiah because Neomiah is up on that wall. He's

486
00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:00,520
Speaker 3: got a sword in one hand and he's got a

487
00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:01,400
Speaker 3: hammer in the.

488
00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:05,280
Speaker 1: Other, thick skin and soft heart. I want to encourage

489
00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:05,880
Speaker 1: some people.

490
00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:08,720
Speaker 3: If you ever build anything worth building, you will attract

491
00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:15,720
Speaker 3: critics worth ignoring. And they say, Neomayah, come down, we

492
00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:20,000
Speaker 3: gotta talk to you. But I like Neamiah's response, I'm sorry,

493
00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:24,280
Speaker 3: I am doing a great work, and I cannot come.

494
00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:24,760
Speaker 1: Down to you.

495
00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:27,359
Speaker 3: Some of y'all need to tattoo this on your soul

496
00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:31,120
Speaker 3: this year. I'm sorry. I'm building something great. I can't

497
00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,560
Speaker 3: come down to your pettiness. I can't come down to

498
00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:37,240
Speaker 3: your drama. I come down to your issues. Come on, somebody,

499
00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:46,520
Speaker 3: anybody building something worth building, And the Bible says in

500
00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:51,879
Speaker 3: fifty two days they rebuild those walls. Here's what's interesting

501
00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:56,200
Speaker 3: about the books Neemiah. There is not one supernatural miracle.

502
00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:04,800
Speaker 3: All there is is a submitted Sometimes the greatest testimony

503
00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:07,840
Speaker 3: and the greatest miracle that people are looking for is

504
00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:09,760
Speaker 3: that when you step out and you start, and you

505
00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:12,400
Speaker 3: begin something, when you face all hell and high water,

506
00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,720
Speaker 3: when you face backlash, when you begin to face things

507
00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:17,679
Speaker 3: that are trying to oppose you, the fact that you

508
00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:19,719
Speaker 3: stay standing and keep on building.

509
00:27:19,800 --> 00:27:24,200
Speaker 1: Let me tell you what that is a work of God.

510
00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:28,720
Speaker 3: In this summer, I was studying the book of Nemi,

511
00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:30,800
Speaker 3: and I never noticed it before, but I got to

512
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,440
Speaker 3: DMI chapter three and Nami chapter three.

513
00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:34,120
Speaker 1: This is interesting.

514
00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:38,240
Speaker 3: It records it's God's receipts on everybody who was a

515
00:27:38,240 --> 00:27:41,200
Speaker 3: part of rebuilding the temple and the walls, and one

516
00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:43,800
Speaker 3: guy stood out to me, this is Neamia. Chapter three,

517
00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:50,360
Speaker 3: verse fourteen. The dung gate was repaired by Malcajah, son

518
00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:52,400
Speaker 3: of Rakab. Let's just stop right there.

519
00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:57,280
Speaker 1: Do you know what the dung gate is.

520
00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:03,399
Speaker 3: As god toilet? The dumbgate is the bathroom.

521
00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:04,680
Speaker 1: And I had to stop.

522
00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:08,000
Speaker 3: I said, oh, my God, if God keeps receipts on

523
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:12,679
Speaker 3: who rebuilt his toilet, Oh, if God's got a record

524
00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:15,480
Speaker 3: of his plumber, don't you think he sees you today

525
00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:19,360
Speaker 3: raising those kids? If God remembers who built his toilet,

526
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:21,640
Speaker 3: don't you think he sees you ushering today? Don't you think

527
00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:24,680
Speaker 3: he sees everybody in the parking lot, every person who's

528
00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,840
Speaker 3: in our kids ministry right now, every person who's persevering

529
00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:28,719
Speaker 3: and continuing.

530
00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:30,480
Speaker 1: Come on, why don't we clap our hands and.

531
00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:34,760
Speaker 3: Thank God that he keeps receipts on what we do.

532
00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:43,960
Speaker 3: What you repeat is what you become known for. And today,

533
00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:47,280
Speaker 3: as we often can forget God, God says, I remember you.

534
00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:49,400
Speaker 1: I see you for who you are, but I also

535
00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:50,240
Speaker 1: see what you do.

536
00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,240
Speaker 3: Look at As the passage continues, he says it this way,

537
00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:58,040
Speaker 3: we want each of you to show this same diligence

538
00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:01,640
Speaker 3: keyword to the very end, so that what you hope

539
00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:05,480
Speaker 3: for may be fully realized. We do not want you

540
00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:10,240
Speaker 3: to become lazy, but to imitate those who, through faith

541
00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:14,360
Speaker 3: and patience, inherit what has been promised. So God keeps

542
00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:16,200
Speaker 3: your seats on who you are. God keeps your seats

543
00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:18,239
Speaker 3: on what you do. Lastly, God keeps your seats on

544
00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:24,000
Speaker 3: how you do it. He says, we don't want you

545
00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:28,400
Speaker 3: to become lazy. We want you to be diligent. He's

546
00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:30,760
Speaker 3: saying it's not enough just to do the right thing.

547
00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:33,440
Speaker 3: There's a right thing to do in.

548
00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:34,520
Speaker 1: The right way.

549
00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,720
Speaker 3: That God doesn't just care about what He cares about.

550
00:29:38,800 --> 00:29:42,720
Speaker 3: How I'm twenty years married and I'm still learning this

551
00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:45,840
Speaker 3: principle my wife taught me early on.

552
00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:53,840
Speaker 1: Rich is not what you say I want to.

553
00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:57,200
Speaker 3: Help some of the single guys in this house today?

554
00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:00,440
Speaker 1: Is how you say it? Ladies? Can you is that?

555
00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:00,800
Speaker 1: Is that true?

556
00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:02,240
Speaker 3: It's not just what you say is how you said?

557
00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:04,800
Speaker 3: Listen to a man who's been married for almost twenty years.

558
00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:09,800
Speaker 1: I remember when I first, you know, got married to Dawntree.

559
00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:11,240
Speaker 3: We would go shop and in fact, it happened just

560
00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:13,760
Speaker 3: this past week but I'll take her shopping somewhere.

561
00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:15,480
Speaker 1: And it's always kind of a strange deal, you.

562
00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,200
Speaker 3: Know, as a dude, like going shopping with your wife.

563
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:20,440
Speaker 3: You need picking out some jeans, and you know, she

564
00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:22,360
Speaker 3: gets three pairs of jeans and you go over to

565
00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:24,560
Speaker 3: like the dressing room, and then you have to sit

566
00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:27,120
Speaker 3: there in that little stool outside the dressing room.

567
00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:29,080
Speaker 1: People walk by. You look really creep. You're like, no,

568
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:34,000
Speaker 1: I promise I'm here with somebody.

569
00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:34,360
Speaker 3: You know.

570
00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:40,720
Speaker 1: It's like, there's a guy my wife and this is

571
00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:41,239
Speaker 1: what my wife does.

572
00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:43,720
Speaker 3: My wife comes out of the dressing room barefoot and

573
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:45,200
Speaker 3: she's always on her tippy doesk.

574
00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:50,800
Speaker 1: Babe, babe, babe, babe, babe, how did the jeans look?

575
00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:54,480
Speaker 3: I'm like, why is she standing on her tippy toes?

576
00:30:55,920 --> 00:31:00,600
Speaker 3: And as a young man, stupid man on babe, the

577
00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:13,920
Speaker 3: genes look good because good to a man means good.

578
00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:19,000
Speaker 1: I mean, if good was good for God in the beginning,

579
00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:20,720
Speaker 1: God created the heavens on the earth, and he said.

580
00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:25,120
Speaker 3: It is good, you would think good is good for girls.

581
00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:28,480
Speaker 1: But good does not mean good to women. Good to women.

582
00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:33,640
Speaker 3: Means average mediocre. Oh so you think I look fat

583
00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:42,240
Speaker 3: in these genes? Jesus, I've had to learn that it's

584
00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:44,120
Speaker 3: not just what I say, it's how I say it.

585
00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:46,840
Speaker 3: So now when we go shopping and she comes out

586
00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:48,880
Speaker 3: in a pair of jeens, baby, do they look good?

587
00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,040
Speaker 3: If I like the genes, I have to lose my

588
00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:53,680
Speaker 3: ever loving mind.

589
00:31:56,320 --> 00:32:03,000
Speaker 1: Whoa, there is a god somewhere.

590
00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:07,560
Speaker 3: I gotta go he shondoobo shinda a bah kisha dada.

591
00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:11,560
Speaker 3: I gotta do a praise break in the department store.

592
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:21,840
Speaker 1: My wife, babe, you like.

593
00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:27,640
Speaker 3: Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, I love him.

594
00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:28,600
Speaker 1: Get him, get them all.

595
00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:37,960
Speaker 3: Because it's not just what, it's how I'm telling you

596
00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:39,480
Speaker 3: our God, this is our God. You want to know

597
00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:42,080
Speaker 3: the difference between a relationship and religion. It's the motivation

598
00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:45,600
Speaker 3: of your heart. It's the intention of why you do something.

599
00:32:45,600 --> 00:32:48,280
Speaker 3: And here's God. He said, I want you to be diligent.

600
00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,480
Speaker 3: I want you to do it with the ripe attitude.

601
00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:54,840
Speaker 3: Do not be lazy. Lazy doesn't mean that you couldn't

602
00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:57,320
Speaker 3: do it. Lazy means you could have done it, but

603
00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:01,600
Speaker 3: you chose not to do it. Lazy means you chose

604
00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:02,960
Speaker 3: not to put forth the effort.

605
00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:06,120
Speaker 1: It was within my power, but but I stayed back.

606
00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:08,600
Speaker 1: I could have I should have, but I didn't. I

607
00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:10,040
Speaker 1: was lazy. I was apathetic.

608
00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:12,800
Speaker 3: And sometimes, to be honest with you, sometimes lazy is

609
00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:13,680
Speaker 3: just unawareness.

610
00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:18,760
Speaker 1: Sometimes lazy is just assumption. Some years ago, I was with.

611
00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:21,840
Speaker 3: Some pastor friends after church, and we were our couples,

612
00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,080
Speaker 3: and we were eating some dinner afterwards at the world

613
00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:28,560
Speaker 3: famous Cheesecake Factory because I like to drink my calorie

614
00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:31,760
Speaker 3: strawberry lemon hay shout out. And we're having the best night,

615
00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:33,120
Speaker 3: you know those nights where you're just hanging out and

616
00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:35,280
Speaker 3: just talking and we're just enjoying each other. And we

617
00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:37,920
Speaker 3: had been at a meeting and we're laughing and we're

618
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,480
Speaker 3: reminiscing and Wow, God moved, and we're telling jokes, and

619
00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:44,920
Speaker 3: we get up from the dinner table and we walk

620
00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:47,280
Speaker 3: out and we're still laughing, when all of a sudden,

621
00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:52,080
Speaker 3: we hear excuse me, and we turn around and there

622
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:53,600
Speaker 3: is the waitress holding.

623
00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:57,920
Speaker 1: The receipt and she said, you forgot to.

624
00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:03,080
Speaker 3: Pay your bill, to which I'm quickly mortified because I

625
00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:04,520
Speaker 3: can just already see the Miami Herald.

626
00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:09,359
Speaker 1: Pastor and his friends skips out on meal. Take it.

627
00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:12,520
Speaker 1: But we looked at each other and said, Whoaha, whohoa,

628
00:34:12,719 --> 00:34:15,200
Speaker 1: I thought you paid for it. Well whoa whoah, I

629
00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:17,640
Speaker 1: thought you were gonna take care of it. I thought

630
00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:18,279
Speaker 1: you had paid it.

631
00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:20,960
Speaker 3: No, no, no, And all of us watch this, All of us.

632
00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:22,080
Speaker 1: Had the ability.

633
00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:24,520
Speaker 3: We all reached for our wall and said, no, no, let

634
00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,440
Speaker 3: me pay. We had just assumed that the other had

635
00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:30,480
Speaker 3: done it. Can I just speak at the twenty year

636
00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:34,279
Speaker 3: mark of Elevation Church. If we're not careful, we will

637
00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:36,120
Speaker 3: just assume that somebody else is going to pick up

638
00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:38,600
Speaker 3: the bill. We'll just assume man the parking lot, they

639
00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:40,759
Speaker 3: got the workers. That's already good. They don't need any

640
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:43,000
Speaker 3: more help in the kids ministry. I want to say

641
00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:47,040
Speaker 3: it this way, if everybody behaved like you at Elevation.

642
00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:49,040
Speaker 1: Church, would we be better or would we be worse?

643
00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:51,600
Speaker 1: Come on? May we be a church that.

644
00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:58,439
Speaker 3: We say we want to play our part. I want

645
00:34:58,440 --> 00:35:01,440
Speaker 3: to play my part because God's paying attention to how

646
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:03,520
Speaker 3: in which I do it.

647
00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:11,879
Speaker 1: How's your soul today? Where are you at with God?

648
00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:16,720
Speaker 3: I know we came out praising God loudly, but sometimes

649
00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:19,319
Speaker 3: we can gather corporately and we can worship Him with.

650
00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:20,040
Speaker 1: Might and strength.

651
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:22,080
Speaker 3: But we can walk out of these doors and we

652
00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:24,879
Speaker 3: can begin to live these quiet lives of desperation. Does

653
00:35:24,960 --> 00:35:28,920
Speaker 3: my life matter? Do I have purpose? What's going on?

654
00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:33,359
Speaker 3: How do I fit into the story? And I love

655
00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:37,360
Speaker 3: what the writer Hebrews does here because as he is

656
00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:40,680
Speaker 3: reminding them that God doesn't forget them, he gives them

657
00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:42,840
Speaker 3: a practical application. I want to give you the practical

658
00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:44,600
Speaker 3: application today.

659
00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:46,560
Speaker 1: He says, be imitators.

660
00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:53,319
Speaker 3: Important word, Imitate those who've come before you. Important principle life.

661
00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:58,080
Speaker 3: What you behold is what you become. He says, imitate

662
00:35:58,120 --> 00:36:02,399
Speaker 3: those who have gone before you. One theological Christian writer

663
00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:04,920
Speaker 3: said this that the great demise of the day is

664
00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:06,840
Speaker 3: that we are going through a time of what we

665
00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:11,840
Speaker 3: call historical dislocation. And let me just make that statement

666
00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:15,280
Speaker 3: very very practical for you. All that simply means is

667
00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:18,080
Speaker 3: is that if you don't understand your history, you will

668
00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:22,239
Speaker 3: not care about your destiny. If you don't know where

669
00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:26,080
Speaker 3: you come from, you will not care where you are going.

670
00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:30,040
Speaker 3: And so what we must do is we must imitate

671
00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:34,240
Speaker 3: those who've gone before us. The Church of Jesus Christ

672
00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:37,000
Speaker 3: at large has not moved forward from success to success.

673
00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:40,240
Speaker 3: It hasn't moved forward from event to event. It hasn't

674
00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:43,360
Speaker 3: moved forward from concert to concert. It hasn't moved forward

675
00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:45,719
Speaker 3: from thing to thing. It has moved forward from sacrifice

676
00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:49,880
Speaker 3: to sacrifice. It's moved forward through blood, sweat and tears,

677
00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:53,640
Speaker 3: from grace to grace, strength to strength, and glory to glory.

678
00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:56,759
Speaker 3: And we got here because of the faithfulness of many

679
00:36:56,800 --> 00:36:59,640
Speaker 3: who went before us, many who know exactly how you

680
00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:02,359
Speaker 3: feel today. Many who are in a hard place even

681
00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:05,920
Speaker 3: right now, Many who felt the discouragement, who were tempted

682
00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:08,799
Speaker 3: to go backwards, but instead they leaned in and they

683
00:37:08,960 --> 00:37:12,160
Speaker 3: moved forward. The question is do you know your story?

684
00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:14,840
Speaker 3: And maybe you're hearing you like, oh, but rich, I

685
00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:17,439
Speaker 3: don't have a story like yours. I don't come from

686
00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:19,640
Speaker 3: four generations of Pentecostal preachers.

687
00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:21,120
Speaker 1: Maybe you're like, I see.

688
00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:22,440
Speaker 3: Graham Ferdick up there on the stage, but that's not

689
00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:24,760
Speaker 3: my story. I didn't have a dad like Stephen Ferdick.

690
00:37:25,320 --> 00:37:27,520
Speaker 3: I didn't have a family of origin quite like that.

691
00:37:27,680 --> 00:37:30,040
Speaker 3: I hear you, and that is important, and I'm sorry

692
00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:31,480
Speaker 3: you did not get that gift.

693
00:37:31,680 --> 00:37:33,000
Speaker 1: But I want to remind.

694
00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:35,640
Speaker 3: You that equally powerful is not just your family of origin,

695
00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:38,480
Speaker 3: but it is your family of choice, and that is

696
00:37:38,520 --> 00:37:40,279
Speaker 3: the power of the Body of Christ, that is.

697
00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:50,120
Speaker 1: The power of the Church. That maybe your daddy wasn't there, But.

698
00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:54,319
Speaker 3: I'm grateful for this writer in Hebrews, as he moves

699
00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:57,600
Speaker 3: on from chapter six, he gets to chapter twelve, and

700
00:37:57,640 --> 00:37:58,799
Speaker 3: he gives us a picture of.

701
00:37:58,719 --> 00:37:59,560
Speaker 1: Who to imitate.

702
00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:04,319
Speaker 3: He says in chapter twelve, Therefore, since we are surrounded

703
00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:10,080
Speaker 3: by a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off

704
00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:14,000
Speaker 3: everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.

705
00:38:15,160 --> 00:38:17,960
Speaker 3: Maybe you feel alone today, but can I remind you

706
00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:20,840
Speaker 3: You might feel secluded, but in reality you are surrounded.

707
00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:25,480
Speaker 3: All of Heaven is watching you. All of Heaven is

708
00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:28,960
Speaker 3: looking down upon you. All of Heaven is seeing you

709
00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:31,400
Speaker 3: run this race. I don't know if you ever ran

710
00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:33,319
Speaker 3: a race before. It's one thing to run a race

711
00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:35,360
Speaker 3: in the woods with no one looking. It's another thing

712
00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:36,960
Speaker 3: when you're getting close to the finish line and the

713
00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:37,839
Speaker 3: crowd is out there.

714
00:38:38,239 --> 00:38:40,200
Speaker 1: You start running with a whole brand new swag.

715
00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:46,200
Speaker 3: Hey, and all of heaven is watching you.

716
00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:47,360
Speaker 1: Well, who's watching me?

717
00:38:47,480 --> 00:38:50,359
Speaker 3: Rich? The Bible tells you in Hebrews chapter eleven, it's

718
00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:52,319
Speaker 3: called the Hall of Faith. It's men and women who

719
00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:55,080
Speaker 3: died before us. They die without ever seeing the promise.

720
00:38:55,280 --> 00:38:59,760
Speaker 3: Enoch is watching you, and Abel is watching you. Father Abraham,

721
00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:03,680
Speaker 3: he's watching you, and Isaac's watching you, and Jacob's watching you,

722
00:39:04,239 --> 00:39:06,759
Speaker 3: and Joseph's watching you, and Moses is watching you, and

723
00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:10,720
Speaker 3: Samson is watching you, and they are saying, run your race.

724
00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:11,960
Speaker 1: Press on.

725
00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:15,480
Speaker 3: I know you're tired, but do not grow weary in

726
00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:18,200
Speaker 3: doing good, for at the proper time.

727
00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:22,799
Speaker 1: You will reap a harvest. God is faithful.

728
00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:40,879
Speaker 3: Sometimes when I'm weak, sometimes when I'm tempted to quit,

729
00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:46,440
Speaker 3: I pray to Jesus no doubt.

730
00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:51,200
Speaker 1: But I can hear the voices in my head of

731
00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:54,560
Speaker 1: my grandfather and my uncle's.

732
00:39:56,000 --> 00:39:59,080
Speaker 3: I can hear my grandfather, Fulton bonte pastor the same

733
00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:02,920
Speaker 3: church you don't know as, but for forty years he

734
00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:08,120
Speaker 3: preached really simple messages, short sermons. He preached the message,

735
00:40:08,440 --> 00:40:14,520
Speaker 3: crier river, build a bridge, get over it. And I

736
00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:16,840
Speaker 3: can hear the voice of Fulton Bontang when I feel

737
00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:19,200
Speaker 3: like quitting, when I feel overlooked, when I feel not seen,

738
00:40:19,239 --> 00:40:20,879
Speaker 3: I can hear him saying, rich, it's always too soon

739
00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:24,239
Speaker 3: to quit. I can hear my uncle Mark Bonteyn, who

740
00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:27,520
Speaker 3: gave his life in Calcutta India, worked with Mother Teresa,

741
00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:29,279
Speaker 3: built a hospital, built a church.

742
00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:30,920
Speaker 1: You don't know his name, but.

743
00:40:30,960 --> 00:40:33,320
Speaker 3: He gave his life for the Gospel and for the mission.

744
00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:37,239
Speaker 3: I can hear him quoting the words of Mother Teresa Rich.

745
00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:42,080
Speaker 3: It's not about being successful, it's about being faithful. I

746
00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:45,560
Speaker 3: can hear my uncle David Wilkerson, who started.

747
00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:46,719
Speaker 1: Times Square Church and.

748
00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:50,480
Speaker 3: Who initiated and began Teen Challenge, the world's largest drug

749
00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:54,200
Speaker 3: rehab program in the world, went to New York as

750
00:40:54,239 --> 00:40:57,440
Speaker 3: a young man, stood in the face of adversity and opposition,

751
00:40:57,760 --> 00:41:00,000
Speaker 3: looked at gang members one time with a switch blow

752
00:41:00,239 --> 00:41:02,960
Speaker 3: to his throat. They said, preacher, if you don't stop preaching,

753
00:41:03,320 --> 00:41:05,400
Speaker 3: we're gonna cut you up into a million pieces.

754
00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:07,680
Speaker 1: But with the conviction and the courage.

755
00:41:07,320 --> 00:41:09,520
Speaker 3: Of the Holy Spirit, he looked back and said, you

756
00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:11,880
Speaker 3: could cut me into a million pieces, but every one

757
00:41:11,920 --> 00:41:13,600
Speaker 3: of those pieces will look back up at you and

758
00:41:13,640 --> 00:41:16,759
Speaker 3: say I love you, and Jesus Christ loves you as well.

759
00:41:17,760 --> 00:41:24,080
Speaker 1: I hear his voice. Rich.

760
00:41:24,120 --> 00:41:26,160
Speaker 3: You're not called to a life of convenience.

761
00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:27,480
Speaker 1: You're called to a life of conviction.

762
00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:36,840
Speaker 3: These voices are cheering me on. Although at times I get.

763
00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:39,040
Speaker 1: Tired and weary, I'm reminded.

764
00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:44,799
Speaker 3: God is not unjust. He will not forget us. And

765
00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:48,319
Speaker 3: so today it's out of his strength and out of

766
00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:50,840
Speaker 3: his reminder and through the power of His Holy Spirit,

767
00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:53,440
Speaker 3: that we move forward.

768
00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,799
Speaker 1: And you're saying, but Rich, that's not my story. I know.

769
00:41:56,920 --> 00:41:59,719
Speaker 1: But you've been grafted into the family of God.

770
00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:02,600
Speaker 3: Because of what Jesus did on across two thousand years ago,

771
00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:06,240
Speaker 3: when his blood was shed. That became your spiritual DNA.

772
00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:07,600
Speaker 1: And now you.

773
00:42:07,680 --> 00:42:10,160
Speaker 3: Got a great great, great, great, great great great granddaddy

774
00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:13,080
Speaker 3: called Abraham, who stepped out into the unknown, and it

775
00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:21,240
Speaker 3: was there in the unknown that all things became known. Moses,

776
00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:25,879
Speaker 3: is a part of your legacy. I can't do it.

777
00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:29,239
Speaker 3: I'm not qualified. But here comes God. He's looking at

778
00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:32,520
Speaker 3: you and saying, all I need is somebody who's available.

779
00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:38,080
Speaker 1: I've made so many mistakes, Yo, Samson.

780
00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:46,800
Speaker 3: Samson made it him to Hebrews eleven, because it reminds

781
00:42:46,800 --> 00:42:50,040
Speaker 3: me it's not how you start, Oh, it.

782
00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:51,080
Speaker 1: Is not about how you start.

783
00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:59,880
Speaker 3: Come on, somebody, it is about how you finish.

784
00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:00,759
Speaker 1: Bring up that verse.

785
00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:04,280
Speaker 3: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud

786
00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:07,319
Speaker 3: of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and

787
00:43:07,360 --> 00:43:10,560
Speaker 3: the sin that so easily entangles, And let us run

788
00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:15,280
Speaker 3: with perseverance. Someone say, perseverance the race marked out for us.

789
00:43:15,880 --> 00:43:20,080
Speaker 3: Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and.

790
00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:21,400
Speaker 1: Perfector of faith.

791
00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:25,400
Speaker 3: Watch this, for the joy set before him, he endured

792
00:43:25,520 --> 00:43:27,239
Speaker 3: the cross. You know what the joy set before him

793
00:43:27,360 --> 00:43:30,480
Speaker 3: was relationship with you. For the joy set before him,

794
00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:33,960
Speaker 3: he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down

795
00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:38,040
Speaker 3: at the right hand of the throne of God. If

796
00:43:38,040 --> 00:43:40,879
Speaker 3: you're grateful for Jesus today, can you go ahead and.

797
00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:43,160
Speaker 1: Clap your hands and give him praise all over this house?

798
00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:45,239
Speaker 3: Come on, stand up on your feet. This is a

799
00:43:45,239 --> 00:43:48,480
Speaker 3: God who keeps your seats. This is a God who

800
00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:52,200
Speaker 3: doesn't forget. This is a God who'll never leave.

801
00:43:52,120 --> 00:43:53,040
Speaker 1: You nor forsake you.

802
00:43:53,120 --> 00:43:53,920
Speaker 3: He's with you.

803
00:43:57,640 --> 00:43:59,919
Speaker 1: Today, all over this house. Can we just shut ourselves away?

804
00:44:01,120 --> 00:44:03,040
Speaker 3: If you're at home watching right now, if you're at

805
00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:05,800
Speaker 3: one of our other locations, I just believe it's a

806
00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:07,240
Speaker 3: sweet moment in God's presence.

807
00:44:08,719 --> 00:44:12,479
Speaker 1: God is faithful, God is just. He knows your name.

808
00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:15,640
Speaker 1: He picked you. Don't you know that when he picked

809
00:44:15,640 --> 00:44:16,680
Speaker 1: you he knew your flaws.

810
00:44:18,239 --> 00:44:20,600
Speaker 3: He's not surprised by you.

811
00:44:20,680 --> 00:44:22,160
Speaker 1: Oh, but Rich, I feel like I let him down.

812
00:44:22,480 --> 00:44:24,160
Speaker 1: You can't let him down. You were never holding him

813
00:44:24,239 --> 00:44:29,399
Speaker 1: up to begin with. Some of us are God's too small.

814
00:44:29,440 --> 00:44:34,520
Speaker 1: He's big man. He sees what you're doing. Don't grow

815
00:44:34,520 --> 00:44:35,680
Speaker 1: weary of doing good.

816
00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:41,319
Speaker 3: He's faithful, he loves you, he sees how you're doing it.

817
00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:45,879
Speaker 3: Holy Spirit, would you begin to move in this place,

818
00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:49,400
Speaker 3: even right here, right now, just if you're here in

819
00:44:49,440 --> 00:44:51,400
Speaker 3: the room today, and you'd say, Rich, you're preaching to

820
00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:56,200
Speaker 3: me today. I'm tired, I feel overlooked. I don't know

821
00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:58,719
Speaker 3: what the scenario is or the sequence. If that's you,

822
00:44:58,719 --> 00:45:00,320
Speaker 3: they would you just lift both your hands, pray for

823
00:45:00,360 --> 00:45:01,400
Speaker 3: you right where you are today.

824
00:45:01,680 --> 00:45:02,080
Speaker 1: That's you.

825
00:45:02,320 --> 00:45:04,320
Speaker 3: Yep, hands are going up. That's me, Rich, You're preaching

826
00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:06,840
Speaker 3: to me. I need God to remind me today. I

827
00:45:06,880 --> 00:45:07,600
Speaker 3: want God to remind me.

828
00:45:07,640 --> 00:45:09,680
Speaker 1: That's what the Holy Spirit does. He's a reminder. He

829
00:45:09,719 --> 00:45:11,520
Speaker 1: will come in and remind you.

830
00:45:12,960 --> 00:45:14,600
Speaker 3: Thank you, Holy Spirit, God, I thank you every hand

831
00:45:14,640 --> 00:45:16,480
Speaker 3: that's lifted right now. At the sound of my voice,

832
00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:21,920
Speaker 3: I decree and I declare Lord, Peace, refreshment, encouragement.

833
00:45:21,960 --> 00:45:23,400
Speaker 1: Lord, from the inside out.

834
00:45:24,280 --> 00:45:27,080
Speaker 3: May they sense you even here right now that you

835
00:45:27,160 --> 00:45:29,560
Speaker 3: are close God, that when we're broken God, that's where

836
00:45:29,560 --> 00:45:33,080
Speaker 3: you get really close God. Today, we've come into your

837
00:45:33,080 --> 00:45:34,360
Speaker 3: house to worship.

838
00:45:33,960 --> 00:45:34,759
Speaker 1: You, that God.

839
00:45:34,760 --> 00:45:36,560
Speaker 3: We might be going through something bad, but we still

840
00:45:36,560 --> 00:45:41,640
Speaker 3: declare you are God. So Lord, when our words run out,

841
00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:44,480
Speaker 3: we lift our hands as a sign that we are surrendering,

842
00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:46,480
Speaker 3: that we need a supernatural touch.

843
00:45:46,560 --> 00:45:47,200
Speaker 1: Day, Holy Spirit.

844
00:45:47,239 --> 00:45:49,960
Speaker 3: Would you rush through this room like a rushing wind

845
00:45:51,440 --> 00:45:57,120
Speaker 3: fire of God fall in this place. Redefine priorities. Remind us,

846
00:45:57,200 --> 00:45:58,360
Speaker 3: remind us, remind us, we.

847
00:45:58,360 --> 00:45:59,240
Speaker 1: Are your children.

848
00:46:00,800 --> 00:46:03,440
Speaker 3: We're not forsaken, We're not forgotten.

849
00:46:03,480 --> 00:46:09,840
Speaker 1: We are remembered, sin forgotten, tears recorded. Who is this God?

850
00:46:10,760 --> 00:46:12,520
Speaker 1: Hallylujah today with your head bowd your eyes closed.

851
00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:14,200
Speaker 3: If you're hearing this room today, or you're watching online,

852
00:46:14,239 --> 00:46:16,920
Speaker 3: and you never given your life to Jesus before we worship,

853
00:46:16,920 --> 00:46:19,880
Speaker 3: before we sing, if that's you, if you say that's me,

854
00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:23,040
Speaker 3: I want to surrender my life to Jesus. For God

855
00:46:23,160 --> 00:46:25,520
Speaker 3: so loved the world. You're in the world. He gave

856
00:46:25,560 --> 00:46:28,160
Speaker 3: his one and only son that whoever believes that it

857
00:46:28,200 --> 00:46:28,800
Speaker 3: will not perish.

858
00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:31,759
Speaker 1: But I've everlasting life. For God did not send his son.

859
00:46:31,640 --> 00:46:34,080
Speaker 3: In the world to condemned the world, but to save

860
00:46:34,239 --> 00:46:37,480
Speaker 3: the world. God wants to save your soul, but he

861
00:46:37,480 --> 00:46:38,720
Speaker 3: doesn't just want to get you to heaven.

862
00:46:38,880 --> 00:46:41,080
Speaker 1: He wants to walk with you through every trial and

863
00:46:41,160 --> 00:46:43,440
Speaker 1: every challenge. The Gospel is not a promise of a

864
00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:45,799
Speaker 1: problem free life. The Gospel is a promise that.

865
00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:48,080
Speaker 3: Every problem you come up against, he will be there

866
00:46:48,120 --> 00:46:50,600
Speaker 3: with you. So your head is bout and your eyes

867
00:46:50,600 --> 00:46:52,080
Speaker 3: are closed. It that's you today, you say, rich that's me.

868
00:46:52,200 --> 00:46:53,879
Speaker 3: Which would you pray with me? Now? I want to

869
00:46:53,920 --> 00:46:56,200
Speaker 3: be included in this prayer of salvation. I want to

870
00:46:56,239 --> 00:46:59,400
Speaker 3: be in the family of God. I believe Jesus is

871
00:46:59,400 --> 00:47:01,120
Speaker 3: my Lord's say, if that's you. On the count of three,

872
00:47:01,239 --> 00:47:02,959
Speaker 3: would you be bold with your hand up high enough

873
00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:04,840
Speaker 3: and long enough, and I'm gonna lead you in a prayer,

874
00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:06,759
Speaker 3: and then we're gonna give glory to God in this place.

875
00:47:06,800 --> 00:47:08,439
Speaker 1: Ready one, the Bible says, today's that day.

876
00:47:09,320 --> 00:47:11,040
Speaker 3: Two. Don't look at you neighbors, not about your Neighbor's

877
00:47:11,040 --> 00:47:14,400
Speaker 3: between you and Jesus. Ready, one, two, three, attach you

878
00:47:14,400 --> 00:47:14,719
Speaker 3: lift up.

879
00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:14,960
Speaker 2: That's me.

880
00:47:15,080 --> 00:47:16,200
Speaker 1: That's me, that's me, that's me.

881
00:47:16,320 --> 00:47:21,359
Speaker 3: Thank you, Jesus, Thank you, Jesus, Thank you, Jesus, Thank

882
00:47:21,400 --> 00:47:21,759
Speaker 3: you God.

883
00:47:25,080 --> 00:47:26,919
Speaker 1: Come on, elevation. Can we lift our hands towards heaven.

884
00:47:27,280 --> 00:47:29,839
Speaker 3: The Bible says, believe in your heart, confess with.

885
00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:31,920
Speaker 1: Your mouth, and you will be saved.

886
00:47:32,239 --> 00:47:37,520
Speaker 3: Say Dear Jesus, today, Lord, I surrender all of me

887
00:47:38,480 --> 00:47:39,000
Speaker 3: over to you.

888
00:47:39,680 --> 00:47:44,040
Speaker 1: I believe and I confess that you are who you

889
00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:44,759
Speaker 1: said that you are.

890
00:47:45,560 --> 00:47:49,200
Speaker 3: Forgive me. I receive your salvation.

891
00:47:49,920 --> 00:47:54,719
Speaker 1: Today. I declare, I am yours. You're my Lord, You're

892
00:47:54,760 --> 00:47:55,360
Speaker 1: my savior.

893
00:47:55,840 --> 00:48:00,759
Speaker 3: In Jesus' name. Everybody said, come on church, let's give

894
00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:01,480
Speaker 3: God pray.

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00:48:01,360 --> 00:48:04,120
Speaker 1: Phil thank you for joining us.

896
00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:06,880
Speaker 2: Special thanks to those of you who give generously to

897
00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:10,440
Speaker 2: this ministry. Is because of you that this ministry is possible.

898
00:48:10,880 --> 00:48:13,080
Speaker 2: You can click the link in the description to give

899
00:48:13,160 --> 00:48:17,319
Speaker 2: now or visit Elevationchurch dot org slash podcast for more

900
00:48:17,320 --> 00:48:21,120
Speaker 2: information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe.

901
00:48:21,400 --> 00:48:22,760
Speaker 1: You can share it with your friends.

902
00:48:23,040 --> 00:48:25,319
Speaker 2: You can click the share button, take a screenshot and

903
00:48:25,360 --> 00:48:27,480
Speaker 2: share it on your social stories and tag us at

904
00:48:27,480 --> 00:48:28,359
Speaker 2: Elevation Church.

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00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:30,040
Speaker 1: Thanks again for listening. God bless you.