WEBVTT - God Keeps Receipts (Rich Wilkerson Jr.) 0:00:04.960 --> 0:00:06.200 Hey, this is Stephen Fernick. 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:09.280 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, and this is our podcast. 0:00:09.440 --> 0:00:11.600 Be sure to subscribe so we can get you these 0:00:11.640 --> 0:00:14.680 new sermons every week. I hope you're blessed. 0:00:14.680 --> 0:00:23.919 Today I'm worship and now I'm reminded how the Scripture 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:26.840 says he inhabits the praises of his people. 0:00:28.080 --> 0:00:31.520 Notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't say inhabits the 0:00:31.560 --> 0:00:36.080 complaints of his people. It doesn't say inhabits the fears 0:00:36.120 --> 0:00:40.000 of his people. He doesn't inhabit the worries of his people. 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:43.040 I don't know what your week has looked like. I 0:00:43.040 --> 0:00:44.880 don't know if it's been a good week, bad week, 0:00:45.000 --> 0:00:46.720 or tough week. In fact, I woke up this morning 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:52.320 with some difficult sad news. But today is Sunday, and 0:00:52.360 --> 0:00:55.720 it's the first day of the week, and I'm gonna 0:00:55.720 --> 0:00:57.880 give God my best praise. I'm not to gonna tell 0:00:57.880 --> 0:01:00.840 God all about my problems. Come on, tell my problems 0:01:00.840 --> 0:01:05.120 all about my God. Somebody worship him here today. He's here. 0:01:08.319 --> 0:01:10.880 He's gonna speak to us. If you have a bible, 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:13.200 quickly reached for it. Hebrews chapter six is where I 0:01:13.200 --> 0:01:14.800 want you to turn I've got a word on my 0:01:14.880 --> 0:01:16.720 heart and I'm excited to share it. We're gonna stand 0:01:17.160 --> 0:01:20.839 for the reading of God's Word. What a sweet sense 0:01:20.840 --> 0:01:24.080 of God's presence in the house today. As you're turning there, 0:01:24.120 --> 0:01:26.080 let me just say what a huge honor it always 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:29.480 is to stand behind this pulpit, to come back year 0:01:29.520 --> 0:01:31.479 after year, to be here with all of you. When 0:01:31.520 --> 0:01:33.800 I come to elevation, I just feel like I'm at home. 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:39.000 I love you, and I just I think it's just 0:01:39.040 --> 0:01:41.679 important that we just always take some time weekend and 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:45.119 week out. I'm just more convinced the older I get, 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:47.600 am more and more convinced that the greatest blessings in 0:01:47.680 --> 0:01:52.560 life they walk into your life on two legs. A 0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:55.559 lot of people praying for miracles and breakthroughs and resources. 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:57.040 None of those things are bad to pray for. I 0:01:57.080 --> 0:01:59.360 just want to remind you that the greatest breakthroughs, the 0:01:59.360 --> 0:02:03.960 greatest mirrors, tend to be people. It's why it's important 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:05.559 to come to church, because you don't know who's sitting 0:02:05.560 --> 0:02:07.760 in front of you, you don't know who's sitting next 0:02:07.800 --> 0:02:09.440 to you, don't know who's sitting behind you. In fact, 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:10.920 just nudg your neighbors say, are you here from me? 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:15.800 Maybe just are that God sends you for me? Because 0:02:15.840 --> 0:02:19.400 God blesses our life through people, through one another. And 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:21.200 I would just be remiss if I did not tell 0:02:21.280 --> 0:02:24.480 you that one of the greatest gifts in my life 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:28.440 is the friendship and the mentorship of Pastor Stephen Ferdict. 0:02:28.520 --> 0:02:33.520 Can we just thank God for Pastor Stephen and Holly. 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:36.440 Here's what the Word of God says. It's important that 0:02:36.440 --> 0:02:38.200 you get this because this is not just what preachers do. 0:02:38.240 --> 0:02:40.040 It's not just cliche. The Word of God says that 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:42.240 those that labor and teach and preach God's where they 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:45.799 deserve double honor. And I just want to say, twenty 0:02:45.919 --> 0:02:48.680 years later, here they are still serving faithfully. Come on, 0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:50.280 whatever you were going to do, can you just double 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:52.800 it right now? Can we tell Pastor Stephen and Holly 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:55.880 we love you. We love you. In the chef tell 0:02:55.960 --> 0:02:58.720 them that you love I love you so much. Thank 0:02:58.760 --> 0:03:00.600 you for making my life so much better, and thank 0:03:00.639 --> 0:03:02.520 you for teaching and leading all of us. We're all 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:05.000 better because of you. Today, I've got a message on 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:06.720 my heart. Hebrews chapter six is whe I want to 0:03:06.720 --> 0:03:09.080 read from today. I don't know what you walked in 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:10.400 here with today. I don't know what it is that 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.600 you're carrying. The Book of Hebrews is one of these 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:15.359 interesting books the Bible that we don't know who the 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:17.840 author is. But that's okay because we know who the 0:03:17.919 --> 0:03:23.720 audience is. And the audience is believers that are being persecuted, 0:03:23.720 --> 0:03:26.600 that are tired, that are fatigued, that are thinking about 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:29.040 going back to their old way, And here comes God 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:31.320 and he wants to remind them of the fulfillment of 0:03:31.360 --> 0:03:34.120 who Jesus is. He wants to remind them that they 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:36.240 are never alone. He wants to remind them that they 0:03:36.240 --> 0:03:39.280 have everything they need in Christ Jesus. This is Hebrews 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:43.160 chapter six. I'm going to start in verse ten. God 0:03:43.800 --> 0:03:49.520 is not unjust. He will not forget your work and 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:52.200 the love you have shown him as you have helped 0:03:52.240 --> 0:03:56.360 his people and continue to help them. We want each 0:03:56.440 --> 0:04:00.520 of you to show this same diligence to the very end, 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:04.200 so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:08.840 We do not want you to become lazy, but to 0:04:09.160 --> 0:04:15.680 imitate those who, through faith and patience, inherit what has 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:20.840 been promised. I like that line, imitate those who through 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:24.440 faith and patience inherit what has been promised. I want 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:26.279 to take the next few moments if I can, and 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:29.000 I want to preach to you from the subject God 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:35.680 keeps receipts. Sometimes you can just close after the title, 0:04:36.680 --> 0:04:38.920 because that's a word for someone. God keeps receipts. Would 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:41.839 you pray with the Lord, We thank you for your word. God. 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:43.520 We thank you that today Lord, as we read it, Lord, 0:04:43.640 --> 0:04:46.400 it reads us. God. We've come into this place for 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:50.479 one reason, which is to lift you up. It's to 0:04:50.520 --> 0:04:53.120 make much out of your name, the one name that 0:04:53.240 --> 0:04:55.880 at that name of Jesus, every knee, will bow, and 0:04:55.920 --> 0:04:59.040 every tongue will confess. Today, Lord, I pray that you 0:04:59.080 --> 0:05:02.240 would remind some people who they are in you. I 0:05:02.320 --> 0:05:04.560 pray that your word would jump into our hearts and 0:05:04.640 --> 0:05:07.480 we would leave here different from how we came. We 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:09.920 thank you in advance for what you're about to do. 0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:12.159 We praise you in this place. And if you agree 0:05:12.160 --> 0:05:15.040 with that prayer, all of God's people said, all of 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:17.719 God's people said, come on, makes some noise if you 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:22.719 love Jesus. High five two or three people and say, 0:05:22.760 --> 0:05:27.680 God keeps receipts. God keeps receipts. Put that in the chat. 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:37.960 God keeps receipts. This is a very special year for me. 0:05:38.960 --> 0:05:41.720 I know at Elevation, you guys have been celebrating twenty 0:05:41.800 --> 0:05:43.840 years as a church. We put our hands together for 0:05:43.920 --> 0:05:49.200 twenty years of faithfulness and service. But it's also a 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:52.520 special year for me because not only does Elevation turn twenty, 0:05:52.560 --> 0:06:00.080 but this year I will celebrate my twenty year wedding anniversary. 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:02.919 I met my wife when I was seventeen years of 0:06:02.920 --> 0:06:05.600 age and we got married young. I said, girl, if 0:06:05.640 --> 0:06:11.040 you ever leave, I'm going with you, and I just 0:06:11.440 --> 0:06:14.520 I love being married's She sends her greetings my wife 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:18.360 Dontrie are four little children. And it's funny, I want 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:23.919 to say to all the guys, like fellas, women remember anniversaries, 0:06:25.040 --> 0:06:29.320 in fact, like women remember everything, like like my wife 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:31.919 makes me laugh. She'd like, rich, do you know what 0:06:32.000 --> 0:06:36.680 today is? I'm like Tuesday? She's like, no, four years 0:06:36.720 --> 0:06:38.760 ago we sat in the parking lot after brunch and 0:06:38.760 --> 0:06:41.479 we drank sparkling water together. Remember that, No, I don't. 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:47.720 I remember some years ago I was away preaching and 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:50.359 teaching that I think I was in England and Dauntrey 0:06:50.520 --> 0:06:53.280 was back home and we were on different you know, 0:06:53.400 --> 0:06:56.039 time changes, and it was actually our anniversary day, and 0:06:56.320 --> 0:06:57.800 somehow we got on the phone that morning. We were 0:06:57.800 --> 0:06:59.800 talking chit chat and you know, all right, girl, yeah, 0:06:59.839 --> 0:07:01.800 I love you, you know I love you. Shut up, you know, 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:06.560 just Christian toxic flirting. And we got off the phone, 0:07:07.200 --> 0:07:11.320 but never said happy anniversary. Dawntri immediately called me back. 0:07:11.600 --> 0:07:15.880 She said, Rich, did you forget our anniversary? I had 0:07:15.920 --> 0:07:20.000 to think quick, I said, girl, every day's our anniversary. 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:23.680 Come on, somebody, that will work one time and one 0:07:23.720 --> 0:07:30.240 time only. But if you know, we are a forgetful people, 0:07:31.480 --> 0:07:34.440 and we don't just forget earthly relationships. Oftentimes, we have 0:07:34.480 --> 0:07:38.960 a tendency to forget our heavenly relationship. And what I 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:44.160 want to remind you is that forgetfulness is expensive, because 0:07:44.280 --> 0:07:49.880 your faith fades when your memory fails. A lot of 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:52.040 us we just have a tendency to forget all that 0:07:52.120 --> 0:07:55.920 God has done in our life over and over and 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:59.880 over again. Our faith begins to suffer when we forget. 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:03.040 It's funny because you go back into the Old Testament 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:04.880 and you see time and time again, the Israelites they 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:07.360 had the same problem. I mean, how may y'all know 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:12.200 that yesterday's miracle becomes today's minimum requirement. I mean the Israelites. 0:08:12.240 --> 0:08:15.040 God parts a red sea, and then a couple days 0:08:15.080 --> 0:08:19.760 later they are actually complaining about the menu. What are 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:23.120 we gonna eat? Dude, he parted the red sea. I 0:08:23.160 --> 0:08:27.000 think he can take care of breakfast. But we're so 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:28.800 quick to judge them, but we do the same thing. 0:08:29.640 --> 0:08:31.280 God pays a bill, next wee thing we're going to 0:08:31.360 --> 0:08:34.000 what about the next bill? God heals your body, but 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:37.079 now you're panicked about the future. God opens up a door. 0:08:37.160 --> 0:08:39.600 Now you're worried. Will he open up the next door? 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:42.960 So often in life we are so good at remembering 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:46.840 what hurt us, but we forget what held us. I 0:08:46.880 --> 0:08:48.720 wonder I'm not trying to come with shame today, but like, 0:08:49.160 --> 0:08:51.880 how much more does God have to bless you before 0:08:51.960 --> 0:08:57.200 you can be happy? How many more prayers does he 0:08:57.240 --> 0:08:58.880 have to answer before you don't have to go into 0:08:58.880 --> 0:09:02.080 the next season with anxiety? How many more times does 0:09:02.120 --> 0:09:04.600 God have to pull you out before you can trust 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:07.079 He's gonna pull me through this one? Come on, somebody 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:12.319 my preaching anybody today. We don't need more proof, We 0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:17.520 need a better memory. We have selective memory, and God 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:19.480 knows this about us. Have you noticed that? Like when 0:09:19.480 --> 0:09:21.600 you read the Bible, what is God trying to do 0:09:21.760 --> 0:09:25.200 over and over again? God's like, remember, remember the Covenant, 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:28.520 Remember the Sabbath. Remember I'm the one who brought you out. 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:32.040 In fact, so much of the Old Testament is stories 0:09:32.040 --> 0:09:34.760 of traditions and rhythms and systems of God trying to 0:09:35.120 --> 0:09:38.760 systematically help you not forget. What do you think passover 0:09:38.800 --> 0:09:43.240 meal is? Passover meal is a systematic moment. It's not 0:09:43.520 --> 0:09:47.360 just a meal. It's memory training. God says, hey, for 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:49.840 four hundred years you were in slavery, but I brought 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:51.920 you up out of Egypt. Not just brought you out. 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:55.200 You plunder the Egyptians when you left that place. So 0:09:55.280 --> 0:09:57.720 here's what I want you to do. Every year. I 0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:00.679 want you to put lamb on the table you drink 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:03.000 the cup because I want you to tell your kids, 0:10:03.280 --> 0:10:06.440 once we were in slavery. But our God, he's the 0:10:06.440 --> 0:10:09.079 God who makes a way out of no way. Anybody 0:10:09.200 --> 0:10:12.760 thankful for a God who brings you out. Don't forget it, 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:16.080 because your fate's gonna suffer if you forget. But then 0:10:16.160 --> 0:10:17.679 Jesus shows up on the scene, and all of a 0:10:17.720 --> 0:10:20.679 sudden he re enacts this entire moment. It's called communion. 0:10:20.880 --> 0:10:24.160 What does he do? He says, drink the cup and 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:27.080 do this in remembrance of me. What I love about 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:29.080 the New Testament version is that Jesus is at the 0:10:29.080 --> 0:10:31.280 Passover meal, but for the first time, there's not just 0:10:31.400 --> 0:10:35.960 lamb on the table. There's a lamb at the table. 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:38.920 Is that not what John said, Behold the Lamb of 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:41.440 God who takes away the sins of the world. And 0:10:41.480 --> 0:10:43.320 as Jesus holds the cup and says, do this in 0:10:43.320 --> 0:10:45.959 remembrance of me, what is he saying. He's saying, Moses 0:10:46.000 --> 0:10:49.320 brought you out of physical slavery, but I'm getting ready 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:53.280 to bring you out of spiritual slavery. Ooh, Lamb's blood 0:10:53.280 --> 0:10:55.800 on the door post protected you for the night. But 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:59.400 when my blood is slain and scattered across the cross, 0:11:00.120 --> 0:11:03.080 you will be saved for eternity. I need you to 0:11:03.120 --> 0:11:06.040 take a moment right now and thank God for his grace, 0:11:06.440 --> 0:11:09.400 thank God for his goodness. If he doesn't do one 0:11:09.480 --> 0:11:12.880 more thing, come on, he's been good to you. I 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:19.880 just can't to say thank you God. A generation who 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:24.400 forgets deliverance is a generation who will quickly lose gratitude 0:11:24.440 --> 0:11:32.480 for freedom, and freedom forgotten is entitlement. May we never 0:11:32.600 --> 0:11:37.520 be entitled? May we remember? If all we did today 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:40.000 was just remind you of what He's already done, it 0:11:40.080 --> 0:11:45.800 would be more than enough. I feel like preaching a 0:11:45.840 --> 0:11:49.400 little bit today because I could just land right there 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:51.680 and just take you down memory lane. But I want 0:11:51.679 --> 0:11:54.840 to try to get personal with you, and I'll just 0:11:54.920 --> 0:11:57.760 use me as an example. I don't just forget my 0:11:57.800 --> 0:12:03.520 wife's anniversary or our anniversary. I forget God. But here's 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:07.960 what's so good about the Gospel. Anybody thankful that although 0:12:08.000 --> 0:12:13.600 we forget God, God promises not to forget us. Anybody 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:18.040 grateful that even when we're faithless, he is still faithful. 0:12:18.040 --> 0:12:22.120 Does anybody have a testimony of the faithfulness of God 0:12:28.080 --> 0:12:31.520 in so many ways? That's what's happening here. In the 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:35.760 Book of Hebrews, you see there is this phrase in society, 0:12:35.840 --> 0:12:38.880 I got receipts. Have you heard this before? This isn't 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:43.199 like grocery store language slang. Okay, I got receipts, me, 0:12:43.280 --> 0:12:46.400 I got proof, I got screenshots. I will expose you. 0:12:46.440 --> 0:12:55.199 I will go Candice owens on you. But God, he's 0:12:55.200 --> 0:13:00.240 got receipts. But God doesn't keep receipts to shame you. 0:13:01.200 --> 0:13:05.400 God keeps receipts to save you. The Bible says it 0:13:05.440 --> 0:13:07.920 this way, that he forgets our sins as far as 0:13:07.920 --> 0:13:10.760 the east is from the west. If you are in 0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:14.880 Christ Jesus, your sins are no more. But another Bible 0:13:14.920 --> 0:13:17.439 verse says that every one of your tears, he captures 0:13:17.480 --> 0:13:19.640 them and he puts them in his bottle. Who is 0:13:19.679 --> 0:13:24.800 this God who forgets my sins but records every one 0:13:24.840 --> 0:13:28.760 of my tears. He is a good father who loves 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:32.959 us even when we don't feel lovable. No, God keeps 0:13:33.000 --> 0:13:36.480 receipts not to expose us, but to exonerate us. God 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:38.760 keeps receipts not to punish you, but to promote you. 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:42.160 God keeps receipts not because he wants to condemn you, 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:45.840 but because he wants to commend you. Anybody thankful for 0:13:45.880 --> 0:13:51.520 a God who says I will not forget you. I 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:53.440 won't forget you. And today I don't know who I'm 0:13:53.440 --> 0:13:54.800 preaching to, but I just have a sense of my 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:56.960 heart that people have walked in. And maybe you're tired 0:13:57.040 --> 0:13:59.400 or you're fatigued, and maybe you're on your faith journey 0:13:59.400 --> 0:14:01.680 and you're having a difficult time. You're in a hard place, 0:14:01.679 --> 0:14:03.760 you're in a tired place, you're in a place about 0:14:03.760 --> 0:14:06.360 your thinking about giving up. I don't want to remind 0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:08.040 you of your strength. I want to remind you of 0:14:08.080 --> 0:14:10.520 his strength. I want to remind you of a God 0:14:10.559 --> 0:14:14.200 who promises, if you're in Christ Jesus, to remember you. 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:17.160 I want to show you three things that God keeps 0:14:17.160 --> 0:14:20.480 receipts on. Number one, God keeps receipts on who you are. 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:23.720 This is encouraging to me. This is Hebrews chapter six, 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:26.560 Verse ten. God is not unjust. He will not forget 0:14:26.600 --> 0:14:31.400 your work and the love you have shown him. He 0:14:31.440 --> 0:14:33.520 doesn't look at these tired people and say, I won't 0:14:33.520 --> 0:14:36.040 forget the church. I won't forget the crowd, I won't 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:40.240 forget the gathering. He says, I won't forget you. God 0:14:40.320 --> 0:14:44.360 is the god of individuals. Yes, he loves the world, 0:14:44.880 --> 0:14:47.600 but you are what make up the world. And I 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:49.280 think today you've got to get some confidence in the 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:51.480 fact that He sees you. He knows what's going on 0:14:51.600 --> 0:14:55.480 inside of your life. Every fear, every worry, every area 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:58.120 of doubt. Today he sees you in that place and 0:14:58.200 --> 0:15:01.240 he cares about you. One of the greatest examples of 0:15:01.240 --> 0:15:02.880 this is that as you read the New Testament, if 0:15:02.920 --> 0:15:04.960 you ever get to the Book of Matthew, Matthew chapter 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:08.000 one starts with the genealogy of Jesus. Now, a lot 0:15:08.040 --> 0:15:09.680 of us, if we have like a Bible reading plan, 0:15:09.920 --> 0:15:12.600 some of us we skip that part. It's like, I 0:15:12.600 --> 0:15:14.840 don't know about anybody who goes to the movies and 0:15:14.880 --> 0:15:16.840 the movie ends and you're like, hey, steak, stick around, 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:21.880 Why I love the credits. No one really does that, 0:15:22.120 --> 0:15:25.520 But I guess God likes the credits because God lists 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:30.760 out forty two different generations. Forty different names are enlisted 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:33.520 in Matthew chapter one. What is he letting us know? 0:15:33.680 --> 0:15:37.560 He's letting us know I remember you, I remember names, 0:15:37.640 --> 0:15:41.160 I remember individuals. And the best part about Matthew Chapter 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:43.600 one is not just the names. It's the names that 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:47.520 are in Matthew chapter one. These are jacked up people. 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:54.280 You think you think your family's dysfunctional, check out God's family. 0:15:55.920 --> 0:15:58.440 God is in the business of using the jokers, the smokers, 0:15:58.440 --> 0:16:03.360 even the midnight ookers. Sometimes he because God that had 0:16:03.400 --> 0:16:07.760 just come for sinners. Come on, he came through sinners. 0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:11.120 He said, I do not call the qualified, but I 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:16.760 qualified the called God. God loves you. He loves every 0:16:16.920 --> 0:16:19.400 part of you. He loves you just the way that 0:16:19.480 --> 0:16:21.440 you are. But he loves you too much to let 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:24.840 you stay the way that you are. God's greatest priority 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:27.360 is to get his glory. But the way that he 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:33.080 does that is by working with broken people. It's pretty practical. 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:36.000 If you're not broken, how will his glory ever shine through? 0:16:37.280 --> 0:16:39.040 In fact, I'm gonna be careful today because I don't 0:16:39.040 --> 0:16:45.880 want to get into trouble. God is borderline obsessed with you. 0:16:45.960 --> 0:16:50.400 Like read the scriptures. He knew you before you were 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:54.240 in your mother's womb. He niche you are fearfully and 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:59.080 wonderfully made. All the days for you were written in 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:03.000 his book before one of them came to be. The 0:17:03.000 --> 0:17:11.920 scripture says, he watches you while you sleep. What the 0:17:11.960 --> 0:17:18.520 scripture says, He knows every hair on your head, even 0:17:18.560 --> 0:17:28.920 the extensions, even the weave, even the turkey transplant. Come on, 0:17:29.119 --> 0:17:32.199 Come on, a God who loves you and sees you 0:17:32.320 --> 0:17:34.879 and cares about you. And if his eye is on 0:17:35.000 --> 0:17:40.159 the sparrow, come on his eyes on you today. God's 0:17:40.160 --> 0:17:42.439 in the business of working with broken people, into the Hebrew, 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:45.480 people that are tired and fatigued and walking away. He says, 0:17:45.480 --> 0:17:49.360 I'm not unjust. I will not forget you. Go through 0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:53.760 history and see I'm the God who works with dysfunctional people. 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:57.720 Anybody who says God can't use me as somebody who's 0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:02.879 never read the Bible, You never read it. Because the 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:06.920 whole book is a story of broken people being used 0:18:06.960 --> 0:18:10.400 by a perfect God that when his grace comes upon you, 0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:17.639 even in your weakness, he is strong. I mean for 0:18:17.720 --> 0:18:21.840 goodness sake. Noah was a drunk, Abraham was way too 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:24.919 old to be used by God. Isaac was a daydreamer, 0:18:25.720 --> 0:18:31.480 Jacob was a liar, Joseph was abused. Moses had a 0:18:31.480 --> 0:18:37.439 stuttering problem. Gideon was afraid. Samson had long hair and 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:44.679 was a womanizer. Rayhabb was a prostitute. Jeremiah was too young. 0:18:46.280 --> 0:18:49.960 David was a murderer and he had an affair. Elijah 0:18:50.080 --> 0:19:02.680 was suicidal. Isaiah preached naked, Jonah ran from God. Naomi 0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:06.840 was a widow. Job went bankrupt, Peter denied Christ, the 0:19:06.840 --> 0:19:10.159 Disciples fell asleep while praying. John the Baptist. He ate 0:19:10.320 --> 0:19:14.640 bugs for goodness sakes, Martha worried about everything. This Samaritan 0:19:14.680 --> 0:19:18.560 woman was divorced more than once. Zach Chius was too small, 0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:23.280 Paul was too religious, Timothy had an ulcer, and Lazarus, 0:19:25.000 --> 0:19:29.399 Lazarus was dead. Everybody, come on, I'm trying to tell 0:19:29.440 --> 0:19:32.480 you about a God who's dying. Take it back. God 0:19:32.640 --> 0:19:37.760 died to use you. He sees you. He's got receipts 0:19:37.800 --> 0:19:47.200 on who you are. He knows who you are. We forget, 0:19:47.200 --> 0:19:51.120 but he don't forget. God keeps receipts on who you are. 0:19:51.160 --> 0:19:53.159 But look what the passage says, because it continues. This 0:19:53.240 --> 0:19:57.879 is just good, good Bible study. God is don unjust. 0:19:57.920 --> 0:20:00.119 He will not forget your work. I love this and 0:20:00.160 --> 0:20:02.919 the love you have shown him as you have helped 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:07.359 his people. God's heart is for his church and his people. 0:20:07.520 --> 0:20:10.280 His priority is his glory, the vehicle, and how he 0:20:10.320 --> 0:20:13.480 does that is through his body his people. So God 0:20:13.480 --> 0:20:15.600 doesn't forget your work or the love you've shown him 0:20:15.600 --> 0:20:17.879 as you have helped his people. And here's the keyword, 0:20:18.160 --> 0:20:22.880 and continue to help them. See, God keeps receipts on 0:20:23.200 --> 0:20:27.159 what you do. And this is very, very encouraging me 0:20:27.400 --> 0:20:30.400 because he doesn't just see me. He sees what I do. 0:20:30.800 --> 0:20:34.320 He's recording what I do. God cares about what I do. 0:20:34.359 --> 0:20:36.800 He says, I see your work, I see your love 0:20:36.840 --> 0:20:39.720 for me, I see your love for my people, and 0:20:39.760 --> 0:20:42.080 I see how you continue in it. I think the 0:20:42.119 --> 0:20:44.359 keyword is continue because time y'all know, we're good at 0:20:44.359 --> 0:20:49.600 starting things, but we're not always good at continuing things. 0:20:50.080 --> 0:20:52.240 It's not hard to have faith at the start. It's 0:20:52.240 --> 0:20:57.640 hard to have faith in the middle. The middle. Nobody 0:20:57.840 --> 0:21:01.359 likes the middle. We like the beginning of something. But 0:21:01.480 --> 0:21:04.439 this is where perseverance sets in. I think this is 0:21:04.440 --> 0:21:06.240 so important because we live in a time right now 0:21:06.240 --> 0:21:10.720 that we overestimate intensity, but we underestimate consistency. Let me 0:21:10.760 --> 0:21:12.800 say to all my gen Z friends and all of 0:21:12.840 --> 0:21:15.400 young Alpha out there, you want to be taken seriously 0:21:15.440 --> 0:21:19.879 in life, be consistent. I need some parents to clap 0:21:19.920 --> 0:21:22.159 their hands a little bit. Where's all the boomers that 0:21:22.280 --> 0:21:28.880 come on, yes, preach the word pastor. It's not what 0:21:28.920 --> 0:21:33.840 you do occasionally, it's what you do consistently in fact, 0:21:33.880 --> 0:21:40.960 that would it. This way, repetition creates reputation. You will 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:46.080 be known for what you repeat repetition. Do it again 0:21:46.640 --> 0:21:51.879 and again and again. Watch this. Your gain is in 0:21:51.960 --> 0:21:58.359 your again. You want gains in life? Do it again. 0:21:59.640 --> 0:22:02.959 You want to grow in life? Do it again. You 0:22:03.000 --> 0:22:05.879 want to get stronger in life? Do it again. You 0:22:05.920 --> 0:22:08.920 want your faith to increase this year? Do it again? 0:22:09.000 --> 0:22:11.359 Are there any do it again people in the house today? 0:22:11.400 --> 0:22:18.000 Do it again? Anybody can start something. Anybody can start 0:22:18.080 --> 0:22:21.600 a marriage. Can you continue in a marriage. Anybody can 0:22:21.600 --> 0:22:23.040 start a family. I don't want to break down how 0:22:23.040 --> 0:22:26.520 that works, but anybody can start that. Can you continue 0:22:26.520 --> 0:22:30.200 being a father? Shout out to all the dads out 0:22:30.200 --> 0:22:32.480 there that are just in the middle of it, staying 0:22:32.520 --> 0:22:34.080 in it. Come on, can we applaud every man in 0:22:34.119 --> 0:22:37.040 this house, every man watching online? We salute you, We 0:22:37.160 --> 0:22:41.760 honor you, great men of God. Anybody can start a business? 0:22:41.800 --> 0:22:45.200 Can you continue? Anybody can start going to church? Woo? 0:22:48.640 --> 0:22:53.919 Can you continue faithfully serving? I gotta be honest with you, 0:22:54.000 --> 0:22:57.520 Like when I come to elevation, I'm always blown away 0:22:57.320 --> 0:22:59.960 by just the beauty of this place and the people 0:23:00.160 --> 0:23:02.040 come from all over the world, and how this ministry 0:23:02.280 --> 0:23:05.280 touches the world. But the thing that I can't get 0:23:05.320 --> 0:23:09.240 over is a man and a woman. Stephen and Hawley 0:23:09.359 --> 0:23:12.879 some twenty years ago got a vision from God, and 0:23:12.920 --> 0:23:15.240 they said, we're not just gonna do it one Sunday, 0:23:15.480 --> 0:23:20.159 but twenty years later, we're gonna continue to persevere because 0:23:20.200 --> 0:23:23.720 we believe God is watching what we do. One more time. 0:23:23.840 --> 0:23:30.840 Let's thank God for Godly leadership. What a blessing wisdom 0:23:30.880 --> 0:23:34.720 will be proven right by all her children. I'm sitting 0:23:34.760 --> 0:23:36.240 here that I got a vision for my life. My 0:23:36.280 --> 0:23:39.000 son Wyat's with me, eight years of age. Billy Graham 0:23:39.000 --> 0:23:41.960 Ferdick walked up here, said, Jesus, I'm gonna get Graham 0:23:42.000 --> 0:23:48.200 to lay hands on Wyat after this service, because it's 0:23:48.240 --> 0:23:53.600 people that are persevering, not just starting, but continuing. God 0:23:54.000 --> 0:23:56.760 keeps receipts on what you do, even if you think 0:23:56.800 --> 0:23:59.520 it's small, even if you think it's insignificant, even if 0:23:59.520 --> 0:24:02.000 you think it's mundane, even if you think it's average, 0:24:02.040 --> 0:24:04.520 even if you think it's mediocre, He's watching. One of 0:24:04.520 --> 0:24:06.879 my favorite illustrations is the Book of Nehemiah. If you 0:24:06.920 --> 0:24:10.359 know the story Nehemiah, well, Neomyah was living the time 0:24:10.520 --> 0:24:14.200 that Israel had been sieged and they were no more, 0:24:14.280 --> 0:24:18.320 and he was actually a cup bearer to the king. Now, 0:24:18.680 --> 0:24:21.240