1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,519 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 1: you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 4 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 5 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 6 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: How awesome, How awesome, What a wonderful, wonderful time of worship. Amen, 7 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: do me a favor real quick before you take your seat. 8 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: I'm kind of torn. I'm going to preach in just 9 00:00:30,600 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: a moment. I'm excited to preach. I'm in a little 10 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 1: bit of a dilemma. I have two different scriptures. One 11 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: is from the Old Testament and one is from the 12 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:46,279 Speaker 1: New Testament, and I kind of can't decide which one 13 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:48,599 Speaker 1: I want to give you. So I thought we put 14 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: it up for a vote. Huh. She said both. Well, 15 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: it's a good thing because my message to is the 16 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:11,319 Speaker 1: blessing of both. Let's do it. Let's do it. You 17 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: may be seated. God bless you, God bless you, Choir, 18 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: God bless you, Anna, God bless you, Matt, God bless you. 19 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: Pastor Shawn see in the house from Athens Church. Let's 20 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: thank God for this great Man of God. Thanks for 21 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: stopping by. It's good to have my brother, Pastor Mike 22 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: Todd on the second row representing the Oakland Athletics. You're 23 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 1: not a fan at all, are you? Oh man, that's terrible. 24 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: You just watch Moneyball and bought in Oakland A's had 25 00:01:40,680 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: Is that what happened? Oh man? This feels good. So 26 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: if I'm not preaching good I can throw the mic 27 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: on the first row the second row and somebody else 28 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: can pick it up. So good to be here and 29 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: just touch somebody and say I. If Pastor had time, 30 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: he would say thank God for you and mentioned your 31 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: name too. Let me do that if they had time. 32 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: Many wonderful things to share from the Word of God. Hey, 33 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: thank you for serving this love week, whatever you did, 34 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,240 Speaker 1: if you did something this week, or really what I 35 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,080 Speaker 1: like to thank God for is consistency, because it's not 36 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: just one week out of the year that builds a 37 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:17,119 Speaker 1: great church. And so while this week there are many 38 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: people we could highlight and thank for their contribution, I 39 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,239 Speaker 1: want to say thank you to those of you who 40 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,239 Speaker 1: never make a lot of noise, but you just contribute 41 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: in meaningful ways prayer giving service. It's a big deal 42 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: and you lead an e group, whether it's a spectacular thing, 43 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: whether it's forty people or four people, you just do it. 44 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: That's really how you can know that you're doing it 45 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,799 Speaker 1: for God and not for the approval of others or 46 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: the praises of people. It's just really beautiful and I 47 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: appreciate you. I don't know how to say it any 48 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: more than that, but I appreciate you, and I hope 49 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 1: you can feel that that's sincere from my heart. Thank 50 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: you to those of you. You don't blow a trumpet 51 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: or anything like that. You don't announce it, just do it, 52 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:02,359 Speaker 1: and that means a lot. It's not just a Nike slogan. 53 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: It's the way that a great local church is built 54 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: when people are just willing to do it and not 55 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,079 Speaker 1: necessarily have to be known for it. But I thank 56 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: God for each and every one of you on every location. 57 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: I just wanted to say that, and in the spirit 58 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: of love, I wore pink. Now let's get into the Bible. 59 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: Let me read you this from Ecclesiastes, chapter eleven, verses 60 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: five and six. Now I'm gonna take my time because 61 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: I've been waiting to preach these passages since the beginning 62 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: of June, and I couldn't figure out how God wanted 63 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: me to preach them. But today I saw it. And 64 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 1: I've just been pacing all day waiting for you to 65 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: put on your makeup and get here so we could 66 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: talk about it together. And now I can't find Ecclesiastes 67 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:58,119 Speaker 1: in the Bible. Everything's falling apart. Here it is, it's 68 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: right there, I said. Verse five is you do not 69 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 1: know the way the spirit comes to the bones in 70 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: the womb of a woman with child. So you do 71 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: not know the work of God who makes everything. In 72 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: the morning, So your seat and at evening withhold not 73 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: your hand, for you do not know which will prosper 74 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 1: this or that, or whether both alike will be good. 75 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:26,919 Speaker 1: There's our word both. Go over to Matthew chapter thirteen, 76 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: verse twenty four for my second scripture. You told me 77 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 1: you wanted both, so I'm fulfilling your request. He put 78 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,040 Speaker 1: another parable before them, verse twenty four, saying, the Kingdom 79 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: of Heaven may be compared to a man who sowed 80 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:47,839 Speaker 1: good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, 81 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:52,600 Speaker 1: his enemy came and sowed weeds among the weed and 82 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:56,239 Speaker 1: went away so when the plants came up and bore grain, 83 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:00,279 Speaker 1: then the weeds appeared. Also. By the way, by the 84 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: time something destructive appears in your life has been planted 85 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 1: for a little while. There's a difference between the time 86 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:08,720 Speaker 1: when it was deposited in the soil and the time 87 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: it showed up in your life. So when they woke 88 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: up to the weeds, he said, the servant said, Master, 89 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 1: did you not sow good seed in your field? I 90 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:23,040 Speaker 1: thought you raised your kids right, you know things like that. 91 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: I thought you went to church. I thought you prayed. 92 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,960 Speaker 1: But he said, if you sowed good seeds, how then 93 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: does it have weeds in the field? And he said 94 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: to them an enemy has done this. So the servants 95 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:36,320 Speaker 1: said to him, then do you want us to go 96 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:40,240 Speaker 1: and gather them? Take care of it, sort it out. 97 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 1: He's like, no, you got to You got to be 98 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:46,840 Speaker 1: careful because less gathering the weeds, you root up the 99 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:54,280 Speaker 1: wheat along with them. Let both, everybody say both. Let 100 00:05:54,480 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: both grow together interesting until the harvest. And at harvest time, 101 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:05,839 Speaker 1: I will tell the reapers gather the weeds first, bind 102 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: them in bundles to be burned, But gather the wheat 103 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: into my barn. When Jesus was teaching about the Kingdom 104 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: of God, it was a new phrase and an entirely 105 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:21,599 Speaker 1: new concept for his hearers. It had never been said 106 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 1: that way before the Kingdom of God. Now, Israel thought 107 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 1: of themselves as a kingdom in a military and nationalistic sense. 108 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: But to think of the Kingdom of Heaven or the 109 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:37,479 Speaker 1: Kingdom of God in an invisible realm required Jesus to 110 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: not only explain it, but to demonstrate it, and both 111 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,920 Speaker 1: are always necessary. Everybody say both. That's why Love Week 112 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,080 Speaker 1: was so important in our church. Those one hundred thousand 113 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:52,839 Speaker 1: hours that we served validated the message that we preach. 114 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: It is one thing to explain love, but it's another 115 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 1: thing to hand somebody some warm food or a blanket, 116 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:02,600 Speaker 1: or to be with somebody in their time of need. 117 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 1: And so Jesus had to do both. And he had 118 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: quite a challenge on his hands because he would demonstrate 119 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: something by working a miracle, but then he would have 120 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 1: to explain it because the people who saw the miracle 121 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: would miss the point I told you about one last 122 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: week when he took the happy meal and fed everybody, 123 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: and they thought that the point of the miracle was 124 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: that their stomachs were full, and because they wanted him 125 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: to be their burger king, he had to shut that 126 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: whole thing down and say, eat my flesh, drink my blood. 127 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: You've missed the entire point. So he's always having to 128 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 1: explain it. He was always having to demonstrate so they 129 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 1: could see it, and then explain it so they could 130 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: understand it. He said, if you see it but don't 131 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: understand it, it'll be like a seed that was sown, 132 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 1: but the bird snatches it up before it has the 133 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: opportunity to hit the soil. And so if you don't 134 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: get the lesson in your heart through the power of demonstration, 135 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: then you will miss the intention of the message. But 136 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 1: if you only see the demonstration and don't hear the explanation, 137 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: then you'll understand the miracle on the wrong level, and 138 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 1: you'll always live your life thinking that the physical thing 139 00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: is the real thing, and you'll not understand what's really 140 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: pointing to. So you'll engage in behavior modification to try 141 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,960 Speaker 1: to fix your life, not understanding that every habit in 142 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 1: your life started with something in your heart. And until 143 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: God turns the soil of your heart and weeds out 144 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:15,880 Speaker 1: the stuff that is choking the seed of his word. 145 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: Like I said, it's a lot in the text. And 146 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: Jesus must have felt overwhelmed because in the crowd he 147 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 1: had his disciples and he needed them to take the 148 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: message after he left. And then there were the people 149 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 1: who were just coming just to see the show and 150 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:40,680 Speaker 1: just to eat the fries. And he had to separate 151 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 1: the two out. And he would often have to pull 152 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:45,439 Speaker 1: the disciples aside and say, now, when I said this, 153 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: this is what I meant. He had to not only 154 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:50,320 Speaker 1: teach to the crowds, but he had to teach his 155 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:53,199 Speaker 1: disciples too. He had to do both. I relate to 156 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 1: that challenge because some of you in this church know 157 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,680 Speaker 1: so much of the Bible. You know, I'm like, you know, 158 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: Matthew thirteen twenty four wait in the tears, Wow. And 159 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:09,199 Speaker 1: then others are like Matthew, who is at his brother's name? 160 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 1: What are we doing? And it's like all over the 161 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:13,679 Speaker 1: place in terms of knowledge and just frame of reference, right. 162 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: But Jesus was always able to speak to both, unless 163 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 1: they thought he could only do one or the other. 164 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:25,520 Speaker 1: He'd do stuff like this, He'd say to a paralytic sins, 165 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 1: your friend, your sins are forgiven, and then when the 166 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:31,360 Speaker 1: people doubted if he had the power to forgive sins, 167 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:33,720 Speaker 1: he would tell him, now get up and take up 168 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 1: your bed and walk. The reason that he told him 169 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 1: to get up and take up his bed and walk 170 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:43,400 Speaker 1: was to give them a physical demonstration of his spiritual authority. 171 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: So it's demonstration and explanation, and Jesus is doing both. 172 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:52,920 Speaker 1: In the context of the Kingdom of God. He would 173 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:57,640 Speaker 1: often have to teach this principle of the already and 174 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 1: not yet eschatological twenty dollars word, the eschatological tension of 175 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:08,360 Speaker 1: the Kingdom of God, And so it simply means that 176 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 1: some things have already come, the Kingdom of God is here, 177 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 1: and then some things are still coming. Isn't it that 178 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: way in our life to know that if we have 179 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:24,400 Speaker 1: trusted in Christ, we are saved, We have been saved, 180 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: and yet we are being saved and we will be saved. 181 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: Because there are certain things in my life right now 182 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 1: that God has already done. I can see the fruit 183 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:38,319 Speaker 1: of it, but there are other changes that are still 184 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 1: taking root in my life. And what I've noticed about 185 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 1: this is that as my devotion to Christ grows, so 186 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:49,319 Speaker 1: do the things that distract me, to try to pull 187 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:55,320 Speaker 1: me away from that pure devotion and simple childlike faith 188 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: in the grace of God. And Jesus is using a 189 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: parable so he can use an earthly symbol to convey 190 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,840 Speaker 1: a spiritual truth. He said, it's like if a man 191 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: was planting weed, weeds with the plural. Uh. Yeah, it 192 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:15,320 Speaker 1: might be legal, but it isn't always just the best 193 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:19,280 Speaker 1: thing to do. But that's a different sermon. But he said, 194 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 1: it's like if he was planning wheat and then somebody 195 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 1: else planted weeds. He said, I want you to know 196 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:34,440 Speaker 1: that both grow together, which is symbolic of how as 197 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: the ministry of Jesus increased, so did the opposition. The 198 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: more that his popularity grew, the more vocal his opponents became, 199 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:53,320 Speaker 1: because both grow together. In the church I grew up 200 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:55,400 Speaker 1: in Monk's Corny United Methodist Church, we used to go 201 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:59,560 Speaker 1: upstairs to the youth room. Rick Burnett would lead us 202 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,440 Speaker 1: in praise and worship songs like it only takes a 203 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:07,000 Speaker 1: spark to get a fire going. Shine, Jesus, Shine. What 204 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 1: was the other one he used to love so much? Oh? 205 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 1: I remember the other one. I'm not gonna tell you 206 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:16,840 Speaker 1: what it was I'll tell you know how James Taylor 207 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,760 Speaker 1: sang the Carol King song You've Got a Friend. He 208 00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 1: would do, You've got a friend, but then he would 209 00:12:21,679 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 1: go into what a friend we have in Jesus, and 210 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 1: it was like a medley, and then he would stop 211 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 1: after he played the songs. And it was only about 212 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:29,680 Speaker 1: ten of us in the youth group, but he would 213 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: always say, and now it's time for praise reports and 214 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:40,560 Speaker 1: prayer requests. So it's a bunch of teenagers, right, So 215 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: what you would usually happen is everybody that would raise 216 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:46,760 Speaker 1: their hand would raise their hand and say, I have 217 00:12:47,559 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 1: an unspoken, unspoken his code for is probably about a girl, 218 00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 1: or it's about a guy. I have an unspoken But 219 00:13:02,920 --> 00:13:05,520 Speaker 1: you know, maybe every once in a while, somebody will 220 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:07,679 Speaker 1: raise their hand and give a praise report about a 221 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,320 Speaker 1: test that they pass, or a prayer request about a 222 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:13,680 Speaker 1: test that they were taking. Here's us weird, And I 223 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:17,120 Speaker 1: wonder if you've experienced this in your life, is that 224 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:22,280 Speaker 1: in our lives we will often see the cycle that 225 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: what will be our prayer request in one season of 226 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:33,440 Speaker 1: our life will become our praise report in the next season, 227 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:42,760 Speaker 1: only to become our prayer request. Again, there's probably a 228 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:46,040 Speaker 1: couple in here who right now is pregnant with child, 229 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:50,080 Speaker 1: and you probably prayed that God would enable you to 230 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:54,679 Speaker 1: have a child, and maybe in like five months, three months, 231 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: seven months, you will give birth to your prayer request. 232 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: You had your friends praying, probably even in a crowd 233 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: this size, somebody who had trouble conceiving, and maybe even 234 00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:10,560 Speaker 1: through the course of many different miscarriages. This may be 235 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:12,839 Speaker 1: the third or fourth or fifth time you tried, and 236 00:14:12,920 --> 00:14:16,040 Speaker 1: now you're on the way to giving birth to what 237 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:19,160 Speaker 1: you prayed about. Others are still waiting for that, and 238 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: we're all at different places. But let me tell what's 239 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:25,680 Speaker 1: going to happen. Because I've had She's had three babies, 240 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:30,160 Speaker 1: and you pray for it, and then you have it, 241 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:34,040 Speaker 1: and you praise God for it, and then you start 242 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: praying about it all over again. So watch this, y'all. Pray. 243 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 1: We're trying to have a baby. Y'all pray. We haven't 244 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 1: slept in thirty four days, y'all pray. Our toddler is 245 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 1: now showing some developmental delays. Y'all pray. We're trying to 246 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:52,280 Speaker 1: get him into this school, but we can't get him 247 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:55,520 Speaker 1: with the right teacher. Y'all pray he's got his driver's license. 248 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:57,480 Speaker 1: Y'all better pray for yourselves. As a matter of fact, 249 00:14:57,520 --> 00:14:58,840 Speaker 1: y'all might want to stay off the road for the 250 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:02,720 Speaker 1: next few years. Y'all pray. It was your prayer request 251 00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 1: that became your praise report that turned back into your 252 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 1: prayer request. So here's what I'm trying to say. You 253 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 1: prayed for your problems, Yes you did. You prayed for 254 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: the promotion on the job, and the promotion came with people, 255 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:32,920 Speaker 1: and people are stupid and lazy and late and tardy. 256 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 1: You prayed for that. Touch somebody say you prayed for it. 257 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:41,320 Speaker 1: You asked for it. Don't get mad about it now. 258 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:45,040 Speaker 1: You prayed for it. You prayed for a man. I 259 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 1: heard one girl praying for a husband one time. She 260 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 1: was praying for a future husband. She had a whole 261 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:51,480 Speaker 1: list about it. She was praying. She was like, God, 262 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: I pray that he would be godly, and I pray 263 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 1: that he would be tall. But God, I'd rather than 264 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 1: be godly than tall. But God, if he could be both, 265 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:08,280 Speaker 1: if he could be both, if he could be Oh, 266 00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 1: it's both, you need both. You need both. It's in marriage. Like, 267 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:17,120 Speaker 1: you know, don't marry somebody you're attracted to. Marry somebody 268 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: that you know loves the Lord. You better be attracted 269 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: to him too. It better be both, now, for real 270 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 1: about this. Most preachers won't say these things because they 271 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: sound carnal and unspiritual, but it needs to be both. 272 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:34,400 Speaker 1: You need to like to look at each other. You're 273 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: gonna be looking at each other all the time in 274 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:39,920 Speaker 1: this thing. Y'all gonna be prayer partners. Don't have to 275 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:48,800 Speaker 1: get married. You gotta have some chemistry and christ. So 276 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:52,600 Speaker 1: it goes back to the idea that humans are always 277 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:57,280 Speaker 1: wanting to categorize, and we always want to divide things. 278 00:16:57,440 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 1: You want us to get the you want us to 279 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 1: get the wheat, Separate from the weeds. That's what we 280 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:04,639 Speaker 1: always want to do. We always want to separate the 281 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 1: good from the bad. You know, we want to talk 282 00:17:07,520 --> 00:17:11,120 Speaker 1: about I'm in a season of blessing right now, or 283 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:14,119 Speaker 1: I'm going through a really hard season right now. Let 284 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: me tell you the truth, all of us are going 285 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:20,080 Speaker 1: through a season of blessing right now, and all of 286 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:23,119 Speaker 1: us are going through a really hard season right now. 287 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,760 Speaker 1: It just depends on which angle that you catch me 288 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:29,880 Speaker 1: from as to what season I look like I'm going through. 289 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,399 Speaker 1: If you see me from one side, from my good side, 290 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:37,679 Speaker 1: I might look like the most blessed man in the 291 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:42,040 Speaker 1: United States of America, in the continental United States of America. 292 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:44,920 Speaker 1: But on the other side, I yelled at one of 293 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:47,359 Speaker 1: my kids, who shall remain nameless, right before I came 294 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 1: to preach to you. But you didn't have to see that. 295 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:51,080 Speaker 1: So now I'm a man full of the spirit and 296 00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:53,680 Speaker 1: wisdom up here. Give him a praise. Let it be done, 297 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: receive your reign. We're like a flood. I was coming 298 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:58,679 Speaker 1: through like a flood, but a different kind of flood. 299 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:00,720 Speaker 1: Just a few minutes before I out on the stage. 300 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:05,160 Speaker 1: Just both I could preach the Bible and I want 301 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:08,880 Speaker 1: to beat your behind, both in the same two hour period, 302 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 1: in the same one hundred and twenty minutes. Because I'm 303 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,600 Speaker 1: a pastor, but I'm also a daddy. And if you 304 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:19,880 Speaker 1: disrespect my wife, I will turn into something else. Because 305 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:26,359 Speaker 1: I'm a transformer, I'm a go by. I'm both. You 306 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:32,200 Speaker 1: didn't know how to be both. WHOA wasn't in my notes? 307 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:37,639 Speaker 1: But he kept trying to describe the kingdom. He said, 308 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:42,919 Speaker 1: it's like the seed was good and the weeds were bad. 309 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: But they both grow together. And that's so true. They 310 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:53,320 Speaker 1: both grow together. The opportunities grow, and so do the responsibilities. 311 00:18:56,359 --> 00:18:59,639 Speaker 1: God take me deeper in my walk with you. Okay, 312 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:05,480 Speaker 1: as you go deeper, you're gonna gain intimacy with Christ. 313 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: And then you are gonna also gain awareness of your ignorance, 314 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: because the closer to Him you get, the more you're 315 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:18,040 Speaker 1: gonna realize how much you don't know. So it's like, 316 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: I want to know you more, but the more you 317 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:21,959 Speaker 1: come to know Christ, the more you're going to know 318 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:27,199 Speaker 1: that you didn't know him at all. That's why I 319 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: liked the Ecclesiastes eleven. I was reading that how Solomon 320 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:37,360 Speaker 1: had chased things that he called vanity or meaningless. It 321 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:41,159 Speaker 1: was like the sense that, in the context of having 322 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 1: success and fulfillment, if you have one without the other 323 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 1: as problematic, what you really want is both. See like, 324 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:53,600 Speaker 1: if you have success but not fulfillment or wholeness, that 325 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:57,679 Speaker 1: will feel to you like the ultimate failure because to 326 00:19:57,840 --> 00:19:59,920 Speaker 1: chase what you thought you wanted and to get it 327 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 1: and it didn't do what you needed done makes you 328 00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:06,199 Speaker 1: feel like, well, what do I do now? That's the 329 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:09,360 Speaker 1: point that he was writing from where he said that 330 00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:13,560 Speaker 1: there are certain things that you just don't know, and 331 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:17,480 Speaker 1: he mentions two things an Ecclesiastes eleven. Because all of 332 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:21,040 Speaker 1: us struggle from time to time when we are sowing, 333 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 1: when we are investing, when we are living our lives 334 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:26,239 Speaker 1: and doing the things that we believe that God has 335 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:30,480 Speaker 1: called us to do, without knowing whether it's making a 336 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:35,480 Speaker 1: difference at all. There's so much you don't know. Solomon says, 337 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:39,160 Speaker 1: if you watch the wind to see if it's blowing right, 338 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:42,520 Speaker 1: you will never sow. And if you watch the clouds 339 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:44,400 Speaker 1: to see if it's dry enough, you will never read. 340 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:49,320 Speaker 1: Your mind will always find an excuse for you. We'll 341 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:53,679 Speaker 1: always find a reason, will always find an indication that 342 00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:57,439 Speaker 1: this is not the right time. And so Solomon is 343 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:01,800 Speaker 1: giving advice. He's saying, just like you don't know how 344 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:06,160 Speaker 1: the breath enters the bones of a woman in the womb. Now, 345 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:11,119 Speaker 1: granted we have ultrasounds now, but it's still is still 346 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,400 Speaker 1: true to be said today that there is a part 347 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 1: of the process of human life that we can't put 348 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:24,200 Speaker 1: on a sonogram. There's a part of it, he says, 349 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:28,399 Speaker 1: there's the bones, and then there's the spirit or the 350 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:33,440 Speaker 1: breath Hebrew word rua. It's the same way that God breathed. 351 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:36,879 Speaker 1: It's the spirit of God, the ruh of God. In 352 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:40,640 Speaker 1: the Old Testament, he said, there's the bones, and there's 353 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:46,639 Speaker 1: the breath. There's the structure, and there's the spirit. And 354 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:50,720 Speaker 1: if you have structure but not spirit, you don't have life. 355 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:55,800 Speaker 1: If you have spirit but you don't have structure, you 356 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 1: don't have life. In a few weeks, I'm going to 357 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 1: be teaching our staff on our annual staff Advance, and 358 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 1: I'm doing a whole session just around this verse for leadership, 359 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,879 Speaker 1: because in church you can pray for the spirit of 360 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:12,400 Speaker 1: God to come. But if you don't have structure, if 361 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:15,920 Speaker 1: you don't have any capacity to manage what God brings you, 362 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:20,199 Speaker 1: it will simply be irresponsibility and wishful thinking. On the 363 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:24,800 Speaker 1: other hand, you can have organizational charts and resources and 364 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: all of the things that would tend to make people 365 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:31,040 Speaker 1: think you are successful, but without the spirit, just without 366 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: that thing that only God can do. Can I tell 367 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 1: you something? I can get up here with an outline 368 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:39,480 Speaker 1: and an outfit and think that I have something to say, 369 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:41,520 Speaker 1: but there's a part of me that knows because I've 370 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:44,720 Speaker 1: been doing this for fourteen years now on this stage, 371 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 1: well not this when we had different buildings, but at 372 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: this church as the pastor, and there is a certain 373 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 1: thing that God has to do that I can't do, 374 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,880 Speaker 1: and I don't always know what He's going to do. 375 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 1: So there's a part of me that came in today 376 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:01,480 Speaker 1: excited to preach to you because I had a structure, 377 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:04,119 Speaker 1: I have some scriptures. But there's a part of me 378 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 1: that knows that God, if you don't blow on this, 379 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:09,439 Speaker 1: if you don't breathe on this, if you don't do 380 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:13,800 Speaker 1: that thing that you do that I can't do, if 381 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:18,160 Speaker 1: you don't tear open somebody's facade and speak down deep 382 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 1: in the places of their heart, then I'll just be 383 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 1: a clanging symbol. I'll just lose my voice, but I 384 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 1: won't say anything. God. I need you to breathe on 385 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:30,560 Speaker 1: my life. I need you to breathe peace. I need 386 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,520 Speaker 1: you to breathe joy, because God, I can get a 387 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:37,200 Speaker 1: big house, a nice car, the right clothes, and a 388 00:23:37,240 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 1: lot of people. But if you don't breathe, I won't 389 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:45,480 Speaker 1: be fulfilled. If you don't do it, it won't be done. 390 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:50,520 Speaker 1: I need bone I need the bones and the breath. 391 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 1: I need the structure and the spirit I need Here's 392 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 1: what I love about it. I need the friends and 393 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:05,679 Speaker 1: the enemies. I need both. I was amazed how Jesus, 394 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:10,399 Speaker 1: when he was putting together his Kingdom dream team, knew 395 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:16,560 Speaker 1: that one of them was a devil and kept him anyway. John, 396 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:22,160 Speaker 1: I understand the disciple that Jesus loved, at least that's 397 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:29,919 Speaker 1: what he put in his own bio. Of course you 398 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,920 Speaker 1: chose John. He's going to take care of your mama 399 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: when you're gone. And of course he chose Judas because 400 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 1: Judas was the one who got him to the cross 401 00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 1: where he paid the price that he came to pay. 402 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: You need both. You need wheat and weeds, and if 403 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,239 Speaker 1: you try to pull them up. He tried to get 404 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:57,040 Speaker 1: the stuff out of your life that you don't like. 405 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:03,800 Speaker 1: You'll tear out the wheat, the substance. You'll tear out 406 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:08,240 Speaker 1: the thing that God is growing. Because see what would 407 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:12,640 Speaker 1: happen if you planted this particular type of weed, or 408 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 1: some versions call it the tears. The wheat and the tears. 409 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:21,439 Speaker 1: It looked the same on the surface, but where it 410 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:27,880 Speaker 1: was really difficult was underground. Where the tears would intermingle 411 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:32,720 Speaker 1: with the wheat and the root systems would get intertwined. 412 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:37,560 Speaker 1: And sometimes what God is doing in your life beneath 413 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: the surface, the pain is intertwined with the purpose. You 414 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:49,639 Speaker 1: hear me. The thing that you don't like about yourself 415 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:55,359 Speaker 1: is sometimes the thing that God is using. And we 416 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:58,560 Speaker 1: ask God to use us, and we ask God to 417 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,720 Speaker 1: do as will in our lives unless we don't like it, 418 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,280 Speaker 1: and then we want to root that out. And so 419 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:07,320 Speaker 1: then it's like, well, God, I want you to do this, 420 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:11,160 Speaker 1: but not that. And what Solomon said is what Jesus said, 421 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:14,439 Speaker 1: you don't know which one is which, And so we 422 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,280 Speaker 1: have to be very careful when we are trying to 423 00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:20,159 Speaker 1: do our own gardening. Because I don't know about you, 424 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: but I am not a horticulturist. I don't have a 425 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 1: lot of agriculture experience. I was preparing this message and 426 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 1: I had this weird memory of being a little boy 427 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:33,359 Speaker 1: and my mom had this little flower bed outside our house. 428 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:36,399 Speaker 1: And one day I decided to be helpful and I 429 00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: came back to the door and I was so proud. 430 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: I was like mom, and I had my hands full, 431 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:44,199 Speaker 1: and I said, I got all the weeds out of 432 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:46,960 Speaker 1: your flower bed. And she looked like she wanted to 433 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: slap me, but she restrained herself. She said, those were 434 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 1: the flowers. But I didn't know the difference because I 435 00:26:55,680 --> 00:27:00,719 Speaker 1: was too immature to know the difference. And sometimes we 436 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:05,640 Speaker 1: are spiritually immature, and we are running from things and 437 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: removing things and resisting things. And in the process of 438 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:14,000 Speaker 1: trying to pluck out the weeds, you're removing the wheat. 439 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:22,399 Speaker 1: If God answered every prayer your brain right now, I'm sorry, Bruce. 440 00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:25,199 Speaker 1: Almighty was a pretty good movie. It would screw up 441 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:30,159 Speaker 1: the universe. It would ruin your training. Look, can I 442 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,840 Speaker 1: teach you a little bit? All right? So I used 443 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 1: to not be able to do a pull up. I'm 444 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:36,480 Speaker 1: not gonna lie to you. I was twenty two years 445 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: old and I had never done a pull up in 446 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:43,639 Speaker 1: my life. So I start training to do pull ups, 447 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:49,200 Speaker 1: and I could do some pulloups. One day, this guy 448 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:51,720 Speaker 1: told me that I had to do not only pull ups, 449 00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 1: which was a feat of accomplishment for me. I work 450 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:57,879 Speaker 1: my whole life tour to this point, a culmination of 451 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:01,080 Speaker 1: my entire life's effort in the rum of X. He's like, 452 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:03,320 Speaker 1: now I need you to do a negative. I said, 453 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:05,879 Speaker 1: what's a negative? He said, well, there's two parts to 454 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:09,240 Speaker 1: every rep. There's when you're going up and there's when 455 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:12,760 Speaker 1: you're coming down. But there's just as much benefit in 456 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:18,800 Speaker 1: coming down as there is in coming up. I'm gonna 457 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: give you seven seconds, because if that hits you right, 458 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:26,600 Speaker 1: you will start to see that the things in your 459 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:30,639 Speaker 1: life right now that you perceive as negative might be 460 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:36,439 Speaker 1: a crucial function in building your strength and your stamina 461 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:40,560 Speaker 1: and your hope. There are some things about God that 462 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 1: you can only learn going down. Ask Peter beginning to 463 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 1: sink when he felt the grip of the grace of 464 00:28:48,120 --> 00:28:52,000 Speaker 1: God through the hand of Jesus of Nazareth, and he said, 465 00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:59,640 Speaker 1: now I know that, your Lord. It's the blessing of both. 466 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:02,800 Speaker 1: And you don't know touch Somebody say you don't know. 467 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:07,320 Speaker 1: You don't know the difference between wheat and wheat. You 468 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:11,960 Speaker 1: can't do the angel's job. Let God sort that out. 469 00:29:13,240 --> 00:29:17,600 Speaker 1: I heard the Lord say, keep sewing and stop sorting. 470 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 1: Sr T I n G. Keep sewing and stop sorting. 471 00:29:24,080 --> 00:29:27,640 Speaker 1: Stop judging the experience the moment it happens, Give it 472 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,360 Speaker 1: some time to see what it is. As a matter 473 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:32,640 Speaker 1: of fact. I don't know if you have experienced this, 474 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 1: but some of my successes have been the fruit of 475 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 1: my failures. Some of the things that have produced the 476 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 1: most in my life were the things that, honestly, at 477 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,640 Speaker 1: the time I was the most embarrassed about some of 478 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:52,240 Speaker 1: the things that have Actually, I know that most of 479 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:54,000 Speaker 1: you in this church know the song, Oh, Come to 480 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:59,320 Speaker 1: the altar, the song that almost never was. There were 481 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:03,880 Speaker 1: twelve versions of that song. All of them sucked. All right, 482 00:30:03,920 --> 00:30:07,480 Speaker 1: write this down. You want a deep revelation. Success starts 483 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:19,920 Speaker 1: with sucks, he says. Sow it in the morning, sow 484 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:23,640 Speaker 1: it in the evening, because you don't know. Seeds can 485 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:29,920 Speaker 1: be deceiving. Seeds can look awfully small. Seeds can look impotent, 486 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:32,360 Speaker 1: and they may be dormant for a while. And when 487 00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:34,080 Speaker 1: you sew them, they go away for a little while. 488 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:37,880 Speaker 1: But they didn't go to die. They went to multiply. 489 00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 1: Some of the things in your life that you said 490 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:43,920 Speaker 1: goodbye to, you need to say see you later. I'm 491 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 1: expecting you to come back up again. Because I believe 492 00:30:46,960 --> 00:31:02,400 Speaker 1: in resurrection, the blessing of both both. I need both 493 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:05,640 Speaker 1: in my life. Paul needed both. I guess I do too. 494 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:11,240 Speaker 1: Paul had this thing. He called it thorn, and he 495 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:14,920 Speaker 1: kept trying to weed it out. Ask God three times, 496 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:18,520 Speaker 1: take it away. Now, if you've ever asked God to 497 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:23,680 Speaker 1: take something away, that's fine. But if he doesn't do it, 498 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:28,120 Speaker 1: leave it alone. And here's why you can leave it alone, 499 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:31,520 Speaker 1: because the presence of weeds will not cancel out the 500 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:35,240 Speaker 1: power of the week. What is supposed to grow will grow. 501 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:38,680 Speaker 1: Leave it alone for a little while and see what 502 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 1: it becomes. See if it will be the fruit this 503 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:44,720 Speaker 1: failure that you're processing right now. Some of you started 504 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:46,560 Speaker 1: the business, you did the thing, you took the step, 505 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:48,560 Speaker 1: and you made a mess out of it. See if 506 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:52,880 Speaker 1: maybe that might be the seed of something that becomes 507 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:55,040 Speaker 1: something that people will celebrate in the future. And you 508 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:57,920 Speaker 1: will know, and God will know that you almost gave up, 509 00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:00,000 Speaker 1: and the enemy was there telling you stop sewing it. 510 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:02,520 Speaker 1: It's not working. But you kept sewing, and you sewed 511 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 1: in the morning, and you sewed in the evening, and 512 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 1: you loved any way, and you forgave any way, and 513 00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: you showed up anyway, and you did it anyway, and 514 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:13,880 Speaker 1: you memorized a scripture and quoted it any way, even 515 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 1: though it wasn't happening in your life. But you kept 516 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:19,080 Speaker 1: quoting it, and you kept sewing, and you didn't try 517 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 1: to sort it out, and you didn't try to root 518 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:24,239 Speaker 1: it up, and you didn't get impatient and immature. But 519 00:32:24,360 --> 00:32:26,720 Speaker 1: you waited for the will of God to come to 520 00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:33,080 Speaker 1: pass in your life. Once you ever stopped sewing. Because 521 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:36,520 Speaker 1: you don't know. Solomon said, you don't know the way 522 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:38,320 Speaker 1: that the breath enters the bones, and you don't know 523 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:43,000 Speaker 1: the way God works either. You don't know. We don't 524 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:45,360 Speaker 1: know which sermons God's going to use to touch people. 525 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:48,200 Speaker 1: Then you ever preach one you hate it, and then 526 00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 1: everybody wanted to talk about it for the next year, 527 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:55,000 Speaker 1: and you preached one you loved and nobody ever remembered it. 528 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:58,000 Speaker 1: It'll make you mad, but that's how the breath operates. 529 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:01,120 Speaker 1: So you'll be reminded that you need the spirit of God, 530 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 1: not just structure and skill and some things in your life. 531 00:33:04,840 --> 00:33:08,680 Speaker 1: It's gonna surprise you because you don't know. He said 532 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:10,960 Speaker 1: one might work and one might not, or both might 533 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:13,600 Speaker 1: do equally well. In fact, he said in the ESV 534 00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:18,120 Speaker 1: both may be good. Now that made me think of 535 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:28,080 Speaker 1: Joseph Naturally Old Testament Joseph with the coat Joseph, the 536 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:31,160 Speaker 1: coat that got him beat up, the coat that got 537 00:33:31,240 --> 00:33:34,000 Speaker 1: him thrown in a pit, The coat that represented the 538 00:33:34,040 --> 00:33:36,880 Speaker 1: favor of his father. The coat that was kind of 539 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:40,120 Speaker 1: loud and obnoxious, but he wore it anyway. The coat 540 00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:42,280 Speaker 1: that let him know he was chosen even if people 541 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 1: didn't like him. Remember, you need both. Everybody's not supposed 542 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 1: to like you. If everybody likes you, you are doing nothing. 543 00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:54,200 Speaker 1: If everybody likes you, you stand for nothing. If everybody 544 00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:57,040 Speaker 1: agrees with you, you are saying nothing. You don't need 545 00:33:57,080 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 1: everybody to like you, and like a true prophet now, 546 00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:04,760 Speaker 1: because one time I was going through some criticism and 547 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:07,360 Speaker 1: I asked God to make it stop. He said, well, 548 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:09,840 Speaker 1: if I stop that, then I got to stop the 549 00:34:09,880 --> 00:34:14,800 Speaker 1: blessing that created the criticism to begin with. Because both 550 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:22,440 Speaker 1: grow together. Both grow together. Oh, I want to be 551 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:25,279 Speaker 1: used by God, and I want everybody to agree with 552 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:31,240 Speaker 1: all of my decisions and validate my existence. Both grow together. 553 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:34,319 Speaker 1: And so when Joseph did get pushed in a pit, 554 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:38,560 Speaker 1: it was no surprise to me that the Ishmaelit caravan 555 00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:42,000 Speaker 1: was the one that picked him up. It didn't surprise 556 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 1: me at all. Because that's just like God. He always 557 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:50,120 Speaker 1: uses both. Ishmael was the son that Abraham had doing 558 00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:52,600 Speaker 1: it his own way. Isaac was the one that he 559 00:34:52,680 --> 00:34:55,720 Speaker 1: had doing it God's way. But guess which one God used. 560 00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:01,879 Speaker 1: Guess which one God used both? You mean God will 561 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:06,080 Speaker 1: use my mistakes to bring about a deliverance in my future. 562 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:10,000 Speaker 1: You mean God will use the dumb thing I did. 563 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:13,879 Speaker 1: I'm saying absolutely, if he's sovereign, he will, if it's 564 00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:17,440 Speaker 1: his field, if it's his harvest, if it's his job 565 00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:22,320 Speaker 1: to superintend your life. Even the ishmaelite served a purpose. 566 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:28,600 Speaker 1: When David slept with Bathsheba after the child died. The 567 00:35:28,640 --> 00:35:31,319 Speaker 1: next son he had was named Solomon, who was the 568 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:35,840 Speaker 1: wisest man who ever lived, who wrote Ecclesiastes eleven. His 569 00:35:36,080 --> 00:35:42,160 Speaker 1: dumbest decision led to the world's greatest wisdom. I'm gonna try. 570 00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:45,120 Speaker 1: I'm gonna try because I saw it in my mind 571 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:47,839 Speaker 1: like this. I saw that God is using both in 572 00:35:47,880 --> 00:35:51,680 Speaker 1: your life right now. He's using both. So when Joseph 573 00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:55,840 Speaker 1: gets thrown in prison, it's not good. But God uses 574 00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:58,719 Speaker 1: that to introduce him to somebody who is going to 575 00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:02,560 Speaker 1: bring him before Pharaoh. When he comes before Pharaoh. Pharaoh 576 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:04,960 Speaker 1: was telling him about a dream that means there's going 577 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:07,280 Speaker 1: to be a famine in the land. Well, the femine 578 00:36:07,280 --> 00:36:09,960 Speaker 1: isn't good, but God is using the famine to create 579 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:13,000 Speaker 1: a position of favor for his people. Now, when they 580 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:16,279 Speaker 1: finally got there, Joseph is standing before his brothers and 581 00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:19,600 Speaker 1: he has a revelation that everything that has happened in 582 00:36:19,640 --> 00:36:23,600 Speaker 1: his life wasn't good, But everything that happened in his 583 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:26,680 Speaker 1: life has been held in the hand of God. So 584 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:30,160 Speaker 1: God wasn't just using the stuff that felt good to you, 585 00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:33,880 Speaker 1: not just the stuff that you praised him for, not 586 00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:37,280 Speaker 1: just the stuff that you thanked him for. Paul finally 587 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:39,759 Speaker 1: came to the point where he said, I learned to 588 00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:43,839 Speaker 1: thank God for my thorn. I learned to thank him 589 00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:46,759 Speaker 1: for the things that he is using that I did 590 00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:50,320 Speaker 1: not choose for myself, the things that he is using 591 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:54,319 Speaker 1: that tormented me at one time. But the tormentor was 592 00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:58,160 Speaker 1: my mentor that transformed me into who I needed to 593 00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:01,480 Speaker 1: be so that I would rely on the grace of God. 594 00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:10,880 Speaker 1: It's the blessing of both. It's both. So when Joseph said, 595 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:15,000 Speaker 1: you meant it to harm me, but God meant it 596 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 1: for good. He's not speaking out of both sides of 597 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:25,359 Speaker 1: his mouth. It's both. They meant it, but God used it. 598 00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:35,360 Speaker 1: God is going to use both. I promise you he is. 599 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:41,279 Speaker 1: I promise you he is. That's what the cross represents, 600 00:37:41,320 --> 00:37:44,840 Speaker 1: after all, is two beams, one vertical that's you and God, 601 00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:48,759 Speaker 1: one horizontal that's you and people. Is both. Love the Lord, 602 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:51,600 Speaker 1: your God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength, Love 603 00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:55,040 Speaker 1: your neighbor as yourself. It's both. It's not one or 604 00:37:55,040 --> 00:37:59,120 Speaker 1: the other. It's both. I praise God when I feel it. 605 00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:02,600 Speaker 1: I pray God. When I don't feel it. I praise 606 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:05,239 Speaker 1: God when I sense him. I praise Him when it's 607 00:38:05,239 --> 00:38:08,080 Speaker 1: so distant that I wonder sometimes as any of this 608 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:11,440 Speaker 1: even real. I praise him in the good times. I 609 00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:14,640 Speaker 1: praise him in the bad times. I praise him when 610 00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:16,759 Speaker 1: he does what I ask. I praise him when he 611 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:19,520 Speaker 1: runs a little late to lazarus funeral, because I know, 612 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:33,600 Speaker 1: even on the fourth day, he can say something. And 613 00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:43,600 Speaker 1: Joseph said, oh, it's both. Is pain and purpose. It's both. 614 00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:50,520 Speaker 1: And we keep waiting to this day when everything in 615 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:55,520 Speaker 1: our life will be stable, and all of our relationships 616 00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:00,920 Speaker 1: will be harmonious, and God said, I need you to 617 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:06,720 Speaker 1: learn how to celebrate the wheat even while you're looking 618 00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:17,839 Speaker 1: at the weeds. Even the enemy serves a purpose. Even 619 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:23,640 Speaker 1: the devil works for God. The devil's not in charge 620 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:27,200 Speaker 1: of what happens in my life. God doesn't do everything 621 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:31,880 Speaker 1: that happens to me, but he uses everything that happens 622 00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:35,120 Speaker 1: to me. There is nothing that is happening in your 623 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:38,520 Speaker 1: life that will not have to pass through the hand 624 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:43,440 Speaker 1: of God by the time is said and done. And 625 00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:49,399 Speaker 1: so I saw this picture that really moved me of 626 00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:54,440 Speaker 1: how Joseph's father, Jacob, at the end of his life, 627 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:58,640 Speaker 1: was sitting on his deathbed. And Jacob was an interesting 628 00:39:58,719 --> 00:40:06,560 Speaker 1: character because he had two names, Jacob Deceiber Israel Prince, 629 00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:15,239 Speaker 1: which one was he If you'll be really honest, you're 630 00:40:15,239 --> 00:40:21,799 Speaker 1: both too. So please don't judge people just because their 631 00:40:22,400 --> 00:40:26,520 Speaker 1: shortcomings are exposed. If it weren't for the grace of God, 632 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:29,759 Speaker 1: who knows where you would be. Come on, how many 633 00:40:29,840 --> 00:40:37,640 Speaker 1: know what you're capable of. I didn't have a problem. 634 00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:40,120 Speaker 1: I didn't have a problem preaching in that prison the 635 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:43,600 Speaker 1: other day because I'm not in that same situation. But 636 00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:48,280 Speaker 1: I could be. There's nothing better about me than anybody 637 00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:51,160 Speaker 1: that I was preaching to. It wasn't a problem for 638 00:40:51,239 --> 00:40:55,480 Speaker 1: me to preach. It's the power of both, it's the 639 00:40:55,480 --> 00:41:01,960 Speaker 1: blessing of both. And when Jacob was about to die, 640 00:41:02,239 --> 00:41:05,280 Speaker 1: Joseph wanted to get his kids in front of Jacob 641 00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:09,440 Speaker 1: so that they could be blessed. And he brought these 642 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:12,799 Speaker 1: two sons that he had in Egypt. The oldest one 643 00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:17,440 Speaker 1: was named Manassa, the younger one was named Ephraim. And 644 00:41:17,520 --> 00:41:21,360 Speaker 1: they sat on Jacob's knees for a minute. Jacob couldn't 645 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:27,680 Speaker 1: see very well. And after all that Joseph has been through, 646 00:41:27,760 --> 00:41:33,640 Speaker 1: God has blessed him. Anyway, these two sons have significant names. 647 00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:39,600 Speaker 1: Manassa means to forget, because he said, I'm going to 648 00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:43,719 Speaker 1: forget the shame and the pain of Egypt. God has 649 00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:49,240 Speaker 1: made me forget. And then Ephraim means fruitful, not beautiful. 650 00:41:49,239 --> 00:41:53,640 Speaker 1: How God can produce fruit and even the hardest and 651 00:41:53,680 --> 00:42:01,799 Speaker 1: worst situations. Well, anyway, when Jacob was sitting up to 652 00:42:01,840 --> 00:42:06,759 Speaker 1: bless the boys, he did something weird. I want to 653 00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:09,560 Speaker 1: show you this real quick. I don't know who this 654 00:42:09,680 --> 00:42:16,399 Speaker 1: is for, but in Genesis forty eight thirteen, you got 655 00:42:16,440 --> 00:42:27,839 Speaker 1: it forty eight thirteen. Please they said in Joseph took them. 656 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:33,439 Speaker 1: He took both of them, Ephraim in his right hand 657 00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:36,160 Speaker 1: toward Israel's left hand, and Manassa in his left hand. 658 00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:41,960 Speaker 1: God's gonna bless both, and he brought them near him 659 00:42:42,040 --> 00:42:46,480 Speaker 1: next verse and Israel stretched out his right hand laid 660 00:42:46,520 --> 00:42:49,719 Speaker 1: it on the head of who was the younger, and 661 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:53,120 Speaker 1: his left hand on the head of Manassa, crossing his 662 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:57,920 Speaker 1: hands for Manassa was the firstborn. Now understand when he 663 00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:03,600 Speaker 1: did that, it broke every protocol and violated every expectation, 664 00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:08,800 Speaker 1: because he was supposed to bless the oldest one first. 665 00:43:11,360 --> 00:43:16,120 Speaker 1: But God doesn't do things the way we think that 666 00:43:16,160 --> 00:43:20,560 Speaker 1: he should do things, and we don't get what we 667 00:43:20,719 --> 00:43:23,080 Speaker 1: deserve from God. We get so much more. We get 668 00:43:23,560 --> 00:43:29,880 Speaker 1: his grace and his mercy. And when he crossed his 669 00:43:29,920 --> 00:43:33,200 Speaker 1: hands over to bless the younger, when first do any 670 00:43:33,239 --> 00:43:34,839 Speaker 1: of you know that God has blessed you in ways 671 00:43:34,840 --> 00:43:36,680 Speaker 1: that you don't deserve and didn't earn. And there's no 672 00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:38,520 Speaker 1: way in the world you could have built a resume 673 00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:45,640 Speaker 1: to afford it. So when he did it, Joseph got 674 00:43:45,680 --> 00:43:49,040 Speaker 1: really upset. It said, when Joseph saw verse seventeen that 675 00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:52,080 Speaker 1: his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim. 676 00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:56,719 Speaker 1: It displeased him, and he took his father's hand to 677 00:43:56,840 --> 00:44:00,360 Speaker 1: move it from Ephraim's head to Manassa's head. Watch the 678 00:44:00,360 --> 00:44:03,040 Speaker 1: next verse, and Joseph said to his father, not this way, 679 00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:05,680 Speaker 1: my father, This one was the firstborn. You know, I 680 00:44:05,719 --> 00:44:08,239 Speaker 1: know you're getting old and you can't. You used to 681 00:44:08,239 --> 00:44:09,640 Speaker 1: do this when you were a little kid. You've been 682 00:44:09,680 --> 00:44:11,600 Speaker 1: trying to switch things up your whole life. But put 683 00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:13,560 Speaker 1: your right hand on his head. Watch the next verse. 684 00:44:13,600 --> 00:44:15,439 Speaker 1: But his father refused and said, I know, my son. 685 00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:20,120 Speaker 1: I know he shall also become a people. He shall 686 00:44:20,120 --> 00:44:23,600 Speaker 1: also be great. In other words, he said, I'm gonna 687 00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:28,920 Speaker 1: bless both. You know why I don't ever have to 688 00:44:28,920 --> 00:44:32,960 Speaker 1: be jealous of anybody else's life. You know why I 689 00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:36,480 Speaker 1: don't ever have to worry about comparing myself to what 690 00:44:36,520 --> 00:44:41,200 Speaker 1: God does for somebody else, because God is big enough 691 00:44:41,600 --> 00:44:47,920 Speaker 1: to bless both of us. And when you know that, 692 00:44:49,200 --> 00:44:53,160 Speaker 1: come on, when you know that this is the blessing 693 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:59,160 Speaker 1: of both. To know that what I call good, what 694 00:44:59,239 --> 00:45:05,080 Speaker 1: I call bad, God is going to bless both, don't 695 00:45:05,120 --> 00:45:08,239 Speaker 1: you go trying to pluck stuff yourself that's above your 696 00:45:08,280 --> 00:45:12,680 Speaker 1: pay grade. Don't you go on a self improvement project 697 00:45:12,719 --> 00:45:17,520 Speaker 1: without God's help, You'll mess up the masterpiece. God said, 698 00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:23,680 Speaker 1: it's all working together for the good. I'm gonna bless both. 699 00:45:26,040 --> 00:45:29,600 Speaker 1: They were singing a minute ago. Come here, Tiff. She 700 00:45:29,760 --> 00:45:36,240 Speaker 1: was singing, you never lost the battle, You never lost 701 00:45:36,280 --> 00:45:39,800 Speaker 1: a battle. I felt that when when we were writing 702 00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:43,120 Speaker 1: that song, I felt it. We were just singing that 703 00:45:43,600 --> 00:45:51,279 Speaker 1: you never lost the battle, never lost the battle, and 704 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:55,880 Speaker 1: we just started singing that. Yes, oh man. I was like, yes, Lord, 705 00:45:55,920 --> 00:45:59,080 Speaker 1: the church is gonna want to sing this. And then 706 00:45:59,120 --> 00:46:01,920 Speaker 1: I was like keeping it. But then I was like, Chris, 707 00:46:01,960 --> 00:46:04,839 Speaker 1: why don't you, uh, won't you help her? And then 708 00:46:04,920 --> 00:46:10,520 Speaker 1: she's sang it. I said, if they what if they both? 709 00:46:12,440 --> 00:46:16,880 Speaker 1: If they what if they bone? Yeah? What if they bone? 710 00:46:17,200 --> 00:46:27,440 Speaker 1: What if? What if it? What if Paul is silas 711 00:46:28,320 --> 00:46:33,080 Speaker 1: start praising God together? What if we come together in 712 00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:37,200 Speaker 1: his name? Can't begin to lift him off? What if 713 00:46:37,239 --> 00:46:49,960 Speaker 1: we praise him? Things work together? Thank you for joining us. 714 00:46:50,280 --> 00:46:52,719 Speaker 1: Special thanks to those of you who give generously to 715 00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:56,280 Speaker 1: this ministry. Is because of you that this ministry is possible. 716 00:46:56,760 --> 00:46:58,920 Speaker 1: You can click the link in the description to give 717 00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:03,160 Speaker 1: now or visit Elevationchurch dot org. Slash podcast for more 718 00:47:03,200 --> 00:47:07,000 Speaker 1: information and if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. 719 00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:09,359 Speaker 1: You can share it with your friends. You can click 720 00:47:09,360 --> 00:47:11,600 Speaker 1: the share button, take a screenshot and share it on 721 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:14,520 Speaker 1: your social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks 722 00:47:14,520 --> 00:47:15,920 Speaker 1: again for listening. God bless you.