WEBVTT - I Didn't Know I Fell Asleep (Robert Madu) 0:00:30.640 --> 0:00:34.960 How you feel an Elevation church. I tell you what, 0:00:35.240 --> 0:00:39.680 I counted the highest honor and the privileged, highest privilege 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:42.479 really to be back here at Elevation. I do not 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:46.320 take this lightly. Tiffany took the words right out of 0:00:46.360 --> 0:00:48.280 my mouth. I'm not a guest here. I am family. 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:50.479 I hope you know that I'm your cousin from the 0:00:50.520 --> 0:00:55.560 great country of Texas. And it's an honor to be here, 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:59.440 especially because of what this house means to me, the 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:02.040 impact that this house has made on my life, on 0:01:02.160 --> 0:01:04.880 my wife's life, on our church's life, and so it's 0:01:04.920 --> 0:01:07.640 always an honor to come back and to make a 0:01:07.680 --> 0:01:10.120 deposit into this amazing church. Do you know how blessed 0:01:10.160 --> 0:01:12.679 you are to be a part of this church? Come on, 0:01:12.800 --> 0:01:14.520 I hope you know that that deserves more than a 0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:21.480 golf class. You are not just blessed, you're spoiled, absolutely spoiled. 0:01:21.480 --> 0:01:23.080 And I hope you know the grass doesn't get greet 0:01:23.120 --> 0:01:25.399 or anywhere else. You're at the right church at the 0:01:25.480 --> 0:01:27.959 right time, at the right place, and this is just 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:31.760 evidence of God's hand in his favor. But also because 0:01:31.800 --> 0:01:36.920 you have incredible leaders and incredible pastors. In this month 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:40.720 that we take a moment to pause and appreciate pastors. 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:44.280 How many you know we have to pause to appreciate 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:48.480 Pastor Stephen and Holly Ferdick for who they are. I'm 0:01:48.520 --> 0:01:53.240 telling you, the leaders they are and the people they are. 0:01:53.240 --> 0:01:55.080 Come on, would you just let them know how much 0:01:55.120 --> 0:01:59.840 you love and appreciate them? Elevations. You can do better 0:01:59.880 --> 0:02:04.120 than that across every location. Let's give honor to what 0:02:04.280 --> 0:02:06.560 honors do. Please, don't ever take the kid God has 0:02:06.560 --> 0:02:16.040 given you for granted. I fall short of words to 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:19.920 adequately express what Pastor Stephen and Holly mean to my 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:22.600 wife and I, but I'll steal something I heard a 0:02:22.720 --> 0:02:28.240 Swifty say. True though I heard a Swifty say recently, 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:32.520 I feel sorry for Taylor Swift, I said, what, So, Yeah, 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:35.720 I feel sorry for Taylor Swift because Taylor Swift doesn't 0:02:35.720 --> 0:02:39.040 know what it's like to experience a Taylor Swift concert. 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:41.560 That's what I heard a Swift he say. So I'll 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:44.480 say that I feel sorry for Pastor Stephen and Holly 0:02:44.520 --> 0:02:47.000 Ferdy because they don't know what it's like to experience 0:02:47.480 --> 0:02:51.639 their leadership and to be on the other side of 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:54.800 the incredible songs and the sermons and so I love them. 0:02:54.800 --> 0:02:57.359 I'm thankful for all of the pastors that serve here 0:02:57.560 --> 0:02:59.840 at Elevation. Can we just thank God for them? From 0:03:00.520 --> 0:03:05.240 every pastor at every location to the man, the myth, 0:03:05.280 --> 0:03:08.280 the legion chalks, I celebrate you. I'm thankful for who 0:03:08.320 --> 0:03:10.880 you are, and I'm just don't pretend like I'm at 0:03:10.880 --> 0:03:13.520 home because I am. Is that cool? I act like 0:03:13.560 --> 0:03:15.440 I'm at social Dallas, And I want to jump straight 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:18.000 into the Word of God today. I want you to 0:03:18.040 --> 0:03:21.919 go with me to the Book of Acts, Acts, chapter twenty, 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:25.160 and I want to look at verses seven through twelve, 0:03:25.280 --> 0:03:28.200 Acts Chapter twenty. We started verse number seven and we'll 0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:30.960 land of verse number twelve. I have to get excused 0:03:31.000 --> 0:03:34.240 absences from my wife to be at any other church, 0:03:34.360 --> 0:03:36.680 and so I'm glad that she gave me this excuse absence. 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:39.280 But I am families. So can I show you my family. 0:03:39.320 --> 0:03:41.440 It's been a while. This is the Medu crew. Let 0:03:41.440 --> 0:03:43.200 me show you my family. I'll got that picture of 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:49.600 my family. They are Look at that, y'all. If you 0:03:49.640 --> 0:03:51.880 wonder why I have this glow emanating from my face, 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:54.640 it's not just because I use exfoliating skin products. It's 0:03:54.640 --> 0:03:57.080 because I am a blessed man. That is the Madou crew, 0:03:57.440 --> 0:04:00.000 and those are our three little humans. And I'm excited 0:04:00.160 --> 0:04:02.200 to preach. Let's let's let's go to work. Go to Acts, 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:05.240 chapter twenty, and we're gonna start at verse number seven, 0:04:05.880 --> 0:04:09.760 and we'll land at verse number twelve. When you're ready 0:04:09.760 --> 0:04:12.600 to read it, say yeah, yeah. If you need a 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:15.560 little time to find the book of Acts, say hold up, 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:18.880 I heard that. Hold up. I'm wait for you. I'ma 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:23.839 wait for your Acts chapter twenty, and we'll start at 0:04:23.920 --> 0:04:29.880 verse number seven, and it says, on the first day 0:04:29.880 --> 0:04:34.240 of the week, we came together to break bread. Paul 0:04:34.279 --> 0:04:37.279 spoke to the people, and because he intended to leave 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:43.280 the next day, kept on talking until midnight. How many 0:04:43.279 --> 0:04:46.840 you would stay here if I just kept preaching till midnight? 0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:51.880 Anybody'll y'all lieing? Don't lie? Some of y'all gonna leave 0:04:51.920 --> 0:04:55.880 to catch the brunch, And says there were many lamps 0:04:55.880 --> 0:04:59.120 in the upstairs room where they were meeting, and seated 0:04:59.240 --> 0:05:03.159 in a window was a young man named Udicus, who 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:07.479 was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on 0:05:08.400 --> 0:05:11.400 and on, And when he was sound asleep, he fell 0:05:11.440 --> 0:05:13.440 to the ground from the third story and was picked 0:05:13.520 --> 0:05:17.880 up dead. And Paul went down, threw himself on the 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:22.360 young man and put his arms around him. Don't be alarmed, 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:28.599 he said, he's alive. Then he went upstairs again and 0:05:28.800 --> 0:05:33.839 broke bread and ate. You know, you gangster, when you 0:05:33.920 --> 0:05:37.599 do a resurrection, don't even wash your hands, and go 0:05:37.760 --> 0:05:42.960 right upstairs and break bread. And he he said, the 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:46.000 people took the young after talking till daylight, he left, 0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:48.599 and the people took the young man home alive and 0:05:48.640 --> 0:05:53.279 were greatly comforted. Can you say a man, thank you 0:05:53.360 --> 0:05:59.320 so much? What a peculiar passage of scripture. I've been 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:02.840 obsessed with this scripture for a long time, especially about 0:06:02.880 --> 0:06:08.279 this young dude name Uticus, because he made the Bible, y'all, 0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:13.320 not for something he said, but for what he did. 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:19.640 Homeboy made the Bible from falling asleep in church, falling 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:24.760 out of a window, and dying. He didn't even say anything. 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:27.919 But if Uticus could come back today, I think he 0:06:28.000 --> 0:06:31.159 would tell you what my title is today. He would 0:06:31.200 --> 0:06:36.200 say to you, who I didn't know I fell asleep. 0:06:38.200 --> 0:06:43.760 I didn't know I fell asleep. Would you help me 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:45.960 preach and look at your neighbor whichever one you like 0:06:46.040 --> 0:06:50.520 the best across every location. Just say neighbor, O neighbor. 0:06:51.480 --> 0:06:56.240 Sometimes you don't know when you're asleep. Come on, find 0:06:56.240 --> 0:06:58.120 another neighbor. In case that neighborhood stuck up, come on, 0:06:58.200 --> 0:07:02.159 find another neighbor. Come on, say other neighbor. You my 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:07.320 second option. But don't sleep on this message. Give God 0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:13.320 some praise. If you got expectation for him to speak today, Father, 0:07:13.480 --> 0:07:18.800 have your way, speak to our hearts today in Jesus' name. 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:25.720 And man, I didn't know. I fell asleep when I 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:28.640 read this text. That immediately took me back to a 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:33.600 moment in church that I will never forget. It's happened 0:07:33.640 --> 0:07:36.160 a few years ago. Actually, during the first year of 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:38.720 our marriage. Some of you would know that. Before we 0:07:38.760 --> 0:07:43.440 planted our church social Dallas, I traveled for sixteen years 0:07:44.360 --> 0:07:47.520 as an evangelist, had an itinerant ministry, preaching at churches 0:07:47.600 --> 0:07:50.720 all across the nation and preaching from Genesis all the 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:53.760 way to the maps in the back. And I remember 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:56.400 we had just gotten we just gotten married, and it 0:07:56.520 --> 0:07:58.840 was a crazy week of traveling. We're new the wads, 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:00.760 and I was actually trying to show my new it's 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.800 real out here in these ministry streets. It's not vacation. 0:08:03.960 --> 0:08:06.480 I'm living out of the suitcase and going from city 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:08.120 to city. And it was a crazy week. We're in 0:08:08.160 --> 0:08:11.120 a different city every single night, and then Saturday night 0:08:11.160 --> 0:08:14.720 we get into Middlelothian, Virginia. I'll never forget it. And 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:16.360 the pastor picked us up and he said, hey, I 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:18.400 just want to let you know that tomorrow we have 0:08:18.600 --> 0:08:22.080 three Sunday morning services since the first one starts at 0:08:22.120 --> 0:08:25.320 eight a m. So I looked at my bride, my 0:08:25.440 --> 0:08:27.840 new bride, and I said, babe, it's been a crazy week. 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:29.960 I said, you do not have to go to all 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:32.320 three of these services. I said, why don't you just 0:08:32.400 --> 0:08:34.800 pick one or come to the last one. You don't 0:08:34.800 --> 0:08:37.120 have to come to all three. Now, keep in mind, 0:08:37.160 --> 0:08:39.199 this is the first year of our marriage. Okay, now 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:41.560 we got eleven years in. We got double digits on 0:08:41.559 --> 0:08:43.440 the board. If I asked her today, she'd be like, 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:47.160 I wasn't planning on coming to all three. I'll come to 0:08:47.160 --> 0:08:49.600 the last one and catch you at lunch. But when 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:52.319 you're a newly way that's different. So she's like, Babe, no, 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:57.120 I'll come to all three. We can't be disconnected so 0:08:57.280 --> 0:08:59.559 all right, it's gonna be early morning, and so we 0:08:59.679 --> 0:09:01.480 get to the church. I'll never forget it. It's the 0:09:01.480 --> 0:09:03.600 first service of the day and I'm preaching and I'm 0:09:03.600 --> 0:09:07.240 getting ready to land the sermon, land the plane. My wife, 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:10.440 who is on the front row. I look at my 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:15.520 peripheral and I see her arms are closed. So my 0:09:15.520 --> 0:09:17.760 first thought is my first thought is see I picked 0:09:17.800 --> 0:09:21.280 the right one. She is praying for her man right now. 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:24.000 She knows that this is the most important part in 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:26.920 the sermon, that I'm about to land the plane, and 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:30.960 she is preparing the atmosphere with the gift of Inner session. 0:09:31.200 --> 0:09:33.160 She is praying for me. Then all of a sudden, 0:09:33.200 --> 0:09:36.320 I noticed her eyes were all the way in the 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:38.000 back of her head and her mouth was open. Then 0:09:38.000 --> 0:09:41.520 she started rocking like this and going back and forth, 0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:43.680 and I said, wait, man, we're Pentecosta, but we ain't 0:09:43.720 --> 0:09:48.480 that Pentecosta. Why is she rocking back and forth? And 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:51.520 before you know it, she is sound asleep on the 0:09:51.679 --> 0:09:54.640 front row of the church. And I'm panicking because I 0:09:54.720 --> 0:09:57.120 notice it. And then I noticed other people noticing her, 0:09:57.360 --> 0:09:59.120 and then I just panicked. I just called the worship 0:09:59.120 --> 0:10:00.760 team back and I said come back, come back out, 0:10:00.800 --> 0:10:07.240 and everybody stand. Everybody's everybody stand to your feet. She 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:11.520 woke up and stood and I prayed the praying ooh. 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:14.640 And I went back to the green room. I wasn't 0:10:14.720 --> 0:10:18.440 living at you. I said, babe, what is wrong with you? 0:10:18.520 --> 0:10:20.880 I told you you didn't have to come. Did you notice? 0:10:20.880 --> 0:10:23.680 Everybody notice? And you fall asleep? And she said, in 0:10:23.679 --> 0:10:27.719 that sweet voice, Babe, I'm sorry. I couldn't help it, 0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:33.439 and I didn't know I was falling asleep. But I 0:10:33.440 --> 0:10:34.960 look back, I shouldn't have got mad, because come on, 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:36.520 let's be honest. This happened to the best of us, 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:38.880 hasn't it. Oh, come on, I don't care how saved, 0:10:38.880 --> 0:10:41.360 how spiritual you are. You could have floated in here, 0:10:41.440 --> 0:10:45.320 had communion for breakfast. I promise you you have had 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:48.560 you a sleepy sunday. Come you're honest across every location 0:10:48.600 --> 0:10:53.000 to admit you've had a Sunday where you you were dozing. 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:55.360 You're like, look, I'm here. At least I made it. 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:58.920 That's the wind today. I'm not impressed with people that 0:10:58.960 --> 0:11:00.960 tell me they've never fallen to sleep in church. If 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:03.720 you've never fallen asleep in church, all you telling me 0:11:03.800 --> 0:11:07.640 is you don't come to church consistently. That's all you're 0:11:07.679 --> 0:11:09.560 letting me know. Of course you can stay awake, you 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:12.800 just come on Eastern Christmas. Those of us who fall 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:15.760 asleep are faithful. We keep showing up even when we 0:11:15.800 --> 0:11:20.200 worked late last night. So uh, it's not a big deal. 0:11:20.240 --> 0:11:23.680 In fact, you want to sleep today, it's cool because 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:25.760 it's happened to the best of us. And I didn't 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:28.200 come all the way from Dallas to Charlotte to tell 0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:31.439 you that if you fall asleep in church you're gonna die. 0:11:31.920 --> 0:11:36.320 It's not my assignment today, Nor do I think that's 0:11:36.360 --> 0:11:39.800 the reason that this story is in the Bible. But 0:11:39.840 --> 0:11:43.600 the question I have been asking myself is why is 0:11:43.640 --> 0:11:46.080 this story in the Bible? Come on, of all the 0:11:46.120 --> 0:11:48.840 things that doctor Luke could have put pen to paper 0:11:48.880 --> 0:11:51.400 to write about, why do we need to know about 0:11:51.400 --> 0:11:55.000 this young dude named Uticus that fell asleep in church, 0:11:55.120 --> 0:11:57.200 Of all the things to put in the Book of Backs, 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:00.480 Why do we need to know about this this young 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:04.800 dude named Eudicus fallen asleep in church, Of all the 0:12:04.840 --> 0:12:06.520 things he could have written about in the Book of Acts. 0:12:06.559 --> 0:12:08.720 You understand that the Book of Acts is giving us 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:12.480 the first thirty years of the history of the early Church. 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:15.240 It's not telling us everything that happened. It's just telling 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:18.439 us snapshots that happened, just a few of the events 0:12:18.480 --> 0:12:20.800 that happen. I love the Book of Acts. Read it 0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:22.720 when you get to the crib, because the Book of 0:12:22.760 --> 0:12:26.360 Acts lets me know that God will always keep his promise. 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:29.240 Because you understand that He gave those in the upper 0:12:29.320 --> 0:12:32.040 room a promise. He said, and the Holy Spirit will 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:35.160 come upon you, and you'll receive power to be my 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:39.520 witnesses to Jerusalem, Judaeus, Samaria, and to the ends of 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:42.400 the earth. Think about that, that something that started with 0:12:42.480 --> 0:12:45.080 a small group of one twenty in an upper room 0:12:45.320 --> 0:12:48.880 began to spread around the world, and the gospel is 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:52.000 still being preached today. I'm gonna pause right here and 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:55.640 tell somebody, don't despise small beginnings. Come you know, you 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:58.960 can start small, but if the Holy Spirit starts blowing 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:02.040 on the thing that's you know, it has the power 0:13:02.320 --> 0:13:07.520 to go around the world. Don't despise small beginnings because 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:11.240 when God starts something small, the Holy Spirit gets on it, 0:13:11.320 --> 0:13:13.280 it can get big. Look at what you sitting in 0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:16.839 here today at Elevation Church, This didn't start with all 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:20.160 these campuses and packing out arenas. How many are thankful 0:13:20.280 --> 0:13:23.320 that some families and pastor Stephen and Holly were faithful 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:26.000 to step out and all of a sudden because the 0:13:26.040 --> 0:13:30.520 Holy Spirit blew on something to change the game. But 0:13:30.559 --> 0:13:33.160 I'm trying to figure out why we gotta know about 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:36.320 Paul and the Unicus. This don't make sense to me. 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.560 I get knowing about Paul and Antonius. Come on, you know, 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:42.240 Paul is like some of y'all. He went from ratchet 0:13:42.240 --> 0:13:46.160 to righteous. He had a testimony. He actually persecuted the 0:13:46.200 --> 0:13:49.120 church before he started building the church. God knocked him 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:52.040 off his high horse and a light blinded him. Only 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:54.280 God could use a light to blind you, and a 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:57.600 light blinded him. And he needed Antonius because when God 0:13:57.840 --> 0:14:00.000 is taking you from who you were to who you're 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:02.319 going to be, you need an anonaius to lay their 0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:04.520 hands on you and show you the way. I get 0:14:04.559 --> 0:14:08.240 Paul and Antonius. I get Paul and Barnabas, because come on, 0:14:08.600 --> 0:14:10.360 God didn't just save you for you to come to 0:14:10.440 --> 0:14:12.559 church and sit on your blessed assurance and do nothing. 0:14:13.800 --> 0:14:16.200 Come on, you gotta get plugged in. You have a 0:14:16.360 --> 0:14:19.360 purpose He created you on purpose, for a purpose. So 0:14:19.480 --> 0:14:23.040 I get Paul and Barnabas. You need Barnabas. Barnabas is 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:25.440 the one that got connected to Paul on his first mission. 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:28.640 Every journey, I get Paul and Silas because I mean, 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:30.320 you know, when you're in a dark place, you need 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:33.440 somebody that will praise God with you. I need somebody 0:14:33.440 --> 0:14:35.520 that when I say high Lay, they say Lujah. When 0:14:35.520 --> 0:14:38.080 I say praise, they say Lord. I get Paul inside 0:14:38.080 --> 0:14:41.400 of the But Paul and Unicus, why do I need 0:14:41.440 --> 0:14:45.040 to know Debby fell asleep in church? Surely the message 0:14:45.080 --> 0:14:47.880 is don't sleep in church. Surely that can't be the message. 0:14:47.920 --> 0:14:55.120 Surely the message isn't preach short. I vehementically come against that. 0:14:55.120 --> 0:14:56.840 That can't be the message of this text. I had 0:14:56.840 --> 0:14:59.200 a Bible college professor. He said, you should preach fifteen 0:14:59.200 --> 0:15:01.600 minutes or less fifty minute. He said, yes, the mind 0:15:01.600 --> 0:15:04.720 cannot retain what the seat cannot endure. Preach fifteen minutes 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:07.640 or less. I'm thinking, were you born, you should preach 0:15:07.720 --> 0:15:11.080 fifteen minutes or less. Surely the message is not preach short, 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:13.920 and surely the message can be that the apostle Paul 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:17.720 was a boring communicator, because if he was a boring communicator, 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:20.240 I believe the text would have said everybody fell asleep, 0:15:20.960 --> 0:15:23.880 but everybody didn't fall asleep. Eudicus is the only one 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:26.440 that started dozing off in the room. That means, oh, 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:28.160 I don't know how many people in the room, but 0:15:28.200 --> 0:15:30.480 Eudicus was the only one that was sleeping. That means 0:15:30.520 --> 0:15:34.280 everybody else in the room must have been leaning in. Going, Paul, 0:15:34.360 --> 0:15:37.480 if you got more to say, we got more to receive. 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:40.320 If you're gonna pour out, we're ready to receive it. 0:15:40.440 --> 0:15:42.800 I want to pause right here and thank God that, 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:45.920 first of all, Paul had the depth of content to 0:15:46.040 --> 0:15:48.760 keep preaching past midnight. But I want to shout out 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:50.960 to other people in the room that have the depth 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:56.440 of capacity to receive what Paul was pouring out. Oh see, 0:15:56.480 --> 0:15:59.920 sometimes we think that God has doesn't have enough content 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:02.720 to pour out to us. But sometimes it has nothing 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:04.640 to do with what God wants to pour out, but 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:08.240 everything to do with your capacity to receive what God 0:16:08.280 --> 0:16:10.280 wants to pour out. Is there anybody in here that 0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:13.440 knows that God has so much more that he wants 0:16:13.480 --> 0:16:15.360 to pour out, but some of us keep coming to 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:19.400 him with a little saucer. Thank God, I'm ready to receive. 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:21.240 So I want to shout out the other people in 0:16:21.280 --> 0:16:25.000 the room that had the depth of capacity to receive 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:27.400 what Paul had. I want to shout out the other 0:16:27.480 --> 0:16:29.640 people in the room that said, Paul, if you got 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:33.120 something to say, I am ready with anticipation and I'm 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:35.560 ready to hear it. Is there anybody in here that 0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:39.080 says I came to receive something from God? I actually 0:16:39.080 --> 0:16:45.440 have expectation. Sometimes we think the problem is with the seed, 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:48.080 and it has nothing to do with the seed, but 0:16:48.200 --> 0:16:51.920 everything to do with the soil that receives it. That's 0:16:51.920 --> 0:16:54.520 why when Jesus told the parable of the Sower, the 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:57.480 thing that was constant was the seed, but the only 0:16:57.520 --> 0:17:00.520 thing that changed was the soil. Because often times the 0:17:00.560 --> 0:17:03.080 problem is not with the person that has the microphone, 0:17:04.000 --> 0:17:07.639 it's with the people that have the capacity to receive it. 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:10.119 So sometimes I'll preach a message and it'll be terrible, 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:12.320 and somebody'd be like, oh, that's the best message you 0:17:12.359 --> 0:17:15.879 ever preached, and I'd be like, nah, fam, that's the 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:19.199 best time you ever listened. I know that wasn't the 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:22.200 best one. But sometimes when you actually have the capacity 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:25.520 to receive it, it'll hit the ground better. And I 0:17:25.600 --> 0:17:28.800 know this room had capacity to received. In fact, they 0:17:28.800 --> 0:17:33.240 had something that I call proof of expectation. They had 0:17:33.320 --> 0:17:36.440 proof that they were expecting God to speak to them 0:17:36.480 --> 0:17:39.440 through Paul. Proof of expectation. I don't ask church people 0:17:39.480 --> 0:17:42.199 anymore do you have expectation? Because everybody's like, yeah, I 0:17:42.200 --> 0:17:45.959 got expectation. I asked them, show me the proof of 0:17:46.000 --> 0:17:50.080 your expectation. Prove to me that you're actually expecting God 0:17:50.160 --> 0:17:52.399 to do something in your life. Is there anybody in 0:17:52.400 --> 0:17:56.600 here that actually has proof of your expectation? Somebody will say, 0:17:56.600 --> 0:17:59.440 I got expectation. I'm believing God for a house. Really? 0:18:00.040 --> 0:18:03.120 Are you actually sewing right now? Are you giving Nah? 0:18:03.440 --> 0:18:07.560 I'm just expecting a house. Really. Okay, have you downloaded Zillow? Nah? 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:11.119 Not yet, But I'm just expecting a house. Show me, yo, 0:18:11.160 --> 0:18:14.880 you got to have proof of your expectation. And I'm 0:18:14.880 --> 0:18:17.159 telling the people in this room they had proof of 0:18:17.200 --> 0:18:19.840 expectation that God was going to do something. Can you 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:22.640 prove it in the text? I will verse number eight 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:24.680 of Acts, chapter twenty. I want you to see something. 0:18:24.680 --> 0:18:26.760 If you read too fast or miss it, it says 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:30.879 there were many lamps in the upstairs room where they 0:18:30.880 --> 0:18:36.440 were meeting. There were how many lamps? How many many? 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:40.119 There were so many lamps in that upstairs room. That 0:18:40.280 --> 0:18:44.000 lets me know the people in the room had expectation 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:47.320 to receive, because it's how we're down. I don't think 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:51.200 Paul planned to preach law. We never do. I think 0:18:51.240 --> 0:18:53.120 you jarted off and it kept going and kept going 0:18:53.119 --> 0:18:55.440 and kept going all throughout the middle of the night. 0:18:55.600 --> 0:18:58.280 But guess what, the people in the room already knew 0:18:58.359 --> 0:19:01.199 that this meeting might go long, and Paul's gonna pour 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:03.240 out to us and we might not ever see him again. 0:19:03.480 --> 0:19:06.240 So before they ever got in the room, they set 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:10.160 the atmosphere of that room and put many lamps in there. 0:19:10.320 --> 0:19:12.439 I'm talking to some of y'all, you gotta start setting 0:19:12.480 --> 0:19:16.120 the atmosphere with some expectation. I'm talking to some of y'all. 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:18.680 You gotta start praising God on your way to church. 0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:21.080 Don't wait till you get in the building. You want 0:19:21.080 --> 0:19:24.080 to start praising all the way on your way to church. 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:29.040 The lamps were proof of their expectation. They had many lamps. 0:19:29.040 --> 0:19:30.840 You know how long it took them to set up 0:19:32.359 --> 0:19:34.680 all those lamps. Say, y'all know Paul might get long 0:19:34.720 --> 0:19:37.199 winded tonight, Let's just set them all up. Setting up 0:19:37.240 --> 0:19:40.840 all these lamps as proof that they had expectation for 0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:43.560 something to happen. Then not only that, wait a minute, 0:19:43.600 --> 0:19:48.880 who you have to also have oil in those lamps. 0:19:49.400 --> 0:19:51.480 It's not enough just to have the lamps. You better 0:19:51.560 --> 0:19:54.400 have some oil. You remember when Jesus told the parable 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:58.440 about the five foolish bridesmaids and the five wise one, 0:19:58.520 --> 0:20:02.200 And remember all of them pulled a you kissing, fell asleep, 0:20:02.400 --> 0:20:05.400 And when the bridegroom came. The only thing that separated 0:20:05.440 --> 0:20:07.600 the wise one from the foolish ones were the ones 0:20:07.600 --> 0:20:10.920 that have enough oil that were in their lamps. Is 0:20:11.000 --> 0:20:12.480 there anybody in here and say, I don't just have 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:15.560 the lamps. I got some oil, I got some anointing. 0:20:15.880 --> 0:20:23.960 I am expecting God. There's something. Those lamps stood as 0:20:24.080 --> 0:20:28.159 proof that they had expectation for God to speak to 0:20:28.200 --> 0:20:31.919 them in that upper room. Not only does those lamps 0:20:31.880 --> 0:20:35.280 stand as proof of their expectation, it also shows the 0:20:35.320 --> 0:20:39.040 power of illumination. Anytime you see a lamp in the Bible, 0:20:39.119 --> 0:20:41.520 it is a picture of the word of a God. 0:20:42.040 --> 0:20:44.640 How many have realized that life is above your pay 0:20:44.680 --> 0:20:50.600 grade and you need a word from God. You need 0:20:50.640 --> 0:20:53.320 his word for direction. This is what he says. Your 0:20:53.400 --> 0:20:57.280 word is a lamp unto my feet. It's a light 0:20:57.480 --> 0:20:59.920 unto my path. This is the power of the word 0:21:00.440 --> 0:21:04.520 of God. I need his word for direction. Oh, it's 0:21:04.520 --> 0:21:08.200 a lamp unto my feet, meaning that oftentimes his word 0:21:08.480 --> 0:21:11.520 will just tell you the next step. Often, when God 0:21:11.520 --> 0:21:13.359 speaks to you, he's not going to give you a 0:21:13.400 --> 0:21:16.640 twenty year plan. I know that messes up you planners. 0:21:17.600 --> 0:21:19.760 He would not giving you a twenty year plan, but 0:21:19.760 --> 0:21:21.480 he will tell you this is what you do next. 0:21:22.480 --> 0:21:24.879 This is what you do next. Take this step. And 0:21:24.920 --> 0:21:26.520 some of you haven't taken that step. You're like, God, 0:21:26.560 --> 0:21:28.480 I need a new word. He's like, dude, the last 0:21:28.480 --> 0:21:34.160 one I told you. The lamps proved that his word 0:21:34.480 --> 0:21:37.919 is illumination in that room, and so all of them 0:21:37.960 --> 0:21:41.399 had tiptoe anticipation that God was going to speak to 0:21:41.480 --> 0:21:43.520 the great Apostle Paul, and I have to be honest 0:21:43.520 --> 0:21:45.000 with you and tell you something. I don't usually like 0:21:45.040 --> 0:21:47.960 to brag about places that I go, but I've been 0:21:48.000 --> 0:21:51.920 to this upper room. I've been to this room I've 0:21:51.920 --> 0:21:54.800 been to this room. I've seen this upper room where 0:21:54.800 --> 0:21:57.840 they gat that I was there. I wasn't there, y'all, 0:21:58.080 --> 0:22:02.640 not in reality, in my exegetically imagination. But I went 0:22:02.720 --> 0:22:07.320 to Troas and I worked all day. I worked long 0:22:08.119 --> 0:22:10.880 and hard all day, and I was filled with excitement 0:22:10.960 --> 0:22:12.800 because everybody was talking about how Paul was going to 0:22:12.840 --> 0:22:16.119 show up at this undisclosed location, and they said he 0:22:16.160 --> 0:22:17.960 was going to be there, the great Apostle Paul. So 0:22:18.040 --> 0:22:20.320 after working all day, I went straight from work to 0:22:20.359 --> 0:22:23.119 this upper room. I remember it, y'all. I remember walking 0:22:23.240 --> 0:22:26.640 up the flight of stairs three stories. I remember walking in. 0:22:26.680 --> 0:22:29.560 The room was packed with people. I remember the smell 0:22:30.040 --> 0:22:32.639 in that room because not everybody took a bass, I 0:22:32.640 --> 0:22:35.639